The Human Cloud Podcast: Recent Episodes
Matthew Coatney/Matthew Mottola
Human Cloud co-authors Matt Mottola and Matt Coatney dive into all things Future of Work, from current events to trends including freelancing, leadership, and technology. This podcast is the most fun you'll have while maybe actually learning something.
In this episode, we’ll learn from Charlotte Gregson, the Country Head of the UK for Malt. Malt is the largest independent talent marketplace operating in Europe and The Middle East, with a staggering 700,000 freelancers as part of their community.
Get ready to dive deep into the world of enterprise freelancing as we discuss the size and scope of Malt, the use cases for freelancers in the enterprise, and the balance between self-service and a white-glove experience. We also explore the importance of confidentiality and the evolution of the freelance marketplace. Overall, the conversation highlights the strategic value of freelancers in enterprise and the need for a tech-driven platform with a human touch.
Key takeaways:
- How Malt strategically enables large enterprises to leverage freelance talent effectively.
- Malt’s unique approach, operating on a country-by-country basis, with Charlotte leading the charge in the UK.
- The delicate balance Malt strikes between self-service and white-glove experiences.
- The importance of confidentiality in this space.
- The critical role human expertise and processes play in driving success, complementing Malt's tech platform.
Whether you're already tapped into the freelance workforce or just starting to explore, this episode is an essential listen. Get ready to rethink your approach to talent acquisition and project execution as Charlotte guides us through the freelance economy's intricacies.
Agency and Freelance Leaders,
Are you ready for a masterclass on how to win as an agency, how to scale a talent platform, and how to balance the cultural and tactical aspects of scaling a freelance workforce?
In this episode, we will learn from Christine Olivas, Founder and CEO of No Single Individual (formerly known as Co Conspirators) which was founded in 2021 and is the ad industry’s preferred choice for freelance strategy talent.
We’ll touch on how today’s advertising and marketing agencies can be successful by integrating freelancers within their talent strategy, as well as intentionally integrating freelancers into teams and talent planning rather than treating them as a secondary, “plug the hole” resource.
We’ll also hit on two main blockers for successful freelance integration within agencies - (1) cultural challenges, specifically being open to freelancers, and (2) red tape, specifically the blockers to hire, onboard, and re-hire freelancers.
Then, we’ll look at 4 keys to success that make No Single Individual a trusted partner for agencies:
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Successful platforms inherently have founder market fit, and grow by scaling the founder, and the founder's book of business
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Successful talent platforms are niche. They are not everything for everyone. In No Single Individual’s case, they are an agency that specializes in serving agencies.
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Successful talent platforms make it easy to get started and know exactly what they’re hiring a freelancer for. In Christine’s case, her use cases, in order, are (1) Winning RFP’s and proposals, (2) Family leave and re-onboarding, (3) Skills outside of an agency's core, like influencer marketing, and (4) Scale in the volume needed to execute.
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The reasons No Single Individual’s members freelance with them are (1) To collaborate with fellow freelancers, (2) To have predictability, (3) To focus on the work.
It was truly a masterclass.
Christine brings full transparency in this episode. For example, she mentioned how they scaled from $500,000 in year 1 to $2 million now in year 4.
Enjoy!
Leaders,
MBO Partners has been the industry gold standard for Enterprises scaling their independent workforce and data on the independent workforce through their annual State of Independence Report. Started originally in 1996 by Gene Zaino, MBO stands for “My Business Office”, and has been leading the independent workforce ever since. Miles took over as CEO in 2019, after 30+ years leading PWC, including concepting and building PWC’s Talent Exchange, the brand’s talent marketplace.
In this episode, we will clearly understand the size, scope, and nature of the independent workforce. By understanding this, we’ll then clearly understand why we call the current state of work a ‘talent chasm’, rather than fluffy names like the future of work. Specifically, we’ll dive deep into why now is the time that companies are being disrupted by the changing talent landscape. We’ll also dive deep into why this is no longer a Procurement or HR issue, but rather a P&L and growth issue. We’ll also learn from Miles how top companies are leaning in. Specifically, he’ll teach us MBO’s 3 “legs of the stool” approach of compliance, cost, and workforce optimization that uses education and mathematical value creation to drive the transformation needed.
Miles will also share crucial data points, like how the independent workforce making over $100,000 stands around 4.6 million people, and how the percentage of this population that sources work through talent platforms has grown from around 4% in 2012 to around 40% now.
Key takeaways:
1: Talent has changed, yet the strategy hasn’t. Specifically, talent has changed from a full-time, permanent workforce to an impact-based, fluid workforce with an average tenure of less than four years.
2: The impact of this new paradigm is that the old model, which was built around job roles, gets in the way of the new model of work that necessitates mission-critical teams.
3: Not adapting is no longer trivial. There’s a clear pattern of companies that stick to the old paradigm being left behind. Specifically, Miles shows us the clear ROI and valuation implications between companies that have a strategic independent workforce and companies that don’t.
4: There is a clear 3-step process to successful talent transformation.
- Step 1: Align everyone around Human Capital scarcity
- Step 2: Educate everyone on how the independent workforce is where top talent is heading
- Step 3: Be Intentional about the risk, the mathematical value creation, and the stakeholders needed to drive this transformation
Enjoy!
Today we’re joined by Christian Moldenhauer and David Küpper, Founders of expertpowerhouse, and both former BCG Consultants. Founded in 2016, expertpowerhouse has been a leader in the freelance consulting space globally.
During this conversation, you'll learn why David and Christian have been so successful in building a freelance model that both scales and is sustainable. You will learn why freelance is such an advantage for consulting, and how freelance isn’t just a disruptor, but complementary to existing consulting models.
Key takeaways:
1: Freelance consulting fills a gap that traditional consulting can’t, without freelance consulting replacing, but rather complementing traditional consulting
2: Fractional is a powerful new model for freelance experts
3: The small but mighty difference between a freelance consultant and freelance expert
4: The right person for 40% of the time is much more impactful than 100% of the wrong person
Leaders, talent platforms are amid massive disruption. What started as large, everything store marketplaces, are expanding into numerous different models, for different segments, and each has its own disruptive nature that makes them unique.
No platform better shows this disruption than The Starters, a new fractional talent platform that combines e-commerce specialization and a business model disruption by being a subscription.
In this episode, we’ll learn from Jai, the founder and a former Chief Marketing Officer.
We’ll learn:
1: Why he chose a subscription-based model
2: Why he uses the term fractional
3: Why he specializes in E-commerce
4: How he’s scaled The Starters
5: Where he envisions The Starters and the trajectory of the freelance economy heading
Enterprise Leaders, why should you care about the freelance economy? Yes…over half the US workforce will be freelancing in the next 5 years. Yes…there are over 300 million freelancers worldwide. And yes…freelancers encapsulate every skill, especially cutting-edge skills like AI, Blockchain, and Supply Chain, and have the exact expertise that you need.
But beyond that…why do you need to embrace remote, freelance models in your business?
There is no one better to explain than Nuri, Principal PM at Microsoft and Author of 'Leading the Unknown: Strategies for Leading Remote or Gig Teams'.
Microsoft has been a leader in embracing freelance models. They built the Microsoft Freelance Toolkit in 2018.
In this episode, we’ll discuss the benefits, but also get tactical about leading remote and gig teams.
We’ll discuss:
- how the evolution of technology opened the door for the freelance economy
- the benefits of democratizing work and accessing global talent,
- The challenges of scaling freelance workforces in an Enterprise setting
- How to go beyond just using a freelance platform, and instead enable collaboration with freelancers across the world
Leaders,
We’ve all been hearing about nearshoring, and the rise of technical talent from Latin America. In this episode we’ll learn from Calvin who built his first couple of companies through LATAM talent. He believed in this talent pool so much that he started Awana, a freelance talent platform for technical talent in Latin America.
We will cover the in’s and out’s of why LATAM is making such a strong push.
We’ll hit on:
- Why now - why is right now the time that Latin America is having their moment
- What’s unique about LATAM compared to other regions? Hint..time zones are a crucial advantage
- How can leaders get started hiring LATAM talent?
- Where are the trip wires? From a cultural and economic perspective, how can leaders ensure a good experience with LATAM talent?
Enjoy!
Human Cloud just released their Freelance Trend Tracker Quarterly Results for Q1 of 2024.
Each quarter, Freelance Trend Tracker reports on how leaders are feeling, how platforms are performing, and patterns for success.
This quarter was rough…
- Business Performance…51% of freelance leaders are neutral or frustrated
- Client Acquisition…56% of freelance leaders haven’t been successful at attracting clients
- But confidence is high, as 85% of leaders are confident about the industry long term, and leaders trust their teams as 57% of freelance leaders are confident about their team
CEO Matthew Mottola will discuss how freelance leaders can navigate this trying environment. Specifically, he’ll show how:
- Brand wins
- Resilience is key
- Bundling and consolidation is likely
Let’s discuss!
Sign up for Trend Tracker: https://humancloud.work/trend-tracker/
Leaders, a freelance workforce can be your secret weapon to drive agile product outcomes at scale. What does that mean? It means that rather than looking at freelancers as filling a gap or a cheaper solution, freelance is a fundamentally better way to drive your product organization and product initiatives.
No one understands this better than Maulik Sailor, Founder of both Innovify and CodeMonk. Maulik is the exact person we want to help us understand how to drive product in today's global and digital first world. Innovify is a product studio that builds disruptive software applications from the ground up, while CodeMonk is a freelance tech and product talent network.
Maulik is part of a growing trend of freelance talent platforms that bundle both a network and a managed service. Increasingly as companies look to freelance to solve more complex problems and scopes of work, this bundled approach is needed. What this means is that instead of saying, “here's a bunch of individual freelancers”, they can take you through the entire software development lifecycle, from ideation, to MVP, to scaling a fully functional software application.
