Outsource, recruit or improve business skills

Once you have identified skills gaps in your business, there are a number of different ways to address the shortage.

Outsource tasks

Teaching yourself specialised skills is often unnecessary when you could hire a professional to work more accurately and economically. Even if you have the skills, it may be a good idea to outsource complex or time-consuming tasks so you can spend more time to establish or grow your business. Outsourcing can help avoid the costs of training yourself in a specialised field.

Recruit employees

You do not have to be an expert in all areas of your business. However, it is useful to have a basic understanding of key skill areas so you can recruit the right staff. Learn more about finding the right people.

Improve your skills

There are many ways to improve your business skills, as well as the skills of your employees. You can:

• enrol in TAFE, university or other learning institutions, including online courses
• view one of our free business webinars
• join your industry association for networking, training and conferences
• find a mentor with the Mentoring for Growth or Small Business Solutions programs
• subscribe to business websites
• read industry publications, magazines, journals and books.

As your business grows or your role changes, we recommend regularly assessing your skills to identify any additional skills that you may need. Improving the skills of everyone in your business is an ongoing process that rewards you by keeping you one step ahead of the competition and making sure you are up to date with industry developments.

Also consider...

• Take our business readiness quiz to find out which skills you may need to develop or improve.
• Learn more about taking on new staff and how to develop your existing staff.