Are you convinced that outsourcing means losing control? That no one can do it as well as you? That spending money on help isn’t worth it with your current income? If you’re nodding along, you’re not alone. Many photographers are stuck in the mindset that they have to do everything themselves, trading their time, energy, and presence with loved ones for the illusion of control. But here’s the truth: outsourcing has been one of the best decisions for my sanity, business growth, and family life. There’s simply no way I could bring in the income I do without the support I’ve built around me. In this episode, I’m sharing exactly what I outsource in both my business and personal life, how I knew it was time to let go, and how you can start small without feeling overwhelmed.
Listen to the episode below, or keep reading for a summary of what’s covered.
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Why Outsourcing Isn’t Failing – It’s Stepping Into Your CEO Role
Looking back on my business journey, some of my biggest mistakes weren’t about strategy – I’ve had strategy pretty down pat. They were honestly about my stubbornness to do everything myself. It took me way too long to outsource many of the things I’m going to share with you today because I had that mentality of “well, I can do it, so why wouldn’t I?” I know a lot of photographers are in that same boat.
But here’s what I’ve learned: whenever you delay outsourcing, you’re just trading your time, your energy, and your presence with the people who matter most for the illusion of control. Outsourcing doesn’t mean you’re dropping the ball or failing as a business owner. It actually means you’re stepping fully into your CEO role. Think about it – how many CEOs of big businesses do you know who really do it all? They just don’t. They have whole teams of people behind them who understand the ins and outs of the business and care about it as if it were their own.
That’s what I want you to have. I want you to have that kind of support in your business where you’re truly not the one doing everything. There will come a point in your business where you simply can’t do it all anymore. You’ll be making sacrifices – either of your personal life or of your business growth. I reached that point in my own business, and I had to make a choice.
The First Thing I Outsourced: Wedding Photo Editing
The very first thing I started outsourcing was editing, and I talked extensively about this in episode 78 about how I spend just two hours editing a wedding. If you haven’t listened to that episode yet, definitely go check it out because you’ll learn so much about my editing workflow and how I structure my outsourcing process.
The reason I started outsourcing my editing was simple: I truly did not want to spend every single weekend behind a screen trying to crank out galleries. This is especially challenging if you’re an established photographer with a full summer season, and then all of your summer galleries are due during busy fall season. Your editing queue just keeps stacking and stacking, and it becomes incredibly overwhelming.
I was faced with a choice: either sacrifice my personal life or sacrifice my business by not delivering as promised. I couldn’t accept either option. I wanted to still deliver exceptional results to my clients, and I also wanted more of my personal life back. I wanted time with my family and time for my hobbies instead of getting lost in the editing hamster wheel.
Outsourcing my editing freed up so much time to spend on other things – specifically the money-making, needle-moving parts of my business. Here’s something crucial that many photographers don’t realize: they ghost their marketing during busy season because they’re trying to crank out galleries. But if you can outsource your editing and use that recovered time for marketing or advertising, the ROI becomes incredible. You’re investing in growth rather than just maintaining the status quo.
How I Approach Outsourcing Strategy
Before diving deeper into what else I outsource, I want to mention that outsourcing can be directly tied to revenue generation, which makes the ROI feel less scary. This could be content marketing, for example. Or it could be tied to your quality of life, like having your editor complete the gallery while you add the finishing touches. You save massive amounts of time without sacrificing your results.
This strategic approach to outsourcing is truly how I’ve been able to remain obsessed with every aspect of my business. Honestly, I’m constantly trying to figure out ways to outsource even more because as you grow and evolve, there will always be new pain points. What challenges you one year might be completely different the next year.
This is why I recommend regularly revisiting your tasks and the things taking up your calendar and time – the things pulling you away from what you love most. If you can get into a regular habit of using an outsourcing assessment (like the free worksheet I have available), it becomes a powerful tool for scaling. This is actually one of the first places we start in my mentorship program Scale It, because if you want to work less and make more, outsourcing is a huge part of that equation.
What I Outsource in My Business
Content Marketing Support
In addition to my editing, I have a content marketer who has been absolutely game-changing. I still create a lot of my own content, but my content marketer specifically helps me with Instagram. Having someone who helps me organize and create content allows me to strategize across all my platforms, meaning I can show up and repurpose content she creates for me while keeping the same conversation going throughout all my social media and marketing channels.
What this really does is take the weight off of me having to figure out what to post every single week and taking that planning time, because honestly, that’s the hardest part for me. Here’s how we work together: we have a call every single month where we talk about what’s coming up, what I want to share, what I’m noticing in the industry. It’s basically a brain dump of all my thoughts, and she helps create the posts. Then I go into Canva, design the content, load it in, and publish it myself. But she’s handling all the planning and strategy.
