The Starters

Last week was a big one for us. After 8 months of development, continuous delays, and endless frustration, we finally launched our in-platform messaging, contracts, and payments functionality. In addition to being able to find & hire great vetted e-commerce freelancers, you can now: - Instant message them, right on the platform - Generate contracts in just a few clicks - Pay invoices, fee free And for the first time, our Starters (freelancers) finally have a dashboard where they can: - Message brands - Manage their projects - Send invoices - View & edit their profile Technology has always been our weakness— I chose to build the company with a talent-first mindset, knowing that building seamless tech to integrate everything could follow. Now, nearly 18 months later, we've finally made huge strides forward in our technology. There's never been a better time to hire from The Starters.

Growing an omnichannel brand through retail? Get your e-commerce team involved in your retail conversations— they're your secret weapon. Learn more from Elizabeth Ahern on how e-commerce teams helped Chamberlain Coffee break into & find success in retail ⬇️

Coming so soon 👀

One of our brand members is in talks to hire their 7th and 8th freelancers from the platform. Hundreds of brands are unlocking tremendous value from using The Starters, but a select few are absolutely crushing the freelance hiring game. Here’s how they’re making the most out of their freelance hires: 1) They’re reaching out to 2-3 people per role they’re hiring for. Interviewing too many candidates (say, 5+) is time consuming and leads to a lengthy interview process. Too few, and you don’t have enough optionality. The Starters takes care of all the initial vetting and pre-qualifying, but it’s still good to talk to a couple candidates to see who the best fit is for your brand. They use this time to gauge interest / enthusiasm for the process, get a better idea of scope and costs, and assess overall fit. 2) They let the freelancer dictate how many hours they need to do a good job Instead of saying “we have the budget for 10 hours a week”, they share their goals with the freelancer and the freelancer comes back with a proposal based on how much time they think they need to spend to accomplish those goals. This aligns incentives on outcomes vs. targeting a specific cost. If it costs too much? Find someone else or reduce the scope; don’t negotiate down hours for the same job. 3) They work asynchronously Instead of bogging down freelancers with endless recurring meetings, they get 1x weekly (or monthly) offline updates and Loom video explainers to add more context. Feedback is handled totally asynchronously as well. The only times they have meetings is to discuss new strategic initiatives. 4) They pay ON TIME Nothing stresses out freelancers more than when they’re going to get paid. By paying invoices on time, brands generate trust with the freelancer and automatically become a VIP client. There are vendors where you can delay payments or extend terms, but freelancers aren’t one of them. *** The Starters helps e-commerce brands find the best freelance marketers, creatives, and technologists in the space. Unlike mass freelancer marketplaces or staffing agencies, we: - Pre-vet all talent (application, portfolio review, and interview process) - Make them ALL available for you to see (vs. sending you 1 candidate at a time) - Charge ZERO commissions, recruiting fees, or markups on freelancer rates - Allow brands to hire as many freelancers (or full-time employees) as they'd like at one low membership cost ($295/mo, cancel anytime) Check us out if you want to win by hiring the best talent & reducing your OPEX with cost-efficient freelance hires.

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I am more bullish than ever on fractional experts, especially the pre-vetted talent pool on The Starters. Ombre is now onboarding our second fractional hire from The Starters, and we've even brought on a freelance designer recommended by our first Starter. These fractional operators are a vital part of our strategy. Their contributions are helping Ombre disrupt the $480 billion US wellness market. We're in 2,700 retail doors, exponentially growing sales on Amazon and doubling on organic growth via Shopify. Having worked with The Starters' CEO, Jai Dolwani, at Winc, I was always impressed by his analytical and holistic approach during our weekly calls. Jai brings that same focus and operational excellence to The Starters, openly sharing his wins and challenges. I highly recommend joining The Starters now if you're a brand operator. You won't regret it.

Why you should hire from us: 1. You save $$$ by hiring freelancers - CACs are up, VC funding is down; you need to be more efficient with your OPEX - AI tools are improving worker productivity, allowing people to do more with less time. Do you really need a full time resource to manage Meta? Or email? Probably not. 2. The alternatives have... issues - Upwork & Fiverr can be a mess - lots of spam, fake reviews, bots - Staffing agencies charge insane markups and commissions 3. We're built differently - Jai Dolwani personally vets all applicants and interviews each and every person before they're accepted on the platform (quality of talent is top tier) - When you join The Starters, you get full visibility into our entire vetted talent network, not just 1-2 "matches" - When you hire through us, you pay zero in commissions, markups, or recruiting fees - You get white-glove service; we're happy to suggest profiles based on your needs via Slack/Email or hop on a call to help you define what roles you need to hire for - Free coaching / consulting calls from 250+ of our Starters, including CMOs, Head of Growth, and channel-specific experts *** Our membership costs $295/mo with no commitment. We know, too cheap... that may change soon 😉

The Starters helped Ombre, a company focused on improving gut health, save 60% on hiring costs. Here’s how. Problem: The gut-health brand sought to find someone to overhaul their Amazon advertising strategy after hitting a plateau, but their previous hiring channels just weren’t working. Piotr Kuczynski, their COO, knew he didn’t want to work with an agency because of problems they had experienced in the past. He had also explored other freelance marketplaces and staffing agencies but wasn’t able to find the right fit for the role. Solution: After turning to The Starters, Piotr was able to quickly find two highly qualified candidates. Because everyone on The Starters is pre-vetted, Piotr was able to conduct a quicker, more streamlined interview process focused more on cultural fit over technical know-how. After interviewing both candidates, Piotr eventually decided to hire Katie, an Amazon expert with experience launching & growing the Amazon channel for Burst Oral Care, Art of Sport, and several other CPG brands. Results: After just a few days of working together, Piotr knew he had made the right decision to work with Katie. He also noted that Ombre had saved tons of money using The Starters over staffing agencies, sharing that staffing agency fees had previously amounted to 60% of the freelancer rates he had been charged in the past. By using The Starters, Ombre was able to quickly find a rockstar freelancer at an affordable rate. “Katie brought her A+ game from the jump. Really glad we found her so quickly.” - Piotr Kuczynski, COO of Ombre

“I’ve never seen an ad start winning after it’s been losing for about 48 hours. If it’s a loser, it’s a loser. Move on.” That's what Juhi P., former VP of Growth at Fabletics (and current Starter) had to say about testing ad creative. She has: ✅ Managed more than $850 million in spend throughout her career thus far ✅ Tested upwards of 50,000 pieces of creative annually And has never found a "losing" ad turn into a winner. Follow the data, be decisive, and keep testing.