Beth ZiesenisPeople ask me all the time where to find someone to do a website or a new graphic or where to get help finding leads. My answer is almost always the same…. Elance.

Elance is a tremendous directory of freelance everything. I’ve hired people to migrate my blog ($150), create my main website ($180 — definitely an insanely good deal!), draw a cartoon picture (at right) for my marketing ($140 total for two types) and increase my SEO (this one I canceled because I felt oogie about paying for blog love).

On Elance, you describe your project and set your budget. Then you open your project up for bid, and freelancers around the globe give you proposals. I generally get 4-8 proposals from companies, and I can review their portfolios and their ratings from other projects. You can correspond with vendors during the proposal process, and when you choose someone, your correspondence stays in your project. Your money stays in escrow, and you release it when you and your provider reach the milestones you’ve agreed on.

Recent upgrades to Elance make communication easier — you can now arrange calls and IMs through the service. I haven’t tried it yet.

I’ve had the best of luck with the service, and I think it’s a small business owner’s best friend. Side note — if you’re freelancing yourself, I would say Elance is a tough market. It’s kind of like craigslist — highly competitive with clients like me out there looking for an amazing bargain. But you may be able to use it to help pay bills and to kick off your new business.