remote · 2023
0→1: Hiring & managing contractors across borders.
From nothing to a monetizable product: the story behind Remote’s Contractor platform and how it enables companies to hire and manage contractors worldwide.
Introduction
Remote is a Global HR Platform that enables companies to hire, manage, and pay their entire workforce through a comprehensive suite of solutions including HRIS, payroll, international employment, contractor management, and more.
In 2023, Remote was a well-established provider of Employer of Record (EOR) services, helping businesses employ full-time talent across borders. However, the company was missing out on a significant share of the market by not supporting businesses looking for a simple way to onboard, manage, and pay global contractors. This gap presented a clear opportunity to expand Remote’s offering.
I joined Remote to lead and define the vision for its contractor platform, shaping the strategy and experience to deliver a seamless solution for businesses managing global contractor relationships.
DESIGN PROCESS
A structured and collaborative process aligned with company strategy.
To build a successful Contractor platform, we followed a structured and collaborative design process grounded in discovery, shaped by customer needs, and aligned with company strategy.
We began by researching the contractor–employer relationship to identify key user journeys and Jobs to be done, in order to define the features that would bring the most value.
This informed the launch of a focused MVP, designed to validate our approach and lay the groundwork for future growth.
As we gathered feedback, we expanded to a Northstar vision to support more complex use cases, introducing automation and scalable workflows. Eventually, we broadened the platform to serve freelancers as well, enabling us to support a wider range of work relationships.
about contractors
Understanding the presence of contractors in the modern workforce.
Based on industry reports, workforce data, and customer insights, contractors typically make up 10% to 30% of a company’s workforce, though this can reach 50% or more in tech, media, or startups with highly flexible labor models.
These ranges can vary significantly depending on the timeframe, industry, geographic region, company size and maturity.
Often work exclusively or primarily with one company.
Often hired for long-term projects or specialized skills.
Country-specific compliance challenges.
ESTIMATED SEGMENTATION
60 - 70%
Freelancers
Work with multiple clients, sometimes simultaneously.
Typically project-based, shorter-term.
More autonomy in how and when they work.
ESTIMATED SEGMENTATION
30 - 40%
building The MVP
Laying the building blocks of the employer and contractor relationship.
To kickstart the contractor platform, we designed a lean MVP that delivered immediate value while allowing us to learn from real-world usage. Our first priority was to support independent contractors, as they represented both the largest market opportunity and the most urgent demand from existing EOR customers looking to extend their collaboration with Remote.
The idea was simple: help customers easily onboard contractors, formalize their working relationship with contract creation, and manage invoicing.
By reusing and adapting existing patterns from our Employer of Record product, we moved quickly without compromising on quality, keeping implementation simple and aligned with Remote's design system.
Onboarding contractors.
In just a few clicks!
We crafted a unified onboarding flow that enables businesses to bring contractors into their organization quickly and effortlessly. Employers can input basic contractor details, set contract preferences, and send an invitation all in just a few clicks. This establishes the working relationship from day one, with minimal friction for both parties.
Creating contracts.
Localized, compliant, effortless.
To remove the friction from contract management, we built a robust system that empowers employers to generate fully compliant, localized contracts with minimal effort. By automatically pre-filling documents using data gathered during onboarding, we reduced administrative complexity while ensuring every contract meets legal and regulatory standard.
We streamlined the invoicing experience to be as straightforward as possible. Contractors can quickly create and submit their invoices, while employers can review and approve them with just a few clicks; making payments fast, easy, and reliable.
Northstar vision
Scaling with purpose: from an MVP to a powerful Contractor platform.
After establishing the core foundations of the contractor platform, our focus shifted toward a long-term vision: building a scalable, automated, and efficient system that could support large customers and unlock new levels of productivity.
We continued to refine the 3 core journeys (onboarding, contract management, and invoicing) but through the lens of scalability. This work was heavily supported by ongoing collaboration with current customers and a large prospect aiming to onboard over 5,000 contractors. This shaped our roadmap and accelerated the evolution of the platform.
This North Star vision shaped a contractor experience that was not only efficient and scalable, but also competitive. These improvements enabled Remote to better serve the needs of global clients and opened the door to future monetization.
Flexible contractor onboarding.
Designed for small and large customers.
We introduced CSV-based bulk actions, enabling companies to invite and configure hundreds of contractors simultaneously. Additionally, we integrated invoicing preferences into the onboarding process, allowing employers to complete the entire contractor setup in one seamless flow, eliminating the need to navigate multiple sections of the platform.
Managing contracts at scale.
Multi-signatory, bulk actions, and scope flexibility.
Contract creation evolved to support contract signatories, and the ability to sign contracts in bulk which are essential tools for larger organizations managing high volumes of agreements.
In parallel, we introduced a more compliant and flexible contract model by separating core employment terms from the specifics of contractor engagements through a Statement of Work. This allowed employers to define mission-based, detailed agreements for each contractor, with greater control over scope, duration, compensation, and deliverables.
Together, these improvements gave companies the structure, efficiency, and clarity needed to scale their contractor operations with confidence.
We transformed invoicing into a more proactive and automated workflow allowing both employers and contractors to schedule recurring or one-off invoices in advance, removing dependency on contractor input.
In addition, to support global use cases, we implemented automated FX conversion, allowing invoices to be instantly calculated in the employer's preferred currency while offering contractors estimated and guaranteed payout features based on payment rails, giving them full transparency over how much they would be paid.
Monetization
Transitioning from a free platform to a competitive monetization strategy.
Once the contractor platform was stable and gaining traction, we turned our focus to monetization. Our initial approach was a straightforward monthly fee per contractor. However, we quickly realized this flat model didn’t differentiate us in a competitive market as it lacked a clear value proposition beyond being slightly cheaper.
To create a marketing advantage without relying purely on feature differentiation, we introduced a more flexible billing model. Instead of charging for every contractor, businesses would only pay for those considered “active” in a given month. This activity is defined by actions like signing a contract, submitting an invoice, or receiving a payment.
This model made our pricing more fair and helped customers save money, particularly those scaling their contractor workforce, and positioned us as a cost-effective alternative.
Later on, we launched a premium Contractor Management Plus plan to address employee misclassification. This plan offered indemnity coverage, helping businesses stay compliant and protected against legal and financial risks. It gave customers peace of mind, especially in complex regulatory environments.
achievement
The evolution from initial ideas to a competitive and market-ready product.
Over the course of almost two years, we built a contractor platform from the ground up, enabling businesses to hire, manage, and pay talent across 190+ countries.
It has since become a monetized product generating steady, recurring revenue and contributed to Remote’s recognition as a G2 ranked leader in global HR.
Most importantly, it established a strong foundation for evolving into a full-scale global freelancer platform and more.