This has taken so much work off my plate, and marketing literally feels like 80% or more of what I do on a regular basis. I love marketing – I love writing emails, I love my podcast, I love all the different ways I show up online. But it does take a significant amount of time, so this has been one of my most strategic investments alongside my editor.
Actually, I recently created a post about outsourcing, and I had a photographer comment asking about my Scale It mentorship program. She literally pre-enrolled because of that post and the strategic content my content marketer and I had created together. That direct ROI confirmation was incredible, and I’m so excited for her because it’s the perfect fit for her business.
Even when I was primarily marketing my photography business, having a content marketer made a huge difference. I had clients tell me over and over again that there was no way they weren’t choosing me because my marketing really stood out in the sea of talented photographers. If you struggle with planning or consistency, having someone help you organize your thoughts while you show up authentically can be transformational.
Financial Management: Bookkeeper and Accountant
Another thing I outsourced that I wish I had done earlier was getting a combined bookkeeper and accountant. I’ve had an accountant since my first year in business – as a former nurse who always filed my own taxes (thanks to my dad teaching me), I was comfortable with that. But when I started my business with all its different components, it became overwhelming, and I knew I needed professional help.
This year, about six months ago, was actually my first time switching accountants and hiring someone who also does my bookkeeping. I can’t tell you the relief I feel not having to be buried in QuickBooks or stressed about whether my taxes are being paid correctly or whether everything is clean and organized. It’s worth every single penny for the peace of mind.
I’m still very acquainted with my numbers – I think that’s crucial, and the right bookkeeper and accountant will make sure you understand your business’s financial health. But me not having to be the one categorizing transactions and managing the day-to-day financial details? That’s a definite yes for my mental health and productivity.
Podcast Production Support
Another area I outsourced was my podcast production. For almost two years, instead of hiring an editor, I edited my podcast myself. I wrote my show notes, I wrote my emails, and handled everything when I could have been focusing on ideation for new episodes, serving clients better, or strategizing ways to get the podcast to more listeners. I was stuck in the weeds instead of staying in my creative zone.
Now all I do for the podcast – and I say “all” because it’s still substantial work and a lot of what’s required for a successful podcast – is script out my episodes with talking points, plan what episodes are coming and when, and record the episode. That’s pretty much it. I review everything before it goes out, but my COO husband handles the rest, and it’s absolutely incredible to focus on the actual ideation and creation while someone else handles the editing and publishing.
Administrative Support
My admin assistant does so much for me because there are countless random things that pop up throughout the week or day that don’t require me to handle them, but they still need attention. My admin assistant is truly my right-hand person for these random tasks that don’t need me specifically, but she also handles predictable weekly tasks.
She helps with publishing Q&A calls and sending replay links to my students from both one-on-one and group calls. She troubleshoots product delivery and provides support for my products and freebies. She responds to my photography inquiries and helps manage my photography workflows so my clients receive exceptional service. She assists with album design and ordering, handles student management tasks, and ensures everyone gets the support they need.
Having administrative support for these types of tasks – the little one-off things that don’t require your specific expertise – is incredibly helpful for maintaining smooth operations.
Operations Management Training
My most recent ongoing outsourcing and training experience has been with my husband. As I mentioned, he’s taken on podcast production, but he’s also becoming more of an operations manager. My goal is to train him to become my COO so he can track income, monitor ad performance, and handle various operational behind-the-scenes functions.
This includes knowing statistics and numbers beyond financial management (since that’s what my accountant handles), but other important metrics and KPIs. Training him to handle these operational aspects allows me to focus more on the creative side of running my business.
Even in my education business, I’m deeply creative with so many different projects. Having him set up funnels for me or report on funnel performance – if you’re wondering what a funnel is, let me know and I can explain in another episode – is amazing. Having operational support means all the setup and metrics tracking doesn’t depend on me taking the time to figure everything out.
Mindset Coaching
The last human-based service I outsource is my mindset coach. You might not typically think of this as outsourcing, but for me, having a coach is definitely outsourcing because you can’t source from within yourself what you don’t know or what you’re not naturally good at.
I’ve invested significantly in coaching and having a personal coach because I understand how valuable it is to have someone looking at your business from the outside. A mindset coach would have been the last thing on my list, and if you had told me a few years ago that I’d have one, I would have said absolutely not.
But I’ve realized that I don’t need more strategy. I don’t need someone to look at my business and tell me “great job, Claire, it looks wonderful” after paying substantial money for that validation. My experience with traditional business coaching started becoming less valuable in that way.
What I discovered is that I need mindset support to reach the next level I want to achieve. We all naturally have doubts, fears, scarcity mindsets, and our own stories. Working with a mindset coach has helped me dig into all of these areas and continuously work on rewiring how my brain operates. It’s been incredibly helpful and transformational.
