As the commonly used software becomes more complex, it also becomes much more difficult to create and maintain it. In this regard, new specializations of IT professionals, such as DevOps engineers, software engineers, frontend/backend engineers, PHP engineers are being actively implemented. Buthow to hire dedicated engineers or the whole team? Freelance engineering marketplaces are created to cope with this task. Let’s familiarize ourselves with the best representatives of this category.

FlexJobs

FlexJobs has over 50 remote job categories ranging from freelance jobs by section:

●      architectural planning;

●      architectural and constructive;

●      architectural and construction solutions;

●      software development;

●      design solutions, etc.

What is the advantage of acceptance and delivery of works? FlexJobs validates its work before publishing, so you don’t have to look for a competitive advantage over the advanced price tag of engineers from India. The main thing is to get the rating.

Moreover, this site is useful not only for freelancers but also for those who are looking for full-fledged remote employment. Offers can be sorted by job type. You don’t have to worry about scammers: all vacancies on FlexJobs are carefully screened. However, you will have to pay for constant access to them.

Engre.сo

One of the best international engineering marketplaces that propose both qualified teams of workers and interesting projects is Engre.co. Here you can find the best specialists who can cope with any complicated task.

On the engineering marketplace, you can find specialists such as a designer, mechanical engineer, civil engineer, and developer. Marketplaces work in different ways.

At Engre.co you can find specialists in two ways. The first one is to look through the list of provided services and choose the most appropriate one. Then you write to a contractor and discuss all the details of your project. The other way is to publish your project on the platform mentioning all the details. Then you will find your best candidate among all responses.

Freelancehunt

Freelancehunt is a service specifically for freelancers, where the entire interaction algorithm from job search to delivery and payment is regulated: customers place offers, applicants respond to projects, after choosing a contractor, funds on the account are reserved, after the work is completed, they are credited to the account.

There are many useful tools functioning: a feedback system about all exchange participants, a forum, private messages, ratings, contests, etc. Among the clients are such companies as Netology, Brain, Terrasoft, Villa Krim, etc. There are a lot of categories including programming, design, engineering, advertising, administration, mobile applications, copywriting, etc.

The budgets are relatively small, the principle of operation is simple, so this marketplace will be a good choice for a beginner gaining experience, building a customer base.

Toptal

It is the most competitive platform and promises to hire 3% of the best freelancers from around the world. Freelancers must pass a screening test, and once you pass it, it will ensure the best projects from great clients.

According to Toptal, it is more likely not outsourcing, but outstaffing: companies take a person and introduce them to the team on the other side, most of all it looks like a full-time remote. You are given a project, and you do it.

The specialist gets to the platform and finds a lot of published projects. But it is necessary to contact not with a specific customer, but with the “matcher” ⏤ the person who leads the project, and negotiates with the customer about the working conditions. When you come to the platform, managers ask about the rate. You indicate the rate per hour, they agree, or they may say that it is slightly inconsistent with the salary in the region. If everything is okay, they will pay this amount, the platform gets something else, and makes money on the difference.

Toptal has three options: hourly wages, part-time ⏤ 20 hours a week, or full-time ⏤ 40 hours. In theory, you can ask to increase the load to 60 hours if you can handle it,

The terms of projects are different: there are both for a week and several years. Even if the deadline is 4-8 weeks, customers may like working with a specialist so much that they often do not want to let him go. So people stay for 1–3 years, and if they don’t want to, they return for the hour or change the customer. A specialist can be bought from the platform, but this rarely happens, because it is very expensive.

Upwork

Upwork.com is one of the best modern freelance marketplaces, gradually absorbing smaller and younger services. You can not only view vacancies but also send CVs to interested companies, among which you can find well-known corporations (Microsoft, Bissel, Airbnb, Coty, etc.). There are a lot of sections ⏤ work for designers, programmers, engineers, architects, analysts, salespeople, etc.

The advantage of the site is a clearly defined payment algorithm: either in stages with a fixed amount, or by hours per week. The marketplace takes a certain commission for services, but the higher the payment is, the lower the commission is. In the future, you can leave the service and work directly with the customer/company.

