I needed some graphical work done for my new book and I went online to try Elance.com, one of the networks of international freelancers (cf the post on “Today, the freelancing market is without borders. Did you realize it?“). I must say, the experience was very positive.
It is very simple: after opening an account for free, I put in a one-page description / specification of the job. After 72h I had already 15 to 20 proposals from contractors. Each of them had a link to their previous work so that I could see whether I liked the style; they also proposed a price. Contractors were from everywhere: Europe, USA, South America etc…
After a few days I finally made my choice for a contractor located in Argentina. After two weeks of collaborative work online (the graphic designer sending rough sketches, me commenting), I finally got what I needed, 5 characters to illustrate my book.
Elance.com secures the payment and delivery process and gives a lot of information on the contractor’s ratings on previous jobs, the comments of the previous clients etc, which is really helpful in selecting the contractor you need. Actually it appears there are many companies from emerging countries that seem to derive much of their income from platforms like Elance.com.
You are following this blog, so I know you understand what the Fourth Revolution is. Still even I can’t stop to be amazed at what we can do today with a computer and an internet access. Do you realize, I hired in less than one week a contractor who worked for me from the other side of the planet, in Buenos Aires, Argentina and it was like he was working close-by!
As I just arrived in Singapore I don’t have the network of local contractors yet. It is at a point where I won’t even look for a graphic designer or a translator locally! I’ll just go online and hire on the global market!
No profession is really protected anymore from the Fourth Revolution. Borders don’t really matter much.
And consider your own market, your opportunity field: it is worldwide, wherever you live. Did you realize it? When will you leverage on it?
PS: Wonder what these characters mean? I will share with you in a future post the five roles of Project Soft Power!
