What is the Value of a Digital Partnership?

The Great Tech Layoff

2022 has seen a spike in layoffs throughout the tech industry. Companies from Microsoft to Twitter have sought to reduce staff through layoffs or hiring freezes. It’s no surprise that this great tech layoff has altered the digital business landscape. But what are the lasting implications, and how should business owners proceed?

While there may be a decrease in the number of corporate tech positions, this does not mean a decrease in the amount of talent available. Digital experts are still widely available, and they are reinventing the way they interface with customers and business owners. As these independent professionals re-enter the job market, smaller businesses face a new hiring pool of digital professionals. From the perspective of these buyers, the great tech layoff doesn’t represent a power vacuum — it’s a gold rush.

Never before has there been a wider pool of high-quality tech experts operating independently or in self-directed collectives. So what does this unprecedented restructuring of the industry mean for business owners?

Access to Professional Talent

Traditionally, full-service tech experts have operated from within the walls of big companies. Corporate giants formed in-house teams to fulfill their tech needs and maintain their digital presence. Large teams or departments meant fragmentation of the work, resulting in specialist roles. This specialization within the industry makes it difficult for tech experts to operate as free agents. Having been professionally pigeonholed, they need more resources or support to operate independently.

All this is changing. More tech experts are pivoting, acquiring new skills, and banding together to offer lean, full-service packages to businesses looking to outsource their digital workload. In the wake of industry layoffs, tech professionals have successfully realigned themselves as digital partners to smaller and mid-sized businesses. This isn’t just good news for these professionals. Because for the businesses they serve, the potential is massive.

Flexibility in Achieving Project Goals

Employers previously had no alternative other than to vet candidates and hire internal teams. The emergence of independent digital consultants enables business owners to pursue digital transformation without making new hires. By outsourcing the labor of digital transformation, businesses save high onboarding and operational costs. In a digital partnership model, no project is too small, since businesses aren’t burdened with the overhead of operating a technical department. Projects become more streamlined as digital consultants can focus on their clients’ specific needs. This in turn, saves time and resources.

As a bonus, independent consultants are leaner in their organization. This gives them the agility to move on new projects in an instant. As outsourced consultants, they work on a project basis, and are more motivated to get the job done in a timely fashion than an internal team might be.

An Ideal Partnership

Smaller businesses thrive by fulfilling niche demands in their markets. Consequently, they often forego the full spectrum of products or services offered by larger competitors. They thrive in their particular context because of their selective offerings — not in spite of —. The needs of smaller clients call for stack development rather than a one-size-fits-all solution. By reducing inessential services, digital partners offer their clients more competitive pricing and turnaround. Both parties benefit from timely results so they can continue generating new business. Few models can support this, like a close digital partnership.