Why WOTW Loves Freelancers
Contractors bring benefits that go well beyond our bottom line.
One of the very first decisions Kelsey and I made at WOTW was that we wanted to work with freelancers. This appealed to us for several reasons. For one, it allowed us to weather the ups and downs of owning a new — and operationally volatile — business. If we didn’t have the work, we wouldn’t give it away. Yet, regardless of any seasonalities we experienced, we wanted to find a way to give good work to good people. Financially, it was a no-brainer. But like all things at WOTW, I was pleasantly surprised when I began to see that contracted help has far greater benefits than those that just affect your bottom line.
Let’s start with talent. Freelancers are often highly talented folks. Someone who has spent a few years exclusively on contracted work, or focusing on areas of expertise, is likely very, very good at what they do. It may seem obvious, but it bears noting that these are folks who not only know what they’re doing but can do it quickly — which was extremely important to us, as we move at a quick pace. It was imperative that our developers knew the ins and outs of Squarespace to be able to consult andmake quick decisions based on a client’s needs.
Freelancers also offer unique and varied perspectives, due to their work with different clients and across multiple industries. When it comes to design — especially when you’re working across different verticals — information sharing and community make your team as a whole stronger and better equipped to solve problems. Personal and professional experiences also shape and frame our knowledge and creativity. Like many others, I believe and have seen that a diverse perspective is crucial to any sort of innovation. That path is supercharged when you’re working with a lot of different folks who bring their collective experiences to the table.
Sometimes, though not all of the time, the most talented folks don’t always love to work at agencies or corporate environments and prefer to work for themselves. The talent pool can be deep — so long as you’re looking in the right places. There are a lot of networks (hello, Slack channels) we are a part of that help us with future recruiting. Good talent knows good talent, and you’ve just tapped into a spring that can help you easy-button future growth decisions.
Last and certainly not least, freelancers offer flexibility in schedule and location. The cost to bring a freelancer into the team is low, and their schedule flexibility can be higher. Let’s face it: stay-at-home orders caused much of the American workforce to step into virtual roles. While that was already the case for WOTW, there are many benefits that come from a flexible and remote team, like diverse perspectives, talent and knowledge base.
We know we made the right choice, since now, a few years after bringing in our first freelancers, we have seen these benefits play out in front of our eyes. More than on paper, or saving us a dime here or there, these folks have become the core of our team, and make our days better and brighter. I say this with all sincerity: our freelancers are what drive our success and our professional development, and we would not be doing this without them.
— Mallory Ulaszek, co-founder/lead project manager
