Case Studies

goLance Case Study

goLance, a flexible online marketplace platform for freelancers turned to BlueSnap's solution to streamline their payment processes while providing a greater global reach, which has grown 5X in eighteen months.

“BlueSnap has dramatically increased our business. By using their payment processing technology which provides easy global reach, we have grown 5X in eighteen months.”

Introduction

Who is goLance?

goLance was founded in 2015 with the objective of developing a platform that could match today’s rich repository of online workers with the demanding and fluctuating needs of business. goLance clients vary by size and industry, resulting in a wide range of projects for their freelance workforce and rapid growth for the company.  From the start, CEO Michael Brooks envisioned a community that he describes as “Fair, efficient, transparent and innovative.” Early on, Brooks recognized that technology would serve as a critical enabler in achieving the goLance vision.

The Challenge

What pain points were you looking to solve?

The market for freelancers has exploded in recent years. It is estimated that 57% of America’s workforce is made up of home-based freelancers, contributing $1.4 trillion to the economy every year.  Serving this industry is a handful of large businesses that have dominated the landscape and a smattering of small companies which included goLance in 2015. Brooks noticed that, “Few of them seemed to have lasting power,” which fueled his determination to find points of differentiation that would favor goLance as a long-term pick for clients.

Quickly, Brooks recognized that the following factors would need to be tightly managed for goLance to thrive and capture market share:

  • Fraud detection: In 2018 global card fraud losses was estimated to reach $22.8 Billion. Brooks was intent on protecting his company and his clients from experiencing these losses and believed that technology could provide a big assist.
  • Platform design: goLance would depend heavily on a platform that could be extensible and easy to integrate with solutions such as BlueSnap.
  • User interface: To allow transparent and efficient delivery of services, goLance made the system’s user interface a priority so that freelancers and clients could easily engage.
  • Efficient transaction processing: goLance has innovated in how it pays freelancers, which is why “Lower fees. Faster payouts” is featured so prominently on goLance’s home page. Efficiency is the hallmark virtue that has enabled faster payouts which in turn has helped clients build longer-term trustworthy relationships with the freelance workforce.
  • Scalable: goLance is growing dramatically as it expands its global footprint. Their platform and technology partners must be able to scale and support its growth.

The Solution

Why did you choose BlueSnap?

goLance selected BlueSnap as their technology partner in 2018 because of a few key criteria.  “We needed a company whose technology could be easily integrated into our platform,” says Brooks. They discovered that the integration between BlueSnap and their homegrown CRM system was as straightforward as they had hoped.

BlueSnap also supported their need for efficient global payment processing. As Brooks sees it, “We conduct billing and payment for sixty countries, over thousands of contracts, done by 400,000 freelancers. We simply can’t afford to make a mistake or have it be cumbersome. BlueSnap offered the flexibility and get-it-right mentality that we could depend upon.”

At the highest level what mattered to Brooks in evaluating technology vendors was finding a partner that, “We could go the distance with.” goLance did not want a short-term pick and have to face the hassle of switching. The partner they would pick would need to combine a personal touch with strong expertise in the area of payment processing.

What impact did the switch to BlueSnap have?

Brooks believes that BlueSnap answered the call on all three requirements: integration, efficiency, and partnership capabilities. For Brooks, “BlueSnap mirrors who we are. They place their customers in the center, and support them 24/7, just like we do. They listen and respond, just like we do.”  While it might sound soft, it is precisely goLance’s commitment to their constituents—freelancers and businesses—that has accounted for explosive growth and allowed the company to emerge as a leader in the home-based freelance market.

The Results

How is BlueSnap helping you grow your business?

Beyond the ease of working together, and sharing similar values in terms of how to conduct business, goLance CEO Brooks points to the operational results. Specifically 5X growth in eighteen months, fraud decrease by 35%, continued global expansion done with efficiency. It is a formula for success that he hopes to continue to build upon.