Outsource to Build a Team - if you have the budget and you can
outsource
some of the tasks required to start your online travel
business
this is very smart. I realize that you are boot strapping
and that
paying other people to do things costs money but you would
be surprised
how little it can cost to hire free lancers to help you do
research
and administrative tasks.
Elance - this is probably the best outsourcing
website I have ever
used. I have found web designers, programmers, an editor a
logo and
graphics person and data researchers all at Elance. Today my
outsourced
team consists of 5 people.
Here is a list of things you can outsource in your online travel
business startup
to help you launch quicker:
- Online Research - anything you need to research online
can be outsourced to someone else. Just make sure you give them the
exact instructions.
- Contacts, Leads - a web administrator can help you
create a leads list that you can then call or email.
- Logos, Graphics - a graphic designer can make your logo
and graphics for your website.
- Web Designer - If your website needs a design you can
hire designers through Elance.com.
- Programmers/Web Development - Elance is great for hiring
programmers and developers. I have two ongoing business
relationships that I developed through Elance. Both companies now
conduct all my web development and web design projects.
- Editing - I have a great editor from the UK that does
all my edits for my marketing reports, articles and press releases
that I publish online.
- Data Entry - I have in the past hired Elancers to do all
the data and product loading into my travel website for managing my
inventory and pricing. I suggest that you enter this yourself and
try to manage in the beginning but this is an easy task that you
can hand off.
- Video Editing - If you make any videos for your website
which I do recommend you can shoot video easily enough with point
and shoot cameras and or using your laptop or mobile device. You
can find outsources that can edit your video professionally for a
few hundred dollars.
- Social Media Posting - If you create any kind of
repetition in your social media postings you can find an outsourcer
to help you manage, monitor and post to your social media
outlets.