Creative Freelancing

Freelancing - It's All About Relationships

2009-11-23T05:32:00.002-08:00

Being a freelance writer is all about relationships--relationships with editors, agents, clients, designers, photographers, printers, computer experts, interview sources, and other writers. It's an understatement to say that such a career requires well-honed people skills and that developing and sustaining relationships are essential to success.

Clients or editors who fall into the too-good-to-be-true category are the ones who return phone calls, respond to query or marketing letters, respect your work, pay you what you're worth (on time), and try not to make unreasonable demands.

At the other extreme are those who are rude, arrogant, disrespectful, demanding, unrealistic, over-controlling, and penny pinching. Working for them is stress squared because they leave you feeling diminished and drained. On the bright side, as a freelancer, you do not have to do business with people like that. You can turn down the job at the outset; address the problems when they surface; and, if you choose to, resign from the project.

When I was a full-time employee, I can't even count the number of times I bit my tongue, compromised a principle, or tolerated unacceptable behavior from a boss because, I told myself, I didn't want to risk my livelihood. Being fired was the worst possible thing I could imagine, and then, one day, the worst possible thing happened.

Amazingly, it turned out to be the best possible thing. I knew I would never again remain in an abusive situation and that there would always be another assignment, another client, or another job, just around the corner. In the last 20 years, I have had to test my resolve on more than one occasion--though, fortunately, not many.

In between the best and worst possible extremes are the people you are more likely to work with or for. They are neither saints nor villains; they are just regular folks. They run the gamut of quirks and personalities, good days and bad, consistency and professionalism. For the most part, you won't love them or hate them. You may develop relationships with them, or you may never get past being seen as a "vendor." You may admire some things about them and dislike others. And you may even put up with less-than-optimum working conditions from time to time.

As someone once reminded me when I was having a very bad day, "That's why they call it work and not sandbox."

Bobbi Linkemer is a ghostwriter, book-writing coach, and editor. She is also the author of 14 books. Bobbi has been a professional writer for 40 years, a magazine editor and journalist, and a book-writing teacher. Her clients range from Fortune 100 companies to entrepreneurs who want to enhance their credibility and build their businesses. Her articles on writing regularly appear on EzineArticles.com and other top online article sites. Visit her Website at: http://www.WriteANonfictionBook.com

Can I Build a Work-at-Home Career If I'm Unemployed?

2009-11-23T05:32:00.000-08:00

We've all seen the figures. Right now in our country we're facing a 10.2% unemployment rate. That number speaks volumes. What happens when income that you had coming in every week suddenly stops? Sure, we all know we should have saved for such an event, but many Americans are barely getting by. And experts say that the 10.2% is really just the icing on the cake. Many more have faced having their hours cut, having to take more days off, etc. So, what are your options? Can working from home somehow help?

First, consider if this is the time to start a home-based business. Perhaps you have been thinking about this for a while and just never had the opportunity. God might just be opening the door for you and telling you the time is right. Explore the options available to you. Remember the key to success: Match your skills, experience and passion with a business that allows you to use these. Do something that you enjoy doing and feel that you can be good at.

Second, think through what can you do to earn a second income. Take into consideration the things that you already have work experience or skills in. What hobbies do you enjoy? Can one of them be turned into a business? For example, look into virtual assisting. If you excel at administrative tasks, web design, bookkeeping, publicity, social networking, etc., this could be a fabulous business for you or a great second income.

Third, honestly evaluate your situation. Make a plan that allows you to work during the time you have available. If you still need to be searching for full-time employment, build that into your schedule. Think through the hours that you will have available each day. If you have small children at home you will need to decide if you will work around their schedule or try to find someone to help care for them. If your children are school-age try to make the most of the hours they are away from home.

Fourth, make task lists for each day or week and work through them to help keep you on track. Distractions abound when you work from home. You will need to be self-motivated and a self-starter. With no boss to keep you accountable and no one to assign tasks, it will all be up to you. For many this spells freedom, but for others it's a struggle. It may help to find some way to reward yourself at the end of the day for a job well done.

All of these options can be useful when trying to build an income from home or begin a home-based businesses. Consider ideas that you have quickly discounted in the past. How about direct sales? Especially with the holidays approaching consider contacting some companies and seeing what they offer. How about an online shop? Remember, this can just be a temporary thing. Yes, you might have to work harder now, but the peace of mind of paying the bills will far outweigh having to put in those extra hours.

Take heart. The unemployment rate will get better and soon be a distant memory. But in the meantime, hopefully these tips will help you make extra money for you and your family.

Jill Hart, Founder of Christian Work-at-Home Moms http://www.cwahms.com and Diana Ennen, President of Virtual Word Publishing, http://www.virtualwordpublishing.com have teamed up to write So You Want to Be a Work at Home Mom: A Christian’s Guide to Starting a Home-Based Business http://www.soyouwanttobeawahm.com . Start or expand your business today with their help.

16 Tips to Help Small Businesses Thrive Through the Recession by Francie Dalton

2009-11-16T10:41:00.000-08:00

Be Proactive, Be Positive, Be Practical, and Be People-Centric

"Stop being your own worst enemy!" says Francie Dalton, President of Washington D.C. based Dalton Alliances, Inc. "If your thoughts are primarily fear based, if you're envisioning the worst for yourself and your business, if your conversations are focused predominately on bad news, then", she warns, "you're seriously impeding your own success'.

Instead of giving succor to all the negative blathering, Dalton's advice is to buckle down and commit to taking 3 actions every single day to improve revenue. Here are her suggestions.

1. Don't you DARE Pick up that Phone, go into Twitter, FaceBook or LinkedIn Unless it's to Generate Business! Be ruthlessly disciplined about generating business as JOB ONE. Any activity that doesn't secure new business should be delegated, or done during non-business hours. Prioritize everything else around this fundamental principle. During business hours, dedicate yourself exclusively to expanding your client base or deepening business with your current clients.

2. Virtually "Stalk" your Prospects: Describe your ideal client. What types of organizations do they belong to? Join them. What kinds of publications do they read? Read them. What types of events do they attend? Attend them. Differentiate yourself with detective work about your targeted prospects. Research them; research their industry; tap your network to learn more about them. Think about how impressed you would be if someone had clearly extended effort to learn about you, your achievements, and your industry. This tip will help you warm up the cold contacts and will set you apart from most others who won't go to this much effort. The result? You'll be more likely than your competitors to get the business.

3. Work Backwards to Move Forward: If you're tracking important ratios, you know how many qualified prospect meetings it takes to generate one client, and the average sale per client. With only these two pieces of information, you can control how much you sell each month. Determine desired sales volume, then conduct two to three times the number of qualified prospect meetings required to achieve your revenue goal.

4. Invite Scrutiny: Whose business acumen do you admire? Who's already successful in your field? Whose clientele do your products or services complement? Establish an Advisory Board, and invite these folks to be part of it. Meet quarterly to gain their advice on your business challenges. Advisory boards impose a level of scrutiny and accountability that both challenge and comfort, and a level of ideation and innovation that helps you expand your scope and reach. Ensure you get unbiased, unemotional, tough truths by not including friends and loved ones on the board. Alternatively, you could treat selected individuals to a meal now and then to get their advice. Whatever the way in which you access the intellectual capital of others, be sure to thank them, act on at least one of their suggestions, and follow up with them to them know the outcome of having implemented their advice.

5. Your Pipeline is your Lifeline: NEVER stop prospecting. In good times or bad, keep your pipeline full! Even when you're flush with business, don't get cocky. Realize that if you wait to prospect until you need new clients; it'll be too late to achieve immediate results. Sales is, in a large part, a numbers game. If you aren't getting enough business, a major contributing factor is that you're not contacting enough prospects, which means you'll erode or prevent your success. Understand this: whether you like it or not, prospecting is how to keep your business pipeline full of potential clients. If you neglect this critical function, you can hardly complain when business is down.

