Outsourcing with Confidence with Ali Carrington

In this interview, I talk to Ali Carrington, Ali is the founder of Calm Kind Happy, a dog behaviour specialist and an animal reiki master. I’ve worked with Ali over the last few years to help her grow and develop her business more online.

What were the biggest challenges for you in your business before you decided to start to outsource?

There were three things actually that were holding me back. Tech, time and this general feeling of being stuck is the word that comes to mind, not knowing how to move forward.

In terms of the tech, what I really wanted to do was start to build and create online courses. I felt I knew what I wanted but I just felt like I didn’t have enough time to learn how to do the technical side of it. I also felt I needed a little bit of support on the software that I was choosing, I wanted to get some third-party feedback and confidence that I would be choosing the right one for me. That I wouldn’t be wasting my time and money on the software requirements. That was a major part of it.

For me, it was the feeling of being held back by a bit of paralysis because I just didn’t really know enough about what and how or about the tech that I already had.

Also, the website that I already had. I’m able to do small tweaks but websites need to evolve with us.  I was feeling a little bit held back by all the updates and the changes and the amendments that I needed to make.

So, having that knowledgeable and approachable support was what I was looking for.

How have you found the process of finding the support you need and working with the freelancer?

Personally, I found that process very easy. I asked someone for a recommendation and I received Sarah Banks. I was really lucky that was easy. It was great. I was a bit unsure to begin with because I’d always done everything on my own.

But I did find that you made the process really simple and clear. I found it really easy to work with you, I think it’s one of your strengths. You are unflappable and you’re calm and that helps with the clarity when we discuss things. I think that one of the things that I would advise somebody to try and establish with a freelancer is, how they communicate, setting out both sides of expectations and set it out really clearly.

It’s really important and I think some people feel a bit awkward. I probably did to begin with – shouldn’t I be doing this myself? But rather than spending time, the hours, the days, the weeks feeling like I’m really digging into something that isn’t really what you want to be spending your time on, it’s actually so much easier for somebody else. It feels really freeing to get past that thought of no, I should be doing it myself. No, you should be asking for help.

What have been the benefits to you both personally and your business from outsourcing?

One, I would say, is allowing my creativity to flow again. Removing all the barriers from doing what I want to do with my business, it’s made a major difference. Acknowledging that it’s OK to have help for tasks.

For the ones that don’t come naturally to me or the ones that I’m not interested in. It’s ok to ask and pay for somebody else to do it. The support that I get from you with the technical side of things gives me an additional level of confidence when I’m serving my own clients and it frees me up to focus on the coaching side and the creation side of things.

That’s really important and I think that you help me to present my work more professionally. It gives me an additional level of credibility and professionalism too.

I really appreciate from working together with you.

You help me get back into my flow whenever I feel a little bit stuck.

Watch the Interview

Ali’s Bio