Deborah explains how fragmented leave processes create risk and unnecessary stress for both employees and HR teams, especially as paid leave rules continue to expand across states and cities. She shares why leave should be treated as a critical moment in the employee journey, how re-onboarding after leave impacts engagement, and how Sparrow combines automation with human support to manage compliance, paperwork, and pay.

The conversation also outlines the business case for modern leave management, including meaningful time savings for HR teams, reduced compliance risk, and a 4–10x financial return through effective recovery of benefits and salary costs.

 He and Matthew discuss why more than 80 percent of Dazzle projects are run remotely, why Dazzle focuses on freelance engagements instead of full-time hires, and how the “meet the consultant first” approach and taking ownership of the internal decision process help enterprises shift from legacy consultancies to flexible talent.

Taylor Crane, Founder at Fractional Jobs, unpacks how he turned a simple job board into a curated fractional talent platform for startups and SMBs. Taylor explains why founders need white-glove support rather than pure self-service software, and how he matches companies with fractional CFOs, CMOs, CTOs, and more.

He discusses how compensation really works in fractional hiring, from monthly retainers and hourly models to the expectation that these leaders become an ongoing part of the team. Taylor also breaks down his business model, including flat referral fees and sponsorships, and why the future of fractional work belongs to leaders who can both set strategy and execute.

Melissa Valentine, Associate Professor at Stanford and author of Flash Teams, joins Matthew Mottola and Tony Buffum to break down how teams form, work, and scale in the human cloud. Melissa explains what Flash Teams are, why they unlock speed and expertise, and how leaders can access talent on demand without losing culture or control.

She shares real examples showing how fractional experts and AI accelerate problem-solving, reshape team design, and give organizations a faster, more flexible way to match people to the work that matters. Melissa also highlights the shift from traditional talent acquisition to talent access, and why HR is positioned to lead the next phase of workforce strategy.

He breaks down why W2 and 1099 support across regions matters, how giving freelancers a single home improves pay and benefits, and why compliance is the biggest unlock for scaling flexible talent programs. Jason also explains how AI is streamlining onboarding and classification, and how centralizing compliance through GreenLight helps companies move faster while reducing risk.

You’ll hear how AllWork supports both frontline and high-skill project talent, why legacy MSP and VMS layers can slow progress, and how real-time data, custom workflows, and a better talent experience deliver measurable ROI.

Vardhan explains how they help staffing firms separate real AI from “AI wrappers,” why granular funnel visibility matters more than surface-level automation, and how their engineering-led approach deploys in under 72 hours to move candidates from first click to first day faster.

Amy also shares how Marriott blends human and digital talent, including their recruiting bot “Olivia,” and why trust, transparency, and clear decision frameworks are essential as organizations adopt automation. She outlines a future where flexible talent and AI agents work alongside traditional roles to create more innovative teams and better guest experiences.

Ash explains why relationships and sector expertise matter more than hype, and how a consulting layer helps teams adopt the marketplace model, standardize workflows, and win on both speed and reliability.

Emre shares his journey from Stanford to startups, lessons from leading product teams, and why Turkey’s culture, time zone, and talent make it a natural bridge between East and West.

Alp also shares how AI is accelerating the shift toward project-based work, why flexibility and speed are becoming essential in enterprise talent strategies, and how the balance between full-time and independent work is shaping the next phase of the expert economy.

Ken explains how Ropes helps staffing firms and enterprises validate talent more quickly, reduce fraud, and focus on genuine skills over pedigree. He also shares lessons from Ropes’ rapid growth, the hurdles of tech adoption in staffing, and why authenticity, speed, and quality are shaping the next chapter of hiring.

The conversation highlights how every job is becoming AI-enabled, what actual speed to talent looks like, and how organizations can stay on the right side of change by embracing technology, global access, and continuous execution.

Dries shares real outcomes, including faster time to cash and hours saved for recruiters, as well as a new go-to-market strategy where agencies resell digital workers to clients for a fresh revenue stream.

Laura also explains Bullhorn’s Amplify approach and how co-building with customers speeds useful features into production.

This conversation explores how AI enhances matching, interviewing, and on-the-job training while keeping human insight at the center of enterprise hiring.

Prateek shares use cases across Series A to C, from testing new territories to handling peak quarters, plus practical guardrails like monthly retainers with first quarter commitments and not selling to the same buyer persona across multiple gigs. If your sales metrics need a lift, this playbook shows how to align flexibility with revenue.

He also addresses enterprise challenges around risk and compliance, and how organizations can replace “pretending it doesn’t exist” with strategies that reduce exposure and unlock agility. Brian discusses why the right partnerships and data foundations matter more than being “AI-first,” and how Beeline ensures human oversight remains central to AI decision-making.

We cover moving from rigid job taxonomies to skill-based hiring, practical ways to reduce “rogue spend,” and why portable benefits are accelerating independent work. The result is speed to talent with control, visibility, and a better experience for managers and freelancers.

We cover candidate experience, accuracy at scale, and why focused assessment beats all-in-one tools for speed and adoption. Grady also unpacks infrastructure choices that matter for global usage, the value of piloting vendors side by side, and where automation can streamline back-office ops.

Freelancers don't lack skill; they lack visibility. JJ Lammers, Founder of allGigs.nl, explains how his platform helps freelancers find and win work faster. He shares how aggregation and stacked jobs uncover hidden opportunities, when recruiters truly add value, and why Europe's freelance market is ready for a reset.

If you're tired of endless job boards and slow processes, this episode shows what the next generation of freelance platforms looks like: transparent, data-driven, and built for freelancers first.

We cover change management, the creation of a common skills language across merged brands, and the importance of being customer zero before guiding clients. Margaret also highlights Highspring’s global expansion, including a new Dublin office that complements teams in APAC and the Americas.

He discusses why the status quo is the most significant barrier to progress, how technology helps hospitals adapt to a changing labor market, and how a “single source of truth” can empower leaders to make faster, smarter staffing decisions.

Rich also discusses the rise of “bring your own agent,” where companies track both human and AI capabilities side by side, and how subscription-based pricing simplifies enterprise adoption. This episode highlights a practical path to blended talent, helping hiring managers get work done faster while reducing friction across HR, procurement, and technology teams.

They discuss how leaders can balance automation with creativity, the rise of small and intimate events over large conferences, and how data, not AI alone, will define the next wave of workforce technology. Steve also shares his perspective on what makes great leaders today, those who can integrate technology and human insight without losing authenticity.

The conversation explores how technology can enhance education, scale mentorship, and create a services hub that bridges human expertise with digital tools. Reena’s story underscores the power of continuous learning, accessibility, and using technology to make collective wisdom a living asset.

The conversation explores the ongoing consolidation of technology providers, the structural impact of AI on workforce demand, and how organizations can stay competitive in a rapidly changing market. Brian also reflects on the importance of CollaborationX as a space for leaders to connect, share ideas, and shape the future of how companies find and manage talent.

The conversation explores how AI is being applied in workforce management, the importance of ethics and explainability in algorithms, and how research-backed insights are helping organizations navigate a shifting, service-driven economy.

In this episode, she explains why demand for interim executives has surged more than 300% since 2020, how “leadership liquidity” helps organizations stay agile in uncertain times, and what leadership assurance means for boards, CFOs, and HR leaders. Sandra also shares why projectizing AI and transformation work is reshaping strategy, and why compensation and culture must evolve to keep pace with today’s flexible, high-impact workforce.

Ian Gilbert, SVP Enterprise at Airtm, breaks down how stablecoin payouts and user-owned wallets improve speed, satisfaction, and repeat work.

We cover what “Airtm Friendly” means in practice, how to integrate wallet options into legacy systems without piling on friction, and what enterprises miss when they treat payouts as back-office ops.

Ian shares lessons from millions of users across the Global South, the realities of freelancers juggling multiple platforms, and Airtm’s path to serving 100 million digital entrepreneurs by 2030.

If you're sourcing specialized talent, scaling data work, or trying to pay people in currency that holds value where they live, this one will help you pressure-test your payment stack and find fast, lasting wins.

Developer talent is global, but opportunity is not. For our 200th episode, Paul Rios, Head of Revenue Experimentation at Telescoped and former HubSpot leader, breaks down why more companies are turning to Latin America for engineering.

We cover the hotspots driving growth, the loyalty and cultural alignment of LATAM talent, and why “will over skill” matters when building product teams. Paul also explains Telescoped’s invite-only TrustRank model, how curated shortlists beat endless resumes, and what an AI-first go-to-market stack looks like in practice.

If you want to hire smarter and build faster, this episode shows you how.

Anurag Bhalla, Co-Founder and CEO at Outsize, shares his journey from corporate and consulting to building one of the most impactful platforms for independent talent across Asia and Africa. He explains why traditional employment models fall short, how cultural attitudes toward work are shifting, and why companies are turning to flexible, project-based talent to stay competitive.

Anurag highlights the rise of the five-to-fifteen-year independent segment, the emotional shift from “I am my company” to “I am my skill,” and how enterprises can build agile workforce models that balance a strong core with flexible capabilities. He also discusses why independents often deliver stronger outcomes than traditional employees and how organizations need to rethink engagement, speed, and incentives to succeed in this new era of work.

Brad Jackson, Founder of Out Of Office, joins the Human Cloud Podcast to unpack the world of experiential marketing and why events have become a top revenue driver for sales and marketing teams. Brad explains what separates trade shows, conferences, and true experiential activations, sharing memorable examples from pop-ups to major brand stunts. He breaks down how freelancers are shaping the future of the industry, why mid-sized agencies are struggling, and how trust has become the new currency in connecting brands with the right partners. 

Brad also discusses the challenges of measuring ROI, what it truly costs to host an effective event, and how his platform is helping agencies and brands replace outdated spreadsheets with smarter workflows and a living roster of talent. This episode is a candid look at where experiential marketing is headed, the skills that matter most, and why flexible talent will define the next chapter of brand engagement.

Clayton explains how the program provides a library of 500+ resources, a Skills Action Planner for personalized assessments, and SHRM’s new credential for skills-first professionals. He also highlights the importance of change management, the role of technology in skills mapping, and why incremental adoption can make a big difference for organizations of all sizes.

This episode shows why a skills-first approach is not just a trend but the inevitable direction of HR, and how leaders can take their first steps today.

They also discuss Goodwill’s partnership with Refresh, which functions as a “super app” to consolidate benefits, increase engagement, and provide meaningful rewards. From workforce development to community partnerships, Adrian highlights how technology is helping Goodwill strengthen impact, measure engagement, and scale services for those who need it most.

In this episode, Eusebi Llensa, Co-Founder and CEO of Outvise, shares how his background in management consulting shaped the vision for building a platform focused on specialized expertise in telecom, media, and technology. He explains why transparency and trust are essential in client relationships, how Outvise more than doubled revenue after COVID, and what sets specialized consulting apart from traditional firms.

Eusebi also breaks down the challenges and opportunities in connecting businesses directly with flexible experts, why scoping and execution matter as much as strategy, and how the industry is moving toward more on-demand solutions. From client wins to the evolving role of platforms, this conversation highlights how flexible talent is reshaping the future of work.