6. The "Lag Before you Bag": The lag time between your first meeting with a qualified prospect and closing the sale is an essential ratio for managing your productivity. The sales you bag today likely began at least 3 months ago. In achieving your goals, knowing your average lag time is essential. If you're calculating the total lag before you make a deposit, don't forget to add in the time it takes to render the service before you bill it, and the time between the billing and the receipt of funds.

7. You Gotta Network to Get Work: Whether you enjoy it or not is irrelevant; networking is an imperative. Learn how to do it well. If you want to survive the lean times, you have to network regularly. Go to appropriate events with the objective of helping others rather than seeking those who can help you. Doing so will make others want to help you in return. Remember – nothing "comes out of the blue". The seeding you do today will produce unexpected business in the future. Suggested reading: Make Your Contacts Count by Lynne Waymon.

8. Don't Pander; Ponder! Showcasing your wisdom too early, without taking time to probe causal factors, can be insulting. Instead, if what you sell is intellectual capital, honor the complexity of client issues by asking probing questions. Be inquisitive about their goals, frustrations, hopes, and struggles. Then construct a matrix of options, and augment this with the advantages and disadvantages of each. Use the matrix as a discussion tool, inviting edits, improvements, and further details.

9. Prepare to Bend by Predicting the Trends: Be vigilant about monitoring relevant trends, since they're always in flux. Just as important are tangential trends - forces that could affect the trends you're already monitoring. Doing so enables you to foresee and adapt to emerging trends before your competitors do. Set up Google alerts at http://www.google.com/alerts to ease the monitoring process.

10. Don't Defer Getting Referrals: If you're not comfortable asking your satisfied clients to provide referrals, do it anyway! Once you've delighted them, conduct a brief interview to learn what they valued most about working with you. Using this information, draft a brief testimonial for them to edit and print onto their letterhead. Suggested reading: Referral Prospecting by Bill Cates.

11. Publicize to Optimize: Both credibility and sales increase as a result of publishing articles or books, and speaking on your area of expertise. It's not that hard. Every time you solve a problem for a client, produce an outline of the process from start to finish. Then fill in the outline, and voila, you have an article or a speech. Multiple articles can comprise a book. Writing a book is less daunting if you write only one chapter at a time without thinking of it as a book. Suggested reading: POP by Sam Horn.

12. Link Value for Free to Service for Fee: Consider providing an educational session to prospective clients at no charge, but structure the delivery so that they want more. For example, deliver the information promised, but make reference to additional, high value information that you can provide and how it has helped your clients. Consider making complimentary presentations at conventions whose attendees are great prospects for you. Or select a few organizations locally that would be great clients for you, and invite their top 3 executives to breakfast, or offer a no-fee brown bag session to their employees.

13. Don't Attend Conventions without Clear Intentions and Quotas: Recoup the opportunity cost of attending conventions. Get an attendee list in advance of the meeting, then identify and research your targets before you even leave town. Then make it your mission at the meeting to establish contact and engage these targets. Remember: attendance is not an outcome. Make your attendance result in new business by preparing in advance.

14. Break it Down to Build it Up: Identify key result areas of your business, such as prospecting, delivery, writing, marketing, speaking, new product development, etc. For each, assign yourself measurable goals for each month or each quarter. Break these down into component parts, and include them in your calendaring tool.

15. Diversify to Amplify: Particularly important in tough economic times is that you have established multiple lines of business. Ensure your repertoire includes as many of the following as possible; business consulting, facilitation, an ever expanding menu of workshops on as many topics as you're fluent in (both virtual and on site), surveys of as many types as you can do well, coaching (both in person and virtually), speeches, retreats, and more. You might also consider partnering with others whose offerings are complementary, and/or subcontracting to others who have skills that you don't have.

16. Essential Certifications: If you're a consultant, or if consultants are your target market, get your CMC from the IMC. The Institute of Management Consultants is an extremely prestigious group of professional consultants, from which you can earn the highly coveted "Certified Management Consultant" designation. The CMC certification confers competitive distinction globally, making it much more likely that you will gain the attention of decision makers. Find the chapter nearest you, and learn more at www.imcusa.org.

Every bit as prestigious and essential is the IOM from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Earning the "Institute of Organizational Management" certification requires a total of four weeks of classroom attendance, which can be completed in a variety of time frames to suit your schedule. The learning process puts you in close contact with decision makers from both for profit and nonprofit business sectors, all of whom are potential clients. The scope, depth, and quality of instruction is top notch, and the relationships you'll develop are of a caliber you'll want to retain throughout your life.

Regardless of how many of these tips you implement, Dalton challenges business owners to remember that their own outlook and attitude can diminish their effectiveness. "Those who prevail in difficult times" she notes, "are the ones who steadfastly refuse to allow negativity to form a barrier to their success – who instead deliberately and diligently take multiple constructive actions every single day. Doing so refreshes the spirit, helps sustain a positive attitude, increases resilience, and reinvigorates a commitment to success"

So - which of these tips will YOU implement today?

~

Francie Dalton, CMC, is founder and president of Dalton Alliances, Inc, a Washington DC consultancy specializing in the communication, management, and behavioral sciences. Her new book, "Versatility", published by ASAE, and more information about her offerings is available at http://www.daltonalliances.com/. She is available for interview at 410-715-0484.

How to Freelance - Avoid This Critical Mistake If You Want to Do Well With Freelancing by John Purfield

2009-11-09T05:20:00.000-08:00

If you are thinking about freelancing, you are going to make mistakes in the beginning. In this business, it's a given. The good thing about mistakes is you can learn from them and get better. The following is a very crucial mistake that is very common among freshman freelancers. Hopefully this will help save you some time.

I'd like to discuss the importance of good communication with your clients.

Some freelancers don't communicate well or at all with their clients. It's an easy trap you can get yourself into. This especially happens right after you get freelance work from the client. The common thought is you have the work anyway, they can't possibly take it away from you. While you may finish the job and get paid buy the client, you're at risk for losing that client and not getting any more work if you don't have good dialog.

There are two ways you can go wrong with miscommunication. One is you don't communicate well at all. The other is you just don't talk to the client at all from the point after you close the deal and start work. Both are bad.

For those that don't communicate well, you'll have your work cut out for you. The best thing you can do in this case is be a good listener. Clients like it when you hear them and answer their questions when they need you too.

If you are starting out with freelancing, you want to hear everything they tell you and try and paraphrase what they are saying. While this sounds very simple, you'd be surprised how many people foul up with this.

If you are the type that doesn't contact your clients at all, then you're in even bigger trouble. You'll need to make some wholesale changes in how you approach your work. With freelancing, it's not about just getting the work. It's mainly about supporting the work and the client. Keeping yourself in the loop with your client's can get you a lot of work.

Freelancing is a great way to be self employed. However, you have to make sure you can handle this crazy business. You'll see a link below in my resource box to a free report on starting your own freelancing business. It's a good read if you're seriously thinking of going into the freelancing business.

Good Luck.

Want to start your own freelancing business? Get my free report at http://www.beinbusiness.net and get the facts about how to start freelancing The report covers all you need to know to get started.

Career Experts And Bloggers Spotlight Promising Opportunities For Job-seekers

2009-11-09T05:18:00.000-08:00

While the economy is showing signs of recovery, indications that the recovery will continue to be "jobless" casts a pall over hopes for a full bounceback. Job Action Day (see JobActionDay.com), the second annual event spearheaded by Quintessential Careers, addresses the jobless recovery by spotlighting promising areas in which the unemployed and other job-seekers may find opportunities.

"The idea is that job-seekers can take plenty of action steps right now - today - to move forward in their careers, even if they're unemployed and have been for some time," said Quintessential Careers Founder and Publisher Dr. Randall S. Hansen. "We established Job Action Day last year as a day for job-seekers pummeled by the economic meltdown to take control of their careers and initiate action," Hansen said. "Where last year shock, fear, and paralysis may have inhibited action, this year, the gloom of prolonged unemployment may be de-motivating job-seekers."

But Hansen underscores his belief that job-seekers can take action today in his Job Action Day article, 10 Things (Activities) You Can Do Today for Your Job Search (http://www.quintcareers.com/job-search_activities.html).