In this episode we’ll discuss:
- How flexibility and agility are crucial in the fast-paced world of product management
- His delivery framework ensures successful project execution by emphasizing communication, clarity, and documentation
- Why a Product leader should care about freelance
- How transparency and trust are essential in building strong relationships between clients and freelancers
- Building effective teams requires considering technical skills, soft skills, and compatibility among team members
- Team intelligence - including the ability to embed freelancers within existing teams to enhance project outcomes
- The future of freelancing lies in continuous matching and rematching of talent and projects
Leaders,
Michael Morris has been a pioneer in the freelance economy, especially when it comes to software development. In 2002, he started TopCoder, the crowdsourcing software development platform that led to groundbreaking innovations from NASA and countless other companies. Michael now leads Torc, a global software development freelance platform. In his words, Torc is a talent marketplace that brings the most productive freelance developers to the enterprise through an AI, security, and culture-first platform approach. A couple of things to listen for in this episode:
- How a talent network needs community and culture to unlock productivity
- Why trust and aligning incentives are integral for a strong talent and client experience
- Why LATAM...hint, the time zone alignment, language proficiency, cultural alignment, and cost
- How freelance talent unlocks speed to code
- The role of automation in the freelance economy
Leaders, marketing can be tough. While we all know we need it, and while freelance marketing is nothing new, marketing is one of those areas that is tough to measure, tough to validate success, and the industry as a whole has undergone massive transformation.
According to Ryan, a key problem is that the industry has undergone so much change thanks to technology, that it’s no longer enough to put the responsibility on a good CMO. Instead, good marketing is the result of having multiple experts, working on and testing multiple different channels and strategies until they’ve found what works.
Which is why Ryan, and his team’s growth studio Legion, acquired the marketing freelance platform Growth Collective in 2021. Expert marketers themselves, Ryan and Legion know how to grow companies through digital marketing, and they had grown their own companies and agencies with freelance marketers in the past, thus Growth Collective was an extension of their expertise. As Growth Collective grew, they started to get more companies asking for full teams that could help find and scale the right channels so they created Growth Assembly for Bespoke Growth Teams.
In this episode we’ll get deep into what they’ve learned and how every leader can embrace freelance models to grow their brand.
Key takeaways:
The value of marketing today is knowing why and where growth comes from
Successful marketing leads to successful product launches, new markets, and new channels
Today's online marketing technology created a chasm where hiring generalists, or a good CMO, isn’t enough
Good marketing requires an elastic network of experts approach rather than a default full time approach
Existing large, horizontal marketplaces can’t provide the level of vetting to ensure an elastic network of growth marketing experts
Now is the perfect time to embrace freelance and fractional work due to the challenges in raising capital and the cost of debt
Leaders,
Paul Falcone is a bestselling author, experienced HR Leader across several large companies including Time Warner, Nickelodeon, and NBCUniversal. Paul provides key insights on how independent contractors and the freelance economy can help address talent shortages. He also stresses the importance of collaborating with HR, highlighting their responsibilities around compliance, data privacy, and more. Crucially, Paul emphasizes that providing visibility through regular communication is key to enabling HR to be an effective partner. We explore how the role of HR has evolved into a strategic driver of business performance and some of the key challenges HR leaders face today, including talent scarcity, compliance, and managing uncertainty.
Some Key Takeaways:
HR has become a strategic business partner, evolving beyond its administrative roots. Trust and empathy are now critical pillars.
Talent scarcity is the #1 priority for HR leaders today. Leveraging fractional talent and the freelance workforce can help fill urgent gaps.
HR owns compliance, data privacy, and ensuring a positive worker experience. Involving them early when engaging external talent is essential.
With continuous disruption and change, uncertainty is top of mind for HR. Providing clarity through open communication is vital.
HR seeks to empower and develop talent. With a spirit of partnership, HR can become a true ally in mobilizing your workforce.
Find Paul’s bestselling human resources books for effective hiring, performance management, and leadership development - https://www.harpercollinsleadership.com/catalog/paul-falcone/
Karina Rehavia, Founder & CEO of Ollo, is an accomplished entrepreneur and business leader with over 20 years of experience and a proven track record of launching innovative service offerings. She has led several business development and large-scale projects for prominent global organizations. Karina joins us today to discuss the freelance economy and the growth of human cloud platforms like Ollo. She shares the story of launching Ollo and the challenges she faced in building a platform that emphasizes flexibility, high-touch client service, and human intuition in matching clients with creative freelance talent. She highlights Ollo's success in acquiring top clients by providing a full concierge experience beyond just a talent marketplace. Karina also discusses the future of the freelance economy and Ollo's plans for continued expansion, including a new initiative around influencer marketing.
Jason Posel, CEO of Greenlight.ai, is a recognized leader in the Future of Work. He is an expert in managing contingent workforce payroll programs and associated contractor classification, tax, and labor law issues. This conversation explores the topic of worker classification and its impact on the freelance economy and provides timely insights into the potential impact of the recent updates by the U.S. Department of Labor on worker classification. Risk of misclassification is by far one of the leading blockers for freelance adoption, at scale, due to the massive implications of not getting this right. Jason emphasizes the need for a robust process to evaluate and engage contractors and helps companies adapt to these changes, ensuring compliance and fostering a fair and transparent work environment.
Takeaways
- Having a robust process to evaluate and engage contractors is crucial for larger enterprises.
- Recent changes in classification legislation have made it harder for businesses to classify workers as independent contractors.
- Companies have traditionally used internal processes, employer of record services, or staffing companies to manage classification.
- The rise of freelance work has introduced new challenges in classification, particularly in terms of compliance and risk management.
- Companies should pay attention to this issue and implement programs to mitigate risks.
Leaders,
Gali Arnon, Chief Business Officer – Marketplace, at Fiverr explains why human relationships will become even more important in the age of AI and automation. Touching on her 6+ years at Fiverr, her prior experience leading a range of software companies, and the journey of Fiverr from a startup in 2010 to a leading public company today. Gali will show us why the future of work is more human than ever, and how Fiverr’s focus on product and technology has enabled both freelancers and clients to form deeper collaboration. She’ll discuss the practical applications of how Enterprises are scaling their freelance workforces, with examples from Amazon, Monday.com, and Stripe to name a few, and uncover the transformational benefits these companies have had from the creation of custom marketplaces and integrating freelancers into existing business processes. Last, she’ll let us in on Fiverr’s latest product launches. To no surprise…since Fiverr has historically been the leader in product innovation as they’ve both internally developed or acquired future looking products like the acquisition of And.Co, a freelance operating system that’s now Fiverr Workspace, and Stoke Talent, an Enterprise Freelance Management Suite that’s now Fiverr Enterprise.
Some key takeaways from this episode:
Fiverr has had a significant impact on the freelance economy by productizing the process of hiring freelancers and removing friction and bureaucracy from the talent marketplace.
The future of Fiverr and the freelance economy lies in bridging the talent gap and providing personalized, efficient, and trusted solutions for businesses of all sizes.
Human talent is irreplaceable and plays a crucial role in creativity, human touch, and uniqueness, even in the age of AI.
Creating custom marketplaces for enterprise clients allows businesses to integrate freelancers into their existing processes and leverage their expertise to drive growth and innovation.
Follow the link to learn about Fiverr’s latest product release: https://fvrr.co/3SBv9vj
Leaders,
Our guest today is Pat Petitti, Co-Founder & CEO of Catalant, the leader in independent management consulting. For over a decade, Pat has pioneered the transformation of traditional consulting into a more responsive, on-demand model. He's been at the forefront of the freelance economy since founding Catalant in 2012.
A few key takeaways:
Pat will go beyond just using the term "freelance" and explain what a freelance workforce enables
The focus is on transformation - specifically transforming traditional consulting into Consulting 2.0
The freelance model provides benefits beyond just speed, cost, and quality
It's more than a staffing or contingent talent model - it enables fundamental organizational change
Brett Trainor is a fractional leader and the Founder of the Corporate Escapee Podcast. He is an expert in one of the fastest growing segments of the freelance economy - Fractional. Brett is helping GenX escape the corporate world and take control of their future without sacrificing income.
Some key insights to listen out for in this episode:
- Fractional work represents executive-level leadership - fractional leaders have the experience and expertise of VPs, directors, etc.
- Brett provides tactical advice on what works well for fractional engagements based on his experience, such as building out the infrastructure and processes
- Ideal workflow: Brett breaks down how he operates fractionally - working on hourly, monthly retainer, or outcome-based engagements
Rae Hames is the Co-Founder and CEO of Teamera, a pioneering insights platform revolutionizing how companies build and optimize hybrid teams. With an extensive background that spans 15 years in advertising — including roles as an agency operator, brand-side leader, and freelancer — Rae brings a deep understanding of the operational challenges of managing an increasingly freelance-dominant workforce to the table.
Before launching Teamera, she co-founded Work Sandy, a freelance staffing consultancy, where she and her team supported major consumer brands build their flexible team infrastructure to improve hiring speed, reduce recruiting costs, and improve team performance. Rae has an impressive ability to create efficient, data-driven flexible teams, specifically by helping leaders create systems that blend full-time employees, agencies, and freelancers under one cohesive unit.
A couple of highlights from within this episode:
- Why freelancers will never completely replace full-time employees… and why getting the right mix of freelance/full-time talent is critical for businesses today
- How agencies ended up in a “doom loop” that has impacted their profit margins while improving opportunities for freelancers
- The practical challenges of planning freelance teams - and how to optimize them over time
- Rae's advice on how leaders can start building an effective flexible workforce (Hint: all you need is two people - a leader with a strategic vision and a project manager!)
