What is your favorite website for finding outsourced talent for super-quick tasks today and why?
The following answers are provided by the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, YEC recently launched StartupCollective, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses.
1. oDesk
We’ve been using contractors from oDesk to complete administration tasks quickly. It’s super easy to set the hours and budget, payments are made automatically, and you can review the contractor’s computer screenshots to make sure they were on task. It’s great for one-off tasks, but we’ve also found some talented people for longer-term positions.
– Kelly Azevedo, She’s Got Systems
2. PeoplePerHour
PeoplePerHour is very useful for connecting with professionals you can talk to immediately for random assignments. By working directly with these individuals (who are reviewed for quality by other users) instead of professional services, you can quickly see high-quality results at a lower price than an agency would be able to offer.
– Phil Laboon, Clear Sky SEO
3. Elance
Elance is great because you can see what tasks are already being posted, get a feel for what you might want to post and have your own task up in less than 10 minutes. You’ll get bids back immediately, and you can communicate to pick the best person for the job. It also handles all the W9 and 1099s required at tax time!
– Nathalie Lussier, Nathalie Lussier Media Inc.
4. Fiverr
Fiverr is for small tasks such as banner design, translations and quick videos. It’s nice because you don’t have to search through a ton of responses, place a job posting, etc. All you have to do is search profiles and “gigs.” It’s a much faster way to get quick tasks done. The worker is already an expert in the small task and usually has hundreds of reviews for the exact task.
– Dave Nevogt, Hubstaff.com
5. Guru
I like Guru because I appreciate the quality of the freelance pool. I find they tend to be more professional in general, but there are also fewer “corporations” vying for your project. The last thing I want when looking for a freelancer is someone who’s going to turn right around and assign my project to another (typically cheaper) “sub-freelancer.”
– Nicolas Gremion, Free-eBooks.net
6. Fancy Hands
I use Fancy Hands for quick tasks. First, it is easy to ask for something. You can call, email or use the mobile app to submit your request. Second, they respond quickly and provide a confirmation that they’re working on your task. They also save your preferences, so you don’t have to reclarify what you want in your schedule or calendar.
– Sarah Schupp, UniversityParent
7. My Own Social Networks
I always find a lot of success by making a post on LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter. You can’t beat good, quality referrals from others, and you’d be surprised who you have in your network that can help you out.
– Andy Karuza, Brandbuddee
8. TaskRabbit
We use TaskRabbit for a lot of smaller errands and deliveries — everything from hanging picture frames in the office to delivering a care package to a sick vendor. The ‘name your own price’ feature is great, as is the turn around time for posted jobs.
– Alex Lorton, Cater2.me
9. Freelancer.com
Freelancer.com is quick and easy to use, and I’ve successfully hired several people off of it.
– Josh Weiss, Bluegala