Quintessential Careers and a cadre of Job Action Day writers and bloggers have targeted several areas as offering bright spots of opportunity:

-- Federal Jobs: The federal government plans to fill 293,000 mission-critical jobs over the next five years, reports Barbara Safani on her CareerSolvers blog, citing a presentation by Barbara Adams, president of CareerPro Global Inc. The Obama administration will expand the number of civilians in the executive branch by 140,000 to reach a total of 2 million, the highest number since President Clinton took office in 1992. The federal government is the only national employer that will continue to fill jobs regardless of economic conditions, and because more than 40 percent of the 1.5 million federal employees will retire in the next five years (totaling 300,000 jobs, writes Nancy F. Smith on CBS MoneyWatch), turnover will create additional opportunities. Job-seekers can learn about the complex federal application process in a Job Action Day article by Diane Hudson Burns, A Crash Course in How to Apply for Federal Employment (http://www.quintcareers.com/federal_government_jobs.html).

-- Green/Clean Energy Jobs: Adams also reports that the Obama administration is creating 5 million new green jobs through its stimulus plan, Safani writes. Smith notes that the stimulus is pumping $50 billion into “projects as diverse as mass transit, modernizing the electric power grid, and weathering government buildings.” In her Job Action Day article, It's Green at the Top and at the Bottom: A Brief Comparison of Green-related Skills Needs from the Senior-Executive Level to the Entry Level (http://www.quintcareers.com/green_career_skills.html), Chandlee Bryan looks at in-demand skills that can translate to green jobs, while Nancy Miller's sidebar, Green Jobs and Green Careers Embrace Many Possibilities (http://www.quintcareers.com/green_jobs_careers.html), characterizes ways to be green in the workplace.

-- Stimulus Jobs: In addition to the federal government's role in boosting federal and green/clean-energy jobs, stimulus money is targeting jobs in healthcare and the natural sciences. Smith reports that the healthcare industry is adding jobs at a rate of 17,000 monthly, and stimulus money "will flow into science and research projects as well as into support for local Medicaid expenditures, children's health programs, and health-insurance premiums for laid-off workers." In the natural-sciences arena, Smith notes that "research institutions will see more funding than they've had over the past five years combined." In her Job Action Day article, Quintessential Careers regular contributor Maureen Crawford Hentz provides a comprehensive primer on researching and applying for jobs created by stimulus money, Getting a Job in a Down - But Stimulated - Economy (http://www.quintcareers.com/stimulus_jobs.html).

-- Entrepreneurship and career-reinvention opportunities motivated by unemployment: One of the brightest spots is the ingenuity and innovation that many unemployed workers have applied to solopreneur, small-business, and freelance opportunities. "When we put out a call for folks who had lost their jobs in this recession but found new opportunity," Hansen says, "we received an outpouring of stories from people who successfully turned their unemployment into everything from mystery-novel-writing to puppet-show creation." Hansen reports that Quint Careers heard from inventors, green-business founders, authors, eBay merchants, a food purveyor, a professional organizer, a motivational speaker, a virtual worker, and more - all of whom had lost their jobs in the last year or so. In many cases, job loss turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to these folks, Hansen says, because it enabled them to reinvent themselves and pursue their true passions. Many of these stories appear in Job Action Day entries on the Quintessential Careers family of blogs, including the Quintessential Careers Blog, Career Doctor Blog, Quintessential Resume and Cover Letter Tips Blog, and A Storied Career.

In her Job Action Day article Turn Unemployment into Self-Employment: 5 Tips on How to Start (http://www.quintcareers.com/unemployment_self-employment.html), author Suzanne Caplan outlines variations on entrepreneurial pursuits, while Teena Rose discusses pockets of entrepreneurial opportunity in her sidebar, Economic Downturn Can Give Birth to Innovation and Entrepreneurship (http://www.quintcareers.com/innovation_entrepreneurship.html). Randi Bussin guides prospective career reinventors to discover what kinds of opportunities best suit them in her Job Action Day article, In a Down Economy, Maybe Career Reinvention Is in the Cards (http://www.quintcareers.com/career_reinvention.html)

New Book Helps Christian Work At Home Moms Start Their Own Home-Based Business

2009-11-09T05:11:00.000-08:00

Home-based businesses are estimated to be a $427 billion-a-year industry. In recent studies it was found that as many as 105 million people in North America alone were working at home. Considering this information, it is obvious that home-based businesses can be successful -- and authors Jill Hart and Diana Ennen will help you succeed with your own business with their new book, So You Want to Be A Work-At-Home Mom.

So You Want to Be a Work-at-Home Mom details all the basics of starting a business in a spiritual, motivational, and comprehensive manner. From deciding what type of business to start to keeping your family and faith first, this helpful tool details every aspect of establishing a business. With proven success tips utilized by the authors and others who own work-at-home businesses, this inspirational approach will provide you with the resources you need to start your own home-based business.

So You Want to Be a Work-at-Home Mom includes: detailed information on types of businesses to start; ideas for setting up your workspace; assistance in starting and operating your business, definitions and descriptions of work-at-home terminology and processes; help for developing your website, explanations of the business "nuts and bolts," including bookkeeping, taxes, and more "how to" for marketing your business.

The authors have over 30 years of working at home combined. Jill Hart is the founder of Christian Work at Home Moms, CWAHM.com. She graduated from Grace University with a Bachelor's Degree in Human Development/Family Studies and Bible. Hart has worked from home since 2000 and started her own home-based business to assist other Christians who desire to work from home while maintaining a godly life. Jill and her husband Allen reside in Nebraska with their two children.

Diana Ennen has been a leader and mentor in the work-at-home industry since starting her business in 1985. She is the President of Virtual Word Publishing, VirtualWordPublishing.com and the author of numerous books, including Virtual Assistant the Series: Become a Highly Successful, Sought After VA. She resides in Margate, Florida with her husband Greg and three children.

Website: www.beaconhillbooks.com

2ble Media Launches Blog On Freelancing

2009-11-02T08:01:00.000-08:00

How2Freelance.com is the latest creation of the well established marketing company 2ble Media. On the new resource blog visitors are now able to find a large amount of resources from the freelance sector, regardless of their job orientation. How2Freelance.com is meant to become the main source for comprehensive information, advice, and tools for everyone wanting to earn online through freelance jobs. How 2 Freelance is owned and operated by Amod, a well respected and professional freelancer who has a more than impressive track record. His article on freelancing marketplaces was featured on Entrepreneur.com

The information presented on How2Freelance.com is the result of an extensive and comprehensive research process that was carried out with one objective. And that is to be more precise, presenting information, tips, scam alerts, news and relevant resources on freelancing to the large number of freelancers out there trying to get a grip on the freelance process and learn everything it takes to earn online. Since the creator of How2Freelance.com is aware of the difficulties encountered by all those trying to get their first freelance job, the blog is presenting a large volume of resource and information meant to help those interested in freelance jobs to take their first steps towards their goal to earn online.

Here is an example of the tips found on How2Freelance.com that are proven to be very useful to anyone in their incipient stages of freelancing. The first important aspect to anyone interested in becoming an online freelance professional is his work profile. If you are lacking ideas, it is a smart move to check out the competition’s profiles. Don’t just look at couple of them. Instead, in order to draft up an appealing work profile, review a few dozen. Find profiles that match the direction of your work. So, for example, if you are interested in ghost writing look up some professional writers’ profiles, and learn from them. Try to capture the best style of presenting the service, and then incorporate those ideas and ways of presenting the service in your own profile.

For more information about the blog and the available services, please visit: http://www.how2freelance.com/

Free Copywriting Course Launched

2009-11-02T06:01:00.000-08:00

Phil Coleman, an experienced Copywriter and Internet Marketer, has just launched HiddenMarketingProfits.com, primarily to give away his easy to understand and implement, profitable copywriting course.

Well written sales copy can increase visitor to customer conversions and therefore profits, literally overnight. In fact the big difference between poorly performing sites and successful, cash producing sites is usually the quality of the copy.