Remotebase hires exceptionally talented global developers beforehand and provides them with exceptional mentorship so that you can have a fully workable team within 24 hours. Be it resume shortlisting, screening, technical and non-technical interviews, coding tests, and hiring, they take all the hassle of selecting the best engineers for you.

All business owners – large and small – will face various risks during the running of your business. Risks in business are unavoidable. They exist. Fortunately, many problems can be avoided by first recognising the potential risks and then doing something to correct them or counteract them before they can become an issue.

In this article, we’ll take a look in general at some common risk areas that most businesses will need to address. In order to perform risk management, you must first be aware of what risks to look out for. Only then can you put systems in place to prevent potential problems from becoming a reality.

Investing in ERM software, software dedicated to helping business owners with risk management, will be invaluable in implementing a successful risk management plan and ongoing monitoring of business operations. 

Strategic Risks

Strategic risks are common in just about any business. Certain strategies you employ could see the business booming or, alternatively, bring things undone. Strategic risks are not only limited to the decisions you make as a business owner, either. A classic example of strategic risk is a new competitor opening up a shop near your location. While you may not be able to foresee this happening, if you’re already aware of the possibility, you can have plans in place to stay ahead of your competitor if and when this does occur.

Changes in your industry could also be considered strategic risks, as they can impact upon any strategies you already have in place or have in the pipeline. 

Financial Risks

Financial risk is all about effectively covering the costs of your business without getting into hot water with debtors or the authorities. Your business needs to be able to manage its debts and have sound systems in place for repayment of debts and accounts.

Market volatility is one risk to be aware of, as it can adversely affect your bottom line if the market drops, which could make it difficult to pay your debts on time.

Extending credit to suppliers and customers is also a risk to take into consideration, as tardy payment on their behalf will impact your business cash flow.

Borrowing large sums of money to expand the business also needs to be thought out carefully, as there are many potential financial risks involved with this strategy. 

The Risk Of Not Being Compliant

Every industry in the UK is governed by certain rules and regulations. Find yourself in violation of these laws and you could face a hefty fine, or worse, have your business shut down.

Step one in avoiding issues with compliance is to first understand the rules and regulations that govern your industry. Not only do managers and business owners need to be aware of this, but also every single employee.

Compile a report that lays out what’s required to remain compliant and distribute it to every member of staff.

Operational Risks

Operational risks are general risks associated with your business operations and processes. These could include things like equipment failure that stifles production, a lack of adequate equipment to speed up processing and production times, a disorganised work environment, inefficient systems and human error.

Every single business, no matter what the industry, will definitely face certain operational risks that result in either loss of income, slow production or possibly even physical injury.

Criminal activity, such as customers or staff stealing from the business, also comes under the operational risk umbrella. Your company’s IT system is another important consideration when it comes to operational risks, as system downtime or cyberattacks will greatly affect business operations.

Risk To Your Business Reputation

Businesses survive based on their reputation for the most part. A company with a good reputation will develop trust with customers and suppliers alike. Looking after the health of your business reputation should be a very high priority.

In fact, every facet of your business can affect your reputation, which is why having a risk management plan is so important. A plan will help you and your staff identify risks, prioritise risks and put systems in place to minimise risks. Everything you do in your risk management plan will help to protect the reputation of your business.

The Takeaway

Effective risks management starts with recognising what risks are lurking out there, then putting a plan together to counteract and mitigate those risks.

What is a success for any business? Having many customers who buy the product. And how can a brand reach this goal? Well, in the modern world the most relevant strategy to choose is pushing your business with social media. YouTube subs, in particular, not only buy your products but also assist in promotion! This is why you should pay attention to your audience on this platform. People are a significant lever for your growth on social media, even if they are not yet your customers. Here you will learn how to manage your audience in favor of your business. 

Why Subscribers Are So Important? 

