Outsourse Web / Mobile / E-commerce Design

Category: Project Management

How to Boost Your Business With a Team of Freelancers

According to industry experts, about 30-40% of an employee’s salary goes to benefits. Hiring freelancers provides small businesses with a way to obtain quality work at substantial savings when compared to hiring employees. These tips will help you build a successful team.

Identify Jobs That Can Be Done Remotely

Not all freelance work has to be remote work, but the pool of available freelancers for remote jobs is larger than the pool of local labor. Most non-production jobs that do not require face-to-face interaction with customers or vendors can be done remotely. Examples include accounting, payroll, human resources, web design, app development and customer service.

Establish Processes and Procedures

Most freelancers don’t work for a company full-time. They may work on just one project or work on periodic projects. Because you may need different freelancers to do the same tasks at different times, it is a good idea to establish processes and procedures for how you want those tasks done. This way, the work is performed consistently even when different freelancers do the work, and you don’t have to keep rehashing how to do the job every time you hire a new freelancer.

Wrap Up Administrative Tasks

Before you start bringing freelance workers on board, it is a good idea to wrap up any incomplete administrative tasks you have. For example, if you haven’t established a business structure, consider forming a limited liability company. LLCs require less paperwork, are more flexible, have tax advantages and protect your personal assets. State regulations vary, so do your research before you start or save yourself some time and avoid legal fees by working with a formation service.

Find the Right Freelancers for the Job

The internet is one of the best places to look for freelancers. You can check internet job boards or connect with freelancers on social media. Create eye-catching Facebook ads that highlight your freelance positions to get the attention of candidates.

You can speed up this process by using a template to create a Facebook ad and then customizing it with the text, color, font type and size you want. Complete your post by uploading any photos or images.

Alternatively, you can take some of the work out of finding freelancers by working with Buildateam who can match businesses with tested and verified experts.

Learn What Else Your Freelancers Can Do

If you have been working with freelancers you like but the project they are working on is coming to an end, talk to them about what other types of jobs they can do. Many freelancers have a wide range of skills, and you may be able to get other work you need to be done without having to start over by finding freelancers you can trust.

Simplify Your Paperwork

During the hiring process, you will be sending a large amount of paperwork back and forth with freelancers. PDF documents are an ideal format for this paperwork. Avoid the need to print out and scan PDFs by making them editable with a free online converter. This tool turns PDFs into Word files without losing any formatting. The tool is simple to use, requiring only that you upload your PDF, convert it and then download the file.

Building a team of freelancers can benefit your business in many ways. Identify where you need help, establish procedures and processes, use social media to find talented candidates, and manage your paperwork and documents. These tips will help you successfully build your team and boost your business.

Written by Ethel Lair.

August 8, 2022
Task Management Skills for Small Business Owners to Use in Daily Life

Being able to manage tasks is an essential skill for all small business owners. This skill isn’t just useful in business — it also improves our everyday lives. Here, Buildateam.io outlines some of the top tips for managing tasks and remote teams as they arise to help make life and managing a business easier.

The Importance of Task Management

As a small business owner, task management is one of the most important skills you can master. At work, it helps you achieve organizational efficiency and keeps you motivated, which can ultimately lead to more success for your small business. Effective task management can make the difference between feeling overwhelmed and feeling calm; without it, you can expect to spend more time trying to solve problems than finishing the job at hand. If you find yourself struggling to complete tasks, use the tips below to help break down large tasks into smaller manageable tasks each day.

Practice Time Management

Whether it’s an outstanding task, an unplanned project, or simply the amount of time available in your day, setting priorities and focusing on actual deadlines will help you remain productive and organized. One of the reasons entrepreneurs fail is because they have too many things on their plate. That’s why time management apps were developed—to help small business owners break down large tasks and make sure they’re focusing on each task with clarity and perspective.

Time-tracking apps like ConnectTeam or TimeCamp help you schedule, prioritize, and manage your time and your tasks. Project management apps are also great here. With apps like Asana, you can set due dates to complete tasks and monitor the lifecycle of a project so you never miss a deadline.

And these are just the tip of the iceberg. A cloud-based invoicing tool can help you reconcile payments more quickly, and you and your customers can schedule automatic payments, which offers peace of mind for everyone. There are even appointment scheduling apps, digital signature apps, note taking apps and more. All designed with the idea of saving time.

Delegate Tasks

Many small business owners think they can do everything themselves, but what many fail to realize is that delegating tasks to trusted employees can help them more effectively prioritize tasks and keep projects on track. The key is coming up with a process for delegating responsibilities so you can start relying on other people.

As an example, suppose you’re creating an LLC and need to formalize it with the proper paperwork and accounts.

Utilize professional services whenever you can. Information and help with tasks like forming an LLC or help with accounting, website or invoicing service can be the biggest time saver you can use. Be sure to look for an online formation service that garners positive feedback as far as the user friendliness, efficiency, and speed at which they operate.

Or if you need help designing a website, developing an app, opening an e-commerce store, graphic design or digital marketing, turn to BuildaTeam.io for access to fully trained professionals ready to bring your vision to reality.

When it comes to daily tasks at work and at home, many of us find it hard to delegate to those around us so we can relax and enjoy the moments we have. By managing tasks, we can allow ourselves to be more efficient, productive, and happy people.

