vWorker Case Study 11: Jawad Shuaib (python_kiss)

About this series:

vWorker has recently conducted case studies of successful employers and workers on the site. During the next few weeks, we’ll be releasing a new story each week; describing the story of how an employer was able to use vWorker to develop/enhance their business or how a worker is able to financially support themselves through the work earned on vWorker.

Jawad Shuaib:

Jawad Shuaib (screen name: python_kiss) is from Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada. Jawad had a very comfortable paying job as a software developer, but he wanted to be an entrepreneur and own his own company.  Using vWorker contractors he created a website and a niche business selling cell phone accessories: BudgetElectronics.ca. Jawad's business grew quickly and he eventually left his day job to work completely for himself.  The business continued to grow and now he also hires vWorker assistants to research and keep up with the latest industry develompents and news...so he doesn't have to anymore.

Jawad shared the following with us about his experiences on vWorker.

1. Describe your story. Why did you start your business?

Prior to starting my business, I was a software developer. I caught the entrepreneurial fever during the rise of Web 2.0 tech start-ups, such as YouTube, MySpace, and Twitter. All of a sudden, anyone with access to the internet could change the world. During this period, we also witnessed another great innovation: the rise of the smart phone. The trick to succeeding in business, as I saw it, was to combine a great product with the right market timing. I became keenly interested in making my mark in the mobile sphere, as the timing was just about right. So I left my job as a senior software developer to pursue an entrepreneurial dream.
I already had a comfortable job, so this was a challenging decision to make. However, I did not have to feel alone in my struggle, as I had the help of many talented contractors on vWorker. Together, they all helped shape and realize my goals into reality. After signing up, I immediately began employing any sort of help needed to grow the business—and that's exactly what happened.

There will be a market for products as long as there are wants. Certain market opportunities, however, ring better than others. The focus of our business is to serve cellular retailers in Canada by providing them accessories at wholesale prices. We see tremendous opportunity for growth in this fast paced industry. We found our niche to be accessories, such as cell phone covers, chargers, screen protectors, data cables, for the very latest handsets. This, however, also presented us the challenge of staying up with the latest news relating to our market. Assistants from vWorker have been integral in helping research the latest handsets and news so that we may serve products accordingly.

No one person can know everything—and that's certainly true for me. As a result, I used vWorker to hire people for print graphics, web development, search engine optimization, and research.

2. How did you find vWorker?  What obstacles did you run into that vWorker helped you solve?

My career started out as a freelance developer, but I have always been interested in starting a business. My fervor for entrepreneurship was further fueled after having discovered the enormous pool of talent available on vWorker.

Most small businesses are undercapitalized and need to preserve overhead. Thanks to vWorker, we were able to hire amazing software developers, print graphic designers, marketers, and assistants, for very little cost. Our business today boasts its own Customer Management System (CMS), a great website, and professional print brochures. We were also able to get a lot of help in regards to search engine optimization—which ultimately helped us grow our customer base through organic traffic.

3. Who were your key virtual workers?

I have worked with many vWorkers over the last few years. The following are the ones I enjoyed working with the most, in terms of their cost, professionalism, and quality.

Software Developers:

Dev.pgmr
Bear Software
Volcan
Dan Kingston

Copywriters and Assistants:

Costrander08

Owais Siddiqui

4. How has your business grown?

Our business' website today is the number one listing on search engines for our keywords, and far better in quality than our competitors. We are able to serve cellular accessories in Toronto, and the rest of Canada, for the latest smart phones, far ahead of our competitors.

As a result, most of our sales leads come from the web now. None of this would have been possible without the hard work put in by professionals found on vWorker.

5. What advice do you have for others who are starting the same way you did?

Make sure you give your worker appropriate amounts of time—nearly all projects miss deadlines. Moreover, in order to succeed in any project, it is necessary to give clear guidelines and expectations. It is also useful to provide competent oversight. For example, it is always a good idea to let the software developers manage development projects, or get marketing professional to oversee marketing initiatives. Good management is integral in being successful over vWorker.

6. What is your favorite feature on vWorker?

Employee history and reviews are extremely useful on vWorker. This alone has saved me a ton time and money in terms of hiring good talent.

7. What has been your experience in mediation/arbitration?

Unfortunately, some projects do tend to go sour. In my case, the staff at vWorker has been extremely professional in terms of handling conflicts, resulting in the fair treatment of both employers and workers.

8. Do you have any tips/tricks/secrets about vWorker that you’ve learned that you’d like to share?

Reply timely and be nice to the workers. Both the employer and the worker are mutual partners in any business venture.


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