Anita Campbell Anita Campbell is the Founder, CEO and Publisher of Small Business Trends and has been following trends in small businesses since 2003. She is the owner of BizSugar, a social media site for small businesses.

5 Reactions
  1. It all boils down to skills. You need a freelancer that can deliver the results that you need. Also, quality is always more important than quantity when it comes to outputs. Never settle for the cheapest freelancer you can find.

  2. As a frequent Fiverr user and fan of outsourcing (folks outsource their social media to me) I think these are good tips, but just a heads up for readers: the Fiverr contest ended May 24, 2016.

  3. Your opening premise about outsourcing to a flexible, contract workforce is both valid and increasingly a competitive advantage for small businesses without the deep expertise within their workforce. I have worked on both sides of the business value proposition from front lines to C-suite and board room, and want to add two points:
    1. Focus on your business outcome and it’s value, and find talent that can get it done. Skills and education are not enough. there are many skilled workers without capacity to work toward your goals with urgency and quality. That makes them very expensive no matter what the hourly rate.
    2. The value proposition for a contract worker is widely different from a FT or PT employee. Without the added overhead (30-45% more per wage dollar), down time during a long hiring process, and learning ramp-up to train and coach an employees on new tasks, a small business owner can find the right performer for the situation and pay them based on deliverables, not just on time.

  4. I think it all begins with hiring someone who has the skills and who has the discipline to comply with the demands of the job without being directly supervised.

  5. Communication and execution is key. As long as the job gets done in the way you want it to be without being too controlling is the key to a better relationship with your freelancer.