Freelancing has become an ever-popular method of securing income. Instead of working for a business and listening to a boss, freelancers have the ability to find work whenever and wherever they want. However, it’s not as glamorous and independent as people might think. Freelancers have a hard time breaking into an industry, and most freelancers get paid by working for several companies as a regular contractor. In a sense, they’re like semi-employees.
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As a result, it’s not hard to find a freelancer who’s willing to accept a job just to improve their connections and get experience. It also adds to their portfolio of work and résumé, which is essential for attracting new clients or potentially converting to a regular job. This means that you can freelancers who are willing to do work for a cheap price, and it can mean huge savings for your company.
Instead of hiring a worker or two for a specific job, you can outsource it to freelancers for a fraction of the cost. This makes it a great asset for new start-up companies that don’t want to invest in a large workforce. There’s no long-term or short-term contracts required because you pay per job, and there’s no hassle of setting up another employee—all you do is look for a freelancer online and speak to them about what you want to be done.
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Freelancers are Flexible
Freelancers take choose their path because they can set their own hours and make their own rules (most of the time). If you need a freelancer to do a specific job, they’re perfectly capable of doing that. However, if you’re unsure what exactly it is you need, freelancers usually have enough experience and expertise to also act as an advisor.
For example, if you need a web page and you’re thinking about outsourcing web design, a freelancer can not only design and program the page to your specification, but they can also offer advice on how to improve on your ideas. This might cost a bit of extra money, and you need to discuss that you want more than just a job done. At the end of the day, it’s far cheaper than hiring an internal web manager or designer.
If you need a job done quickly, then hiring a freelancer is the best way to achieve fast and immediate results. If you need a quick blog post or article written for your website, then hire a writer to do the work for you. If you’re willing to pay a bit of extra money to receive quick results, an experienced writer can churn out articles that are designed and written specifically for your needs.
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Freelancers are Affordable
Since freelancers are paid by the job, there’s no extra costs or hidden fees when using their services. You tell them the job, they respond, you send a deposit, they send your work, and you pay them the rest. It’s quick, painless, and simple. In fact, the only work you need to do is contact a freelancer and pay their invoice.
As mentioned before, some freelancers are perfectly fine with receiving less pay due to their inexperience. However, this isn’t something that you should openly say because they don’t have a massive portfolio to show you. Instead, advertise your needs on a website and then look carefully at the replies you get. Some freelancers will openly admit they don’t have much experience or many clients, and they will say if they’re willing to accept less pay.
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Freelancers are Willing to Build Relationships
Much like your own workers, a freelancer is willing to build up a relationship with you. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship—they get more work, and you get more work done. You can keep in touch after or before a job and keep them aware of upcoming offers you might have for them. The more often someone works for you, the more they’ll understand you and your business. This can work wonders if you give them design related jobs such as web design, logos, and flyers. They can work quicker knowing what your preferences and needs are, and you get your results faster.
It also makes negotiating easier. If you work together with someone for an extended period of time, you’ll be able to agree on payments more easily, and the trust built up will earn respect both ways. Freelancers can become regulars, and you might even score discount prices for work that would cost you far more with a freelancer that you’ve never worked with before.
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Freelancers Know What They’re Doing
Unlike your own employees, freelancers are completely independent and know exactly what they are doing. Their temporary role in your business is clear, and they have the resources and tools to carry out work without bothering you. You don’t need to sit with them and carefully explain what needs to be done (unless of course, you have a very specific job) and you’ll be able to continue running your business.
In a way, freelancers can be considered set-and-forget employees. You ask them to do something and 99% of the time they’ll return with results that meet expectations. Very rarely will you encounter a freelancer who produces sub-par work or fails to properly communicate with you.
The number of clients a freelancer works with also gives them a boost of confidence and experience. After a handful of jobs, you could consider them experts in their respective fields, and you’re almost guaranteed to get good quality results. When in doubt, always check the person’s portfolio and ask them questions should the need arise.
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Freelancers Are an Infinite Workforce
Whether you need a small job done or a long-term project, consider outsourcing that work. There’s an almost infinite amount of potential out there, and someone is bound to fit your specification now matter how precise or detailed it is.
If you’re after quantity over quality, then remember that you can hire as many people as your budget allows. Since you pay per job, you can get hundreds of hours worth of work done in just a day by hiring dozens of different freelancers.
They’re flexible, affordable, likeable, knowledgeable, and there’s an almost endless supply of talent. Get used to using them, they might make up more than half of your workforce in the future!