Sunday, March 15, 2009

A Surge in U.K. Self-Employment Creates a Unique Collaborative 'Network'

FreelanceAdvisor.co.uk, one of the fastest growing freelancing advice websites in the UK, has launched a pioneering collaborative network which allows one person businesses to create a virtual agency and take on bigger projects that would not normally be possible if they were working by themselves.

Network, as it is known, was created in response to the surging number of people becoming self-employed as a result of redundancies and growing uncertainty in the UK job market. Freelancers can search for complementary skillsets, for example a graphic designer looking to provide design for a web site can find a freelance copywriter then source an HTML programmer; creating a virtual team.

The launch of Network comes as FreelanceAdvisor.co.uk unveils a new-look site. It has a brand new design, freelancing-specific jobs board and features expert advice from high-profile figures such as author of the globally successful ‘Pitch Yourself' series of books Bill Faust and Emma Jones, author of Spare Room Startup. The site's podcast interviews with influential people from all industries also appear on iTunes.

FreelanceAdvisor.co.uk was founded in March 2008 by successful digital entrepreneur Darren Fell. Fell was named one of the top UK business people in The Observer / Courvoisier's prestigious national league table ‘The Future 500,' and won Entrepreneur of the Year at the Sussex Business Awards in 2007/08 following the sale of his digital marketing agency Pure for $7.8m.

"According to recent research carried out by trade body the Professional Contractors Group (PCG), there are currently 1.4 million people freelancing in the UK*," said Darren Fell, Founder of FreelanceAdvisor.co.uk. "This is one of the only sites in the UK that is truly written by the community for the community -- it provides excellent content by freelancers from all industries who have been there and done it, along with every possible resource to help freelancers, people working from home, contractors and freelance consultants. For those who are just starting out, the site will also help ease the transition from employee to freelancer."

FreelanceAdvisor.co.uk aims to attract 100,000 site visitors each month over the next 18 months, and grow Network to 25,000 registered users within the next two to three years.

Articles are published on the site three to four times a week, while podcasts are released every month. The ultimate aim of this content is to help new and experienced freelancers work more efficiently, attend events to learn and network and find work.

"Given our current times, freelancers and freelancing is the future, whether companies become more willing to employ flexible talented staff or redundancy forces people to become self-employed," Fell continued. "FreelanceAdvisor.co.uk plans to be at the forefront, helping in every possible way to improve freelancers' existence. Network allows online collaboration between freelancers on bigger projects, and freelancers can also use the trusted group of people they build within Network to pass overflow work to. With the forums available in Network we wanted people to be able to ask questions and get them answered quickly by the community. We expect the forums to generate lots of traffic and content."

Website: http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/