Need Advice on Outsourcing Web Design

[Jeff Chandler]

My web design business (sole proprietorship) has grown to the point where I must start subcontracting parts of my projects and focusing my attention on promotion, customer relations, and management.

Does anyone have experience in putting web related work out for bid? Any good advice is appreciated.

[Incorrigible]

http://www.rentacoder.com

[Jeff Chandler]

Have you used rentacoder? Any advice on pitfalls to avoid, etc. when putting work up for bid?

[heywaitadarnminute]

Yep. Rentacoder!

[Jeff Chandler]

Are they better than getafreelancer.com?

[Incorrigible]

I’ve been spending more time with a hammer and nails working on my own house lately but as soon as I’m done (will I ever really be done?), I’m going to offer up my part time coding services, which are better than my carpentry, on rentacoder.

The escrow process seems to ensure everyone plays by the rules. I don’t know anyone personally who has used it but the tech mag reviews I’ve read seem approving.

I’ve been a full time computer consultant contractor in the past and did my own billing. I don’t have time for the admin stuff now so this type of thing is interesting to me. Plus, you might get some fellow Americans (who work from home) to work on your project!

[Incorrigible]

They’re competitive sites. The reviews I’ve read claim that programmers prefer rentacoder.

[Jeff Chandler]

you might get some fellow Americans (who work from home) to work on your project!

That would be the best of all worlds- no language problems.

I have always pampered my clientele and so I would require prompt, dependable people who could price their work "wholesale" so there would be profit enough for advertising (and for me!). Folks working from home don't have the overhead big corporations do and are able to work for a more reasonable rate. Everybody wins!

[america-rules]

I use elance.com

[Incorrigible]

Well, my specialty is the infrastructure behind the website. I do database design, schema implementation, stored procedure development and advise the web developers how to best apply transacations and manage state in the database.

I’ve done most of this in person for large corps but I’m thinking about moonlighting through a service like rentacoder.

[Jeff Chandler]

What kind of work do you use elance for?

[angkor]

Elance is more “marketing” oriented (best term I can think of). Writing, web design, copy, etc.

Rentacoder is more hardcore technical, coding obviously being the main thing.

I’ve used Rentacoder, it’s excellent in terms of establishing a safe biz relationship. Sometimes you’ll choose the wrong person, but it’s recoverable (e.g., language difficulties). The signup process is a bit involved, and you probably will want to establish a PayPal account before you start (PayPal is the main medium of exchange on Rentacoder). It has a lot of options and protections for both sides of the deal.

I have not used Elance, but friends have with decent results. From what I can tell it’s very similar to Rentacoder in terms of helping with the business relationship. I wouldn’t hesitiate to try it for “soft” projects, including the artistic side of web design.

[Caramelgal]

“I’ve been a full time computer consultant contractor in the past and did my own billing. I don’t have time for the admin stuff now….”

I’m not a professional “coder” although I do know some HTML and have freelanced as a custom MS Access Database programmer with some VB experience, but I am primarily a “bean counter” and administrative assistant extraordinaire; mail merges and mailings, marketing, billing, accounts payable, payroll, general accounting and I am a financial reporting wizard and MS Excel guru (if I can humbly say so myself :),) and I know numerous accounting programs. I have always worked a full time job but I’ve often free lanced in many capacities and have strong references and some good local connections.

I am not a CPA however nor do I have a degree, but without those, I still rose to “Senior Accountant, Payroll and Accounts Payable Manager” in a fairly large publicly traded company and worked for a number of smaller companies in a number of different industries where I did everything financially and administratively including some HR and policy writing and benefits administration. Since I do not I have a degree or CPA I don’t do tax returns or “audited financials” but I am comfortable with PR tax returns and filings and all the basics needed administratively to run a business.

Since you say, as a consultant, you don’t have time for the admin stuff, I am curious? What sort of services were you looking for and what do you think you and other small business like yours are looking for? And what are you willing to pay for those services?

The reason I ask, is that I currently work for a tech company and we are moving to a new software platform that with enhanced automation capabilities, may make my management position in “data auditing and reporting” obsolete and since no one in upper management has been able to tell me what my new job description will be under the new platform and there have been so many changes in upper management and so many long time key employees leave recently, I am feeling extremely insecure about my future.

I hate the idea of “pounding the pavement” and looking for a new job because while I make good money now and have a very wide and I think very marketable skills, without a degree, I’m limited in my options.

Since I have done freelance work, I know a bit about working for myself, but I’m not sure how to market my skills or if I could make a go of it on my own. The only capital I have for starting a business is two computers and my knowledge, experience, skills and common sense. Is that enough? Do you know of any sites for people like me? How did you solve your admin problem?

[angkor]

Have you looked at Elance? Here are some of their categories:

Business Consulting
Business Plans
Competitive Analysis
Marketing Plans
Accounting & Bookkeeping
Email Marketing
Financial Planning
Budgeting & Forecasting
Management Consulting
Financial Reporting

[Caramelgal]

Thanks. I was under the impression Elance was just for programmers. I’ll be checking it out.