Joy Batra is the founder of Quartz Consulting, a freelance consulting firm that has advised start-ups, venture capital firms, and Fortune 500 companies. Joy is also the author of “The Freelance Mindset” which has been featured in The Washington Post, Fast Company, and Oprah Daily.
Joy represents the trajectory of the freelance economy, particularly with regard to the freelancers themselves. At the forefront of this evolution is the growing category of executive-level freelancers. These individuals embody a profile that aligns seamlessly with roles such as directors, vice presidents, and general counsels — Joy herself serves as a prime example in the realm of general counsel. While certain datasets may categorize them as freelancers earning over 100k, this segment signifies an exciting transformation in the freelance landscape, showcasing the capacity of freelancing to unlock expansive and diverse scopes of work.
Enjoy!
Leaders, Sundar represents the fastest growing segment of the freelance economy...mid level top performers with impressive logos choosing to freelance or build for the freelance economy rather than continue as a Director or above role.
Prior we had Angie Moody who was a top performer at Microsoft, Visa, and Instagram. Then Ernie Park, a top performer at Hubspot. Now Sundar, a Carnegie Mellon grad and top performer at Uber and ready for it...a debt manager at the US Treasury.
A couple of things that really hit me:
- Sundar views freelancing as the path to best support his family rather than the typical "I need the safety of a job."
- Sundar works with post PMF B2C Marketplaces helping Series A-C make more profitable decisions through analytics and experimentation.
- Sundar chooses to freelance for the autonomy, flexibility, and impact he can make.
- Sundar views the freelance journey as... year 1 = existing network, year 2 = referrals, year 3+ = have to turn away business. Enjoy!
Leaders, Asal is the definition of an HR Changemaker we want on our side. She was Phillips' Global Head of Strategic Priorities Delivery,
What blew me away were four things:
- How similar the technology of the freelance economy solves top challenges for talent leaders.
- Not all talent is created equal when driving an effective Talent Strategy.
- How similar the language is between HR and innovative freelance solutions. For example, she mentioned talent pooling.
- How challenging the freelance economy can be for HR leaders
In this episode we'll hit on the elephant in the room - why every Enterprise isn't already 10-30% freelance. As Asal puts it, there's a black box mystery in effective talent management, and there are tough conversations that need to be had to move an initiative as transformational as freelance forward.
We'll also hit on what I believe is the painkiller that we can solve for HR - enabling successful HR transformations by unlocking agility both internally and externally.
Enjoy!
While many experts agree that the freelance economy is the future of work, access to credit is a leading barrier for solopreneurs, freelancers, and freelance marketplaces. While large, traditional companies can leverage credit to grow their business, freelancers as an asset class lack the same traditional banking opportunities, hindering the growth of individual freelancers, thus hindering the growth of freelance marketplaces.
Credilinq is an exciting technology and company that can break this barrier. By building a net new custom technology stack, that enables an algorithmic solution to digitizing alternative data that banks can’t access, Credilinq has built a solution that can embed within marketplaces to provide marketplace users access to credit that traditional banks would overlook.
Deeper than credit, Vikram and Deep encompass the future of entrepreneurs using cutting edge technology to transform the paradigm of work. As you’ll learn, Vikram and Deep have been able to harness digital banking, generative AI, and cutting edge data science to unlock opportunities for traditionally underserved communities.
You’ll also learn how entrepreneurs can harness their expertise to transform an industry.
Leaders,
AI is all the buzz...but what is the practical application of AI for every leader? According to Arvind, GM at Wipro, a leading global digital transformation consultancy, the practical application is that in the next 5 years, there will be a fundamental disruption in the value of intelligent labor.
This disruption will impact everything - including your job, your team structure, and your company structure. Here's a quick example from Arvind. Competitive research that typically takes a week with a human team can take a couple hours with an AI agent.
We've already seen early examples of this through the freelance economy. Whether individuals choose to work as fractional CMO's, COO's, etc instead of continuing on the corporate ladder. Or companies embracing freelancers as a strategic sourcing channel to drive outcomes like North America's leading motorcycle manufacturer leveraging over 30 freelancers to build their collaborative riding mobile application. Or companies like Intuit creating TurboTax Live, a standalone feature made possible by building freelancer talent pools.
Arvind will help us understand early examples of success with AI, describe use cases we can all apply now, and show us how tools like ChatGPT can generate brainstorming ideas.
He will also give us a 4 step process we can apply to start embracing AI:
Step 1: Change our mindset
Step 2: Scope what can be done
Step 3: Leverage Data
Step 4: From Pilot to Production
Leaders,
Rishon is one of the founders of 10x, which is one of the OGs operating as a talent agency instead of a marketplace. In 2012, Rishon and Michael Solomon started 10x and brought decades of experience managing musicians, directors, and other creative entities to the technology sector.
One could argue 10x predicted the future by building a talent agency with a hyper rich and robust talent network instead of being a large horizontal marketplace. Because of this, 10x has carved their place as a trusted and exclusive resource for companies seeking the best and most coveted freelance tech experts.
Key learnings to listen out for:
1: How Rishon and Michael 'entrepreneured' their way into 10x
2: How to build partnerships, robust talent networks, and deep client relationships
3: Exciting marketplace innovations, specifically their TAP (talent availability program)
4: What has NOT changed in the freelance economy
5: Balancing landing vs expanding, should you service existing customers or go net new
6: What is the HOOK for 10x and the freelance economy
Leaders,
Private Talent Clouds are all the rage right now, yet Pavel has been helping large companies build their Private Talent Clouds since 2014. Prior to 2014, Pavel was running his legal firm, when multiple clients asked if he could help structure the contracts and pay independent contractors. This became Solar Staff, a solution for US and European large companies to compliantly contract and pay their independent contractors. Quickly, Solar Staff scaled as the freelance economy grew through three inflection points.
- Inflection Point 1, circa 2014, when tech companies needed to contract freelancers
- Inflection Point 2, circa 2018, when marketing agencies needed freelancers at scale
- Inflection Point 3, circa 2020, when online education and gaming companies needed freelancers at scale
- He led with a problem, NOT a solution. He didn't set out to start a Freelance Management System. He was helping large companies legally hire independent contractors, then moved up the value chain to build software that made this efficient at scale.
- He's built the nuts/bolts behind private talent clouds and direct sourcing (hint...it's contracts and payments).
- AI, and how he's been on a 2 year journey testing it, and how now it's showing signs to replace human need for intake and forms.
These 3 inflection points have positioned Solar Staff as the go to for Eastern European independent contractor contracting and payment. Now there are 3 things that stick out to me about Pavel.
This is a great episode! Enjoy.
Leaders,
The freelance economy is more than just a staff augmentation or marketplace model. It’s a fundamental disruption in how we unlock the most important asset of our society – human potential. In NASA’s words, “It would be hard to write about the Future of Work and not consider the role and disruptive nature that the gig economy is having on NASA.”
Which brings us to Steve Rader, Program Manager of NASA’s Tournament Lab and Center of Excellence for Collaborative Innovation. Steve will bring us into his world of leveraging freelance models to drive collaboration and innovation. We’ll dive deep into:
- What can be improved upon the current work model used by most enterprises.
- Why companies need to quickly adapt and become more agile to survive now more than ever.
- What’s great about the freelance economy, what’s not so great about it, where is it going, and how leaders can better prepare.
Enjoy!
Leaders, Sean Ring is a window into the future, as he's been a founder and leader building one of the most important trends in our space, the shift to enterprises accessing multiple freelance marketplaces. Sean was the Co-Founder of Fulcrum, one of the earliest startups tackling a multi-marketplace aggregator model, and now is the VP of On-Demand Talent Solutions at People 2.0. In Sean's Expert Insights, we'll hit on:
- Why Sean believes "democratizing access to opportunity" is at the core of our industry
- How companies will go from playing defense to playing offense in how they engage with Independent Talent
- The current Inflection Point of Enterprises embracing freelancers, specifically the well analogy of leaders looking for talent in a dried up well
- Our industries shift being a sexy new toy, to quantified gains, to now being a painkiller
- The top two challenges that we continuously face with enterprise adoption are underinvestment in change management, and not enough trust to break the "no one gets fired from hiring IBM" paradox
To celebrate the 100th episode of the Human Cloud Podcast, we gathered the top 5 guests from the first 100 episodes for a roundtable to discuss all things future of work. Hear the high level insights (and some highjinks) of Jon Younger, Maari Casey, Tony Buffum, Mina Bastawros, and Steve King. You won't wanna miss this one.
Thank you for listening to the Human Cloud Podcast!
Leaders, to deeply understand the current freelance economy, we must understand the origins of innovation first introduced by the staffing industry. Robert Half is one of the staffing industries leading firms that used technology early to revolutionize how they hired internally. This is where Allen comes in. He is a former Director at Robert Half and has extensive experience both in Staffing firms and client side.
Key Learnings that I had from the staffing side:
Robert Half focused on contingent talent, since contingent talent creates high margin, residual income rather than a block commission for each new permanent hire. Contingent talent was typically full time, with 6 week to 6 month contracts. Robert Half and other staffing firms both recruit and manage, unlike freelance marketplaces that typically put the recruiting and managing responsibilities on the hiring manager.
This foundation naturally leads to the discussion on freelance, specifically how technology has unlocked the business case for a direct sourced freelance workforce rather than traditional contingent talent channels. This approach along with freelance management systems, rather than applicant tracking systems (which ATS's aren't wrong, they just don't serve the increasing freelance workforce), can achieve cost savings that turn a cost center into a profit generating center.
