Working With Freelancers & International Talent

Takeaways

• Competitive Advantage: For under $2,000/month, you can hire skilled global workers like cold callers, developers, designers, and financial analysts. For one-off projects, use UpWork for graphic design, website work, or expert consultations ($150 for 30 minutes).
• Barriers:
  1. Finding Quality Workers: Use platforms like somewhere.com or 1840&Co or Hireframe for full-time hires. For freelancers, post a detailed job on UpWork and pay $30 to boost visibility.
  2. Defining Tasks for Delegation: International workers think differently, so be specific about deliverables. For full-time hires, use daily punch-out sheets to track progress. For freelancers, provide detailed job descriptions and ask targeted questions to screen applicants.
• Location-Based Hiring Tips:
  • Front-Office: Hire near-shore (e.g., Mexico) for client-facing roles needing minimal accent.
  • Back-Office: Eastern Europe is strong for coding and finance.
  • Rote Tasks: The Philippines is ideal for well-defined, repetitive work.
• Other Key Points:
  • Avoid paying for employer of record (EOR) services; pay workers as contractors instead. The only caveat is if you offer company equity EOR with be required.
  • Hire and fire quickly if there’s a poor fit.
  • Over-communicate and have a smooth onboarding process with clear long-term goals.