How to Collaborate With Freelancers as a Home Business:

When you operate a home business, working with freelancers is inevitable. They, like you, work wherever they like and at a pace that is both agile and professional in their own right. Some call it a luxury, but freelancers and business owners like you know that this lifestyle requires a lot of hard work. If you have only just engaged your first freelancer or two, but see these relationships becoming a permanent fixture of your business structure, you will need to work out a collaborative rhythm that will get the best outcome for both parties. Let’s start collaborating.

Work out the payment structure

Having this conversation up front will avoid any confusion or awkwardness down the line, and it’s just good business to start out the relationship on the right foot. Utilising online invoicing will do most of the heavy lifting for you, and this will be a format that is likely used and well understood by your chosen freelancers. Running your home business entails many responsibilities and tasks, so keep this one as simple and efficient as possible for both parties, and enlist the services of a provider who thrives in this home business and freelance space.

Manage your workflow

One of the hardest parts about using a freelancer is that they are not sitting beside you, and they work at different hours of the day. As the way we work continues to shift and shuffle, there are some incredible workflow and task management platforms that aid this very issue. Find one that works for you, and roll it out with all of your freelancers so that you can see what projects are progressing, all in one place. While you could find out what they use and sync to them, you are the business so you can have a say on what platform you will use.

Respect the contract

The contact you have in place is there to protect you, but it protects the interests of your freelancer as well. If you are only paying for two days worth of their time, but communicating with them seven days — then you shouldn’t expect a reply. Also, get in writing what the terms are for re-drafts on any given project, to save a large bill coming when you require lots of changes. Teething problems are inevitable, but respecting the contract from the outright and being clear with what’s included will serve you both.

Remember who does what

When you run a home business, all your projects and achievements feel incredibly personal. How could they not? It’s a labour of love, and your hard work and passion is the result of all your success. When it comes time to outsourcing responsibilities to a freelancer, it’s natural that you want to control the process to ensure every consideration is explored. This is something you will have to curb, as your freelance graphic designer or writer will not stick around being told how to do their job. Release the tight grip and remember they are professionals, hired to work on things outside of your scope, resulting in more time for you to work on your craft. Uninhibited creativity always sparks great outcomes.

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The best part about collaboration is that it never looks the same. You have the opportunity to create a unique relationship that will yield mutually beneficial results for both you and your freelancer. Setting boundaries and recognising that they are experts at what they do will kick things off to a nice start. And what will keep this momentum going is hassle free online invoicing, designed for smooth sailing.