Key learnings for you here:
Direct Freelance sourcing drives at least 24% cost savings, amounting to an average margin of $24/hr with each hire. A managed freelance workforce can be used to increase company valuation. Automation in new technology can slash onboarding times that further reduce manual administrative hours and costs.
We'll close this episode out by diving into the technical side of what's wrong with the current contingent talent landscape, which one word can describe it all...complexity. Specifically, there are up to 5 stakeholders traditionally required for one freelance hire...the staffing firm, the MSP, the client, the compliance/EOR provider, and most important, the talent. Direct sourcing and the right FMS can cut that ratio to 1:1.
Human Cloud clients find a visual of this in your portal.
Enjoy everyone!
Dan Curran, without any predetermined master plan, found himself immersed in the freelance economy amid the Covid pandemic. Recognizing the opportunity, he pivoted his publishing company into an expert marketplace, seamlessly connecting niche journalists and consultants with complex/regulated B2B brands. What sets Dan apart is his unique perspective—an outsider's viewpoint driven by a genuine desire to illuminate the untapped potential of a remarkable talent pool: Freelance Business Journalists.
Leaders, Lee's Expert Insight covers both the teaching of where this industry is going and how software can disrupt the current state of the freelance industry. A bit on Lee, he represents the fresh blood of the freelance economy challenging norms yet surrounded by industry vets. He's freelanced himself for over 8 years, and been leading Bubty, a White Label Contractor & Freelance Management software platform for 4 years.
In being young, there are a couple legacy standards that Lee accurately calls out. • The ownership dilemma - no one 'owns' freelancers, yet many processes are built to replicate ownership or mitigate a lack of ownership • The needed layers of the freelance economy Yet in being experienced, he'll show us couple ways software can disrupt this space: • Centralization of Freelancers • Bringing simplicity to engaging multiple marketplaces • Turning the freelance economy into a Hiring Desk rather than another marketplace Enjoy!
On this episode we had the opportunity to talk with Rachel Renock and discuss the rapidly changing landscape of the freelance economy. She sheds light on how traditional agency models are becoming outdated and how flexible freelance models are rising to meet the demands of today's fluid and technology-driven world.
Discover the ins and outs of Freelance Management Systems and how these platforms are empowering freelancers across industries to scale their businesses while fostering meaningful connections with like-minded professionals. Join us as we explore the future of marketplaces, the benefits of embracing freelance networks, and the lasting impact of these changes on the global workforce.
Leaders, Linda is our industry's superhero in building freelance programs at scale. She built PWC's Talent Exchange, she was MBO's Chief Experience Officer, and now she's the CoFounder and Chief Product Officer at FlexC, a somewhat new yet prominently established marketplace.
A couple theme's I want you to listen for:
WHY there are so many layers in the freelance economy. Hint...it stems from the meshing of Procurement, HR, Finance, and various working teams. HOW to balance the client-marketplace dynamic. WHERE the industry is heading, hint...from reactive & non-risky to sophisticated, strategic, and core. WHAT org's need to do over the next 30/60/90 days to set themselves up for success.
Enjoy!
Leaders, we need to talk about how organizations can scale their freelance usage. The freelance economy V1 & V2 was built for entrepreneurs and small businesses, not large companies. The problem as Barry Matthews, CEO of Open Assembly and 20+ year vet describes it, is that Enterprises don't know which partner to turn to, and don't know how to scale a model that's new, risky, and has no existing best practices. The impact is that while 90% of leaders are prioritizing freelancers according to HBR, seldom few leaders are succeeding at scaling their organization beyond small pilots and small working teams.Barry and Open Assembly is building one of the leading solutions to scale freelance talent across large Enterprises through a single Enterprise entry point, what they call the gateway. If you remember the guest Mina Bastawros of Airbus, he said the future of the freelance economy is enabling enterprises the Amazon experience of engaging talent. One place for multiple marketplaces, multiple skills, yet a seamless and convenient end user experience. In this episode we'll discuss how to do this, along with the key themes below: How outsourcing has become skill sourcing, and the freelance economy is just the digitization of sourcing The Enterprise business case, specifically speed, size, and elasticity of accessing talent The Enterprise challenge...(1) which platform for what need, (2) we're new and risky with no existing processes Why there won't be ONE marketplaceEnjoy!http://humancloud.work/barry-matthews
Angie represents one of the sexiest shifts in our industry, the shift in the most talented corporate leaders choosing the freelance economy over the traditional career path. In her case, this looks like choosing to build her own fintech, Ruby Money, over the full time corporate opportunities that came from having experience at Microsoft, Instagram, and Visa to name a top few of her numerous logos.We'll get in the weeds over Angie's own freelancing path, her peers, and what's required to make the freelance economy a sustainable career path and industry. *Also shout out to Ernie Park of Part Time Tech for referring Angie!Enjoy!http://humancloud.work/angie-moody
On this episode we talk with Marc Clemens, CEO and Founder of CodeControl and 9am. Companies are recognizing the value of independent professionals, and despite challenges in worker classification and regulations, systems are becoming more streamlined for businesses to engage with freelancers. The convergence of entrepreneurial and freelance mindsets, along with platforms like Code Control, are allowing freelancers to focus on their skills while offloading business aspects to dedicated services, ultimately creating a more flexible, collaborative work environment.00:09:20: The intersection of freelancing and entrepreneurship00:15:18: Structuring and building a community00:26:08: Attracting technical talent in marketplace00:36:07: Creating optimized profiles for freelancers00:44:30: Go-to-market strategy in the next 6 to 12 monthsLearn more: https://humancloud.work/marc-clemens/
Leaders, Ernie is the epitome of the most exciting trend in the freelance economy...future VP's choosing to freelance over the corporate ladder. Ernie runs Part Time Tech, a newsletter highlighting the benefits of freelance models for tech talent like him. Prior, he majored in computer science at MIT, and was a software engineer at Hubspot for over 7 years. It is crucial to understand how this new freelancer demographic thinks. A couple core differences:The best people were great in corporate, better fit their lifestyle and ability to make an impact (they don't need to follow the corporate 'Kingdoming')The best people aren't looking for a job, they're prioritizing opportunitiesThe best people find work through peer connections 3:51, Why Ernie made the switch5:11, Why working this way makes sense for top talent11:18, Impact of the pandemic14:31, The corporate disconnect20:43, The future of fractional leaders40:51, The real tradeoffs between 1099 & W241:49, What do marketplaces have to doLearn More: http://humancloud.work/ernie-park
Leaders, Andela is a leading marketplace for developers, engineers, product designers, and technology experts. Beyond the platform, Jeremy has spent over 15 years unlocking the power of global, digital networks to drive business change. Jeremy hit on a couple themes that every single one of us needs to be aware of.1: The blurring of freelance and full time 2: The science of managing remote freelancers at scale3: The macroeconomic climate, specifically how our space has never been more attractive to Enterprises He also gives us the inside scoop on how their recent acquisition of Qualified.io and Codewars enables them to assess and deliver human potential more effectively.Learn More: http://humancloud.work/jeremy-johnson
Leaders, the freelance economy is shifting from being dominated by large, horizontal marketplaces to small, niche, hyper relevant communities of freelancers. We call this freelance first, and Matt's 8+ year old community of 60,000 freelancers is the epitome of this. Built with education, mentoring, and opportunities as the three pillars, it is the epitome of how winning freelance networks will look in the next few years. There are a couple themes we want you to listen out for: Myths of the freelance economy, what's changed in the last 10 years, and what will change in the next 5 years How finding freelancers and freelancers finding work is going from push to pull thanks to the increasingly advanced search capabilities that can find the exact match of skillset/industry/levels of experience needed. What branding means for freelancers, why it's integral, and why blitzing social media is a damning strategy Only 1 in 5 individuals is succeeding in their first year of freelancing (this number is definitely higher)If you can master above, you can lead hyper-engaged, high quality, successful freelancer networks. Learn More: https://humancloud.work/matt-dowling
Leaders, are we really grown up enough to be a venture backable space? According to Gale, absolutely, as her fund is focused on the future of work, and invests in a number of freelance economy startups each year. We'll talk about what the venture space looks like for the freelance economy, how she sees the freelance economy in the future (hint...2 to 3x growth), and how freelance models can be well positioned for venture capital (hint...not ALL companies should be venture backed, and that's a good thing). A couple themes that we think you need to know asap... The freelance economy will never be one large marketplace because it's an industry of people, nuance, and intricate user experiences The freelance economy is a natural societal evolution of what people want out of work and what technology now allows for Consulting can be a lucrative business on it's own without venture capitalLearn more: http://humancloud.work/gale-wilkinson
Leaders, your head will be sore from the technical product learnings Ben will teach us. Ben is an entrepreneur that has built freelance related products for over 10 years. From a technology and product lens, we answered two key questions, what has changed in the last 10 years that makes now the right time for the freelance economy, and what will change in the next 5 years. Hint 1...what changed was (1) consumer behavior with matching related technologies (think the taboo of E-Harmony vs the acceptance of Hinge, this is what's happened with the gig economy being taboo and now freelancing being preferred), (2) Cloud computing enabling digital sourcing and collaboration, (3) effective data science search algorithms.Hint 2...what will change in the next 5 years is (1) bundling of a singular plumbing infrastructure with partnerships between marketplaces built on top, (2) single pains of glass and identity tokens. We know...very geeky, but very important for being able to plan and build for where the puck is going in the freelance economy.6:18 - Defining where work is going...project based, open8:38 - The problem with talent acquisition today and where it's going13:41 - Why the freelance economy isn't already the default 21:26 - How to balance outcomes and process 23:13 - HR needs to change their metrics30:38 - Why hasn't LinkedIn built a freelance marketplace35:33 - What's different today 46:32 - What will change in 5 years Find Ben's Leader Portal: humancloud.work/ben-ross
Leaders, our industry is in the midst of a massive transformation away from broad horizontal marketplaces and towards skill specific platforms. Take Paro for finance/accounting, or Catalant & Graphite for management consulting, the future of our industry belongs to marketplaces that can use technology and freelancer first practices to ensure a consistent, low friction, high quality experience. NerdApp is the IT ecosystem that best personifies where the freelance economy is headed. NerdApp stemmed from Kelvin's personal experience in the IT services industry for 15+ years, where he saw the inefficiencies and poor experiences that the legacy IT industry routinely delivers. Warning: We're going to get real geeky on the software and user experience driving NerdApp. If you're a nerd or an entrepreneur, you'll love it. 11:12 - Why the freelance economy, the combo of Kevon's corporate experience and the problems in IT Services17:31 - Secret sauce behind the meteoric 15 month growth of NerdApp 20:59 - What's wrong with the IT Services Industry22:24 - Why doesn't Nerdapp already exist27:38 - The importance of user experience29:42 - Biggest barrier of the freelance economy is company education30:52 - Biggest barrier of growing marketplaces is the first experience44:27 - What will change in the next 5 yearsFind Kelvin's Leader Portal: https://humancloud.work/kelvin-wetherill
Leaders, what if freelancers are both your future Directors and your future employee role models? That's the future for leading brands as leaders like Adrian Tan drive the best ROI. Enjoy!3:43 - Defining a freelancer, "was a freelancer prior, now fractional"7:20 - Why Adrian freelances10:45 - Entrepreneur vs solopreneur11:29 - How he got his first 3 clients14:34 - Perception of freelancing in Singapore21:00 - His view on marketplaces25:15 - How Covid made people comfortable with remote, re-set their relationship with work, and accelerated freelancing31:38 - His portfolio (3 retainers) and how he manages his time38:47 - How fractional is the most efficient way to work
Cory Hymel is our innovator of the month, teaching us how we need to think about and act on ChatGPT and Generative AI. Cory and I go way back in building custom software using freelance networks. Everything from building the mobile app for North America's leading manufacturing company, to helping Enterprises identify how they can best use AI by plugging in expert AI freelancers.3:47 - the shift from marketing budgets to IT budgets5:47 - the shift from this is to cool to "we know this will happen, how do we do this securely"7:25 - how ChatGPT unlocks the power of synthesis12:51 - the evolution from IBM Watson to ChatGPT18:49 - how to start embracing ChatGPT24:01 - the move to an A-sync future36:31 - best way to adopt ChatGPT, small working teams Check out Cory's Leader Portal:https://humancloud.substack.com/s/leaders
Hoxby is a creative freelancer collective that's fundamentally transformed how clients work with freelancers. Instead of one-off gigs, Hoxby has ushered in scaling project based work within their clients. On this episode we'll talk tactical about how they did this and preview their new book Workstyle!
