FreelanceStation - a hub for local talent

Rivonia-based start-up, FreelanceStation hopes to remove the confusion and anxiety associated with hiring freelancers for specific projects.

Launched in June, FreelanceStation seeks to provide local companies with a stable of highly skilled, experienced freelancers on a project-by-project basis, in the fields of graphic design, Web site development, illustration, copywriting, software development, multimedia, audio, video and animation, among others.

Co-founder Erik Kruger explains that projects are posted on the FreelanceStation site by clients, who then receive bids from freelancers. Once the project is completed, clients and contractors rate one another, allowing for an experiential gauge to be established. For designers, the criteria include quality of work done, expertise shown, skills in meeting requirements, communication with the client and deadlines met. Clients are rated on professionalism, communication during the project and timeous payment. This aids in the assessment of clients and contractors as new projects arise, says Kruger.

Noting the similarities to Freelancer, which connects freelancers and employers from over 234 countries and regions, Kruger points out that FreelanceStation was established to fill a gap in the South African freelance market.

“FreelanceStation focuses on local designers. Our aim is to connect South African designers to South African clients. Most international sites similar to FreelanceStation do not have any restrictions on who can sign up. We believe that, by keeping the site local, we can more tightly control the quality of work,” says Kruger.

Explaining how FreelanceStation works, Kruger says employers needing a Web page designed, for example, post the project to the site, sit back, and watch as freelancers 'bid' for the contract.

“Once a project is posted, freelancers will have the opportunity to send proposals to the client. Proposals include the price at which the project can be done, as well as an estimated timeline. The client has access to all the proposals and is able to review each freelancer's portfolio. Once clients are satisfied with a freelancer, they can hire them on the site,” he says.

“We believe that freelancers should be chosen on a combination of price, timeline and skill. It is also the reason why all bidding is 'blind', ie freelancers cannot see bid amounts by other freelancers. By keeping bids blind, we do not encourage a prize war.”

Payment milestones reduce the chances of clients not being satisfied with the end result of a project, says Kruger.

“We incorporated milestone payments into the site in order to try and negate risk for either party. Through well-set-up milestones, freelancers can make sure they do not do work without getting paid, and clients can see what they are paying for before paying,” explains Kruger.

“Milestones refer to mutually agreed upon checkpoints that need to be met by the freelancer. For example, if you want a logo designed, you can agree upon two milestones. The first milestone can be set at 50%, where the designer needs to deliver low-res proposals; the second milestone can be set at 100%, where the high-resolution artwork will be released to the client. The client will then pay 50% of the agreed upon budget to the freelancer at the first milestone and the rest once the second milestone is reached.”

Each client registered on the site has his or her own profile. From the dashboard, they can communicate with the freelancer. Both the freelancer and client have access to a page that displays the milestones and whether they have been completed.

When freelancers have completed a milestone, they can mark it as done on the site and a payment request will automatically be sent to the client, says Kruger. “We have integrated PayFast into the site, so freelancers registered with PayFast can receive payment directly through the site.”

Freelancers can choose between free or premium membership.

According to Kruger, the free plan carries no cost to the freelancer, but has certain limitations. These include limited bids per month, no ability to upload portfolios and no visibility to clients unless they bid on a project.

The premium membership costs R100 per month and includes unlimited bids. Clients can directly invite premium freelancers to their projects, while freelancers can upload their portfolios to the site. They also get a premium member badge on their profiles.

FreelanceStation takes a percentage of each project for the hiring fee, says Kruger.

The site currently has a database of more than 120 SA-based designers.