Offshore Outsourcing: Unpatriotic Evil or Entrepreneurial Necessity?

Look at your shoes. Where do you think they were made? Probably not in Ohio. Look at your TV. Look in... your mirror! Probably all of these items were made overseas, but we don't associate them with being "outsourced." Why is it then, when I was developing my website Adcandy.com, I had to constantly apologize for having my development work done overseas?

Friends and acquaintances would all cringe when I told them I was having the site developed in India. The conservatives ones felt I was being unpatriotic and hurting the economy. Liberals felt I was being exploitative and hurting the economy. But the bottom line is, I'm not rich (yet) and I couldn't have gotten my company off the ground without outsourcing the work to an offshore company.

Now, I'm a patriotic and liberal person. (Yes, not only conservatives are patriotic....) How did I rationalize my decision? Simple. I just thought about what would happen when my company took off. I would have to hire local people for many of my tasks. I would need an office. I would pay more taxes and so would my employees. Plus, the ideas generated on my website would help U.S. companies with both product development and marketing effectiveness.

How could that be bad for the economy?

Now, I don't think the government should buy foreign-made cars or weapons, but the difference between them and us is that they have A LOT more money than us, and all of it came from you and me in the first place.

They say you can tell a lot about a person by their shoes. Take a look at your own. If they say "Made in The USA" anywhere on them then I guess I'm wrong. Otherwise, get over it, and try to get the best price and quality you can for web development... wherever that may be.

Per Hoffman is the founder of Adcandy, the world's first "virtual" ad agency in which everyone is a member. Any consumer can submit their advertising and product improvement ideas or participate in ad challenges through its unique portal: http://www.adcandy.com