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When you first started your business, it was probably a 1-man shop. After putting in hundreds of long hours in, your business expands and you need an extra hand to help take off some of the tedious workload while you can stay focused on running the business. If you’re lucky, you hire someone who works hard and always goes the extra mile, is creative, does what you need them to do on time, and is someone you like.
Unfortunately, many business owners deal with a string of disastrous employees and contractors before building up their all-star team. The same thing happens online and you shouldn’t let your guard down there either.
Motoza, just like any offline or online business, has gone through these struggles in the early stages. However, it taught us many great lessons that we use to select the very best to work on our team. The following are a few tips on choosing the right online contractors for those starting out:
1) Don’t hire simply because you like them. It’s a huge mistake that I still see today, even in the corporate hiring processes. When interviewers are asked why they prefer an interviewee over another, the typical response is, “I really like this person”. Sure, liking a person is important and if he gets along with you, getting things done will be less of a hassle, but the main aspect you need to focus on is to see if he produces results. You’re not hiring him to make friends, you’re hiring him because you need something done and he has that skill set. Read reviews on his previous projects, ask for work samples, and find anything you can about the guy you’re about to hire. It’s your money after all.
2) Ask for a service guarantee or warranty. Many online contractors you come across will probably have no warranty on their work and you simply have to trust them to do a job. I don’t like that and it makes me very uneasy. The important thing here is to negotiate on some sort of insurance (e.g. refund, additional makeup work, chargeback) so you’re not a sitting duck when things go wrong. When you have agreed on the terms, make sure you have it documented on paper or in an email.
3) Have a backup plan. With offline contractors in your area, if something goes wrong and they try running away, you can always go knocking on their door with a lawyer. Online, it may be a little bit difficult to do that, as they may be based in other countries. Whether intentional or due to a real emergency, they can simply stop responding to your emails and halt any online communication, leaving you SOL. Always have at least one other contractor in contact (if not more) that can finish where the last guy started to minimize any delays in your project.
