2020’s been a rollercoaster year for many startups.

It’s that time of year again.  Department heads, line managers, and founders are coming together to pick the bones out of the year that was. The annual audit and, my word, it won’t be standard fare this time around!

We’ve all heard of marketing strategies, pricing strategies and growth strategies. But what about a freelancer strategy?

Growing a talented team is at the heart of every successful business. Recruiting, hiring, sourcing... they all mean the same thing right?  While all of these terms refer to a common process which many of us attend to quite regularly, how often does one sit back and consider the way in which this process is actually designed? Does the current structure make sense in today's flexible working world? And who does it favour? 

As 2020 draws to a close, half of the UK workforce is working from home (ONS). Thanks to remote work, companies suddenly have access to a wide-ranging talent pool. Having multiple opinions, ideas and cultures represented within a company not only improves productivity and boosts innovation but also creates ways to attract a broader audience.

As we continue to navigate our way through this lingering pandemic and an impending second lockdown, startups are trying to figure out the most effective way to run their businesses.

Hiring a freelancer for a bite-sized task with a very clear brief is a relatively straightforward process. A data-entry job or a simple coding fix has a clear start and end point that is easy to explain, manage and measure.  Finding freelancers who provide creative work, feel passionate about the client’s mission, communicate well throughout the process and provide much more than just the service they were hired for, can be a bit more challenging.

"You cannot be a leader, and ask other people to follow you, unless you know how to follow, too." - Sam Rayburn Rules, restrictions, recommendations, measures, advice. Words we’ve been hearing on repeat from government officials since Covid-19 hurtled into our lives at the beginning of the year.