UpBuddy
Simple freelancer management and budgeting...on UpWork.
Excited to add some screenshots of exactly how I leverage UpBuddy to help me manage the relationships of contractors on Upwork.
Not too sure how I ever managed my account before I built this extension. I'm using it for positive reinforcement and also to hold contractors accountable.
Both have had profound effects on the relationships.
I recently worked with a developer who told me he was working and he was manually submitting time to the Upwork account ... but he wasn't pushing any code to my Github repo. Now, this is ok in general because most devs will work on their local server and computer before they push a commit but it's always good to know how many commits they are pushing each week and month. Especially if you have multiple developers working on the same project. Lets you know who is being more active in some situations.
I've been a bootstrapped non-technical founder for years. I've hired most of my development talent on Upwork and with such a busy schedule it became harder and harder to keep track of budgeting, contracts, who was putting in time and who wasn't, deadlines, etc.
So I built UpBuddy to solve this. Now I have complete visability each week/month on how much I'm being billed for, how many hours each contractor is working, how many projects I'm juggling at once, etc.
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I used upwork for years as employer, but not anymore.
I even used odesk before they merged with elance.
But I'm now very disappointed.
-Ok to wait minutes that the page load (the message system is ultra-slow)
-Ok to pay a % as an employer too (they take a % from the freelancer et since months also with the employer. It's a very small cut)
-But not ok to pay to send my job to freelancers. After posting a job, I can send my job to only 3 freelancers. After 3, I have to pay. It's a big no-go, and a very dumb move. Even if it's 50$ to be able to send to more 3 freelancers, but what will be the next step....But I would use your plateform for sure...if only you did that few months ago :)
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I usually only need to invite a few per job anyways and now it's $29 for a promoted job I think. May be worth it depending on the project. I feel ya though...
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Great idea Travis. Actually I am not an employer but a freelancer on upwork. And I can see how this tool can be useful to both users.
In fact, I had something similar in mind to develop a tool for Upwork users as upwork lack many features.
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Yup, had lots of bad experiences too with developers on the platform and this helps me stop all that. As soon as I ask them about the details of their work week (because now I know them very quickly)...they know I mean business. Also, it shows me who is really working hard for our team and then I can reward accordingly with more work, bonuses, etc
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I posted the opportunity to BETA the Chrome extension for free inside a SaaS Facebook group and got a few takers and thus far the feedback has been really positive.
"Wow, this really helps me keep track of how much my spend is on Upwork. before this, I really didn't have any visibility. You have a winner here" - Thomas
So excited to launch the MVP of UpBuddy finally. It is now live on the Google Chrome Webstore. Lots of hard work and determination to get the financial side of my businesses in order finally and this is the result.
UpBuddy is: "Simple freelancer management and budgeting...on UpWork."
5 Comments
Hey Travis, nice job! I've been using Upwork extensively for the past few years, and honestly it seems like most of the data in your dashboard is already available in the Upwork dashboard:
Setting a monthly budget is also easy by limiting the hours on each contract. Also I'm worried that sending them questions about 0.17 hours in time tracked could equate to micro-management - I feel there must be an inherent trust between client and freelancer to have a fruitful relationship.
With that said, I do think there are some areas where Upwork can be improved (mainly during the hiring phase) and there might be potential to build into your tool. Are you planning any additions in that area?
Happy to help introduce some hiring workflow help into the extension however...
Further, Upwork gets a lot of crap and a lot of it is deserved BUT that is where UpBuddy I think can help with this. Or...that is the need or problem I'm trying to solve, at least. It's helping me be way more productive, stay on budget, etc for sure. I scratched my own itch with UpBuddy and time will tell if this back scratcher has any legs.
Ouch, I disagree on all aspects of this, but that is why the world is great. Different opinions matter.
All the information I seek (or you seek) on a regular basis is buried inside the Upwork reporting. When I'm on a different tab (banking for example) and want to forecast cash flow or I'm talking to one developer about a project that may impact overall budget and the ability to hire another developer...I want those data points at my fingertips near instantly. I don't want to have to toggle over to another tab, log in, search for my reports, etc etc.
The example I show on the homepage about me questioning that contractor wasn't micro-managing. It was an example of either a mistake on his part or an unscrupulous contractor slipping in some time he didn't actually work. It was a small enough amount such that I wouldn't have caught it.
May seem a little harsh or micro managing on the surface, but I've spent over $100K on Upwork over the last 4-5 years and I've seen every kind of contractor on the platform.
UpBuddy keeps them honest and I'd rather call them out early and not waste my time or get stuck with someone I can't easily let go.
I'm sorry if my message came off as too forward, I just figured I'd share my two cents :) It's great that you're scratching your own itch - good luck with the project!