They discuss how to double engagement with benefits, reduce 95% of manual HR effort, and maintain employer branding long after an employee leaves. The conversation also covers the importance of staying connected with alumni, simplifying change management, and creating technology that supports, not replaces, the human side of HR.

Zain shares the personal experience that sparked the idea, how the platform saves HR teams millions in time and costs, and why real-time proof of employment can prevent costly delays.

Leaders,

In this episode, Kris Tait, Chief Business Officer at Croud, discusses how marketing is evolving in the age of AI and why flexible talent is becoming essential for global brands, from his start in a small English town to leading a 650-person agency with 3,000 on-demand “Croudies,” Kris shares how Croud blends data-driven performance with creative brand strategy to deliver results. 

He explains how AI is reshaping marketing, why local nuance is key to global success, and how agencies are shifting from pure execution to becoming strategic partners. Real-world examples from brands like Netflix, Figs, and Nespresso reveal how Croud’s model delivers speed, security, and scale, while keeping the human oversight needed for quality and creativity in an increasingly automated world.

In this episode, Connor Heaney, President EMEA at CXC Global, draws on more than a decade of experience building one of the world’s leading extended workforce firms to reveal what it takes to engage and support independent talent at scale. He breaks down how AI is redefining efficiency, why navigating local compliance is critical for global freelance programs, and how CXC’s end-to-end solutions help organizations pivot quickly in today’s fast-moving market. 

Along the way, Connor shares how his father’s journey in gig work ignited his commitment to fairness and drives his view that technology and human insight must go hand in hand. Tune in for actionable advice on forging strong relationships, future-proofing your workforce, and leveraging innovation to stay ahead.

They explore why HR is still behind other functions in digital transformation, the barriers to adopting new tech, and how HR can become more tech literate without losing its human focus. Jocelyn highlights the importance of change management, explains how AI is changing the HR workforce, and breaks down why upskilling HR professionals is more important than ever.

If you’ve ever struggled with implementing new tools, questioned how to stay compliant without slowing down, or wondered how AI will impact the people function, this episode is for you.

In this episode, Craig Short, Co-Founder and CTO of Gigged.ai, shares how a side project connecting freelancer friends turned into an enterprise platform trusted by global brands. Craig walks through Gigged’s evolution from a simple gig-matching tool to a skills intelligence platform helping companies manage AI, internal talent, and flexible workforces.

He explains how AI is boosting productivity without replacing people, and why human interaction remains critical in enterprise hiring. Craig also shares what it’s like to build a tech company in Scotland, why job titles are becoming less meaningful, and how the future of work depends on visibility into skills and the ability to match people and agents effectively.

Beau Billington joins us to share his path from corporate burnout to launching The Free Agent, a boutique talent platform built on transparency, curation, and strategic impact. Motivated by the need for better work-life balance and more meaningful connections, Beau explains why flexible talent is quickly becoming essential for growing companies.

He breaks down what has changed in the last two years, how business leaders are rethinking traditional roles, and what it takes to build trust between companies and their talent. From the origin story behind the name The Free Agent to how he scopes and prices fractional talent engagements, Beau shares practical insights from building a model that works for both clients and executives.

If you're building a modern workforce, figuring out how to scale strategically, or want to understand what “fractional” really looks like in practice, this episode brings clarity and real-world perspective.

Leaders,

In this episode, Ryan Tlustosch, Founder and CEO of Ourly, brings over two decades of experience in flexible labor marketplaces and 14 years in professional temporary staffing to the conversation. He shares lessons learned from his time at Robert Half and explains how Ourly was designed for knowledge workers who prefer W2 employment. Only handles payroll, benefits, and workers’ comp while averaging 36-hour weeks on engagements that often run from three months up to 18 months or more. He also reveals how a self-sorting community and hiring-manager-led vetting process maintain quality, and why educating organizations about W2 models is essential. 

Whether you’re exploring ways to tap specialized expertise or looking to reduce co-employment risk and streamline workforce planning, Ryan shares practical insights for both enterprise and SMB teams. 

Tony joins us to break down what over two decades of crowdsourced software development can teach us about the future of work.

He shares how Topcoder evolved from a coding competition into an enterprise-ready platform within Wipro, and why the crowd remains essential for solving complex, outlier problems that AI alone can’t handle.

We unpack how AI and the crowd can complement each other, what makes crowdsourcing work at scale, and why flexibility, skill loyalty, and clear outcomes matter more than ever.

Tony also reflects on lessons from the dot-com era, emphasizing that customer problems, not technology, should drive decision-making, and how leaders can get started with crowdsourcing today without needing to “read a book first.”

If you're navigating how to build better and faster with fewer constraints, this episode is a masterclass in what works.

In this episode, Ian reveals how his journey through tech startups led him to challenge the status quo in HR with Charthop. He discusses breaking into the HR space as an outsider, why traditional HR systems fall short of strategic workforce planning, and how embracing flexible structures, from matrix teams to on-demand talent, drives resilience in a rapidly changing workforce. 

Ian unpacks the transformative power of AI in people analytics and real-time scenario planning, showing HR leaders how to shift from compliance to a strategic partnership. Tune in to learn practical steps for integrating data and AI to build a future-ready organization.

Cüneyt Erpolat joins us to explore how AI, flexible talent, and global reach are transforming customer experience. With over 30 years in tech, including leadership roles at Microsoft, Alibaba, and now as Co-Founder of Champs CX, Cüneyt shares why CX is far more than call centers—it’s about delivering meaningful, human interactions at scale.

He explains why Champs chose Turkey as its base, leveraging the country’s deep talent pool and multilingual workforce to build a globally competitive CX platform. Cüneyt also discusses why customers still crave human connection, how AI is reshaping, not replacing, the CX landscape, and what today’s enterprise leaders need to rethink when scaling support operations.

If you're leading a CX budget or rethinking your workforce model, this conversation will challenge how you define quality, loyalty, and operational flexibility.

Mark Mullinix joins the Human Cloud Podcast to unpack the rapid rise of fractional work across Asia. Based in Singapore with nearly two decades of experience in the region, Mark explains why startups are turning to fractional roles for strategic talent, how flexible leadership differs from freelance or consulting, and what drives demand across fast-growing markets.

He shares the unique cultural and structural dynamics that influence adoption in Asia, why the flexibility of fractional roles is becoming essential for startups and SMBs, and how platforms like the Fractional Directory are making access to top-tier talent more seamless.

He discusses the emergence of “SWAT teams” of fractional leaders, the challenges enterprise companies face in adapting to flexible models, and why Singapore is positioned to lead the next wave of global talent transformation, powered by government support and an evolving ecosystem of flexible professionals.

If you're navigating how to scale with less risk and more impact, this episode offers practical insight into what’s working now in one of the world’s most innovative talent markets.

What happens when the labor force shrinks, demand surges, and we’ve overproduced college degrees at the expense of essential workers?

Ron Hetrick, Principal Economist at Lightcast and author of The Rising Storm, joins us to break down the structural cracks in today’s labor market and what leaders must do before the storm hits in 2027. From healthcare and construction to tech and AI, Ron explains why the real problem isn’t just talent supply, but misaligned expectations and outdated strategies.

We unpack the rising impact of labor force inversion, the flawed cultural obsession with college degrees, and why critical jobs like nursing, skilled trades, and food production are the hardest to fill. Ron also outlines the four paths forward: local hiring, immigration, automation, and global talent.

This episode is a wake-up call for executives. Workforce planning is no longer an HR function. It is now a core business strategy. Whether you're scaling AI teams or keeping frontline operations running, it’s time to rethink how you attract, develop, and retain the people who keep your business alive.

In this episode, Rubén Galindo, CEO of Airtm, shares what it takes to build financial infrastructure for the global workforce.

While most platforms focus on finding talent, Airtm is focused on enabling it. It’s not just a payment tool, it’s a system designed for speed, trust, and scale, especially in markets where traditional finance falls short.

Rubén explains how Airtm grew from a $250K seed round into a platform supporting thousands of online workers across the global South. He breaks down the role of stablecoins in hyperinflationary economies, the importance of identity verification and KYC, and how EOR services are making compliant cross-border hiring possible.

They also explore how trends, such as the U.S. government's Bitcoin strategy and the concept of a global freelancer passport, are shaping the future of flexible work.

For enterprises, Airtm offers the infrastructure to send fast, borderless, and flexible payouts at scale, helping companies support their workforce in even the most complex financial environments. Because ultimately, enabling the worker starts with enabling the companies that hire them.

Leaders, 

What happens when the consulting industry meets AI, change fatigue, and mounting pressure for real results?

In this episode, Pat Petitti, CEO of Catalant, explains how consulting is being reshaped from the inside out. Pat shares how Catalant’s move to a curated, community-driven model is helping enterprises access proven talent more efficiently, why AI is automating junior-level consulting work, and what leaders need to rethink when transformation budgets are under scrutiny.

Pat shares insights on why traditional consulting models are falling short, how adaptability and internal influence are critical to leading change, and what the next wave of talent transformation looks like in practice.

This episode is for leaders who need strategy and execution and want to understand how the best are getting it done.

Leaders, 

In this episode, Chris Perkins, President at Model B, joins us to unpack the actual purpose of marketing and why the best brands succeed by creating consistent, additive experiences across every touchpoint. Chris explains why marketing is about changing minds, how empowered teams and freelancers often outperform traditional models, and why the best leaders treat brand as an extension of their company culture, not just a department.

He shares how Model B uses a collective of top experts to deliver growth with precision, why most companies overcomplicate their marketing strategies, and what it takes to invest in a brand that lasts. We also explore how leadership alignment, freelance motivation, and clear customer focus are critical to building brand trust.

This episode is a must-listen for any leader rethinking their growth playbook and wondering how to balance strategy, execution, and talent.

In this episode, Dimitrio Gómez, founder of Catalis and former Bain and EY-Parthenon consultant, shares how consulting is evolving across Latin America and why independent consultants are leading the charge.

He explains why traditional consulting models are falling short, especially for mid-sized companies, and how flexible talent networks offer faster, more cost-effective results. With over 30,000 mid-market businesses in Mexico alone, Dimitrio highlights the opportunity to deliver high-impact strategy through “dream teams” of seasoned experts and strategy consultants.

You’ll hear how AI transforms delivery, why regional focus is critical, and how engagement, not scale, drives better outcomes. If you’re exploring new models for strategy, consulting, or talent, this episode breaks down what’s next.

Leaders, 

In this episode, Alp Sezginsoy, Founder of Expertera and Dojo Talent, joins us to share his journey building one of the leading expert talent platforms across Turkey, the CIS, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and beyond. Alp explains how Expertera evolved into a unique value proposition at the intersection of an expert network and an on-demand expert marketplace, what they call an ‘Expert-as-a-Service’ platform. Offering flexibility from hourly expert engagements to fractional executive roles, Expertera has transitioned from a traditional expert network into a subscription-based, tech-enabled marketplace. Alp also discusses the strategic role AI plays in scaling expertise and how organizations can better adapt to a flexible, global workforce. We explore the rise of freelance talent in emerging markets, the connection between leadership vision and P&L growth, and why fast, flexible access to expertise is becoming critical for enterprise success. Alp also shares insights on Expertera’s recent merger and how it will enhance their growth, their expansion roadmap, and the future of combining human expertise with AI-powered platforms.

