Resources

Employer of Record Guide

Discover how an Employer of Record (EOR) can streamline hiring, reduce compliance risk, and help you build a stronger workforce.

Resources

Contractor Compliance Risk: Top Causes and Solutions

Access our guide on what causes contractor compliance risk and how to avoid it.

Resources

Scope of work templates

Use this step by step guide and templates to create a Scope of Work document that outlines the basic details of your project with your clients.

Resources

Bill rate calculator

Are you charging your ideal rate? Use our calculator to understand if you are billing the right amount for your services.

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Enterprise Guides
Research
Talent Guides
Templates
Tools
White Papers

Research

How Online Talent Platforms are Reshaping Independent Work: 2025 Report

Discover why more independents are using online talent platforms to find work and understand how enterprises are using these platforms to find talent,

Enterprise Guides

Benefits of Bringing Creative Talent Into Contingent Workforce Programs

At MBO Partners, we’ve seen marketing and creative teams evolve faster than almost any other function. Many organizations once relied on in-house staff, long-standing agencies, and occasional freelancers.

Today, companies tap into global networks of independent creatives which offers deeper expertise and greater scale, while introducing new considerations around cost, compliance, and quality.

This guide shows how a structured contingent workforce program can help you secure top talent while keeping your business protected.

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Enterprise Guides

What Is an Employer of Record (EOR)? Complete Guide to Smarter Hiring

More companies are turning to Employers of Record as they look to expand their talent pools and hire across borders without added legal risk. As remote and international work become more common, EORs offer a fast, compliant solution for onboarding global talent.

In this guide, you’ll see how EORs are helping companies hire smarter, reduce legal risks, and build teams faster.

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Enterprise Guides

10 Best Practices for Contractor Engagement (Guide)

This guide covers best practices for a company and its managers to set up their independent talent for success. These practices are part of building an optimized workforce. It also includes self-assessments that help identify what’s working and where improvement is needed.

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Enterprise Guides

3 Ways to Manage Independent Contractors (Guide)

The demand for independent professional talent is continuing to grow year over year—72.7 million Americans work independently according to our latest research. As a result, businesses are actively seeking ways to find, engage, and retain relationships with these professionals. At the same time, they must also evaluate their contingent workforce management programs holistically to ensure they are truly meeting their core objectives. These include reducing the amount of time enterprise managers spend on oversight, streamlining processes, minimizing misclassification risks, lowering costs, and enhancing independent contractor satisfaction.

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Not all independent contractor engagement practices—new or legacy—are created equal. Some businesses, in fact, are pursuing or holding onto independent contractor programs that increase the risk of misclassification or alienating valuable independent talent. It’s critical for today’s business leaders to pursue engagement solutions that not only mitigate compliance risks but also improve program adoption and independent talent re-engagement.

Independent workers range from highly experienced professional services providers to more commoditized temporary workers. As shown in Figure 1 below, they often range significantly in terms of their compliance status.

independent workers

Figure 1 shows the spectrum across which the typical independent worker may comply with federal and state rules for worker classification.

Research

2025 Digital Nomads Trends Report: A Niche Workforce Becomes Mainstream

Access our 2025 report on the growth of Digital Nomads. Learn more about the 18.5M US digital nomads and the importance of having a corporate digital nomad policy.

Enterprise Guides

Candidate Fraud Guide: How to Protect Your Business

Candidate fraud is an increasing concern for businesses as hiring teams sort through high volumes of applicants. To help protect organizations, MBO has created a guide that outlines common ways fraud can occur and highlights red flags that may surface during résumé reviews or interviews. The guide also offers practical guidance for building a hiring process that keeps your team informed and reduces the risk of costly consequences and business damage.

Research

2025 AI Report: How Independents are Rewriting the Playbook Using Generative AI

Learn how independent workers are rapidly adopting and using generative AI to provide better and faster results for their clients. Independents are the new AI power players.

