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