Outsourcing
Outsourcing is a word used as a threat in the computer industry. We will outsource your whole department to India, China, and Shri-Lanka... In the photographic world, outsourcing has existed "forever" or more commonly known as freelance.
Most photographers outsource large section of their businesses:
- Accountants
- Lawyers
- Web servers and hosting
- Templates for websites...
- Photoshop/Lab work
- Printing. Half of the photographers I know do their own printing, the other half use "The Lab" in Vancouver
Most businesses do outsource their photographic needs:
- Newspapers by using freelances and paying for publication...
- Almost all news organizations are "firing" their staff photographers and replacing with freelancers.
- Large corporation for documenting their business for promotion, advertising, annual report...
The major difference between outsourcing in the computer world and the photographic world, is that almost all the outsourcing in the photographic world is local.
I have been the outsourcing recipient since 1983, and have been very happy with it.
Pros
Are you good at bookkeeping, at law, at Photoshop, at setting up your computers and websites?
- The goal of outsourcing is to get the skills that you need.
- You can maximize your profits. The outsourced/freelance will usually do that job faster than you could yourself.
- Having a "cheap" apprentice will not increase your profits. The apprentice does NOT know. You are spending time and money teaching and training.
- A good wedding album designer will allow you to raise your prices and sell more weeding albums...
- A good Photoshop expert will significantly improve your photos to sell more, at a higher price...
- Control of your labour costs, you only pay for "usage".
Cons
- You do not control "your labour pool".
- You do not get the "knowledge". The customers buy my time to perform my skills. I do NOT transfer my skills, I have spent thousands of hours on my own time and with my own money to acquire them.