Thousands of UK businesses • both start-up ventures and established small businesses • are choosing to go virtual’ in growing numbers. With widespread broadband internet access and new online resources like PeoplePerHour.com, it’s increasingly easy to conduct business entirely online • eliminating the costs associated with permanent staff and office leases.
Thousands of start-up businesses in the UK are keeping costs to a minimum by sourcing skilled individuals online to work on ad hoc projects. For example, London-based Tom Nicholson has built his new business • a guaranteed rental scheme called Fixed Rent • from scratch by sourcing freelance experts to deliver services he can’t handle himself.
Mr Nicholson used PeoplePerHour.com to find a printer, web designer, legal advisor, copywriter and sales people • all of whom are remote and work only when required, which kept his business start-up costs to a minimum.
It isn’t only start-up businesses that are going virtual. Some well-established traditional’ enterprises are revising their business models entirely and adopting virtual’ systems to cut costs and boost profit margins.
For example, sales consultancy Ask-Kent took the decision to become a virtual business in 2006. Previously a traditional bricks and mortar’ business with ten fulltime employees working from a Maidstone office, the company now operates virtually • employing up to five remote freelancers through PeoplePerHour.com and operating entirely online. The company’s founder Richard Romaine monitors his staff and their work online.
“We have cut overheads by £80k per year by going virtual,” reports Mr Romaine. “As a business, this is the primary benefit of the move but as a valuable offshoot we have saved in the region of 100 rush hour journeys per week which has resulted in a massive reduction in the company’s carbon footprint.”
PeoplePerHour.com launched in 2007 and is growing very rapidly as a result of the UK’s virtual business trend. The site enables businesses to post ad hoc projects for remote freelance workers to bid to work on. In April 2008, PeoplePerHour.com had 5,000 users. Today, the site has more than 28,500.
“Increasing numbers of small business owners are recognising the benefits of operating virtually,” says PeoplePerHour.com founder Xenios Thrasyvoulou. “In the current economic climate it makes sense to remain agile and lean. We’re seeing thousands of small businesses flourish in this way.”
$
£ GBP
€ EUR