In an online interview, Coleman said: “To make your website profitable, you only need 3 things; highly targeted visitors, an offer that converts your visitors into buyers and a way to capture your visitors contact details, to ensure they become repeat buyers. Good copywriting is utterly essential for all 3. The words you use on your website, will literally make it a failure or a raging success. Underestimate this fact at your peril.”

Coleman’s copywriting course called Copywriting Made Easy, is available completely free for subscribers to his newsletter at www.HiddenMarketingProfits.com and outlines the main factors of a highly converting salespage, such as: Exactly how to double, triple or even quadruple the website profits - without increasing the traffic, how to write a killer headline in 10 minutes or less, why bullet points are crucial and how to easily master the art of writing them in 3 steps and how to use ’Power Transitions’ to guarantee prospects read every word of a copy.

Coleman’s free newsletter will continue building on the techniques in his copywriting course, as well as adding a host of other profit increasing tactics. This information has been proven time after time to increase conversions and when applied to a website subscribers will see the benefits immediately.

For more information please visit http://www.hiddenmarketingprofits.com/

Freelancing Career - New Ray of Hope by James Alina

2009-10-26T05:54:00.001-07:00

It is an exciting career for many as it offers multiple benefits. Now any professional can render his specialized services to a freelance project from anywhere and anytime.

Here are some benefits of working as a freelancer:

1. Freelance freedom- One of the biggest benefits of freelancing is to work independently. A freelancer can self set his working schedule as per his own convenience. It also keep a professional away from general distractions, office politics, numerous meetings over unattainable goals etc.

2. Liberty of choice and timings- Freelancing allows a professional to devote as much time he wants to put in to particular task assigned. Freelancing means flexibility as it enables a professional to work anytime, anywhere as per his choice and schedule. A freelancer can keep full control over the choice of projects, timelines, milestones and price he wants to quote on the project.

3. Cost effectiveness- Freelancers usually work from home, hence the daily expenses are automatically curtailed. He can save money on commuting expenses, traveling time, petrol bills etc. Also a freelancer can also cut on different expenses like new clothes, dresses and other expenses he might face at the time of working as a full time employee.

4. Opportunities to make more money- Freelancing brings a chance to widen your horizon by showcasing your specialized skills across the globe. It also gives you an unlimited scope to execute projects and earn money for successfully accomplishing a freelance project. Social networking channels can also help you in earning great profits and also a chance to connect with professionals & companies all around the globe.

Most of the online services marketplaces, such as Elance, LimeExchange, ODesk, Guru, etc., also offer free profile posting where a freelancer can get access to varied projects matching his domain of expertise.

5. Less Pressure and work stress - The level of frustration and resultant stress is relatively very low in freelancing as compared to that in a full-time job. As freelancing keeps a professional away from the work pressure and annoying bosses which results in improved efficiency. This will help a freelancer in executing the projects and building a triumphant online presence.

Less pressure and stress brings a lot of opportunities for freelancer to put in their best every time in a project.

6. No job risks- The current global slowdown has resulted in massive job layoffs across the globe but for freelancers this has turned out to be a bright opportunity to acquire more projects. Also, professionals who have lost their jobs have started freelancing as this helps them survive and bring a substantial source of earning to them.

In order to thrive successfully in freelance business, a freelancer needs to stay updated with latest technologies, trends, demands and the market. He needs keep his learning process on as there would be less exposure to office environment. In that case, a freelancer can make use of tools/resources available online to avoid these difficulties and realize the benefits of this opportunity instantly and effectively.

Hope these benefits will help you explore new avenue to make money online. I welcome your feedback and suggestions on the same.

Alina, a competent result oriented freelance professional and consultant with more than 4 years of extensive experience in Content writing and website development. Writes articles on varied topics such as freelancing, trends, market, jobs, resources, etc.

Home Based Business Tips For Freelancing by Chris Simpson

2009-10-19T05:42:00.001-07:00

Many people who decide to get involved in a home based business decide to do so by freelancing. Although many people think of freelancing in relation to writing, there are other freelancing options. Yes, freelance writing is one, but there is freelance photography, freelance computer programming, and so much more.

Essentially freelancing means you don't work for one specific company, but you work for various companies on an as needed basis. If you are considering getting involved in some type of freelancing from home as a business, there are a variety of important tips that can help you get started and become successful.

Tip #1 - Have a Website of Your Own - First of all, if you are going to get involved in any type of freelancing home based business, it will definitely be important to have a website of your own. A website is usually not that expensive, and when you are trying to bring in work, having a website where you can send prospective clients to is important. This definitely lends you credibility and show you are a professional. Invest in a good website and design it professionally if you are going to be successful.

Tip #2 - Use Cold Calling - As a freelancer, you are going to need to learn how to cold call for business. This is one of the best ways to drum up the business that you need. The problem is that it can take quite a bit of your time and it's difficult; however, it is worth it. You can get great leads this way. Just make sure you take the time to learn how to appropriate handle cold calls professionally.

Tip #3 - Check Out Job Databases - Often you are going to find yourself looking for work if you are a freelancer. Even if you already have a lot of work, you should never stop looking. The great thing is that there are plenty of great freelancing sites where jobs for freelancers are posted. Some are free, while others you may have to pay a small fee for. Some of the fee based databases are excellent.

Tip #4 - Have Samples of Your Work - No matter what type of freelancing you are involved in, you always need to have some samples of your work. You can use these samples to bring in more clients and to show people the quality of the work that they do. You may even want to give out a sample in some cases of freelancing to bring in more customers and to get future work from them.

Tip #5 - Buy Accounting Software - Last of all, if you are going to run a home freelancing business, buy accounting software. All that invoicing can be difficult to keep up with. You may think that you can keep track of it all, but accounting software can do wonders for you. Something like MYOB or QuickBooks will be a huge help when it comes time to do your taxes.

HomeNetPro is dedicated to helping people find honest and legitimate work at home opportunities and home business ideas. Find a legitimate home based business and learn to work from home today by visiting: HomeNetPro.com

Website Site Design Tutorials Available Online

2009-10-19T05:40:00.000-07:00

A new illustrated tutorial shows the most common design mistakes in blogs, web sites, mini sites, and online marketing documents. Available at http://www.designdashboard.com/top10 the step-by-step document can be downloaded as a PDF immediately.

"This PDF points out the most common mistakes we’ve seen in web sites designed by our clients over the years. Most small business owners get so caught up in running their business that they don’t have time to see the big picture of web site design" states Marlon Sanders, CDO of Higher Response Marketing, Inc.

To download this PDF tutorial, visit Sanders’ web site at:
http://www.designdashboard.com/top10

Freelancing - Are You Ready? by April McCallum

2009-10-12T12:35:00.000-07:00

Are you ready to be your own boss? This article will help you consider some of the practical and essential parts of freelancing, while also offering key tips and posing targeted questions that will enable you to plan ahead for success.

Following are some of the people you might expect to meet in a company. As a freelancer you are in essence, these people rolled into one. We will take a high-level look at some of the roles that are vital to operating a successful company and sample Questions, Remedies and Things to Consider as you contemplate a transition into the world of freelancing.

Receptionist - We are all familiar with the "front face"-- the first person who greets us as we call or enter a place of business. As a freelancer, you won't have the luxury of your own personal greeter and gatekeeper. However, it is important to realize the impact on the overall customer experience.

Remedy: You can handle the frontline work yourself or, consider outsourcing to a virtual receptionist or phone service center that can handle your incoming calls, messages or even schedule meetings for you. The most important objective is to ensure that the experience is as welcoming and informational as you would expect from a good host. The quality of reception will set the tone of your business when people "enter the front door".

Sales - No one will be more passionate about your work than you. So, who better to sell products, services, concepts or consult than you? Whether you are building a business around technology, art, travel, communications or education, you will need to successfully and repeatedly persuade others of the benefits of working with you.

Questions to Ask Yourself: Why should they engage me? What is my unique offering? What features and benefits do I offer? What makes me a better choice than my competitors? Is my pricing where it needs to be? After my first sale, what is my strategy for repeat business?

