As a business owner, you want to run your business as efficiently as possible while building a team of talented, conscientious workers who'll do their very best work for your company. Freelancers might just be the ideal option. There are, however, several issues you need to consider if you're thinking about incorporating freelancers into your business. JobAdvisor presents the following guide to help you bring freelancers into the fold.
Preparing Your Business
Your first step in incorporating freelancers into your business is making sure your business is set up to handle them. Double-check your financial situation to make sure everything is organized and your company is in a position to hire new workers. If you haven't already done so, consider forming your business as a limited liability company (LLC). This type of organization offers benefits like limited personal liability, flexibility, tax advantages, and a lighter load of paperwork. Consider hiring a formation service to help you with the details, as each state has different rules.
Hiring Freelancers
When you're ready to begin hiring freelancers, first make a list of the qualifications you expect so you have a way to evaluate applications. Create a freelancing jobs information page and application on your business website so interested freelancers can easily apply.
Alternatively, you might do some searching of your own using online job boards. Freelancers from around the world post on these boards to present their talents and abilities and search for work that fits them. If you want to hire freelancers in India, for instance, you might find some good candidates if you post your position on Freelancer India.
Doing the Paperwork
As you begin to hire freelancers, there'll be plenty of back-and-forth paperwork as you'll need to make sure you have each freelancer's personal information securely in place. Make a list of all the paperwork you need to do for each freelancer so you won't miss anything. Sometimes you might run into problems with a document's format. If you need to edit a PDF, for instance, you can convert it to a Word .docx file without losing any formatting using a free online converter tool. Just upload your file, make the conversion, and download the new file for easy editing.
Setting Up Payment
When you hire freelancers, make sure you have a payment system in place for them. If you hire freelancers in India, for instance, be aware that the fees for normal payment platforms and international wire transfers may quickly become cost-prohibitive for your business. Instead, you might try a reliable money transfer service such as Remitly, which offers reasonable fees for small transfers and no fees at all for payments of over $1,000 if you're paying freelancers in India.
Communicating
Finally, your freelancers will need you to communicate efficiently with them about jobs and expectations. You might consider using a communications management service or workspace software that allows freelancers to log in to pick up jobs, ask questions, find help, and check the status of their work and payment.
Benefitting From Freelancers
Hiring freelancers can be a major benefit to your company, especially if you plan well and stay organized. So don't be afraid to give freelancers a try.