Close the Loop If you're outsourcing projects right and left, make sure the information you need is rolling back to you.

The magic word for many entrepreneurs is"outsourcing." If you don't have the in-house talentto get something done, you outsource it. And today, you canoutsource just about anything.

Sending projects, even whole departments, outside the company isworking for Bibby Gignilliat, 43, and Shannan Bishop, 32, chefs andco-founders of Gourmet Gatherings, a San Francisco culinaryentertainment company specializing in private cooking parties andcorporate team-building dinners and events. They outsourceeverything but their recipes and menu. "We think of ourselvesas conducting a symphony of specialists," Gignilliat says."Outsourcing is key. It's the only way our company cangrow."

Companies outsource for cost savings, but too many companiesfall into an "outsource it, then forget about it"mind-set. Companies that have outsourced like crazy could wake updown the road to find they haven't kept track of projects anddepartments they've outsourced--or worse, they've losttouch with their core business strategy, now residing outside thecompany.