The future is flexible

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Your team

Your team

Your team

Design Support

Design Support

Eric

TOP INDEPENDENT

Eric

TOP INDEPENDENT

Eric

TOP INDEPENDENT

The future is

The future is

flexible

flexible

flexible

flexible

Replacing outdated organizational structures with skills-based, flexible hiring

Replacing outdated organizational structures with skills-based, flexible hiring

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Scaling early-stage companies often means hiring top talent. But do you need the best expert in every skill, every day?

Scaling early-stage companies often means hiring top talent. But do you need the best expert in every skill, every day?

Scaling early-stage companies often means hiring top talent. But do you need the best expert in every skill, every day?

Scaling early-stage companies often means hiring top talent. But do you need the best expert in every skill, every day?

In this guide we’ll explore a new, more effective model for rapid growth: hiring skills-based, flexible talent.

In the past,

startups

scaled

by

creating

new

full-time roles

to

increase

bandwith

and

fill

skills

gaps.

In the past,

startups

scaled

by

creating

new

full-time roles

to

increase

bandwith

and

fill

skills

gaps.

In the past,

startups

scaled

by

creating

new

full-time roles

to

increase

bandwith

and

fill

skills

gaps.

In the past,

startups

scaled

by

creating

new

full-time roles

to

increase

bandwith

and

fill

skills

gaps.

2021

525,827

525,827

525,827

525,827

full-time employees hired by startups

2022

525,487

525,487

525,487

525,487

full-time employees hired by startups

In 2023

In 2023

Economic

Economic

Economic

headwinds

headwinds

headwinds

and

and

and

AI

AI

AI

advancements

advancements

advancements

led to

led to

led to

wide-spread

wide-spread

wide-spread

layoffs and a hiring slowdown.

layoffs and a hiring slowdown.

layoffs and a hiring slowdown.

2020

285,327

2021

525,827

2022

523,487

2023

267,818

Hires dropped more than 50% in 2023

2020

285,327

2021

525,827

2022

523,487

2023

267,818

Hires dropped more than 50% in 2023

2020

285,327

2021

525,827

2022

523,487

2023

267,818

Hires dropped more

than 50% in 2023

2020

285,327

2021

525,827

2022

523,487

2023

267,818

Hires dropped more than 50% in 2023

2020

285,327

2021

525,827

2022

523,487

2023

267,818

Hires dropped more

than 50% in 2023

With full-time leveling out

based hiring.

Companies with ambitious goals are adopting a new talent strategy:

Flexible, skills-based hiring.

Companies with ambitious goals are adopting a new talent strategy: Flexible skills-

Companies with ambitious goals are adopting a new talent strategy: Flexible, skills-based hiring.

91%

agree that hiring flexible talent gives them more confidence to hit company goals.

94%

plan to continue hiring flexible talent over the next 12 months.

76%

plan to increase flexible talent hiring in the next 12 months.

91%

agree that, hiring flexible talent gives them more confidence to hit company goals.

94%

plan to continue hiring flexible talent over the next 12 months.

76%

plan to increase flexible talent hiring in the next 12 months.

91%

agree that hiring flexible talent gives them more confidence to hit company goals.

94%

plan to continue hiring flexible talent over the next 12 months.

76%

plan to increase flexible talent hiring in the next 12 months.

91%

agree that hiring flexible talent gives them more confidence to hit company goals.

94%

plan to continue hiring flexible talent over the next 12 months.

76%

plan to increase flexible talent hiring in the next 12 months.

Looking back

Looking back

The standard organizational structure

of the past relied on deep, hierarchical teams.

The standard organizational structure of the past relied on deep, hierarchical teams.

The standard organizational structure of the past relied on deep, hierarchical teams.

The shortcomings of quickly scaling a large full-time team:

The shortcomings of quickly scaling a large full-time team:

The shortcomings of quickly scaling a large full-time team:

01

01

Limited by

Limited by

IN-house

IN-house

skills

skills

02

02

Difficult to

Difficult to

FLEX

FLEX

for

for

innovative

innovative

projects

projects

03

03

RESULTS

STALE

STALE

can get stale

Results can get

Results can get

04

04

Increased risk of

Increased risk of

Layoffs

Layoffs

during

during

a

a

down

down

economy

economy

FOR STARTUPS SCALING UP

FOR STARTUPS SCALING UP

It's key to weigh the costs of a large full-time team.

It's key to weigh the costs of a large full-time team.

