RRP $29.95 HOW TO BOOST YOUR BUSINESS WITH ONLINE FREELANCERS FREELANCER.COM TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 2 3 5 7 9 10 12 14 16 What is Outsourcing? How does Outsourcing t into Modern Business? Key Benets of Outsourcing How can Freelancer.com help you to Reap these Benets? What does Freelancer.com do to Safeguard you as an Employer of Freelancers? First Steps in Outsourcing How to Post a Project and Set Yourself up For Success Choosing the Right Freelancers Outsourcing Case Studies Summary HOW TO BOOST YOUR BUSINESS WITH ONLINE FREELANCERS FREELANCER.COM To do business in the modern world, a successful business needs to extract the very best value from its workforce. The global marketplace is constantly changing and any business venture that wants to lucratively compete in this global arena needs to be both dynamic and able to scale its workforce to meet supply and demand. Traditionally, this has meant employing more staff than required to ensure that there are extra employees on hand to cope with any unexpected workload. How do you ensure that you have the resources to cope with a uid work schedule without having to employ excess staff? Simple. Outsourcing with Freelancer.com HOW TO BOOST YOUR BUSINESS WITH ONLINE FREELANCERS FREELANCER.COM 1 Outsourcing describes the process of one entity employing the services of another entity on an ad- hoc basis. This can take the form of one large company using a second company to provide certain services as needed, or it may simply be an individual who needs to procure a certain skill set to help complete a current project. Usually, these situations will take the form of the Employer engaging the services of Freelancers on either a pay-per-project or pay-per-hour basis. These Freelancers report directly to the entity that has employed them for an agreed duration either in time, or in project goals. Once payment has been made upon delivery of completed work, the Employer has no obligation to keep the Freelancer on the payroll. Freelancer.com is the largest outsourcing site in the world with millions of registered users, enabling Employers and Freelancers to connect and do business together. This is done using a set of web- based tools that have been designed to take remote outsourcing to a new level. What is Outsourcing? REGISTER FOR AN ACCOUNT AT Freelancer.com HOW TO BOOST YOUR BUSINESS WITH ONLINE FREELANCERS FREELANCER.COM 2 In recent years business has become globalized, which in turn means that competition has globalized too. Many small businesses that may once have occupied a local niche are now forced to compete with similar businesses all around the world. In some cases, this presents a costing problem; labor can be cheaper, yet equally skilled in countries outside of the Western world. Many Western-based companies nd that they are unable to compete with international companies offering services at much lower costs. Outsourcing enables companies to procure staff at competitive prices and, more importantly, as needed rather than hiring full-time employees. In being able to call upon a workforce of outsourced Freelancers, small businesses are then able to dynamically scale themselves to t the needs of any project. Small businesses often nd they have to turn down opportunities due to limited resources, therefore losing out to competitors. However, if a company has access to a readily available team of outsourced staff, this problem disappears; the business simply uses Freelancers to make up the shortfall. Small businesses can therefore take on additional work, safe in the knowledge they can acquire the resources required to complete any project. There can be no doubt that a small business that is able to utilize Freelancers is more dynamic and able to adapt itself more quickly to the needs of its clients. How does Outsourcing t into Modern Business? HOW TO BOOST YOUR BUSINESS WITH ONLINE FREELANCERS FREELANCER.COM 3 So far, we have briey outlined a handful of the advantages of using Freelancers. Let us now take a much deeper look into the full range of benets that a small business can reap from taking an outsourced approach to stafng. Staff can be employed on a demand-driven basis. Put simply, if you need eight staff one month and then only ve the next, then you only need employ the right number of staff each month. This means that staff shortages become a thing of the past and, equally importantly, overstafng is also no longer an issue. You only employ the people you need when you need them. Key Benets of Outsourcing SCALABILITY COST EFFECTIVENESS ADAPTABILITY REDUCED RISK For small businesses involved in industries such as web development, the need for skilled staff is always present. But what happens when a new client suddenly insists upon your team producing a set of instructional videos, or a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation? Do you say, “No, sorry, we don’t have the skills to do this”? By using outsourced staff to supply extra skills as required, the business is able to condently take on more complex projects that require a range of different skill sets, safe in the knowledge that they will be able to nd Freelancers to make up the skill decit. As we have already seen, the emergence of a global marketplace – not simply in terms of commercial opportunities, but also with regards to staff employment – means that many traditional businesses are facing the problem whereby they are savagely