My web site has contact forms on it. Typically these are a fantastic way for customers to reach me quickly and easily. But they get an onslaught of spam mails. I held off purchasing a spam filter for the site for almost a year. In the year that I spent an hour or more a day scrolling through hundreds of emails trying to get to the important ones, I could have spent just $45 to make them all go away. Why didn't I? It was the principle of it. Just one more yearly overhead cost for something mechanical to do something I could do myself. Yep, that 365 hours I spent scrolling through junk email sure was the best thing I could do for my business. Not. This year I shelled out for the $45 and checking emails takes less than five minutes a day now. So worth the money.
I just hired on an admin assistant. So many things just started to bog me down and keep me out if the workshop. After a show the data entry of names to add to the newsletter could take a few hours. Filling orders, then entering the information into book keeping software and a customer database was starting to take up so much time as well. Keeping the web site updated with pictures, show schedule, and fast buys too. It all was getting overwhelming and was keeping me from doing my best work, helping customers, making soap, and developing new products. So now if my mayhem doesn't scare her off, I will have help 5-10 hours a week getting some of this paperwork off my desk.
I have been going through a relabeling of my products. I found someone versed in labeling law. Now I don't have to look up what size font my net weight should be printed in or any other legal requirements. I just shoot off the label size and the rest is magic:)
I am also exploring hiring a tax accountant. I've been doing my own taxes for years and I just think this is one more thing I should take off my plate and let professionals handle.
It is a hard thing to let go of things you have been doing since the business started. It is even harder to pay someone else to do them. What I have had to do is to take a good hard look at how much time something takes me, and decide if the cost is worth freeing up that time for something I am better at. It is letting the professionals in their field do the work so I can be the best professional in my field that I can be.