Graphic Designer

Graphic Designer

$89,000

$51/hr

Digital Marketer

Digital Marketer

$113,000

$65/hr

Content Creator

Content Creator

$91,000

$55/hr

Copywriter

Copywriter

$96,000

$58/hr

Web, UX or UI Designer

Web, UX or UI Designer

$102,000

$60/hr

Social Media Manager

Social Media Manager

$71,000

$51/hr

Landing Page Developer

Landing Page Developer

$96,000

$61/hr

Video Editor

Video Editor

$62,000

$56/hr

Content Editor

Content Editor

$59,000

$55/hr

SEO Strategist & Manager

SEO Strategist & Manager

$105,000

$50/hr

*Average full-time salary reflects average US salaries.

*Average full-time salary reflects average US salaries.

Average hourly rate reflects average rates for these roles across Contra.

Average hourly rate reflects average rates for these roles across Contra.

  • THE future of hiring

  • THE future of hiring

  • THE future of hiring

  • THE future of hiring

the future of hiring

Innovative companies are shifting to a small core team backed by flexible talent.

Innovative companies are shifting to a small core team backed by flexible talent.

Future skills based team structure

Future skills based team structure

“We hire independents for various roles: animation, digital development, video editing. Contra allows us to focus, bringing in the right talent at the right time to enhance our projects and create even more value for clients.”

Robert Laplante

Robert Laplante

Robert Laplante

CEO of

CEO of

CEO of

A flexible team

A flexible team

A flexible team

supports

supports

supports

rapid

rapid

rapid

scaling

scaling

scaling

by

by

by

providing

providing

providing

the

the

the

essential

essential

essential

skills

skills

skills

you need,

you need,

you need,

when

when

when

you

you

you

need them.

need them.

need them.

How

How

How

How

do

do

do

do

you

you

you

you

act

act

act

act

like

like

like

like

a

a

a

a

1,000

1,000

1,000

1,000

person

person

person

person

team

team

team

team

with

with

with

with

only

only

only

only

40

40

40

40

full-time

full-time

full-time

full-time

employees?

employees?

employees?

employees?

Contra

Contra

Contra

Contra

offered

offered

offered

offered

the

the

the

the

solution,

solution,

solution,

solution,

enabling

enabling

enabling

enabling

us

us

us

us

to

to

to

to

scale

scale

scale

scale

up

up

up

up

with

with

with

with

flexible

flexible

flexible

flexible

top-notch

top-notch

top-notch

top-notch

freelance

freelance

freelance

freelance

expertise.

expertise.

expertise.

expertise.

Aroa Gil Bo

Aroa Gil Bo

Head of Customer Success at

Head of Customer Success at

Hiring skilled experts
for specific projects

saves time & money

Hiring skilled experts
for specific projects

saves time & money

Hiring skilled experts
for specific projects

saves time & money

Hiring skilled experts
for specific projects

saves time & money

SUCCESS STORY

Framer uses a flexible talent

strategy to scale the support team for their growing product.

SUCCESS STORY

Framer uses a flexible talent

strategy to scale the support team for their growing product.

Framer uses a flexible talent

strategy to scale the support team for their growing product.

Framer uses a flexible talent

strategy to scale the support team for their growing product.

200+ projects

200+ projects

200+ projects

200+ projects

completed on Contra

completed on Contra

50% reduction

50% reduction

50% reduction

50% reduction

in customer response time

in customer response time

90% customer inquiries resolved

90% customer inquiries resolved

90% customer inquiries resolved

90% customer inquiries resolved

by flexible talent

by flexible talent

Postponed full-time hires

Postponed

full-time hires

Postponed

full-time hires

Postponed

full-time hires

by hiring project-based

by hiring project-based

“As our product evolves, Contra enables us to find freelancers who are able to reach our product goals. From a legal and finance perspective, Contra provides a full range of features that enables us to properly onboard and pay every freelancer we work with.”

“As our product evolves, Contra enables us to find freelancers who are able to reach our product goals. From a legal and finance perspective, Contra provides a full range of features that enables us to properly onboard and pay every freelancer we work with.”

Carla Giordano

Hiring for

“As our product evolves, Contra enables us to find freelancers who are able to reach our product goals. From a legal and finance perspective, Contra provides a full range of features that enables us to properly onboard and pay every freelancer we work with.”

Carla Giordano

Hiring for

“As our product evolves, Contra enables us to find freelancers who are able to reach our product goals. From a legal and finance perspective, Contra provides a full range of features that enables us to properly onboard and pay every freelancer we work with.”

Carla Giordano

Hiring for

A new solution built for modern teams

A new solution built for modern teams

A new solution built for modern teams

Design Support

Copywriting

Social Media Content

Design Support

Copywriting

Social Media Content

skills-based flexible team

Dynamic access to expertise when you need it, enabling you to scale without limits

Scale

Build

Grow

Scale

without limits

Scale

Build

Grow

Scale

without

limits

Scale

Build

Grow

Scale

without limits

Scale your business with a proven skills-based, flexible talent strategy

Scale your business with a proven skills-based, flexible talent strategy

Ready to start building a team that’s as agile as you are?