Key Themes:

• Building an expert platform across emerging markets

• Launching and scaling a subscription model to drive strategic client engagement

• Merging human expertise with AI to deliver faster, smarter solutions

• How leadership vision ties to growth, adaptability, and talent strategy

• Trends in global hiring from emerging regions like Eastern Europe and the Middle East

What does it mean to be a "Free Bird" in today's rapidly evolving workforce? In this insightful episode, we sit down with Miles Everson, CEO of MBO Partners and author of the newly released book "Free Birds," to explore how authenticity is driving the independent workforce revolution.

Miles shares his journey from corporate America to championing independent professionals, revealing why he wrote a book about workforce transformation in 2025 and how MBO Partners has evolved from its entrepreneurial roots in 1995 to leading today's independent work revolution.

We explore:

• The fundamental shift in workforce dynamics, from dual-income families to side gigs to full independence, and why this evolution is happening now
• Why authenticity is the cornerstone of successful independent work and how being your true self leads to greater fulfillment
• The six key trends driving workforce transformation, including accelerating change, the fractionalization of everything, and the shift from knowledge stocks to knowledge flows
• Why progress is deflationary and how multiple innovations converging create transformative societal change
• The surprising reason companies shouldn't adopt protectionist strategies in a world where innovations spread faster than ever
• Miles' personal inspiration from his father who taught him "you define yourself, don't let others define you"
• The four pillars for living a fulfilling life: health, wealth, work, and relationships

As corporations face the "year of efficiency" and companies cut everything not directly value-adding, independent professionals who drive outcomes are becoming essential to business success. Miles makes the compelling case for his "30% pledge" - where enterprises commit a significant portion of their spending to independent talent - and presents a vision for a new social contract between workers and companies.

For business leaders wondering whether to embrace or resist this shift, Miles offers this warning: "Doing nothing is actually doing something, which is you've made the decision to get passed by."

You’ll hear from Marc Clemens, Founder of CodeControl & 9am, Manuel Meurer Founder & CEO of Uplink, Thomas Maas, CEO of Freelancermap, and Jon Younger Founder of Mensch.Work, hosted by Matthew Mottola Human Cloud CEO . Together, they discuss the state of freelancing today, why professionalization matters, and how the power of community and knowledge sharing can carry the freelance economy forward.

Key Takeaways:

• Why now is a defining moment for the freelance economy
  

• The impact of AI, economic pressures, and remote work on freelancers
  

• How community and upskilling reduce risk and drive growth
  

• What freelancers and platforms must do to increase trust with clients

• What to expect at Freelance Unlocked 2025 in Berlin

Leaders, 

What does the future of independent work look like, and how are policies shaping its trajectory? In this episode, we sit down with Liya Palagashvili to unpack the economic trends, policy changes, and workforce dynamics that are shaping the shift toward flexible employment.

Liya shares her journey from academia to workforce research, revealing how small businesses and independent professionals have driven the growth of freelancing long before the rise of the gig economy. She also highlights the critical role that data and research play in shaping legislation, dispelling misconceptions about misclassification, and ensuring policies support, rather than restrict, independent workers.

We explore:

• The real numbers behind independent work, including why 80% of freelancers prefer their work arrangements and how older workers and women are fueling its expansion. 

• How laws like California’s AB5 unintentionally hurt freelancers, reducing self-employment and even W-2 jobs in affected states.

• Why control is at the heart of the policy debate, and how new legislation could create portable benefits and provide clearer guidelines for independent contractor classification.

• The employer perspective: why businesses hesitate to engage freelancers due to regulatory uncertainty and how policies could encourage innovation rather than stifle it.

• What’s next for independent work, from policy shifts in Washington to the evolving mindset of businesses navigating the modern workforce. 

As freelancing and flexible work continue to grow, policymakers, business leaders, and independent professionals must align on solutions that preserve flexibility while ensuring stability.

Leaders, 

Many companies invest in AI expecting quick wins, only to end up with expensive tools that deliver little impact.Don’t let that happen to you.

In this episode, Kenneth Lo, Co-Founder of ZenBiz Services, shares practical strategies to help you apply AI effectively and avoid these common mistakes.

With experience in AI, data, and digital marketing, plus a background as a Big Four consultant, startup advisor, and angel investor, Kenneth offers expert insights that cut through the noise.

You’ll learn:

• Why agentic AI  will shape the next phase of automation.

• Why human oversight is still essential to ensure trust, accuracy, and ethical AI applications.

• How companies can start small with AI projects to drive real impact and avoid common pitfalls.

• Why freelancers are leading the charge in adopting AI and how that impacts workforce strategies.

• The importance of compliance and data security in AI adoption, especially for regulated industries.

• What businesses need to consider when building AI teams or leveraging external expertise.

Kenneth also shares his thoughts on the future of AI in business and why trust, relationships, and human connection will always remain essential, no matter how advanced the technology gets.

If you’re looking for practical AI strategies to stay competitive while minimizing risks, this episode is packed with insights you can apply immediately.

Freelancing is no longer just a trend—it's becoming a cornerstone of how businesses build teams and drive innovation. But with rapid shifts in technology, AI, and global talent strategies, what does the future of freelancing really look like?

In this episode, Nuri Demirci Lopez shares his insights on how freelancing is evolving, the role of AI in shaping talent strategies, and why a mindset shift is crucial for organizations embracing hybrid workforces.

A bit about Nuri - he’s a leading expert in how enterprises adopt freelance workforces. He’s also on the cutting edge of how AI can expand from freelance workforces to digital twins. 

Key highlights:

• Insights from ProcureCon on how enterprises are approaching freelance strategies.

• Why AI is transforming talent sourcing and enabling flexible workforce models.

• The need for better platform standards and global regulations.

• How organizations can securely integrate freelancers into their operations.

• The mindset shifts leaders must embrace to stay competitive.

For anyone navigating flexible talent models or looking to leverage AI for smarter workforce strategies, this episode is essential.

We have three questions for you:

• What really is the future of work? 

• How will AI impact the future of work? 

• What’s the value of a platform? 

In this episode, we talk with Brett Martin, a 20+ year serial entrepreneur and venture capitalist. Brett has seen it all. His fund, Charge Ventures, has been around for over 9 years, invested in over 90 companies, and funded several unicorns. 

Brett has also been a leader in combining SaaS applications in the future of work, being in both the founder and investor seats. 

In this episode we’ll learn: 

• Brett views company building as “riding the wave” rather than creating one. 

• Brett’s perspective on the future of work, the types of companies that are needed, and which ones will successfully ride the wave.

• How entrepreneurs can leverage Generative AI and today’s technology to build the best talent-related companies.

A quote from Brett that resonates throughout the episode is: “Great companies ride waves; they don’t create them.” Write this down and keep it close, it's a powerful reminder as you think about your business.

In the theme of waves, Brett outlines the current factors shaping the future of work:

• We’re transitioning from thinking that the goal is “remote” to embracing a distributed, global workforce.  

• Moving from offshoring as a cost-savings function to treating it as a strategic sourcing channel.

• The best solutions today are augmenting humans, not replacing them. For example, his startup Fonzi replaces 60% of recruiters' tasks, allowing them to focus more on building relationships.

• Augmenting humans enables teams to do more with less—in some cases, what once required 20 BDRs can now be accomplished by one digital worker.

• The challenge of confronting broken systems built on legacy technology. The open question: should we build on top of these systems or start fresh with entirely new solutions?

do we need to say more than Steve Rader? If you don’t know Steve, he has been a relentless leader who has pushed for future workforce models across organizations like NASA and beyond. 

In this episode, we’ll explore how Steve envisions future workforce models applied within large organizations and discuss what current workforce models need to do to adapt to the rapidly evolving technology landscape. 

In true NASA form, we’ll take an engineering approach to the future of work. As any good engineer does, we’ll start by identifying the first principle and then engineering the solution.

What is the first principle of work and the “talent” industry? We need to take it deeper…what is the first business principle? As Steve puts it, it’s okay to admit that the first principle of business is to “make money.” From this first principle, we can identify how the full-time default is in the way of this. Full-time employment, compared to modern models, is slow, inefficient, fixed, and suboptimal for most conditions. 

A peak into key themes we’ll discuss: 

• The traditional recruitment model is broken. Full stop. From this first principle, we can use white paper thinking to create the recruitment model that works in today’s digital era. 

• Middle management needs to evolve from delegation to orchestration. The reality is that for every 100 traditional middle managers, companies only have 10 now, and these 10 need to navigate modern technology and talent tools to match the production of what once took 100 managers. 

• If enterprises don’t embrace modern workforce models, it’s just a matter of time before startups disrupt them. We covered this in Forbes, How Startups And Small Businesses Signal The Future Of Work.

• The Platform Community can replace most of what traditional talent leaders have done. Yes, we’re saying HR and Contingent Talent Programs could be replaced by the current talent platform ecosystem. 

Last, and most important, Steve breaks down what we call “The Holy Trinity To Modern Talent Disruption”. The Holy Trinity guides leaders who need to disrupt traditional talent processes.

What the trinity says is this: Leaders must start with the business case. The business case is crucial, as it’s the first principle you always refer back to, benchmark from, and measure against. Then progress to digital leadership. We can also call this digital ownership. This means that leaders go from the business case to the digital and technology-related solutions. This brings in Product, Innovation, Engineering, and technical leaders. Then, leaders progress to talent leadership or talent ownership. This can be HR, TA, or Contingent Talent leaders. All three need each other. 

How can you apply your Holy Trinity? Listen to find out!

The contingent workforce space is evolving, and at the center of this transformation is the need for community, strategy, and problem-solving. In this episode, Dustin Talley shares his journey from intrapreneur at MBO Partners to launching Direct Collective, a peer-based community designed for contingent workforce leaders navigating the complexities of extended workforce programs.

Dustin discusses the importance of building relationships, creating value-driven communities, and understanding the challenges companies face when managing flexible talent at scale. He also breaks down key trends shaping workforce strategy, from data-driven decision-making to the growing role of independent workers.

Topics covered include:

• The transition from intrapreneur to entrepreneur in workforce management

• Why traditional contingent workforce programs focus too much on control instead of innovation

• The rise of independent workers and how companies are adapting their talent strategies

• How community-driven solutions help leaders solve real problems rather than just managing spend

• The evolving role of data, KPIs, and workforce visibility in shaping program success

For leaders working in contingent workforce strategy, procurement, or HR, this conversation provides key insights into building smarter, more agile talent programs.

Eight years ago, Jennifer Zick set out to create a new marketing standard. She noticed that marketing was becoming ever more chaotic through growth in new tools, channels, and models. She also saw the rise of marketing executives who could make phenomenal fractional leaders, and noticed fractional leadership already existed for finance and back office management, but not for marketing. So she combined the two; marketing expertise and a fractional model, to offer what is now Authentic, a marketing consultancy that helps growing businesses “Overcome Random Acts of Marketing®.”