Research

2025 State of Independence in America Report

15 Years, One Movement The Return on Independence “For fifteen years, this report has tracked what is…

Tools

Take the Sourcing Snapshot and Get Insights on Your Sourcing Strategy

Talent Sourcing Snapshot Take a Closer Look at How You Source Talent This quick, guided survey helps…

Talent Guides

7 Tips for Writing a Client Report (Plus Sample Report)

Writing a client report is essential for communicating your progress on a project while managing expectations and…

White Papers

Overcoming Typical SMB Constraints to Access Specialized Talent

Direct sourcing has become a proven way for companies to secure top talent quickly and cost-effectively—but most SMBs don’t have the time, budget, or infrastructure to build their own program. With the right partner, you can access enterprise-level technology, compliance support, and a network of pre-vetted independent professionals. This approach gives growing businesses the ability to scale quickly, reduce hiring costs, and stay competitive without managing an in-house program.

Enterprise Guides

What is an Agent of Record (AOR): Guide to Managing a Project-Based Workforce

Managing independent contractors can be complex, but an Agent of Record (AOR) helps simplify the process. This guide breaks down what AOR means, how it supports compliance, and why it’s a smart solution for engaging independent talent. Learn how AOR services can reduce risk, ease administrative burden, and improve your overall workforce strategy.

Research

2024 State of Independence in America Report

Access MBO’s 2024 State of Independence Report and learn more about the 72.7 million independents working in America today. Understand the latest trends in the independent workforce.

Talent Guides

How to Write and Deliver a Consulting Proposal (Guide)

As an independent contractor, proposals are a strategic tool you can use to find and retain new clients and projects.

Whether you decide to write your own or are responding to a more formal Request for Proposal (RFP) from a client, the ability to craft a standout proposal can help you clarify your company’s mission and vision, gain a better understanding of your competitors, improve the way you approach your service offerings, and ultimately win new business.

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A strong proposal offers a clear solution to a client’s problem, addresses specific questions they ask, and provides them with insight into your skills and capabilities. In this guide, you’ll learn the best practices for writing, responding to, and evaluating a proposal.

Talent Guides

How to Expand Your Independent Consulting Business (Guide)

Many factors can influence your decision to grow your business, including regulatory changes or financial constraints that impact the timing of expansion. And there are many ways to grow: working with others as a team, hiring other consultants or part-time workers, or finding new work for yourself. In our guide, we’ll walk you through the key considerations on how to help you grow your business effectively. Find out how to figure out if it’s the right time to grow your business and what you should keep in mind when crafting a growth strategy.

Talent Guides

10 Steps to Succeed At Your First Consulting Project (Guide)

Once you secure your first consulting project, there are a few things to consider to ensure your success. This guide will walk you through how to execute your project successfully, collaborate effectively with your client, and build a strong relationship that positions you for future business opportunities.

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Talent Guides

How to Give a Great Business Presentation (Guide)

Knowing how to deliver a stellar presentation is crucial in any role, especially when you own your own business and are pitching or presenting information to a client. Organizing your content and supporting it with visuals can greatly enhance your audience’s understanding of the topic. Additionally, being a good presenter can impress your clients and establish you as a subject matter expert in your field.

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Enterprise Guides

When to Hire a Full-Time Employee Vs. An Independent Contractor (Guide)

Today, there are many options for identifying and engaging talent for your business. You can hire temporary workers to fill a seasonal or short-term need, full-time employees to support core organizational objectives, or independent contractors for high-value projects.

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It’s important to consider the advantages of engaging independent contractors versus temporary or full-time employees so that you can make the best choice in recruiting the right kind of talent. Before you start recruiting for a specific project, take the time to consider the project’s purpose, identify the skills needed to complete it, and assess whether it aligns with your core business objectives.

While rules and regulations govern how different types of workers are engaged, there are also practical applications to consider. Each of these types of workers can fulfill a role within your company, but there are many times when the best choice for the job is an independent contractor.

Tools

Contingent Workforce Program: Maturity Assessment

Contingent Workforce Program Maturity Assessment Get a clear snapshot of your contingent workforce program MBO’s Program Maturity…

Enterprise Guides

Contractor Compliance Risk: Top Causes and Solutions (Guide)

Independent contractors are playing a vital role in the workforce strategies of modern organizations. In order for this talent pool to give your company a competitive advantage and help accelerate innovation, it’s first important to understand and mitigate the risks of independent contractor engagement. Worker misclassification is one of the biggest risks of integrating independent talent into your workforce.

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Talent Guides

How to Get Your First Consulting Client (Guide)

Discover the critical steps to land your first consulting client, such as qualifying potential clients, understanding how to sell your services and what differentiates you from other candidates, and learn how to market your services effectively.

