Globalization, the internet revolution and more recently the Covid pandemic have led more and more people to look for independent work. This is a great opportunity for small businesses and entrepreneurs. They can now take advantage of a pool of talented professionals with varying skills. And it has never been easier to grow your business thanks to freelancers.
When you can rely on an on-demand pool of experts to create a brand, a website, content, SEO optimization, market research, an AdWords campaign, bookkeeping, and even your sales team; entering the market with a new value proposition requires much less financing than you thought. Talent is just a click away! Learn everything you need to know in this Ultimate guide to grow your business with freelancers.
CONTENT OF THE ULTIMATE GUIDE:
WHY HIRE FREELANCERS
Hiring on a demand basis, saves significant cost and time for your business. You only pay for services that you need when you need it. You can find and hire a top highly qualified professional on a project basis which you may not have been able to budget for or need on a full-time basis. It also gives you flexibility to adapt your company to seasonal flows. See 5 advantages of hiring a freelancer.
WHERE TO HIRE FREELANCERS
Another fundamental question to ask yourself when hiring freelancers, is where do I want the freelancer to be located? Project success rate increases when you can work with someone local. However, beware that most freelancing platforms are designed for you to hire remotely. You might be able to hire at lower hourly rates from India, Philippines and other countries but efficiency, productivity, human interaction, immediate feedback and legal liability are at risk.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN HIRING FREELANCERS
There is no doubt that identifying the skills necessary for the job is fundamental when selecting a freelancer. Yet, having the necessary skills is not enough. A freelancer must be, by definition, capable of working independently, resourceful and must have excellent time management skills. These are virtues that are necessary for their work to be productive. Few things are more frustrating than receiving a project weeks later than it was supposed to be due. Hence the importance of evaluating soft skills before hiring freelancers.
HOW TO ONBOARD FREELANCERS
The main difference with onboarding full time employees, is that you don’t have the same amount of time to train hires and time to get the job done is most likely less flexible. When you call a freelancer, you need him to get on the job immediately and produce the expected results. It is fundamental that before you hire a freelancer, you clearly understand the end-product and activities to perform. So be prepared. A project outline with end products, person responsible and deadlines is very useful. Preparing the necessary documentation to ease the freelancer interaction in the organization is also very helpful. And having a process to onboard freelancers is an asset.
HOW TO WORK WITH FREELANCERS
Having a plan to execute the project is fundamental to the success of the project. From the beginning, you must put in place a culture of accountability. This is easy to do when roles, responsibilities and deliverables are clearly communicated to the freelancer. A lot of continuous communication -to differentiate from micromanaging- is very useful to ensure the project is delivered on time. Review the plan often and adjust if necessary.
For more details on how to grow your business with freelancers, download our Ebook.