This episode follows two key paths. 

1. The science of marketing

2. The science of building a differentiated talent platform

Both are crucial for every leader building their team, org, and company. 

We all know growthis essential, but profitable growth, and actually understanding where your growth comes from, is increasingly difficult. If we gave you $100 dollars today, would you know where to invest that to create $110 dollars tomorrow? If you do, and Google’s SEO change disrupted your search traffic, would you know how to adapt? 

This brings up the first “aha!” for every leader - According to Jennifer, the purpose of marketing is to consistently answer four key questions: 

• Who do we want to matter to?

• Why do we matter to them?

• Where are they? 

• How do we get them to trust us? 

The second “aha!” will be how she built her company through a W-2 talent pool of fractional marketing executives. Two years into building Authentic, she made the difficult decision to transition from a network of 1099 independent contractors to W-2 employees, a move that came with an immediate profit margin hit. So why did she do it? She mentioned three main reasons: 

1. For a higher valuation, as 1099’s aren’t typically included in the valuation

2. To be able to control the client experience, since there is a tough balance of what you can tell independent contractors to do

3. To build a stronger company culture 

For leaders, marketing is a space to watch as flexible talent models continue to disrupt traditional structures. There are several great platforms paving the way, including Growth Collective (acquired by Toptal), We Are Rosie (Private Equity investment), and Wripple.

Key takeaways:

• Jennifer bootstrapped her way to scale her business. 

• Jennifer scaled her startup growth by balancing client delivery (50% of her time) and creating content that built a sustainable growth engine (50% of her time).

• Marketing has seen an explosion of tools, channels, and strategies. The result is that full-time marketing teams can’t keep up with the rise in tools, instead, they stick to what they know, exposing companies to missing out on the new tools or being disrupted if their competitors understand them. 

• The solution to the rise of this marketing chaos is having fractional marketing expertise - backed by a community of highly qualified specialists - to orchestrate your flexible network of marketing expertise.

This is the public version of the webinar. To access the private version, log into your Knowledge Hub or subscribe at https://humancloud.work/knowledge-hub/

About The Panelists:

• Matt Coatney - AI and Digital Product Leader and co-author of the

Human Cloud book. Matt brings 25+ years leading $15–75M business divisions, co-founding four companies, advising numerous startups, and developing and launching over a dozen innovative products. He also built some of the early Deep Learning and Machine Learning courses today's AI founders use.

• Noah Gale, Co-Founder of Tribe AI, the leading AI talent platform. Fresh off a $3.25 million seed round to match demand, Tribe and Noah are at the forefront of what's possible and viable.

• Cory Hymel, VP of Research and Innovation at Crowdbotics. From AI research on self-driving vehicles in the early 2000s to founding multiple startups, Cory's at the forefront of Human Computer Interaction with a focus on AI augmentation in software development.

• Nuri Demirci Lopez, Principal PM at Microsoft. Nuri brings 20+ years of blending technology, customer experience, and digital talent models within enterprise and startup environments. Alongside 2 books, sought after keynote talks, and advising, Nuri leads a best in class customer experience solution that leverages AI, Enterprise grade technology, and truly global flexible workforces.

Ready to transform your business? Learn more about how Human Cloud can help connect you with the expertise and solutions you need. Visit Human Cloud today.

The word “freelance” often brings to mind creatives, writers, and remote laptop workers. But what about hands-on, in-person jobs.. the backbone of the global workforce?

What about assembly line workers, restaurant staff, electricians, plumbers, and countless others whose work happens beyond a computer screen?

Five years ago Flexible work solutions for these roles were nearly nonexistent. While platforms like Upwork and Fiverr were IPO’ing, and hundreds of specialized platforms like Catalant, Paro, Uncompany, Ollo, and many others were emerging, outside of Uber and Lyft, the front line workforce was relatively left behind.

That’s no longer the case. Today, businesses like retail, restaurants, event spaces, hotels, and many more have flexible workforce solutions.

Driven by talent platforms like Hyer, flexible work is finally transforming the front line workforce. 

It makes sense, the front line workforce amplifies existing talent challenges.

• High churn - the front line has the highest rate of dropping out from workforce participation, along with the highest rate of churn, attrition, and the lowest rate of retention.

• High cost - the management of front line workers is increasingly expensive, with large percentages of businesses saying they can’t operate under the existing labor cost structure. 

• Slow hiring processes.

The technology and mechanisms of talent platforms theoretically should solve for most of these challenges.

Deeper than the tech, is the impact this has on businesses. Rather than burning out their workforce, or paying excess for overtime or inefficient workers, businesses can meet the scalability and fluctuation common across front line workforces. Businesses typically plan 80 to 90% of their workforce then adapt to fluctuation. This inefficiency, leading to a lack of help, typically falls on the front line manager who has to pick up the slack. Rather than front line managers picking up the work themselves, talent platforms like Hyer enable them to scale up support in under 48 hours. 

Businesses also can meet demand from unplanned events, which can be the catalyst that drives them to at times 10x’ing their revenues. Dave will bring up an example of a business that had a spike from TikTok, and because they could meet demand, they 10x’ed their business and became a beloved household brand.  

As we all know, adapting to a flexible workforce is hard. But thanks to Dave’s prior experience as a tenured VP at PepsiCo, he deeply understood how to adapt Hyer’s customer experience with how businesses needed to engage their front line workforce. 

Dave highlighted how change is top-down, starting with VPs in Operations blessing the platform, and then front line managers adopting and embracing the platform. 

We promise that within 5 minutes of this episode, you’ll understand why talent platforms are essential for the front line workforce. By the end of the episode, you’ll be ready to email your VP of Operations or better yet, start leveraging a talent platform for your team.

Need guidance? Explore our Industry Landscape to find the perfect platform for your needs.

The Promise of Platforms and The Front Line Workforce
The Business Case: Growth, Expansion, Meeting The Moment
The Secret To Change: Operations and Front Line Managers
What Should You Do ASAP? 

Jeff is a trailblazing entrepreneur who’s been there and done that in the external talent space. Prior to his latest venture transforming workforce compliance, Jeff started in IT staffing, founded an industry leading VMS - flextrack, and built an EOR company, Contingent Workforce Solutions, which he merged with People 2.0 to become one of the pioneers of the EOR industry.  

In this episode we’ll hit on five important things. 

1. Definitions - what is this space? Who are the players? What’s really needed? 

2. Positioning - what kinds of founders and businesses have been, and look to be successful in this space?

3. Market Trends - where is the external talent industry going? What is in the way?

4. The Impact of the Trump Administration

5. Enterprise Adoption - what is blocking every F500 from spending $100m+ on digital talent platforms, also called freelance platforms, on-demand platforms, gig platforms, and more

One of the biggest takeaways for us, was when Jeff said, “The talent industry runs on trust”. 

Why? Because for leaders, whether founders or executives, decision-makers in this industry uniquely need to trust that you’ll get the job done and be there long term. 

The impact is that rather than trying to disrupt the industry, successful leaders typically learn how to complement existing players, and navigate win-win partnerships rather than expecting immediate revenue capture. 

This mistake is one of the most consistent patterns we see in outside entrepreneurs trying to break into the industry. They take tech and try to disrupt the existing ecosystem, only to learn that most companies won’t dramatically change their talent strategy and vendor solutions even with 10x differences across speed, cost, and quality. 

Another big takeaway was how we defined the various aspects. 

First, he calls us the external talent industry. Next, he defined the various aspects. 

• External Talent: Everything not internal full-time employees, often categorized as “spend”, or external talent depending on the owner

• MSP: Outsourced HR for external talent

• VMS: Technology that stores and centralizes relevant external talent data

• Program: Centralizing the management of external talent spend

• Staffing: Provides the talent

Second, he highlights the importance of taking a program approach. Without a program approach, companies were losing hundreds of millions of dollars.

Last, he highlights the importance of knowing who owns the external talent program, and aligning with that function rather than trying to make them change. 

Jeff made a really nuanced, but integral point – most of the external talent industry is owned by private equity. The impact is that these companies, and most of the industry, have focused on revenue optimization. Obviously, this leaves gaps of opportunity for innovative solutions.

For you, this means that there is a significant opportunity to see the broader picture, and solve accordingly. Rather than incrementally solving for a process that’s already been over-optimized, where can AI and new processes to fundamentally transform external talent?

But caution, while you redefine what the external talent space can be, remember his first piece of advice, build trust and operate through partnership rather than trying to disrupt everyone. 

Key takeaways:

• The new administration supports innovation, independent contracting, and workers rights

• Trust is essential in the flexible talent industry.

• The shift towards remote work has created new challenges for enterprises.

• Efficiency in talent acquisition is crucial for businesses today.

• <...

Today we talk with Asal Naraghi, ADP's Global Innovation Leader, focusing on the Future of Work, alongside Maarten Hansson, Founding Partner of Workforce Insights, and former Global Head of Integrated Workforce Management at Novartis. 

Both are industry leaders in driving talent transformation. While Asal was Philips Global Head of Strategic Capabilities, she famously orchestrated delivering half a million ventilators.  

Equipped with data from ADP, the world's leading payroll platform (8% of all American paychecks flow through ADP), and two global talent leaders, we'll learn what every leader needs to be thinking about right now. 

Four themes keep emerging across the conversation.

1. Urgency: Talent leadership is challenged today more than it has ever been. Alongside a systemic talent shortage across every developed nation, talent is demanding and choosing to work in ways traditional talent structures aren't set up for. This directly leads to the businesses' inability to compete, catalyzed by an inability to react to uncertain and unexpected macroeconomic and societal events. Companies that embrace modern talent strategies in this episode can access the skillsets needed at the time and cost required to ship on time. Those that don't will continue focusing on layoffs and re-org's while their competitors eat their market share.

1. New Normal: Talent is at an inflection point, no less greater than technology's inflection from floppy disks and massive mainframes to cloud computing, the internet, laptops, then mobile computing. The talent equivalent is from full time and physical employment to flexible and autonomous. Flexible means multiple different employment forms, full time, part time, freelance, fractional, etc. Autonomous meaning is chosen by the individual, whether choosing to work in person, remotely, at what hours, etc. How do talent leaders incorporate this magnitude of a shift?    

2. Courageous Leadership: Change is required but hard. Talent leadership isn't historically incented for this level of change, and the change needed can look crazy for most. Would you tell your CHRO you recommend prioritizing external freelance talent over internal employees? Probably not…but you'd be no different than technology leaders telling their CEOs they should stick with on-prem solutions rather than adapting to the cloud. While on-prem seemed like the safe and stable option, within 5 years leaders that didn't adapt would be out of a job. Sound familiar to talent leaders saying the default should no longer be full time? Right now 20% of leaders have the courage to take charge leading modern talent solutions within their organization according to Asal and Maarten. 

3. Partnership and Collaboration: Business leadership and talent leadership need to work side by side. This level of transformation is extremely hard, but both stakeholders now have the shared goals of growth, profitability, and innovation. In this episode, we'll discuss how both stakeholders can talk and collaborate.  