Matteo is our innovator of the month. A Chief Marketing Officer and prior Director at Expedia, Matteo came into the Human Cloud from a frustration with merit and geographical limitations in traditional hiring. In this episode we'll talk:4:30 - Geeking out over Rome, where he resides17:28 - The culture problem of the freelance economy26:04 - Evolution of careers28:01 - Proof of work and credentialing43:30 - Navigating data abundance
Matthew MottolaThu, Dec 29, 2022, 5:03 PM (13 days ago)to brooks, meBrooks, hope you've had an incredible holiday and are ready for a great year. We plan to release this mid Jan. Feel free to edit anything below!Title: Brooks Lockett, SaaS & B2B freelancerDescription: Leaders, we seldom bring on individual freelancers for an entire episode. The reason is absolutely NOT that we don’t leave freelancers (they are the hero’s of our industry). The real reason is that the best freelancers aren’t usually talking, they’re building, and a podcast for them is typically a distraction.BUT. Their voices need to be heard. And you need to understand their problems and their motivation in order to attract and retain the best one’s.Which is where Brooks comes in. Brooks' would be your VP of marketing. Instead he’ll still do what a VP of marketing can do, but as an independent contractor, he’ll be your go to for every piece of SaaS & B2B content.We’re going to hit on everything. Why he freelances. Why freelancing is better than a full time job for him. Why hiring him leads to better results than full time employees. What sucks about freelancing. Make sure to check out Brooks' leader portal: https://humancloud.substack.com/s/leaders
Leaders, Jon Younger and Steve King are the brains behind many of our industries leading stats.What’s unique about Steve is that he’s the perfect example of freelancing becoming the natural evolution of work. Steve wasn’t a pissed off employee that wanted to ‘ditch the 9-5 to sit on a beach’. He was a VP & GM at leading companies like Lotus Development and Macromedia. In terms of the corporate ladder, he made it, yet he chose to blaze the solopreneur path instead through his firm Emergent Research,There are 7 massive themes that Steve and I discuss. There’s now a middle class to the freelance economy 55% of individuals have been independent at some point in their life 60% of Americans don’t have the risk profile of a freelancer There was 20%+ growth from 2021 to 2022, with full time freelancers as the leading segment Freelancing is overwhelmingly chosen, and freelancers have the highest levels of fulfillment Misclassification is protecting 25% of the population at the expense of the entire freelancer populationWe’ll also break down MBO Partners recent State of Independence in America 2022 Report.Make sure to check out Steve's leader portal: https://humancloud.substack.com/s/leaders
The Matts review an explosive and exciting year for freelancers around the world. With lots of acceleration and changes in the industry in the past year, it has become essential adjustments and strategize. With AI on the horizon, many workers fear for their jobs - but the smart ones are utilizing it. Subscribe to the newsletter:Humancloud.Substack.com
It's been one hell of a year for the $5.4 trillion dollar freelance economy. From seeing budgets expand to the number of freelancers increase, the freelance economy is now top of mind within every leadership team. This week we'll meet with the most important researcher and reporter on the freelance economy - Jon Younger. We'll discuss:- What changed in the past year- How layoffs, tightening, and a looming recession necessitate the change in business strategy from growth to profitability- 9 predictions of what needs to change to 2x our industryFind the transcript and stats at our newsletter: https://humancloud.substack.com/
We consider Albert the Creative Leader of the Future. 10 years ago he’d be your fastest rising Creative VP. Today he’s better off being independent where he can rise quicker without your corporate bullsh**. Albert will breakdown the seismic shifts in work, the decline of freelance talent marketplaces, and how individuals can be ready for a freelance first economy. Make sure to check out his leader portal to find exact quotes: https://humancloud.substack.com/s/leaders3:50 - Albert’s Background10:47 - The ‘freelance’ economy is just a term to describe how we get work done17:24 - Difference between top freelancers and everyone else…clearly communicating commercial value23:30 - How to create the best commercial differentiation28:12 - How Albert built his freelance career31:34 - The ‘fumble’ years of freelancing…years 3-543:01 - Marketplaces…do we need them?45:34 - Why will marketplaces die…by being in the way of how a freelancer grows53:35 - What systems will drive the future of work Albert's Leader Portal: https://humancloud.substack.com/s/leaders
Leaders, the freelance economy is quickly transforming from a client first industry to a freelancer first industry. This means that rather than marketplaces having massive networks with little engagement, marketplaces of the future will create thriving freelancer communities that consistently exceed client expectations. No one better understands this than Maari, a freelancer herself and the founder of the freelancer first marketplace Uncompany.
3:28 - Maari's journey of burnout, freelancing after college, and freelancing to take control of her life 6:35 - The difficulties of transitioning from full time to freelance and how that can challenge one's identity 15:18 - How Maari separated herself as a freelancer by packaging services and being insanely easy to work with 19:30 - What freelancers really want...good work, good pay, retirement 30:18 - Why Uncompany is focused on a small, engaged freelancer network 38:12 - What's changed in the freelance economy and how Covid catalyzed acceptance 41:12 - Why freelancing won't save you, it can only make things worse 49:02 - How leaders can build their hybrid teams like sports teams
Leaders, it’s rare to see entrepreneurs and business leaders in our space that have real freelance experience, not the ‘I freelanced for 6 months then started coaching’. Brooke is one of those rare leaders. She not only built a successful freelance business, she’s seen all sides of our space as a corporate leader at Postmates, successful web development Freelancer, and entrepreneur helping small business owners hire freelancers.
It’s a path Matthew can personally relate to, and her learnings are crucial to every leader and entrepreneur building in our space.
In this pod we hit on a central theme that is controversial yet unavoidable - the disruption of freelance talent marketplaces.
Currently our industry has two public company freelance talent marketplaces, Upwork (UPWK) and Fiverr (FVRR). Both were one of the first, both have clear strengths, yet both were built for an industry that is quickly and fundamentally changing. Specifically, freelancers the past 10 years look very different than freelancers entering today.
Enjoy this episode and make sure to subscribe to the Human Cloud Newsletter to be updated when Brooke's Leader Portal goes live.
2:01 - her parents had the flexibility that she expected but her career initially didn't have
4:50 - How she knew how to jump into freelancing
5:45 - Why teachers make phenomenal freelance project managers
7:55 - Why platforms introduced the freelance economy in a transactional way
8:54 - How prioritizing support of the freelancers gets rid of the transactional nature of marketplaces
13:45 - How Postmates shaped her understanding and vision of the freelance economy?
16:51 - What is the future of freelance talent marketplaces? When will they end? What forces will disrupt it?
17:32 - The more freelancers have power, the more the current talent marketplace will not be needed
21:30 - Why companies need full time talent dedicated to just managing freelancers
24:12 - Learnings from small business owners that corporations will need to adopt
24:53 - What companies need...REPORTING!!!!!!! Consistency, simplicity, and one resource to turn too.
25:47 - How can companies support freelancers? Onboarding!!! And empathy.
