Analyst firm NelsonHall recently forecast that business process outsourcing (BPO) will grow to a $450 billion market by the year 2021. I’ve been noticing that small businesses are doing an increasing volume of outsourcing of project work and even certain parts of their business processes. It’s a strategy that helps you grow your business flexibly. You can increase your capacity and throughput, without adding fixed expenses that would be difficult to scale back. But being smart about outsourcing is crucial....

For many people, purchasing illustrations or hiring an artist to create a unique image is a new experience. Because each artist is different and the client-artist relationship is critical to success, it’s helpful to have a few basic tips to refer to when you want to hire an illustrator. Posting the Job It is important to provide as much information as possible when posting any type of job on Elance, especially an illustration job. This is because the deliverable for...

Do you feel as informed about your customers and their needs, or about your industry and recent market trends as you want to be? It's easy to stay up-to-date when you work with a qualified professional to do market research for your business. Market research can provide you with valuable information to help drive the strategic direction of your business, and your business will reap the benefits: Uncover new opportunities in the marketplace (e.g. additional sales or new markets)Identify potential...

Other times, they actually launch the business and run it on the side while still employed. They may continue to run it as a side business for a period of months or even years. Only later do they leave their jobs. No matter how you do it, I’ve got 6 practical tips for starting a business while you’re still employed: 1. Consider Your Employer Your Banker I am a huge fan of bootstrapping a business, i.e., using personal money to...

Do you want to increase sales? Yes? Well, you’re not alone. In all likelihood, you’re limited by the amount of time you can spend finding, targeting, and building relationships with prospective customers. Give yourself – or your sales team – a boost by hiring a freelancer to do your legwork so you can connect with your customers. You can start by making a list of all your current sales-related activities. Then, list all the things you’d like to do… if...