As you all know, change isn't easy, but Asal and Maarten introduced a process to make talent change management more predictable. 

• Step 1: Start from urgency by quantifying the cost, risk, and access to talent benefits.

• Step 2: Find your stakeholders. Stakeholder map HR, Procurement, and related business teams.

• Step 3: Generate top down support.

Throughout these steps, apply first principles thinking and Five Times Why analysis to address the most urgent problems. Choosing the wrong problems to solve can leave little room for success.

Are you ready to make 2025 your best year yet? If so, this is the episode for ...

In this episode, Rishad explores the evolving dynamics of work and organizations, offering thoughtful insights on what success and joy in work truly mean. He shares his perspective on the rise of Asia—particularly China, India, and Southeast Asia—as key players shaping the future of technology and innovation.

Rishad highlights five transformative forces reshaping companies: generational shifts, technological advancements, the rise of gig work and marketplaces, and the lasting effects of COVID-19. He predicts a move toward fractionalized workforce models and emphasizes the need for leaders to adapt to this new reality.

The discussion examines the reinvention of the office, the emergence of new leadership styles, and the integration of humans and AI in the workplace. Rishad also explores the balance between large and small companies, the critical role of continuous learning, and why businesses should embrace a "company of one" mindset.

The episode wraps up with practical advice for executives on thriving in this rapidly changing world of work.

Key takeaways:

• Success is defined by the freedom to spend time in ways that bring joy.

• Asia, particularly China, India, and Southeast Asia, are at the forefront of technological growth and innovation.

• The five forces that will transform companies are generational shifts, technology, gig work, marketplaces, and the long-term impact of COVID-19.

• Companies will adopt a fractionalized workforce model, where employees work part-time and have flexibility in their schedules.

• Leaders will need to adapt to the changing dynamics of work and embrace new ways of managing and leading teams. The office will be completely reimagined, with a focus on in-person interaction rather than physical presence.

• New types of leaders will emerge to navigate the changing landscape of work.

• Humans and AI will work together in a coexistent manner, with AI augmenting human capabilities.

• The future of work will be characterized by the existence of large companies and small companies, with little in between.

• Learning, curiosity, creativity, collaboration, convincing, and communication skills will be crucial for success in the future of work.

• Executives should allocate time for learning, reimagine their companies, focus on creating and guiding rather than monitoring and measuring, think like a company of one, and embrace the opportunities of the future of work.

Before you listen grab a sticky note, and write down these key points:  

• Optionality - Every company needs the optionality to make quick adjustments without being burdened by their traditional talent process. 

• Uncertainty - The only certainty is uncertainty, and good leaders know that market share and rocketship growth are best conquered in times of uncertainty.

• Partnership - Business leaders must partner with talent leaders, and enterprises must partner with their talent platforms to design, build, and scale their future workforce. 

These are the three rules you need to live by in 2025:  Navigate optionality, uncertainty, and partnership. In this episode, you’ll learn why. 

Specifically, we’ll talk about:

• The state of HR now and how it evolved from a union voice to the tightest relationship with talent

• How HR leaders can be in the top 20% and receive gifts every year from their CEO

• Where HR’s gone wrong and become a bottleneck, gatekeeper, and hall monitor

• How HR will regain their seat at the planning table by being the trusted talent partner and strategist for their CEO

• The State of Talent today, and how the wave has crashed, and it’s now a default talent access world rather than talent acquisition

• The start of predictions for 2025

Enjoy and have a phenomenal new year!!!

Today we’re joined by Ray Culver, a staffing industry veteran and Certified Contingent Workforce Professional with 30 years of experience in sales, sales strategy, and sales leadership. 

This episode dives into the dynamic world of contingent talent, unpacking terms like contingent, external, MSP, freelance gig, and elastic, while breaking down the roles of staffing firms, MSPs, and VMSs, explaining how they all fit within the broader category of external talent. Ray also explores the risks and challenges that come with managing contingent talent, including classification issues and liability concerns.

Get ready to gain insights into the business models of staffing firms, including how markups and fees work. The discussion shifts to the rapid changes in the industry, including the rise of freelance marketplaces and the challenges staffing firms and clients face in adapting to new ways of working.

Ray emphasizes the importance of meeting talent where they are, rethinking how buyers and staffing firms approach freelance work and the ongoing need for reeducation for this space. He also shares his own experiences with freelancing and the unique challenges of explaining this evolving way of working to others.

Key takeaways:

• Contingent talent encompasses various terms and concepts, including contingent, external, MSP, freelance gig, and elastic.

• Staffing firms play a crucial role in connecting employers with talent, typically through temporary placements.

• MSPs (Managed Service Providers) and VMSs (Vendor Management Systems) are integral to managing contingent talent programs.

• Managing contingent talent involves navigating classification risk and liability.

• The business models of staffing firms often involve markups and fees.

• The industry is evolving, with the emergence of freelance marketplaces and the integration of different talent channels. 

• The freelance economy is evolving and talent is choosing to work in new ways, which requires staffing firms and clients to adapt and meet talent where they are.

Experts from various sectors discuss the value of freelancers, the changing dynamics of client-freelancer relationships, and the importance of embracing flexible business models.

The discussion also sheds light on freelancers' obstacles and showcases success stories from companies that have effectively integrated freelancers into their workforce. 

Malt is Europe’s leading flexible talent platform. Founded in 2013, Malt has helped over 800,000 freelancers and 70,000 clients across 9 countries.

Human Cloud had the privilege to open and lead the panel for Malt’s Freelance Forward Summit in Berlin and Munich. There were over 150 executives and consultants, and on each panel, there was a Malt Executive, Freelancer, and Client embracing a flexible talent strategy. 

This episode highlights the Berlin panel, where we’ll learn from Belén Alomar Brutau, Malt’s Chief Product Officer, Andreas Dölecke, CEO of Kerkhoff Consulting GmbH, and Daniel Zinner, Freelance HR & Global Mobility Consultant. 

Key takeaways:

• Companies are increasingly integrating freelancers into their teams for long-term projects.

• Freelancing can significantly reduce the time it takes to hire specialized talent.

• The onboarding process for freelancers should be intentional and inclusive.

• Over 40% of freelancers in Germany have been freelancing for more than seven years.

• Freelancers spend an average of five hours a week upskilling themselves.

• Mittelstand companies in Germany are increasingly recognizing the value of freelancers.

• Freelancers need to adapt to a team-oriented culture rather than working in isolation.

• Successful companies are using freelancers as part of their global talent strategy.

• Freelancers should focus on personal branding and niche expertise to stand out.

We are navigating one of the most challenging global economies in recent history, where talent is increasingly difficult to find, afford, and retain.    

In every developed nation, talent shortages persist. Across companies, budgets have tightened, deadlines have grown shorter, and many leaders are stretched thin.

Yet an innovative set of leaders and companies have found a solution to match their talent and productivity needs. From Schneider Electric to Microsoft to Airbus, household brands have turned to the power of flexible talent and freelance talent platforms to move their business forward.

Malt is Europe’s leading flexible talent platform. Founded in 2013, Malt has helped over 800,000 freelancers and 70,000 clients across 9 countries.

In October, Human Cloud had the privilege to open and lead the panel for Malt’s Freelance Forward Summit in Berlin and Munich. There were over 150 executives and consultants, and on each panel, there was a Malt Executive, Freelancer, and Client embracing a flexible talent strategy. 

This episode highlights the Munich panel, where we’ll learn from Vincent Huguet, Malt’s CEO, Martina Reiss, Freelance HR Consultant, and Marion Latreche, Senior Indirect Procurement Officer.

Key takeaways:

• Freelancing is becoming a significant part of the workforce in Europe.

• The demand for freelancers is growing, especially in Germany.

• Flexibility is a key reason many choose freelancing.

• Compliance and security are top concerns for companies hiring freelancers.

• Freelancers are increasingly seen as integral to company culture.

• Onboarding processes for freelancers need to be efficient and supportive.

• Companies must develop a clear freelance strategy to succeed.

• The freelance economy is resilient even in economic downturns.

• Talent platforms play a crucial role in connecting freelancers with companies.

• The Future of Work will likely involve a hybrid model of freelancers and full-time employees.

The Future of Work is at a pivotal moment.

We can’t say we’re the reality of work (just yet). Why? If you look at corporate budgets, we account for less than 1% of the total spend on talent, and less than 5% of total external talent spend. 

But whether it’s Fortune 500 CEOs or major governments, those taking notice and acting will make flexible talent the norm rather than the fringe.

Bettina Schaller is one of these leaders who can make flexible work a global reality for billions of people worldwide. In this episode, we explore the policy and infrastructure changes required to make it happen. 

Bettina shares insights on the importance of adapting to evolving work models and emphasizes the need for frameworks that balance flexibility with worker security. She discusses the challenges and benefits of freelance work, highlights the role of leaders in embracing diverse forms of work, and addresses the ethical considerations of AI in the workforce, advocating for responsible implementation. 

Key takeaways:

• The Future of Work requires adaptable frameworks that balance flexibility and security for workers.

• Freelance work offers opportunities for flexibility and innovation, but it also requires safeguards against exploitation.

• Leaders should embrace diverse forms of work and consider the value and impact of freelance talent.

• Ethical AI is an exciting area of focus, with the need to ensure responsible implementation and protect workers' rights.

Today’s guest, Alex Norovyatkin and Mellow have been experts in this since 2012. 

We’re all familiar with major players like Deel, Remote, and other global payroll, classification, and employer of record solutions. But while they have broad coverage, these don’t specialize in hard-to-reach regions as Mellow does — and this specialization makes all the difference. For instance, Mellow operates as a Contractor of Record (COR), not an Employer of Record (EOR) or Agent of Record (AOR), and this distinction is tailored to hard-to-reach regions. They also offer contractor specific solutions that ensure clients have access to the best talent.  

In this episode, we’ll also discuss the power of leverage. Leverage allows companies to achieve more with fewer resources. Just as the computational cloud enabled Instagram to scale to a billion-dollar valuation with only 13 employees, the Human Cloud enables companies to operate effectively with just five core team members: a CEO, CMO or Chief Sales Officer (CSO), Chief Product Officer (CPO), and an operations and HR lead. The rest can be freelancers, and solutions like Mellow make this possible.

Key takeaways:

• Unlocking global talent requires understanding diverse markets

• Mellow's journey showcases the evolution of the contingent workforce

• Contractor of record simplifies the hiring process

• Navigating legalities is crucial when hiring internationally

• The demand for unique talent from emerging markets is growing

• HR leaders face increased responsibilities in the remote work era

• Companies must adapt to macroeconomic changes impacting talent acquisition

• Building relationships with contractors is essential for success

• The future of work may involve a blend of internal and external talent

In this episode, we reconnect with Kris Saling, Acting Director of the Innovation Directorate at U.S. Army Recruiting Command, who we first met on a Department of Defense-hosted panel at SXSW. Kris is a remarkable force in talent innovation, formerly serving as Chief Analytics Officer in the Army Talent Management Task Force. She’s leading efforts to modernize and reshape how the U.S. Army recruits and retains talent, using freelance platforms and data-driven approaches to address gaps in recruitment and workforce development.

