Clients are getting more demanding. Is it time you gave “teamlancing” a try?
As more companies choose project-based workers over permanent hires, the freelancer-client power dynamic is about to change
The future of work will be freelance-driven, project-based, and collaborative, according to contractor commentators, freelancers, and chief executives.
This shift to a new way of working stems from mass redundancies and AI-first strategies, but the collaborative element could be what reshapes power dynamics.
Clients are expecting more of freelancers, from last-minute deadlines to over-extended briefs. In some circumstances, the demands are unsustainable for one freelancer. That is why some freelancers, by necessity and increasingly by choice, are banding together on projects. This can enable them to shift the rate and contract negotiations from individual vulnerability to collective bargaining power, challenging traditional client-contractor dynamics.
My gut feel is that project-based work is the future, sourced by self-employed people, either using limited companies (no personal risk), or sole traders.
–Dave Chaplin, CEO IR35Shield
Freelancer collaboration
We have all probably dabbled in some form or another of “teamlancing”: A client or agency picks and chooses a handful of freelancers they have worked with before to carry out specific tasks and responsibilities for a campaign, assignment or product launch.
The engaging company may have a freelance producer or project manager keeping everyone on task, on budget and on time. The client or agency in most cases, was the initiator, not the group of freelancers. But that could soon be changing.
As the future of work shifts to project-based work, freelancer collaboration is set to rise and become more professionalised.
“Project-based work using contractors is an easy answer,” says Dave Chaplin, CEO of IR35Shield.
“My gut feel is that project-based work is the future, sourced by self-employed people, either using limited companies (no personal risk), or sole traders,” says Chaplin.
He adds, “And deliverables-based projects are easily ‘Outside IR35″. Because they are a contract for services, not ‘of service.’”
Freelancer dynamics: how well do you work with others?
Freelancer-client dynamics significantly influence the mutual success of any project. Even if you work in a group, your reputation is always on the line. You don’t want the actions or inactions of others in your group to tarnish your reputation by association. This is where freelancer referrals come in handy so you get an idea of who you might be working with.
However, the reality of working with humans means accepting inherent inconsistencies. Collaborators may occasionally disappoint. Not necessarily through indifference, but due to life’s unpredictable nature. Illness, family emergencies or technical failures are inevitable challenges that affect even the most dedicated professionals.
This is precisely why building a network of self-motivated freelancers who can collectively manage a project through the ups and downs represents the future of collaborative work. Freelancer teams should discuss solutions to “what-if” scenarios before every project to avoid nasty surprises. For example, who could replace you or job-share if you had an emergency? Could a replacement’s freelance contract be ready to go at a moment’s notice?
Still on the fence about collaborative freelancing?
From a freelancer’s perspective, strategic collaboration offers substantial advantages that extend far beyond individual project completion.
About 54% of freelancers work five days a week, according to Freelancer Map, with 3 in 10 freelancers working more than five days each week. Yet, 66% of freelancers say finding enough work is their biggest challenge. That is why it is reassuring to learn that fellow freelancer and client referrals are on the rise.
Enhanced earning potential: Freelance collaboration, like the lean launch of a freelance carpenter collective, can lead to increased earning power, diversified clients, and a more resilient freelance career
Client diversification: Working within a collaborative framework naturally leads to exposure to a broader range of clients, scenarios and industries
Shared risk and resources: A distributed workload combined with complementary specialisms provides opportunities to work with larger clients on more ambitious projects
Knowledge sharing: Collaboration facilitates the exchange of experience and insights. The Freelancer’s Union, which is celebrating 30 years of advocacy this year, has recently published member stories and lessons learned. Each story resonates and educates. The same can be said within trusted freelancer groups.
I’ve made the mistake multiple times of working before a contract or deal memo was issued. Each time, surprise, the company wanted to pay much less than what I quoted.
– Khalil
Freelance hiring trends heard through the grapevine
Fellow freelancers can also share, for example, hiring trends or client behaviour they have witnessed that may put new demands on freelancers.
Alice Sewell, a Barcelona-based freelance communications consultant working in the not-for-profit, arts and culture sectors, explains:
In arts marketing, which is where I primarily work, a lot of organisations are relying on freelance support in quite a last-minute way.
Sewell says there are also more and more roles coming up which are “four or five days a week and cover a wide range of tasks, from strategy to delivery, for the duration of a project or season launch.”
“Many freelancers don’t have the capacity with little notice to take on a full or nearly full-time role,” says Sewell, who coordinates relaxed fortnightly catch-up calls with fellow freelancers in her field.
Sewell, who cares deeply about making arts and culture accessible, sees freelancer collaboration replacing traditional ways of working:
In the near future, I think we will see an increase in the number of freelancers job sharing and forming agile teams to fulfil the needs of these projects. Clients will have access to more expertise, and freelancers will be able to learn from one another and feel part of a team.
–Alice Sewell, a Barcelona-based freelance communications consultant
Proactive client acquisition strategies
Successful collaborative teams must integrate their portfolios into cohesive presentations—whether through unified documents or video presentations—that can be shared with target clients and distributed across social media to attract attention to their collective offering.
Don’t wait for referrals to happen by chance. Give clients simple language to describe you, or even a referral link to share. The easier it is, the more often it happens.
Entrepreneur | Founder & CEO | Movie Producer | TEDx Speaker
👉 Action: Write a one-line description of your work that a client could copy-paste into an intro.
Effective team pitching requires thorough preparation based on individual talents and combined experience. This includes:
- Personalisation: Address clients by name and reference specific aspects of their project requirements or job descriptions
- Research: Show you understand the client’s business, challenges, and objectives by reading up on them and their competitors
- Collective value: Clearly articulate how the team’s combined expertise addresses the client’s needs more effectively than individual freelancers could
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Project momentum: use tools to keep on task and on time
Once a team is established, decide collectively the best way to communicate, collaborate ideas, share documents and make decisions.
Beyond traditional communication channels like email and Slack, collaboration these days requires sophisticated tools to maintain accountability and transparency without overwhelming team members with lengthy emails or disjointed messaging.
Clients will also want updates, so if quick reports can be delivered, you can keep customers informed. Online concept mapping and mind-mapping tools, for example, enable teams to visualise the bigger picture, understand how ideas interconnect, and track project progress in real-time.
These concept map platforms often include features for voting on feedback, drawing connection lines to map relationships and visualising workflows at a glance. Not using such tools could prove difficult when working and managing complex projects that require input from multiple specialists across different time zones or working schedules.
Ensuring everyone has onboarded the chosen communication tool before the project starts can alleviate early project teething problems.
Professionalisation of the freelance workforce
The rise of sophisticated, personalised pitching strategies represents a maturation of the freelance sector, where professionals actively acquire clients rather than waiting for opportunities to materialise.
This evolution suggests that freelancers should develop not only their individual skills but also their capacity to work effectively within collaborative teams. As much as 75% of freelancers use generative AI in their work at least weekly, indicating that AI adoption is necessary to maintain competitiveness in collaborative environments.
Despite teams having more clout and negotiating power, clients will likely, as a result, become even more demanding of freelancers. The rules of engagement are definitely changing.
