There’s No Such Thing as the “Ideal” Freelancer

When business owners tell me they’re struggling to find good freelancers, I always ask them to describe what they’re looking for.

Invariably, they describe a great employee. Therein lies the problem.

Freelancers vs. Employees: The Key Differences

A good freelancer will never be a great employee, and they don’t look like a great employee — they look like a great freelancer. We need to redefine both.

Great employees are tied into our systems and processes, familiar with our equipment, and involved in prepping orders. However, when applied to freelancers, these responsibilities are unscalable.

Relying on these unscalable practices prevents you from finding good freelancers. You’re looking for someone who works the same way your employees do, is tied into your internal communication systems, and can look at an order inside your rental management software.

This approach isn’t practical for freelancers.

Redefining the Ideal Freelancer

To find ideal freelancers, start by separating the criteria for a staff technician from that of a freelance technician. Remove all the operational responsibilities your staff technicians sometimes get involved with.

So, what does an ideal freelancer look like? It’s someone who looks at the Show Book, asks the right questions, and executes the job.

Interestingly, this is also the ideal job description for a staff employee. The only difference is that the freelancer works with other companies.

The Venn Diagram: Employees vs. Freelancers

Imagine a Venn diagram comparing an ideal full-time staff technician and an ideal freelancer. You’d see minimal overlap between those two circles in your current state.

Both would look at your paperwork and execute a good show, but the similarities would end there.

Freelancers bring skills and talents your staff people don’t, including experience working with many companies like yours and exposure to a range of events. Your staff, on the other hand, is familiar with your specific operations.

In a scalable business, the Venn diagram between an ideal staff technician and an ideal freelance technician overlaps much more.

Why? The Scalable business model removes the operational responsibilities from staff technicians. In this scenario, you have the same expectations of both full-time staff and freelance technicians: review the paperwork, ask questions, and go out and do good shows.

Your employees’ highest and best use is to read the show book, ask great questions, do a great show, and learn from freelancers. If your systems and processes depend on your show technicians completing operational processes, you’re likely overstaffed.

This is a sign that you need to fix your processes — but that’s a topic for another blog post.

How to Build a Network of Quality Freelancers

Now that we’ve redefined the ideal freelancer, let’s learn how to build a network of quality freelancers:

1. Identify Their Specialty

Most freelancers have a specialty, and you must find out what it is.

While being a jack-of-all-trades can be a specialty, a jack-of-all-trades isn’t an expert at anything. The best freelancers are typically experts in one or two disciplines.

2. Understand Their Rate

Never tell top-tier freelancers what rate you expect to pay or try to negotiate rates. It’s a waste of time.

Instead, ask what their rate is, and decide whether they’re worth the money. If you think you need to negotiate rates, look at your current pricing. The freelancer’s rate is typically a market rate.

3. Don’t Overuse Freelancers

Never overuse a freelancer. If you do, they may lose their connection with how other companies work, fall behind on changes in products and industry trends, and become less valuable.

You need a deep bench. Spread the work around to build a network of freelancers who are familiar with and comfortable working with you.

4. Embrace Their Work With Competitors

Don’t resent freelancers because they work for your competitors. In fact, be suspicious if they don’t.

Working for multiple companies makes freelancers better at what they do. They gather expertise and experience from several sources and share what they learn with your full-time staff.

5. Value References

References matter. If a trusted freelancer refers another freelancer, I’m much more likely to give that new person a try quickly.

For freelancers who find me on their own, I need to see references. If I’m unfamiliar with their references, I dig deeper.

If you decide to try out a new freelancer without solid references, don’t put them in a mission-critical role right away. Ensure you have people on-site who can validate their work and replace them if needed.

6. Be Prepared to Kiss a Lot of Frogs

Building a robust freelancer network takes time and effort. Sample as many well-qualified, well-referred people as possible, and move on quickly if they don’t work out.

Over time, you’ll get better at identifying ideal freelancers — and non-ideal freelancers — early on.

By shifting your mindset, redefining your expectations, and following these guidelines, you’ll build a robust and reliable network of freelance talent that’ll help grow your business.

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