Being a small business owner on a small business budget – specifically a start up budget, is no small task. There are plenty of avenues for increasing growth and automating tasks that you just do not want to do, so you can focus on expanding your reach. We get it!
Freelance US was designed to make your life easier, and although we are in community building mode right now, we have resources and information to help our small business owners navigate the world of freelance – especially if you have not done so with other platforms.
Freelance professionals come in many forms, and just like any business or service, no two freelancers are the same. This can be tricky when you want the perfect match for your task, and especially trying when you have a hard time letting go of the reigns.
Take a look at some positives for hiring a professional to assist you with your tasks. Before we get into our take on freelance in the workplace, here is a short-read from 2018 about small businesses that use freelance professionals, and what they have learned. (Written by Forbes contributing author Jon Younger) He briefly discusses the various ways small businesses integrate using a freelancer and how it has been beneficial regarding the examples used:
- Augmenting Internal Expertise: Silverstrom Group a dental company in New Jersey grew to one of the top performing practices by using freelance professionals in a blended work style. This means pairing his brick and mortar practice with full time employees and leveraging freelance professionals for everything else.
- Building A Virtual Organization: Jailhouse Coffees admits that they save a ton on employee costs by avoiding full-time employees for the business. This money saved goes directly back into sales and marketing for the company, allowing it to scale.
There are a plethora of articles, blogs, and videos on the powerful partnership between small businesses and freelance professionals. Navigating the right hire is important, and maintaining respect for the freelance professionals are of utmost importance in our community.
Here is a list of best-practices when hiring your freelance professional:
- Ask for a portfolio sample: This may include a PDF of their compiled work, or website link directing you to their online portfolio. Allow the freelance professional to send you their portfolio as they have it, and avoid any specific portfolio requests based on your preference. You have not hired them to work with you, yet – and being flexible to the various work styles of our entrepreneurs is important when establishing a long-term working partnership.
- Complete Intake forms THOROUGHLY: There’s nothing worse than spending hours going back and forth with a professional only to find out you aren’t a great working match. Because our professionals have varying levels of experience and working styles, completing an intake form as clearly as possible will help your professional understand your needs. This will ultimately allow them to discuss with you up front, whether or not they are capable of handling your project or not.
- Be flexible: Deadlines are real. Emergencies happen. We understand this. In order to make the most of your experience working with freelance professionals, ensure you have a plan for your project and the timeline you need to complete it. Unless you are a repeat buyer of a specific freelance professional, this is not the time to hire and pressure quick deadlines. Remember, our professionals are likely working with several clients, and while they care about your project and your overall project satisfaction – it may be impossible to get the results you desire in an emergency fashion.
- Provide thoughtful feedback: Feedback and constructive criticism are important and necessary. This is a valued part of the process because it allows you to truly appreciate your professional publicly, and also resolve issues that may have come up in the process. We ask that you contact us with any issues you experience with your professional in an attempt to resolve misunderstandings before reviewing the overall scope of the project at hand.
- Recommend your professional: If you feel you had a fantastic experience working with your freelance professional, consider recommending them to other small business owners who may need the services they offer. This community is built on trust and reliability, and a recommendation goes a long way in maintaining positive working relationships.
Of course there are many more tips we will share over the course of our journey together, and these best practice tips for navigating the freelance world is the tip of the iceberg for us here at Freelance US. We care a tremendous amount about our small business and freelance community, and maintaining a positive work balance is an important factor in why we started this platform.
If you have any questions about our platform, or getting started as a small business owner, please contact us at connect@freelanceus.co
About the Author: AshleyRodriguez
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