Although in the early days of a new business, multi-tasking is usually necessary, as things continue to develop and grow, specialization becomes an increasingly important issue.
One reason for this can simply be time constraints. When you start you own business, you will most likely have limited funds, but your own work hours can be an almost unlimited resource that can be put to good use in many different ways.
However, as more work comes in, you will need to focus on your own core skills, whether they lie in administration or business leadership or are more to do with delivering the products and services your business offers.
This means that at some point, you will need to take on staff or expand your employee base in order to cover work that might need more specialized skills.
IT needs
Today, every kind of business has IT requirements to a greater or lesser degree.
Whether that means setting up a bespoke software suite or maintaining computing and communications infrastructure, the demands of a modern commercial concern means that the required tech skills can often be beyond those of non-professional personnel.
For many businesses, employing in-house staff might not be cost effective, but at the same time, outsourcing tasks to a service company could also prove to be too expensive.
A perfect solution is to make use of skilled contractors.
Third party
By using a contractor to undertake some of the tasks your business needs to cover, you have far more flexibility than if you hired a direct employee.
Not only that, but it can also work out far cheaper in the long run, as employer pension contributions, tax and liabilities can all be mitigated.
Not every company is at the right stage to take on permanent employees and so hiring contractors can mean getting the job done without having the responsibilities and complications of growing staff numbers.
A vital component in using contractors is the role played by an umbrella company. Essential operating as a third party broker between your company and a contractor, they offer the opportunity to simplify the process and make everything easier to run smoothly.
Many umbrella companies offer access to professional contractors with plenty of experience in the fields that you need covered, and umbrella companies all look after the tax and other legal issues for you, which means all associated accounting issues will be far easier to deal with.
Best of both worlds
Using this approach to cover a skills gap, particularly an IT related one, means that your business can have a cost effective solution to staffing issues.
More than that, for a company looking to expand into different markets contractors, working through an umbrella company can give you a physical presence overseas and help you compete with far bigger rivals in a direct way.
All things considered, using contractors can not only save you money in the long term, but it can also help expand your business.
