Spotlight: Freelance US Brings a New Type of Freelance Marketplace for US Businesses


freelance marketplaces for us businesses

Freelance marketplaces can be useful for both freelancers and businesses. But the current options don’t work for every user. For those who want to focus on domestic freelancers, there’s Freelance US. Learn more about the company and its journey in this week’s Small Business Spotlight.

What the Business Does

Connects companies and freelancers online.

Founder Ashley Rodriguez told Small Business Trends, “We are a freelance marketplace pairing contracted talent with small businesses and nonprofits.”

Business Niche

Focusing on the U.S. market.

Rodriguez says, “We are the first U.S. exclusive marketplace for freelance, the only platform that is Veteran and Woman Owned.”

Business Origin Story

Started after struggling to find a solution that fit her needs.

Rodriguez explains, “I used international platforms for my coaching brand in 2019. And realized how much of a pain it was for me to navigate. I decided the solution was to create my own. I spent all of 2020 conducting market research, and learning how to design the marketplace.”

Biggest Win

A successful launch.

Rodriguez says, “For me, the soft launch provided amazing value. To this day, 6 months into the official launch, we have had nothing but positive reviews, feedback, and excitement. Small business owners are thrilled to have a U.S. only marketplace for project work. And freelancers are excited to narrow down, avoiding international competition.”

Biggest Risk

Hiring a VA to help with expansion.

Rodriguez explains, “I received a large amount of requests and responses in the beginning, that it became overwhelming. I made the commitment to hire a VA to help me with tasks, before I knew whether or not I could afford it. I made the choice to pull funding from my monthly marketing expenses, and direct it toward a VA. And it was the best decision I made – although risky to decrease advertising as a small startup.”

Lesson Learned

Learn from experts who have done it before.

Rodriguez adds, “I would search harder for a mentor, at least in programming to save me money and time up front.”

How They’d Spend an Extra $100,000

Marketing and outsourcing.

Rodriguez says, “It would help me begin the foundation for a stronger team, and infrastructure. We turned down offers for investment in order to maintain the equity, and opted for a more organic approach to raising money and building our community.”

Current Focus

Building a community of military families.

Rodriguez explains, “We have just under 100 users currently on site, during this community building phase. We will be community building into 2022, and establishing the marketplace as the go-to for U.S. sourced freelancers and small businesses. We have been in the military community mostly, helping military spouses get ready for a career in freelance and helping Veteran owned businesses scale.”

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Find out more about the Small Biz Spotlight program

Image: Freelance US, Ashley Rodriguez

3 Comments ▼

Annie Pilon Annie Pilon is a Senior Staff Writer for Small Business Trends, covering entrepreneur profiles, interviews, feature stories, community news and in-depth, expert-based guides. When she’s not writing she can be found exploring all that her home state of Michigan has to offer.

3 Reactions
  1. Love the idea and hope to see its continued growth.

    • Hi Robert! Thank you. We are continuing to grow and prepare for the massive growth in freelance professionals as they leave the corporate world. We are currently community building, and it takes quite some time to build a robust marketplace such as this. We look forward to our continued growth and support from people like you!

  2. Love seeing this type of effort. Will keep them in mind.