Kevin Ashcroft tells us why you should outsource the work necessary to grow your company and talks about his book, Outsourcing For Success, where he shares his secret sauce for growing a business by using global talent. 

About our Guest: 

Kevin Ashcroft started his first business when he was just 19 years old. He had no idea what he was doing when it started, but it grew and he sold it in 2011. Today, he uses the concepts he learned from his first business to not only run his new companies, Blinkered Media and WP Support Specialists, but to support and mentor other entrepreneurs. He’s also the author of Outsourcing For Success.

On today’s episode 

• The decision to write Outsourcing For Success - 3:21
• How to build a business by outsourcing work - 5:30
• The benefits of a location independent business - 11:37
• How to start outsourcing work - 12:44
• The different ways to use the freelancing model - 15:32
• How to balance quality of deliverable vs cost - 18:44
• Why you shouldn’t go for the cheapest freelancer - 19:52
• How to find the diamond in the rough - 23:04
• Balancing a mixed team of full time and freelancers - 27:00
• How Covid is changing the image of outsourcing - 30:37
• How Kevin gives back - 35:15
• Inside Outsourcing For Success - 39:01

Key Takeaways: 

• When you begin outsourcing, start small, don’t overthink it. It’s safe, it doesn’t cost you and it doesn’t take much time, but it gives you the confidence to move forward with outsourcing bigger projects.  
• Focus on quality of outsourced talent rather than getting the cheapest available. Paying more for talent actually lowers your overall business costs while giving you better overall ROI.
• Set the expectations of freelancers up front, to build a level of trust that flows both ways. 
• If you’re starting a business or you’re looking for a mentor, Kevin is offering 4 entrepreneurs every 6 months mentorship, as well as choosing one business a month for a site makeover. 
• The premise of Outsourcing For Success is to give business owners and entrepreneurs insight into outsourcing, how they can use it to scale their business, and to get access to skills and services they find hard to come by.

Memorable Quotes by Kevin Ashcroft:

• “It's getting it done right the first time by someone who's experienced. When you deal with specialists, you get a different level of feedback, you get ideas, you get communication that can actually help you with your services and your client, it can help you get more business from your clients, and you get happier clients. You're not employing someone full time, you're bringing them in as and when you need them. And so you've got that flexibility.”

What’s been your experience of outsourcing work or hiring freelancers? Share it with us in the comments. And don’t forget to say hello if you would like to share your entrepreneurship story on our podcast. 

Connect with Kevin Ashcroft:

• Website: Blinkered Media
• Website: www.wpsupportspecialists.com
• Personal website: Kev Ashcroft
• Book - Outsourcing For Success
• Giving back mentoring program
• LinkedIn: Kevin Ashcroft

Connect with A.J. Lawrence:

• Website: ajlawrence.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @ajlawrence
• LinkedIn: A.J. Lawrence

Follow Beyond 8 Figures:

• Website: Beyond8Figures.com
• Twitter: @beyond8figures 
• Facebook: Beyond 8 Figures
• Instagram:@b8fpodcast
• Email: [email protected]