30:35 - How can government support the freelance economy?
Brooke: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brookemarkevicius/
How can an enterprise like Airbus innovate from within for an initiative as ambitious as an aircraft of the future that's built 'for the people, by the people'? Let's learn from Mina how freelancers have been an integral part of Airbus's innovation strategy, along with:
- Why Airbus Cares: Hint...Accessing 70m+ diverse experts
- How Airbus Started: Hint...Finding changemakers within each function
- Tips For Leaders: Hint...Align passion, build a solid foundation of minimum requirements
- Seeing the Future: Hint...an Amazon for talent (not in a way that commoditizes us freelancers though!!!!!)
Connect with Mina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/minabastawros/
Check out Mina's Leader Portal: https://humancloud.substack.com/s/leaders
EMERGENCY POD - We've recently seen the repeal (then un-repeal) of IR35 and the US's labor department classification proposal. Some call these laws the 'freelance killer' while others say this reaction is overblown. Unfortunately both are right, since the reality is that the freelance economy isn't going anywhere, yet the direction of current legislation does force companies to prioritize pro-active legal classification controls and partnerships, which in turn takes power and control away from freelancers and their choice to work how they want.
In this episode we'll cut through the noise and get to the core of where legislation is heading by talking with Glen, the EU's foremost legal and policy practitioner.
Our prior article on the US's legislation: https://humancloud.substack.com/p/emergency-update-new-worker-classification
It's a scary time as the Biden Administration proposes a freelancer killing bill that can rocket ship inflation and put the US 50 years behind. The freelance economy is going nowhere. (find these statistics in our newsletter >> humancloud.substack.com) 40% of full-time employees in the US have a side-gig
90% plus of corporate leaders in a recent global survey said they utilize freelancers and say they will increase their reliance.
80% of employers say they are increasing their use of freelancers as they suspend full-time hires.
Instead the US classification direction will force companies to prioritize other countries like the UK who repealed it's equivalent law IR35 and put their freelancers in front of their US equivalent freelancers.
Learn about this and more with the Matthew's monthly update.
Also don't forget to subscribe to the Human Cloud newsletter for charts and more! humancloud.substack.com
The Matthew's are back breaking down the state of the economy, inflation, quiet quitting, and how these 3 forces hurt millennial full time employees most.
To see the diagrams and stats mentioned in this episode, check out the Human Cloud Newsletter at https://humancloud.substack.com/
Leaders, Kamran is the exact person we talk about when we say freelancers expand the scope of what you can build by tapping into specialized expertise you can't have, or it will take too long to learn internally.
Kam started in the semiconductor industry. Then went into manufacturing automation. He now enables manufacturing companies convert leads by optimizing their copy...think email outreach, email follow ups, everything reps are moderate at but do anyways.
2:35 - Kam's background in the semiconductor industry and how he embraced remote before the internet
6:00 - Overview of the semiconductor industry and quantum computing
12:36 - Overview of automation and how the cloud accelerated automation
21:25 - How he changed from consulting to freelancing
21:47 - Why we hate the term freelancing
22:21 - Benefits of freelancing
28:41 - How Covid changed everything
37:20 - Big wins of Kam's freelance business
52:47 - Freelancing as a race to the bottom and how we can solve this
Why would a $1.4B+ global digital transformation firm care about freelancers in the cloud? Let's learn from Vinod Kartha, VP of Strategic Initiatives.
1:20 - Why Open Talent? Hint...existing talent pools dried up 6:47 - What can we expect in the next 5 years? 7:10 - How globalization has brought us shared learnings and shifted boundaries 8:30 - The start of sharing individuals IP...if CEO's can sit on multiple boards why can't we? 11:00 - Existing archaic talent barriers 16:00 - Elasticity, the crucial resource for leaders 16:40 - Shifting from talent acquisition to workforce ecosystem 17:47 - What is Open Talent? Elastic talent you can access ASAP. 21:44 - Why do large companies care about freelancers? 22:30 - What are the barriers to hiring freelancers and how to cut through the tape. 36:00 - Culture tips to lead virtual teams 40:11 Vinod's biggest role model...his own mother
Connect with Vinod: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vinodkartha/
Forbes, A New Global Star in the Freelance Revolution: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonyounger/2022/08/17/a-new-global-star-in-the-freelance-revolution-ust-shows-the-way/?sh=1d14d79266a2
What does the recession mean for the freelance economy? Will more freelancers be hired? Will leaders stop hiring freelancers and stick with full time?
Also hear:
Why Google CEO Sundar Pachai telling employees their unproductive is a win for the freelance economy How Spotify dropped churn through their RTO strategy (return to office…hint they put autonomy in their employees hands) Which industries are best adopting work from home or returning to the office
And our usual banter :)
How do leading companies close the knowledge gap when diving into new technologies, industries, and opportunities? They embed freelance subject matter experts into their teams. Consultants and subject matter experts are nothing new, but engaging experts throughout the lifecycle of important milestones are, which is where Dr. David Kupper comes in, Founder and Managing Director of expertpowerhouse.
5:00 - David's background
8:00 - Why the freelance economy is a win-win for companies and individuals
13:00 - How David went from PhD to Boston Consulting Group to the freelance economy
16:53 - Expert network analysis and how the freelance economy is an innovation to expert networks
23:12 - Detailed of why the freelance economy
26:32 - Full time employment will never be replaced
33:13 - Why isn't LinkedIn enough? Because it's too much to manage the freelance economy
35:41 - Big win, how automotive company embraced freelancers to build their autonomous driving strategy
40:43 - How to navigate the recession
42:00 - What we can expect in the next 5 years, hint...doubling of the freelance economy
David's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidkuepper/
The Matthew's are back to discuss the shifting successes of knowledge workers, gas prices returning to normal-ish, and good practices for hiring staff in tech spaces.
Follow along with the newsletter: humancloud.substack.com/
Description: Leaders, Morten has an extremely rare background in driving change at both a global technology leader (Google) and global business management leader (McKinsey). In his leader portal Morten really stressed how technology can solve real business problems, how the enterprise is unique, and how to drive change across these large beasts.
2:35: How Google and Mckinsey taught Morten how technology can solve real business problems
5:39: How to be ready for the recession
9:53: Market landscape and where Worksome fits
15:30: Why we can’t have a truly independent world
19:45: How do you balance the entrepreneurial spirit with corporate
24:34: What hasn’t changed since Covid when we talk about the ‘future’ of work?
38:40: What’s different about the enterprise?
43:11: How should leaders drive their freelance program?
46:44: How do you balance long term bets with short term validation?
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mortenbruun/
While every board is talking about a contradictory great resignation, hiring freezes, and talent shortage, Akhil Seth and UST are leading Enterprises to an abundant talent pool of freelancers. Some crazy learnings:
- Shortening proof of concepts from 2 months to 2 days
- Fractionalizing Unicorns into multiple freelancers
- Hiring and onboarding freelancers in a secure and compliant way without compromising speed and quality
2:00 - Why he's so passionate about Open Talent
12:52 - What he's working on at UST
15:55 - Industry leading solutions in virtual desktopping and change management
18:27 - Big wins for Open Talent
22:13 - Best projects to start hiring freelancers for
27:55 - The biggest challenges of hiring freelancers
37:00 - Why classification is such a big problem in hiring freelancers
41:00 - Akhil's leadership journey
45:49 - How to acquire and keep top young talent like Akhil
Connect with Akhil: https://www.linkedin.com/in/akhilvseth/
The Matthew's are back in action to discuss 9.1% inflation CPI, hiring freezes at Google and layoffs at many other tech companies, the vulnerability of managers in this period, and how leaders can navigate these turbulent times.
Follow along with the newsletter: https://humancloud.substack.com/
Rebekah Panepinto is your future leader. She's a technology leader with 10+ years experience driving technology solutions as a full time employee AND embracing side hustles. In the next 5 years over half the workforce will prioritize working with multiple employers rather than just 1 full time job. While most discussions center on the research, our discussion centers on how to do this, how NOT to do this, and what managing a full time job with side hustles means for the future of leadership.
1:30: Her background
2:50: Defining AI
5:30: How has technology changed - the cloud & AWS changed everything
11:10: How do we balance leaving vs staying and how your role effects this
18:30: How do employers react to side hustlers...(hint, they love it IF it's aligned)
24:50: How to make sure you don't get fired
28:00: How to create Rebekah Inc. and how Rebekah Inc is an example of talent acquisition shifting from 'ownership to access'
33:46: Every company needs to align individual autonomy with corporate goals to have long term success
44:10: How to build your team in the Human Cloud and work with them through personal projects, professional projects, and everything in between
48:00: How to find the right people - REFERRALS
This is a recording of a very special event from the Human Cloud titled, "The Future of Freelance Talent Marketplaces". We had an all star roster of participants which included: Tony Buffum (Upwork) Abby Forman (Fiverr) Niklas Lieb (Vicoland) Jon Younger (Forbes)
The event included a debrief of the Forrester report as well as a round table discussion on many freelance focused topics. Thank you to everyone who participated and you for listening! Enjoy.
Jim Young (thecenteredcoach.com) is a men's burnout coach and author of the upcoming book Expansive Intimacy: How Tough Guys Defeat Burnout. Jim and Matt C discuss Jim's own path from burned-out executive to someone helping others escape their own dark places. They talk about strategies for building friend networks in middle age (Matt C asks for "a friend"), being vulnerable in a society that can view it as weakness, and how men can redefine what it means to be a "tough guy".
Managers - Effective immediately, hiring freeze, you can no longer hire any full time employees. Did you get pulled into one of these management meetings this week? You’re not alone. What also happened?
We’ve heard from 10+ leaders about layoffs and hiring freezes this week alone. One was a top 5 most valuable company in the world.
Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan CEO said, “That hurricane is right out there down the road coming our way. We don’t know if it’s a minor one or Superstorm Sandy. You better brace yourself.”
More than 1 in 3 Americans earning at least $250,000 are living paycheck to paycheck according to Bloomberg Wealth.
Dubai-based ride sharing firm Swvl cuts workforce by 32%.
TaskRabbit (over 1,000 employees) goes fully remote.
Unilever launches their U-Work employment model. In their words: "U-Work gives employees the freedom and flexibility associated with contract roles with the security and benefits typically linked to permanent roles".
Legislation - Can we cut the sh** with prioritizing the past and prioritize talent choosing to adapt to today’s digital talent economy.
REPEAT GUEST!!! Glen is our legal wizard. We'll discuss what's legally in the way of the freelance economy, and how we can drive policies that help, not hinder the over 100 million freelancers globally.
7:25 Current platform worker proposals
13:45 What's in the way of govt's supporting the independenting workforce
18:30 How does government change happen?
27:00 What is the responsibility of freelance platforms?
31:00 What is the worst case for freelancers
32:50 What is the worst case for companies
37:40 How Covid changed mindsets and created a window of opportunity
41:23 Where will the freelance economy be in 5 years?
46:28 What can leaders do right now to push this industry forward
53:40 What can platforms be doing?
Layoffs, hiring freezes, and increased inflation...what does this mean for you as a leader? It means doubling your usage of contractors, prioritizing outcomes, and leaning into digital. The Matts also discuss Maslow's Hierarchy of Freelancer Needs and how companies and job seekers need to evolve from resume "spray and pray" and antiquated screening mechanisms.
What exactly is the future of work? It's remote first. It's freelance first. Yet these are just the surface. Below these sexy buzzwords are the industries of staffing, VMS, MSP's, contingent talent, etc., along with extensive procurement, HR and legal departments trying to read through the noise. While the terms seem boring compares to Web 3, creator economy, passion economy...they're the difference between cute thousand dollar projects and $1 billion dollar programs or companies.
Braintrust introduces full time benefits and web 3 partners. In their words, “the freedom of freelancing and stability of benefits”.
Inflation CPI increases 8.3%.
Starbucks hit with over 200 violations of the National Labor Relations Act according to Regional director of National Relations Board in Buffalo.
Google revamps performance reviews after employees cite low pay compared to competitors.
Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky is thriving ever since he made remote the default for every employee.
Ollo (creative freelance platform) acquired by Bpool (agency platform).
Description: David is a 30+ year vet in helping companies and leaders embrace external talent. From his early days of running a home based business to his current role helping companies hire freelance teams, David is a wealth of knowledge.
2:00 - David's background experience starting a home business in the late 90's and how entrepreneurs from Richard Branson to freelancers all started with a home business
2:06 - Background on why he joined Fieldglass to adapt to the speed of needing to train people in 2005
7:20 - Why why we need to go beyond hiring individuals and why he's all in on freelance teams
10:00 - history and tools of home based businesses
18:00 - What is Fieldglass, Vendor Management Systems and MSP's
23:45 - The complexity of using external talent. Hint...how do you define the work, find the talent, approve the talent, onboard the talent...AT SCALE
27:57 - Why external talent?
33:20 - What needs to happen for the freelance economy to be the norm? Hint...Atomize by breaking it into smaller chunks, shift from top down to bottom up.
34:15 - Will the world be 100% freelancers? LOL's...
40:00 - Traits of companies that are leading the way? Hint...Collaboration and visibility across the organization, especially between Procurement, HR, and working teams.
45:00 - Regional differences
49:21 - Blue collar vs white collar differences (physical vs knowledge work)
54:00 - What does the future look like? "Atoms will become molecules, freelancers will form into teams, freelancer usage will be formalized (we'll go from B2C to B2B)"
Connect with David: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-obadia/
Do you have a diversified Human Cloud portfolio? With inflation, layoffs, and the inevitable recession, it's never been more important to have opportunities within an arms reach. Learn what this means in this week's episode.
: 5 FREE Office Optional books, instructions at the bottom.
Centric Consulting is a leading technology consultancy. Founder Larry English hops on the pod to discuss his journey building Centric, the future of client services, the challenges in the way of remote and hybrid work, and how leadership is evolving from the current generation to millennials and Gen-Z.
4:20 - The early days of Centric (started 1999)
6:00 - His WHY: Center everything around client and employee happiness.
9:00 - How to attract the best and brightest consultants
11:50 - The impact of remote work on local communities
16:00 - The perfect balance of freelancers and full time employees
27:00 - The catalyst for CEO's giving in to remote work
37:00 - Different freelancer personas
To get your free book: Email your favorite animal to hello@humancloud.work.
Welcome back to Emily Leach, 30 year freelance veteran and founder of the nation's largest freelance conference. This week we play ping pong with the freelance economy, bouncing back between the freelancers point of view, CTO's point of view, and freelance marketplace point of view.
We'll talk:
How inflation disproportionately impacts small businesses How 'un'realistic the replacement of full time employment with freelancers is How actually realistic the merging of freelance benefits with full time employment is
Enjoy and don't forget to sign up to the Human Cloud Newsletter: https://humancloud.substack.com/
Ep. 51: What a week. The Bank of Israel moves to reduce the dollar and add the Yuan. Netflix plunged 35%. Thank god for the freelance economy
What a week, besides Luka Musk making an appearance, we saw:
Jamie Dimon, CEO JPMorgan Chase & Co. says “It’s clear that working from home will become more permanent in American business”.
Freelance Teams are making waves.
ITARMI reaching 144 countries. Shoutout Brett Riley and Team.
Formations raising $8m in their Series A. Shoutout Uri Bar-Joseph and Shahar Plinner.
UnderPinned and Parker Dewey highlighted for helping fix higher education through the freelance economy. Shoutout Albert de Symons Azis-Clauson 🦚 and Jeffrey Moss 👊
Etsy increases sellers fee from 5% to 6.5% and over 20,000 sellers protest.
And the hero of the week is....Krispy Kreme for selling a dozen doughnuts for the price of gas.
copy/paste each star along with funny Luca pics here: https://humancloud.substack.com/p/72-freelance-teams-it-support-platform?s=r
While the average American can't afford a home and is increasingly feeling the push of inflation, Miami's Mayor runs 4 miles in the middle of a 50+ runners (the definition of leadership). We'll also break down how the freelance economy can bring back the middle class if implemented correctly.
Stephanie Nadi Olson is a founder we can all relate to. She's scrappy. She's a big dreamer. Yet she's practical and in her words, is a "big dreamer with a desire for stability". 4 years ago she created We Are Rosie, a flexible career platform for marketers. In her words, We Are Rosie provides their Rosies, "a platform that gives them the career they desire and the life they deserve."
In this episode we'll dig deep into: Why she built We Are Rosie How she went from corporate to startup to founder How work can be inclusive and flexible for all Links: https://www.linkedin.com/in/snadi/
Big News! Our (Real) Leader Portal is live! Check it out here: https://humancloud.substack.com/s/leaders This episode, the Matts talk retention bonuses, the newfound sense of financial security for freelance workers, trying (and failing) to enforce a full-time return to office, and the broadening of our talent pool to be more inclusive. Old Matt doesn't know what a "debo" is only to learn he's misheard. They say hearing is the first thing to go...
The Matts dig into a significant legal win for freelance that largely went unnoticed. Inflation continues picking up steam, and the feds respond by raising interest rates. We also cover the ins and outs of hybrid work, including what works and what doesn't. Plus, Old Matt gives begrudging props to Mr. Musk's most recent tweets.
Iman is the epitome of a Changemaker using technology to transform work. When the crisis in Ukraine broke out, Iman immediately developed Remote Ukraine, a talent marketplace to provide Ukrainian refugees remote jobs. The impact is amazing. Over 30 countries, including large brands and governments posting jobs for Ukrainians and helping with relocation. And what's craziest to us...he built, shipped, and launched this in under an hour. Learn how he did this, what the technology he used was, and how he see's the future of work looking in this riveting episode.
Links: https://remoteukraine.org/ https://talentpools.io/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/imanfadaei/
The Matts continue to go deep into Ukraine, economics, inflation, jobs, and the great reshuffling in this update-filled episode. Plus, Old Matt learns who "PG" is.
Some say DAOs will replace companies. Others say DAOs are just another pyramid scheme. But like everything, the truth lies somewhere in between, and there's nobody better to talk to than Jacki Roach, Co-Founder of The Re-Org Ladies Agency (ROLA). ROLA exists to mobilize women’s initiatives in the emerging digital asset class. They help leaders craft web3 experiences, design token roadmaps, and implement new layers of trust and transparency with blockchain business solutions. In this episode we'll discuss:
Jacki's foreshadowing start with journalism's transition from paper to digital Why should we care about DAOs and web 3? How DAOs are part of creating the new internet Can DAOs replace unions? Use cases for DAOs like city coins
The Matts go deep into politics in this heated episode. Just how much can the government really do to fight our economic problems (Hint: not much). Lots of talk on both sides of the aisle, but the action remains to be seen. Inflation roars despite promises to fight. And $30B for a new Covid strategy. Ouch. And of course, the obligatory tear-down of the Biden-Musk spat.
The Matts sound off on the escalating crises of Ukraine, inflation, and the labor shortage. But hope remains with freelance accessibility and timeless leadership advice. Also, Young Matt shows he is, indeed, mortal, despite reports to the contrary.
How can it be that as we face a talent shortage yet decline in real wages by 1.7%? Simple supply and demand would say one should give, yet we're in a ditch of inflation, a labor shortage, and a great resignation. So what should we do? Let's talk with General Assembly's Cari Perez, whose leading government and workforce partnerships.
