Episode 29: Marcus Blankenship on Managing Subcontractors

This is the Business of Freelancing Podcast, Episode 29. Today we’ll discuss a number of thoughts related to hiring subcontractors. My guest is coach, advisor, project manager and author Marcus Blankenship. If you’ve ever found yourself in the position of needing to hire and manage others, then this podcast will definitely resonate. I’m very close to launching my new daily question and answer podcast/YouTube show, called Freelance Answers. This will be a great way to share the questions that a lot of you have asked and delve into a variety of topics that come up in my discussions with readers of the blog. You can find out more about the new show and submit your questions at doubleyourfreelancing.com/answers. Stay tuned to my newsletter to find out when the new show will be released. At one time I thought that when it came to hiring subcontractors all you really needed to do was hire smart people. It’s actually not that easy. The idea of a self-managing employee is a fallacy and puts very unrealistic expectations on the person you hire. There are some ways to set up yourself and your subcontractor to succeed: Be realistic about communication. When hiring you will need to explain in great detail what you need. It is impossible to over-communicate. We outline some ways that you and your subcontractors can communicate on a very frequent basis. Answer your subcontractor’s questions quickly. Know that you might have to face a client who questions having a subcontractor do their work instead of you. We discuss some ways to handle those situations. You are the person who assumes all risk and you are responsible for reviewing the work before it gets to the client. Give feedback. This is an important subject and we discuss how that feedback needs to be delivered. Marcus has outstanding coaching experience and tons of great ideas. You can connect with him on his website at marcusblankenship.com. If you liked today’s podcast, could I please nudge you into a review leave a review for the show in iTunes? If you have any suggestions or thoughts about the show, please contact me on my website at doubleyourfreelancing.com/contact.