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What if the problem isn’t finding talent, but that we’re all looking for it in the wrong places?
Nick Petros is a serial entrepreneur who’s appeared on Rising Tide Startups three times now, and for good reason. He’s got that restless entrepreneurial itch that sees better ways to do things everywhere he looks, even when it’s been “extremely expensive to operate this way.” Nick’s latest venture is Freely, a platform that’s trying to replace the resume and revolutionize how companies find fractional talent. But this isn’t his first rodeo. He previously built MyDash, a data integration service, and PinchForth, which started as a growth marketing agency before evolving into something much larger.
What sets Nick apart is his experience watching the agency space become “toxic really fast.” He’s seen how the race to the bottom pricing and endless competition for the same clients create a system where nobody really wins. His experience building Pinchforth taught him that founders don’t need agencies to just “do it for them,” they need specific expertise delivered by people who are genuinely skilled at what they do. This insight led him to realize that the real problem isn’t a lack of talent, it’s that we’re stuck in outdated hiring models that focus on resumes instead of actual skills.
Key Takeaways:
- Skills Matter More Than Resumes. The most successful professionals are evaluated on performance and abilities, not educational backgrounds or credentials.
- Fractional Work Is the Future. Remote work is creating opportunities for people to build careers serving multiple clients instead of one employer.
- Marketplaces Create Race-to-the-Bottom Pricing. Traditional platforms like Fiverr commoditize services and force providers to compete on price rather than value.
- Pre-Qualified Leads Change Everything. When providers pay to connect with businesses, both sides are more serious about creating value.
- Most Agencies Got Lucky, Not Smart. The biggest agencies succeeded by riding the wave with amazing brands rather than driving their growth.
- Businesses Want Line of Sight, Not Options. Companies prefer choosing from three qualified providers over sorting through 600 random applicants.
- Community-Driven Expertise Builds Trust. Platforms work better when users establish expertise by helping others rather than just promoting themselves.
Listen to the full conversation here:
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@risingtidestartups
- Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rising-tide-startups/id1330525474
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2eq7unl70TRPsBhjLEsNZR
Connect with Nick:
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickpetros/
- My Dash: https://www.mydash.ai/
- HireFreely: https://www.hirefreely.co/
Closing thought: “Work the way you want to work.”
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