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Startup

Definition

What is a startup?

Startups are companies that are founded by entrepreneurs with the goal of growing into a large-scale businesses. A startup must not only offer a product that has wide market demand but will also be expected to develop a scalable business model.

As opposed to other entrepreneurship which may or may not grow larger than a sole proprietorship, startups from the get-go are expected to have accelerated growth, sometimes prioritizing growth over the revenue stream.

Because of the pressure to grow, most startups adopt an experimental methodology, often creating small projects to test assumptions and predictions to better understand who their market is and what is the demand for their product.

As such, startups require excellent customer support skills and technical development skills to both gather and interpret information and iterate on the product to better match the customer’s need. Ultimately, a startup relies on confidence borne from experience and data. Decisions must be made with confidence such that even bad decisions are processed and learned from.

What is a startup?

Startup outsourcing

Decisions made in confidence are not based on gut feeling or available resources but are made knowing the capabilities of your teams and with an understanding of the market dynamics.

If the teams are unable to deliver, or the investment made is large with little to no understanding of the risks involved, startups risk damaging their credibility and their ability to attract funding. Having experienced and capable teams with managers able to interpret trends and discern risks are major confidence builders that can help startups navigate the path to growth.

Outsource Accelerator specializes in helping small & medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), with 2-500 employees, typically based in the high-cost English-speaking world. We are the experts in transforming these businesses with startup outsourcing.

Outsourcing FAQ

What is Fully Managed Outsourcing?

What is fully managed outsourcing?

Fully Managed Outsourcing is one of the many services offered online by various outsourcing companies. It is a kind of laser-focused management that takes over the business process and tracking of the organization’s KPI metrics, training and development of employees, and quality assurance for the client.

When routine tasks and jobs are outsourced, the company will have more time to focus on the more essential aspects of the business.

Fully managed service

Working with a fully managed outsourcing can be beneficial to any specific organization. Despite working offshore, Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) companies can still provide a fully managed service to their clients.

They ensure the best operational structure, competitive pricing structure, proven processes, and guaranteed results with their operational overseers.

They can build a team and hierarchy; they do well-prepared implementation and alignment; and are also aligned to their high-quality mission, objectives, and culture.

This kind of partnership promises a deliverable-based solution that can hit KPIs, targets, and metrics. Lastly, they can ensure continuous improvement as you go along with your business.

Outsource Accelerator provides you access to the best outsourcing companies in the Philippines, where you can save up to 70% on staffing cost. We have over 3,000 articles, 200+ podcast episodes, and a comprehensive directory with 700+ BPOs… all designed to make it easier for clients to learn about, and engage with fully managed outsourcing.

What is Bookkeeping?

What is bookkeeping?

Bookkeeping refers to the process of recording transactions to general and special journals and posting these transactions to their respective ledgers. Bookkeeping is an important record-keeping function of financial accounting that is essential in a duly-registered business of any kind.

This should be done by applying generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) for US companies. 

The bookkeeping function consists of the first three steps of the accounting cycle: analyzing transactions, recording transactions in the general journal, and posting the transactions to the ledger. Most businesses outsource bookkeeping because hiring bookkeepers is expensive and most small-medium businesses don’t do large volumes of transactions per day.

Outsourcing bookkeeping

The bookkeeping function is best outsourced in order to keep administrative costs low while helping small businesses grow and become stable. Another advantage is that you are assured that you are working with a skilled and competent professional that has the appropriate experience and educational background for the job.

Outsource Accelerator provides you with the best bookkeeping outsourcing companies in the Philippines, where you can save up to 70% on staffing costs.

What are some of bookkeeping’s best practices?

Bookkeeping is one of the most important processes in a company. Here are some of the best practices in bookkeeping that you might want to consider:

Use the services of an expert

If you don't want to perform your own bookkeeping for any reason, you don't have to worry about it. There are a lot of vendors who can provide you with bookkeeping services.

If you choose to outsource your bookkeeping, you should look for a reliable and reputable freelancer or a company. Professional accountants can save you a significant amount of money in taxes because of their extensive knowledge of tax regulations.