In our discussion, Kris highlights the parallels between large corporations and the Department of Defense in handling talent needs, particularly around trust, transparency, and adapting to rapid changes. We explore how the U.S. Army missed its recruitment target by 15,000 soldiers last year and why the biggest workforce challenge lies not at the top or bottom but in the middle ranks, where motivation and promotion remain obstacles. The U.S. Army is now exploring the use of freelance platform models to bring in specialized talent and efficiently distribute human capital resources. By implementing a flexible freelance model, the Army and DoD hope to achieve greater agility, cost savings, and access to the specialized skills critical to maintaining strategic advantage in an evolving landscape.

Key Takeaways:

1. The U.S. Army faces a major recruitment gap, with targets missed by 15,000 Soldiers in 2023. 

2. Trust and transparency are key to attracting talent, as recruits desire greater control and visibility in their career pathways.

3. Freelance platforms like GigEagle are being explored by the U.S. Army, enabling the Department of Defense to engage talent for short-term, specialized projects, a shift that could redefine recruitment.

4. There is a shortage of senior personnel in the US Army due to a lack of junior positions, highlighting the need for talent management and development.

5. Implementing a freelance model in the US Army and DOD can provide cost savings and access to specialized skills.

6. Identity management and trust issues are obstacles to adopting a freelance workforce.

Úna Herlihy and Peter McPartlin, founders of the Indie List, discuss the evolving freelance economy and how they’re reshaping how brands connect with top marketing talent. They share their journey in launching The Indie List and their mission to support freelancers while offering clients a curated network of high-quality talent. Emphasizing the importance of client relationships and a white-glove experience, they discuss both the challenges and opportunities in today’s freelance landscape, from the talent shortage to the rise of fractional roles. The Indie List is committed to help freelancers earn, learn, and connect while providing clients with the expertise they need.

Key takeaways:

• The importance of a curated list of high-quality freelancers in the marketing and communications industry.

• Why platforms are more than just marketplaces, but rather strong relationships with clients and a white-glove service.

• The freelance economy offers opportunities for both freelancers and clients, but it requires a shift in mindset and approach.

• The talent shortage is a challenge in the industry, and the Indie List aims to provide a solution by connecting clients with top-notch freelancers.

In this episode, Tim Condon, Chief Revenue Officer at Clutch, highlights the evolution and impact of Clutch as a global marketplace for professional services firms. Tim highlights the challenges and opportunities faced by service providers and the changing landscape of the freelance economy. He also touches on the role of AI in providing insights and matching service providers with the right projects.

Key takeaways:

• Clutch's role as a global marketplace for professional services firms

• The impact of the freelance economy on service providers and buyers

• The challenges and opportunities faced by service providers in the evolving landscape

• The role of AI in providing insights and matching service providers with the right projects

MBO Partners just released their 2024 State of Independence, a 14-year running report that’s been the backbone for most statistics and strategies related to the Future of Work.

This year’s report doesn’t disappoint, and in this episode, MBO Partners CEO Miles Everson will illuminate his favorite parts of the report.

Miles dives into three key areas: 

First, he lays out the global talent shortage through data, specifically showing how the decline in birth rates across all developing nations, the leaving of baby boomers, and the decline in company tenure have led to a world where there’s no such thing as a permanent workforce. He digs into the exact birth rates. 

Second, he shows that it’s not a talent shortage, but rather a talent shift in how top talent wants to work. He shows this through specific data points. (1) Consistent growth in full-time independents since 2020 from 13.6 million in 2020 to 27.7 million in 2024. (2) A 4-year 6.8% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of independent workers compared to the 1.35% CAGR for all employment. (3) A 10-year 8.3% CAGR of solopreneur business applications. (4) Independents are happier (84% say they are happier), healthier (79% say it’s better for their health), and wealthier (65% say they feel more secure working independently).

Third, he offers a playbook for executives on how to tap into the independent workforce, what he calls the new social contract. He also explains the competitive edge independents bring, especially in technology adoption, noting that 65% of independents are using Gen AI in their work in 2024, compared to 37% in 2023.

Tune in to hear Miles’ vision for the future of work and the need for a new social contract, just under 100 days before the release of his book Free Birds Revolution: The Future of Work and The Independent Mind.

Key stats:

• Full-time independents doubled from 2020 to 2024 from 13.6 million in 2020 to 27.7 million in 2024

• 84% say they are happier working independently

• 79% say it’s better for their health to work for themself

• 65% say they feel more secure working independently

• 65% of independents are using Gen AI in their work in 2024 compared to 37% in 2023

• The CAGR for full-time independents is 5.45% higher than all employment (excluding farm employment) - 6.8% 4 year CAGR for independent workers, and 1.35% CAGR for all employment.

How well do you know the contingent talent landscape? Enough to run a program? Enough to build a platform? I’m willing to bet that no matter how well you know the space, you’re going to love hearing how Angela breaks down the evolution of contingent talent leaders—from supportive roles to strategic powerhouses—and how the industry has shifted from legacy VMSs and MSPs (or rogue spend) to tech-first Employer of Record (EOR) and Vendor of Record (VOR) solutions. 

Angela Alberty, Co-Founder & CXO of myBasePay, a leading EOR provider, previously served as Vice President of Business Development - North America Recruiting Support Division at People 2.0.  

She highlights a compelling reality that most talent leaders have yet to grasp fully. In her words, “There’s a talent revolution but you can’t see it because it looks like white space”. This white space represents the unmanaged contingent talent spend occurring outside formal channels.  

The issue brings two levels of consequences. Level one is operational. Companies can’t embrace their scale advantage, they can’t bring the various teams and leaders together, and they spin their wheels on optimizing existing talent strategies rather than embracing new technologies. Level two is diminishing brand equity. Along with providing a poor talent performance, companies like Nike are exposed to major misclassification risk. 

The solution is to be strategic rather than supportive with your contingent talent strategy, and Angela will give us a master class in this. 

She also teaches us about Latin American talent and offers insights on how every region can access this promising market. 

Key takeaways:

• How myBasePay achieved significant growth during the pandemic.

• EOR 101: What is it, and how EOR solutions provide risk mitigation and compliance oversight.

• Staffing agencies need to evolve to remain relevant, and myBasePay is a platform that helps staffing agencies meet market demand.

• Cultural affinity plays a crucial role in nearshoring success. Instead of just outsourcing, it’s vital to have a partner who is deeply embedded in these regions.

• myBasePay proves that loyalty among Latin American workers leads to better retention and productivity.

Today we’re joined by Bryan Hancock, Partner at McKinsey & Company, author of Power To The Middle, and podcast host of McKinsey Talks Talent.  

Our industry faces a unique challenge — our biggest blocker is change management, not technology or operational excellence. While these aspects are important, the most significant barrier to freelance adoption is the organizational change required to start the freelance journey.

Bryan will teach us how middle management can become the driving force for change. This episode isn’t specifically about freelancing; it’s about the evolving role of middle managers, how they have transformed, and how they can be catalysts for change within their organizations. For us, this means that freelancing is one of the tools middle managers can use to drive changes that align with their teams' objectives, organizational priorities, and strategic goals.

Key takeaways:

1. Based on McKinsey data, the percentage of talent that says they freelance has risen from 27% in 2016 to 36% today.

2. Middle managers can be the changemakers in the Future of Work.

3. Middle managers traditionally have been the bureaucrats. 

4. There are 4 characteristics of a good middle manager. They (1) drive clarity, (2) empower and challenge their team, (3) drive connections within and across teams, and (4) understand the whole person within their team members. 

5. Evaluating effective middle managers depends on the specific responsibilities and context of their role.

6. Everyone is feeling the pain of the talent shortage, needing to be operationally excellent, and being disrupted.

Barbara Dondiego, CEO of AVOXI, highlights the company's commitment to a remote-first strategy and its advantages for global operations. She emphasizes that this approach enables AVOXI to recruit top talent worldwide, fostering a highly motivated and engaged workforce. AVOXI specializes in providing cloud-based voice solutions to large enterprises, particularly in the contact center industry. Leveraging AI, the company enhances productivity and efficiency with tools like agent assist and AI offload. This remote-first model has been instrumental in delivering exceptional customer service and driving innovation for over 5,000 clients.

Barbara discusses the benefits and challenges of remote work and shares insights on creating a remote work framework, maintaining employee engagement, and the power dynamics in a digital-first organization. She also highlights the efficiency and global reach of remote work and emphasizes the importance of cultural fluency and the competitive advantage of being able to work with customers in different time zones and regions. Barbara points to AVOXI's success, citing steady revenue growth, strong client satisfaction, and the creation of a positive, supportive work culture.

Key Takeaways:

• AVOXI's remote-first approach allows them to attract the best talent from around the world, resulting in a highly motivated and engaged workforce.

• AI is used in the contact center industry to improve productivity and efficiency, with applications such as agent assist and AI offload.

• Consistency is achieved through automation and clear communication, including weekly all-hands calls.

• AVOXI's remote-first model has proven successful in delivering exceptional customer service and driving innovation. Create a remote work framework that outlines expectations and communication methods.

• Maintain employee engagement through regular check-ins, stand-up meetings, and one-on-one sessions.

• Remote work offers efficiency and the ability to extend the business day by working with teams in different time zones.

• Cultural fluency is crucial in remote work to effectively communicate and collaborate with customers and colleagues from different cultures.

• Remote work can provide a competitive advantage by offering global reach and the ability to work with customers in different regions.

• AVOXI has experienced strong revenue growth, client satisfaction, and a positive work culture.

How are you navigating legislation? Are you turning a blind eye, hoping the tax collector will skip over you? Or are you burying your head in sand until the day you’ve hired enough freelancers to be noticed? Well bad news, the freelance economy is in the midst of a legislative reckoning, and if you’re on the wrong side of it, your business or platform could be in serious trouble.  

According to Human Cloud data, less than 10% of leaders think their government is supportive. Legislation isn’t a simple issue. On the surface, freelance seems only beneficial. It creates more jobs. Individuals have more flexibility, more choice, and according to all relevant data, individuals overwhelmingly choose to freelance and are more confident and secure than their full-time peers.

Yet, for some reason, it’s not that simple — governments are still not supportive. Why not? The short answer: taxes. The long answer: freelancing disrupts the employment framework that has been in place for the past 75 years. Seemingly overnight, tax collection becomes exponentially more difficult, since rather than a handful of companies paying unemployment, healthcare, and the related taxes, instead it’s the individuals who are responsible for paying these taxes. And let’s face it…some don’t, and it’s much harder to chase thousands of individuals rather than a couple large companies. Freelance also undermines the traditional notion of a “good job.” No healthcare? No benefits? No paid time off? In the seat of government we look like an exploitative model for companies to avoid taxes and benefits.

While this doesn’t capture the full picture, it underscores the uncertainty and hesitation governments continue to have towards freelancing and self-employment in the foreseeable future.

