By Amanda Breen
Ben Huffman, CEO and co-founder of Contra, knows what it takes to run a successful freelancing side hustle. Huffman got firsthand experience in the freelancing space as a music producer, working with small labels and, ultimately, Sony Music. The work was fun but “didn’t pay well,” he tells Entrepreneur, so he started designing apps, pitch decks and websites. Huffman became a “power user” on Elance and Odesk, which would merge to become Upwork, and soon “became fascinated” with the idea of building a team globally.“I would find projects locally in New York and then hire freelancers from all over the world to help me with the skills I didn’t have,” Huffman recalls. “I loved the freedom and autonomy of working independently, but even more, I loved working with people from different cultures and backgrounds. Early on, I realized the flaws in the business models of the platforms I used.”
