When I first began looking into outsourcing much of my business, I first called the big consulting firms that deal in such things. Boy was I in for a big surprise. I think that these big firms somehow think they have a corner on the market when it comes to helping businesses streamline through outsourcing, and with that snobbery comes their grossly overpriced fees. I knew I needed to outsource many tasks and utilize the talents of virtual employees.

Don’t get me wrong, I am sure that proven firms such as the Boston Consulting Group, Accenture and Bain Consulting will bring about results. But at what cost? And do they have your interest in mind or their own? Do you really need that much info or just a leg up?

When it comes to small business, however, I think that we can bob and weave a little better and make better use of our limited funds and time. That is where virtual employees come into the picture.

Virtual employees fall into 3 distinct categories:

1) Full fledged employees who are on your payroll but work from the comfort of their homes or pretty much anywhere they can get an internet and voice connection. These are some of the happiest and most productive people you can hire. They are full fledged employees with full benefits but they have the freedom to work from their homes. These folks will need to understand that their entire existence in your company is based on their good performance. Their reward for superior work as a virtual employee is that they get to work a flexible schedule from the comforts of home.

2) Virtual employees who are contractors for short term projects. These guys may still report to your office here and there, but they are used for specific projects they can do from a remote office. A great example would be if you need your data base software updated or new scripts built for your website.

3) Virtual employees who work on an as-needed basis and may live around the world and not specifically know you. A great example of this would be someone you hire over at Odesk to perform some virtual assistant or freelance work on a one-time basis. These are the type of virtual employees that I mostly use for my internet marketing business.

This article is definitely simple, but it spells out some of the basics you should look for when deciding if you will hire virtual employees to help you in your business. A virtual worker can make the difference in your success if you know when and where to find them. Stay tuned here for all the “ins” and “outs” of finding, interviewing and hiring virtual employees for your business.