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Insights
Access a wide range of tips, research and tools designed to support the growth and innovation
of the independent workforce and enterprises who engage independent professionals.
Grow a Small Business |
10 Professional Development Tips to Grow Your Business
One of the biggest perks of running your own business is that you have full control—the clients you work with, the projects you take on, and how you structure your day is all up to you. By positioning your business around your strengths and skills, you can provide clients with reliable, trusted expertise. But that…
Market a Small Business |
5 Ways to Get More Clients in 2023
When you run your own business, finding new clients is an often less-than-exciting part of the job. Patience and self-promotion are important parts of the process, and each can come with a lot of frustration before you get to that coveted contract. In the past, most independent contractors found new work through word-of-mouth, but in…
State of Independence |
The Growing Independent Population: Is the Genie Out of the Bottle?
Companies considering the viability of establishing or expanding a contingent labor workforce program may find excellent support in our 2022 State of Independence report. It marks the second year of forecast-breaking results in the independent professional population, perhaps indicating that the workforce disruption of the pandemic years has left a mark on the way that…
Contracts and Finance |
Consulting Rates: How to Determine My Bill Rate
How do you calculate your consulting rate? It’s a question most W2 employees ask themselves when they want to become a consultant. How can you maximize today and prepare for a profitable consulting business? 1. Evaluate Your Bill Rate When’s the last time you evaluated your pricing strategy? Have your bill rates remained steady for…
Workforce Management |
How to Eat An Elephant: Open Innovation Bite-by-Bite
Open innovation can help companies solve problems that would otherwise remain left behind by any department. Whether implemented at a large or small company, crowdsourcing can help thrust productivity forward. It is important to use problem-solvers who are naturally curious, confident lifelong learners. After selecting problem solvers, a company can learn from the solutions provided….
Grow a Small Business |
5 Best Practices for Developing Long Term Client Relationships
For many independent professionals, work can be tinged with uncertainty. The top two challenges reported by respondents to our 2022 State of Independence survey were not enough predictable income and concerns about the sales pipeline, and a big part of operating an independent services business is addressing them. In addition to these challenges, many independents…
Grow a Small Business |
5 Steps to Jump-Start Small Business Growth in 2023
The end of 2022 is steadily approaching. Soon we will be in January with post-holiday activities revving up across the business world. Planning for the future is an important part of business management, but it’s a task that can often get pushed to the end of the list as an “I’ll do it later” item….
Manage a Small Business |
Identifying and Avoiding Work From Home Scams
Working from home seems like an ideal setup for many employees, including new moms and retirees. However, there are often “work from home” opportunities floating around that end up being fraudulent. You may ultimately waste your time or, worse, your money. We’ve compiled a list of ways to identify work from home scams so you can…
Manage a Small Business |
10 Great Holiday Gifts Independent Professionals Can Give to Their Clients
The holiday season is always busy and taking time to find the perfect little something for your client can be an added stress. Rather than settling for a last-minute gift card or fruit basket, take advantage of our annual holiday gift guide. We’ve scoured the web and polled our team members to find some of…
State of Independence |
The Great Realization Continues: Highlights from the 12th Annual State of Independence in America Report
MBO’s Annual State of Independence in America Report, a yearly pulse check of the independent workforce as a part of the future of work, reveals a vast workforce whose shape and focus are constantly changing. Over 12 years of researching this labor segment, we have seen enabling factors building toward a solid support structure for…
Manage a Small Business |
6 Personality Traits of Successful Consultants
When pursuing a career as a consultant, it can be helpful to see if have the personality traits that match most successful consultants or if you need to work on developing them. For example, networking, running a business, and managing projects are all important aspects of an independent professional’s daily life—and there are certain personality…
Manage a Small Business |
Year End Small Business Review Checklist
If you are an independent contractor, consultant, or solopreneur, the end of the year is a great opportunity to review results, evaluate business assets and expenses, assess relationships, and create a plan to excel in the new year. Use this handy checklist to keep yourself on track. 1. Wrap Up Financial To-Dos If you operate…
Manage a Small Business |
6 Project Management Tips for Independent Contractors
There’s no getting around it—project management is a core competency for any successful solo consultant. In addition to your specialized expertise, the success of client engagements and your business requires effective results and milestone management. If this isn’t a strong skill set of yours, don’t worry. There are many ways to enhance project management capabilities through…
Manage a Small Business |
6 Thought Leadership Strategies for Consultants
In our social media dominated world of today, anyone with a Twitter account or a blog can call themselves an “expert” on any given subject. And that makes it tough to rise above the noise to reach current and prospective clients with your message. However, by establishing true thought leadership and experienced-based innovative thinking, you…
Workforce Management |
4 Benefits of Open Innovation for Enterprises in 2023
Innovation is a critical part of any firm’s strategy. From continuous improvement initiatives to go-to-market tactics to rebranding and beyond, a company must evolve in the right direction to compete successfully. Achieving sustained innovation has been a leadership quest for many years, with mixed results. As the traditional system of secrecy and locked doors that…
Workforce Management |
Proposals, Resumes, and Interviews: Best Practices for Hiring Independent Contractors
When you have received proposals from independent professionals in response to your project post, reviewing and assessing candidates is the next step toward engaging the best fit for your needs. Do this as a five-step process: Review the proposals Create the first shortlist Review the shortlisted candidates’ resumes Create the final shortlist Interview shortlisted candidates…
Workforce Trends |
What Matters Most to Independent Talent?
