The following article is a community contribution from Ed Carter. Ed is a retired financial planner who runs the site: AbleFutures, where he is working on providing financial literacy for the disabled. He reached out to contribute an article and I am more than happy to help him spread the word! If you would like to contribute an article you can contact me here.

Here is a short bio on Ed:

Over the years, I’ve worked with clients of all ages, backgrounds and incomes. About 10 years into my career, I saw a need for financial planners who specialize in helping individuals and families living with disabilities. Regardless of their nature or how long they’ve affected someone, physical and mental limitations often cause stress and confusion when it comes to financial planning. Many people are unaware of just how many options they have when it comes to financial assistance and planning, so it’s an honor to offer my experience and change people’s lives for the better. Now that I’m retired, I’m committed to continuing my services, even though I work on a broader scale than when I was working 9 to 5. I now spend my free time writing financial literacy articles for people to share on their blogs, collecting resource links for people to share on their websites, and collaborating with like-minded folks who want to make a difference. If you are interested in working with me, please contact me via my contact form. All of my services are free.

Notice: The following article is contributed by Ed Carter. He is the sole author of this post. Please contact him here for any inquiries/comments about this article.

Building a Successful Freelancing Team

In an age when remote work is on the rise as the new normal of business, it’s important to understand how your business can benefit from this trend. One of the key resources that remote work makes available is access to professional freelancers who can be mobilized to complete specific projects as needed.

Step One: Putting the Infrastructure in Place

The first step is putting in place a business structure suited to dealing with freelancing teams on a regular basis. One common way of going about this is to form a limited liability company (LLC), a flexible business structure that offers certain tax advantages and limited personal liability. The regulations for forming an LLC vary depending on the jurisdiction, so it’s a good idea to check the rules that apply in your state or to use a business formation service.

Step Two: Deciding How to Pay Freelancers

Payroll should be as frictionless as possible. International wire transfers and typical payment platforms come with inherent costs that can build up over time, so seek out a reliable money transfer service with low fees. Remitly, one popular choice, charges very low rates for each instance of sending money from your bank account converted to another currency ( e.g. Indian Rupees).

Step Three: Collaborative Tools

Think through the tools you’ll be using on a day-to-day basis to organize freelance projects. There will be a lot of online paperwork to deal with, so having a centralized place to upload and share files is key. One useful tool is Adobe Acrobat’s online converter, free software that converts PDFs into editable formats like DOCX files without any loss of formatting.

Step Four: Finding Freelancers

Online job boards can be a great resource for finding freelancers. One of the most popular, Guru, hosts country-specific boards if you’re trying to source freelancers from a specific region (e.g. India ). In general, it’s a good idea to seek freelancers with solid client references who can show a portfolio of work relevant to the tasks you’ll require.

Step Five: Engaging With Freelancers

Once you’ve recruited a freelancing team, make sure you have a transparent and efficient process in place for communicating with them and responding to their needs.

• The team should have a single point of contact with the company. Any feedback — even if it ultimately originates with multiple stakeholders in your company — should be conveyed through that contact person.
• The goals and expectations of every project should be clear, realistic, and consistent. The process should be as free as possible from on-the-fly changes.
• The quantity of work should be stated plainly upfront. Workers should be provided with all information and resources that will be necessary for successful completion.

The clearer you are about what you need and expect from a freelancing team, the more confident they can be about helping you.

Setting the Stage For Success

Following these five steps will set the stage for productive freelancing teams with high morale and motivation. Combine the principles underlying these steps with effective long- term goal setting and project planning, and you can expect to attract the best freelancing talent.

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