How to hire a specialist for one task, without an agency retainer
By the BrandForge team · Updated · 3 min read
The short answer
Write down the outcome you want, the budget you can spend and when you need it. Send that to a vetted specialist or team, agree the price and exactly what is delivered before you pay, and keep the money held until you have approved the work. Everything else in this guide is how to do each of those steps well.
Start from the outcome, not the job title
Most people start by searching for a role: a designer, a developer, a video editor. What they need is an outcome: a landing page that turns visitors into sign-ups, three short ads to test, a booking form that works on a phone. Say the outcome first. A good specialist will tell you who should do it, and sometimes that it is smaller than you thought.
Write one sentence that finishes "When this is done, I will be able to…". If you cannot finish it, the task is not ready to price yet.
Set a budget before you ask for a price
A budget is not a promise to spend it. It tells the specialist what kind of solution to propose: a quick landing page and a fully custom one are different pieces of work, and both can be right.
At BrandForge you set it as the compensation, with a slider, and post as many tasks as you need. The team either accepts it or proposes another amount in the chat, with the reason in one line. Nothing is charged at this point.
Agree four things in writing before you pay
- What is delivered: the files, links or pages, and how many versions or rounds of changes.
- When: the date, or the number of working days from payment.
- The price: one number, and what it includes.
- What happens if it does not match: changes, or the money comes back.
If any of the four is missing, ask before paying. A specialist who is sure of their work will not mind writing it down.
Pay into a hold, not straight to a person
The safest way to pay someone new is to pay a holder who releases the money when you approve the delivery. You know the money only moves for work you accepted; the specialist knows the money is there before they start.
On BrandForge you fund the agreed price, BrandForge holds it, and it is released only when you approve the work. Read how paying on approval works for the details.
The whole task, in three stages
- 1Request and agreeYou say what you need and your budget. The team accepts it or proposes a price, and you agree in the chat.
- 2Pay and workYou fund it and BrandForge holds the money. A specialist takes it on, and you see who.
- 3Review and deliverThe work comes back to your chat. Approve it to release the money, or ask for changes.
Questions people ask
- How much does a one-off task cost?
- It depends on what is delivered. On BrandForge you choose the compensation for each task; the team accepts it or proposes another before you pay anything. Typical prices for common builds, from €300 for creator-style video ads to €1,500 for an AI phone receptionist, are listed on the Builds page.
- Do I need a retainer to work with a team?
- No. One task is one clear piece of work with one price. You can add another task when the first is delivered, but nothing renews by itself.
- What if I do not like the work?
- Do not approve it. Ask for changes in the chat. If the delivery does not match what you agreed, the team fixes it or refunds that part, as set out in the refund policy.
- Who does the work?
- A designer, developer, editor or marketer on the BrandForge team, with a project manager beside them. Once a person takes your task on, the task card names them.