Sounds like some fancy pants name right? Well, it has a real meaning. Honest.

Over the past eight years we have found many agencies and freelancers operating in a sort of informal network. These folks drew upon their friends and colleagues to collaborate on a project-by-project basis. Sometimes one individual would subcontract another individual on a project only to reverse roles on another project.

We have taken this practice and formalized it into a working-business model. The structure has obvious benefits for smaller agencies and freelancers.

Reduced Cost
It keeps costs low to both the contractor and the client. Because each individual in the network does not require an extensive amount of overhead (i.e. office space, equipment) that has to be financed permanently the cost is much less than a traditional ad agency or development firm. We discovered we can often work on projects for a fraction of the cost of agency bids.

Maximizes Flexibility and Skill Set
We can go out and find the right people for a given job, not just the people we have on hand. For example, if a particular job requires a web designer, a programmer who knows PHP, JavaScript and Ajax; a copywriter who has written for real estate companies we can often find the exact people to fit that need.

Enhanced Communication
In most cases the individuals directly responsible for the work are the ones working with the client. We do not create an artificial layer of account reps, directorships and middlemen. We look for people who not only design and program, but who are experts at communication. This means that messages don't play the "telephone game." Often there will be a project manager, but that person will usually be doing one of the key tasks of the project as well.

Keepin' it local
We are not an outsource firm either. We find local talent because we want people we can meet with face-to-face and develop a long-term working relationship.

What about accountability?
Concerns for some clients are: What if a subcontractor creates a problem? How can I trust that they will keep confidential information confidential? The answer is we take many steps to ensure privacy, security, and accountability. Your contract is between your business and phoogoo. phoogoo will maintain subcontractor agreements with the people that it works with. If you would like us to draw up an additional contract, NDA or other agreement for subcontractors to follow we can accommodate you. We also take our time in choosing people to work with us. phoogoo is not a free for all like eLance or Guru.com We develop personal and professional relationships with people over time.

Don't you mark up rates?
Yes. We come to rate agreements with contractors and then mark those rates up by a reasonable amount. These markups are not even close to the rate markups charged by many recruiting firms. In essence, we take the fair market rate we charge to clients and ask for a small discount from our contractors in exchange for a long-term source of business.

I'm not sure about having freelancers work on my project
Almost all of the folks we work with have either worked or are working at major agencies, design firms and internet companies. They each have a depth and breadth of experience to bring to the table, but for one reason or another enjoy the flexibility of the freelance lifestyle.

What if I decide I want to work directly with a contractor?
We won't stop you. We try to create a climate based on the honor system. We would like contractors to recognize who was the original source of business and to respect us by not going end-around. We also act as a subcontractor in many other situations. But, we are not going to enforce a rigid structure of servitude. If it makes sense for a client and subcontractor to work directly, we won't impede that.