Outsourcing Your Errands

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We all have to do things we don’t like… they’re called chores. But what if you could take those errands and send them off to India? It may sound far-fetched, but it’s actually happening.

Companies like GetFriday and AskSunday allow you to hire an overseas personal assistant, typically for around $12 an hour, who will be happy to take care of all your tedious tasks (provided they can be done by computer or phone, of course).

Example? Well, say you went to an industry conference to sell your new product, and came away with dozens of business cards for potential clients. Instead of entering the information from each individual card into your database, just scan and send to India. Your personal assistant does all the gritty work and emails you back a database full of your new contacts.

To figure out if this idea makes economic sense for you, just think about what your time is worth. If you make $20 an hour, hiring someone at $12 who will free up your time for the work only you can do should ultimately increase your profit… provided you can keep yourself busy at $20 an hour.

But, you are taking jobs from American workers. So, before you decide to hire overseas help, look locally first. Odds are you can find qualified help in your own neighborhood; it just might cost a little more. Read about bringing outsourced jobs back in-house

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