Benefits of hiring a freelancer
Bringing freelancers onto your team allows you to share your workload while not committing to hiring contracted permanent staff. This is helpful, especially in the early stages of your dropshipping business.
Here are the top reasons to hire a freelancer.
Get things done quickly
Starting and running a business takes a lot of time, even more so if dropshipping is a side-hustle and you have other work commitments. If you find yourself dedicating more hours than you can handle, taking on a freelancer will
take the pressure off you.
Hire skills you don't have
Likewise, it's quicker to hire a graphic designer, for example, than invest time into learning how to do it yourself if you have no experience. Specialist skills that require heavy training include web development, coding,
mobile app development, and SEO.
Taking time off
Nobody can work 365 days a year! When you need a holiday or weekend off from managing your dropshipping orders, freelancers are there to step in. If at this stage, your business is scaling faster than you can control, it's worth
considering hiring a permanent member of staff. However, if you need someone quickly and at short notice, freelancers are relatively easy to hire. What's more, having a bank of freelancers that you have used before is great for
the trustworthy completion of work.
Optimise customer service
Online shoppers expect fast and efficient customer service from websites. According to Microsoft, 95% of online buyers say that customer service is key to their brand loyalty. Having customer support available during office
hours is a must but not something an eCommerce owner has time to do personally. Finding a virtual assistant to take this responsibility will give you peace of mind that your customers are being taken care of.
Where to hire freelancers
There are multiple freelancing platforms online to source independent professionals and agencies. The benefit of using these is that most of them use an easy invoicing and payment system. Freelancers are paid in escrow so both
parties are confident in fair payment. Some platforms track freelancers if they are hired by the hour. You can also read freelancer reviews from other companies to choose the best person for the job.
Upwork
This is possibly the most popular website for finding and recruiting freelancers. They claim to be the "largest online talent solution" with an estimated 12-16 million registered freelancers using the site. Although it is based
in the US and all freelancers are paid in US dollars, it is used by businesses and freelancers from around the world.
Freelance services on this site:
Design and creative
Admin and customer support
Finance and accounting
Sales and marketing
Writing and translation
HR and training
Legal
IT
Engineering and architecture
Fiverr
Fiverr works a little differently from Upwork where freelancers bid on your post. On Fiverr, freelancers advertise tasks they can complete and at what cost. As the name suggests, tasks start from $5 but can vary depending on the
difficulty and time required to complete a job. Fiverr is an Israeli online platform but again, used worldwide. It is reported that it has around 5.5 million buyers and 830,000 freelancers.
Freelance services on this site:
Graphics and design
Digital marketing
Writing and translation
Video and animation
Music and audio
Programming and tech
Business (eg virtual assistant, eCommerce management)
PeoplePerHour
A UK-based freelancing platform, PeoplePerHour allows both freelancers and businesses worldwide to post jobs. It has approximately 2 million freelancers using the site alone. As the name suggests, freelancers are hired by the
hour.
Freelance services on this site:
Technology and programming
Writing and translation
Design
Digital marketing
Video, photo and image
Business (eg Brexit consulting, finance assistant)
Music and audio
Marketing, branding and sales
Social media
MarketerHire
This website is focused on hiring marketing professionals. It stands out as there are no interviews with the freelancer, no job postings, and no applications. MarketerHire vets marketing freelancers so you don't have to.
Businesses can request a marketing professional with a specialism such as content marketing, Amazon, or SEO. The website matches the business with a freelancer they think will be the right fit. Generally, freelancers are paid
$80-160 per hour due to their expertise and experience.
Freelancer
One of the largest freelancing platforms, Freelancer works much like Upwork, as a bidding system. Businesses post job postings and freelancers bid with a proposal. It is an Australian company but used by companies and
freelancers globally. Reportedly it has around 55 million buyers and freelancers using the website.
Freelance services on this site:
Design, media and architecture (eg voice overs, YouTube video editing)
Websites, IT and software
Sales and marketing
Business, accounting, HR and legal
Product sourcing and manufacturing
Data entry and admin
Writing and content
Mobile phones and computing
Translating and languages
Trades and services
Freight, shipping and transportation
Telecommunications
Engineering and science
