Introduction
Freelancers are a crucial part of the small business ecosystem. Freelancers can help you accomplish tasks that you would otherwise have to hire an employee to do while also giving you access to specialized expertise that may not be as readily available in-house. But how do small businesses get started working with freelancers? How do they ensure their project is successful? In this article, we’ll explore these questions and more:
Why Side Hustlers should hire freelancers
If you are a small business owner, freelancers can be an invaluable source of talent for your company. Freelancers can help fill gaps in your team and get work done faster. They also allow you to deliver more value to customers by providing specialized services that are not available internally or through third-party vendors.
Finally, hiring freelancers allows you to achieve your business goals faster than if you were working alone or with just one full-time employee (or even several).
Overview of the benefits and challenges of working with freelancers
The benefits of hiring and working with freelancers include:
- Lower cost: Depending on the type of work, freelancers can be hired for significantly less than full-time employees. In addition, there are no additional costs associated with taxes or benefits (although you may have to pay them).
- Flexibility: You can hire someone as needed rather than having an employee who’s always present at your office or workspace, which means you’ll have more control over your staffing needs and budgeting decisions.
The challenges of working with freelancers include:
- Communication issues (with both parties): As a small business owner, it’s important to make sure that you’re communicating clearly about what exactly is required from both sides of the relationship so expectations are set upfront before any work begins in earnest and then revisited throughout each project cycle if necessary until everyone is satisfied with how things are going between them!
Understanding the Role of Freelancers
A freelancer is an independent worker who provides services to businesses or individuals. Freelancers are often hired for specific tasks, such as writing articles or designing a website; they may also be used to help with larger projects, such as creating a brand identity or marketing strategy.
The benefits of using freelancers include:
- Cost savings – If you need help with a task that doesn’t fall into your core business, working with a freelancer can save money compared to hiring full-time employees. For example, if you need someone to write blog posts but don’t want them working at their desk all day long (and paying benefits), using a writer rather than hiring another employee could be more cost-effective for your business.
- Flexibility – A freelance worker can work remotely from anywhere in the world so long as they have access to the internet and phone lines.
- Expertise – Hiring outside experts allows companies access to knowledge and skills that might not otherwise be available within their organization.
Identifying the Right Freelancer
Hiring a freelancer can be a daunting task, but it’s important to know what to look for when searching for the right person.
- Look at their skills and experience. Are they able to do the work you need to be done? Do they have any reviews from past clients?
- Check out their reviews on sites like Upwork or Freelancer.com. Are other people happy with their work? If so, this may be someone who would fit well within your team.
“Never hire someone who knows less than you do about what he’s hired to do.” – Malcolm Forbes
Establishing Clear Project Guidelines
- Define the project’s scope and goals.
- Define the project’s timeline.
- Define the project’s budget.
You’ll also want to consider what types of deliverables are expected at each milestone, as well as any requirements for meeting those milestones (such as working hours or availability).
Building Effective Communication Channels
As a small business owner, you’ll likely be working with freelancers and other contractors from around the world. To ensure effective communication, it’s important that you use a variety of communication channels.
- Written: A written message can be sent via email or text message (SMS). Written communication is great for sending detailed messages and instructions that don’t require immediate responses–for example, when you want someone to complete a project for you or provide feedback on an idea they’ve proposed. This is also an efficient way to pass along information such as policies and procedures at your company or details about specific projects being worked on by employees internally while keeping everyone updated on progress happening behind the scenes within the organization itself.
- Verbal: The phone may not seem like much more than another form of written communication, but there are some advantages associated with using this medium over something like emailing someone directly from their computer desktop instead of having them pick up their smartphone first before replying back immediately via SMS text message instead; namely because face-to-face interactions allow two parties involved in the conversation feel more comfortable speaking freely without worrying about being judged negatively by one another even though both sides need some time getting used doing things differently than what they’re used too before feeling comfortable enough talking freely without judgment coming into play which makes sense since most people aren’t used working outside office environments where everyone knows each other well enough yet still feels comfortable asking questions without fear losing job opportunities due lack knowledge needed.
