610: (Solo) The Secret to Finding Agencies That Don’t Burn You
Episode
9 min
Read time
2 min
Topics
Career Growth, Investing, Startups
AI-Generated Summary
Key Takeaways
- ✓Pre-hire vetting questions: Ask contractors how they handle problems when things go wrong and why they genuinely want to work with you, not just about rates and portfolios, to assess honesty and ownership.
- ✓Test before committing: Run small test projects on platforms like Upwork to evaluate contractor performance, responsiveness, and work quality before signing larger contracts or paying significant upfront fees.
- ✓Referral sourcing strategy: Get contractor recommendations from founders without financial kickbacks, review their published content to assess expertise, and use niche platforms like Behance or Dribbble for specialized talent.
What It Covers
Nathan Chan shares his framework for vetting and hiring contractors, freelancers, and agencies by evaluating character and alignment over portfolios and pricing alone.
Key Questions Answered
- •Pre-hire vetting questions: Ask contractors how they handle problems when things go wrong and why they genuinely want to work with you, not just about rates and portfolios, to assess honesty and ownership.
- •Test before committing: Run small test projects on platforms like Upwork to evaluate contractor performance, responsiveness, and work quality before signing larger contracts or paying significant upfront fees.
- •Referral sourcing strategy: Get contractor recommendations from founders without financial kickbacks, review their published content to assess expertise, and use niche platforms like Behance or Dribbble for specialized talent.
Notable Moment
Nathan recalls paying for lunch with a talented contractor who pitched ambitious plans, then completely ghosted him afterward, never following up on the proposed collaboration or partnership.
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Books, tools, and gear mentioned in this episode
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Tools
- BehanceRecommended
“use niche platforms like Behance or Dribbble for specialized talent”
“SPONSORS [Omnisend]”
- UpworkRecommended
“Run small test projects on platforms like Upwork to evaluate contractor performance, responsiveness, and work quality before signing larger contracts or paying significant upfront fees.”
- DribbbleRecommended
“use niche platforms like Behance or Dribbble for specialized talent”
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