Eliminating Friction

We often talk about friction on the show: how you can reduce, eliminate or outsource those annoying tasks that aren’t furthering your vision.

This week, Jonathan and I use a recent outsourcing experience as a jumping off point to explore:

When outsourcing is freeing vs. when it simply adds more friction to your life.

How to tell the difference between good friction and bad friction (hint: it’s not the same for everyone).

Why it makes perfect sense to outsource critical functions that are not core to your business—think taxes, legal, payroll.

The surprising benefits from documenting what you do and how you do it.

The human side of heavy outsourcing—and how to decide if it’s for you.

Quotables

“I don’t really care about search. I care about word of mouth. So if people aren’t searching for my name, I’m doing something wrong.”—JS

“After that first week (without my VA) I literally wanted to gouge my eyes out.”—RM

“When it’s literally done, it’s different than knowing it’s going to get done.”—JS

“I’d like to not do it (the outsourced task), but I love the feeling that it’s done and I don’t have to worry anymore.”—RM

“It would be silly to do your own books or legal…things that are just not core to your business.”—JS

“I want to outsource the things that bring me comfort or bring me to a different level.”—RM

“I can’t stress enough how important it is to have the steps of any of your processes written down.”—JS

“Having that checklist means not having to dedicate a space of your brain to anything routine.”—RM