As each year comes to a close, it’s a great idea to look at the latest trends in the business environment and evaluate what worked, what didn’t, and what you may want to incorporate into your own business for the year ahead. 

2012 was a rapid growth year for many small business and this was largely attributable to the rise of outsourcing.

More and more small businesses are also operating almost entirely online, which opens many doors as far as outsourcing is concerned.

Let’s take a closer look at what this trend is all about and what you should be doing about it.

Why Outsource? 

There are many reasons why outsourcing is used by small business. During a survey conducted amongst small business owners, out of 2500 respondents, 52% claimed that outsourcing was a primary reason why they experienced the high growth rates that they did over the last year.

First, they like that it’s flexible. With outsourcing, you can hire who you need for what you need, anywhere around the world in many cases. You don’t have to commit to a full time employee and can find the precise set of skills that you need to get the work done.

Additionally, many small business owners report that the quality of the freelancers available for work is growing, and this is likely due to many members of the workplace now taking the untraditional path and deciding to work on their own.

With more and more freelance mediums available to find work, it’s not hard for any small business owner to locate the exact skills they need – often in a matter of minutes.  For example, one outsourcing website, Freelancer.co.uk reported 300% growth rates over the last year. It’s clear that this is a rising trend. 

Who To Outsource?

When it comes to the question of who you should be outsourcing, the possibilities are seemingly endless. Most commonly outsourced skills are programmers, web developers and call answering, but never feel restricted to just this.

There are plenty of different options available and you can get the help you need.

So if you have yet to jump onto the outsourcing bandwagon, you may want to strongly consider it. It’s a great way to growth your business and trends are set to see even greater outsourcing rates in 2013. In the survey conducted, 43% of those 2500 small businesses surveyed reported that they would outsource more work than they have done previously, hoping to further grow their company and utilize this profit-building way of improving their position in the industry.

In this highly technology drive day and age, you simply cannot afford to ignore what outsourcing has to offer.