The Human Cloud Podcast

Leaders,In this episode, Jonathan Wolfson, Chief Legal Officer and Policy Director at the Cicero Institute, comprehensively analyzes the freelance economy from legal and governmental perspectives. As we all know, compliance is a massive blocker in adopting freelancers at scale. Jonathan breaks down the policy side of how legislation is influenced, formalized, and leads to compliance regulations. While Jonathan is based in the US, understanding the forces of freelance legislation is applicable globally.More than today’s current legislation, Jonathan will also outline the history of employment law, which was established in the 1940s and does not accommodate today's modern workforce. From this historical perspective, we’ll understand the government's opposition to freelancing.Last, Jonathan will highlight the challenges and opposition to freelancing, the risks and liabilities for businesses, the impact on business transactions, potential solutions and future outlook, the legislative landscape and regulatory changes, and actions individuals can take to make an impact.Key takeaways:  Legislative and regulatory changes are necessary to address the challenges of independent contracting, though the future remains uncertain Current employment laws, dating back to the 1940s, fail to address the modern freelance economy Misconceptions, political motivations, and concerns about tax collection and worker protection fuel opposition to freelancing Businesses face significant risks and liabilities if workers are misclassified as independent contractors

Leaders, the freelance economy is quickly growing from a marketplace dominated industry to a robust ecosystem with 10 different segments.  One of the most fascinating segments is the freelancer focused tools and solutions that enable freelancers to scale their businesses without needing a platform, or in tandem with a platform.  Upside is one of these exciting new startups leading the solopreneur charge. By monetizing referrals, Upside enables freelancers, consultants, solopreneurs, whatever you want to call us, to monetize our network in a way that’s a win-win for us, our clients, and Upside.  In this episode, we’ll open up the hood to why Mike is building Upside, how he got to the insights of starting Upside (hint…he has been in this space for a while), and where he sees the freelance economy going.   You will also meet an incredible founder, Mike Wilner. Before Upside, Mike built a freelance web design marketplace in 2015, Co-Authored the book Oversubscribed, and worked at Amazon Web Services.  Key takeaways: Traditional marketplaces face challenges in retaining top talent and generating demand. Upside is a partnership platform that empowers individuals and small firms in the professional services industry. Successful referrals are the core metric for Upside, enabling users to share opportunities and collaborate. The future of the freelance economy lies in uncapping the potential of individuals and creating infrastructure for collaboration and business development.

Leaders, what if I told you there was a secret talent pool that could revolutionize customer experience? Instant Teams, a CX talent platform specializing in military spouse talent, is that secret solution. Founded by Liza Rodewald and Erica McMannes, Instant Teams is a talent marketplace that enhances customer experience teams by integrating military spouses from their extensive talent community of over 68,000 members across the entire customer experience lifecycle. For industry leaders, here is what’s incredible about Instant Teams - they go beyond a freelance talent marketplace and use freelance models to revolutionize a core business problem - customer experience. Liza and Erica could have easily created a self service talent marketplace that matches military spouses with employers similar to the traditional marketplace model. Instead, they went above and beyond, understanding that a self service marketplace wouldn’t work in this case.  For customer experience leaders, Instant Teams enables a superior customer experience, specifically:  24/7 coverage with US support staff, since military spouses are all over the world High retention, with 7.5% churn compared to the industry standard of 30%+ High customer satisfaction, since military spouses have a wide range of experiences, enabling them to connect with people across vasts parts of the population High quality customer experience use cases, for example customer demo’s, cyber fraud detection, and booking a flight In this episode, we’ll dive into Liza’s journey, the evolution of Instant Teams, the development of customer experience, and her insights on the future of work. We’ll understand:  Why the traditional Business Process Outsourcing model and staffing processes are broken, and how a remote first solution like Instant Teams doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but rather innovates a better solution. Why Instant Teams didn’t build a self service freelance marketplace, instead opting for a talent platform that leverages part time, full time, and team creation capabilities. How customers scale from interested to fully embedded customer experience teams through Instant Teams 3 step process. Some key takeaways: Liza and Erica were uniquely positioned to see this challenge and connect the dots of military spouse capabilities to customer experience. While remote work has been getting slack in the news, remote is a powerful force if harnessed correctly. In Instant Teams case, this level of customer experience wouldn’t be possible through default in person office environments. But it requires founders like Liza and Erica who have both felt the pain, are in the military spouse environment, and know how to combine the right people, processes, and technology to leverage remote work within a customer experience environment. Instant Teams uncovers a massive business model innovation that all freelance platforms can have. In this episode we call it the ‘SaaS-ification’ of talent platforms.  Customers are Partners, and Instant Teams provides a Partner experience and relationship rather than being another vendor. FOUNDER MAGIC - what is it? Why is it MAGIC?

Hooman Radfar, co-founder and CEO of Collective, shares insights from his journey as a tech entrepreneur who sold AddThis to Oracle. He emphasizes the shift towards 'one person, one billion dollar businesses' and the importance of viewing freelancers as founders. Hooman breaks down the complexities of S-Corps and how Collective simplifies financial management for solopreneurs. He also explores the evolving freelance economy and the critical need for community support, encouraging collaboration over isolation in the pursuit of success.

Leaders, Stephanie is one of the pioneers of our industry. If we had a Mount Rushmore, Stephanie would be front and center. She's the founder and chair of the board of We Are Rosie, a leading marketing services company and freelance community that has grown to more than 30,000 "Rosies" and 200+ corporate partners. In 2021, after three years of unbelievable growth, We Are Rosie received a strategic investment from Align Capital Partners (ACP). In this episode, we’ll reflect on the last 6 years of Stephanie’s journey trailblazing the future of marketing. She’ll share the challenges and successes We Are Rosie has faced over the past few years, including shifts in client priorities and the perception of freelance work. We’ll get deep into the importance of trust, and the secrets Stephanie’s found for building strong relationships with both clients and talent. For example, she’ll teach us how she looks at the role of leadership and how important shared responsibility is in successfully adopting freelance talent. Tactically, she’ll teach us how We Are Rosie enables this by creating a positive onboarding experience, ensuring top-down support, and executing an end-to-end flexible talent solution rather than being just another marketplace or just another vendor. Stephanie will also talk about the exact ROI and use cases of flexible talent and teams. She’ll uncover what we mean by “specialist expertise on demand” and discuss the launch of Run by Rosie which manages marketing projects from start to finish. Last, Stephanie will give her predictions on the future of the freelance economy, as well as a warning against excessive consolidation and advocating for vertical expertise.

Elina Jutelyte, the founder of Freelance Business Community, discusses the challenges and opportunities of hosting events and running freelance-based communities. She shares insights on the changing freelance economy and the role of platforms in freelancing. Elina emphasizes the importance of understanding the ROI of community and tailoring it to specific goals. She also provides indicators for companies to consider when investing in community and shares her vision for the future of freelancing. Key Takeaways: - Running events and communities for freelancers can provide valuable connections and support. - Platforms play a role in freelancing, but their effectiveness varies depending on the freelancer's location and industry. - The freelance economy has seen growth and changes, with more acceptance of freelancers and a need for specialized services. - The ROI of community depends on the specific goals and outcomes desired, and tracking engagement and results is crucial. - Indicators for investing in community include demand for content and connections, and the opportunity to fill a niche or address specific needs. - The future of freelancing and community involves increased support and protection for freelancers and the use of technology and AI to enhance connections and content. - During challenging times, community support can be invaluable for freelancers, providing advice, connections, and encouragement. This episode is brought to you by We Are Rosie, a leading flexible talent platform redefining how marketing works. Learn more at https://wearerosie.com

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!