Truth be told, startups and freelancers have a lot in common. By all rights you should have a great working relationship together, given your shared \u201centrepreneurial spirit\u201d and that common bond of going mile-a-minute and juggling multiple balls simultaneously.<\/p>\n
However, it\u2019s exactly this crazy environment that can often drive a great client-freelancer relationship right down the drain. If your goal is to get online freelancers to pull their hair out (and mumble your name under their breath), here are some simple tips for success.<\/p>\n
Freelancers need specifics to be successful. If your online job post is wishy-washy on everything from the scope of work to delivery dates and final deliverables, you\u2019re well on your way to some name calling. \u201cLoser\u201d is a term you may hear a lot.<\/p>\n
A website for $100 bucks? A blog article for $5? A mobile app for $50. Go for it! Some sucker will eventually take the bait and run with it. But once reality sinks in, your freelancer will realize that it\u2019s easier to make money selling vacuum cleaners door-to-door. And the door will get slammed shut.<\/p>\n
When discussing the project, speak in generalities at all times. Even if you know of a company that\u2019s doing exactly what you want to do, there\u2019s no need to pass that information on. It would only make their job easier, and that\u2019s not your goal now is it?<\/p>\n
Ignore their emails, phone calls, texts, pings, payment milestones, questions, you name it. Ignore your freelancers and, pretty soon, they\u2019ll ignore you too! It becomes sort of a fun game \u2026 until they want payment for work to date. Oops.<\/p>\n
Sure, freelancers are paid for their time, experience and knowledge. But just because you wouldn\u2019t ask your attorney for \u201cOh, one more thing,\u201d that\u2019s no reason not to ask your web programmer or graphic designer to sweeten the pot.<\/p>\n
Web design? Web development? Web optimization? They\u2019re all the same \u2014 Web stuff. Save a few bucks by expecting that your highly specialized professional does a little homework and goes the whole 9 yards for you.<\/p>\n
If they value sleep, they can go work a \u201c9 to 5\u201d job, eh? Good thinking. Ditto for Saturday afternoon fire drills. If you really, really want to drive your freelancer mad, make a habit of disturbing their sleep patterns and home life.<\/p>\n
If you follow these 7 simple steps, in no time at all you\u2019ll be the bane of your freelancer\u2019s existence and the talk of social media. If that\u2019s your goal (along with terrible work from freelancers, and a crumbling of your business), job well done. But remember, it doesn\u2019t have to be this way. Your choice. It can be, and should be, a great working relationship for both of you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Truth be told, startups and freelancers have a lot in common. By all rights you should have a great working relationship together, given your shared \u201centrepreneurial spirit\u201d and that common bond of going mile-a-minute and juggling multiple balls simultaneously. However, it\u2019s exactly this crazy environment that can often drive a great client-freelancer relationship right down […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":975,"featured_media":34308,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[43902],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6024","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-professional-development"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n