Not Everyone Works the Same Way

Traditional job boards give you one option: apply, interview, get hired, clock in. That model works for some people. It fails spectacularly for everyone else — the single parent who can only commit twelve hours a week, the retired machinist who wants to consult on one project at a time, the college student looking for tasks she can knock out between classes.

Liana Banyan was built around a simple premise: if people work in fundamentally different ways, the platform should support fundamentally different hiring models. We landed on seven.

Each model has its own rhythm, its own compensation structure, and its own place in the cooperative economy. This guide walks through all seven so you can find the one (or three) that fit your life.

1. Challenge-Based Hiring

What it is: A project owner posts a defined challenge — a problem to solve, a design to create, a prototype to build. Anyone on the platform can submit a solution. The best submission wins the contract.

Who it’s for: Skilled creators who would rather prove their ability than write a resume. Designers, engineers, strategists, and problem-solvers who thrive on competition.

How compensation flows: The challenge post includes a stated reward in Credits (or a cash-plus-Credits hybrid via the Compensation Slider). The winner receives the full reward upon acceptance. Runners-up earn nothing from the challenge itself, but their submissions become part of their public portfolio on the platform, which feeds future opportunities.

Example
A canister manufacturer posts a challenge: "Design a stackable storage lid that nests three deep." Reward: 2,000 Credits. Fourteen members submit designs. The winner collects 2,000 Credits and gets first right of refusal on the production contract. Two runners-up are invited to consult on related projects based on the strength of their submissions.

2. Assignments

What it is: Mercenary contracts. A project owner defines a specific task with clear deliverables, a deadline, and a fixed price. You accept it, complete it, get paid. No ambiguity.

Who it’s for: Freelancers and specialists who want clean boundaries. Photographers, copywriters, accountants, fabricators — anyone who works best with a defined scope.

How compensation flows: Fixed Credit amount agreed before work begins. Payment triggers on deliverable acceptance. If the project owner uses the Compensation Slider, part of the payment may arrive as cash and part as Credits.

Example
A food truck operator needs a logo. She posts an Assignment: "Design a logo for Mama Rosa's Mobile Kitchen. Deliverables: three concepts, one final in vector format. Budget: 500 Credits." A graphic designer accepts, delivers, and collects upon approval.

3. Larks

What it is: Quick one-off gigs. Small tasks, fast turnaround, minimal commitment. The name says it — something you do on a lark, because you have the time and the skill.

Who it’s for: Anyone with a spare hour and a useful ability. Students, retirees, parents between school pickup and dinner prep. Also useful for project owners who need a small task done without the overhead of a full Assignment.

How compensation flows: Small Credit amounts, typically under 200. Posted and accepted in the same day. Payment on completion. No negotiation — the posted rate is the rate.

Example
A member needs someone to proofread a four-page business plan before a meeting tomorrow. Posts a Lark: "Proofread and correct grammar. 4 pages. 75 Credits." Claimed within the hour, delivered by evening.

4. Fractional Positions

What it is: Ongoing part-time roles expressed as a fraction of full-time commitment. A 0.2x position means roughly one day per week. A 0.5x means half-time. These are persistent — not one-off tasks but continuing relationships.

Who it’s for: Members who want steady, recurring work without full-time obligation. Bookkeepers, community managers, technical advisors, operations specialists. Also for project owners who need consistent help but cannot justify or afford a full-time hire.

How compensation flows: Recurring Credit payments on a weekly or monthly cycle. The fractional commitment level is stated upfront. Marks may accumulate over time as the member’s effort differential grows within the project — the longer and more consistently you contribute, the more your participation is recognized.

Example
A cooperative bakery needs a bookkeeper but only has enough volume for two days a week. They post a 0.4x Fractional Position: "Manage accounts payable, receivable, and monthly reconciliation. 400 Credits/week." A retired accountant picks it up and runs it for six months.

5. Milestone Employment

What it is: Project-based work broken into ten defined segments. Each milestone has its own deliverable and its own payment. Complete milestone one before moving to milestone two. The ten-segment structure gives both sides natural checkpoints to assess fit and progress.

Who it’s for: Complex projects that need structured progression — product launches, construction phases, curriculum development. Members who prefer to see work broken into digestible stages rather than one monolithic contract.

How compensation flows: Each of the ten milestones carries a pre-agreed Credit amount. Payment triggers at each milestone acceptance. If the relationship ends at milestone four, the member has been paid for four milestones. Clean separation.

Example
A member is developing a woodworking course for the Cooperative Classroom. Ten milestones: curriculum outline, first three lesson plans, video recording setup, five recorded lessons, editing pass, student materials, platform integration, beta test with ten students, revision cycle, and final publish. Each milestone: 300 Credits. Total project: 3,000 Credits across roughly twelve weeks.

6. Hybrid Compensation

What it is: A combination of cash and Credits on the same contract, controlled by the Compensation Slider. The project owner sets the ratio — 70% cash and 30% Credits, or 50/50, or any split that works for both parties.

Who it’s for: Members who need some cash income but also want to build their Credit balance and cooperative participation. Project owners who want to conserve cash by offering Credits as part of the package. This is the bridge between the traditional economy and the cooperative economy.

How compensation flows: Cash portion is paid through the platform’s payment rails. Credit portion is deposited directly to the member’s account. The Compensation Slider makes the split visible and adjustable during negotiation. Both parties agree before work begins.

Important Distinction
Credits represent cooperative membership participation, not equity or financial instruments. There is no guaranteed financial return. The Credit portion of hybrid compensation grants platform participation rights and resource allocation voice through SAA (Service Allocation Authority).
Example
A web developer takes on a six-week project. Her rate would normally be $6,000 cash. She agrees to a 60/40 hybrid: $3,600 cash plus 2,400 Credits. The project owner saves $2,400 in immediate cash outlay. The developer builds her cooperative participation balance and earns Marks for effort differential over time.

7. Contract Work

What it is: Ongoing chains of related tasks under a single contract umbrella. Unlike Assignments (one task, one payment), Contract Work is a sustained relationship where new tasks are added to the chain as previous ones complete. Think of it as a retainer arrangement expressed in the cooperative economy.

Who it’s for: Members who build deep context with a project and want to keep contributing without renegotiating every time. Project owners who find a reliable contributor and want to keep the relationship alive across multiple deliverables.

How compensation flows: Each task in the chain has its own agreed Credit amount, but the contract umbrella means there is no gap between tasks. Marks accumulate as effort compounds across the chain. Longer chains build stronger participation histories.

Example
A photographer is contracted to shoot product images for a small furniture maker. The initial task is ten product shots (400 Credits). The chain continues: lifestyle shots for the website (350 Credits), seasonal catalog images (500 Credits), trade show booth graphics (300 Credits). One contract, four tasks over three months, 1,550 Credits total.

Finding Your Fit

You do not have to pick one model and stick with it. Most active members work across two or three models depending on their capacity and the opportunities available. A machinist might hold a 0.3x Fractional Position with one project while picking up Larks on weekends. A designer might win a Challenge, convert it into Milestone Employment, and then transition to Contract Work.

The seven models exist because work is not monolithic. Neither is life. Pick the model that fits your Tuesday, and pick a different one for your Saturday.

Where to Start
New to the platform? Start with a Lark. It takes less than an hour, earns your first Credits, and gets your name on the board. Then explore from there.