Monitor expenses with accounting software

Your business budgeting should be thoroughly tracked down. Many companies document their expenses daily or weekly. They also save receipts to keep track of expenses.

Daily bookkeeping duties will take a lot of time if you don't have good core accounting software. As your firm grows, this load will only get heavier if you don't use technology.

There is a lot of time involved in daily bookkeeping tasks if you don't have suitable accounting software. If you don't employ technology, this burden will only rise as your company expands.

Get your finances under control

You may monitor your business's cash balances by comparing your bank account balance to the register in your accounting software. Use the software's reconciliation feature each month to ensure that you don't miss any duplications, circular reference transfers, or other irregularities.

Make preparations for taxes

The end of the financial year is a critical time to pay attention to your tax obligations. Your firm could be in serious tax trouble if you overlook business's expenses.

Preparing taxes in advance avoids any unpleasant surprises during the tax payment period. Use an accounting system that properly tracks all loans and revenue streams to ensure that your company is paying taxes on time.

What is a Freelancer?

What is a freelancer?

A freelancer is often hired for a particular job or fixed project who has the freedom to work flexible hours on these projects. Being self-employed, it is common for freelancers to handle multiple clients at any given time.

A freelancer can specialize in various project-based jobs, such as writing, graphic designing, web developing, digital marketing, and a lot more. Freelancers work remotely with usually flexible working hours, as long as they are able to meet client deadlines. One disadvantage of being a freelancer is having no certain mandatory benefits shouldered by an employer.

Freelancers can be a great addition to an existing workforce for businesses who look for cost-effective service and high-quality work. Freelancers are perfect for small to medium business owners who are looking for excellent outsource partners who can work independently and can be productive under minimum supervision.

Freelancing and outsourcing

Outsource Accelerator specializes in helping small & medium sized enterprises (SMEs), with 2-500 employees, typically based in the high-cost English-speaking world. We are the experts in transforming these businesses with outsourcing.

What is What is business process outsourcing??

What is business process outsourcing (BPO)?

Business process outsourcing (BPO) is the practice of contracting a third-party provider to run a defined business function such as customer support, payroll, accounting, or IT helpdesk. The provider takes ownership of the people, process, and technology, and bills you on a per-seat, per-transaction, or fixed-fee basis.

BPO sits at the intersection of labour arbitrage and operational focus. You hand off a non-core function to a specialist that can run it cheaper, faster, or better, and your in-house team gets to concentrate on what actually moves the business.

The category covers everything from a 4-seat phone team in Cebu answering after-hours calls for a US plumbing firm, to a 5,000-seat captive in Manila handling global claims processing for a Fortune 500 insurer. Same idea, very different scale.

If you've used Apple support, ordered from Amazon, or paid with Wells Fargo, you've talked to a BPO provider — you just didn't know it.

How it works

A BPO engagement runs in three layers: contract, transition, and steady state. You scope the function, sign a service level agreement that locks in response times, quality thresholds, and pricing, then transition the work through documented playbooks and parallel runs before the provider takes the keys.

Pricing usually falls into one of four shapes:

Model How you pay Best for Per FTE (seat) Fixed monthly rate per agent Steady-volume work like inbound support Per transaction Set fee per call, ticket, or invoice Variable-volume back-office tasks Outcome-based Tied to a KPI like CSAT or collections Mature processes with clean metrics Hybrid Base FTE rate plus variable bonus Long-term partnerships

Location choice drives most of the savings. Sending work to the Philippines or India (offshoring) typically cuts loaded labour cost by 50–70% versus a US in-house team. Sending it to Mexico or Colombia (nearshoring) trims 30–50% while keeping you in roughly the same timezone. Keeping it domestic (onshoring) protects timezone and language fit but barely moves the cost needle.

The provider absorbs the recruiting, training, real estate, tech stack, and compliance burden. You absorb the vendor-management overhead and the risk that comes with handing a function to an outsider.

Examples

The global BPO market hit roughly USD 347.95 billion in 2025 and is projected to grow at a 10.05% CAGR through 2035, according to Precedence Research. That growth is concentrated in a handful of hubs and a handful of named buyers.

