Hiring an Expert vs. DIY - Getting the job done!

The other day, I came across a quote that made an impact upon me as a small business professional. 

“The way I see it, in the eternal battle between ‘do it yourself’ or ‘suck it up and pay an expert,’ there is no wrong answer – as long as something gets done.” – Rick Spence, writing in the Financial Post

This particular quote comes from an article that happens to address the topic of marketing research. Spence discusses the pros and cons of entrepreneurs or small businesses attempting to conduct this involved process on their own v. hiring an expert.  Although one might cost more money than the other, when additional factors like time, stress, equipment, and knowledge are brought into the equation, the financial gap begins to close.

In today’s business world, there is an ongoing debate on topics ranging from Social Media Marketing to Real Estate to Home Improvement of whether or not individuals and businesses should delve into a project themselves or hire professional help. In the end,  even though many times there is ‘no wrong answer’ as Spence states, often hiring an expert can actually save you time AND money!

If you are a company who charges by the hour for your services or you have a valuable employee who is being asked to do work that they are neither knowledgeable about (requiring time spent learning), nor motivated to do (no sense of urgency), you could actually be losing money.  When a small business takes on a DIY project, I see it as burning the candle (or budgeted dollars) at both ends.  Not only is revenue-generating time in the field lost, time is being spent attempting to understand a system, project, or problem that will likely eventually require professional assistance.  Moreover, if an employee or entrepreneur is unhappy working on a project, the quality of work will almost certainly be sub-par to that a professional could do in significantly less time and with less effort.

In the end, if your business has a need, it can actually be financially beneficial to seek the help of a professional. For example, during your career, how much time have you spent/ wasted fighting a poorly-performing office phone system? How many times have you fruitlessly flipped through the 1000+ page manual or attempted to unsuccessfully re-program your handset? If you’re like I was in my previous careers (working in banking and for a small Chamber of Commerce), the answer is a lot!!

Since we are a telecom company, of course this is the best example that comes to mind.

However, don’t think that I am saying that you need to hire Phoneworx to fix your phone system; I don’t even know if you are in need of our services.   What I am suggesting is that the next time you need help in your business, rather than spend time, effort, and energy on un-fruitful DIY project attempts – consider consulting an expert.  You’ll save time, you might save money, and you’ll definitely have the satisfaction of a job done right!

Of course, if you do have phone problems, Phoneworx can help J

-         Megan