About Elance
About Elance
| 800,000+ registered users. 100,000+ projects annually. Established in 1999. Elance in Chicago Tribune and USA Today. More news. |
Elancer
October 2006
Kevin Rose Diggs Elance
Kevin Rose, founder of Digg.com, presented at The Future of Web Apps Summit in San Francisco last month, giving a demo and sharing the story behind Digg's launch.
In 2003, Kevin had a big idea. He came to Elance to post a project and look for a PHP programmer, selected Owen Byrne (Elance username: permafrost) and worked with him to build the initial product. Eventually, Owen joined Digg full-time.
Today, Digg is one of the most successful and visited websites, Owen Byrne is Digg's Senior Software Engineer, and Kevin is a high flyer recently featured on the cover of BusinessWeek.
Listen to Kevin's presentation at The Future of Web Apps Summit 
A New Year, A New Look
Don't settle for a look that's growing stale. ‘Tis the season to polish your image and reach out to people. Makeover your logo, update your brochure, and redesign your website. Our Elance design community can take what you have for 2006 and set you up for 2007. Once you are happy with your look, check out 6 cool and creative ways to reach out to people and create a lasting impression. Tell me more
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Made Possible by Elance: Raewell Graphics
Greg Essert (Elance username: raewellgraphics) wanted to start his own business for years, but the cost of entry seemed too high and the list of tasks to complete too long. As the Art Director of a sign company, 
Greg knew he had all the technical and service skills he needed. What he didn’t know was how he could pull together all the facets of starting a business – accounting, advertising, handling credit card payments, communicating with customers – as a one-person company.
“I finally realized my best bet was to let Elance handle all that for me,” says Greg. “Elance has the administrative setup, the customer base, the business tools… they could even handle credit card payments for me. For the price of admission it was an unbeatable deal. Without Elance I couldn’t have started Raewell Graphics.”
Greg initially focused on logo design and quickly built a reputation for his ability to create eye-catching logos with an aesthetic and emotional appeal. “My goal has been to start small and prove myself each step of the way,” Greg says. His success allowed him to expand his services into creating stationery, complete business identities, and brochures for new and repeat customers. In the near future he plans to further expand into web design services.
Raewell Graphics has completed projects for clients in the United States, Australia, England, India, and South Africa.
“It’s funny,” Greg continues, “but I’m still waiting for my first local customer.”
Made Possible by Elancers: Intrep, Inc.
A sales outsourcing firm builds a business by – you guessed it - outsourcing.
Jack Sands had a great idea: reinvent business-to-business telemarketing and create a thriving inside sales outsourcing company – but he also had two major hurdles to overcome: limited capital and just a handful of full-time employees.
“I looked to local companies for help, but I had concerns about their expertise… and to be honest we couldn't afford them,” the CEO of Intrep, Inc., said. “If we hadn't found Elance we never would have gotten off the ground.”
Working conditions for inside sales and telemarketers are often, well, less than ideal. Many work under constant pressure at cramped cubicles inside cavernous, warehouse-like buildings. Add to that an average wage of $8 an hour and attrition is predictably high: the typical firm experiences a 100% turnover rate each year.
Jack's idea? Tap into the pool of experienced sales consultants across the U.S., pay premium wages… and let employees work from the comfort and convenience of their home.
“For my concept to work, our employees needed access to a sophisticated web-based database application and automated phone system. I had to find a way to effectively merge diverse technologies in a brand-new way.”
Jack posted the project on Elance. He chose an Elancer in the Ukraine to develop Intrep's proprietary software system. Today employees access the server with a web browser and calls are automatically placed (and recorded), leads are tracked, appointments are scheduled, and clients access real-time updates on sales efforts. “Because my team is spread across the country, cutting-edge communication tools help me overcome the communication and management gap.”
Once his technology infrastructure was in place, Jack needed sophisticated marketing materials. “We don't get face time with potential customers, so our marketing pieces are the face of the company. In the beginning I needed to make a small company appear huge – but without spending huge dollars. Elance providers created and manage our website and develop brochures, multimedia presentations, and other sales collateral.”
Jack also frequently turns to Elance for rapid turnaround, high-quality work. “One night around ten o'clock I realized I needed a PowerPoint presentation for a meeting the next day. Since Elance lets me quickly access the best specialists in the world, I posted the project for a provider in India and the presentation was sitting in my inbox at 9:00 a.m. the next morning.”
So, how great was Jack's idea to reinvent the inside sales industry?
Today Intrep is a leader in business-to-business marketing, boasting cutting-edge web-based technology and sophisticated sales and advertising tools. Intrep's turnover rate is in the single digits and its customer base continues to expand.
And Jack? He's been nominated for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award – two years in a row.
What's New at Elance
We're working hard to make our service both more robust and easier to use by adding features and functions many of you have asked for. On October 18th we updated our site and released new tools to make Elance even better.
The recent enhancements are simply too many to mention, but here are some worth noting:
- Elance Escrow: The new escrow service allows employers to place funds in escrow and release partial or full payment when pre-determined deliverables or work milestones are met. Elance Escrow creates a new level of security for employers and professionals at no additional cost.
- Elance 1099: The new 1099 service automatically collects data, generates and files 1099 and W-9 forms to simplify tax preparation for employers, at no additional cost.
- Hourly Rates: Elance employers can now receive quotes and hire on an hourly or fixed-price basis at their discretion, offering increased flexibility and making more types of work possible.
- Milestones: Employers and professionals can now create formal project milestones to make managing work even easier. Milestones work hand in hand with Elance Escrow to streamline management and payment for buyers and providers.
Thanks for your input and advice. As a result of your feedback, we're continually improving our services. In addition to these upgrades, we have a number of exciting innovations in the works – watch for them in the next few months!