Marketing & Advertising - You are your Marketing and Advertising department now. No matter how awesome your products or services are, people cannot engage you to do business if they do not know that you exist. It is essential that you do your research and develop a marketing plan that will position you for positive exposure and ultimate success. Also remember, if your message is not compelling, you will not win in a competitive market.

Questions to Ask Yourself: How will I present my products or services in such a way as to convince people to buy from me? What will be my unique marketing mix (price, place, product, promotion and people elements)? Take your time and do your homework, it will pay off in the long run.

Business Development - For creative and entrepreneurial types, business development and lead generation can actually be a lot of fun. For those who don't fall into those categories, it can be a big drag. No matter, it is an essential part of building and growing your business as a solo-professional. You can no longer rely on the guy down the hall to bring you a stack of new business leads or hot new strategies to increase business.

For Your Consideration: You will need to identify new business opportunities including markets, partners, ideas, strategies and products. Equally vital, is finding ways to extend strategic relationships and expand opportunities within existing accounts in order to increase current revenue streams.

PR - No matter what business you are in, you will be relating to the public to one degree or another. In a company, there are people whose job it is to handle the flow of information, protect the best interest of the company in a public forum and promote the best image possible. You can have the best product out there, but if you fall down on your public interface, it will damage your ultimate goal of success.

For Your Consideration: Remember that you are the most significant asset to your freelance career. Think of yourself as a walking, talking advertisement. When you leave the comfort of your privacy, you enter into shared public space. Your business "brand" should carry over as a reflection of you to every situation and person you touch. Your communication, body language, attitude and character all serve to project an image.

Accountant - Not everyone is a bean counter, so true. But, if you are running your own business and expect to be profitable, you will either learn to, a) count beans, or, b) die. It's so much easier to just be handed a budget by someone whose job it is to "figure all that out", so we can just be about what we do best. When you are working for yourself, that guy isn't a simple phone call away. You are that guy.

For Your Consideration: There's no need to get all fancy straight out of the chute. Keep your bookkeeping as straightforward as possible. Take a course, read some guidebooks and do your research up front. Barter with someone to help you set up, or mentor you in, establishing a comprehensive system. Know how to budget and keep your priorities on track, because no one will be there to police you. Understand tax implications, keep meticulous files and save receipts with notations.

CEO - Every organization has its top dogs. The CEO is one of the highest- ranking executives or corporate officers. He is ultimately responsible for the total management and execution of the mission. They are at the top rung when it comes to leading, strategic planning, staffing and organizing.

For Your Consideration: The most exciting, yet most challenging part is that you are now "THE guy" -- the buck stops with you. You are responsible for the ultimate success or failure of your freelance career.

Supervisors & Managers - No more Managers breathing down your neck, challenging you, handing you assignments, mentoring you, keeping you accountable, setting goals and expectations or giving you unsolicited feedback. Sounds like freedom, doesn't it? But for some freelancers, it's too much freedom. You will need to be brutally realistic about defining goals, meeting deadlines, learning how to challenge yourself, soliciting useful feedback, delivering quality, managing your time and energy, self-motivation and keeping yourself on a successful track.

For Your Consideration: The more you learn about management (of process, dealing with people, goals, understanding your market, expectations, time, money, etc.), self-discipline and consistently apply what you have learned, the more likely it is that you will succeed.

Think Tank - Remember the good old days when you had the opportunity to brainstorm and collaborate intellectually and creatively in a group context? As a freelancer you will just need to find new ways to garner results.

For Your Consideration: Think of mental, physical or spiritual exercises that stimulate your thought processes. Consider meeting with other freelancers periodically just to kick around ideas and learn from each other in a group setting. Keep your input channels wide open by reading, listening, inquiring, dreaming and any other creative activities that engage your innovative side. Inspiration is buzzing all around us -- we just need to find ways to tap into it.

IT Department - What happens when your network goes down, your computer or other equipment starts doing "funny" things or you need to figure out how to set up that newfangled "Whatchamacallit"? You get the distinct privilege of walking into your bathroom, looking in the mirror and saying "hello" to your new assistant. Congratulations - it's you! Those propeller hats and pocket protectors are suddenly looking rather stylish.

For Your Consideration: Try to keep your initial setup as simple as possible. Determine what tools are absolute necessities, and start there. The need will vary based on the type of work you do. For example, landline and/or cell phones, fax, scanner, copy and print machines, software, hardware, peripherals, data storage, GPS and wireless, etc. Consider the importance of flexibility, networking, speed, connectivity and shared information options for your line of work. There is a myriad of online tips, courses, and how-to guidebooks. Ask around to learn if someone in your current network knows an IT professional (emphasis on "professional") that you can consult with. This is an area you may also be able to barter your services for.

Graphics Department - Remember those great people from the corporate office that "magically" made everything look so professional? Things like logos, business cards, marketing brochures, letterhead, PowerPoint presentations, customized materials and reports? Well, they are no longer here.

For Your Consideration: The good news is that there are many businesses that cater to small businesses and freelancers who need to outsource print and graphic jobs - just check in your local phone book. There are volumes of online resources and do-it-yourself options available as well. Just be aware that you need to put your best foot forward, and presentation is key when introducing or promoting a successful image. You may want to outsource or barter with another freelancer who is an expert in this field.

Shipping Department - Whether your freelance business involves products or services, you will have a need for shipping and receiving -- a delivery process. Part of the success of any business, is the ability to deliver what your clients need, when they need it.

Remedy: Set up a system that ensures you deliver what you promise in a timely fashion. Familiarize yourself with the most reliable and sensible ways to ship and receive. If you are selling a product that requires physical inventory, be sure to understand the process, requirements, pros and cons. Get to know your local mail and service centers -- they can be extremely helpful in educating you about the most time and cost-effective options. Don't forget to factor in shipping costs when planning your budget.

Board of Directors - Don't forget that most companies have a Board of Directors. And you? You have a family, a dog and a cat. You may get some feedback, but they won't hold you accountable like a corporate stakeholder or investor, ask the tough questions and advise you like a Board of Directors would.

For Your Consideration: Just because you are self-employed doesn't mean that you can't or shouldn't have an accountability structure in place. You may not need a full-blown advisory and accountability group, but the premise still applies. It is good practice to have intelligent and creative people in your circle whom you can solicit wise and timely counsel from.

Fan Club - Okay, most businesses don't actually have a Fan Club. But, they do have customers, partners, donors, clients - people whom they relate to through services or products and bring value to through their working relationship. Without people, you would not be in business. Are you ready to take on the challenging, dynamic and rewarding opportunity to be your own boss, start building your own satisfied "Fan Club" and find success as a solo-professional? If so, it's time to put on your party hat, buckle your seatbelt and roll up your sleeves. Here's to your Freelancing Success!

iPhone App Freelancer launches - Turn Great Ideas into iPhone Apps

2009-10-12T12:33:00.000-07:00

iPhone App Freelancer is a new service that connects freelancer iPhone application developers with entrepreneurs and businesses that require custom programming, applications, graphics and development projects for the iPhone. Much like an auction, employers’ projects are posted and interested freelancers bid to complete the work..

iPhone App Freelancer: http://www.iphoneappfreelancer.com/

Freelancing - How to Grow Your Business by Tony Jacowski

2009-10-06T14:50:00.001-07:00

Freelancers tend to earn more per hour than permanent employees.

Freelancing is common in fields like journalism, copywriting, computer programming, web design and many other professional and creative services.

Target an Industry

Build up a name for yourself: It is wise to be industry-specific. Though you may have the ability to give your services to multiple people, you should concentrate on a particular area.

For example, if you are doing web design for insurance companies, you may specialize for in Life Insurance portals. Your strong reputation and specialization in this area will help you get more clients.

Network outside Your Industry Group

You should not only involve yourself with your own group of freelancers, but also make an effort to be known by other groups also. If you interact with others and have good relations with them, there is always a possibility of gaining more business.

To expand your network, you should attend conferences, meetings and professional functions in your target market.

Ask For Testimonials

There is no harm in asking for a testimonial for a job well done. Even if you do not need them immediately, or have no place to display them, you should keep them anyway.

You never know when they may be useful to help build up your reputation.