Google has used Philippine and Indian BPO partners since 2016 for content moderation, ads review, and customer support — a quiet workforce that scales with each product launch. Meta contracts Accenture and TaskUs in Manila for content moderation; the work pulled enough scrutiny in the early 2020s that Meta eventually broadened its provider base across multiple regions. Wells Fargo has operated a Manila back-office hub since 2011, handling mortgage processing, AML checks, and treasury operations for the US parent. JPMorgan Chase runs large captive and outsourced operations in India and the Philippines for KYC, trade settlement, and analytics.

The Philippines remains the standout English-language hub. According to the IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines, the country's IT-BPM sector generates roughly USD 40 billion in revenue and employs about 1.9 million people, with growth targets pushing past 2.5 million by 2028.

Related terms Outsourcing: the umbrella term; BPO is the back-office and front-office slice that runs whole processes rather than one-off projects. Offshoring: moving work to a distant country (e.g. US to Philippines). A location choice, not a contracting choice. Nearshoring: moving work to a nearby country (e.g. US to Mexico) to keep timezone and culture closer. Knowledge process outsourcing: KPO handles judgment-heavy work like legal research or equity analysis, not transactional tasks. Call center: one delivery format inside BPO, focused on inbound or outbound voice. Back office: the non-customer-facing operations layer that BPO most commonly absorbs. Service level agreement: the contract clause that defines what "good" looks like in a BPO deal. FAQ What is business process outsourcing in simple terms?

BPO is paying another company to run a piece of your business for you, usually a repeatable function like answering support calls, processing invoices, or managing payroll. You keep the brand and the strategy; they run the operation.

What is the difference between BPO and outsourcing?

Outsourcing is the broad category — anything you contract out, including one-off projects. BPO is the subset where a provider runs an ongoing, defined business process end-to-end, typically with its own staff, systems, and SLAs.

Is BPO only about cost savings?

No. Cost is the entry argument, but mature buyers cite access to specialist talent, 24/7 coverage, faster scaling, and freeing in-house leaders to focus on growth as bigger long-term wins. See the directory of vetted providers on Clutch for how the market positions itself today.

What functions do companies outsource most often?

Customer support, IT helpdesk, finance and accounting, payroll, HR administration, content moderation, and data entry top the list. Higher-judgment work like legal research, equity analysis, and medical coding has shifted to KPO providers over the last decade.

Which countries dominate the BPO industry?

The Philippines leads voice and customer experience, India leads IT and analytics, and Latin America (Mexico, Colombia, Costa Rica) leads nearshore work for North American buyers. Eastern Europe serves Western European clients on similar terms.

How do I choose a BPO provider?

Match scale to your volume, check for relevant compliance (ISO 27001, HIPAA, PCI DSS, SOC 2), ask for two reference clients in your industry, and pilot a small scope before committing to a multi-year contract. Walk away from any provider that won't share agent attrition data.

Ready to scope a BPO partner? Outsource Accelerator lists 4,000+ vetted providers across the top global hubs — use the directory to shortlist, compare pricing, and book intro calls without paying a referral fee.

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About OA

Outsource Accelerator is the trusted source of independent information, advisory and expert implementation of Business Process Outsourcing (BPO).

The #1 outsourcing authority

Outsource Accelerator offers the world’s leading aggregator marketplace for outsourcing. It specifically provides the conduit between world-leading outsourcing suppliers and the businesses – clients – across the globe.

The Outsource Accelerator website has over 5,000 articles, 450+ podcast episodes, and a comprehensive directory with 4,700+ BPO companies… all designed to make it easier for clients to learn about – and engage with – outsourcing.

About Derek Gallimore

Derek Gallimore has been in business for 20 years, outsourcing for over eight years, and has been living in Manila (the heart of global outsourcing) since 2014. Derek is the founder and CEO of Outsource Accelerator, and is regarded as a leading expert on all things outsourcing.

“Excellent service for outsourcing advice and expertise for my business.”

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