The independent professionals are highly skilled experts who can fill project roles on-demand. These individuals tend to work on medium-to long-term projects in a specific field of expertise. By understanding the behaviors and values of independents, enterprises become more attractive to top talent and are better able to retain the workers they want for…
Direct Sourcing |
How Independent Contractors Can Boost Your Bottom Line in a Recession
Despite dire recession warnings from economists, the US market currently has more job openings than labor to fill them. This doesn’t mean firms aren’t laying off talent, doing more with less, or considering scaling back on hiring. At this time, when the economy’s direction is up in the air and uncertainty prevails in the market,…
Workforce Management |
How to Write a Perfect Independent Contractor Job Posting
While the best approach to recruiting talent in today’s market is to hire skills rather than a particular work classification, how you attract independent talent with the skills you need differs from how you recruit employees. Because these two ways of working vary widely, your approach to job posting must change when seeking an independent…
Misclassification & Compliance |
8 Worker Misclassification Tips to Set Your Enterprise Up for Success
Worker classification is an important part of managing a blended workforce composed of full-time and independent contractor talent. Misclassifying workers can be a legal headache and an expensive problem, so following proper laws, policies, and regulations is a must. And while worker classification may sound scary and complicated, it doesn’t have to be. Today, there…
Workforce Management |
3 Best Practices for Independent Contractor Engagement
Improve independent contractor program adoption, increase talent retention rates, and mitigate misclassification risk with these three best practices for independent contractor engagement.
Guides |
How to Set Independent Talent Up for Success in 2023 (Guide)
This guide covers best practices for a company and its managers to set up their independent talent for success in 2023. These practices are part of building an optimized workforce. It also includes self-assessments that help determine what’s working and where improvement is needed.
Workforce Trends |
The Future of Work: 11 Trends and Tactics that Matter in 2023
The future of work is far from set. New models are nascent as the business landscape changes. Players in some industries (for example, the federal space) have consolidated, while other industries are achieving significant growth through acquisition (e.g., healthcare, technology) and new entrants (e.g., technology). We don’t know yet how these actions will ultimately affect…
Direct Sourcing |
How to Develop a Talent Strategy that Includes Consultants
Independent contractors are an important part of the talent pool for many enterprises today. MBO’s latest research finds that there are 64.6 million independent workers in 2022, a 26% increase from 2021. Professionals are making the leap from full-time employment to independence for several reasons, ranging from control of their schedule and career to increased flexibility. …
Direct Sourcing |
Why and How to Build a Direct Sourcing Business Case
Direct sourcing improves the ability of firms to find and engage contingent workers with the skills they need by: Creating a curated talent pool with contingent workers. Quickly accessing independent professionals with the skills you need. Re-engaging contingent labor, which increases work quality, decreases time to fill roles, and improves the culture fit with the…
Workforce Management |
Artificial Intelligence for Contingent Labor: Benefits and Challenges
In common with employee talent, artificial intelligence (AI) can significantly impact independent talent—from sourcing contractors through engagement and onboarding. AI tools can effectively source prospective independent professionals, assess them without bias, and onboard them efficiently. With more and more companies drawing on contingent labor to build optimized or blended workforces, such tools can be beneficial…
State of Independence |
The Growing Independent Population: Is the Genie Out of the Bottle?
Companies considering the viability of establishing or expanding a contingent labor workforce program may find excellent support in our 2022 State of Independence report. It marks the second year of forecast-breaking results in the independent professional population, perhaps indicating that the workforce disruption of the pandemic years has left a mark on the way that…
Workforce Management |
5 Traits of the Modern Independent Workforce
The modern independent workforce runs businesses from anywhere in the world, increasingly works together in teams, and finds new projects using online marketplaces. These workers are finding their place in America’s larger workforce, bringing skilled expertise to fill critical job openings while enjoying the flexibility and lifestyle independent work offers. Enterprises are increasingly recognizing the…