Outsourcing vs. doing it yourself: what should you outsource as an SME?
September 2025 - Is your to-do list never-ending? In addition to your core activities, there is also accounting, administration, IT, marketing and human resources. Sooner or later, the question arises: what should you do yourself, and what is better to outsource?
Why outsourcing?
Outsourcing can offer many advantages. You gain time, access expertise that you don't have in-house and often improve the quality of your processes. What's more, it can be more financially attractive to hire external specialists than to take on a full-time employee yourself.
Typical areas to outsource
1. Accounting and administration
This is a classic. An accountant or accounting firm not only ensures accurate figures, but also gives you advice on how to work smarter in terms of tax and finance.
2. IT and cybersecurity
Especially for SMEs without their own IT department, it is safer and more efficient to outsource this. You avoid downtime and better protect your data.
3. Marketing and communication
Think of social media, SEO or campaigns. An external partner has the know-how and follows trends that you may miss.
4. HR and payroll administration
Drawing up contracts, monitoring social legislation or processing wages requires a great deal of knowledge. A social secretariat takes this off your hands.
What is better to do yourself?
Not everything lends itself to outsourcing. Activities that are closely related to your core product or service are best kept in-house. Think of product development, customer contact or your business strategy. You want to maintain control and direct contact in these areas.
How do you make the right choice?
· Calculate the cost price. Compare what it costs to do a task yourself (hours, errors, missed opportunities) with the price of outsourcing.
· Weigh up the quality. Can you or your team deliver the same quality as a specialist?
· Take scalability into account. External partners can easily scale up or down according to your needs.
Outsourcing is not a sign of weakness, but a smart way to make your business more efficient. By consciously choosing what you do yourself and what you outsource, you can stay focused on what makes you stand out as an entrepreneur.
