How to bootstrap your startup with freelancers

Bootstrap Your Startu

p With Freelancers

www.startupsuccess.co.uk

Freelancers can be an incredibly valuable resource for start-up businesses.

Imagine them as a highly experienced workforce with a huge range of specialist skills, that you only need to pay for when you actually use them.

A recent report from PCG, The Role of Freelancers in the 21st Century British Economy, defined facilitating start-ups as one of the key contributions that freelancers make to the UK economy.

It stated that the flexibility of freelancers, as well as the financial benefits that they can bring, helped to drive innovation and entrepreneurship in uncertain economic times.

So why should you make use of freelancers in your start-up business? Here are the top three reasons:-

Freelancers can…

Reason One – Reduce the Need for Financing

As a start-up one of your main initial costs is likely to be employees.

If you employ freelancers instead you can operate a variable cost model, or a pay as you grow model, only paying your freelancers as and when you need them.

Reason Two – Reduce the Risk of Starting a Business

If your business doesn’t take off as quickly as you anticipated, or it takes off in a different direction from the one you expected, you may find the staff you initially employed are surplus to requirements.

By using freelancers you reduce the risk as well as the overheads.

Reason Three – Provide Specialist Skills

Freelancers can provide the experience, knowledge and skills you need to get the job done quickly and efficiently.

They supply a pool of talent that would be impossible to employ in-house.

Even if you are a one-man start-up, freelancers can be a great way to get specific tasks completed if you lack the specialist skills, leaving you free to concentrate on developing your business.

Tips on Managing a Freelance Workforce

Freelancers have a number of benefits for start-up businesses as we have seen, but managing a freelance workforce does bring some challenges, especially in communication and setting expectations.

Here are some tips for managing your freelancers ...

Ask for Work Samples

Whether you use freelance platforms such as Elance, oDesk, or People Per Hour, or you employ freelancers directly, make sure you ask for examples of previous work and references.

You want to be sure your freelancer has the experience they claim to have.

Beware of Scope Creep

The project or role that you want to outsource might seem clear in your mind, but you need to make sure you explain it thoroughly to your freelancer, especially if they are working remotely.

Give examples, list the expected deliverables, and explain the eventual goals of the project.

Over-explaining may sound patronising but it is better than not explaining enough.

Don’t micro-manage

This might seem to contradict the last point, but once you have agreed the role or project scope with your freelancer, give them the space to get the work done their own way.

Freelancers are used to a certain amount of autonomy so avoid dictating their work schedule unless that is part of your agreement.

Provide Feedback

Every business is different, so your freelancer may not get the first piece of work you give them exactly as you want it right away.

Providing feedback can help them to improve and understand what you want, but make sure you keep your feedback positive and tell them what they’ve done well as well as areas for improvement.

Whether you use freelancers as an integral part of your business, completing tasks on a daily basis, or you just hire them for specific projects that you lack the in-house skills for, they can be an invaluable resource during the start-up phase.

You never know, once your business is up and running you may find that you want to permanently employ your freelancers to drive the business forward.

To find articles on all aspects of starting and running a small business, go to …

http://www.startupsuccess.co.uk/