How Business Owners Can Better Utilize Freelance Work

28 May 2020

Small businesses don’t always have a ton of cash or room to make costly mistakes, so every penny, every asset, every minute, counts.

Often, small businesses will turn to freelancers for certain projects where they need expert help, but that can also take a hit on your bank account, so ensuring the freelancer does good work is crucial.

Sometimes though, the freelance work falls short, leaving the small business low on funds with a deliverable that is unusable. So how do you avoid that? Let’s talk about a better way of finding freelance workers for your business.

Contents

1 Revenue Sharing Model
2 Develop a Relationship
3 Good Luck!

Revenue Sharing Model

Each freelancer can be paid differently. Some are paid upfront or given equity, others are paid a percentage of the final revenue, and some are paid when the job gets done.

Here’s the best thing a small business that is low on upstart funds can do when it comes to hiring a freelancer:

Adopt a revenue-sharing model.

What that means is the freelancer gets paid when you do. They’ll complete the project, deliver all final assets to the business owner, but they’ll only get paid if and when you start making money. There will be a percentage that is agreed upon by both parties before the project begins, and if your business starts bringing in revenue, you’ll then pay off the percentage owed to the freelancer. If your business never makes money, you do not have to pay the freelancer a dime.

Why is this a good idea?

First of all, it decreases the risk for the business by waiting to pay the freelancer until there is secure revenue coming in.

Second, with this idea in mind, freelancers can do some of their best work. They aren’t just getting paid to finish a job, there’s a higher expectation of their work. They understand that if their work is mediocre, there’s a lower chance of them getting paid. It’s in their best interest to do the best work they can, not only to help you as a business owner but to help themselves as well.

Develop a Relationship

Far too often, businesses pay freelancers for work only to be unsatisfied with the end product. Many times this is due to a lack of communication on one or both sides. To ensure that you are getting quality service delivered from a freelance worker, it’s important to have an understanding relationship. Here are a few tips on how to accomplish that:

Describe Your Communication Style

Communication

If you’re not sure what your communication style is, it’s not a bad idea to find out or develop a system that works for you. Some people have very blunt ways of communicating while others are timider. Talking about your preferred communication style with the freelancer you hired will help to avoid conflict, assumptions, and hard feelings.

Explain Your Needs

Don’t be afraid to express where there are gaps in understanding. The freelancer is there to be an expert in an area that you may not be familiar with. It’s okay to say things like, “I’m not sure I understand that, could you explain how that works?” The more you can understand the process, the better you’ll be able to communicate and get an end product you’re happy with.

Do Your Part

If you feel there are gaps in understanding, take a step back, and see if there is anything you might have left out in communication with the freelancer. Sometimes we get in our own bubble and assume other people understand what we are talking about when in reality we need to explain certain things in more depth.

Good Luck!

Freelance Work

Some of these tips may seem like a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised how often business owners fail to communicate well with the freelancers they hire. If you can adopt these practices into your business model, your freelancers’ work will improve significantly and you won’t have to worry about an unfortunate loss of precious funds.

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Ariana Smith

I enjoy writing and I write quality guest posts on topics of my interest and passion. I have been doing this since my college days. My special interests are in health, fitness, food and following the latest trends in these areas. I am an editor at Content Rally.

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5 Tips to Finding Better Talent for Your Bar Business

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If their attitude is affecting other employees, do something about it before they bring the whole bar business down. If you hire a great pro with a bad attitude, your cocktails will look nice, but your clientele will flee. Work ethic, team dynamic, and personality are much harder to teach than how to pour a drink right. Part of the process is finding job candidates. The other part is training them. As competition for great employees increases, bars now need to make more effort and tell a better story about the value of working in a team. There’s an imbalance between demand from bars and supply of quality staff. The people you hire have the greatest effect on the bar’s overall culture. 2. Know Your Market: Knowledge of the bar industry is important, but it’s not the only factor. Comprehension of best practices, industry standards, and good suppliers should be second nature to a decent bar manager. Do you know what the market in your area is like? Who are your main competitors? Is the bar you manage just another place to go, or is there a gap you can fill? Why might someone go to your bar business instead of the one down the street? Bar managers need to understand the competitive landscape they inhabit. 3. Hire the Right Bartenders: You cannot afford to hire fresher as bartenders and then train them to deliver. This will eat into your revenue and you will never get the desired results. The bar industry is a vibrant industry that faces a lot of attrition. If you are strategic in terms of looking for the right people, you will be successful. It is always a good idea to have at least 2 experienced bartenders and 4 fresher. This helps maintain the standard and helps you prepare the next rung of the leadership. A good bartender for your bar business is a big reason why some bars are successful, while others shut shop within a few months. Investing in the right bartender is probably going to be one of your toughest decisions. Train Employees to Upsell: Upselling customers is a great way to boost profits in your bar. This is where profits are made and success stories crafted. Upselling involves influencing customer preferences so that they end up making a choice that is beneficial for your establishment. It is also about the staff reading the body language of consumers. For example, if someone is celebrating a promotion, a staff can garner the public opinion of the group and suggest a far more expensive bottle than the one the customer had originally intended to purchase. Peer pressure, wanting to show off and winning over loved ones are reasons people fall easy victims to upselling. A bigger bill means better tips. People usually fix their tips at roughly around 10 to 15 percent of the total bill. Upselling helps boost employee morale as they get more tips and earnings from the same. By training your staff to upsell, you will be contributing to a better working environment. 4. 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4 Things That You Must Be Aware Of In Your Car

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How Business Owners Can Better Utilize Freelance Work

Revenue Sharing Model