The Human Cloud Podcast

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!

Dan Curran, without any predetermined master plan, found himself immersed in the freelance economy amid the Covid pandemic. Recognizing the opportunity, he pivoted his publishing company into an expert marketplace, seamlessly connecting niche journalists and consultants with complex/regulated B2B brands. What sets Dan apart is his unique perspective—an outsider's viewpoint driven by a genuine desire to illuminate the untapped potential of a remarkable talent pool: Freelance Business Journalists.

Leaders, Lee's Expert Insight covers both the teaching of where this industry is going and how software can disrupt the current state of the freelance industry. A bit on Lee, he represents the fresh blood of the freelance economy challenging norms yet surrounded by industry vets. He's freelanced himself for over 8 years, and been leading Bubty, a White Label Contractor & Freelance Management software platform for 4 years. In being young, there are a couple legacy standards that Lee accurately calls out. • The ownership dilemma - no one 'owns' freelancers, yet many processes are built to replicate ownership or mitigate a lack of ownership • The needed layers of the freelance economy Yet in being experienced, he'll show us couple ways software can disrupt this space: • Centralization of Freelancers • Bringing simplicity to engaging multiple marketplaces • Turning the freelance economy into a Hiring Desk rather than another marketplace Enjoy!

On this episode we had the opportunity to talk with Rachel Renock and discuss the rapidly changing landscape of the freelance economy. She sheds light on how traditional agency models are becoming outdated and how flexible freelance models are rising to meet the demands of today's fluid and technology-driven world. Discover the ins and outs of Freelance Management Systems and how these platforms are empowering freelancers across industries to scale their businesses while fostering meaningful connections with like-minded professionals. Join us as we explore the future of marketplaces, the benefits of embracing freelance networks, and the lasting impact of these changes on the global workforce.

Leaders, Linda is our industry's superhero in building freelance programs at scale. She built PWC's Talent Exchange, she was MBO's Chief Experience Officer, and now she's the CoFounder and Chief Product Officer at FlexC, a somewhat new yet prominently established marketplace. A couple theme's I want you to listen for: WHY there are so many layers in the freelance economy. Hint...it stems from the meshing of Procurement, HR, Finance, and various working teams. HOW to balance the client-marketplace dynamic. WHERE the industry is heading, hint...from reactive & non-risky to sophisticated, strategic, and core. WHAT org's need to do over the next 30/60/90 days to set themselves up for success. Enjoy!