Ask For Referrals

A good practice is to ask your clients for referrals. You could ask them if any of their friends and associates would need similar services. Usually, clients are open to such requests if you were doing a good job on their projects.

Build Relationships with Clients

It is a good idea to keep in touch with past clients via email. You could share some information other than on a professional level. This will allow you to build up a good rapport with them.

If they start looking at you as a friend, they may refer you to others as well and think about you for any future projects.

Have a Marketing Plan

Like any business or product, it is necessary for you to prepare a marketing plan. Decide what mediums you will use to market your services, how much money you will spend, your target audience and how you will measure the return on this investment.

It's A Business - Not a Hobby!

Many freelancers forget that what they are doing is a business and not just a hobby. You should look at all projects that you take on as a series of projects, a continual business.

To be successful, you have to manage your freelance work just as if you were working for an employer.

Tony Jacowski is a quality analyst for The MBA Journal. Aveta Solutions - Six Sigma Online ( http://www.sixsigmaonline.org/ ) offers online six sigma training and certification classes for six sigma professionals including, lean six sigma, black belts, green belts, and yellow belts.

Freelancing For Newbies - How to Write an Effective Portfolio by Georgi Jivankin

2009-10-06T14:49:00.001-07:00

Many of you are failing in the freelancing business not because of inadequate skills, but because of a bad image. In order to be successful, you should present yourself as a leading expert in your field. For example, if you are a programmer and you want to work on programming projects as a freelancer, you have to demonstrate your skills so they can attract potential buyers.

When I started, I didn't have a portfolio. I relied only on words and that's the main reason for my first failures. It was a real pain for me to know that I am not selected to take any projects, having in mind that I have placed over 20 bids on 20 different projects. I was disappointed and disgusted, but I decided to experiment and I took a different approach. I canceled the remaining bids, opened my favorite text editor and started to write my portfolio. It contained all of my recent works as well as an extensive list of all technologies, languages and programs which I am using on a daily basis. Then, I saved the file and uploaded it on my personal blog. Then I went to the freelancing site and placed a few more bids with the link to my portfolio inside.

Amazingly, after a few hours I won my first project. After a day, I have already completed the work and requested my money from the site and after a week, I was having my first $30USD into my PayPal account. So my advice is to write a compelling and eye-catching portfolio and I guarantee you will receive many more projects by doing so. Not only you'll look more professional and trustworthy, but the buyers will no what exactly you can do for them and what you have done before, so they will have a realistic expectations when they choose you to work for them. Yes, many times you will not be selected because, for example, a provider with better feedback has placed his / her bid on the same project or because the buyer wish to work with a provider from a chosen country or territory, but your chance of success is doubled if you have a good and professional portfolio at your disposal.

Georgi Jivankin is an undergraduate student, but in his spare time he works as a freelancer and internet marketer.

Freelancing Moms - Top 4 Reasons Why You Should Create an Income From Home! by Sarah J. Cameron

2009-09-28T09:51:00.000-07:00

If you are a stay at home mom, you may be looking for ways to earn an income, while raising your kids at the same time. Can it be done? Can you have the best of both worlds? The answer is an astounding YES! You can earn a good income without sacrificing the joy of raising your children.

How? By becoming a freelancer. As long as you have a computer, a phone and an email address, you can earn an income. Here are some benefits of working as a freelancer.

1. You set your own hours - You have the flexibility of working only when you want to work, as long as you get your projects completed on time. You can work while the kids nap, before they get up in the morning, or after they are in bed for the night.

2. You work at home - Most people nowadays have a fully equipped home office with a computer and basic software. You do not have to commute or drop your kids off to a daycare centre.

3. Do What You Love - Whether your passion is writing, designing, creating, drawing, or sales, there is a freelance position for you. Firms hire people for all aspects of their business.

4. Work as much or as little as you like - you can take on as many jobs as you think you can handle. You are not limited to working for only one person or company. At first, you may want to only take on one or two projects, but as you get more experienced, it is possible to work on three, four or even five jobs at a time. It is entirely up to you. The number of jobs you take on will also likely depend on how old your children are; younger ones need more attention while older children are usually more independent.

For most moms, being able to stay at home and raise their children is a top priority; but in these economic times, many want a bit more security and a bit more money in the bank. Freelancing can give you both income and freedom.

Do your research to find reputable companies and individuals that are hiring and what they pay. This may take some time and effort, but worthwhile in the long run. If they like your work, many will hire you for other, similar tasks. This can ensure a steady income for you and your family.

FreeLancer.co.uk is the leading site where you can find freelancers and freelance projects of all kind, where businesses connect with independent professionals to get work done.

Providers: Get a healthy Second Income from Hundreds of Freelance Jobs!

Businesses: Access a Vast Pool of Skilled and Tested Talents Online!

Get the best of Freelancers and Freelance Work

Freelancing - Is it Worth It? by Ryan Huff

2009-09-28T09:49:00.000-07:00

The art of being a freelancer is known by several names; 'Independent Contractor', 'self employer', 'sole proprietor' ... etc but they all mean one thing, 'your the boss'. Freelancing is taking your art, your craft, your skill and profiting from it without the assistance or direction of someone else. Simply being your own boss my sound attractive enough on the sur- face to make you want to jump off of the 'employee bridge' but have you fully considered what being a freelancer means?

I am a freelancer myself so by no means is this a plug to advocate corporate slavedom, I just want to make sure that before you jump you know how high the bridge is.

Lets talk a minute about what it means to be an employee; you have some measure of security (even in today's world), you usually have some form of insurance coverage for medical expenses, you have people trained to handle your income tax deductions and some employers go beyond and offer savings/retirement account contributions ... just to new a few. You can have all of this and more as a freelancer, but you have to pay for it yourself.

So if you have all those assurances as an employee, why does anyone want to be a freelancer? The most common answer is earning potential. As an employee your employer tells you how much he/she is willing to pay you for a certain amount of your time and effort. As a freelancer how much you are being paid isn't predetermined. You have unlimited earning potential as a freelancer whereas an employer will generally be unwilling to pay an unlimited amount for a particular job.

As a freelancer, you get to enjoy the freedom of making all the choices that you can't as an employee but would like to such as; choosing where you work, choosing how long you work and choosing with whom you work ... just to name a few. As an employee, all those factors are predetermined. Should I become a freelancer?

Well, no one can tell you for sure but I can give you some tips and guidelines that you can use to either prepare to be a freelancer or gauge yourself to see if you are ready to be a freelancer.

Have you determined your 'break-even'? After income tax is paid (net), how much money do you need each month to pay all your bills and stock the refrigerator, how much money do you need to 'break-even' (it's a good idea to figure in a cushion for the unexpected)?

What is the likely hood that you'll consistently make an equal or greater figure than the figure from question 1 each month?

Are you willing to or can you reduce your standard of living without sacrificing qual- ity of life (i.e. if you had to, could you lose the cable, the gym membership ... etc)?

Have you educated yourself or secured the resources of someone who can help you with self-employed tax deductions? There are several tax benefits to being self- employed that are substantial enough to take advantage of, you need to be aware of them and use them.

Do you feel that without the direction of an employer you would be able to focus and stay on task and not succumb to the temptations of being lazy and unmotivated?

Do you have a financial cushion? Do you have enough money to survive on without any income for at least 6 months?

The answers to those questions are self explanatory but if you answer 'no' or 'I don't know' to any of them then I would think twice about jumping off the 'employee bridge' right now, go back and evaluate the area that your weak in before you jump. If your rock solid then the only thing anyone can tell you is to 'trust your gut'. For me, freelancing is the best decision I have ever made.

All I can say is that once you jump give it your best effort, don't be to quick to burn your freedom and come back to corporate slavedom.

Ryan Huff is a freelance web developer, technology mentor, martial artist, business developer and an avid internet marketer. You can connect with Ryan at http://rthconsultants.com or follow Ryan at http://twitter.com/rthconsultants.

