We are blessed in the current climate to be able to hire freelancers, and in fact, build an entirely remote team of workers. Bigger businesses have also cottoned on to the fact that freelancers can get the job done, just as well, (and in some cases better) than employees. It is also more beneficial for them in most cases to have a small project-based hire than a full time one.
The great thing is, with all of the freelancers – and access to the internet – you can find someone for what you need pretty quickly on the internet.
It saves time and money. So here are some tips for you to start building your own team.
List It
If you know you have a project coming up or you intend to pitch for something big, then you will have a good idea of what you want already. But to clear that up, even more, make a list of the people you need and the skills. Think about a few of these questions too:
- Bilingual? You can hire freelancers who can speak multiple languages enabling you to pitch for business abroad
- Time zones, do you mind if they are working the same hours as you, or is it okay for them to be in a different time zone.
- Management – will you be using a system or software like Spectrumwise?
A Numbers Game
You will need to balance up how many people you need in your team, with the amount of cash you have available. A typical mistake is to hire too many people in one go, then find that there is an overlap in skills. When you are creating the positions in your team, think very carefully about how many people you need. Look for where skills and tasks overlap, is it required to get an extra person – or is it better to have a single person with all of the skills necessary?
Delegation
When you first start working with a team, it is tempting to still take the lion’s share of the workload. But, you need to be sure that you are going to delegate where it is required. Ensure that each member of your team has a clearly defined goal each day or week. And, that at the end of that time period they are meeting those.
Split the work up according to who is the most skilled in that area.
Communication
Before you bring them on board, you should spend a reasonable amount of time talking to them. About previous projects, where they feel their skills are the strongest and what they think they can bring to your team.
Getting to know your team is one of the most essential things in the early stages. It pays to know a little about their background too. For instance, if they have little ones, that might mean that they aren’t available at certain times. The more you know, the more you can lean into the strengths.
Building a global team is something that is a lot of fun, and can bring so many new dimensions to your work too.
