A Nation of Freelancers

Posted by Edward Thomas

There’s a new way of working. At a recent presentation given at Andover Expo, it was said that twenty years from now, we will each have three jobs – one of which will be running our own business. Whilst that may seen difficult to imagine, the way we do business is changing at record speed, and with more and more people becoming self-employed or contracting their services out to companies, we’re fast becoming a nation of freelancers.

Business owners may shudder at the prospect – how can they afford freelance rates and do without permanent staff? And how will we all manage without sick pay, annual leave and maternity benefits? Well it doesn’t have to be quite as complicated as you may think - in fact, this way of working may well benefit both business owners, their associates and clients alike.

TWA is one such company which has embraced this notion, applying the idea of employing a solely freelance workforce for all sides of the firm – from business support services and event management to creative marketing. Set up back in 2006, our plan was to hire in expert skills to match the needs of clients as and when they were required. The aim? To have a body of freelancers with a range of skills affiliated to the business, and to get the best quality of work without the overheads.

Soon establishing a need for a full-time design team, copywriter and marketing executive, we decided to take on several staff alongside our associated freelancers. But as the company’s offering evolved and several members of the permanent team left or became self-employed, TWA reverted back to its initial policy and has found that in times of a recession, it provides piece of mind and a more affordable way of doing business, without compromising the quality of work.

Co-Director Paul Winter says:

“We find it suits us to have a body of specialists on hand rather than employing people directly. In terms of juggling people’s holiday and buying in equipment, although freelancers can work at a more expensive rate we do find it far more economic. Our clients build relationships with Ed and I, and they know our regular freelancers well too - so there’s no compromise.”

Paul continues: “Since reverting to this way of sourcing staff, our overheads have reduced by more than 75%. We work on an annual planned programme of activities and negotiate rates with our team of associates - this ensures a guaranteed income for both the business and our team while allowing the client to get continuity of service without paying for the overheads a traditional agency would carry.  This leaves the associates free to undertake additional freelance work and, for TWA, a tried and trusted resource can be expanded when required.”

TWA aren’t the only ones to be thinking this way. Andover-based Remote Team Network (RTN) have recently secured a sizeable export contract in association with PWP Architects, providing the conceptual design for a major tourism project in Uganda. By inviting UK-based freelancers to lodge their interest in the project through the company’s website remoteworkersonline.com, RTN is bringing together the skills of experts in a number of different sectors, and enabling them to work together without the need to commute. RTN hopes to transform the way international projects are led by offering a leaner, greener alternative to more traditional team projects, as well as providing access to the extensive talent pool of expert freelancers based within the UK.

It makes perfect sense.  At a time when fuel costs and property rental are at an all-time high and technology is enabling swifter, more advanced communication than ever before, there’s no need for an office full of desks, a permanently employed workforce and a complicated PAYE system. The way we do business is changing and companies need to look at the options available to them to remain competitive.

Having evolved the company’s structure significantly, TWA is now running more efficiently than ever, with costs to clients reduced and a more strategic and focused outlook on the future of our business.  Recently shortlisted for Hampshire County Council’s Small Business of the Year Award, and now running several business events which have been met with huge success, TWA is the proof in the pudding that having less people on the payroll could mean big things for your enterprise.