Hey there, Steemit!

@thatsweeneyguy here to let you know all about this new Freelancing group! We have some incredibly talented people here on Steemit. Talented people who love to work, which is the best combination! I don't know who said it first, but they were spot on when they said;
"Steem work makes the dream work!"
The @steemgigs initiative has given people an outlet for that talent and drive to work, giving people a method of trading those talents for cold hard Steem! The #steemgigs tag has seen an inundation of posts completely unrelated to freelancing, and the education process has been slow going at best. SteemGigs is still an amazing avenue for posting one's services and products, but just creating a post on a tag that sees a lot of irrelevant traffic makes your chances of someone seeing that post and deciding to hire, a different story all together.

So what is the Steem Freelancer's Guild?

If @steemgigs is the hand, then @steemfreelancers will be the glove.

The SFG will be a collective of freelancers who are serious about their trade, and want to find more frequent work. By partnering with as many freelancers as possible, offering a wide variety of services and products, the Guild will be able to approach, and be approached by, other community projects whenever work needs to be done. We will promote services to possible interested parties, actively searching for opportunities for our members.

I will be looking for a team of individuals who would like to work behind the scenes to help make this run like a well-oiled machine. You would of course be compensated for said work. I will make a "now hiring" post soon, but interested parties can come talk to me over in the SFG Discord.

Partnerships

We plan to create connections with as many Steemians and community projects as possible, positioning ourselves as the go-to source for freelancing work. When someone needs a new design, or something written, maybe some music, we want to be who they come to. We will then find them the very best fit, and make the connection between freelancer and employer. We will also be very involved with community efforts, showing support and showcasing some of the fine work our members can produce. This will include things like sponsoring contests and hosting fundraisers.

Membership

To become a member of the Steem Freelancer's Guild, a one-time fee will be required. This decision was made for multiple reasons;

First, The project will need funding. I've gotten the account set up, a domain purchased, and soon a full website, all out of pocket. This is fine, of course, and more of my own money will flow into this project, but it will require more, faster than I can give it myself.

Second, Paying a small membership fee puts one in a mindset of being invested. It also creates an expectation that what one just bought is going to be worth more than something that's free, and that's absolutely the case here.

Membership into the SFG will start at only 1 SBD or 2 STEEM, and this price will only be good through the month of January. After that, membership will likely rise to 2SBD or higher. These funds will mostly go toward powering up the account, but a portion will be spent on marketing. Again, this fee is one-time only, and you won't walk away empty handed. You will receive a "Steem Freelancer" badge like the one below to proudly display on your blog posts to show you are serious about your freelancing business.
You will also be placed in a directory at www.steemfreelancers.com, making it easier for your services/products to be found by someone who's looking for someone with your skill set. More on that below.

www.steemfreelancers.com

The website will be a one-stop-shop for anyone looking for a service or product to purchase with their Steem/SBD. It will sort services and freelancers by category, and have a featured section to spotlight some of our best and brightest. steemfreelancers.com won't just be something that gets promoted to Steemit, though. The website will be a tool that will actively recruit new freelancers from outside of Steemit, teaching them the benefits of working on a fee-free platform like ours.

SFG members will get a free "basic" listing which will explain the types of work they do and link to their Steemit profile and give a communication link. "Premium" listings will come later, being a full page showcase of the member's work and prices. These premium listings could easily be used as a "promotional landing page" to help you market your services around the net.

Voucher Program

We will create a system by which Steemit users can redeem vouchers for services offered by Guild members. These vouchers would be worth varying amounts, and backed by Steem/SBD in the @steemfreelancers wallet. Vouchers will be able to be given away through contests and other promotions, and will increase the overall work output of the Guild. This will allow people who wouldn't normally purchase goods or services to do so without spending their own money.

Show your support for Steem Freelancers!

If you're a freelancer, or have a talent or skill you'd like to earn Steem for, become a member and reap the benefits of having someone in your corner to help boost your business! If you're not a freelancer, you can help us get this ball rolling with a donation of any size. You can specify whether your donation should go toward powering up the account, marketing, vouchers, or even to cover new members' starting fees! Just send any amount of Steem or SBD with a memo specifying how you would like your donation spent. All donors will receive a "I support the SFG" badge to show off.

If you don't have the extra cash to donate, you can still show your support by following @steemfreelancers, upvoting this post, and resteeming it to let all of your followers know about this new community initiative!

We hope to become a valuable community project that will see the success of its members, and lasting connections be made through hard work. Thank you for your time.