So you’re probably reading this because you want to supercharge your business operations & want to use online means for it. Well, congratulations you’ve taken the first step in the right direction. With the Soaring Tax Rates & increasing cost of doing business- the best way to get things done is to involve independent contracts.
But errrmmm that often leads to problems like:
• Delay in Completion of Project
• Inability to Build a Good Rapport with contractors
• No direct over sight over operations
• AND of course Half Way through the Project you realize What Bona Fide Moron you Hired
Now how does one make sure not to get tangled in this clusterf*ck. Well you start by first deciding you want a wingman to get you through the regular activities (Virtual Assistant) or you want to build an online team of professionals (Designer, Writer, Coder/Developer) or Hire an Established Team of Professionals ( Online Agency)
If you’re a startup, the best course of action is to get a Virtual Assistant. It’s like a gamble you might find a very hardworking top notch Type-A Virtual Assistant & he/she will make life easier for you by helping you with day to day activities and help run the operations smoothly.
If you’re in the game for a while & you’ve a couple of G’s to spare, then go bazooka – First get a Virtual Assistant who know the ropes a little better than you or can equally contribute in putting together a kick ass team. They’re out there, you just need to lure them in with a lucrative job post, explaining the responsibilities in detail & paying the right price for their skill set & expertise.
OR you can simply hire an Online Agency to fully outsource your operations & you don’t have to worry about hiring anyone or dealing with them at all. You just give out your requirements to the point of contact in that agency & they will get the job done for you. The catch is that they work fixed price, you’ve to pay them lump sum every month & that’s usually 4 figures and sometimes five. SO there is that!
HAVING SAID THAT… as I said it all comes down to getting the right person/agency to do the job. SO how do you do that?
Well you start by building a list. The list goes something like this:-
1. What needs to be done? (Scope of Project)
2. What’s your Budget? (Very Important) It Affects the rest of list
Got Deep Pockets?
Hire THE BEST out there, who has a record of doing similar jobs. Will give a more hands on guide to do it in part 2 – Possibly go for an agency that is in the business for a while & have a record to show.
Working with Limited Budget?
Well it makes things a little dicey but nothing that complicated. It’s just that the probability of ‘hit & try’ increase a little – coz let’s face it, quality has a price & at such an early stage not many can pay that. SO don’t get bogged down if you bump into some total morons at first. They will sound promising and say all the right things. BUT when it comes to doing hands on things & delivering – not many can do that.
DON’T LET THEM THINK YOU’RE DESPERATE!!!
Let’s talk about first about the kind of employers who got the Gs to pay for a seasoned professional with a work history…
These websites UpWork, Freelancer, Design Crowd etc provides you access to profiles of contractors with their work history & feedback left by previous employers or clients-who rendered their services on these platforms. So this should give you a pretty good idea to vet a potential candidate for the job. THEREFORE look for agencies that have a history to show. You can find plenty choose the one you find suitable for your requirements.
Also when you post a job at these platforms, the system automatically selects a bunch of online contractors for you to choose from. I would say its better to look around a little or wait for someone to show interest in your job post & respond to them rather than running after someone and plead them to do your job. DON’T LET THEM THINK YOU’RE DESPERATE.
Find a Super Cool Awesome Califragilistic Reliable Wing Man
Finding a superstar (superstars with a profile history don’t come cheap BUT they’re super effective read: sometimes) These guys are established professionals, who have no dearth of work or clients. What they want is to be challenged ALL THE TIME! Yeah they don’t like monotony in their work, they’ve done similar tasks & spend hundreds of hours doing the same thing AGAIN & AGAIN.
After a while they wear out, lose interest & before you know it, your knight in shining armor is off color & worked out. If they’re jack holes they will bail out but those with a semblance of basic human courtesy they stick with you as long as the job requires but they won’t be able to give their 100 percent. So the key is to keep it interesting and communication. Yes they are working from home & don’t have a “real job” but that doesn’t mean that their skill set isn’t at par with a seasoned professional. There are many who choose to live their lives like this, it’s the feeling of fulfilment & making a different that compel to live an unorthodox lifestyle.
Trust me, coming from someone who is in the online gig for almost a decade now, we’ve our days & there are moments here & there, which makes us second guess the choices we’ve made over time but eventually we come to terms with our reality, which involves working in our PJs & looking after business portfolios that amounts to millions of dollars.
Ergo, what your potential wing man yearns for is recognition, constant pat on the back & challenge. Keep throwing things at him/her, keep the communication channels open & establish a potent respectful working relationship-then see the magic. If they’re working 4 folds below the minimum wage doesn’t mean they’re bus boy/girl – most of them are qualified professionals with college education- So #Respect!
ALRIGHT go search for that “Wing Man” —- and you find one, come back to read the part 2 – where I explain HOW you steer that workforce to get the desired results for supercharging your business operations.