The Human Cloud Podcast

Leaders, In this episode, we’ll learn from Ricky Willianto. Ricky is the CEO of both Ravenry and Solos. Ravenry is a market research freelance network, and Solos is software designed for freelancers. Ricky has had a fascinating journey, starting as a freelancer himself. He then built a marketplace, pivoted several times, and now Ravenry has become a thriving market research network. In this episode, we're going to explore three key themes: Entrepreneurship in the Freelance Economy: What it's like to be an entrepreneur navigating this dynamic space. Keys to Success: What it takes to be truly successful in the freelance market, including Ricky's insightful pivots with Ravenry. Niche Freelance Platforms: The fastest-growing segment of freelance solutions and how Ravenry is pioneering a new approach to market research. Ravenry, based in Singapore, isn't just another freelance marketplace. It's a better way to drive market research through a freelance network. You'll hear about the geographical differences between Singapore/Southeast Asia and the US/EU, the differences in client expectations, and, most importantly, what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur in this arena. So sit back and get ready to drive some change.

In this episode, we’ll learn from Charlotte Gregson, the Country Head of the UK for Malt. Malt is the largest independent talent marketplace operating in Europe and The Middle East, with a staggering 700,000 freelancers as part of their community.  Get ready to dive deep into the world of enterprise freelancing as we discuss the size and scope of Malt, the use cases for freelancers in the enterprise, and the balance between self-service and a white-glove experience. We also explore the importance of confidentiality and the evolution of the freelance marketplace. Overall, the conversation highlights the strategic value of freelancers in enterprise and the need for a tech-driven platform with a human touch. Key takeaways: How Malt strategically enables large enterprises to leverage freelance talent effectively. Malt’s unique approach, operating on a country-by-country basis, with Charlotte leading the charge in the UK. The delicate balance Malt strikes between self-service and white-glove experiences. The importance of confidentiality in this space. The critical role human expertise and processes play in driving success, complementing Malt's tech platform. Whether you're already tapped into the freelance workforce or just starting to explore, this episode is an essential listen. Get ready to rethink your approach to talent acquisition and project execution as Charlotte guides us through the freelance economy's intricacies.

Agency and Freelance Leaders,  Are you ready for a masterclass on how to win as an agency, how to scale a talent platform, and how to balance the cultural and tactical aspects of scaling a freelance workforce?  In this episode, we will learn from Christine Olivas, Founder and CEO of No Single Individual (formerly known as Co Conspirators) which was founded in 2021 and is the ad industry’s preferred choice for freelance strategy talent. We’ll touch on how today’s advertising and marketing agencies can be successful by integrating freelancers within their talent strategy, as well as intentionally integrating freelancers into teams and talent planning rather than treating them as a secondary, “plug the hole” resource. We’ll also hit on two main blockers for successful freelance integration within agencies - (1) cultural challenges, specifically being open to freelancers, and (2) red tape, specifically the blockers to hire, onboard, and re-hire freelancers. Then, we’ll look at 4 keys to success that make No Single Individual a trusted partner for agencies: 1. Successful platforms inherently have founder market fit, and grow by scaling the founder, and the founder's book of business 2. Successful talent platforms are niche. They are not everything for everyone. In No Single Individual’s case, they are an agency that specializes in serving agencies.  3. Successful talent platforms make it easy to get started and know exactly what they’re hiring a freelancer for. In Christine’s case, her use cases, in order, are (1) Winning RFP’s and proposals, (2) Family leave and re-onboarding, (3) Skills outside of an agency's core, like influencer marketing, and (4) Scale in the volume needed to execute. 4. The reasons No Single Individual’s members freelance with them are (1) To collaborate with fellow freelancers, (2) To have predictability, (3) To focus on the work. It was truly a masterclass.  Christine brings full transparency in this episode. For example, she mentioned how they scaled from $500,000 in year 1 to $2 million now in year 4. Enjoy!

Leaders, MBO Partners has been the industry gold standard for Enterprises scaling their independent workforce and data on the independent workforce through their annual State of Independence Report. Started originally in 1996 by Gene Zaino, MBO stands for “My Business Office”, and has been leading the independent workforce ever since. Miles took over as CEO in 2019, after 30+ years leading PWC, including concepting and building PWC’s Talent Exchange, the brand’s talent marketplace. In this episode, we will clearly understand the size, scope, and nature of the independent workforce. By understanding this, we’ll then clearly understand why we call the current state of work a ‘talent chasm’, rather than fluffy names like the future of work. Specifically, we’ll dive deep into why now is the time that companies are being disrupted by the changing talent landscape. We’ll also dive deep into why this is no longer a Procurement or HR issue, but rather a P&L and growth issue. We’ll also learn from Miles how top companies are leaning in. Specifically, he’ll teach us MBO’s 3 “legs of the stool” approach of compliance, cost, and workforce optimization that uses education and mathematical value creation to drive the transformation needed.   Miles will also share crucial data points, like how the independent workforce making over $100,000 stands around 4.6 million people, and how the percentage of this population that sources work through talent platforms has grown from around 4% in 2012 to around 40% now.    Key takeaways: 1: Talent has changed, yet the strategy hasn’t. Specifically, talent has changed from a full-time, permanent workforce to an impact-based, fluid workforce with an average tenure of less than four years.  2: The impact of this new paradigm is that the old model, which was built around job roles, gets in the way of the new model of work that necessitates mission-critical teams.  3: Not adapting is no longer trivial. There’s a clear pattern of companies that stick to the old paradigm being left behind. Specifically, Miles shows us the clear ROI and valuation implications between companies that have a strategic independent workforce and companies that don’t.  4: There is a clear 3-step process to successful talent transformation.  Step 1: Align everyone around Human Capital scarcity Step 2: Educate everyone on how the independent workforce is where top talent is heading Step 3: Be Intentional about the risk, the mathematical value creation, and the stakeholders needed to drive this transformation  Enjoy!

