The Human Cloud Podcast

Fractional Growth Executive Sundar Swaminathan shares his experience freelancing and the importance of autonomy and flexibility. He discusses his expertise in data science and his growth strategy of networking and referrals. The podcast also covers transitioning from marketing to startups, exploring career options, strategies for managing stress, and casual conversations about expenses, TV shows, favorite restaurants in Amsterdam, and favorite animals.

Leaders, Asal is the definition of an HR Changemaker we want on our side. She was Phillips' Global Head of Strategic Priorities Delivery, What blew me away were four things: How similar the technology of the freelance economy solves top challenges for talent leaders. Not all talent is created equal when driving an effective Talent Strategy. How similar the language is between HR and innovative freelance solutions. For example, she mentioned talent pooling. How challenging the freelance economy can be for HR leaders In this episode we'll hit on the elephant in the room - why every Enterprise isn't already 10-30% freelance. As Asal puts it, there's a black box mystery in effective talent management, and there are tough conversations that need to be had to move an initiative as transformational as freelance forward. We'll also hit on what I believe is the painkiller that we can solve for HR - enabling successful HR transformations by unlocking agility both internally and externally. Enjoy!

While many experts agree that the freelance economy is the future of work, access to credit is a leading barrier for solopreneurs, freelancers, and freelance marketplaces. While large, traditional companies can leverage credit to grow their business, freelancers as an asset class lack the same traditional banking opportunities, hindering the growth of individual freelancers, thus hindering the growth of freelance marketplaces. Credilinq is an exciting technology and company that can break this barrier. By building a net new custom technology stack, that enables an algorithmic solution to digitizing alternative data that banks can’t access, Credilinq has built a solution that can embed within marketplaces to provide marketplace users access to credit that traditional banks would overlook. Deeper than credit, Vikram and Deep encompass the future of entrepreneurs using cutting edge technology to transform the paradigm of work. As you’ll learn, Vikram and Deep have been able to harness digital banking, generative AI, and cutting edge data science to unlock opportunities for traditionally underserved communities. You’ll also learn how entrepreneurs can harness their expertise to transform an industry.

Leaders, AI is all the buzz...but what is the practical application of AI for every leader? According to Arvind, GM at Wipro, a leading global digital transformation consultancy, the practical application is that in the next 5 years, there will be a fundamental disruption in the value of intelligent labor. This disruption will impact everything - including your job, your team structure, and your company structure. Here's a quick example from Arvind. Competitive research that typically takes a week with a human team can take a couple hours with an AI agent. We've already seen early examples of this through the freelance economy. Whether individuals choose to work as fractional CMO's, COO's, etc instead of continuing on the corporate ladder. Or companies embracing freelancers as a strategic sourcing channel to drive outcomes like North America's leading motorcycle manufacturer leveraging over 30 freelancers to build their collaborative riding mobile application. Or companies like Intuit creating TurboTax Live, a standalone feature made possible by building freelancer talent pools. Arvind will help us understand early examples of success with AI, describe use cases we can all apply now, and show us how tools like ChatGPT can generate brainstorming ideas. He will also give us a 4 step process we can apply to start embracing AI: Step 1: Change our mindset Step 2: Scope what can be done Step 3: Leverage Data Step 4: From Pilot to Production

Leaders, Rishon is one of the founders of 10x, which is one of the OGs operating as a talent agency instead of a marketplace. In 2012, Rishon and Michael Solomon started 10x and brought decades of experience managing musicians, directors, and other creative entities to the technology sector. One could argue 10x predicted the future by building a talent agency with a hyper rich and robust talent network instead of being a large horizontal marketplace. Because of this, 10x has carved their place as a trusted and exclusive resource for companies seeking the best and most coveted freelance tech experts. Key learnings to listen out for: 1: How Rishon and Michael 'entrepreneured' their way into 10x 2: How to build partnerships, robust talent networks, and deep client relationships 3: Exciting marketplace innovations, specifically their TAP (talent availability program) 4: What has NOT changed in the freelance economy 5: Balancing landing vs expanding, should you service existing customers or go net new 6: What is the HOOK for 10x and the freelance economy

