We have another awesome guest post to share, Constructing Your Freelance Team: How To Put Together a Productive Group of Remote Professionals, by Sarah Bull from Economy Mom this week.  Thank you for providing this great article for us!!  We really enjoyed it and appreciate the time you took for us!!

The term “freelancing” originated in the early 1800s before the advent of the internet, but today to most people it is almost synonymous with online professionals.  The spread of the web has encouraged the development of a vast freelance network, with research showing that 59 million people in the U.S. alone performed freelance work in 2020.  Parents in particular can benefit from hiring freelancers because it allows them additional freedom to work from home.  However, it can be hard to sort through the sea of available workers and put together a team that fits your needs.

That’s why Living 4 You Boutique has put together the following helpful resources.

*Note:  This post contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.

 

CONSTRUCTING YOUR FREELANCE TEAM

HOW TO PUT TOGETHER A PRODUCTIVE GROUP OF REMOTE PROFESSIONALS

Photo via Pexels

 

Locating

The internet has made finding workers easier than ever.  You can search for freelance content creators, accountants, website designers, artists, editors and other professionals from all over the world.  For instance, if you wanted to hire an individual well-versed in British English, you could find a U.K. contractor through Upwork.  You could find a Greek freelancer through Upwork as well, or through other sites like Guru, with workers from many locales. 

Other job boards you can post positions on or browse for freelancers include Fiverr, TaskRabbit, LinkedIn and Freelancer.com.  Pay attention to any reviews or portfolios to assess if a contractor is right for your needs.  You could also post on social media or ask acquaintances, family members and friends to spread the word that you are looking for a freelancer. 

Communicating

Effective communication is a vital part of any employer-worker relationship, regardless of whether the workplace is virtual or in-person.  It can boost your freelance team’s overall satisfaction and engagement, leading to greater productivity and better quality services.  There exist many tools for relating expectations and guidelines virtually. 

Examples include Slack, Whatsapp, Zoom, Skype, Microsoft Teams, Google Hangouts and Groupme.  Collaboration on projects is possible through tools such as Google Docs, Dropbox and Onedrive, which allow permitted individuals to view and edit documents and presentations.

Email is another avenue of communication.  If you are sending web designers, graphic designers or marketing managers emails that include JPG files, you may want to lower the file size, since larger files take longer to send.  However, use a JPG-to-PDF converter to preserve image quality, since compression can degrade it.  There are even tools that allow you to convert multiple files into a single PDF, thus circumventing the necessity of emailing multiple images. 

 

Performing Preliminary Administrative Tasks

Take care of administrative tasks before starting your search. Pick a business structure.  For instance, you could form a limited liability company, which comes with benefits such as less liability and paperwork, tax benefits and flexibility.  You do need to check the rules in your state regarding formation as they vary from location to location, but you can hire a formation service to do the legwork if you don’t want to shell out for a lawyer.  Also complete any other paperwork and tasks, such as procuring funds, registering with the IRS and setting up business social media accounts.

 

Security

Lastly, these days hackers abound, and they love to target freelancers and small businesses because they perceive them as being more vulnerable.  So make sure you’re taking strong measures to protect your team against cyberattacks by using antivirus software and routinely backing up your sensitive data.

With freelance work becoming more and more popular all the time, perhaps that’s the key to your business’s success.  Especially for parents who prefer to work from home, procuring a successful freelance team may require time and work, but the numerous tools available can make the process considerably easier.

 

The goal of Living 4 You Boutique is to share experiences, ideas and knowledge that is enjoyable to others in the months to come.  If you have questions, you can reach us via email at Living4youboutique@gmail.com.

 

Looking for other great articles Sarah wrote for us?  Take a look below.

Guide to Innovative Employee Benefits to Consider for Your Small Business

How to Stay Connected with Loved Ones Through Tech and Gifts

6 Ways to Be Authentically You This Year

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