In the age of remote working, it’s possible (and may even be cheaper) to assemble your team using freelancers, rather than permanent staff. This can give you more flexibility, more hiring options and improved efficiency, but this strategy is not without its challenges – here’s what you need to keep in mind
Finding Freelancers
The first step when building your freelance staff is to find the individuals who will comprise it. Sites like Fiverr, Upwork, and other ad hoc platforms can be useful for general cheap, quick assistance. If you’re looking for tech specialists (i.e. developers, programmers) you might need to search where they live – on websites like GitHub, for example. Job boards can be useful if you want to build sustained relationships as this will allow you to vet applications more carefully. But, for the best results, you’ll have to invest in recruitment – an agency can seek out the most suitable candidates and carry out background checks, phone interviews, and more to ensure that they’ll suit your requirements.
Remember, when advertising for freelancers, there are some key methods that you need to observe if you want to find the right individuals. Practice transparency with regard to pay, job responsibilities, and tenure. If a candidate has set rates, make sure you understand and agree upon these before hiring.
Managing Freelancers
Once you’ve assembled your team, there is now the question of managing them. When embarking on a project, it’s important to set clear expectations – this means everyone should know their expected OKRs (Objectives & Key Results) and KPIs (Key Performance Indicators). Try to set clear timeframes and deadlines, rather than allowing for continuous workflows – this will help everyone to hit their numbers and prevent tasks from running continuously.
There’s plenty of useful software that can aid you in the management and coordination of freelancers. You can start with communications software – instant messaging applications like Slack have video call functionality and allow members of the team to send files quickly and efficiently. When it comes to the files themselves, you’ll find plenty of free online tools that allow you to convert your image to PDF – helping to streamline collaboration via email and maintaining graphic quality.
Administration
As with full-time staff, managing freelancers can be administration-heavy. To help with this, it’s important to get all of your company’s bureaucratic measures in place before hiring – if you haven’t already, consider forming a Limited Liability Company (LLC), this will provide you with tax advantages, less paperwork, and reduced personal liability. A formation service can help you to accomplish this by navigating any regulations and saving you money on lawyer fees.
When it comes to remuneration, accountancy software is a must-have. With the right program, you’ll be able to clearly see your pay structures, timesheets, and owed amounts, and the right program will have cross-compatibility so that you can see the amount due as it relates to the work itself. If you’re hiring from abroad, it’s worth comparing the various payment platforms – Wise can be cheaper when sending overseas than Paypal, for example
Running a team of freelancers has certainly been made more convenient by advances in technology and the advent of remote working. This said, it’s not always a straightforward process and if you want to get the best out of your team, you’ll need to put in plenty of work finding the right individuals and managing them accordingly.
About Ethel
Ethel Lair understands that it’s easy to live the life of your dreams when you know what you want to leave behind for future generations. She created legacybasedliving.com to help her site visitors create financial plans that allow them to leave a legacy of support and love for their families and communities.”
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