#18: How to Find and Hire the Perfect Freelancer, with Stacy Tuschl

Stacy Tuschl is a speaker, business coach, and the owner of The Academy of Performing Arts in Wisconsin. She is the author of the book “Is Your Business Worth Saving?” where she reveals proven strategies for pulling entrepreneurs out of a rut and launching them toward business success.

In today’s episode, I’m going to talk to you about the alternative of finding a freelancer to work on your projects. Maybe you haven’t ever given any thought to using a freelancer, or maybe you’re already doing it. Either way, I’ve got lots of great information to share with you.

Many businesses are now turning to freelancers because of the convenience and financial advantages that flexible workers like this offer. Personally, I have had great success working with a variety of freelancers by outsourcing work to them that I am just too busy to complete myself. Because of this, I’m able to focus my time on what I am really good at and let someone else deal with other important areas of the business that I am not as skilled in, or that I quite frankly don’t have time for. If you are an entrepreneur, you know as well as I do that when you run your own business and have a family life, time is valuable and you need to identify priorities.

Today I’m going to tell you what to look for in a freelancer, where to look, what the advantages are, and how to develop an ongoing relationship with the right freelancers. You’ll learn all about doing business with freelancers, and I’ll give you some practical advice to help make sure you succeed. I hope that by the end of the podcast you will be well educated on the subject and will feel confident about exploring the option of hiring a freelancer for yourself.

Some highlights include:

Why should you use freelancers? In today’s market, you may need someone to help you share your message. You’ll need people to help you in the areas of business you aren’t an expert in, and it quickly becomes very expensive to employ a full-time staff to fill every position you need to fill, particularly if your business is small. (minute 2:00)

How do you find the right freelancer? Freelancers can be found easiest online, and I recommend a resource called Upwork. Freelance platforms like Upwork help to protect you from bad experiences by creating transparency through client feedback. I’ve used Upwork for several projects and it has helped me connect with some excellent people who I still work with to this day. (minute 3:00)

When you are hiring a freelancer, make sure you also take the time to consider what time zone they are working in. If they are outside of your region, they may be in a completely different time zone and communication could be a major challenge. (minute 6:00)

Any wise freelancer will price their rates competitively because they know that there are plenty of other people out there trying to land contracts as well. This is great for you because unless the job you are hiring for is incredibly specialized, it means you’ll be able to work with someone who isn’t overcharging you for their services. (minute 11:00)

Don’t try and nickel and dime people so that you’re paying less than minimum wage. Word will get out that you are a stingy client, and there will be less incentive for freelancers to give you their best. Remember, you are still paying less for the work than you would be if you have to bring someone in on salary. (minute 12:00)

Resources:

• Free freelance download: www.stacytuschl.com/outsource
• List of places to post for freelancers: www.stacytuschl.com/resources

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