| Introduction | | | | - Rendering and tracking payment |
| You need a jingle written; administrative help; a | | | | - Managing 1099s and tax compliance |
| CAD expert. Or maybe you need a business plan | | | | To get started on Guru.com, all you do is register |
| or a new product packaging design. There is a | | | | and post your project needs; you will receive a |
| good chance that you have needed some skill at | | | | myriad of responses. Alternatively, to manage |
| some point that you just don't have. | | | | your workload, you can invite individual |
| Finding talent is frustrating and time-consuming, | | | | practitioners to apply, obviating the need to |
| rarely leaving you satisfied. To find reliable service | | | | review countless proposals in search of the right |
| providers, you ask around, play phone tag, and | | | | professional. In deciding which professionals to |
| deal with convoluted referral networks. Every day | | | | invite or engage, you can review their proposals, |
| you search is another that your needs go | | | | resumes, feedback for previous projects, and |
| unfulfilled. Small businesses go through a lot to get | | | | overall Guru ranking. |
| the service they need. You know this. You also | | | | The Guru ranking structure is multifaceted. The |
| know - or at least feel - that it shouldn't be so | | | | fundamental element is project feedback. At the |
| difficult. | | | | end of each project, after payment has been |
| has revolutionized the process of finding specific | | | | settled, the practitioner and client have the |
| skills quickly and for your budget. is a marketplace | | | | opportunity to rate each other. Clients rate |
| for freelance talent. Service providers can | | | | professionals on the timeliness and quality of their |
| advertise their offerings and bid on the projects | | | | work, while professionals rate clients on clarity of |
| that you post. Businesses can post their project | | | | instruction and guidance, cooperation, and |
| needs and select from a variety of talented | | | | payment. These ratings, from one to five stars, |
| professionals. The website also offers a | | | | can be useful in making decisions around who to |
| governance framework - including payment and | | | | engage for specific projects. Individual project |
| 1099s for IRS tax compliance - so you can focus | | | | feedback, in conjunction with the number of |
| on the work you need completed instead of | | | | projects completed and total fees earned, is used |
| ancillary administrative matters. | | | | to generate an overall ranking for practitioners, |
| Searching for Talent | | | | with the most successful ranked #1. |
| Your company is based in Virginia (or Iowa, or | | | | To facilitate engaging geographically dispersed |
| Utah, or wherever). As such, you tend to look for | | | | practitioners, has a built-in payment service, by |
| service providers in your back yard; a nationwide | | | | which companies can render payment for |
| effort just isn't practical. So, the New York | | | | services through the website. If you engage |
| company pays New York rates, and the Oregon | | | | multiple practitioners throughout the year, this |
| company settles for a more limited talent pool. | | | | feature simplifies the accounting process; all your |
| Nobody wins, and everybody settles for the best | | | | payments are made to Guru.com, and in turn |
| available solution. Traditionally, finding exactly what | | | | pays your practitioners. Within Guru.com, you |
| you need, wherever it may reside, was not a | | | | receive invoices from practitioners for specific |
| viable option. Fortunately, the world is changing. | | | | projects, and you can track payments according |
| The web does make the process of engaging | | | | to discrete activities. You have a granular view of |
| talent easier, but most solutions are far from | | | | activity without having an overwhelming |
| fool-proof. is expensive and not designed for ad | | | | accounting burden. |
| hoc project work and freelancers. Posting on | | | | Derived from the payment functionality in is the |
| Craigslist.org will get you countless resumes from | | | | 1099 service, required for IRS tax compliance. |
| unqualified practitioners. After such experiences, | | | | Since you pay - and pays the professionals you |
| you wind up back in your local market, asking | | | | engage - you do not have to issue 1099s. does it |
| around for somebody who is close enough. | | | | for you. This feature significantly reduces your |
| What you really need is broad access to | | | | clerical workload and allows you to spend your |
| nationwide talent without the headache of a | | | | time on much more important business tasks. |
| resume deluge or absurd fees. You need a way | | | | Lessons for Small Businesses |
| to find exactly what you want quickly, so you can | | | | provides an inexpensive, user-friendly, and |
| get down to business. | | | | comprehensive environment for sourcing and |
| to the Rescue | | | | managing freelance talent. Instead of having to |
| What makes particularly effective is the amount | | | | rely on an endless chain of referrals to find a |
| of activity it attracts. To constitute a viable venue | | | | practitioner who almost meets your needs, offers |
| for sourcing talent, there has to be a large and | | | | an environment that decreases the time it takes |
| varied pool from which you can choose. is the | | | | to find a practitioner while increasing the likelihood |
| name brand for freelance talent on the web, with | | | | that you will find the most appropriate resource. |
| a variety of skilled practitioners and available | | | | Essentially, is faster and more accurate than |
| projects posted. Because of the robust trade that | | | | traditional methods of finding freelance talent. |
| exists on Guru.com, talent is attracted to this | | | | No small business owner can do everything |
| marketplace, increasing the likelihood that you will | | | | himself, making the need for occasional outside |
| find the specific professional who meets your | | | | help inevitable. By working with to fulfill your talent |
| needs. | | | | needs, you can reduce the time and effort |
| Among Guru.com's many features, the following | | | | associated with engaging and managing freelance |
| are particularly useful to small business owners | | | | talent while concurrently receiving a higher quality |
| who need to find talent, staff projects, and | | | | of service. not only helps you find the right |
| delivery payment: | | | | professionals, it empowers you to manage the |
| - Inviting a practitioner to bid on your project | | | | relationship effectively. |
| - Rating a practitioner's performance | | | | |