undercut when tendering for new projects. Skilled staff located in a cheaper geographic location are now more relevant than ever before in practical terms. Most business is won on price and employing outsourced staff allows small businesses to attain price parity with competitors large and small. As any company that employs full-time staff will be aware, the cost of keeping those staff trained in current industry technologies and other tertiary skills can be high. Outsourced members of staff are responsible for keeping themselves current and ensuring that their skills are kept sharp, at no cost to their Employers. HOW TO BOOST YOUR BUSINESS WITH ONLINE FREELANCERS FREELANCER.COM 4 The points outlined above represent the major benets of outsourcing, many of which are applicable to small businesses in a range of industries. Even smaller organizations or one-man operations must see by now how outsourcing can help them to maintain their prot margins and grow with their market, without the need to invest in more full-time personnel. Utilizing highly skilled, professional Freelancers gives businesses the option to employ the people they need only when they need them, without incurring an ongoing overhead. DIVERSIFICATION REDUCED TRAINING- COSTS SIMPLIFIED ACCOUNTING By outsourcing to Freelancers, a small business is able to adapt its products and services and expand its product base by pulling in skills that it does not already offer. For example, a web development company may nd it desirable to offer Search Engine Optimization (SEO) services as part of their overall package. By nding a good, solid Freelancer to perform this task, they are buying a skill that can then be resold to augment and improve the service offered to their clients. As any company that employs full-time staff will be aware, the cost of keeping those staff trained in current industry technologies and other tertiary skills can be high. Outsourced members of staff are responsible for keeping themselves current and ensuring that their skills are kept sharp, at no cost to their Employers. Small business that employ staff on the payroll must keep accurate nancial records and ensure that taxes are paid on behalf of their employees. Freelancers however, must keep their own records and are liable for their own tax returns; the Employer does not need to handle this process income and so accounting is made much simpler. In addition it removes the need to employ payroll staff. HOW TO BOOST YOUR BUSINESS WITH ONLINE FREELANCERS FREELANCER.COM 5 Thanks to Freelancer.com, the difculties in nding reliable and skilled Freelancers, verifying credentials, handling payments and managing your relationships are eliminated. In using the service that Freelancer.com provides, all of these problems are negated. Freelancer.com provides a robust, secure and intuitive platform for recruiting and managing outsourced freelance staff. The process of nding the right staff for your needs, verifying that they are equipped with the required skills, managing project milestones and dealing with payments is all handled within the Freelancer.com platform, making outsourcing simple. Freelancer.com has a feature set that has been perfected over several years to provide an optimal interface between Employers and Freelancers, and to deal with every foreseeable interaction between both parties effectively and efciently. Finding freelance staff using Freelancer.com is very simple and is accomplished by using a reverse auction-style system. An Employer, posts a project detailing the work involved, the skills required, the project timeline and budget. Freelancers from all over the world are then able to bid on the How can Freelancer.com help you to Reap these Benets? HOW TO BOOST YOUR BUSINESS WITH ONLINE FREELANCERS FREELANCER.COM 6 project, presenting the Employer with detailed information regarding the services they are able to offer. Employers are then free to discuss the details of each bid directly with the Freelancer, using the Freelancer.com messaging system. Once the Employer has found a match for their requirements, they accept the bid made by their chosen Freelancer and work commences. Projects may be split into “milestones” to enable the Employer to measure performance and ensure that the project remains on target at all times. The Freelancer.com messaging system facilitates communication between the parties allowing for correspondence to be monitored and les to be exchanged. Once work is completed, the Employer pays the Freelancer for their services and both parties are free from any further commitment. However, many small businesses nd that once they have found a good Freelancer, they like to use the same person for future projects. Likewise, Freelancers nd that they naturally develop a client base using the facilities provided by Freelancer.com. Post a Project in Seconds Compare & Select Bidder(s) Create Milestone Payment Work completes Release Milestone Payment when work is complete and you are satised HOW TO BOOST YOUR BUSINESS WITH ONLINE FREELANCERS FREELANCER.COM 7 What does Freelancer.com do to Safeguard you as an Employer of Freelancers? Outsourcing is not without risk – there is always a slim chance that Freelancers will fail to perform to the level of quality they committed themselves to or that Employers will fail to pay Freelancers for work that they have produced. Freelancer.com has systems in place to protect both Employers and Freelancers