The world has changed so much because of the internet. Today, you no longer have to employ people full time to get the job done. In the old days, you have to interview them, train them, assess them after six months or so, and then decide if they would become regular employees or not.
Today, you can pay remote workers who are not technically employees but will still perform duties that will take your business to the next level.
Today, we will take a look at how you can use remote workers to scale up your online business. By the end of this tutorial, you will begin to see the value of hiring remote workers, and why they are essential to your business.
You have No Overhead Costs
An office space will cost you tens of thousands of dollars. This budget does not include the infrastructure and the office equipment that you have to buy.
Here are some examples of what you have to pay:
- Rent
- Tables and chairs
- Computers
- Utilities such as power, water, gas, internet
And we are not yet talking about other amenities such as a gym, or a cafeteria.
But if you hire remote workers, you do not have to pay for all of these. You do not even have to pay for the freelancer’s computer—he has to have his tools.
Can you imagine the amount of money you will be able to save? With remote workers, you can stay at home and manage your business, as usual, scale it up, at no extra overhead cost. All you have to pay for is the salary or wage of the freelancer who is going to work with you.
And since they do not have to commute, most of them are not going to ask for big pay. Their rates are so competitive, knowing that they do not have to spend a dime on transportation to get the work done.
You do not Pay Government or Statutory Benefits
While there are talks of legislating rights for freelancers, this is not likely to happen. If any country passes a bill where freelancers will also receive statutory benefits, the freelancing industry is going to collapse.
Why? Because employers will have none of it.
As of this time, employers, or clients, are not obligated to pay for the social security and healthcare contribution of freelancers.
This is great if you are scaling up your online business. You can hire several remote workers and not bear the weight of the cost of statutory benefits.
The only exception is if you are actually going to employ somebody, and then allow the person to work from home. In this set-up, the employee has technical rights to receive what other employees receive. If you are scaling up your business, this may not be a good move.
What you want to do is to get the most out of what your money can buy, reduce your expenses, and save for the rainy days. You need to invest money in your business if you are expanding, with enough provision to support the expansion while it is not earning money.
You see, business expansion can take several months before you see a profit. Sometimes, it can even take years. If you are paying for all these costs that you can avoid, you are going to lose a lot of money in the long term.
You have Access to More Talents
If you hire from your local area, chances are you have a limited talent pool. But if you hire freelancers, the whole world is within your grasp.
There are millions of people who work remotely and thousands of jobs that can be done from home. Here are some examples:
- Graphic design
- Web content
- Animation and video editing
- Musical scores
- Marketing
- Social media management
If your business is online, then it is likely that all activities that go on around your business can be done online. Perhaps the only exception is if you are in the e-commerce business where you manufacture, package, and ship your own products. In this case, remote work is not an option.
But if what you need is someone who will upload products to your website, or someone who can write affordable web content consistently, then there is no need to hire someone locally.
You can hire talents from around the world, meet them via video calls through Skype, give them access to team platforms like Slack, and simply give them instructions on what to do. Since your talent pool is the whole world, you also have flexibility as far as your budget is concerned.
You have Productive Workers
Happy people are productive people. And since remote workers are at home, they are happy. They do not have to beat the traffic, they do not have to wake up early, they do not have to endure toxic people in a toxic environment, and a whole lot more.
Their mindset is focused on the job at hand. And since they have flexibility at work, they can do the things they need to do any time, such as the laundry, doing the grocery shopping or going to the market without feeling that they are stuck in a cubicle in the office.
It is these liberties that make remote workers feel fulfilled. As such, they are continuously inspired to get the job done—with no compromise to quality.
For as long as you set your deadlines, teach them what kind of quality you require, and meet them regularly, your remote workers will deliver.
You Can Hire Faster
If you set-up shop in a physical office, you have to conduct interviews, have the applicants take the exam, and then shortlist them. Finally, you get to hire somebody.
But it does not end there. You have to teach the new employee what he has to do, how to use the tools, and so much more.
If you hire remote workers, there are thousands of people who are more than qualified to do the job you want. The thing is, you do not have to go through the same interview process. Freelancers have ready portfolios for you to browse.
More importantly, you can see the rating of freelancers if you hire them from freelance writing websites. What this means is that your likelihood of hiring the wrong person is almost zero. If you just do your due diligence in combing through various freelancer profiles, you can make the right choice.
In a physical set-up, you can only decide based on what the applicant told you during the interview. It is not even likely that you will call for character references. Online, all feedback of the previous clients of the applicant is visible to you.
Summary
Scaling a business requires a massive effort. You need to interview, teach people how to perform their duties, and so much more. By hiring freelancers who will perform daily duties, you can eliminate a lot of the headaches brought about by business expansion.
If your business is online, then surely you can have employees who can work from home. In some cases, this may not be the best choice, especially if you are a gaming company that develops apps or games.
Assess your business model carefully and weigh the pros and cons of hiring remote workers. If possible, split your workforce into two—remote and on-site.
Recent Posts
Many consumers have divided or negative feelings about marketing practices. Unsustainable marketing breeds distrust—whether it’s the false promise of greater value or convincing customers to buy...
The most significant investment to think about is web hosting to get more traffic and higher performance and run your website successfully after you build it. So it's essential to select the best...