Transcription

Lesson 3
OAO Primer www.getwsodo.com
www.getwsodo.com

So, before we actually get into how we get stuff done, we need to look at the framework. And
this Optimize, Automate, Outsource, I've referred to it already, but it is so important. It's the
basis for everything that I do, that I teach, that I speak about. And that is, again, to optimize,
then automate, then outsource.

Most of the time, when you ask somebody, "Hey, have you ever outsourced something before?"
and they say, "Yes," that's great. And then you wanna say, "Well, have you had a bad
experience outsourcing?" 95% of the time, they're gonna say yes. And I'm sorry to tell you, but
most of the time, if you had a bad experience outsourcing and it was a competent outsourcing
provider, it was probably your fault because you didn't properly communicate and empower that
person to do the things you needed them to do. Or, more likely, you gave them something that a
human being shouldn't even be doing in the first place.

So, we have to start with optimization. And with optimization, I'm talking about tracking and
identifying a process. Sounds simple, but if you ask somebody, "How many steps do you think it
takes, on average, to pay a bill?" most people will say somewhere between 7 and 10. But the
average is actually about 21. And if you think about that, that's not unreasonable because you
get a bill, or it's a digital bill, and you have to give it to your accountant or you have to banking
website and pay it. There's a lot of steps involved. Most people would just say, "Well, that's how
I've always done it." But that's a shortcut that our brains use to save energy, and it doesn't
actually allow us to identify the things in the process that we're doing that we shouldn't be doing.

So, we start with optimization, which is really just shining a light. Once we have done that, we
wanna look at how we can automate. And with automation, all I care about is something that
you can set up and forget about. A system that will run 24/7, will never get sick, complain, or
make a mistake, and it's completely scalable. A lot of times, they're free or very cheap. Some
sort of trigger and action that will automate part or the entirety of a process.

Once we've optimized, then automated, that's the first time ever that you wanna look at how you
might be able to outsource it some sort of specialist like a graphic designer or an architect,
even, or a generalist like a virtual assistant or some other administrative assistant. And to be
clear, a virtual assistant is a real person. They just are not in the room with you. They could be
across the country or across the world, which presents its own challenges when you're
communicating these needs to them.

If you're not following that framework, then you're just not setting yourself up for success. And
you can apply that framework to any of these challenges that might come up in your life or your
business. But I can't stress enough how much we need to remember that OAO framework as
we go through the rest of these lessons.

So, keep that framework in mind for any challenge that we're looking at. We wanna see how we
can optimize first, automate second, and outsource at the end.