In the past few years, the term “outsourcing” has accumulated some unpleasant baggage, becoming associated with the idea of eliminating domestic jobs and shipping the work to much cheaper overseas providers. Worse yet, the quality of the products and services of these “outsourced” resources is often regarded as inferior to what was provided domestically.

When you commission an artist to create a painting or sculpture, typically you own the end product when it’s finished, to do with as you like. The artist can’t come back a year later and take it back. If you have a custom-designed house built for you, it’s the same thing: You—not the builder—own the house.