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of the independent workforce and enterprises who engage independent professionals.
Grow a Small Business |
How to Stay Competitive as an Independent Contractor
One of the most common fears as an independent contractor is the constant uncertainty of industry competition and how you are faring compared to other businesses. This is a legitimate concern, as what your competitors are doing can dramatically impact your ability to earn or maintain current clients. The first step in staying on top of…
Grow a Small Business |
7 Ways Consultants Can Get More Clients
To get more clients as a consultant, you not only need to know how to sell and market your business but also how to qualify clients for your particular services. Both can help you save time and lead to better outcomes, ie. closing the deal and winning new or repeat business. Your clients are an…
Grow a Small Business |
3 Ways to Evaluate Small Business Goals
The future of your business and its level of success are determined by the decisions you make, both large and small. To help ensure you’re making the right decisions for your business, it’s important to not only set initial goals in your business plan, but to take the time to periodically reevaluate them. Whether you’re…
Grow a Small Business |
5 Steps to Kickstart Your 2025 Business Planning
Proactive planning is the cornerstone of any successful business, especially in today’s rapidly changing market. For self-employed professionals, taking the time to strategically plan for the year ahead is not just advisable—it’s essential. Early planning can be the difference between surviving and thriving in 2025. With a well-thought-out plan, you can navigate challenges, seize opportunities,…
Grow a Small Business |
How to Network with Peers When You’re Self Employed
Networking with your peers may sound too easy to be good advice, but there are many advantages: hearing a new perspective, gaining industry advice, or obtaining an outside opinion about an idea you have, just to name a few. It can be easy to get caught up in the daily grind of running your own…
Contracts and Finance |
9 Self-Employed Tax Deductions You May Overlooking
As an independent professional, properly managing your expenses is not just good business, it’s also a good income strategy. As a business-of-one, you will likely incur fixed costs that can’t be billed back to a client. You may also need to take care of expenses such as healthcare and retirement. Each of these fixed or variable costs can…
Grow a Small Business |
8 Steps to Plan a Successful Project Kickoff Meeting
When a new initiative starts, a project kickoff meeting is essential to success. Putting time and energy into turning your kickoff from “just a meeting” into a motivating, action-oriented session can pay big dividends over the course of the project. Your kickoff needs to fit the type of project being launched. Examples include: Internal projects…
Grow a Small Business |
How to Market Your Skills in a Job Marketplace
Today, many independent professionals use online marketplaces as a way to find work. Marketplaces enable a transaction between a client and a contractor directly online, allowing independents to highlight their skills and search for opportunities, while clients can evaluate candidates and engage the best person for the job. With a marketplace, you will typically fill out…
Contracts and Finance |
Overcoming Top Consulting Challenges
Working as an independent consultant and being your own boss offers a number of benefits including setting your own hours, determining your specialties, and choosing your clients. However, independent consulting is not without its challenges. In MBO’s State of Independence report, we surveyed independent consultants to learn about their experiences, goals, and difficulties. Here, we discuss two…
Contracts and Finance |
Write an RFP that Wins Clients: 10 Steps
As an independent professional, prospective clients will often ask you for a proposal or a Request for Proposal (RFP)—a more formal document where you propose a solution to the client’s problem or business need. RFPs will also include information about your business such as details about your services, methodology, and estimated costs. Proposals are a great…
Market a Small Business |
How to Build a Strategic Networking Plan as an Independent Professional
When you own a business, most of your work is done independently. Being your own boss, setting your own hours, and setting your own goals are just some of the major perks of working independently. But in order to be successful, you can’t do it all on your own—developing a strong network and cultivating key…
Manage a Small Business |
5 Ways to Communicate Effectively with Big Clients
When you work with a big client, you can expect higher-value contracts, name recognition, and steady work. Once you land that coveted contract, client relationship management will become part of your daily routine. You’ll quickly learn that consistent, thorough, and open communication is the key to project success. By prioritizing communication, you can discuss and…
Grow a Small Business |
Education Options to Grow Your Skills and Your Business
Continuous learning is important for any professional. For independents who operate a solo business, it’s a must. In addition to continuing to hone skills in your area of expertise, you must understand how to operate a company. That involves how to market your services, how to budget your finances, and how to find land new…
Grow a Small Business |
Freedom and Jobs: A Tribute to Martin Luther King
Martin Luther King, Jr. stood on the white marble steps of the Lincoln Memorial. He looked out at the quarter million Americans who had traveled to the nation’s capital for the “March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.” It was 3:00 PM on August 28, 1963. The weather was unseasonably pleasant with cooler than expected…
Direct Sourcing |
How to Implement a Direct Sourcing Strategy
Implementing a direct sourcing strategy as a hiring solution has many benefits and is not very difficult if you follow a few best practices. Direct sourcing independent talent can provide businesses with access to much-needed skills as well as cost savings, increased output, and greater efficiency. More than ever before, the contingent workforce is essential…
Misclassification & Compliance |
Independent Contractor Misclassification and Compliance News August 2024
Support for the gig economy and the freelancers who comprise it continues with legislation becoming effective in July and August protecting freelancers. The Illinois Freelance Worker Protection Act and the New York Freelancer Isn’t Free Act became effective this summer—Illinois on July 1 and New York on August 28.
