Tech startup creates cloning machine for freelancers

I mean, in our dreams, right?

I am lucky enough to get to meet some amazing developers and scientists who are doing really creative things in the future of work and collaboration space, but sadly I am yet to meet one who can create more hours in the day, or generate two of me to get twice as much done. So, we're going to need to figure out an alternative solution.

Maybe we don't need to do as many things anyway? Episode 15 of the Future is Freelance podcast on business minimalism contained some superb tips of streamlining and prioritising the to-do list, and shedding the things which simply aren't productive to spend time on - so I definitely recommend reviewing those principles regularly.

In fact, it astounds me how much clutter and cruft still creeps into my working day, when I am accountable to no one but myself for how the time gets spent. As the long hot summer draws to a close, and I try to channel a 'back to school' mode and mindset, I am setting a clear intention to declutter and review workflows and systems on a regular basis. Contexts change all the time, from availability to skills to needs, so you have to figure out what best serves you to stay on top of your game, putting time and attention to the highest leverage activities.

That's one reason I use Xolo, incidentally, for my business operations. Admin work of any kind definitely does not spark joy for me! So, I consider it a no-brainer to use a portal designed for solopreneur business management with maximum automation... A bare minimum of admin is non-optional in any business, but anything which can be intelligently abstracted to a combination of cutting-edge tech and dedicated smart support, is a win in my book.

But not everything can be automated or avoided, and it stands to reason that as anyone gets busier, there may be tasks it makes less sense to do. There's too much work for one person, and you need more help.

Traditionally, at this point, you'd then add in a new admin activity to your daily workload - hiring, onboarding, and managing your first member of staff, and then your next one, and the next, at least until you reach the point of hiring a dedicated HR person to manage your growing team.

For many startups this is the obvious way to scale, but by this stage you're obviously no longer a solopreneur, and your life and business look very different.

It's not the ONLY way to grow, however, and there are other ways to scale up what you're doing, without growing a employee-based business. And that can offer you additional, unlooked-for, possibilities further down the line.

Imogen Cook, my guest on today's Future is Freelance podcast, is a great example of this.

Imogen grew her business by hiring Virtual Assistants, to help her with specific tasks - and through trial and error, developed a blueprint for doing this successfully and consistently. So, when friends asked her to help find them the perfect VA, she not only knew what to do, she suddenly had a brand-new business on her hands.

Luckily, she had what she needed to pick up the ball and run with it, in the shape of a growing Filipino team, and an entrepreneurial eye for a new opportunity... Not to mention, no funders to appease or complex staffing to restructure. So, 'The Freedom Geek' was born, and the foundations laid - for partnering a growing number of solopreneurs and startups with the right support, while creating lucrative and meaningful work for enterprising professionals in an emerging market.

So, in addition to all the practical ideas you will definitely come away with about outsourcing within your own business, you'll surely find Imogen's business development story inspirational too. Lots of practical, down-to-earth wisdom, along with hundreds of ideas about how the right support could propel your success to new levels.

I'd throw in my own few cents, around outsourcing and hiring help, to go with Imogen's (and I am looking forward to writing this up into a more detailed blog post soon):

• Streamline first - shed before you outsource

• Understand what you’re outsourcing, so you can do it yourself - even if only to evaluate what is best done by someone else

• Think results, not hours, or even activities. Outsource outcomes, and evaluate against those

And above all, be ready to respond to any new opportunities which outsourcing unlocks for you in your life - exactly as Imogen did.

Have a great weekend, thanks for reading,

Maya Middlemiss