With the gig economy thriving every day, the business will never be the same. Now, companies, workers, and most of the youth prefers to be an independent worker.
The global gig economy generates $204 billion in gross volume. People are happier to choose independent work as it brings more work-life balance. Yes, some stats might show us that the gig economy is not giving financial stability, but people prefer to have a lifestyle of their own choice. As the mindset shifts, companies are also starting to rethink their recruitment processes.
What is the gig economy?
The gig economy is defined by firms offering freelancers and independent contractors short-term, flexible contracts rather than full-time employees aka gig worker.
What is a gig worker?
In the gig economy, a gig worker works as a freelancer or independent contractor. Mostly, they are known as the self-employed rather than full-time employees. As a result, normal employment benefits such as health insurance, retirement plans, and paid time off are unavailable.
Now, as a gig worker, it is common for some people to think about business. If you are trying to change how you work, you might start now by focusing on how to make it successful.
Sounds like a plan? But is it, though, just as easy as it seems?
One line answer is no because it requires a lot of collaboration, client management, and financial balance.
So, how to manage it all? Let’s look into it.
How to successfully turn your gig into a business?
In the Asia Pacific, 84% of hiring managers outsource to freelancers. It is a great opportunity for freelancers. However, if they have to turn their gig into business, they must be more sophisticated with their methods.
First of all, you cannot now simply just rely on a solo journey. You need a team, and as a freelancer, you will probably prefer a distributed team. This brings us to our first point on how to turn your gig into a business successfully.
. Focus on collaboration
Collaboration is critical in any organization, but you must approach it correctly. Collaboration can be costly and time-consuming, but it can also pay off if done correctly. The key is to get your collaboration activities right the first time.
Besides, if you want your team to be on the same page, invest in collaboration tools for business. With the right tool, you can enable fast collaboration among the teams, manage clients, and grow your network effectively.
Just like you, the chances are that your team is also consist of a bunch of gig workers. Therefore, transparency is also required to provide gig workers the confidence to accept ad-hoc jobs. Having the right tool means that data must be easily available. Besides, project managers must be proficient in using relevant task management tools to build trust and efficient workflows.
So, to enhance collaboration, the major requirement for you is the best communication tools for teams with real-time accessibility.
. Establish clear responsibilities
Employees in an office can discuss who is doing what and always check in with one another. On the other hand, a hybrid team does not have the luxury. When tasks are unclear, it can lead to significant delays and tension.
If responsibilities are unclear, the team may find itself waiting for a task from a freelancer who is unaware of their responsibilities. A day has passed by the time all of you are on the same page.
As a result, good task management software will help you arrange your duties better. You set the goal and invite members, and everyone knows their duties.
. Be aware of what your workforce wants and needs
The need for greater collaboration is also undeniable. But the needs are also inevitable. As you are busy communicating with the clients, you must also focus on the needs of your team. Do not just make your communication about the work.
In the office, people have the advantage of discussing their problems right away. However, with the distributed team, reaching out to other team members is not always easy. Time zones are different, and another person’s will is often unknown.
So, use the team communication channels for extracurricular activities too. You can arrange an online game session and have snack time together just to know each other better and make work easier.
This way, your team knows that financial and emotional needs are also met.
. Define basic standards or set a few rules
Full-time personnel is well-versed in the company’s mission, brand requirements, and working procedures. However, freelancers do not undergo the same onboarding and training as employees. They work for a variety of companies and have built their processes.
Give freelancers a crash course in brand standards, guidelines, and corporate lingo before they start working on the same team as other team members. Everyone will be on the same page when working on projects and speaking the same language.
You can make great use of a communication tool here and have an intro meeting. Or Just add the introductory video for the team members. Once they join the team and are added by you to the software, they can see the video and understand the standards.
Bottom line
Hopefully, we didn’t just answer the question but also showed you how to do it. The main thing on your mind should be investing in team collaboration tools. TeamingWay can make it easy for you as only a single tool can suffice.
The bonus is that if you are already using it as a freelancer, you know the functionalities and are quite familiar with the features. All you have to do is adjust your account and projects as you run a company. That way, you will have it all organized in a better way.