Which is why today’s guest is Glen Hodgson, European policy expert and Founder and CEO of Free Trade Europa. Glen will dive into the mindset of governments and legislators, examine current and proposed legislation, and explore regional differences across Europe. He’ll also offer valuable insights into the state of the freelance economy in Europe.

Key takeaways: 

• Government legislation and policy in Europe often lags behind the changing nature of work and the demands of freelancers.

• Freelancers around the world want similar things, flexibility, choice, and recognition for their work, and are pushing back against traditional employment models.

• Europe isn’t one monolithic region with the same laws and customers. There are significant differences in freelance adoption and legislation across European countries, with some countries being more supportive of freelancers than others.

• The current and proposed legislation in Europe can have significant implications for freelancers, platforms, and enterprise leaders, and may require workarounds and adaptations.

• Leaders in the freelance economy should actively participate in shaping legislation, advocating for the needs and interests of freelancers, and promoting the benefits of freelancing.

• Effective leadership in the freelance economy requires new skills and approaches, including a matrix-style organization and a focus on relationships and collaboration.

• Listeners are encouraged to sign the petition to protect freelancing in Europe and engage with the Freelance Movement for more information and opportunities to get involved.

In this episode, we chat with Ursula Williams, President of SIA and Co-Author of Together We Rise, along with Barry Asin, Chief Analyst and former President of SIA.

Key takeaways:

1: Out of the $3.8 trillion contingent talent spend, most is allocated to independent contractors, and much of it is unmanaged.

2: SIA first identified the freelance economy as early as 2004 in the form of ‘contingent talent.’ 

3: SIA started noticing talent platforms around 2010: Tech was the driver for freelance, starting with VMS (vendor management systems), then talent platforms.

5: What’s changed? Talent is now in the driver's seat.

6: There is a clear distinction between the B2B and B2C sides of external talent.

7: We’re still not any closer to agreeing on what to call this space.

Listeners will walk away with a tangible understanding of the space, where it’s going, and how to seize the opportunity of freelance as a sourcing strategy or an industry to build in.

We’re at a pivotal moment in the world of work. While version 1 of the freelance economy was centered on marketplaces, the current phase, driven by large enterprise companies, is a mix of marketplaces, platforms, and boutique solutions. No one better understands this than Fiverr, an early freelance pioneer that revolutionized freelance services by enabling their marketplace to be a comprehensive hub of freelance services, where customers can pick outcomes rather than a traditional hiring process. 

In this episode, Dan Oron discusses Fiverr's transformation from a marketplace to a comprehensive hiring platform, addressing the unique challenges of catering to both solopreneurs and larger enterprises. He underscores the significance of understanding enterprise clients' specific needs and delivering tailored solutions. Dan discusses the importance of flexibility and customization in managing freelance talent, emphasizing that different industries and skill sets demand distinct approaches.

Dan also introduces the concept of embedding freelancers within organizations and discusses the emerging role of a Chief Freelance Officer, who facilitates seamless access to talent. He points out the integration of freelance platforms with existing systems and the potential for API calls between different platforms, highlighting Fiverr's ability to bridge the gap between clients and freelancers. The platform simplifies the hiring process, offering a trial period to ensure a good fit.

Fiverr recently expanded its product offerings to include a personalized AI assistant, a professional catalog for specific skill sets, and the introduction of hourly contracts. AI is set to enhance the user experience and provide valuable insights, paving the way for significant business growth and efficiency in the freelancing landscape.

Key takeaways:

1. Fiverr has evolved from a marketplace to a hiring platform, expanding its offerings to meet the unique needs of solopreneurs and larger businesses.

2. Enterprise clients require more specific solutions and tools to manage freelance talent, such as account management and project management.

3. The concept of embedding freelancers within organizations is becoming more prevalent, allowing businesses to access specific expertise and scale up or down as needed.

4. A Chief Freelance Officer role can help streamline the process of accessing and managing freelance talent within an organization.

5. Integration between freelance platforms and existing systems, such as VMSs and MSPs, can enhance efficiency and collaboration.

6. API calls between different platforms can facilitate seamless data exchange and improve the overall freelance experience. Fiverr connects clients with freelancers, making it easier to find the right talent for specific needs.

7. The platform simplifies the hiring process and allows for a trial period to evaluate if there is a good fit.

8. Fiverr is expanding its product offerings to include a personalized AI assistant, a professional catalog for specific skill sets, and the introduction of hourly contracts.

9. AI is being used to enhance the user experience and provide valuable insights.

10. The future of freelancing and AI integration holds great business growth and efficiency potential.

In this episode, we’ll dig into why Tyler started Beehiiv, what led to their extraordinary success, and what’s next for Beehiiv and the solopreneur industry.  

As freelance leaders, our roles often align more closely with those of founders than traditional employees. Whether you’re a VP leading a freelance program, a CEO of a talent platform, or a freelancer, we can all learn immensely from Tyler. 

Key takeaways:

1: Founder market fit is the secret ingredient for entrepreneurial success, and can be defined by subject matter expertise. In Tyler’s case, his subject matter expertise came from his time growing Morning Brew as a leading newsletter.

2: Entrepreneurship never stops feeling like the house can fall at any time

3: Product management is tough to explain, yet crucial in growing a company. Being a good product leader means being able to be directionally correct, prioritizing the right roadmap, and tightening the feedback loop to iterate quickly based on informed insights rather than reacting to every piece of data.

We know this past month has been fractional heavy. The reason is that fractional is rapidly taking hold across the US, Europe, and Asia. In this episode, John Arms discusses the rise of fractional leadership and its value in solving specific problems within organizations. John emphasizes the limitations of full-time positions and the decline of single job loyalty in today's workforce.

John touches on the foundational requirements for being a successful fractional professional and how Voyageur University, a global leader in Fractional Talent education, helps Fractional professionals and businesses who hire them. We discuss the future of fractional work and the infrastructure needed to support it, as well as the centers of gravity in the fractional community. John emphasizes the shift towards value and problem-solving and the return of self-determination in the world of fractional work.

Key takeaways:

• Fractional leadership provides specialized and flexible solutions to specific problems within organizations.

• Full-time positions often lack the necessary leadership and expertise to address complex challenges.

• The decline of single job loyalty and the rise of the solopreneurship has contributed to the demand for fractional leadership.

• Meetings are often unproductive and time-consuming, and fractional leaders can help organizations avoid unnecessary meetings. Incremental measures may not be connected to long-term impact in fractional work.

• The number of fractional professionals is growing rapidly, indicating a rising demand for their services.

• Markers for identifying successful fractional professionals include time in the market, wisdom, and a community mindset.

• The future of fractional work lies in the development of infrastructure and platforms that connect supply and demand.

• Fractional work emphasizes value and problem-solving over traditional employment models.

• Self-determination and the pursuit of freedom are key aspects of fractional work.

Today we’re joined by Quentin Cloarec, Co-Founder and CEO of Trees Engineering, South East Asia’s leading Engineering Talent Platform. We discuss why Quentin started Trees Engineering, why clients are adopting their unique freelance model, and what leaders can learn from Quentin’s journey. 

Quentin embodies two of the biggest trends in the freelance economy:

1. The power of niche, specialized, freelance marketplaces; in his case an engineering talent platform.

2. The global adoption of the freelance economy, with Quentin representing the growth of Southeast Asia and carrying these learnings into regions like the Middle East. 

Key takeaways:

• Why Quentin went beyond a large, horizontal marketplace to solve his own problem within Engineering services

• How freelance adoption in South East Asia is mirroring the United States  

• How Quentin scaled their go to market 

• The value of being incremental versus the traditional view of disruption

• How large companies have embraced Trees Engineering

• Big wins, specifically how they enabled a Malaysian regional office to win business from HQ

• How it’s bigger than freelance, in his case, it’s about fixing the global energy crisis

Karina Mikhli is a seasoned Fractional COO and the Founder of Fractionals United. Fractional is one of the most exciting aspects of the freelance economy. Instead of traditional, individual contributor freelance work, fractional unlocks executive level and strategic level engagements and professionals. 

According to Human Cloud’s Industry Landscape, there are over 20 fractional focused solutions, spanning sales, marketing, and consulting. 

Fractional is also global. The US seems to be first in terms of fractional adoption. But Europe and Asia are quickly catching up.

In this episode, we’ll dive into everything fractional. We’ll define who fractional individuals are, what they do, how they differ from traditional freelancers, who they serve, how they work with clients, and what the future of fractional looks like according to Karina.  

Key Takeaways:

• Growth of Fractional Work: The trend of fractional work is on the rise, with more professionals opting for fractional roles to leverage their expertise.

• Profile of Fractional Professionals: Typically, these individuals are experienced leaders who drive strategic initiatives and produce impactful results.

• Supportive Infrastructure: The fractional economy is supported by various platforms, marketplaces, and resources that facilitate the work of fractional professionals.

• Diverse Engagement Structures: Like freelance, fractional can take many different engagement structures.

• Importance of Communication: Effective communication and clear expectation-setting are critical for successful client engagements in a fractional capacity.

• Future Outlook: The future of fractional work is promising, with an expected growth in communities and associations dedicated to supporting fractional professionals.
• Get Involved: Future events and communities for individuals interested in fractional.

Leaders,

Today, we have an exceptional guest, Rich Wilson, Co-Founder and CEO of Gigged.AI. Gigged.AI has been around for about three years, raising over $2 million, and is a fascinating use case as a technology-driven facilitator of freelance outcomes, differentiating from traditional marketplaces.

In this episode, we dive into some key insights:

1. Technology as a Primary Driver: Gigged.AI stands out by making technology the core of their platform, which is not typical in the freelance space. For most platforms, technology plays a supportive role, but for Gigged.AI, it's the cornerstone of their success. Rich emphasizes that without their advanced tech, the company wouldn't exist.

2. Venture Funding: Unlike many freelance platforms that bootstrap and scale through the founding team, Gigged.AI needed venture funding. With three years of runway and two years dedicated to building their technology, venture funding was crucial for their survival and growth.

3. Enterprise Market Entry: Rich shares strategic insights on supporting enterprise accounts. Gigged.AI uses two specific strategies: enabling internal talent marketplaces and providing speed and customization for end users.

In this episode, Henning Schwinum, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Vendux, discusses the challenges and opportunities of fractional sales leadership. Vendux helps companies grow their sales leadership capital by matching you with a sales leader and team necessary to transform your sales strategy.

Henning brings a unique, process-oriented approach to sales leadership. This episode is not just about hiring freelancers; it's about fundamentally transforming your organization and driving growth through efficiency. He shares insights on scoping engagements, the business model, and the success of fractional executives. Henning also addresses common objections and defines the space between fractional and freelance work.

He highlights the importance of industry expertise and the value of fractional sales leaders in small to mid-sized companies. Henning also discusses the benefits of external expertise and the limitations of full-time employees in certain scenarios.

Today we have Colin McDonagh, is a 10+ year veteran in helping large companies scale external talent programs. He is our go-to when it comes to the evolution of external talent, and how freelance is the same, or different from the existing external talent ecosystem. Colin recently joined Worksome as their Head of Enterprise Workforce Strategy. 

