In need of some freelance help? But you’re not sure where to start?
As small business owners, we know how important it is to grow your network with people, resources, and connections that you can trust.
You never know when you might be in need of a specific skill set that can come in and save the day. That’s why investing your time to accumulate a reliable network of freelancers is helpful when running a small business. Here’s how to do it.
Why Hire a Freelancer for Your Small Business
Let’s start with why hiring a freelancer can help small business owners.
Freelancers are to business owners as contractors are to homeowners. As a homeowner, there are certain tasks that need to be done around the house that you either don’t want to do yourself or don’t have the ability to do yourself. You don’t need to hire a full-time employee for your home – you just need someone you can trust to do the job at hand for a price within your budget.
The same goes for hiring a freelancer. You could hire a freelancer for any of the following (and more):
- Accounting/Finance
- Administrative Tasks
- Graphic Design
- Cold Calls
- Copywriting
- Customer Service
- IT Services
- Legal Services
- Social Media
- Virtual Assistance
- Website Designers
How to Hire Freelancers Online
One of the most popular ways that small business owners hire freelancers is online. There are a lot of platforms that make hiring freelancers easy.
According to a 2023 survey, here are the top websites for hiring freelancers:
- Upwork
- LinkedIn Talent Solutions
- Fiverr
- FlexJobs
- Dribble
- Behance
- People Per Hour
- Task Rabbit
- Codeable
- Riveter Work
Each of these websites has its own packages and protocols for how to find your next freelancer, but essentially it all works the same:
Freelancers belong to these sites and have profiles stating their specialties, rates, timelines, customer reviews, and samples of their work. Whether you post a job and ask them to reach out to you (just like hiring an employee) or whether you look through their profiles and reach out to them, these platforms make finding freelancers easy and hassle-free.
Our biggest recommendation when going this route is to look into their customer reviews and their samples. It’s important to hire someone that you can trust and that can efficiently create or solve what you need them to do.
How to Hire Freelancers through Networking
Want to know another great way to build connections with freelancers you can trust? Networking!
If you’re a small business owner, chances are that you’ve been given the advice to NETWORK.
However, networking can be an intimidating and challenging part of the small business gig, especially if you’re new to it.
Best Tips and Tricks for Networking
1. Choose Appropriate Events
Time is money, right? When you first start out with networking, there will be some trial and error when it comes to choosing the right networking events for you and your business. You might attend an event that really doesn’t click or isn’t what you were hoping for. That’s OK! Do the best you can in that situation and try a different event next time.
2. The Dreaded Elevator Pitch
At the end of the day, your Elevator Pitch is not the end-all-be-all of networking…However, it is important to be able to clearly and succinctly articulate your business and its services. If you are not able to confidently -and quickly- answer the “So what do you do?” question, people are not going to take you and your business seriously.
There are many ways to create an elevator pitch, so to get started, here’s one example:
I help (Your Ideal Client) solve (Their Problem) by offering (Your Service).
3. Icebreakers
The first impression is always the hardest! Find some icebreakers that feel natural for you. A really easy way to start a conversation with a stranger is to give them a compliment!
4. Give Negativity the Back Seat….
Speaking poorly of previous places of employment, spilling the tea about past coworkers, and oversharing personal info might be a fun conversation over a couple of glasses of wine with your besties…but keep it out of networking!
When meeting people in this setting, make sure to go in with confidence, class, and professionalism.
5. Exchange Info and Follow-Up!
After meeting people at networking events, make sure to exchange business cards, find each other on LinkedIn, or exchange contact info in some way.
Then, it’s important to follow up with these connections. It is the key to making lasting relationships. It could be as simple as sending them a reference they have been looking for, forwarding them an article, inviting them to a seminar or conference, or sending a Happy Holidays message.
Click here for more tips and tricks on networking.
Haven Helps
At Haven, we have curated a diverse, supportive, and successful community of business owners, freelancers, and solopreneurs.
Through Monthly Signature Events, Peer Mastermind Groups, and flexible memberships, networking with other like-minded people has never been easier at Haven Collective.
- When joining the Haven Collective community, members have access to our Haven Membership Directory, which is a trustworthy place to meet freelancers in the community 24/7. (Now available in our App! Haven Collective’s app is available in the App Store and Google Play.)
- The Haven Collective Blog and our Newsletter also feature members, so be sure to sign up and check in with our posts regularly.
- Following us on social media is a great way to get to know our members as we do #MemberMonday, featuring our community of freelancers and small business owners. P.S. For those looking to use our channels to promote their own businesses, feel free to reach out. We love to shout our new members’ services and skill sets from the rooftop!
- Attend our Monthly Signature Events to not only learn new skills but to meet new connections within the community.
- Haven members get a discount on all The Riveter memberships as well. With Riveter Work, you can connect with the perfect Freelancer that you can trust.
- PLUS – We love making connections for people, so getting to know the owners and Community Manager is always a good thing.
Need Help Growing Your Business?
Let Haven help.
Don’t let running a business run your life. Haven Collective is not only a place for people to collect and get work done, it is a community that fosters professional success and personal fulfillment.
By joining Haven, you will commit not only to taking care of your business but to taking care of the star of the show – YOU.
If you are looking to build your business AND create lasting connections, click below to see if Haven Collective is the next step for you!