Who Hires Freelancers?

It doesn’t matter if you are just starting your freelance career, or are picking up pointers improve your process along the way, the fact remains that you can be a freelancer without clients. As I started my freelance writing career, the task of building a client base was a daunting to say the least.

Creating strategy around building your client base starts with understanding who is looking for freelancers and what they expect from a 1099 contractor. Once you get down the basics, you have a great foundation to build, or grow your career.

3 Types of Organizations that Hire Freelancers

Making the decision to become a freelancer is inevitably step number one in your journey. Finding your first clients, is the next logical move. If you can’t find clients, you can’t make money. I’m no mathematician but that is a pretty easy equation to understand.

Before you can make your pitch and showcase your skills, you have to understand who is actively hiring startups and why they choose to go this route instead of hiring a full time employee for the same role. Let’s take a look at three types of organizations that are great for freelancers, including the pros and cons of each.

Startups

Looking to kickstart your freelance career? Startups are a great option, especially for individuals that don’t have a robust body of work to lean on. Typically, startups aren’t in a place where they can hire a full-time employee, making the perfect proving ground, that can frequently lead into larger projects and more work.

There are number of benefits when working with a startup as a freelancer. In my experience, startups are very open to trying new things, and are willing to provide more creative freedom than say a Fortune 500 company.

This can be a great launching point for someone that may not know exactly what they want out of their freelance career. When I got started, I was solely focused on social media marketing, but quickly realized that I much preferred copywriting and sales enablement writing.

Don’t get me wrong like any freelancer-client relationship, there are pitfalls of going this route. For me, the biggest challenge was realizing that startups lack a brand identity and voice. Because of this there may be regular pivoting as the company finds their place in the market. 

The key to working with a startup is to remain flexible and understand that they are ironing out their processes. If you can’t work in an ever-changing environment, startups might not be the place for you.

Companies Experiencing Growth

If the uncertainty of the startup environment doesn’t seem like a good fit, or you feel your expertise is at a higher level, your best option might be to look at companies experiencing growth. 

Businesses that are growing will inevitably get to a point where they will either need to hire additional employees, which comes with additional overhead, or outsource specific pieces of their process to 1099 contractors.

One of the biggest benefits of outsourcing is that a freelancer doesn’t require the additional overhead of a full-time employee. By nature, we do not require insurance and benefits, and work can be done on a project basis, helping the company get what they need at a discounted rate.

A word of advice if you are looking for this type of client. First of all, these clients are notoriously difficult to source. It may require that you have a contact within the organization, because many may not advertise that they are looking for outside help. Additionally, these can be high turnover clients. As their company grows, their needs will likely change, and the possibility of bringing in a full-time employee becomes essential.

I have worked with numerous companies that offered me full-time positions, and the moment that I declined, they hired someone and didn’t renew our contract.

Enterprises Looking For Expertise

As your career progresses, you may start looking for larger, higher paying clients. For many freelancers the progression is inevitable, after all you have invested in your skillset and proven that you are a formidable candidate. 

When it comes to larger organizations, they hire freelancers for one reason and one reason only – expertise. Your skills have to be on point, and you have to have the portfolio to back it up. Those that do, can unlock their full potential, because these clients are willing to pay for experience. 

As you might have guessed these are the hardest jobs to land as a freelancer, and they are generally out of reach as you start your career. The only exception to this is if you join an organization like Hire A Writer, where you may be given the chance on a variety of larger clients once you prove yourself.

As you get started you will quickly see major differences between this level of organization and the previous two. Brand identity will be incredibly clear and a focal point. While you may have some creative license, you will have strict guidelines to follow, and expectations will be high.

Fail to produce an adequate product, and enterprise level clients will quickly move to other options. Remember that for freelancers, this is the big leagues, and the learning curve is incredibly steep.

Jumpstart Your Freelance Career

There is no right or wrong path when it comes to building your freelance business. Only you can dictate which direction you go. The best thing that you can do is go into the process with clear eyes and an open mind. Don’t discount small opportunities, because they can quickly grow as you build your relationships and don’t expect large opportunities to fall in to your lap. This is a tough business, but it can make a wonderful career if you are willing to put in the work.

For more freelance advice, make sure to follow the Hire A Writer team through our website and various social media channels.