In today’s rendition of the Photography Workflow Series, I want to talk about something that seems taboo in the world of entrepreneurship: outsourcing.  It’s no secret that working a successful wedding photography business and having a life seems next to impossible most days. We grip so tightly to our business because honestly, they’re like our children! We’ve built them from the ground up and the thought of letting anything go scares us to death.

And I think I’ve heard all the fears that come with it (and I’ve probably had them all myself)

• I don’t have money to outsource
• They can’t do it as good as me
• I don’t have time to teach someone how to do it my way
• I don’t want to look like I can’t handle it all
• I don’t want to give up the reigns in my business
• I can’t let go of control

When I first started (Okay, I lied, for the first couple YEARS of my business, I was afraid to hand anything off.  I was afraid they wouldn’t do it as good as I could, and honestly, I just was afraid to trust people with my work.  But as I was drowning 10 sessions deep, I knew something had to change.  Mind you, I didn’t have any systems in place yet so things were realllly rocky.  I wrote down a list of EVERYTHING I did in my business and then went through and rated everything 1-5.  What did I love and what did I dislike doing?  All the things that were rated 1-2 got the cut.

It can be hard to pay someone to do something you’re capable of, but think of the time you can gain back with your family, friends, and just time to yourself if you outsource some things.

Here are the things I outsourced initially:

• Editing full galleries
• Album Design
• Bookkeeping
• Accounting + Taxes

And I knew that if I was going to make this investment, I needed to make a return on it.  So when I was saving time by not editing FULL galleries (I still edit everything that is seen online on my blogs, website, albums, prints etc.) I spent that time marketing, networking, loving on my clients, and shooting more.  Doing all the things that I didn’t have time for before.

And these are the 5 benefits I’ve seen from outsourcing, and why you should consider it for your own business!

1. It frees you up to be in your zone of genius

I once took a 6 month coaching course, and the instructor also talked about staying in your zone of genius as much as possible, because that’s where the money is. As a photographer, your zone of genius is obviously shooting, and this is what brings in the money! Giving up the reigns to the things that can be considered “maintenance for your business” gives you time to spend on the things that bring in more revenue, and more clients.

2. You can work on your business instead of IN your business

A few years ago, I read a great book called *The E-Myth: Why most small businesses fail and what to do about it. (I highly highly highly recommend reading this book- it will give you an entirely new perspective on your business)

In this book, they talk about the concept of working in your business with a CEO mindset vs on your business like a technician would.  Most small businesses fail because they get so caught up in the day to day work, that they never have time or energy to focus on the work that will grow their business (having a CEO mindset!) Getting rid of things that you don’t need to do frees you up to spend time dreaming and scheming to grow your business.

3. You become more profitable

This goes hand in hand with the first two points, but essentially, when you can spend time in your zone of genius, and spend time working on your business and not just in it, this will create more profits for a few reasons.

• You’re spending more time on the money making tasks such as shooting, client meetings, vendor networking.
• It frees you up for more marketing tasks such as blogging, or having a social media presence.
• Your clients get a better experience, so the word of mouth for your business increases

4. Better client experience

Since I began outsourcing, my customer service went through the roof even more because while my editor was working on the main gallery, my album design was happening simultaneously in house.  I was delivering galleries within a week or a couple of days and then delivering their first album draft shortly after. My clients are blown away every time and then they go out and tell their friends what a great experience they had with me!

When I wasn’t outsourcing, I was able to follow the same timeline, but other things were falling through the cracks and there were so many more big projects I wanted to work on that I just didn’t have time for. Since I began outsourcing, I’ve been able to start this second business, work on bigger projects such as planning a retreat, working on my wedding guide, mentoring photographers, and more.

5. Free time

This has gotta be the best part and the biggest no brainer. Giving up control of things in your business will save you countless hours that you can now spend having a date night, hanging out with your family or friends, reading, going to the gym, sleeping more… the list goes on and it’s a WONDERFUL thing!

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Note: If you’re considering outsourcing any of the above, here’s two coupons for Align Album Design and Photographer’s Edit!

ALIGN: 1STORDER (will get you 50% off your first order so you can see if you want to continue using the service!)

PHOTOGRAPHER’S EDIT: use the code “Ref869uT8Li” at checkout of your first order of 20$ or more to get 50%! (LOVE THIS COMPANY and everything they stand for!)

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Being a photographer doesn’t mean you have to or need to be good at everything. Editors are great at editing, accountants and bookkeepers are great at the numbers game, and album designers are great at album designing, so give them a shot!!

I promise that letting go of things will help you grow so much personally, and professionally.  I have seen so much growth in my business from letting things go, freeing me up to do what I do best!

I hope you’ll consider adding this into your photography workflow!

**If you missed part one in this series, “WHY WORKFLOWS AND SYSTEMS ARE ESSENTIAL FOR YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS | PHOTOGRAPHY WORKFLOW SERIES PART 1”, you can find it here !

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And, if you’ve made it down here, THANK YOU! I have a free gift for you!

Click the image below to get my free workflow guide:

“10 Workflow Hacks for Photographers to Instantly Get Ahead of your To-Do List!”

If you missed the first post in this series (WHY WORKFLOWS AND SYSTEMS ARE ESSENTIAL FOR YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS | PHOTOGRAPHY WORKFLOW SERIES PART 1), click here to catch up!

*Some of the links above are affiliate links!