Most employees suck. Yes, it needs to be said. Mediocre, uninspired and incompetent employees are leeches of your valuable time & resources.
However, most businesses can finally manage without W2′s. Technology and a changing business atmosphere has allowed smart entrepreneurs to create systems and partnerships to eliminate the need to hire full-time employees.
Unfortunately for some folks though, staffing full-time employees implies quality.
The Implied Elegance of a Large Employee Count
A while back my Internet marketing company put out a bid for a decent web development project. Nothing too major. But it was a somewhat high profile organization in the area.
Through my research, we were in. Our solution for their needs was perfect. I had personal connections to the selection committee. My business had the portfolio to prove we could pull off the project. And the organization’s ideal clientele seemed to be a description of my company.
But we lost.
Was it because of price? No. Was it the solution we proposed? No.
It was because we didn’t have a big enough marketing firm.
Apparently, some people feel that bigger is better. That the more employees your company has in its directory, the more superior your service.
I see this constantly. Almost every time I announce I own a marketing firm, people’s ears perk up. But then as quickly as I excited them, they are dismayed when they find it’s only a few person shop.
But what is wrong with this?
The Ideal Employees of the Future
Had I hired a few full-time programmers and designers for my firm, I would be a typical boutique marketing firm. I’d have the company size to flaunt our supposed superior status. But I never wanted to. Why? Because of a little form called a W9.
Yes, the independent contractor. The ideal employee. They come and go based on needs. And the latest technology facilitates wonderful collaboration abilities.
Most importantly, I was able to hire the best help for each project.
For example, if I had a client come to me with a WordPress website, I hired a WordPress developer. If they had a Joomla website, I hired a Joomla designer. Ruby on Rails website? Yup, you get the point.
Had I hired a full-time programmer, chances are they wouldn’t be well versed in all of the code and frameworks out there. I never had to worry about turning projects away because my programmer didn’t know the code.
I never worried that the person lived a thousand miles away. Or that their hourly rate was 10 times higher than a full-time employee. All I cared about was getting the job done.
Where to start?
Ok, so hopefully you see the benefit of outsourcing help. But where do you start? I know it can seem overwhelming. However, it’s usually always worth it.
Fellow Business Owners
Asking your network who they recommend will usually result in the most reliable workers. But in my experience, not everyone knows someone for specific job requirements. It’s really hit and miss, but is a good starting point.
Job Boards
Depending on your needs, there are online job boards, similar to this one from Problogger. And all you need to do is post your request or search for someone looking for work.
Low-Cost Outsourcing Websites
This is how we ended up with our slick logo for New Methods…. *ahem* for five bucks!
A couple popular options are Elance and Fiverr (what we used for the logo).
Crowdsourcing
This is the latest rave. Have a bunch of people compete and/or collaborate for your project. Pretty genius if you ask me. For further reference, check out this list of crowdsourcing options.
Others?
The above options are familiar to my business. But I’d imagine there are many other options.
Do you have any experience with hiring outside help? If so, where did you find your workers?
Any lessons learned you’d like to share? We are all ears :)
About the Author: Bradley Gauthier is co-founder of New Methods. And is passionate about helping big thinking entrepreneurs achieve their dreams. He has been a serial entrepreneur since the age of 12 when he created an online marketing firm. Connect with him on Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn & Facebook.
