Outsourcing: Million-Dollar Freelancer: Ignacio Galarraga, CEO of NetMen Corp (Part 4)

Sramana Mitra: You said you get invited to bid on a lot of projects. And that’s because you have a track record. What qualifies somebody to be invited to bid on projects?

Igancio Galarraga: I there are a lot of things that interact there. First of all, your price. Elance has two options when you set up your membership. You’re able to showcase how much you’re earning through Elance, or you’re able to keep your earnings private. I showcase my earnings because that way when somebody comes into the marketplace and browses the providers, he’s able to see how much I sell each product for. So, if somebody’s coming in for something cheap, he’s going to see that my company doesn’t sell things for cheap prices. They’re not going to invite me to bid. If I have my options in private, nobody is able to see how much I sell each product for, so I would be receiving a lot of invitations from people who have lower projects. I keep my earnings open to everybody. Then, I have a nice portfolio that shows examples from each category. When somebody’s looking for packaging, I have a packaging portfolio. When somebody’s looking for print, I have a print portfolio. And Elance lets everybody see the reviews.

I think it is a combination because when somebody’s looking for graphic design services, you have to have a nice portfolio, and you have to be in the price range they’re looking for. A lot of providers get invited to a lot of projects that I don’t because they have a different type of price range. It’s a mix. Because I’m the biggest company there, I get all the projects, but I don’t get all of the projects. Most of the projects they have are in a different price range from my company. It’s a combination of price, a nice portfolio, and a nice track record. Then you get invited to bid.

SM: Talk to me about Argentina, about Buenos Aires specifically. What is the talent situation there? How difficult or easy is it for you to attract the kind of talent you’re trying to attract? What type of training do you have to provide for them?

IG: Buenos Aires is a nice graphic design hub. We are well known all over the world because of our great designers. I think being here is a great advantage because I have very talented people working with me. It is, of course, one of the things that got my company where it is. I have high-quality designs. I can compare my designs with other big graphic design companies all over the world. Being here, I think, is very good. The other providers who are from Argentina also, they are doing well. There is a lot of graphic designers from Argentina. They do well there.

SM: You’re saying there are so many providers from Argentina who are working on Elance. Do you then have to compete for talent?

IG: No, no. Argentina is not a big country, but we are not small. We have about 40 million people living here. We have a lot of talent. There is no problem for me. If I have to grow, and if I have to search for talent, it’s not a problem. I have a lot of people who usually want to work with me, and I can’t hire all of them right now.

SM: So, it’s not a highly competitive talent situation?

IG: No.

SM: I think I’ve got most of the pieces. I assume you’re completely self-funded, right? The company is self-funded, isn’t it?

IG: Yes, it’s self-funded.

SM: What are your plans going forward? You’re at $3 million now. Are you going to grow doing the same thing? What kind of growth rate are you experiencing? What kind of growth rate are you aiming for?

IG: Actually, now, with the work crisis, online work has been growing a lot in the past years. But with the work crisis, we’re growing at a slower rate than we used to.  I believe that online hiring will keep growing. So, my company definitely is going to grow.

This segment is part 4 in the series : Outsourcing: Million-Dollar Freelancer: Ignacio Galarraga, CEO of NetMen Corp
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