Article by: Alyssa Strickland
VQS Advice Blog | Cover Image by Andrew Neel on Pexels.com

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Learn how to find the best freelancers today!

42% of freelancers across the United States are hired by small businesses. Hiring freelancers allows businesses to scale faster and obtain expertise at competitive rates.

Growing your business is an exciting adventure! Let’s learn how to navigate the freelancing market and find the best talent for your business.

Whether your goal is to build your social media following or increase revenue through online marketing campaigns, hiring freelancers can be the perfect solution. Here’s why:

• Freelancers are highly skilled people with specific a niche. They bring strong experience and understanding of the market.
• As freelancers are hired on a per-project basis, the cost of hiring is considerably less than that of a full-time employee.
• Hiring freelancers can boost your productivity and help you deliver high quality output on tight deadlines.

• Table of Contents
  1. Where Can You Discover Freelancers?
• 2. What is the Best Approach in Hiring Freelancers?
• 3. How Can You Build a Strong Hiring System?
• 4. How Do You Establish Professionalism?

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1.  Where Can You Discover Freelancers?

Learn how to find the perfect fit for your projects!

There are various types of websites where freelancers sell their services:

• Freelancing websites such as Upwork, WeWork, and Problogger serve as a two-way marketplace. You can either post your project and let freelancers apply.
• Portfolio websites such as Behance, Dribble, and Github are used to showcase their published work. These sites are great places to find freelancers for creative projects such as graphic design, blog writing, UI/UX design, and more.

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2. What is the Best Approach in Hiring Freelancers?

Shortlisting possible candidates is a great way to continue your search.

Reviews are an important factor when shortlisting candidates. A freelancer with a majority of five-star reviews is trustworthy, produces high-quality work, and adheres well to deadlines.

Review their portfolio to understand if their work fits your niche.

For example, as a coffee shop owner in search of a blog writer, your focus should be on finding candidates who have numerous published articles on coffee-related topics. The closer the candidate’s past work is to your project the better they will perform.

3. How Can You Build a Strong Hiring System?

Learn the process of creating an essential tool for your candidates!

Share a project brief with all your shortlisted candidates. Your brief should include:

• Specifics about the requirements
• Duration with weekly or monthly milestones to be met
• Rate and mode of compensation
• Any specific expectations regarding the projec

4. How Do You Establish Professionalism?

Learn how to make the hiring process legal through contract signing.

Once you have decided to hire a freelancer it is important to enter into a contract. The contract will serve as a legally binding document, to address any future disputes and protect your business.

Commercial-off-the-shelf software (COTS) can be used for everyday business function.

Prominent examples include Microsoft Office Suite and Adobe applications. Using COTS can help to reduce costs and provide various benefits over designing custom software. As COTS is mass-produced they are affordable, simple to maintain, and include customer support services.

Additionally, it removes the need for training employees as they are used universally. As your business grows, you will have the option to upgrade your software.

The benefit of an LLC: The owner is protected from any liability.

Creating a Limited Liability Company (LLC) is a popular choice among business owners due to its ease of formation and tax benefits. According to ZenBusiness, an LLC can help you avoid double taxation, as all business earnings are passed onto the owner without being taxed.

An affordable and convenient way to establish your LLC is through a formation agency. An agency will provide insights on legal obligations and also help adhere to rules and regulations depending on the state your business will be registered in. Here are the rules for LLC formation, California.

Freelancers are the perfect solution for business owners looking to meet their organizational goals affordably and efficiently.

How will you use these tools and ideas in hiring freelancers? We’d love to hear from you.

Summary:

• 1. Where Can You Discover Freelancers?
• 2. What is the Best Approach in Hiring Freelancers?
• 3. How Can You Build a Strong Hiring System?
• 4. How Do You Establish Professionalism?

Article by: Alyssa Strickland
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