“The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn’t being said.” — Peter F. Drucker.
Nurturing Positive Working Relationships
You also need to be able to communicate effectively. This means you should be able to articulate your vision, provide support and resources, set clear expectations and guidelines, and manage workflow and deadlines.
Creating a positive working relationship with freelancers is all about trust. Trust that they’ll deliver on their end of the bargain, which will lead them to want to work on future projects with you and vice versa!
Alone, we can do so little; together we can do so much.
– Helen Keller
Setting Clear Expectations and Guidelines (and following them)
Before you can begin to work with a freelancer, it’s important to understand their needs and expectations. While you may be excited about the prospect of hiring someone who can help your business grow, it’s also important for them to be excited about working with you.
For example: if a freelancer has been looking for more work in their field with little success, they might be more willing to take on projects that pay less but offer more opportunity for exposure and growth than those that pay well but have no potential for these things (or any other benefits).
A good way to ensure that everyone involved is satisfied is by setting clear guidelines before beginning any project together. This includes both what needs will be met by each party and how much time each party needs/wants before moving forward with something new (e.g., “I need three weeks’ notice before starting another gig”).
“The really expert riders of horses let the horse know immediately who is in control, but then guide the horse with loose reins and seldom use the spurs.” – Sandra Day O’Connor
Managing Workflow and Deadlines
It’s important to have a clear understanding of the project, but don’t get bogged down in the details. You may be tempted to micromanage every aspect of your freelance workforce, but that can lead to frustration with both parties and missed deadlines if things change.
If you plan on working with freelancers regularly, make sure you have a system in place for managing workflow and deadlines. Consider using project management software like Basecamp or Asana (or something more specific) so everyone stays on track with their tasks and projects stay on schedule.
“Better to be three hours too soon, than a minute too late.” – William Shakespeare
Providing Adequate Support and Resources
When you’re hiring freelancers, it’s important to provide them with the right tools and resources. This will help them do their job efficiently and effectively. You can also help by providing direction and feedback on their work so they know what to improve upon next time around.
However, don’t be afraid of letting your freelancers explore different ways of solving problems, as this is how they’ll learn new skills that could come in handy for future projects! After all, if there’s one thing we’ve learned from Silicon Valley: The Show Itself (and its parent series Silicon Valley), it’s this: everyone loves a good challenge!
Ensuring Payment and Invoicing
Ensuring that you pay your freelancers on time and in full is critical to ensuring their continued loyalty. If you don’t have a contract in place, make sure to ask for one before beginning work with the freelancer.
A payment plan should be outlined in this contract so that both parties know how much each party will receive at various stages of a project: for example, when milestones are met or when an invoice is submitted. In addition, it should include details about whether payments are expected to be made by check or via credit card (or other methods), as well as what happens if there’s ever an issue with funds being transferred between accounts–for example, if one party loses his/her bank account number due to identity theft or fraud committed by someone else who has access to his/her information such as family members and friends who might know where he/she keeps his stuff stored away somewhere safe but still accessible enough if needed during emergencies only or something like that? You get the idea, though! It’s important not only because it helps keep everyone honest but also because if something goes wrong down the road, then everyone knows exactly what needs to be done next before moving forward again smoothly without any problems whatsoever.”
Conclusion
In conclusion, freelancers can be an excellent source of talent for your business. They can help you get the job done faster and more efficiently than hiring full-time employees, and they allow you to focus on other aspects of running your company while allowing them to focus on their expertise in their different fields. However, before jumping into working with freelancers or contractors, make sure that you understand what kinds of projects they’re best suited for (and which ones might be better handled by full-time staff). Also, consider how much time it takes for each project so that neither party feels overworked or underappreciated.
