Let’s face it… You simply cannot build a massively successful passive income system online without help. And not just any help, I’m talking about highly qualified, well trained, and eager help…

I know you’ve been hearing this over and over again, especially since the Four Hour Work Week phenomenon. Today, there are tons of websites and online services that make outsourcing easy for virtually everyone. From Elance.com to GetFriday.com, the options are endless!

Unfortunately, most people FAIL at outsourcing. It’s true. Most people just plain suck at getting other people to work for them.

At some point in building my own business, I realized that outsourcing is the single greatest key to my success online. For some reason, I have had LOTS of success finding great people, training them successfully, and getting them to do GREAT WORK — in many cases, these people do it even better than I do.

But here’s the crazy part…

I know there is still so much opportunity for building my business even larger by getting even better at outsourcing.

And that’s when John Reese came knocking with his new Outsource Force product.

Here’s the deal — John Reese is an amazing internet marketer with an impressive track record of making money online and creating high quality information and training products to help the rest of us get similar results.

John’s product is coming out soon, and I will definitely be getting a copy. It’s going to cost at least $2,000 but I’m confident the material will be INCREDIBLY USEFUL and should yield at least 10x the cost in additional business for me. I have no reason to think any different for you.

Obviously, I’m promoting John’s product here and don’t want you to think anything else.

But even if you aren’t in a position to buy the product, you absolutely MUST watch the free videos building up to his launch. I’ve already watched video one 2x and would urge you to do the same. If you want to make it big online — whether you’re just getting started or eager to reach your next level of success — these videos are going to help you do it!

Go check out Outsource Force right now!

I didn’t write this to try and prove to you that outsourcing works. I know it works and, hopefully, so do you.

I wrote this post to offer a nice overview on the topic so you can get a better idea of where you might stand with your own business. If you’re not already outsourcing tasks in your operations, I think this article will turn you on to the idea and encourage you to take action today. If you’re already an outsourcer, I hope this article encourages you to reflect on new ideas to improve your existing system. Maybe you need to outsource less. More likely, maybe you need to outsource more. Give it a read and see what you think.

Who Needs to Outsource?

The easy answer to our first question is EVERYONE. In fact, even if you’re not a business owner, you probably already have experience with some form of outsourcing. Do you pay someone to mow your lawn? Do you take your weekly laundry to your local dry cleaner? Are you paying a paperboy to toss the Daily News on your doorstep? All of these are examples of everyday outsourcing.

But the rules in business are a bit different than personal services. The general idea is this — in business, outsourcing can save you precious time to help you complete a task so you can focus on more pressing and high-priority issues. The problem with entrepreneurs is we think we’re great at everything. We’re control freaks at heart. And, in many cases, we are really good at the tasks we do. But only a handful of tasks in every business are really so critical that they deserve our personal and daily attention.

Although every business owner should outsource at least some aspect of his or her business, not every entrepreneur is immediately ready for outsourcing. If your business is still in stage one development (aka you’re not really making money), then outsourcing is probably not right for you. Then again, this is not always true. Perhaps your lack of funding and inability to focus on critical tasks to move your business forward are precisely the reasons you’re not moving into a profitable stage. Outsourcing might be your ticket to success at even the earliest stages of some business models…

What Can You Outsource?

Any area of your business that is not already automated should be considered a candidate for potential outsourcing. I would suggest starting by making a list of all the things you do or steps you take on a daily basis. Your goal is to eliminate as many mundane or repetitive tasks as possible so you can focus on the high-value work.

For example, suppose you have an online business running a membership website. The most important tasks in your business are likely 1) getting new members and 2) producing new valuable content for your members. Within those two categories are very long lists of smaller tasks you fulfill in order to reach your goals. This is where you have to ask yourself, could somebody else do this for me?

In business, this question can be very hard to answer honestly. In the personal services realm it’s almost always a no-brainer. Of course I pay someone to cut my hair. Could you imagine what it would look like if I did it myself? Are you crazy?!?!

This is one of the advantages of learning more about the 80/20 rule and applying it to get more results in your business. Sure, maybe you can do many things yourself. But the more you outsource, the more you can focus on the key tasks that generate more profit and bring more results. Determining which tasks are most critical and which tasks are secondary to the goal of building your business is the first step!

When Should You Start Outsourcing?

As I pointed out above, you should start doing it as soon as you identify tasks that eat up your time and prevent you from completing the really critical steps.

In my own marketing business, I realized at some point that I could only focus on building the business and creating more profit if I started sharing some of it with other people. This is that enigmatic message you’ll hear from successful entrepreneurs all the time — the best way to get wealth is to help other people get wealthy. Well, this is exactly the point. By sharing some of the profits you already have now, you can start increasing the total profit of your business long-term. That’s entrepreneurship at its finest.

It can be difficult to determine exactly when you should start outsourcing. Some areas can wait, while others will need to be handled by someone else as quickly as possible — perhaps even from day one. This is where trial and error is required. Experiment and go with your gut. You know when things are piling up, and you have to be honest with yourself if you expect your business to grow. The hardest part about choosing a time to outsource is accepting that more money will be flowing out of your business initially. But if you play your cards right, the investment should pay off soon enough.

Where Can You Outsource?

Outsourcing is as easy as pie these days. There are a myriad of websites and directories and networks where you can either hire full service firms or you can find freelancers who will do particular types of work for you. From website design to organizing your email, from mail handling services to taxes, outsourcing is a true art and there are tons of options available out there.

Here are a few I’ve worked with at one point (or still do) and can recommend:

• Ask Sunday
  This is a fairly new firm based in New York and operating out of India. I used their service for about two months before deciding to go with another firm. They aren’t bad, I was just too busy to handle both firms at the same time and the other was better.

• Get Friday

This is the firm I still use today. They provide excellent customer service and are very concerned with keeping you happy. Be VERY specific when you tell them what you want so you get the right assistant.

• Craigslist

If you’re looking for a few hired hands, Craigslist is pretty darn good. Some folks swear by it. I won’t go that far (it gets a bit too spammy for me at times) but it’s an excellent starting point.

• Elance, Guru, Odesk

Ideal for web design, web programming, or similar types of work that require a real expert. Spend time interviewing providers before you blow the whistle.

All of these websites make outsourcing easy, but I would also recommend looking around at your existing business and social networks. You may know someone who can do the job for you. Depending on the type of work you need done, a personal relationship could be a major advantage or a tremendous disadvantage. Keep that in mind when you’re choosing the person for the job.

Why Should You Outsource?

This point should be obvious enough. Outsourcing saves you time and should help you make more money. I’m not a big fan of cleaning my house. I’d much rather spend the time having fun and relaxing or working on a high-value project than do it myself. Simple enough.

But there’s another benefit to outsourcing: It makes you feel more executive and thus more responsible for your business. You begin to realize just how important it is to delegate. This is an important lesson to learn!

How Can You Make Outsourcing Work for You?

The most important thing you can do at this point is to get started NOW. Outsourcing isn’t going to come to you, you have to go to it and make it happen. Try out two or three service firms or other resources and just see how they go. Even if you lose a bit of money and it doesn’t work out, the learning experience will be immensely valuable to your growth as an entrepreneur and to the growth of your business.

I recommend taking action immediately. Add it to your list right now! Then, commit to spending a few minutes every day looking at new options or 30 minutes every week reviewing the results of your current outsourcing efforts. Outsourcing could make or break you, so learning how to do it the right way now is incredibly important.