What I Outsource in My Personal Life
House Cleaning Services
It’s not just about outsourcing business tasks – it can also be about your personal life. For a while, we had house cleaning help on a regular basis for deep cleaning, and that gave me back hours every week. It also provided the predictable certainty that our house would be clean and well-cared for.
Here’s a funny situation we’re in: we were planning to move to Florida (that’s a story for another time – we have no idea what’s happening with that now and might be staying in Colorado), so we let our house cleaner know we were moving and canceled our service. Now it’s awkward because we didn’t actually move. Do we reach back out and say “Hey, we actually didn’t move”? It’s weird, but we need to either get over the discomfort or find a new house cleaner because it truly gives you back hours of your week and peace of mind knowing someone else is handling it. They’re also much faster and do an excellent job. House cleaning gets a 10 out of 10 recommendation from me.
Grocery Delivery
I also use Instacart for grocery delivery because we don’t live super close to a grocery store, so this addressed a real pain point. Even with grocery pickup through Kroger or wherever you shop, it takes significant time to drive there, wait, pick up groceries, drive back home, and unload everything. By the time you get back to work or whatever you want to do with your day, so much time is gone just for grocery pickup.
At some point, I’d love to outsource meal prep services where someone creates my meal plan and handles the Instacart ordering for delivery. I don’t know of a service like that since my husband and I both love to cook, but meal planning, meal prepping, and even grocery ordering remain challenges for me. Having groceries delivered to your doorstep is such a time-saver. My only complaint is that Trader Joe’s isn’t available on Instacart where we live – that’s still my pain point because I love going there.
Childcare Support
The last thing we outsource in our personal life is childcare, and this is very recent. It took my husband and me a full year to find a nanny and get childcare help because our mentality was “if we can be with Oliver, then we should be with Oliver. Why would we need a nanny?”
But this meant we had no time to go out and enjoy dates together. Being at home and watching a show after your baby’s asleep is great quality time and should be appreciated, but it’s still different from being able to go out on an actual date.
Finding a nanny we absolutely love has been a really positive change. This primarily gives us time to connect as a couple, work together on business projects, and allows me to train him more on business operations. We’re starting slow with this, and that’s important to remember about outsourcing – you can start slow and take it at whatever pace feels comfortable. You can gradually add more as you see the need or become more comfortable with the process.
How to Know When You’re Ready to Outsource
From business to personal life, all of these outsourcing decisions have had different impacts on making my business more sustainable and making me a better business owner, mom, and human overall. You’re probably wondering how to know if you’re ready to start outsourcing.
There are typically three questions I always return to, and you’ll see them on the free outsourcing worksheet as well:
- Is this draining my energy more than it’s worth?
- Is it pulling me away from things that only I can do? (Because there are definitely some of those things that require your specific expertise)
- Can someone else do it better or faster? And can they do it better if I train them properly?
If you’re saying yes to these questions, it’s probably time to hand something off. Remember, you don’t have to outsource everything all at once. I didn’t implement all of these changes overnight – I took it step by step.
As I mentioned at the beginning, you’ll go through different seasons of your business and life where certain things might need outsourcing at specific times while others become priorities later. This is why staying in tune with your business and starting with your biggest pain point will serve you incredibly well.
Key Takeaways
- Outsourcing isn’t about losing control – it’s about stepping into your CEO role and building sustainable business practices
- Start with your biggest pain point and gradually expand your outsourcing as you become comfortable
- Outsourcing can be tied directly to revenue generation or quality of life improvements
- Both business and personal life outsourcing contribute to overall success and well-being
- Regular assessment of your tasks and energy drains helps identify new outsourcing opportunities
What’s Covered in This Episode
- Why the biggest business mistakes often involve trying to do everything yourself
- The first thing to outsource in a photography business and why editing makes sense
- Specific business functions that can be outsourced: content marketing, bookkeeping, podcast production, admin support, and operations
- Personal life outsourcing opportunities: house cleaning, grocery delivery, and childcare
- The three key questions to determine if you’re ready to outsource
- How to start small and gradually build your support system
- Why mindset coaching became an unexpected but valuable outsourcing investment
Resources Mentioned
- Free Outsourcing Worksheet
- Episode 78: I Spend 2 Hours Editing a Wedding… Here’s How
- Scale It Mentorship Program: Join the Waitlist
- Join the Scale it Waitlist to receive – From Reactive to Proactive: Your CEO Day Framework
Thank you so much for tuning into this episode! I’m thrilled I could share all the different things I outsource and hope it gave you inspiration for what you might want to delegate in your own business and life. If this resonated with you or you have questions about anything covered in this episode, come DM me on Instagram @itsclairehunt. I’d love to hear from you and continue the conversation about building a business that works for you instead of the other way around.
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