The 5 Tools You Need to Outsource Any Internet Business

Outsourcing is a crucial component to scaling an internet business. Fortunately, tools are available that simplify the process of scaling through outsourcing.

In this article, I’m going to share the five tools I use and recommend for outsourcing any internet business. These tools are applicable to any internet business, regardless of niche.

While there might be industry-specific tools you desire, these are the general tools that are effective across all niches. 

#1 LastPass

When collaborating with a team, providing them access to various tools and services you subscribe to becomes necessary. For instance, I need to grant my team access to a tool called Ahrefs, as well as my email marketing software. LastPass facilitates this by allowing me to share access without revealing the actual credentials.

For example, if I have a new assistant or employee whom I’m not ready to trust fully with passwords, I can share the login credentials via LastPass in a way that encrypts them, ensuring they can access the required tools without knowing the passwords. This approach is particularly useful when managing email with a virtual assistant, ensuring secure access without compromising sensitive information. 

Additionally, LastPass enables the creation of folders for organizing tools, allowing instant access sharing within the platform. It’s also straightforward to revoke someone’s access if they leave the company or transition to another role, eliminating the need to change all your passwords.

There are many tools available for creating Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), but Scribe is my top choice. SOPs are essential for documenting the processes within your business, especially in the systematic and repetitive nature of internet businesses.

Scribe makes it incredibly easy to create clear and concise SOPs by recording your screen or typing them out.

Scribe is a desktop application and Chrome extension that significantly simplifies the process of hiring and training new employees. Documented SOPs facilitate the onboarding process and serve as a reference to prevent errors, saving considerable time by reducing repetitive inquiries.

It’s as simple as clicking record, doing the task on your browser or desktop and then tweaking the results once you’re finished. 

The best way to explain it is to show you an embedded example. This is pretty meta, but here is a Scribe that shows how to make a Scribe.

Here’s an embedded version of one I made to show my virtual assistants how to use AHREFs to analyze domains in bulk. You can ignore the actual content of the Scribe, I just want to show you what they look like. 

You’ll get better at it the more you use it, but you’re going to be shocked at how good the SOPs are right out of the gate.  

For a deeper dive into creating effective SOPs and other outsourcing strategies, check out these outsourcing tips.

You can watch my full Scribe demo below.

Since I recorded this video, they’ve added several awesome upgrades like a new AI feature that helps speed up the process tremendously.

Email remains a vital component of internet business, and it’s important that all team members have their own custom email addresses within your business domain. For example, I use support at entreresource.com.

Google Workspace allows you to link your domain with any alias emails you desire, enabling you to create user accounts and passwords for your team. This setup is crucial for maintaining a professional image, and if you’re considering outsourcing your blog content, having a domain-specific email adds credibility when communicating with freelance writers or content creators.

What’s awesome is that these emails will run on the basic Gmail interface. They aren’t any different or more complicated than any standard @gmail.com account. 

I’ve written at length about creating your own custom email address with your domain name here if you want a more detailed step by step of this process. 

Gusto is the payment platform I use for compensating my team. It offers a seamless experience with minimal fees for both international and domestic payments.

Payments can be set up as recurring (like a salary) or based on logged hours. 

I prefer hiring my team directly rather than through platforms like Upwork or Fiverr, as it saves on fees and offers greater control over bonuses and raises without the extra hassle.

For those looking to streamline their outsourcing efforts further, consider reading about how to Outsource the Little Things for more efficiency in your business processes.

Google Drive is, arguably, one of the most underrated tools available. Its ability to facilitate seamless file sharing across teams, regardless of the file type, is something we often take for granted. Moreover, it’s incredibly affordable.

Those are the five tools that are effective across any niche. While there are other tools more specific to certain industries—for instance, I use BuzzStream for managing my link building efforts—these five provide everything you need to get started. As your business grows, you can incorporate additional tools tailored to your specific needs. These foundational tools, however, are applicable across any business model.