Misclassification & Compliance |
Hiring Independent Contractors: 5 Risks to Avoid
Hiring independent contractors can be risky if you don’t have a plan in place to properly manage compliance and business requirements. More companies are looking to hire independent contractors because they are a valuable source of talent for businesses. The growth of the independent workforce has also made it easier for businesses to compliantly engage…
Workforce Management |
3 Ways Independent Contractors Are Cost-Effective
Engaging an independent contractor to contribute specific skills to a project, help develop a new line of business, or assist in building out a new market is often much more cost-effective than spending the time and resources to recruit a full-time employee for the same need. Cost Differences Between Independent Contractors and Employees There are…
Misclassification & Compliance |
4 Ways to Reduce Worker Misclassification Risk
Worker misclassification is a complex topic with no straightforward solution. It can often be unintentional because businesses simply do not fully understand the laws regarding how to classify their workers. However, it can also be done intentionally to reduce labor costs or avoid payroll taxes. Regardless of why misclassification occurs, it can result in many…
Workforce Management |
6 Ways to Build Relationships with Independent Workers
The most effective workforces today consist of a mix of full-time and contingent labor. When working with independent talent, it is important to build strong relationships so that the talent feels valued and that their work made a positive impact. Independent professionals have specialized expertise in a particular industry. They are business owners who…
Workforce Management |
5 Ways to Work Better with Top Talent
Companies today are settling into new ways of managing their workforce. Many are relying more heavily on contingent workers, a pool of talent that has the flexibility and skillsets needed to fill key functions quickly and efficiently. Independent professionals are a growing group of talent, and their skills are in high demand. In order to…
Direct Sourcing |
The Power of Direct Sourcing: 3 Big Benefits for Your Workforce
Direct sourcing, a strategic process by which a company leverages independent talent sourced from an internally developed pool to perform work as contingent or temporary workers, has evolved significantly and become a strategic talent solution for many enterprises. As of early 2023, nearly 80% of large organizations either have a direct sourcing program in place…
Workforce Trends |
Report Overview: Nomading Normalizes in 2024
According to our 2024 research and report, digital nomads—people who work while traveling—are still on the move. The number of US nomads, comprising traditional employees and independent professionals, climbed by almost one million from 2023 to 2024. Now 18.1 million strong, they are a permanent fixture in the workplace. Independents Keep Digital Nomadism Going Strong…
Misclassification & Compliance |
Hiring 1099 vs W2 Employee: Pros and Cons
The differences between 1099 and W-2 tax forms, and considerations to take into account when making hiring decisions for your organization.
Misclassification & Compliance |
5 Common Concerns about Hiring Independent Contractors
If your organization is engaging independent contractors for the first time, it may feel like navigating completely new territory. You might have fears about the quality of the final product, what it’ll cost, or the productive use of time and resources—it can be hard to trust someone you’ve never worked with before. However, in light…
Workforce Trends |
5 Ways Your Company Can Embrace Digital Nomad Workers
Digital nomads—people who embrace a location-independent, technology-enabled lifestyle—have grown by leaps and bounds in the past few years. Today, more than one in ten US workers describe themselves as digital nomads. Some digital nomads work in countries worldwide, traveling frequently, while others explore areas within the US or find one place to stay for a…
Workforce Management |
Solving the Workforce Puzzle #3: The Optimized Workforce
This is the third in a six-part series looking at key aspects of an effective workforce. How a company leverages its talent resources can create a true competitive advantage. Organizations with a more flexible workforce can quickly pivot to changing project demands and client expectations, more easily meet budget constraints, and remain open to innovation….
Misclassification & Compliance |
What is Co-Employment: 4 Ways to Avoid Co-Employment Risk
Co-employment is an arrangement where two companies both have rights and obligations as an employer. Learn the complex risks and benefits of co-employment and best practices independent contractor engagement.