4.5

• External professionals such as accountants,

  solicitors and bank managers can support owners

  undertaking business planning by providing financial

  and legal services.
• A business must evaluate whether it has the

  employees available to complete various tasks

  internally or whether it should recruit additional

  employees or engage the services of freelance

  professionals as outlined below
• Freelancers can be any type of independent

  worker who charges businesses or individuals for

  work on a per-job basis.
• There are many different types of freelancers. The

  term ‘freelancer’ does not apply to a type of work,

  but rather the employment relationship with the

  businesses they work for.
• Bookkeepers assist a business in

  keeping and processing a business’s

  financial records. Professional

  bookkeepers often charge an hourly

  rate for their services.
• New and growing businesses may not be able to

  effectively address human resource needs on their

  own. Human resource and recruitment

  professionals are often used by businesses to find

  the right staff, often charging a fee based on the

  salary of the person employed.
• Sales professionals are trained and experienced

  in finding and persuading people to consume a

  product.
• External sales professionals will often charge a

  business a percentage or commission for every

  sale they bring the business.
• Marketing consultants are responsible for raising

  awareness of a business’s products and brand

  with their target markets.
• Successful campaigns will increase brand

  awareness among consumers and result in

  increased sales.
• Many IT service businesses exist to support

  the needs of other businesses, with everything

  from the setup of servers and software to

  troubleshooting problems that arise on a daily

  basis.
• When establishing a business, the owner

  can engage the services of a variety of

  professionals external to the business.
• There are many types of external

  professionals, including bookkeepers,

  recruiters, sales professionals, marketing

  consultants, IT technicians and various types

  of freelancers.