Microsoft Talk

Elance

Not so suprising to us Small Business Owners, who enjoy setting our own hours, accepting or declining work we want or do not want (or do not have time for). We do what we enjoy for a living.

From the article:

This survey was part of a joint effort to connect Office Live Small Business customers with skilled freelance professionals from the Elance network through a new service marketplace, available at http://www.elance.com/p/landing/olsb/buyerpromo.html. Office Live Small Business customers who hire a qualifying Elance provider for a $250 job can get a $50 credit to use toward services offered through the Service Marketplace for their next job.

Conducted by Decision Analyst Inc., the survey also revealed that 61 percent of respondents would continue to spend the same or more on marketing in 2009. In terms of staffing, just more than half intend to maintain their current staffing levels, while nearly a third believe they may need to hire contract or freelance help. Small-business owners surveyed were most likely to hire freelance workers to help with their Web design, marketing and sales efforts.

Although just more than half of the small-business owners interviewed did not have a Web site, almost two-thirds admitted that having a Web presence is important to the success of their business. Lack of budget, time and technical expertise were among the top reasons for not having a Web site, the survey revealed.

“There’s no doubt that small businesses are facing some pretty significant challenges right now, and while belt-tightening is necessary in tough economic times, staying visible in the marketplace is also absolutely critical,” said Michael Schultz, director of marketing and product management for Microsoft Office Live. “A Web site is one of the most effective and economical tools for connecting with new and existing customers, and setting one up with Office Live Small Business is fast, easy and free. And now by teaming up with Elance, our customers have direct access to a large pool of talented, skilled professionals in a wide range of disciplines, including Web design, who can help take them to the next level and stay competitive.”

“Small businesses are always striving to get more done with less,” said Brad Porteus, CMO of Elance. “With the Elance and Microsoft alliance, businesses constrained by budget, time and particularly lack of Web expertise can now more easily than ever find the talent they need to boost their Web presence and get work done.”