“If I do it myself, I'm saving money.”
Are you, though?
Maybe.
When every dollar counts, it's understandable that you'd think twice about paying someone to do something you're perfectly capable of doing yourself.
Especially right now.
Between wages, supplies, insurance, rent, software subscriptions and everything else that goes into running a business, adding another expense probably isn't high on your wish list.
So you do it yourself.
You answer the emails. Send the invoices. Follow up with customers. Sort out the schedule. Deal with the paperwork.
Because why pay someone else when you can do it yourself?
But here's the thing.
Just because you're not paying someone else to do it doesn't mean it's free.
And sometimes, the cost is bigger than you realize.
Nobody sends you a bill for the opportunities you missed.
Let's say you own a landscaping company.
You've got crews out working, customers to look after and jobs to keep moving.
You're also the one preparing estimates, returning calls, organizing schedules and sending invoices.
A potential commercial client reaches out about a maintenance contract.
Great opportunity.
You mean to get back to them.
But there's a scheduling issue to sort out, an employee calls in sick, and you've still got three estimates to finish.
By the time you follow up, they've hired someone else.
You didn't spend any money on administrative support that week.
But did you actually save money?
Or maybe you own a bakery.
Orders are coming in, customers love what you're making, and you've been thinking about approaching local cafés to carry your products.
You know there's an opportunity there.
But between baking, ordering supplies, responding to custom orders, updating your social media and keeping the books organized, you never quite get around to it.
Another month goes by.
Then another.
You haven't necessarily lost money.
But you haven't given yourself much opportunity to make more of it, either.
Those things have a cost, too. They're just not showing up as a bill in your inbox.
Sometimes the money is already sitting on your desk.
Not every cost is a missed opportunity.
Sometimes it's money you've already earned.
Think about the invoices you haven't had time to send.
The outstanding payments you haven't followed up on.
The customer who asked for a quote last Tuesday and is still waiting.
Or the past client you meant to check in with about booking their next service.
None of those things necessarily requires another sale to improve your cash flow.
Sometimes they just require someone to actually get them done.
And when money is tight, getting paid for work you've already completed matters.
A LOT.
I'm not suggesting that every delayed invoice or unanswered inquiry is costing you thousands of dollars.
But if these things are happening regularly, isn't it worth looking at?
Because saving money on support doesn't help much if money is slipping through the cracks somewhere else.
But I really can't afford to hire someone.
Fair enough.
And I mean that.
I've owned a small business. I know what it's like to look at your expenses and question whether you can justify adding another one.
Sometimes the answer really is no.
You have payroll to cover. Bills to pay. Equipment to maintain. Maybe you're trying to build up a little financial cushion.
The last thing you need is someone telling you to spend money you don't have.
But I do think there's a difference between:
“I can't afford support.”
And:
“I haven't looked at whether support would actually pay off for my business.”
Those aren't necessarily the same thing.
And it's worth knowing which one applies to you.
Getting help doesn't have to mean hiring another employee.
I think this is where some business owners get stuck.
They picture hiring someone.
Another person on payroll. Another employee to train. Another commitment to manage.
And they think, We're nowhere near ready for that.
But that's not the only way to get support.
Maybe you don't need someone working 40 hours a week.
Maybe you need help getting your invoicing and follow-up process under control.
Maybe you need your scheduling system cleaned up before you add another crew.
Maybe you need your employee onboarding documented so the next hire doesn't require you to explain everything from scratch.
Or maybe there are recurring tasks that someone else could manage each month, giving you time to focus on bringing in more business.
You don't have to solve every problem at once.
Start with the one that's actually costing you something.
And figure out whether getting help with it makes financial sense.
Before you decide it's cheaper to do it yourself...
Here's something I'd encourage you to try.
For one week, pay attention to the work you're doing that doesn't necessarily require you.
Not just how long it takes.
Think about what isn't getting done while you're doing it.
Are customer inquiries sitting unanswered?
Are invoices going out later than they should?
Are you putting off following up on estimates?
Is there an opportunity to grow your business that you keep pushing aside because there's simply no room for it?
Then ask yourself:
If I had help with just one of these things, what would that make possible?
Maybe the answer is that you still need to wait.
That's okay.
But maybe you'll discover that the thing you've been avoiding because of the cost is actually something worth exploring.
Let's talk about what makes sense for YOUR business.
At AnchorPointe, I'm not interested in convincing you to spend money just for the sake of getting help.
I want to know where you're trying to take your business.
What's getting in the way?
And is there something we could work on together that would make a meaningful difference?
Sometimes that's a specific project. Sometimes it's ongoing support.
And sometimes, after looking at what you need and what it would cost, the timing just isn't right.
That's a perfectly reasonable answer, too.
But I don't want you to assume that doing everything yourself is the cheaper option without ever looking at what it's costing you.
Because when every dollar counts, the money you're not spending isn't the only money that matters.
Doing everything yourself might be saving you money.
But it isn't necessarily free.
If you've been wondering whether getting some support would make sense for your business, let's have a conversation. Tell me what you're trying to achieve and what's currently getting in the way. We can explore what support might look like — and whether it's the right fit for you.