Leaders, Private Talent Clouds are all the rage right now, yet Pavel has been helping large companies build their Private Talent Clouds since 2014. Prior to 2014, Pavel was running his legal firm, when multiple clients asked if he could help structure the contracts and pay independent contractors. This became Solar Staff, a solution for US and European large companies to compliantly contract and pay their independent contractors. Quickly, Solar Staff scaled as the freelance economy grew through three inflection points.  Inflection Point 1, circa 2014, when tech companies needed to contract freelancers Inflection Point 2, circa 2018, when marketing agencies needed freelancers at scale Inflection Point 3, circa 2020, when online education and gaming companies needed freelancers at scale   He led with a problem, NOT a solution. He didn't set out to start a Freelance Management System. He was helping large companies legally hire independent contractors, then moved up the value chain to build software that made this efficient at scale.    He's built the nuts/bolts behind private talent clouds and direct sourcing (hint...it's contracts and payments). AI, and how he's been on a 2 year journey testing it, and how now it's showing signs to replace human need for intake and forms.  These 3 inflection points have positioned Solar Staff as the go to for Eastern European independent contractor contracting and payment. Now there are 3 things that stick out to me about Pavel.  This is a great episode! Enjoy.

Leaders, The freelance economy is more than just a staff augmentation or marketplace model. It’s a fundamental disruption in how we unlock the most important asset of our society – human potential. In NASA’s words, “It would be hard to write about the Future of Work and not consider the role and disruptive nature that the gig economy is having on NASA.”  Which brings us to Steve Rader, Program Manager of NASA’s Tournament Lab and Center of Excellence for Collaborative Innovation. Steve will bring us into his world of leveraging freelance models to drive collaboration and innovation. We’ll dive deep into: What can be improved upon the current work model used by most enterprises. Why companies need to quickly adapt and become more agile to survive now more than ever. What’s great about the freelance economy, what’s not so great about it, where is it going, and how leaders can better prepare.  Enjoy!

Leaders, Sean Ring is a window into the future, as he's been a founder and leader building one of the most important trends in our space, the shift to enterprises accessing multiple freelance marketplaces. Sean was the Co-Founder of Fulcrum, one of the earliest startups tackling a multi-marketplace aggregator model, and now is the VP of On-Demand Talent Solutions at People 2.0. In Sean's Expert Insights, we'll hit on: Why Sean believes "democratizing access to opportunity" is at the core of our industry How companies will go from playing defense to playing offense in how they engage with Independent Talent The current Inflection Point of Enterprises embracing freelancers, specifically the well analogy of leaders looking for talent in a dried up well Our industries shift being a sexy new toy, to quantified gains, to now being a painkiller The top two challenges that we continuously face with enterprise adoption are underinvestment in change management, and not enough trust to break the "no one gets fired from hiring IBM" paradox

To celebrate the 100th episode of the Human Cloud Podcast, we gathered the top 5 guests from the first 100 episodes for a roundtable to discuss all things future of work. Hear the high level insights (and some highjinks) of Jon Younger, Maari Casey, Tony Buffum, Mina Bastawros, and Steve King. You won't wanna miss this one. Thank you for listening to the Human Cloud Podcast!

Leaders, to deeply understand the current freelance economy, we must understand the origins of innovation first introduced by the staffing industry. Robert Half is one of the staffing industries leading firms that used technology early to revolutionize how they hired internally. This is where Allen comes in. He is a former Director at Robert Half and has extensive experience both in Staffing firms and client side. Key Learnings that I had from the staffing side: Robert Half focused on contingent talent, since contingent talent creates high margin, residual income rather than a block commission for each new permanent hire. Contingent talent was typically full time, with 6 week to 6 month contracts. Robert Half and other staffing firms both recruit and manage, unlike freelance marketplaces that typically put the recruiting and managing responsibilities on the hiring manager. This foundation naturally leads to the discussion on freelance, specifically how technology has unlocked the business case for a direct sourced freelance workforce rather than traditional contingent talent channels. This approach along with freelance management systems, rather than applicant tracking systems (which ATS's aren't wrong, they just don't serve the increasing freelance workforce), can achieve cost savings that turn a cost center into a profit generating center. Key learnings for you here: Direct Freelance sourcing drives at least 24% cost savings, amounting to an average margin of $24/hr with each hire. A managed freelance workforce can be used to increase company valuation. Automation in new technology can slash onboarding times that further reduce manual administrative hours and costs. We'll close this episode out by diving into the technical side of what's wrong with the current contingent talent landscape, which one word can describe it all...complexity. Specifically, there are up to 5 stakeholders traditionally required for one freelance hire...the staffing firm, the MSP, the client, the compliance/EOR provider, and most important, the talent. Direct sourcing and the right FMS can cut that ratio to 1:1. Human Cloud clients find a visual of this in your portal. Enjoy everyone!