Freelancing Advice For Student Freelancers by Gino Hitshopi

2009-09-21T10:45:00.001-07:00

Most students studying in University will undoubtedly experience money troubles, debts and lack of time to find even part-time work! Even those with part-time work will be employed in a bar, pub, restaurant or retail shop. Most will not be working at a place that is related to their degree course and most will not be benefiting from working here other than to earn a bit of quick cash. As times are changing, competition is rising for students after they graduate which is why it is important for them to begin researching and preparing for their career after they leave.

Some students opt for the freelancers work, as in they will independently or via an agent, approach various companies offering their services at a cheap price. Due to the current economic climate in the UK most companies have had to make cutbacks and most of these cutbacks begin with the staff! Some businesses that have been struggling financially, with one of the very things that they cannot afford to maintain are staff salaries.

A fully qualified professional with plenty of experience may demand a much higher salary for work that could be completed by student freelancers, with the same or as much skills as the professional. Of course there is the issue of experience, however when hiring a student they are able to not only give the employer their time and dedication. This is due to their motivation to use the work they complete with the employer as part of their coursework or end of year project that may count towards their overall mark.

For students it is not just an opportunity to earn some good money, but also to make new contacts with reputable companies. These companies will also have the advantage of gaining work from students who usually brimming with new ideas and who are also in first-hand contact with current events. For example, student journalists could work as freelancers and cover current stories on entertainment events or educational information.

The price that students charge will often be a lot lower than what a professional freelancer would charge, as the students primary objective is to gain as much experience as they can. Furthermore, students may even open up an opportunity for future employment with the company that they work for which is why most will approach the larger more reputable companies.

As students the best way to approach companies is to contact them directly or have a recruitment agency to approach them for you. Some agencies are specially set up for students who are struggling financially whilst studying and lacking the time to work elsewhere. A lot of students are also more interested in working within their chosen career path or within a sector related to their degree course, which is why approaching these agencies will benefit in them reaching their overall goal.

For businesses this is a good opportunity to gain new information from potential staff and also increase brand exposure in a different market. If more students become familiar with the company brand, the more chances they will gain in being introduced to potential clients.

Gino Hitshopi is an expert on finding freenlancers jobs for students having worked as a freelance writer in the past when studying at university. For more information on student freelance jobs visit http://www.studentgems.com/

Freelancing - Do You Have What it Takes? by Tony Jacowski

2009-09-21T10:44:00.000-07:00

Freelancing can be done in many industries. The most popular, of course, are computer programming, website design, writing, editing, IT services, contracting, and construction. The term 'freelance' basically means that you go from one project to the next, and only get paid for the work that you actually complete. When you choose to go freelance, you will be in charge of your own financial destiny. You need to be aware of what your services are really worth, and willing to tell people how much you charge without backing down or letting them tell you what they want to pay. A good freelancer will charge less than top dollar, because they will get more work that way.

You shouldn't expect to be an overnight millionaire when you get into freelancing. Starting out will be slow, and you won't likely make a lot of money until you establish a name and reputation for yourself. However, the harder you work, the more money you can make in this field, which is why many people turn to it as their way of working. As a freelancer, you have to be motivated to get the job done, driven to stick to deadlines and meet clients' needs, and you have to be able to manage your time well. If you're not capable of what the client wants, don't be afraid to extend the deadline. They want YOUR services after all, not the other way around.

When you get into any kind of freelancing that allows you to rely on the internet for finding work, you need to watch out for scams and people who are going to take advantage of you. A good practice to ensure the safety of everyone is to require half-payment up front and then the rest upon completion of the project. This will protect either party from getting ripped off in the end. Freelancing is a great industry to get involved in, but it takes a lot of commitment and dedication on your part if you actually want what you do to be both lucrative and successful.

Tony Jacowski is a quality analyst for The MBA Journal. Aveta Solutions - Six Sigma Online ( http://www.sixsigmaonline.org/ ) offers online six sigma training and certification classes for lean six sigma, black belts, green belts, and yellow belts.

Freelancing and the Power of Partnering by Walter Apai

2009-09-14T09:28:00.000-07:00

When a business decides to outsource, it is looking for a solution. It has a pressing project but lacks the internal resources to do it itself. Chances are, some poor marketing director has walked out of a boardroom meeting, faced with a recurring problem: the deadline has been set, the work laid out in front of him and he has no way to get it done. At this point, our poor marketing manager doesn't want to spend hours searching the Internet for the right web designer, review another pile of résumés for the perfect copywriter and plow through stacks of portfolios for a graphic designer... Our marketing director wants to pick up the phone, find a solution and put his mind at ease.

As the independent freelancer, you want to be the guy at the other end of the phone. Solve the marketing manager's problem this time, and chances are he'll call you again. But how can you be sure he chooses you for the job? Odds are you can't do everything. You've spent years honing your skills as a graphic designer, and the last thing you want to do is write web copy. The same goes for the copywriter, who doesn't want to waste time struggling with HTML code.

1. Be the Solution

Even though you can't do it all, you can provide a complete solution by partnering with others to fill in the blanks. For example, a web designer who partners with a copywriter can offer a turnkey solution that moves a website from initial concept to finished product. When providing a turnkey service, you suddenly make the jump from "freelancer" to "consultant". You are no longer providing a service, but rather are providing a solution. The more problems you solve, the easier you will find work and, ultimately, the higher your fee will be.

2. The Process in Action

Let's suppose our marketing director suddenly finds out he needs a website for a new product launch. He'll need artwork, web design and compelling copy to sell the product. Unfortunately, due to a recent "corporate restructuring", he has no in-house staff to turn to in order to get the job done. He picks up the phone and calls a local web designer, who tells him he'd be glad to take on the project, but that he can't help with the logo's design and that the marketing manager will need to provide the copy. Sure, our marketing manager has solved part of his problem, but he still has his work cut out for him. So he calls a second web designer and describes the project. The web designer tells him that he'd be glad to help. He asks the marketing manager if he needs web copy and graphics. When he says that he does, he replies, "No problem. I partner with a number of graphic designers and copywriters. If you'd like, I can contact them and put together a bid for the entire project. When we're finished, you'll have a complete website, ready for your product launch." Who do you think will get the job? At this point, the second designer is in control and in a position to make a much higher bid.

3. Form Partnerships

Now Don't wait until you need partners to seek them out. Otherwise, you'll be in the same position as the first web designer. Instead, seek them out in advance. Determine who you can trust, who you can afford and who will help you deliver the best product possible. Even more importantly, be sure you are comfortable working with these partners. As you look for partners, ask yourself some basic questions. Is this person reliable? Will he or she respond to the client's needs or fight every edit and revision? Does this person complement my services? Do we communicate well? Can I rely on him or her to meet deadlines? Ascertaining these details in advance will help prevent many headaches when working with clients.

4. The Win-Win-Win Situation

Ideally, a partnership creates a mutually beneficial relationship. For example, if a copywriter were to form a partnership with a web designer, he now solves a problem for the web designer. The web designer wants her websites to look as good as possible, which is difficult if clients provide poor copy. Thanks to this new partnership, our web designer can use the copywriter's services to improve the client's copy. The copywriter picks up a new client, the web designer delivers a better product and the client gets a much better website with little or no extra effort. A win-win-win situation for all.

5. Be Everything You Want in a Partner

When you work with a partner, consider it like working for a client: do your best work every time. Provide the level of service you would want to receive, and chances are you'll be working with them again. Provide a "solution" for your partner, and that partner will return again. Do that often enough and work will start seeking you out, rather than the other way around.

by Walter Apai

Webdesigner Depot is a resource for web design trends and resources. We also feature Photoshop tutorials, inspirational posts and free downloads. http://www.webdesignerdepot.com.

New Website Helps Businesses Avoid the 7 Deadly Sins of Website Re-design

2009-09-14T09:26:00.000-07:00

Calling it the latest resource for Online Marketing Development Dizzy Heights has unveiled a new website at www.websiteredevelopment.com where visitors can retrieve valuable advice on how to redevelop existing websites without falling foul of common pitfalls.

