Solos Develops Services E-commerce Platform for Freelancers

The practice of freelance work or freelancing is nothing new, especially in the midst of the difficult post-pandemic times that hit this country. Many people are looking for other job channels to survive or increase their income.

In fact, not a few who make this freelance work as their main source of livelihood. The idea to create a freelance marketplace platform was born since Ricky Willianto first built Ravenry, which focuses on targeting writers and researchers.

He sees that there are still many unresolved issues when a freelancer wants to offer his services, both from an inefficient process to complicated payments.

Starting from here, he developed “Solos” with a vision to empower everyone to do the work they love in a financially sustainable way. In addition, to help freelancers or solopreneurs shorten the time it takes to conclude transactions, which ultimately results in more revenue.

Solutions Offered

Solos presents three main solutions, namely as a portfolio builder, online shop for service, and payment solutions for service sellers.

This platform is equipped with technology that makes it easy for freelancers to build websites and online stores with an attractive front-end and allows them to credibly showcase their work and services.

In addition, this platform is also supported by behind-the-scenes technology that helps manage freelance projects more easily and regularly, from project management, chat, billing, to payment systems. Solos gives freelancers the freedom and flexibility to determine how to work, communicate, and how to pay with clients.

“Unlike other freelance service search platforms which limit communication and payment schemes between clients and freelancers, Solos gives freelancers and solopreneurs the freedom to offer their services directly to clients with a communication platform and payment scheme that they can define themselves,” added Ricky.

The big challenge that still often arises in this industry is cross-border transactions. One solution from Solos has enabled a simple, fast and secure process of receiving payments.

Currently Solos has also collaborated with several global and local payment channels so as to facilitate cross-border payments. One of them is also with a digital wallet application, freelancers on the Solos platform will soon be able to receive salaries via Gopay.

The Importance of Building Community

Solos positioned himself as a facilitator for sales and payments. In terms of the services offered, his party admitted that they were not directly involved. However, that doesn’t mean his team is hands off with every deal that happens on his platform.

The company ensures that everything that happens in its ecosystem is in line with applicable regulations and laws. Currently Solos is focused on providing content that helps freelancers navigate the financial and legal requirements of freelancing.

Recently, his team brought in HR practitioners and labor law experts to help our freelancers manage their business properly to comply with local laws in Indonesia.

For the current team, there are 8 people, consisting of technicians, products, marketing and the recently recruited community & customer success team.

Ricky considers that being a freelancer and solo entrepreneur can sometimes be a “lonely journey”, therefore his team focuses on educating and building a network with people who have the same vision and mission.

Currently the Solos community is formed through several social media, such as Discord, Telegram and Facebook. In total there are currently more than 300 people.

Ricky admitted that he is quite selective in selecting members, his team believes that a good community must start with people who are serious and have clear and precise objectives.

Regarding the target market, the biggest focus is on content creators, such as designers, videographers, and writers, but many also offer professional services such as PR consultants and market researchers. In addition, more personal services such as make-up artists, private tutors, or personal trainers can also be offered through this platform.