May 18, 2022
Debunking Common Web Development Myths

In the past three years of doing business, BuildaTeam has helped nearly 200 companies build and launch their web and mobile projects. We have accomplished this by giving our partners exclusive access to the world’s best freelance remote developers through our platform where they are hired and managed by our locally based Project Managers (on your time zone) to keep you in the loop at all times. We have thousands of Developers, Engineers, Data Scientists and more experts on the platform, but even an expert starts somewhere. So if you’re out there thinking about getting into web development, we found this great article on Huffington Post that debunks Common Myths of Web Design…and we thought we’d share it here.

1. You have to begin coding at a really young age

This is a very common misconception. Yes, it is true that many programmers are young, but there are just as many of them in their forties, fifties and older. This misconception is largely fueled by the media.

Prior to the break of the millennium, young innovators were not considered to be immature, irresponsible and not worthy of a cent in investment money. In fact, as early as 2005, young founders, innovators and programmers were a marginalized group.

Fast forward to today and the script has been flipped; now you are considered ‘old’ if you begin after the age of 18 – at least in the eyes of the media.

Check out the stories of Alan Turing, Grace Hopper and Brian Kernighan for some much needed motivation.

There is no right age to start programming; the right time is whenever you are ready.

2. You need to be a genius

Wrong again. I am a web developer, and have worked with many other developers over the years from different countries and languages and I can’t think of one of them who is a ‘genius’. I am not saying that there are no Einstein-like programmers; we all know that there are. But this group of geniuses is more the exception than the rule.

In reality, most programmers are simply people who have a passion for problem solving, computers, computing, and this passion fueled them to get better and better every day.
Often times, this misconception comes from everybody else, not programmers. We see someone that came up with a ground breaking innovation and we automatically put them up on a pedestal and proclaim them better than everybody else.

Most programmers are actually quiet and teachable people who are not really interested in taking credit for their work.

3. Men are better programmers

This myth has no basis in reality whatsoever. It will alarm you even more if you knew the foundational roles that women have played in the tech industry.

Grace Hopper invented the first compiler. Ada Lovelace is considered the first computer programmer. The first computer language, FORMAC was developed byJean Sammet at IBM. Sister Mary Kenneth Keller was part of the team that came up with BASIC.

Need I say more?

Yes, today the tech industry is heavily biased towards men. The statistics stretch beyond the workplace back to the university days where females do not constitute up to 20% of computer science graduates.
The tragedy is that most women have come to hold this bias as truth.
But it is just myth ladies, nothing more.

4. You’ve created a website so you are a developer

No you are not. If you created a site it just means you created a site, nothing more. Being a web developer is not that simple. It requires you to become adept in a wide range of skills and to work at updating and refreshing said skills regularly. Being a web developer is hard work, just like any other worthwhile pursuit in life.

Now, to be fair, if you have created a website you are on the way to becoming a web developer. To continue on this part you need to study key books, read key blogs, attend conferences to learn from the old heads and yes, experiment with a wide range of tools and technologies and yes, build a lot of sites.

Web development is a tough discipline, but the challenges it poses are surmountable if you have the passion and the continued knowledge.

5. Once a site is built, it’s finished

In many ways, a site is like a human being; it is a living, breathing organism that needs constant care to stay alive and functional.

Think of a web developer as a nanny; his job extends far beyond just putting up a site. Many companies employ developers round the clock to ensure that their sites operate seamlessly without glitches.

If you’re looking for an experienced web developer to assist you with anything, definitely shoot us an email at hello@buildateam.io and we’d be happy to discuss your project, and get you a free quote from a proven expert on our team!

For more information on BuildaTeam please visit our site: www.buildateam.io

October 21, 2016
BuildaTeam Project Manager Stories: Silvia

At BuildaTeam.io we use highly skilled and experienced Project Managers either based in the U.S or on the same timezone nearby, to manage clients’ projects and liaise with clients easily. As part of an ongoing series we’ll be asking our most popular PMs to tell their favorite stories from PM life on the job. Here’s our first entry, from Silvia who’s been working with us for over a year now. Straight from her mouth!

“I was managing a large research project for Latin America consumers, specifically the project nature was delicate itself because the outcome was to obtain data on a certain brand (Opinions and experiences). One of the major capital/equity partners was discredited from the company, so he needed good data to proceed legally.

In terms of contracts and expectations everything was cleared, however the client wouldn’t like to know anything until we achieved the goals. This is so very bad for any project, the clients need to be involved in the process. Most project Managers have had their fair share of this, I believe. It is very important to align the ideas, and to create a good communication channel

The goal of the project was clear, however the guidelines and specifications were never actually outlined, so every team did as they thought would be the right way… and this caused several versions of the information to go live, incorrectly. At this point all of the project collaborators were actually telling their own version (as they perceived it) and it was a nightmare, we needed to start from scratch (after a month).

The only thing that saved this project was that I was able to suggest starting “official” documentation , I realized how important it is to have clear written guidelines, so everybody can be on the same page. If this is not in place, the project can go off the rails in a second. Fortunately we (as a team) did a common practice called “war room” for an entire day where all of the teams were together in an organized way, and we were able to share our experiences. Several action items came out of this meeting, including going back to basics.

Final Project Manager Lesson: You can be in the foot of the canyon in a second if you are not careful, clear and concise. As a Project Manager that should be the first thing on your list. Get all the details written down and for everyone involved to see.

Do not be ashamed to ask two, three or as many times as needed, it’s better to deliver strong results by asking questions, than deliver nothing relevant. Always think ahead of time, Project Managers do not live in the present, you must have a clear vision of what it is going to happen, and you need to have backup plans.”

Thanks Silvia for being a great PM on our team! To learn more about how Buildateam handles outsourced web and mobile development for our clients, in a different way please visit our website at www.buildateam.io

October 13, 2016