Today we’re joined by Christian Moldenhauer and David Küpper, Founders of  expertpowerhouse, and both former BCG Consultants. Founded in 2016, expertpowerhouse has been a leader in the freelance consulting space globally. During this conversation, you'll learn why David and Christian have been so successful in building a freelance model that both scales and is sustainable. You will learn why freelance is such an advantage for consulting, and how freelance isn’t just a disruptor, but complementary to existing consulting models. Key takeaways: 1: Freelance consulting fills a gap that traditional consulting can’t, without freelance consulting replacing, but rather complementing traditional consulting 2: Fractional is a powerful new model for freelance experts 3: The small but mighty difference between a freelance consultant and freelance expert 4: The right person for 40% of the time is much more impactful than 100% of the wrong person

Leaders, talent platforms are amid massive disruption. What started as large, everything store marketplaces, are expanding into numerous different models, for different segments, and each has its own disruptive nature that makes them unique.  No platform better shows this disruption than The Starters, a new fractional talent platform that combines e-commerce specialization and a business model disruption by being a subscription.  In this episode, we’ll learn from Jai, the founder and a former Chief Marketing Officer.   We’ll learn: 1: Why he chose a subscription-based model 2: Why he uses the term fractional   3: Why he specializes in E-commerce 4: How he’s scaled The Starters 5: Where he envisions The Starters and the trajectory of the freelance economy heading

Enterprise Leaders, why should you care about the freelance economy? Yes…over half the US workforce will be freelancing in the next 5 years. Yes…there are over 300 million freelancers worldwide. And yes…freelancers encapsulate every skill, especially cutting-edge skills like AI, Blockchain, and Supply Chain, and have the exact expertise that you need.  But beyond that…why do you need to embrace remote, freelance models in your business?  There is no one better to explain than Nuri, Principal PM at Microsoft and Author of 'Leading the Unknown: Strategies for Leading Remote or Gig Teams'.  Microsoft has been a leader in embracing freelance models. They built the Microsoft Freelance Toolkit in 2018.  In this episode, we’ll discuss the benefits, but also get tactical about leading remote and gig teams.  We’ll discuss:  how the evolution of technology opened the door for the freelance economy the benefits of democratizing work and accessing global talent, The challenges of scaling freelance workforces in an Enterprise setting  How to go beyond just using a freelance platform, and instead enable collaboration with freelancers across the world

Leaders,  We’ve all been hearing about nearshoring, and the rise of technical talent from Latin America. In this episode we’ll learn from Calvin who built his first couple of companies through LATAM talent. He believed in this talent pool so much that he started Awana, a freelance talent platform for technical talent in Latin America.   We will cover the in’s and out’s of why LATAM is making such a strong push.  We’ll hit on: Why now - why is right now the time that Latin America is having their moment What’s unique about LATAM compared to other regions? Hint..time zones are a crucial advantage How can leaders get started hiring LATAM talent? Where are the trip wires? From a cultural and economic perspective, how can leaders ensure a good experience with LATAM talent?  Enjoy!

Human Cloud just released their Freelance Trend Tracker Quarterly Results for Q1 of 2024. Each quarter, Freelance Trend Tracker reports on how leaders are feeling, how platforms are performing, and patterns for success.  This quarter was rough… Business Performance…51% of freelance leaders are neutral or frustrated Client Acquisition…56% of freelance leaders haven’t been successful at attracting clients But confidence is high, as 85% of leaders are confident about the industry long term, and leaders trust their teams as 57% of freelance leaders are confident about their team   CEO Matthew Mottola will discuss how freelance leaders can navigate this trying environment. Specifically, he’ll show how:  Brand wins Resilience is key Bundling and consolidation is likely Let’s discuss! Sign up for Trend Tracker: https://humancloud.work/trend-tracker/

Leaders, a freelance workforce can be your secret weapon to drive agile product outcomes at scale. What does that mean? It means that rather than looking at freelancers as filling a gap or a cheaper solution, freelance is a fundamentally better way to drive your product organization and product initiatives.  No one understands this better than Maulik Sailor, Founder of both Innovify and CodeMonk. Maulik is the exact person we want to help us understand how to drive product in today's global and digital first world. Innovify is a product studio that builds disruptive software applications from the ground up, while CodeMonk is a freelance tech and product talent network.  Maulik is part of a growing trend of freelance talent platforms that bundle both a network and a managed service. Increasingly as companies look to freelance to solve more complex problems and scopes of work, this bundled approach is needed. What this means is that instead of saying, “here's a bunch of individual freelancers”, they can take you through the entire software development lifecycle, from ideation, to MVP, to scaling a fully functional software application.  In this episode we’ll discuss: How flexibility and agility are crucial in the fast-paced world of product management His delivery framework ensures successful project execution by emphasizing communication, clarity, and documentation Why a Product leader should care about freelance How transparency and trust are essential in building strong relationships between clients and freelancers Building effective teams requires considering technical skills, soft skills, and compatibility among team members Team intelligence - including the ability to embed freelancers within existing teams to enhance project outcomes The future of freelancing lies in continuous matching and rematching of talent and projects