Demolishing Business Misconceptions About Freelancers

Employers need to understand how this works.

In the United States alone, nearly 60 million individuals engage in some kind of freelancing. They control their own schedules, set their own rates, pay for their own expenses, and choose what they’ll work on.

In return, clients can pick and choose from a field of talent but not have to deal with paying benefits, providing office space, or training. They can assign tasks on an as-needed basis, and if someone doesn’t work out, it’s often easier to find another freelancer.

Nonetheless, there are myths about freelancers that persist. Believing these misconceptions means a business is missing out on a valuable resource.

Here are a few of the biggest myths and what businesses owners should know.

Myth 1: Freelancers have no loyalty

When you come right down to it, loyalty itself is a bit of a myth. The employer/employee relationship is based on money and, sometimes, benefits.

Beyond that? Unless the employee is a founding member of the business (and invested), then the traditional concepts of loyalty are a thing of the past.

Once upon a time, people would work for a single company for life and then be supported by their retirement benefits. These days, lifetime employment is exceedingly rare, and retirement benefits are almost unheard of in the private sector.

So if your argument is that freelancers aren’t loyal enough, then sit down.

The reality is that when you hire a good freelancer, that freelancer is as invested in the success of the business as you are. Business success means the likelihood of more work. And if you’re paying your freelancer good rates, your freelancer is going to repay that with good work.

You can count on that.

Okay… on occasion, you’ll run into a freelancer that doesn’t work out or ghosts you. They’re almost always newcomers to the freelancer world. If you hire a freelancer with even just a year of good work history, you can count on them to treat you, your business, and your projects with professionalism.

Require an NDA? Freelancers can be trusted. The thing is, word gets around about bad freelancers, so those who betray your trust won’t be in the business for long.

Myth 2: Freelancers are only good for single or short-term projects

I can understand this. Freelancers are often seen as fleeting, temporary people who provide a single service or might work on a short-term project — and then they’re gone.

That’s one way you could look at hiring freelancers, but it’s an inefficient way of going about it.

While many freelancers became freelancers because they were dissatisfied with traditional office work, that doesn’t mean they can’t be a contributing part of your business’s large-scope projects or be hired on for more than a single project.

Freelancers who have been in the business for a while know how to schedule and work beyond single jobs or small projects. Many employers find benefits in hiring the same freelancer regularly in which they’re given jobs almost weekly and paid thusly. Some keep freelancers on a retainer where they are expected to perform certain weekly or monthly functions and paid a set rate — very similar to a traditional employee, but without the benefits or taking up space in your location.

As for larger projects, a freelancer can work on those as easily as a smaller project. It’s just a matter of scale. And if you don’t think freelancers know how to scale up a job, you’d be wrong. Give them the scope, the resources, and the deadlines, and a freelancer will meet expectations as quickly and thoroughly as an onsite employee.

Perhaps better as they will have fewer distractions and interruptions.

So long as a solid line of communication exists between the freelancer and the company they’re working for, there is no reason a freelancer could not take on a large project or other long-term arrangements.

Myth 3: Freelancer can’t do complicated work

Worried that a freelancer won’t be qualified for your project?

This isn’t really something to be too concerned about. Nearly half of all freelancers have at least an Associate’s degree. Many have significantly more than that, including Bachelor and Master’s degrees. I know at least one freelance education consultant with a Ph.D. Even those without traditional degrees hold numerous certifications in their fields, such as information technology, bookkeeping, and graphic design.

Many freelancers also come with years — even decades — of industry experience. Most keep current on technology and trends, and with software subscriptions, they already have the technical expertise necessary for complicated tasks and workflows.

Hiring a Freelancer Is a Pretty Good Bet

This isn’t a myth.

A freelancer can be the perfect solution if you have a specialized need or have too much work and not enough in-house resources. Understandably, many employers see freelancers as a gamble, but, in this case, everyone wins.

Experienced freelancers deliver, take up fewer resources, and can easily become a part of your long-term business strategy.

About John Teehan

John lives in Rhode Island with his wife, son, and dog. He specializes in tech, health, business, parenting, pop culture, and gaming. Visit wordsbyjohn.net for more info and rates. Twitter: @WordsByJohn2