Why Businesses Should Hire Freelancers When Starting Up
Among the various concerns when starting a business, you’ll think about hiring employees. You can’t do everything yourself, so you need some outside help.
That’s completely fine, but there’s a big problem – employees cost a lot of money. They need a salary plus benefits, which can be extremely expensive for someone with a new startup venture.
It leaves you in a precarious situation. You need some extra help, but it seems too costly to hire employees. This is where freelancers become a very attractive option. Today, we’ll discuss why businesses should hire freelancers when starting up and the benefits this can provide both now and in the future.
Freelancers are more affordable
Hiring a freelancer is not the same as hiring a permanent employee. Freelancers only have one cost – the amount they charge for their services. You pay them for the work they do, and nothing else.
This is hugely beneficial as you don’t have to worry about things like PTO. Some of you are wondering, what’s PTO? And it refers to the paid time off an employee is entitled to. You have to pay your permanent employees when they take time off for holidays or a rest. It’s perfectly normal and all part of a good work-life balance, but it’s very expensive for a startup.
Freelancer workers aren’t technically your employees, so you don’t have to give them any extra benefits. It’s the perfect cost-saving solution for a startup on a shoestring budget.
Freelancers can have more connections
Let’s say you hire a freelance marketer to promote your startup. They’ve been working in this role for a long time, meaning they have lots of connections. They can outsource the work to other agencies and professionals, helping you get a better marketing strategy. These connections can be used to give your business an edge.
A permanent employee might not have the same connections. More than that, if they do, you’ll still have to then pay to outsource the work as well as pay for an employee. With a freelancer, they set a fee at the start and can outsource or connect with as many people as they want without adding to it.
Freelancers can be turned into employees as you scale
Working for a freelancer during the startup phase helps you establish a strong relationship with them. This goes for any freelancers you work with, and a big benefit is that you could offer them full-time jobs in the future.
They might enjoy working for you and will be happy to come aboard as a full-time members of staff when you can afford to pay them. It makes the hiring process easier as you’ve already seen them in action for months/years. You also have an established relationship, so they should easily slip into their role without any onboarding hiccups.
In conclusion, freelancers are the smartest option for small startups. If you need outside help, try hiring a freelancer before you look for permanent workers. It could save a fortune and help you get your business off the ground on a budget.