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Enterprise Guides

Hiring Offshore Workers: 5 Best Practices for Compliance (Guide)

Hiring offshore workers can provide many benefits for U.S. enterprises. For example, offshore workers can bring invaluable expertise, help reduce costs, and enable businesses to reach broader audiences across various countries and regions.

However, the unknowns associated with international compliance when hiring or engaging offshore workers can cause anxiety and resistance. Understanding the factors involved in hiring offshore workers is crucial to overcoming these challenges.

Here are five key best practices to help your enterprise navigate the process of hiring or engaging offshore workers compliantly.

Talent Guides

Key Questions to Ask Before Starting a Consulting Business (Guide)

If you’re considering going solo and becoming an independent consultant, you’re not alone. Independence resonates across generations and those who have made the transition have built and maintained satisfying careers.

MBO Partners’ research suggests there has never been a better time to be an independent, so it’s a good decision to develop a strategy if you are considering joining the bandwagon. We predict that by the end of the decade, over half of the private U.S. workforce will be career independents. This begs the question: Is it right for you? This guide will help you determine if you are ready to start a consulting business.

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Talent Guides

How to Create a Great Consulting Website (Guide)

When searching for information or the answer to a question, the internet is usually someone’s first stop. The more specific the search query, the better the results a search engine will display. A company that ranks well in those search results can see a significant boost in business. Every business—from solo consultants to established corporations—should have a website. A website serves as an effective marketing tool that helps independent consultants spread brand awareness, enhance credibility, showcase skills, and reach new clients.

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However, simply having your own website is not enough. No matter how creative, or content-rich a website is, it won’t deliver the desired results without a strategic plan. Fortunately, you don’t have to be tech savvy to create or optimize a website. You just need to follow the critical steps outlined in this guide.

Simply having a website is not enough. No matter how creative, or content-rich a website is, it won’t deliver the desired results without a strategic plan.

Talent Guides

How to Transition From Full-Time Employee to Self-Employed Professional (Guide)

The nature of work today looks entirely different than it did even just a few years ago, providing many opportunities for people to pursue their passions. Now, many tasks are organized around specific projects, and businesses have been discovering that outsourcing can be more cost-effective and resource efficient. This shift has intersected with the underlying revolution of American workers in search of greater control of their destiny, and the desire to do work aligned with their passion and expertise.

From our State of Independence in America study, we know that the major workforce shifts of the past decade have fueled a new kind of productivity, wealth, and personal growth opportunity for American workers and companies. We also know that the majority of those who pursue self-employment are satisfied with their choice and plan to continue working as an independent.

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While you might be excited to take control of your career path, lifestyle, and income, you may also have many questions about how to become a consultant. What steps should you take to prepare for going independent? What do you need to start your business? How do you leave your employer? Successful independent professionals come from all walks of life, but they share a common trait: strong planning skills. They are savvy professionals who do their research, ask good questions, and work hard every day to achieve their goals.

Choosing to go independent involves carefully considering how self-employment will impact your life, from financial preparation to benefits, retirement savings, and childcare management. Seek real-life advice and references before making the leap.

Talent Guides

6 Ways to Sell Better and Get More Consulting Clients (Guide)

As an independent professional, you have a lot of additional responsibilities. Not only must you deliver quality work, but you must find it as well. Winning new contracts isn’t just about luck and having an attractive portfolio. To maintain a steady flow of leads, you need a proactive approach and a clear plan of action for seeking out new projects.

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As a solo business owner, neglecting business development can lead to an unpredictable revenue stream and greater stress. While you may be doing well with just one or two large contracts, your future success hinges on consistently bringing in new business. And the way you sell has an impact on your ability to win new business. Here are six practical tips to help you secure more clients and maintain steady work.

Enterprise Guides

How to Interview for Soft Skills (Guide)

The world of work has been evolving for some time, influenced by technologies and societal shifts. As a result, enterprises are reassessing their HR models, and many leaders realize that a view of the workforce as a rigid structure of job descriptions and defined career paths is going the way of the dodo. Over the past decade, artificial intelligence (AI) has slowly moved into all organizational functions. Leaders have been watching the advance of this and other technologies as they try to figure out how to adapt to an ever-changing marketplace.

