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Upwork is a global freelancing platform that connects individuals and businesses looking to get jobs done, with freelancers looking to do the work. Recent statistics rank it as the largest freelancing marketplace in the world, with over 3 million jobs posted annually totaling more than $1 billion in throughput.

Upwork has something for everyone. Its strength is in its ability to match anyone and everyone, in every discipline, with any kind of budget. You can find a large range of talent on Upwork and often hire them for lower than market rates.

So, why consider an alternative? The volume of work it attracts and size of its talent pool is also a major weakness and a good reason why you'd consider an alternative.

With its global reach, Upwork has attracted over 12 million job seekers from throughout the world. Anyone can signup to be a freelancer. For every category of job you post, you can expect hundreds of people clamoring to do the work. Because jobs are posted on a bidding system, it winds up being a race to the bottom. Many talented freelancers, given the choice, will not put in the time to understand your task, only to be outbid by someone willing to do the work for less. You end up with poor results.

Upwork also relies solely on the market to determine good vs. bad freelancers. Positive customer feedback equals a good freelancer. That means that for every freelancer getting started on the platform, it's the customer who takes on the risk of vetting that persons work.

But, is this really the best we can expect?

A better option for both customers and for talented freelancers is a platform that combines the best parts of Upwork with the more traditional vetting and customer success processes of consulting businesses.

One example of this is Excel Rescue - a done-for-you small tasks service for Microsoft Excel. Rather than a generalized 'catch-all' of freelancing or even software development, the focus is squarely on solving tasks related to Excel development.

Not everyone who wants to be a developer at Excel Rescue gets to be one. In fact, the actual percentage is about 3% of developers who apply to join the team are accepted. Each one is hand picked and goes through a carefully thought out selection process - ensuring only the best suited candidates are hired. Beyond technical capability the vetting process includes:

• Ability to follow instructions
• Language, skill & experience
• Team member suitability
• Onboarding and professional development

With this approach, once on the team, an atmosphere of collaboration replaces one of competition. Developers are encouraged to take the time to carefully review every task and thoughtfully propose a course of action to solve each problem.

But hold on a minute you say. Competition is good!?. External competition is good and there is plenty of it, including from Upwork (the biggest competitor), that ensures Excel Rescue stays sharp on its solutions and pricing. Internal competition on the other hand tends to foster mostly the bad aspects of competition.

Rather than sifting through customer feedback on a per developer basis, it's expected that customer reviews would be outstanding, which they are. A laser focus on solving Excel tasks, combined with hiring top talent and putting customers as a first priority is the recipe to ensuring this outcome.

Developers who come to Excel Rescue from freelancing platforms like Upwork find that it's a breath of fresh air - where their talents can be put to best use, where they can collaborate in a team with other talented developers and are encouraged to pursue professional development in their field through ongoing (paid) training.

Upwork has done a great job of massively scaling its business by bringing many people together into their network. But that goal of scale is not the same as your goal. You want the best solution, created by a talented developer who's had the time to carefully review your task and suggest the best way forward - all without the pressure of being outbid by a low-ball bidder.

Excel Rescue is that alternative to Excel jobs on Upwork.