Scott is a good manager.
This case study was a pleasure to do for me because time and time again I saw how he’s doing things right.
It’s no wonder he’s succeeding.

There’s a lot to be learned from this (even the parts where he’s not doing it right…and he KNOWS he’s not doing it right!).

Summary of Success Story with Scott Smith: Managing Filipinos The Right Way

  • 0:45 – Scotts team
  • 1:15 – Scott does local business marketing for churches
  • 2:05 – what Scott’s team does for him (WordPress, plugins, graphics, video design, research, looking for JV partners, …)
  • 3:30 – finding people for specific skills, not necessarily for WordPress
  • 5:05 – tools become an excuse to procrastinate
  • 5:35 – understand WordPress yourself – get someone else to implement it for you
  • 6:33 – help someone get good at things, on your team, so the future gets better
  • 8:20 – learn it yourself, then hire someone else to implement it for you
  • 10:06 – hiring a full-time graphic designer
  • 12:10 – Scott created a full side business just based on the skills of his team!
  • 14:30 – don’t hire someone to do everything! Hire someone to do 1 thing.
  • 17:45 – Scott has a programmer in the UK. He could find the same skill set from someone in the Philippines!
  • 20:35 – Hiring “by-the-hour”. A conversation for and against.
  • 24:45 – Potential consequences of hiring on a per-project basis.
  • 26:05 – Doing affiliate marketing in your teams downtime
  • 29:30 – Getting local clients
  • 30:40 – Advice from Scott: be detailed in your instructions <– this is a big deal. It’s the biggest feedback I’ve gotten from my team is that they like detailed instructions.
  • 32:10 – “A lot of time it’s the boss’ problem”
  • 33:05 – Put the onus on yourself – assume it was your fault first, that you weren’t clear enough <– THIS IS HUGE!!!
  • 33:40 – show your gratitude (verbally), then give bonuses
  • 35:30 – foster their feeling of community
  • 36:35 – Scotts testimonial for me about his success with the Philippines

If you have an Outsourcing Success Story, Please share it!. I want to hear about your success (and I’ll probably give you some free advice if you do).