The UK is home to around two million freelancers who contribute £125bn to the economy. Read our guide for tips on how to track down and work with talented freelancers to benefit your business.
Using freelancers can be a great way to build your business. It is often much more cost effective than taking on permanent employees as you only have to pay for the job done, rather than also providing training, work equipment, paying tax and other extra costs associated with full time staff.
Saving money is particularly important during the current economic climate. A survey in June 2022 by Fiverr found that 20% of businesses plan to use more freelancers due to rising costs.
Flexibility is another benefit of using freelancers as you can have talented people on demand as and when you need them.
Taking on freelance workers also opens you up to a much wider and more diverse talent pool. You can access experienced people who you might otherwise not have attracted to your business if you were only offering a full time job.
How to find freelancers
There are various methods you can use to find freelancers for your business. They include:
Recommendations
Using your own network is a great way to find freelance talent. Ask other business owners, your employees and other contacts for recommendations.
Go where freelancers hang out
Working in a shared workspace is a good way to meet freelancers. As freelancing can be a lonely job, many use co-working and innovation hubs such as Plus X Innovation as a way to build useful connections. You can also meet other business owners who might have freelancer recommendations to share.
Business events and training schemes are another option for meeting freelancers. You can sign up to innovation programmes like those run by Plus X Innovation, find networking opportunities on Eventbrite and Meetup and check the websites of business groups and trade associations.
Use freelancer websites
There are several online platforms you can use to find freelancers.
Some websites provide searchable lists of freelancers with different skills, while others allow you to submit a brief which freelancers then pitch for.
Examples include:
- PeoplePerHour
- Bark
- Fiverr
- Guru
- YunoJuno
There are various location-specific job boards run by business groups and other organisations on which you can advertise your need for freelancers. An example is Brighton-based Wired Sussex which supports the digital, media and technology sector across Sussex.
You can use professional networking website LinkedIn to find experienced freelancers. Search for terms such as ‘freelance writer’, ‘freelancer developer’ and ‘freelance designer’ before filtering by location and other criteria. LinkedIn has an ‘Open to Work’ feature which users can switch on to show they are available for work.
You can also pay for a recruitment advertisement on LinkedIn or post on your personal or business profile that you’re looking for freelance support and encourage responses from your connections.
How to successfully work with freelancers
Using freelancers is a great way to grow your business but there are some pitfalls you should avoid. Here are some steps to take to ensure it goes well.
Agree prices and deadlines
Before the work begins, make sure you agree how much you will pay for the work and when it needs to be delivered.
Find out whether any additional fees will be charged if a project requires extra time or amendments. If something isn’t clear, confirm it with the freelancer to ensure there’s no confusion or miscommunication once the work begins.
Effective communication
Strong communication is vital for maintaining a good relationship with freelancers.
Be clear from the start on exactly what you need and what you expect the freelancer to deliver. Get everything in writing including what is required and by when.
Provide detailed briefs covering all requirements and give the freelancer enough time to deliver the work.
Be responsive to emails and jump on a quick call if something needs clarifying. If you already use digital communication tools such as Slack or Teams in your business, you might want to provide access to the freelancers you’re working with to make communication easier.
If things aren’t going so well, provide constructive feedback to resolve any issues.
Provide a brand and style guide
To ensure your freelancers deliver work that’s appropriate to your organisation, you should provide a brand and style guide. Depending on the type of freelancers you are using, it could cover areas such as brand voice, editorial style, use of logos, brand colours, words/phrases to avoid etc. HubSpot provides examples of style guides for inspiration here.
It is also a good idea to provide a general overview of your organisation, such as its company history, key contacts, partners you work with, competitors and other information you think freelancers might find useful.
Efficient payment system
When starting a relationship with a new freelancer, let them know the process for sending invoices to prevent any confusion. Inform them of the information they need to include, who they need to send invoices to and whether they should be sent by a particular date.
Be sure to settle invoices on time. Late payment can be very damaging for self-employed individuals, both in terms of the impact on cash flow and mental health. You don’t want to develop a reputation as a business that misses payment deadlines.
If there is a genuine reason for why you can’t pay a freelancer by the agreed date, communicate clearly by explaining why the payment is late and when they will be paid.
Make great connections to help grow your business at Plus X Innovation hubs. Book a tour of our workspaces in Brighton and Slough.
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