Ruminating on the joys of outsourcing - Josh Comrie
I’ve just returned from a 3 week jaunt in South America – Chile and Argentina. Our base and the core portion of the holiday was spent with our good friends Hamish and Sarah in Santiago (thanks again guys!). Hamish has set up and runs a loyalty business in Chile and as a result is enjoying what all successful people in that part of the world do – having a live-in maid. Not the uniformed curtseying type but a modern and relaxed version that translates into someone who has their own space and takes all the hassle out of day to day living. The concept came into its own for me after a week snowboarding - we returned and Hamish said “just give all your dirty gear to Loos”, which we did, happily. 2 days later I was returned a bunch of clean, folded and ironed clothes and gear - awesome! Now I’ve always been the type to outsource domestic chores wherever possible and we enjoy a cleaner/ironer (the list keeps expanding as I convince my good lady that its in all our best interests to do so) but a large amount still needs completing each week (cooking, cleaning up, dog walking, shaving etc). Likewise – and this will fly in the face of many kiwi DIY’ers – when the house needs painting, car servicing or lawns mowing – I turn to a specialist to perform that task. Not only do I ensure that my limited free time is indeed that, but in 99% of instances - a professional is going to do a far better and quicker job than I could ever do.
Now, getting to the point – by not doing something, we lose our effectiveness at best and at worst we forget altogether how its done – the old “use it or lose it” adage. So, by turning to the experts, I make it harder for me to be able to do this thing again in future. With more menial and repetitive tasks I have no issue at all, but I know in business my 'saw' is not as sharp as it could be on the Accounting front for instance. This example is a prudent one however, for me to keep abreast of this industry and the associated legislation (tax changes this year for example) – I would need to spend a not inconsiderable amount of time away from my normal job, whatever that is. For me, it comes back to an opportunity cost assessment (that tooth needs no sharpening...) mixed with an enjoyment quotient, ie the cost of me doing one thing over another and my ability to be more productive both personally and for my businesses. That all said, theres always exceptions – I still prune the creeper on my front fence – I’ve been training it for the last 3 years to take a certain shape and it gives me some strange satisfaction exerting my will over nature. Ultimately, it’s a balance thing I guess... Ah well, I’m off to iron a new shirt - I’m heading out in 3 hours…