Why go the freelancer/consultant route?

So it's been a while since I wrote a blog.  Today I wanted to talk about the benefits of hiring an independent professional, because we all need to know why we're doing what we're doing, right?   If you find a good one, you'll reap some serious benefits and set up a mutually satisfying long-term relationship.  And in time, that relationship will help your business continue to grow at a lower cost than you may have thought possible.

So think about this:

You need some communications work done.  Or maybe you need some training programs developed and rolled out.  Or maybe you need a help system built, or some media work completed like press releases, blogs, articles, and social media content.  Or maybe you're not quite sure if your website is working.

You have three options at this point: 

1. Hire a full-time professional.  To attract a skilled one, be sure to offer a good salary and full benefits.  And don't forget to pay all those employee taxes, buy them a computer, and pay for a phone line. 
   
2. Hire a part-time professional.  But remember that what you offer in salary/benefits may dramatically impact the talent (or lack thereof) that you get.  And do you really want awful marketing materials hitting the printer?
   
3. Hire a freelancer or consultant.  Pay them for what you need, and call them later if you need more.  Pay a high rate for good quality, but pat yourself on the back that it's a one time expense and not a recurring one.  Calculate the savings when you think about option 1, then think about the business catastrophe averted by hiring a less skilled professional via option 2.
   

So where am I going with this?  Well, I'm going straight to this message:

A skilled consultant/freelancer can provide professional quality work for a fraction of the overall cost, and can dramatically increase your business and profits through an as-needed expense rather than a daily one. 

Think about the thousands, or hundreds of thousands, of dollars you could save and re-invest in your business.  It's all about return on investment.  Pay for what you need, when you need it, knowing you will get the same professional quality you would get if you hired a full-time employee.  And pocket that money you would have paid on a salary, taxes, benefits, bonus structure, computer software, training...the list goes on.