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Enterprise Guides

Worker Classification Guide: 3 Options for Engagement

The independent workforce is a growing and increasingly valuable source of talent. In fact, over half of executives say that leveraging an external workforce enables them to improve the overall financial performance of their company and helps balance business costs (The Contingent Labor Imperative).

However, outdated or inefficient practices for engaging independent contractors can increase costs, alienate key talent, and expose companies to risk. Understanding the direct and indirect factors associated with various engagement methods can help you develop smarter strategies to gain a competitive advantage in today’s project-based economy.

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Templates

Scope of Work Essentials: Overview, Best Practices, and Helpful Templates

Much like a contract, a scope of work is a foundational document for any independent consultant–client relationship. Use this step-by-step guide to create a Scope of Work document that outlines the essential details of your project with a new client, including key terms and general descriptions.

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Templates

Digital Nomad Sponsorship Request Template

Digital nomad sponsor template Do the work you love, how and where you want. Use this template to…

Talent Guides

6 Consulting Frameworks for Small Business (Guide + Worksheets)

Business frameworks assist independent professionals in getting client agreement and buy-in on project goals, scope, and deliverables. Use of a consulting framework can be helpful not just in achieving buy-in from a client, but also in identifying and understanding of all aspects of the issue at hand, leading to a successful final product—and happier clients.

The frameworks included in this guide are commonly used models. There is no winner or best framework, as each serves a different purpose. These frameworks can be used individually or in tandem to frame thinking and increase project efficiency.

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Talent Guides

10 Ways to Become a Thought Leader As an Independent Professional (Guide)

You’re already an expert in your field, but are you a thought leader? That’s a question every successful or aspiring independent contractor should ask. With the internet changing so quickly, producing content that reaches your audience is fast becoming a necessity for solo businesses.

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Building influence and reputation is crucial to success as an independent business, and there are clear steps your solo business can take to strengthen both. One way to enhance your reputation and elevate your independent consultancy is by developing a thought leadership platform.

A carefully planned strategy that integrates social media, content marketing, and a variety of creative ideas can ease your transition to becoming a subject matter expert. That transition—from “good” consultant to sought-after expert—will give you a competitive edge and make you more visible to potential clients.

group of businesspeople sitting at table

Talent Guides

How to Write a Consulting Contract (Guide): Types and Terms to Include

The modern independent consultant must adapt to their surroundings, especially when client organizations change rapidly. Consulting agreements can be as simple as a single page or a lengthy, detailed document, but what matters most is that a legal framework is established and signed by both parties to cover a worst-case scenario.

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Contracts establish non-employee relationships with clients, protecting both parties and providing a strong foundation for the independent and client. Organizations need these protections to avoid misclassifying workers and facing associated penalties. Independents require the validation provided in a contract to confirm the relationship with the client.

Contracts ensure respective expectations are documented, clearly outlining the services to be performed, the timeline for completion, and payment terms and conditions. This guide will explore the types of contracts and agreements one that independent contractors may encounter, providing a glossary of key terms and sample agreements. It has been designed to build the confidence and knowledge necessary to successfully negotiate consulting agreements.

Tools

Calculate Your Worker Misclassification Risk (Guide)

Independent Contractor Risk Assessment Is Important Independent contractor misclassification is a critical issue when engaging contingent workers….

Talent Guides

5 Small Business Reputation Management Strategies That Work (Guide)

When you transition from traditional employee to independent worker, your reputation and your brand go together. In the words of the esteemed Warren Buffett, “it takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.”

We have witnessed reputation failures of high-profile politicians, sports stars, and other public figures. These failures erode trust and can have a significant impact on a person’s earning ability. Similarly, people with “good” reputations can get jobs and opportunities not afforded to others simply because of prevailing opinion.

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As an independent professional, there’s no greater tool than your professional reputation. A good brand identity and online reputation makes people feel good about doing business with you. On the other hand, a poor online reputation can limit your opportunities and negatively impact your ability to succeed in your profession.

Talent Guides

How to Build a Small Business Marketing Strategy (Guide)

A strong brand communicates who you are and the problems you solve, while marketing conveys your brand message and engages your target audience, helping you acquire new clients. Without a clearly defined and visible brand, you risk missing out on potential opportunities.

