How iWorker’s Remote Work Model Helps Small Businesses

There are over 30 million small businesses in the US, and they make up 99% of all businesses in this country. One of the biggest challenges that small business owners face is how to expand their team (and hire quality people) without breaking the bank. S-FX focuses on helping small businesses grow through technology, web design, and marketing. But helping businesses to grow their team is an area that S-FX doesn’t cover. That’s why we use iWorker. They provide a great solution to hiring additional people for small businesses, and we recommend giving them a look.

What is iWorker?

iWorker is a social enterprise that connects skilled English-speaking freelancers with business owners around the world. They  recruit college-educated professionals from developing countries (with a particular focus on countries in crisis, like Venezuela) and then line them up with work online where these remote professionals can earn in USD and generate a steady income for themselves and their families. As a business owner, the hiring process is straightforward. When you connect with iWorker, they’ll ask you what kinds of tasks you need a hand with (whether it’s SEO, copywriting, social media, data entry, customer service, etc). They’ll then send you a range of profiles of different workers on their team. If any of these profiles catch your eye, you can jump on a call with the worker to get to know them better before you decide whether you’d like to hire.  At S-FX, we’ve been working successfully with iWorker for several years. One of our iWorker hires, for example, works on our social media and weekly blog posts, freeing up our time to serve our clients better. We’ve even connected several of our own clients with her through iWorker, and they’ve also had a great experience. “Forging a relationship with iWorker has given me the opportunity to connect with talented freelancers that I’d normally have not been introduced to,” says Shane Skwarek, our Chief Technologist. “In our industry, it’s important to be diverse and have knowledge that spans across multiple sectors. iWorker granted us the ability to diversify our team and expand our knowledge base.”

iWorker’s Social Impact

But what makes iWorker unique are not just the benefits it provides to business owners for expanding their team at an affordable rate, but its social impact in the countries in which it hires. iWorker began as a response to the situation in Venezuela. As inflation worsened, the local currency became nearly worthless, jobs became scarcer, and crime became endemic. Remote work was a powerful tool for Venezuelans in a country in economic freefall. Through iWorker, Venezuelans and now other Latin Americans in similar situations can find remote work for which they get paid in dollars, a stable currency, and earn significantly above the average of other workers in their country. This helps not just them, but their families and their local economies. One of our iWorker freelancers at S-FX lives in Nicaragua, where a political upheaval led to a huge economic turndown and unemployment. Through iWorker, she found reliable and well-paying work.

Remote Freelancers: The Key To Growth

Freelance workers can be the key for small businesses to grow. They’re often more affordable than full-time employees, and they can be highly skilled and hard-working. Through iWorker, small businesses can access talented workers at affordable prices — between $6 and $12 an hour. iWorker also does a lot of the necessary legwork: they filter and select from hundreds of freelancers, hiring only around 5%, and then manage payment, time tracking, and a variety of other logistics, making the process for small business owners that much easier. 

Scale With iWorker

Interested in taking part in iWorker’s social mission while growing your business? Start the process today and connect with a skilled freelancer.