Why Hire a Freelancer?

[John Uhri]

As a business owner, you are no doubt evaluating your business in light of the current economic environment while planning your software development expenditures for this year. One consideration in your planning is to use freelancer software developers. Now, there are plenty of false assumptions about hiring independent contractors, and many companies are unaware of the benefits of hiring a freelancer. I will address some of the reasons to hire a freelancer:

Specific Expert Help
Freelancers are exposed to a variety of problems, business domains and technology solutions. It is unreasonable to expect employees to cover all of these bases. Finding a freelancer with the specific knowledge you need is a huge benefit. If your project has a specific problem that needs solving, a freelancer with the right knowledge can fix the problem without being a cost for the duration of the project.

Offload burdens
Existing staff is often called up on to support existing systems. Frequently, this leaves little time to develop new software processes that will take your business to the next level. This is the perfect reason to call on a freelancer. The independent software developer can work on your new project and free up your employees to do what they know best.

Only paid for work
When an employee is sick, your company still pays his or her salary. The same is true for vacations, holidays and jury duty. With a freelancer, only the time spent working on your project is billable. You don’t pay for the health insurance benefits, 401Ks or dental plan for a freelancer. If there is a slowdown in the project because of more pressing business matters, you can throttle down the work the freelancer is doing to reduce the billable hours, saving you money.

Flexibility
The work you need to accomplish may not fit into a single block of time. With an employee, you must find other things for him/her to do when the project is not in full development. Freelancers live a life of ensuring they have work for those downtimes so you do not have to. Independent contractors can work on a long-term, short-term, full-time, part-time or as-needed basis. This flexibility allows you to fit the project into your timelines and focus on your business.

Lower Expenses
Freelancers provide their own computer equipment, benefits and desk space. These are fixed costs with an employee ongoing outside of the project itself. While there is a premium for using a freelancer, it is only for the duration of the project. This lets you free up financial and physical resources for other needs.

Commitment to excellence
Referrals are the lifeblood of a freelancer. Since this is the case, an independent freelancer will work hard to ensure the project is completed on time and within budget. The freelancer is motivated by a good referral to do their best work.

Outside the box thinking
Freelancers aren’t encumbered by the “that’s the way we’ve always done it” mantra. Their creativity can breathe fresh life into your project by finding new and more efficient ways to solve your business needs.

Outside the politics arena
Freelancers are generally emotionally detached from the politics of a corporate environment. Political games are played when promotions, raises and benefits are involved. Freelancers, especially those off-site, are not distracted by these environmental factors and can get down to work. Independent contractors are not invested in the company, only the project.

Minimum hire and fire friction
There is no question in a freelancer’s mind that hiring and firing are a part of everyday life. When an employee’s entire income is generated by their salary they are emotionally affected by a termination or change in the business environment. Contractors take a terminated contract in stride and move on with little drama.

Accountability
A benefit to using freelancers is a formal structure for accountability. When you hire a freelancer, your company and the freelancer enter into a contract (hopefully written) that defines the relationship. “The project is X number of hours to be billed at Y rate to develop Product Z.”

In corporate life, employees sometimes play the blame game. Freelancers are solely responsible for their work and are motivated to clearly define their role in a project. As the project sponsor, you should be able to say “yes” or “no” to each requirement as defined and know if the freelancer has met his or her commitment.

Final Thoughts

Hiring a freelance developer can be intimidating without understanding the benefits a freelancer can bring to the table. I hope I have been able to show you some of these benefits to consider in your business planning for 2009.

Contact me at Red Bit Blue Bit today to discuss your business needs. I love to create software that solves your business problems. Together, we’ll turn your problems into solutions. Read more about what I do.

(This post can also be found at my blog: Why Hire a Freelancer)