during their commercial dealings. These include: Employers and Freelancers are free to use the secure milestone payment system provided by Freelancer.com and it is advised that both parties take full advantage of this service. When a project is started, the Employer pays funds to cover each project milestone into the Employer’s milestone account; the Employer and Freelancer can mutually agree the value of milestone payments in advance. The Freelancer cannot withdraw these funds until the Employer releases them upon satisfactory completion of the milestone, which safeguards the Employer from losing money if the Freelancer does not deliver what they promised. MILESTONE PAYMENTS FEEDBACK AND RATINGS Once a Freelancer.com project has been completed and funds have been released, both the Employer and the Freelancer are able to leave a service rating and s a short feedback comment is also given at this time. Employers can instantly see from a Freelancer’s prole how well they have performed historically, and Freelancers are able to judge prospective Employers in a similar fashion. [...]... prospective Freelancers know that you understand exactly what you would like them to do, and that you are able to manage the project effectively FREELANCER.COM 10 HOW TO BOOST YOUR BUSINESS WITH ONLINE FREELANCERS How to Post a Project and Set Yourself up For Success PRICE Many Employers fall into the trap of thinking that Freelancers can be hired for pennies While it is true that many Freelancers. .. Freelancer.com will help each party to reach a resolution FREELANCER.COM 8 HOW TO BOOST YOUR BUSINESS WITH ONLINE FREELANCERS First Steps in Outsourcing For Employers and small business owners, the logical first step is to post a project Your project listing will be promoted by Freelancer.com to attract bids from Freelancers It should contain all the information that a Freelancer needs to know about project requirements,.. .HOW TO BOOST YOUR BUSINESS WITH ONLINE FREELANCERS SKILL TESTS Freelancer.com allows Freelancers to take a range of skill tests, which enables them to showcase their skills to prospective Employers Employers are able to vet applicants by checking their skill test scores and making sure that they are adequate to warrant being employed for a specific project... you will attract the Freelancers that are most suited to your project If you haven’t, you may find you are receiving the wrong type of bid FREELANCER.COM 11 HOW TO BOOST YOUR BUSINESS WITH ONLINE FREELANCERS Choosing the Right Freelancers Traditionally, when employing full-time staff, a face -to- face interview is conducted in order to give the Employer the information they need to decide whether the... a consideration, but if you wish to have your project completed professionally and within the timeframe you require, then you need to consider every factor, not just the cost POST A PROJECT FREELANCER.COM 13 HOW TO BOOST YOUR BUSINESS WITH ONLINE FREELANCERS Outsourcing Case Studies Animated Interactive Learning Resource 25 bids $900 “Freelancer.com made it possible to finance the project and realise... modifications to the design after seeing his models.” One of the major benefits of working with a freelance 3D artist, quoted by Timothy, is the fact that due to them both being in different time zones, he was able to communicate with his chosen provider in the evening, after he had finished his daily work POST A PROJECT FREELANCER.COM 15 HOW TO BOOST YOUR BUSINESS WITH ONLINE FREELANCERS Summary Every business. .. amazing service and bringing the nations together Who would have thought it possible to produce an interactive learning resource in Australia with the help of Freelancers in the US and India! Thank you for making my project a great success Kind regards Kathryn McInnes – Lessons 4 Life” POST A PROJECT FREELANCER.COM 14 HOW TO BOOST YOUR BUSINESS WITH ONLINE FREELANCERS Outsourcing Case Studies Interior... using the milestone system provided by Freelancer.com – and work commences Finally, when both the Freelancer and Employer have mutually agreed that the project is complete, the Employer can release payment to the Freelancer The project is then flagged as complete and feedback may be left by both parties if applicable FREELANCER.COM 9 HOW TO BOOST YOUR BUSINESS WITH ONLINE FREELANCERS How to Post a Project... may be exaggerating their level of experience FREELANCER.COM 12 HOW TO BOOST YOUR BUSINESS WITH ONLINE FREELANCERS Choosing the Right Freelancers COMMUNICATION COST This aspect of choosing the right Freelancer is often overlooked You will be dealing with each other via the Internet so it is important that the Freelancer you choose is able to communicate well using this medium One of the main reasons... Freelancers to find a project that fit them best; it will also ensure that your project is considered by professional Freelancers DESCRIPTION This is where you outline your requirements It is vitally important to be as accurate and informative as possible in this section If, as an Employer, you wish to attract only the most professional freelance staff, then your bid request needs to portray your business . Studies Summary HOW TO BOOST YOUR BUSINESS WITH ONLINE FREELANCERS FREELANCER.COM To do business in the modern world, a successful business needs to extract. itself more quickly to the needs of its clients. How does Outsourcing t into Modern Business? HOW TO BOOST YOUR BUSINESS WITH ONLINE FREELANCERS FREELANCER.COM 3 So