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Research

2024 Digital Nomads Trends Report: Nomads are Here to Stay

Digital Nomads One in Ten U.S. Workers is a Digital Nomad The MBO Partners 2024 State of…

Talent Guides

How Much Should I Charge As a Consultant? (Guide)

Whether you’re preparing to land your first consulting project or are already well along on your journey, you have most likely considered how much to charge for your services. While there’s no one-size-fits-all answer, there are a few reliable methods to help you determine your ideal bill rate.

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There are three basic strategies to find your ideal bill rate: cost-based, market-based, and value-based. You can also have a blended rate that combines elements of each.

Bill rate (n.): the amount a company or professional charges per hour of work.

Enterprise Guides

Top 9 Contractor Compliance Issues and How to Avoid Them (Guide)

The number of people working as independent professionals in the U.S. is steadily rising. As the independent workforce continues to grow, more companies are tapping into this talent source. When engaging this valuable talent pool, organizations must comply with an ever-changing—and often inconsistent—patchwork of policies and laws surrounding independent contractors.

Below, we review 9 common independent contractor compliance issues along with tips for how businesses can avoid them.

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Enterprise Guides

Reduce Worker Misclassification Audit Risk (Guide)

The classification of employees as independent contractors may seem like something that only happens to larger companies, the ones you read about in the news. After all, is the government really interested in the details of how, say, a small business engages freelance writers for website copy? But the truth is that because audits are private, you typically only hear about high-profile cases that involve class action lawsuits.

4 COMMON audits

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The bottom line: Businesses of all sizes and industries can be subject to an audit. As the independent workforce continues to grow, the issue of worker classification has been thrust into the spotlight and audit occurrences are now more frequent.

Our guide outlines the steps to take if your company is audited along with important parts of the process, including:

General information included in an audit letter, including which records will likely be requested
Recommendations for how to prepare for the audit, including steps that you and your legal counsel will need to take
Details on how the audit will be conducted, including expected steps and how to submit required information

We also offer detailed information on the 15 best practices to implement to avoid a misclassification audit.

Enterprise Guides

10 Strategies to Reduce Contractor Compliance Risk (Guide)

As the project-based economy continues to evolve, managing independent contractor talent effectively will be critical. If you suspect your business may be using independent contractor engagement practices that heighten your risk profile, it’s important to arm yourself with an understanding of what today’s most forward-thinking companies are doing to reduce their compliance risk. The following 10 best practices can help mitigate or even eliminate the risks associated with engaging independent talent.

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Enterprise Guides

Guide to Building a Direct Sourcing Strategy

As the use of independent professional labor continues to grow, so does the need for more efficient ways to find and leverage this increasingly valuable talent pool.

Top 5 Reasons for Direct Sourcing

Source: Contingent Labor Report
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Direct sourcing shifts recruiter functions in-house, enabling managers to search through a Talent Network, a group of vetted independents, to match skill sets with project opportunities and better anticipate future engagement needs. By looking beyond traditional channels of labor procurement like staffing firms, companies can streamline their process to fill their requisitions faster while saving 30-70% per engagement.

As part of a scalable multichannel agile workforce optimization plan, enterprise-grade direct sourcing platforms enable organizations to easily source, engage, and manage independent talent with mitigated compliance risk.

Direct sourcing platforms and solutions empower companies to leverage their own enterprise brand to engage contingent workers of all types in a faster, more cost-effective way that often results in an overall better experience for placed resources and engagement managers alike.

In this guide, you will get a comprehensive overview of the Direct Sourcing landscape, what to look for in a solution, and how to make it work for your organization. Remember to download the interactive checklist to help identify and define your specific needs.

Research

The Untapped Potential of a Recomposable Workforce – 2024 Study

The Untapped Potential of a Recomposable Workforce Why Leaders Need To Redefine The Structure Of Their Workforce…

Tools

Consulting Fee and Bill Rate Calculator

Using a consulting fees calculator can help you understand how much to charge for your services. As…

Enterprise Guides

How to Create a Direct Sourcing Program (Guide)

This guide is focused on giving you tools that you need to plan and launch a direct sourcing program in your enterprise. We’ll start with your business case, including the all-important skills assessment, and also cover who should be involved in program planning and the planning journey itself. We will then look at what to keep in mind to make progress within the company and the keys to success as your program is rolled out.
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