Five Ways To Find A Great Subcontractor

By Author: Adrielle Even
Total Articles: 5
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Your phone is ringing off the hook. Your calendar features deadline after deadline after deadline. You've got a mountain of work that you just can't move by yourself. That's where a subcontractor comes in.

Subcontracting is a great way to keep your overhead low while getting more work done. The trade-off is, now you're not just your own boss: you're someone else's. You need to make sure whoever you hire does the job you want. Here are five ways to do it.

#1) Use Vendor Sites

There are sites set up all over the Internet that allow you to find and hire subcontractors. ResourceNation.com and Business.com are good examples: vendors pay a fee and submit their information, and the site carefully screens the vendor to ensure they're above a certain caliber. Generally, these sites are free for businesses to use, as they make their money on the back end from vendors. This is probably the most convenient; just check each site to make sure it's got a proper background check in place. For example, the two sites above use ...
... Experian to make sure their vendors are up to snuff.

#2) Ask Around

Ask friends in the industry for subcontractor references. Odds are pretty good your fellow entrepreneurs have had to subcontract out work themeselves: ask them who they used and who they'd recommend. Just as important: find out who didn't work out. Knowing who did a bad job is just as important, so if other leads don't pan out, you know who to avoid.

#3) Read Up

Subcontractors are entrepreneurs, too, and they'll be just as eager to get in the press and get some coverage. Read local publications and blogs to find out who's doing what, and who might be available for subcontracting work. For example, if you're looking for a publicist, check a blog about publicists in your area.

#4) Keep Your Eyes Open

If you see somebody doing a great job on something you need, just go up and ask: are they available for subcontracting work? If not, no harm done and you've paid somebody a compliment and gotten their name for future reference. If so, get some references, and find out how they did on other jobs.

#5) When All Else Fails...Want-Ads

If you've tried everything else and you can't find anybody you like, then it's time to roll up your sleeves and do it yourself. If you have to do this, remember that it will take more time than the other options, which is why it's the last resort.

Here's how to get a proper want ad and have it work:

- Place it on Craigslist and on occupation appropriate job boards.
- Be concise and clear in your ad: make sure the applicant knows exactly what you want and what price you're willing to pay.
- Ask for at least three references, and make clear these references will need a landline if at all possible.
- Where appropriate, also ask for a portfolio of their work.
- Google the references before calling to make sure they're legitimate.
- Google the person themselves to check for any problems they may have had with clients in the past.

Finally, consider putting them on a smaller job before handing them a bigger gig.

If that sounds exhausting, well, we recommended four other techniques first for a reason!