The moment you realize a project needs skills you do not have - or capacity you do not have - is the moment you face the subcontractor question.
Most freelancers avoid it. Some avoid it too long.
Here is how to think through the decision.
When subcontracting makes sense
Skill gap. The project requires a specific capability outside your expertise - design, copy, a specialized integration, mobile development. You could learn it, but the timeline and the cost of that learning are not part of the project budget.
Capacity gap. The project scope is right, the rate is right, but you cannot deliver it alone in the available time without compromising quality.
Strategic delegation. You want to take on larger projects and delegate the work that is not your highest-value contribution, keeping the client relationship and the overall direction.
The conversation with the client
Not every client expects transparency about subcontracting. But it is almost always the right call.
"I am planning to bring in [name/role] for the [specific part] of this project. They are someone I have worked with before and I am confident in their work. I remain responsible for overall quality and delivery."
Clients who react badly to this are usually reacting to feeling blindsided, not to the concept itself. When you tell them upfront and frame it correctly, most accept it without issue.
The rate structure
When subcontracting, you are taking on project management, quality control, and client relationship work on top of your technical contribution. Your rate as prime contractor should reflect that.
The subcontractor gets their rate. You mark it up or absorb it into your project fee. The client pays a project price that includes both.
Do not simply pass through the subcontractor cost at zero margin. The coordination and oversight you provide has value.
Finding reliable subcontractors
The best subcontractors come from the same place the best clients do: professional relationships built before you needed them.
The designer you have done work alongside. The developer with a complementary specialty who is in the same communities. The copywriter who has been in the same slack groups for years.
Build these relationships before you need them. The emergency subcontractor search produces worse results than the planned one.
The Solopreneur AI Toolkit includes prompts for writing subcontractor agreements, project handoffs, and client communications about team structure. EUR 12.
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