Colin has extensive experience with successful contingent talent brands. He has served as Global Program Manager for contractor programs at Meta, formerly Facebook, Director at Allegis, helping clients such as Microsoft, and as an advisor at Utmost, which was acquired by Beeline in 2022. He’s also been an early champion of innovative solutions like direct sourcing. 

Key takeaways:

1: Where does freelance sit within the greater external talent ecosystem

2: What’s the difference between freelance and gig, freelance and contingent, and can freelance work within the confines of contingent talent  

3: Why aren’t we as far along as we thought we’d be 10 years ago 

4: Why aren’t there internal freelance roles when companies are spending over $2 trillion dollars globally on freelancers

We all know Enterprise adoption is the biggest barrier facing the freelance economy today. While freelance as a talent source is globally recognized, we’re still in the first inning of the maturity of freelance as an industry. Unlike Uber or other B2C based startups, freelance as an industry looks more like a B2B professional service transformation than a venture backed technology industry. The impact is that instead of overnight adoption, industry maturity is a long, mostly linear process. 

Which is why today’s guest is so perfect. 

Jeff Fenigstein has scaled marketing freelancers across marketing teams for large companies. First at Woodruff Sawyer, and now as the founder of Market Growth. Specifically, Jeff knows how freelance can be a strategic sourcing strategy that creates dream teams rather than looking at freelancers as transactional contractors that “plug a hole” or “fill a gap”. 

In this episode, we’ll get into why Jeff turned to freelance, what his use cases were, and how he overcame the organizational bureaucracy that stands in the way of so many freelance leaders. He also shares his experiences with freelance adoption in different environments, such as startups and enterprise organizations. Jeff emphasizes the need for internal champions and effective communication to overcome hurdles and successfully integrate freelancers into an enterprise. He recommends that enterprise leaders explore freelance platforms, try small projects, and educate themselves on the benefits and possibilities of freelance work.

Key takeaways:

• Freelancers can help businesses accomplish more and reach their goals by providing specific skills and capacity when needed.
• Using freelance platforms offers access to top talent, faster hiring processes, and the ability to try before committing to a long-term hire.
• Freelance adoption is different depending on the environments, such as startups and enterprise organizations. 
• In the Enterprise, freelance adoption requires internal champions and effective communication.
• To get started, Enterprise leaders should try small projects.

• Legislative and regulatory changes are necessary to address the challenges of independent contracting, though the future remains uncertain
• Current employment laws, dating back to the 1940s, fail to address the modern freelance economy
• Misconceptions, political motivations, and concerns about tax collection and worker protection fuel opposition to freelancing
• Businesses face significant risks and liabilities if workers are misclassified as independent contractors

One of the most fascinating segments is the freelancer focused tools and solutions that enable freelancers to scale their businesses without needing a platform, or in tandem with a platform. 

Upside is one of these exciting new startups leading the solopreneur charge. By monetizing referrals, Upside enables freelancers, consultants, solopreneurs, whatever you want to call us, to monetize our network in a way that’s a win-win for us, our clients, and Upside. 

In this episode, we’ll open up the hood to why Mike is building Upside, how he got to the insights of starting Upside (hint…he has been in this space for a while), and where he sees the freelance economy going.  

You will also meet an incredible founder, Mike Wilner. Before Upside, Mike built a freelance web design marketplace in 2015, Co-Authored the book Oversubscribed, and worked at Amazon Web Services. 

Key takeaways:

• Traditional marketplaces face challenges in retaining top talent and generating demand.

• Upside is a partnership platform that empowers individuals and small firms in the professional services industry.

• Successful referrals are the core metric for Upside, enabling users to share opportunities and collaborate.

• The future of the freelance economy lies in uncapping the potential of individuals and creating infrastructure for collaboration and business development.

For industry leaders, here is what’s incredible about Instant Teams - they go beyond a freelance talent marketplace and use freelance models to revolutionize a core business problem - customer experience. Liza and Erica could have easily created a self service talent marketplace that matches military spouses with employers similar to the traditional marketplace model. Instead, they went above and beyond, understanding that a self service marketplace wouldn’t work in this case. 

For customer experience leaders, Instant Teams enables a superior customer experience, specifically: 

• 24/7 coverage with US support staff, since military spouses are all over the world

• High retention, with 7.5% churn compared to the industry standard of 30%+

• High customer satisfaction, since military spouses have a wide range of experiences, enabling them to connect with people across vasts parts of the population

• High quality customer experience use cases, for example customer demo’s, cyber fraud detection, and booking a flight

In this episode, we’ll dive into Liza’s journey, the evolution of Instant Teams, the development of customer experience, and her insights on the future of work.

We’ll understand: 

• Why the traditional Business Process Outsourcing model and staffing processes are broken, and how a remote first solution like Instant Teams doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but rather innovates a better solution.

• Why Instant Teams didn’t build a self service freelance marketplace, instead opting for a talent platform that leverages part time, full time, and team creation capabilities.

• How customers scale from interested to fully embedded customer experience teams through Instant Teams 3 step process.

Some key takeaways:

1. Liza and Erica were uniquely positioned to see this challenge and connect the dots of military spouse capabilities to customer experience.

2. While remote work has been getting slack in the news, remote is a powerful force if harnessed correctly. In Instant Teams case, this level of customer experience wouldn’t be possible through default in person office environments. But it requires founders like Liza and Erica who have both felt the pain, are in the military spouse environment, and know how to combine the right people, processes, and technology to leverage remote work within a customer experience environment.

3. Instant Teams uncovers a massive business model innovation that all freelance platforms can have. In this episode we call it the ‘SaaS-ification’ of talent platforms. 

4. Customers are Partners, and Instant Teams provides a Partner experience and relationship rather than being another vendor.

5. FOUNDER MAGIC - what is it? Why is it MAGIC?

Collective was launched in 2020. In 2023 it raised $50 million in a funding round led by Gradient Ventures, Innovius Capital, The General Partnership, General Catalyst, QED, Expa, and Better Tomorrow Ventures. 

Collective was one of the first to democratize a secret…most wealthy people have S-Corps, and while anyone can have an S-Corp, the forming and managing of an S-Corp is complicated, confusing, and manually intensive. For example, even Ashton Kutcher, one of their investors, has an S-corp. To solve this, Collective is a financial platform that handles everything from incorporation to accounting, to bookkeeping, to quarterly tax payments so that freelancers can save on average $10,000 on taxes without the manual management of everything required.     

Key takeaways:

1: So much bigger than freelance, Hooman views our space as the realization of the 1 person, 1 billion dollar business.

2: Hooman refers to freelancers as founders, and shows how massive the gap is between traditional founders and the venture ecosystem compared to solopreneurs and the lack of a financial ecosystem.

3: Hooman nailed the ideation stage by talking with over 200 solopreneurs to build their MVP. The result is that they’ve been iterating rather than pivoting. 

4: Our industry is complementary, NOT competitive.  

5: AI will bolster the freelance economy.

Stephanie is one of the pioneers of our industry. If we had a Mount Rushmore, Stephanie would be front and center. She's the founder and chair of the board of We Are Rosie, a leading marketing services company and freelance community that has grown to more than 30,000 "Rosies" and 200+ corporate partners. In 2021, after three years of unbelievable growth, We Are Rosie received a strategic investment from Align Capital Partners (ACP).

In this episode, we’ll reflect on the last 6 years of Stephanie’s journey trailblazing the future of marketing. She’ll share the challenges and successes We Are Rosie has faced over the past few years, including shifts in client priorities and the perception of freelance work.

We’ll get deep into the importance of trust, and the secrets Stephanie’s found for building strong relationships with both clients and talent. For example, she’ll teach us how she looks at the role of leadership and how important shared responsibility is in successfully adopting freelance talent. Tactically, she’ll teach us how We Are Rosie enables this by creating a positive onboarding experience, ensuring top-down support, and executing an end-to-end flexible talent solution rather than being just another marketplace or just another vendor.

Stephanie will also talk about the exact ROI and use cases of flexible talent and teams. She’ll uncover what we mean by “specialist expertise on demand” and discuss the launch of Run by Rosie which manages marketing projects from start to finish.

Last, Stephanie will give her predictions on the future of the freelance economy, as well as a warning against excessive consolidation and advocating for vertical expertise.

Key Takeaways:

- Running events and communities for freelancers can provide valuable connections and support.

- Platforms play a role in freelancing, but their effectiveness varies depending on the freelancer's location and industry.

- The freelance economy has seen growth and changes, with more acceptance of freelancers and a need for specialized services.

- The ROI of community depends on the specific goals and outcomes desired, and tracking engagement and results is crucial.

- Indicators for investing in community include demand for content and connections, and the opportunity to fill a niche or address specific needs.

- The future of freelancing and community involves increased support and protection for freelancers and the use of technology and AI to enhance connections and content.

- During challenging times, community support can be invaluable for freelancers, providing advice, connections, and encouragement.

This episode is brought to you by We Are Rosie, a leading flexible talent platform redefining how marketing works. Learn more at https://wearerosie.com

In this episode, we’ll learn from Ricky Willianto. Ricky is the CEO of both Ravenry and Solos. Ravenry is a market research freelance network, and Solos is software designed for freelancers. Ricky has had a fascinating journey, starting as a freelancer himself. He then built a marketplace, pivoted several times, and now Ravenry has become a thriving market research network.

In this episode, we're going to explore three key themes:

• Entrepreneurship in the Freelance Economy: What it's like to be an entrepreneur navigating this dynamic space.
• Keys to Success: What it takes to be truly successful in the freelance market, including Ricky's insightful pivots with Ravenry.
• Niche Freelance Platforms: The fastest-growing segment of freelance solutions and how Ravenry is pioneering a new approach to market research.

Ravenry, based in Singapore, isn't just another freelance marketplace. It's a better way to drive market research through a freelance network. You'll hear about the geographical differences between Singapore/Southeast Asia and the US/EU, the differences in client expectations, and, most importantly, what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur in this arena. So sit back and get ready to drive some change.

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:

1. How Malt strategically enables large enterprises to leverage freelance talent effectively.

2. Malt’s unique approach, operating on a country-by-country basis, with Charlotte leading the charge in the UK.

3. The delicate balance Malt strikes between self-service and white-glove experiences.

4. The importance of confidentiality in this space.

5. 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:

1. Successful platforms inherently have founder market fit, and grow by scaling the founder, and the founder's book of business

2. 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. 

3. 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.

4. 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!

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!

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

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

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

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!

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/

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

• 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

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

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/

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.

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

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

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

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 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!

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!

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!

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.

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

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

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  

1. 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.   
2. He's built the nuts/bolts behind private talent clouds and direct sourcing (hint...it's contracts and payments).
3. 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.

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!

1. Why Sean believes "democratizing access to opportunity" is at the core of our industry
2. How companies will go from playing defense to playing offense in how they engage with Independent Talent
3. The current Inflection Point of Enterprises embracing freelancers, specifically the well analogy of leaders looking for talent in a dried up well
4. Our industries shift being a sexy new toy, to quantified gains, to now being a painkiller
5. 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

Thank you for listening to the Human Cloud Podcast!