People are the direct source of your success on YouTube. Their attention, behavior, and appreciation of your content are what impacts the algorithms that stand for ranking on this platform. People are generating vital statistics for your channel: 

• Watch time
• View counter
• Retention
• Engagement
• Like counters, etc.

With a loyal and active community, you can widen your horizons and expand the influence. Besides, the majority of your followers tend to become or already are your clients, and this fact is beneficial to you as a business owner. 

Having a big subscriber base on YouTube is also a marker of professionalism and quality because modern users are very demanding and they won’t support something worthless. 

Many subscribers also form a base for social approval and their behavior proves your reputation, as newcomers see how you interact with people online.  

Another role that users play in your promotion strategy is sharing the content, hence attracting more people to your product. 

How To Get More Subs For Your Business Promotion 

Talk to Them

One of the most stimulating practices that will push your business on YouTube, is active communication with your audience. Social media gives voice not only to businesses but to individuals as well. So, people will eagerly leave comments about your content and products. This is your chance to win their attention and charm them with your communication skills. Don’t limit your topic range with only product-related ones – open up to casual small talk and discussions, and you will see how much loyalty and popularity you will get.

Create Shareable Content

High quality is a must here. And again, to stimulate users to share and explore your content, go beyond simply showcasing your products: 

• Reveal behind-the-scenes of your production 
• Demonstrate your working ethics and corporate culture
• Exploit holidays as a topic for content
• Create useful and interesting videos that would somehow educate your viewers 
• Add a bit of entertainment and wit, so you will seem closer to people

Work on Visuals 

Another hook that attracts users on social media, and YouTube is no exclusion here, is excellent visual representation. To nail that, you should pay attention to your branding, because branded content looks more professional and neat. Branding means that in your videos, viewers will recognize certain details that will associate them with your brand. Mainly, these are colors, thematic items, logo, mascot, and so on. 

Put efforts into shooting your content too. If your budget allows it, invest in better gear. Hire professional editors and a team to film your content, or visit specific classes. Your work won’t be unnoticed by your potential customers. With modern levels of competition in many industries, users are attentive to small details and quality of content. Besides, branded and well-shot content is always standing out. 

Be Frequent

To keep up the interest of your existing subscribers and attract new eyes to your content, you must upload it regularly. Consistency is vital for your growth, as it helps to maintain the engagement rate and track the analytics properly. Even established corporations who already have a reputation, cannot lose their grip with inconsistent posting. 

Recommended frequency of uploading videos on YouTube is 2-3 videos per week, but in case you don’t think you are ready to produce enough content, you can make posts appear once a week. In some cases, the frequency of uploading can be even lower, but it still requires a strict schedule. For example, you can post videos twice a month, but it has to be like, each second Tuesday of the month. 

Optimize Your Videos

In other words, help your potential customers discover you on the platform. In this matter, you work mostly for search results and video categorization. Having your content optimized also increases your ranking and discoverability. Here are the main elements to optimize:

• Title. Use the exact keyword in your headline, as it helps you to rank higher
• Description. Here you can input other relevant keywords organically and place required links. Don’t neglect adding timestamps. This practice increases engagement and views.
• Video tags. These words help the YouTube algorithm to categorize your video properly and suggest it to the right audience.
• Thumbnail. This tiny picture is the first thing a user will see in search results along with the title. Make it bright and easy to understand. 
• Transcript. You can add a document with transcription of your video, increasing the amount of keywords that connect you and your potential viewers. 

Attract Viewers From Other Platforms 

Even if YouTube is your main marketing tool, don’t forget to use your opportunities with other networks. This is a great way to promote your content and gain more subscribers. Different people prefer different platforms, thus you can widen your influence significantly. Tip: don’t use the same content for each platform you embrace. Try to create something exclusive for each, to keep up the engagement level. 

Conclusion 

In social media, and YouTube as well, people are the main power for the promotion of the business. So your main work here is to attract their attention and retain users who have shown some interest in your product. The key is to be open and friendly, yet professional in communication with your audience. Also, don’t forget to analyze your results to see where your performance didn’t hit at once. Constant regulation and listening to the feedback is a way to create interesting and motivating content.