Freelancers Can Help Grow Your Business. Here’s How

Freelancers are a specialized yet affordable way to grow your business.

You can hire them on a per-project basis without having to deal with HR paperwork. There’s no payroll to sort out, no workers’ comp to deal with, and no benefits to provide.

You get the work you need at a fraction of the cost, allowing you to funnel those expenses into other aspects of growing your business.

For example, I’ve hired freelancers to build my website, help with email automation, and create online tools for my full-time staff. I’ve been able to grow True Blue Life Insurance into a company that’s competing with legacy insurance firms twice our size. And it’s thanks in part to having affordable and trustworthy contracted specialists on my side.

But that’s not to say this is a perfect system 100% of the time.

As with any business partnership, you have to be specific in your needs, and always — always — get things in writing. Here are a few rules to follow to get the best possible experience when working with freelancers:

1. Go Through a Platform

Hiring a freelancer through a site like Upwork or Freelancer.com has serious benefits.

First, you’ll be able to find a wide variety of people with different specialities all in one place. I’ve found I usually can’t hire a content writer and a web designer from the same agency or local posting. Going through a platform allows me to search by speciality, then find and view a person’s work without much hassle.

Some platforms have a rating system, where you rate each other when the job is done, letting other companies know if the freelancer did well (or not). In turn, you can display that you’re a company worth working for. Since a freelancer’s business depends on their reputation, I make it a point to tell them I’ll be rating them at the beginning of a project. I’ve found this helps encourage quality work.

If you don’t want to track someone down on a platform, you can always post your project and let them come to you through a bidding system. But you can’t just write “I need a website.” You have to be specific.

2. Don’t Leave Anything Open to Interpretation

When communicating project specifications, be as detailed as possible about the deliverable.

Make your needs clear from the beginning. This will cut down on any back and forth between you and the freelancer, as well as prevent them from giving you the wrong thing.

For example, if I need a website, I’ll wireframe each page, how I want it laid out, and what functions will be included. At least 50% of the time, I’ll draw out what I want by hand. This lets the designer know exactly what I’m looking for and gives the project a foundation.

Otherwise, failing to be specific can lead to contract disputes and messy work.

It can be far too easy for someone to say, “Well, you didn’t specify how many words you wanted the blog post to be.” So they’ll write 300 words when what you needed was 1,000. Or maybe a web developer only gives you the HTML for your site, when you also needed the CSS. And you’ll be in trouble because the freelancer can point to the contract and say, “You never said otherwise.”

If you don’t have a deliverable, and would rather pay by the hour, then the rule of specificity still applies — if not more so. Being clear in the number of hours you’re expecting the freelancer to work isn’t just about saving money. It also keeps your business running smooth and secure.

3. Secure Your Business

You don’t have to treat freelancers like a threat, necessarily, but it’s always better to be safe than sorry.

Things like establishing a pay schedule, backing up project drafts, and keeping internal servers firewalled will give you piece of mind while still allowing for successful interactions.

For example, a freelancer may ask for 50% of their fee upfront. Do not do this — I mean it. It’s far too easy for them to do whatever they want because you’ve already paid, and in some cases there’s no way to get your money back.

I hired a freelance web designer a few years ago to build a site for my other company Wholesale Janitorial Supply. I didn’t specify the number of hours I expected him to work, and he overbilled me. By the time we were done creating the website, I’d paid him $250,000. The kicker was I had to scrap the whole thing anyway because of their shoddy workmanship.

Learn from my mistakes. Establish a compromise where you pay 50% at the halfway point for the project after seeing working versions. If you’re paying hourly, agree on the number of hours you’ll compensate weekly or monthly.

You should also always be sure freelancers don’t have access to permanent files or internal documentation. And back everything up privately. This is just good practice when it comes to working with fallible technology, but on the off chance someone goes rogue and wants to delete their work, you’ll be covered.

But remember: overall, people will remain professional. Their livelihood depends on it. They need your recommendation just like you need their work. But more than that, everyone just wants to do good work they’re passionate about — that’s why they went freelance in the first place.

Properly managed, your working relationship will be mutually beneficial. Your business will grow and so will their portfolio, earning everyone the best result possible.

If you want to learn more about what I do, you can visit True Blue Life Insurance. And for more information about building your business, please visit my personal site to read more from me, including my book, The Salesman Who Doesn’t Sell.