In this episode, I am sharing everything you need to know about hiring a freelancer for your business. Where to find a freelancer, how to choose one, how to work with them, how much to pay them, and also how to make sure that you’re getting what you paid for.
Good help is sometimes hard to find and the same goes for hiring freelancers for your business.
So today I’ve got some advice for those of you who are looking to hire a freelancer, whether you’re trying to hire a freelance web developer, graphic designer, a freelance video editor, or freelance anything.
We’re gonna cover things that you need to know when hiring a freelancer, and I think this is gonna be helpful for the majority of business owners, especially if you’re running a small business.
I’m also gonna give just a little bit of advice for freelancers out there who should have an understanding of what a client might need or would be looking for.
We’ll be covering some very important things in this episode.
Like, how to find a freelancer, how to choose one, how to work with them, how much to pay them, and also how to make sure that you’re getting what you paid for.
So you’ll definitely wanna stay tuned and take a few notes while listening.
How to find a freelancer for your business?
One of the things a lot of new businesses struggle with is that they can’t find a good freelancer in the first place and there are two ways you can go about it.
One of the ways to find a good freelancer is that you get a referral from a trusted friend, business partner, or somebody in your network.
This is the method that I strongly recommend because If somebody in your network has already hired a freelancer for their services, and if they are satisfied with the quality of service they provide then it’s probably gonna work for you too.
So this is where you need to start finding a freelancer but in case you could find a referral then you go and look at a freelancing website.
Upwork is probably one of the best freelance websites for finding freelancer no matter what type of work you require. If you need design work you can go to 99designs or Behance.
You will be also able to find a good freelancer on LinkedIn ProFinder also which has over 70,000 freelancers to help you get things done. So I would recommend that as well.
But first, try to find a freelancer through your network that would always be an ideal situation.
How to choose a freelancer for your business?
Now you know where to find freelancers let’s talk about how you choose a perfect freelancer for your business from hundreds and thousands of them.
When I’m hiring anyone I look at their portfolio and their experience. But I also try to get a sense of their personality and attitude.
If I’m able to call them and interview them via Zoom or have a phone call or meet them in person, then it’s easier to get a sense of their personality. I also check them up on social media, before deciding if they’re a comfortable fit for me.
If you want to work with a person you need to make sure if your workflow, personality, attitude align with you and your business.
Being able to build a relationship with the freelancers and being able to communicate well with them, is gonna be the make or break point between whether you get the most out of them for your money or not.
I believe you can have a very bad experience when you hire a freelancer because you are impressed with their past work.
So, never overemphasize the quality of their work versus their personality and how they communicate and how they behave.
As a business owner, as an employer, I prioritize people who use the same systems and workflows that I’m accustomed to and my in-house people are going to be using.
Whether that means that people need to be using specific software or operating systems or hardware, and this aspect too is very important for a better experience with a freelancer.
How to communicate with a freelancer?
Now, the next thing you need to figure out is how you are going to communicate with the freelancer. Is it going to be through email that change requests are made and that you are communicating with them?
Or is it gonna be through phone calls or zoom meetings?
Are you gonna be using some kind of project management system? This has to be clear, and you have to have a consistent form of communication, and you need to be able to reach each other.
You need to also make sure that you understand what it is that they are providing to you and that you ask appropriate questions.
It is also important that if you don’t understand something, then you ask. Don’t worry about being embarrassed because clarity is the most important thing.
You are the employer and nobody knows everything. Besides, they wanna get the work done for you because that’s the only way they’re gonna get paid.
How much to pay a freelancer?
Speaking of getting paid, let’s talk about how much to pay them.
Usually, freelancers either have service fees, flat rates, or hourly rates for their services. I prefer to pay flat fees for a project. I avoid hourly rates whenever possible.
Because I feel if you’re painting my house and you’re charging by the hour, you have control to finish it in 4 months or 6 months.
Only pay by the hour if the project is small and you need something done timely.
To know how much it’s going to cost for a flat fee, ask your freelancer and then ask around people you know or on social media.
DM them, and ask how much they would charge for the same work, and then negotiate with your freelancer for the best price.
Concerning those payments ask them if payments can be made in terms of instalments based on stages of work that are completed and reviewed and approved by you.
Or do something like – deposit ½ of the payment upfront, and then the rest after the work is done. Figure out what you both are comfortable with.
In terms of how to make payments, Google Pay, PayPal, and Stripe are great payment systems, I highly recommend those.
How to make sure that you’re getting what you paid for when hiring a freelancer for your business
Finally, let’s talk about how to make sure you’re getting what you paid for.
Put some kind of review process for approval in place for final payment, and it should be clear how many revisions you are allowed as the client. Do not assume you have unlimited revisions.
This is someone’s time and livelihood, so just try to make it a win-win situation for both of you. And be honest and upfront about your expectations, what you need, what are the deadlines.
Paying half of the payment upfront and then holding the remainder of the money until a project’s completed is the best-case scenario in terms of making sure you’re getting what you paid for.
Another important thing, don’t hold the payment too long after the project is fully completed. Otherwise, you might lose a great freelance just because you don’t want to pay them on time.
Finding a great freelancer will save you money, space, gives you more flexibility and get the job done better and faster.
I hope this helps you understand how to hire a freelancer and tells you some things that maybe you needed to know.
If you’re a freelancer, this episode will give you a better insight into the way that a good client should deal with you, how you should be treated, and what a client might be looking for in a freelancer.
Also, check Myths about Freelancing and How Freelancers Can Become Full-Time Entrepreneurs
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And thanks so very much for listening.
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