How the speed of technology ripped apart traditional on ramps into the middle class How leaders can provide support for talent beyond their salary Current government strategy for workforce development
We're pumped to have Matt Coatney back in the co-host seat talking financial wellbeing, return to the office, and if the American dream is nothing but a false promise. Also Matt's skis...are they old enough to be sold as an antique?
Is it really a raise if inflation is higher? What's the difference between a freelancer and temp worker? How does the shifting needs of Gen-Z relate to the rise in freelancing? Enjoy this episode with Emily Leach, 30 year veteran freelancer and founder of our favorite conference FreeCon.
Angela Howard is a former c-level people officer and consultant in the space of workforce transformation, culture, and the future of work. She also hosts her own podcast, Humanly Possible - Future of Work Conversations. We learned a lot from Angela and know you will too. We talked about how HR can be a better business ally, how companies will become elastic talent marketplaces, and how a broader definition of diversity and equity that focuses on incorporating diverse experiences can lead to a more successful and sustainable life for all.
28% Of Americans Think Economy Is Good, Inflation Roaring, Home Depot Turns To Speed Hiring Mixed signals from the economy this week have the Matts asking whether the government and Wall Street are out of touch, but practical solutions are out there for you leaders. Also, Young Matt announces an exciting event coming to sunny Miami in April.
Elizabeth is author of The New Builders and founder of the Times of Entrepreneurship (timesofe.com). She joins the podcast to talk about her journey from journalist to entrepreneur and author, how small businesses are a significant driver of economic value and a path to success for diverse business owners, and what she learned as a journalist that she passes on to the next generation.
The Matts talk about talent marketplaces, inflation, layoffs, the shrinking middle class and more as the conversation turns to society and politics. Also, Old Matt makes fun of his mad skiing skills.
Over 30% of Americans will quit in the next year. While on the surface this seems terrifying, for the best leaders this can be a once in a lifetime opportunity. No one better understands this than Lesa Edwards, career expert helping ambitious leaders grow through promotion or through joining the Great Resignation.
In this episode we'll unpack: Why talent is leaving How to differentiate between talent you want to stay and talent you want to leave How to retain and motivate the talent you want to stay What we can expect from talent in the next 5 years To learn more about Lesa: Her LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesacareercoach/ Her Exclusive Career Coaching: https://exclusivecareercoaching.com/ Her own podcast: https://exclusivecareercoaching.com/podcast
We continue our look forward into 2022 with several additional Future of Work trends and some jaw-dropping stats about the Great Resignation. The Matts also riff on global travel and cultures as it relates to work and the metaverse.
Cory Hymel, Director of Blockchain at Gigster, joins the pod to talk all things Web3. We dig deep on the technology, the value proposition, the opportunities and risks, and much more. We also discover (again) just how uncool we are compared to truly hip people.
We continue our deep dive on key 2022 trends by looking at inflation, labor shortages, and how companies will be built - and make a large societal impact - in this new world of the Human Cloud. And yes, some comical relief for your entertainment.
How can the freelance economy level the playing field? Today's episode we'll talk with Peter and Andres, the leaders behind Level, a freelance platform connecting leaders with experts that can unlock relationships with potential buyers. On this episode we'll discuss: Peter and Andres's background. How the freelance economy can level the playing field of enterprise sales. How to build deep levels of trust in a freelance environment. How the next wave of expert networks is unlocking doors rather than stopping at 1 hour advisory calls. The next wave of enterprise sales. The societal impact of quantifying our working relationships.
To learn about Level: https://levelcompany.com/
Happy New Year! We return with our usual "witty banter", along with some phrases dating back to the early 1900s complements of "Old Matt". This is the first part of a series all January, where we'll be reviewing the top 2022 trends in Future of Work.
In this holiday ep, the Matts take a step back and look at the upcoming year, the challenges we'll face, and the opportunities hidden within. Also, construction moves into Miami Matt's living room.
Jon, the "godfather of freelancing", graces our podcast with his too-modest presence. We talk through the highlights of his most recent global freelancing study, why he got into freelancing in the first place, and what the freelancing platforms of the future need to be successful.
Join us this week as a napping Luca avoids crashing the pod. We discuss recently published freelance stats, US city migration, and debate which is more stable - a full-time job or a freelance career?
Daniel Rodriguez, CMO of Simplr, joins the podcast to discuss how the human cloud (in fact what they call their model!) is helping them disrupt customer experience and the traditional call center. They've even written a book on the subject, Experience is Everything, available now. He also talks about being a finance and marketing person in a world of startups.
A surprise guest joins the pod and imparts wisdom (along with a lot of background noise and destruction). We dissect Web 3 and separate hype from practical applications. And, the future is bright for project-based work.
Andy Murphy joins the podcast to talk about his transition from corporate marketing IT management into a freelancer and business owner, and how that transition allowed him to follow his true passions while being his authentic self.
This week we discuss the impact the infrastructure bill, inflation, and job openings will have on the US economy. We also dive into the metaverse and its implications in government, business, and entertainment.
Gerald Leonard has done it all. Corporate project management, starting his own consulting business, two-time author, jazz musician, and even ministry. He puts us to shame (in a great way). We talk about all of these things through our wide ranging conversation, including how in the future, almost all work will be project-based, and what that means for all of us. Enjoy!
The Matts dive deep into education, inflation, and talent. Also, the older Matt goes corporate while the younger Matt dodges hotel noise and room service.
Mike Sweeney joins the podcast for a wide-ranging discussion on how to grow as a leader and build high-performing diverse teams. Mike's experience is unique to say the least, with stints in the military, wineries, law firms, and most recently management consulting. He's also a marathon runner and stand-up comedian/improvisationalist. You can learn more about Mike's leadership programs at https://www.sabercoaching.com
This week we discuss the recent acquisition of freelance management platform Stoke by Fiverr, as well as advances in AI that bring the promise of more adaptable and affordable solutions, but also concerns about broader misuse. Plus, we discuss our different boundaries to work and personal life in the physical and virtual world.
Sarah joins the podcast to talk about all things sales and marketing in an era when we are all salespeople - entrepreneurs, freelancers, leaders. We cover what works and hear stories of what spectacularly flopped.
This week we cover Halloween costumes, achy joints, and horse pills. Also, inflation, the rise of the worker, office space in the age of the metaverse, and how a green energy future just might tie into the future of work.
Rich Wilson, Founder and CEO of Gigged.AI, joins the podcast to chat about his AI-enabled freelance sourcing company and the rise of the platform economy.
This week we talk the recent spike in US (and global) inflation, the ongoing labor shortage and people opting out of crummy jobs, abundance vs scarcity, and whether we should be worried about the AI apocalypse anytime soon.
Preston Mossman, Talent Advisor and Product Manager for Koch Industries, joins the podcast to talk about his winding path to product management, staffing, and freelance, and how larger more established institutions can still work with and benefit from freelance workers. He also discusses how freelance talent is just one piece of the puzzle in a broader innovation strategy that combines full-time employees, trusted third parties, and individual workers.
This week the Matts dig deep on inflation and what purpose the office will serve in the future. Also, pumpkin launches, BB guns, and football.
Welcome fellow podcaster Chad McAllister (Product Mastery Now) to the show! We follow Chad's long, illustrious, and winding career through engineering, product management, teaching, and podcasting, and we talk about how virtual teaming, freelancing, and technology have changed the face of product management.
This week we cover suburban life, camping, and young man rants. Also, we talk about lackluster job growth, big companies shifting to remote work, and robots in the vineyards of Italy.
We are joined by Louise Doorn, the founder and CEO of freelance marketing platform HelloMaaS. We cover the importance of relationships and vetted freelancers, her global experience within and advising corporations, and a key question - just what is up with Bali and keto waffles?
This week we cover Fall flavors, old man rants, 200 downloads (!), and gas leaks. Also, we talk skills mismatch, AI task automation, and much, much more on the future (now) of work.
In our first "deep dive" episode, we are delighted to be joined by Glen Hodgson of Free Trade Europa. We dig deep into how governments, companies, and freelancers must come together to create the best environment for this new future of work.
This week, we dive headlong into algorithmic bias, education, policy, and freelance as a different path to startup funding. We also explore the awkwardness of teenagers and the battle of the sexes.
This week we discuss the Great Wait as companies delay a return to the office, the adverse impact of COVID on women, plus corporate planning in a post-pandemic world. We are joined by Jeffrey Moss, Founder and CEO of Parker Dewey, to discuss how micro-internships can help all college students get the right experience.
This week we discuss remote employees working multiple jobs, the lackluster US August job numbers, unemployment benefits, and loneliness. Plus, Google Ads SEM & SEO Freelancer Tim Haldorsson joins us from an enviable international location to discuss freelancing, European support, and how to wow clients.
This week we discuss decentralization - how a team of 5 can do what used to take an organization of 5,000. We also dive into why Covid was a catalyst for over 10 million Americans to start their freelance journey. And of course, we have the normal banter of an angry young person (Matt M) and wise old person (Matt C). We also spotlight Ryan Mellinger for driving The Human Cloud Podcast from idea to full production in under 3 weeks.
Welcome to the human cloud, the most fun podcast where you might actually learn something about leadership. We're the Matthews, one of us is old, one of us is young - but both of us have tapped into this thing called the human cloud, to drive extreme change in both large and small organizations. In today's episode, we're gonna give you a full rundown of what this podcast is, why we're doing it, and why in the world you should listen to us. We're going to hit a little bit on current events, we're going to make fun of each other a lot - but also we're going to give some tangible actionable insights related to what leadership means to us and what leadership means to you, and how you can amplify your impact through leadership. Enjoy.