About 60 million Americans are working as freelancers. In 2020 and beyond, these numbers will grow. Whether you are in search of work or want to expand your business and hire other freelancers, a whole stack of freelance platforms is there to help you out.
We are living in fortunate times that have provided us with platforms to connect with potential clients, expand our skillset, and even manage invoices. When someone asks me about mandatory elements to succeed as a budding entrepreneur, I recommend them two items. One is Spectrum Internet plans for high-speed Internet and the second is sticking to top freelance platforms. Speaking of freelance platforms, here are the best ones I recommend for growing your business:
1. Fiverr
Fiverr is best for its gig offerings. Freelancers package their services into gigs and market their skills to potential employers. This gig could be anything – a blog, logo design, web development services, virtual assistant services, photography, and more.
On every order received, Fiverr takes a 20% commission. That’s the only fee you pay. Other than this, getting started on this platform is free and really simple. I would suggest putting some thought into packaging your services and pricing before creating a gig. For help, look at the gigs of other sellers offering similar services.
2. Upwork
When you are ready to grow your business and need a reliable player in your team without exceeding budget, Upwork is for you. There are over 5 million business accounts on Upwork. Like Fiverr, the platform also takes 20 percent of your earnings.
Recently, this freelance platform has launched a new feature called a direct contract. It lets you work with freelancers even if they don’t have an Upwork account. You only have to pay the value of the contract. It protects your funds and they aren’t released until the project is delivered or completed. It’s a highly recommended service for new client onboarding and building trust.
3. Crowdspring
Every business owner has to work on developing their brand so that people get to know them and trust them. This is best done with a professional website and a logo. In order to get the designing of your site sorted out, choose Crowdspring.
This freelance platform connects you with freelancers specializing in product design, web design, and logo creation and naming a business. All you must do is post the job/service you need and professionals will reach out to you. Pick a response that best suits your need. Crowdspring is also a place to find new clients in the category of designing.
4. PeoplePerHour
PeoplePerHour works somewhat similar to Fiverr and Upwork. It has borrowed the gig concept from Fiverr and bidding concept from Upwork. When you sign up for work, you receive 15 free project bids per month. Once the number exceeds, you must buy credits to continue bidding.
Gigs are called Hourlies. As a freelancer, you have complete freedom for defining the price of your services and delivery terms. If you hate to chase clients for payments or you have lost them entirely because a client disappeared, PPH has your back. Before doing business, the buyer must deposit funds in the Escrow account.
Although PeoplePerHour caters to the international market, it’s limited to 3 currencies only. These include USD, EUR, and GBP. It only accepts bank or PayPal for transferring payments.
5. LinkedIn
LinkedIn is not technically a freelance platform. It’s a platform for networking, posting jobs, and applying for jobs. In other words, it is also a marketplace for finding freelancers. When posting a job, you can add details of your project and specify whether or not you want someone on-site or remotely.
The platform sends quotes to freelancers via email. You may also send them an offer in a message. It’s a less costly marketplace as compared to Fiverr or Upwork. You may use it’s free version to avoid paying anything at all. LinkedIn is highly recommended for finding a closely vetted pool of talent.
7. Guru
Guru is smaller as compared to other freelance platforms. However, it’s still a great place to find marketing professionals from around the world. Its prices are reasonable.
Signing up is very simple. If you have a small budget and don’t mind hiring someone to complete a task remotely, Guru is perfect. It charges an 8.95% commission for each project, which is very minimal as compared to other freelance platforms mentioned in the list.
Guru has grown over the years. It operates on a safe model of payment. The categories include web and software development, writing and translation, admin support, design, art and multimedia, management and finance, engineering and architecture, and more.
Conclusion
Each freelancer has different goals when it comes to growing and supporting their business. I have been able to stay within budget thanks to amazing customer service by calling on Spectrum phone numbers and platforms like Guru and Fiverr to find skilled freelancers at an affordable price. Choose a platform that works best for your business.