At this stage in my business, it’s becoming apparent that I need to start scaling more. More specifically, it’s starting to look like I should hire sub-contractors to help me with some of the writing workload. That way I can focus on the other projects on my plate.
Okay, I’m actually going to call myself out here and admit that I’ve known this for about a year. However, I can’t bring myself to make the leap just yet. If you’re in the same boat, here are some of the ways you can determine whether or not you should hire sub-contractors as a freelance writer.
The workload is way too much.
Some people hire sub-contractors from the very beginning. Perhaps they know from the beginning that they want to run an agency. It goes back to that freelancer versus entrepreneur thing – they knew from the beginning they wanted to run a business and not be the one working in it.
Well, that wasn’t me. I enjoy writing and the freelance work that I do. In fact, when I first started I never dreamed that I’d be hiring a team. I just simply didn’t want to have a boss.
Fast forward a few years and demand is high for freelancing. Not only that but I’ve built a wildly successful personal brand that is leading to other paid opportunities such as teaching classes, spokesperson opportunities and brand awareness work with larger companies.
The result is, while I still love to freelance and will probably never stop doing it, I’m at a stage in my business where I need help with the workload. If you’re also experiencing this, it may be time to hire sub-contractors.
If you’re going through a major life transition.
This is actually something I learned from one of coaching clients. She was about to have a baby and she knew she would be very busy with a newborn. She didn’t want to completely halt her freelancing career because it was going well, so she began to hire sub-contractors to help her during this time.
If you’re keen enough, you’ll notice that major life transitions are a great time to force yourself to improve your business. For many people, a major life transition is when they realize they need to find ways to not be so involved in their own business.
If you’re ready to manage other people.
This one is really important when it comes to whether or not you should hire sub-contractors. Some people are great delegators and actually enjoy the management process. Others, not so much.
The reality is you won’t be doing all the writing anymore. What you will be doing is editing, delegating, hiring writers, hunting them down if they don’t meet deadlines and finding clients. It’s not everyone’s up of tea, so just keep that in mind when deciding if you want to hire sub-contractors.
Final Thoughts
Whether or not you should hire sub-contractors as a freelance writer is entirely up to you. For some people, this makes complete sense while for others it doesn’t. Hopefully some of these tips helped you figure it out, but if you happen to be on the fence about it, just know I’m right there with you.