According to Dizzy Heights Marketing Executive Meri Garcia: "Many site owners decide to redesign their sites without even considering the implications it will have on their current site visitors and on their business. The underlying problem is that most sites will only apply a rudimentary face lift expecting that this alone will attract countless visitors. This isn't always clear cut. You must optimise and localise your site if you want to succeed. You need to market it properly. What is the point of a re-design, if not?

Be careful with the changes

The incorrect planning and implementation of a new website can take your whole online business a step backwards if you are not careful. You can lose valuable search engine authority and ranking for your key pages or even your whole site traffic if you do not exercise an equal measure of caution and common sense when moving to your new site.

As Director of Dizzy Heights, the website company behind websiteredevelopment.com, Laurence O'Toole points out;

"We have seen sites lose all their search engine traffic after a site wide re-design or major upgrade. The millions of business owners who decide each year to upgrade or replace their existing websites are at risk of losing hard fought search engine rankings, visitors and sales by failing to ensure that their website design agency understands the fundamental factors that you must get right when transitioning from one site to another - even if you do not change domain".

Websiteredevelopment.com features a blog containing the latest advice and best practice on how to redevelop an existing website in a way that is not detrimental to your online business. It contains useful and practical suggestions and advice on key matters like "The 7 Deadly Sins of Website Redesigns" and best practice advice for redesigning your website.
of DVDs and videos.

http://www.websiteredevelopment.com is a new website that contains advice on how to redevelop your existing website without falling foul of common pitfalls and problems that many site owners experience.

Greeting Cards - For In-between Freelancing by Scott Lindsay

2009-09-08T12:03:00.000-07:00

"U.S. consumers purchase approximately 7 billion greeting cards each year, generating nearly $7.5 billion in retail sales." *

Have you ever wondered who actually writes all of those greeting cards you purchase? Sure there are staff writers who may develop themes and specific greeting cards. However, there are numerous freelance writers who have received checks for the use of one or more of their greeting card ideas.

"There are an estimated 3,000 greeting card publishers in the U.S., ranging from small family-run organizations to major corporations. GCA-member publisher companies account for approximately 95 percent of industry sales." *

With so many greeting card publishers it is easy to see that this may be a market worth looking at. Many freelance writers who have sold ideas to greeting card companies find the idea a profitable means of using their downtime.

When these writers find themselves without a pressing deadline or if they have a few moments to spare, they will often jot down a few creative ideas. When they accumulate dozen or so ideas, they send them onto a greeting card company for consideration.

"The exchange of greeting cards is one of the most widely accepted customs in the U.S. There are cards for virtually any occasion or relationship, and they are widely available. Approximately 100,000 retail outlets around the country carry greeting cards." *

Greeting card companies often pay $25-300 for accepted original ideas. One of the best ways to match your idea with a publisher is to conduct some research of your own. For instance some card companies only accept non-rhyming poetry while others only accept humor. Some want inspirational thought while others deal in the cliché.

"Nine out of 10 Americans say they look forward to receiving personal letters and greeting cards because cards allow them to keep in touch with friends and family and make them feel they are important to someone else." *

The majority of the publishers in the greeting card industry will not provide online submission guidelines, but will supply them to you with a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE). Find a publisher you like, check out their website and ask for submission guidelines. Expect significant rejection, but know that the ideas did not take much time to develop during a time when there were no other pressing deadlines. Then when an idea is accepted you have the knowledge that this is an easy add on to your existing freelance writing structure that resembles fishing, but has a prettier end result.

* Statistics provided by The Greeting Card Association

Scott Lindsay is a web developer and entrepreneur. He is the founder of FaithWriters and many other web projects. FaithWriters has grown to become one of the largest online destinations for Christian writers and Christian authors FaithWriters is a great place for writing jobs

Freelancing - A Comfortable Working Option by Merlin Trau

2009-09-08T12:02:00.000-07:00

The upsurge of the internet has led to the initiation of thousands of work-from-home opportunities for people who do not mind putting in extra efforts for earning some extra bucks. These people who opt for a myriad of online job opportunities are known as freelancers. Freelancers are specialists who lend their expertise in a particular job which requires the finesse of an expert. Companies who offer such online opportunities are on a look-out to reduce their expenses incurred on hiring a full time employee and find an expert to cater to their job requirements.

Today, it is a popular option amongst people belonging to industry domains like accounting, content writing, marketing, web designing, advertising, SEO, business development, language translation and research. Professionals belonging to these sectors opt for freelancer online jobs to lend their area of knowledge for online companies from the comfort of their home. Freelancing, by such professionals, is opted as a part time job which they do in their free time. Apart from the above professionals, online jobs are best opted by housewives who have lavish time to take up such jobs and earn a decent monthly remuneration for themselves. Many websites like freelancer-online.com provides a great platform to job seekers to find suitable work options.

Here are some of the most eminent benefits one is bound to gain after opting for the freelancing jobs:

Extra bucks: With the soaring prices of necessities, leave aside the luxuries; earning this bit of extra income has become the need of the hour. With these online job opportunities, you can make a decent income, ranging from $100-$1000, depending on the nature of work. As freelancing does not require any legal permission, you can conveniently start earning without acquiring any license or spending a penny on sundry like bills, credit cards, commuting etc.

Flexibility: The best advantage of opting for freelancing jobs are one's freedom to choose the right time and place to carry on with one's assignments. Though freelancing involves a strict compliance for deadlines, a freelancer can, however, choose his own set of working hours to complete the project. So, no more frequent interventions from your daunting boss. You fix your own time to work and to take a break. You're your own boss and thus manage your own time.

Convenience: For your freelancing job you are not bound to even step out of the realms of your home. All you need is a PC connected with a broadband connection to carry out your research work and remain in touch with your employer. No wonder, this is the best option for mothers, who can both earn their living while with bringing up their children.

Personalized work station: A productive work station always gives a boost to the employer's output. A mundane workstation in a regular office can deeply affect his productivity. Therefore, with freelancing as one of your working options, you can give a personal touch to your workstation. Right from planting flowers to tuning into the right radio station, you can ensure that every decorative in your workstation works towards your productivity.

The Ins and Outs of Freelancing by Tony Jacowski

2009-08-31T12:54:00.000-07:00

What Is Freelancing?

Freelancing is doing work for an employer without contractual commitments to any one employer or company, working in one's own office, usually paid by the job, and the number and importance of jobs depends largely on reputation.

The freelancer often takes on the responsibility for getting a job done by identifying and hiring the necessary experts.

Benefits

Both the organization and the freelancer benefit from this arrangement. An organization gets a job done and pays less than it would to a salaried person. A freelancer learns from the variety of projects handled thereby building a rich and diverse background.

Freelancers may work simultaneously on more than one assignment.

Drawbacks

There are certain drawbacks to freelancing. Since there is no commitment beyond the current project, the freelancer is not under the wing of an employer and has no assurance of work.

No regular salary is paid and there are no fringe benefits.

What Kinds Of Jobs Do Freelancers Do?

The range of jobs is vast. Some typical jobs are writing, editing, web design, graphic design, and legal and medical transcription. Other jobs might be project development, administration, and data entry. Some freelancers do strictly research.

Many companies and organizations have projects that can be done by freelancers. Often a retired executive is appointed in the capacity of a consultant. Part-time help is sought for inventory control and management.

Today, one of the most sought-after skills is writing. Web designers are also in demand, and this can bring ongoing and continuous work.

The Obligations of Freelancing

Freelancers need to bear certain things in mind. Flexibility and adaptability are very important. The requirements of the employer need to be met. Work procedures should conform to client requirements.

Another important consideration is doing work the freelancer knows and is competent in rather than the kind of work available. It is the freelancer's responsibility to keep the client posted on the progress of the job and to check if alterations are needed. This helps build good reputation and rapport.

Freelancers need to be easy to get in touch with by phone, email or webcam.

Success in Freelancing

Reputation goes a long way in succeeding as a freelancer. It is best to settle into the work style of freelancing part-time before venturing into it full-time. Freelancing can be done locally, nationally, and even internationally.

Advertising and building a website and maintaining a mailing list will promote your efforts. In short, good networking is beneficial. The best thing about freelancing is that you can own your own business and work from home.

Tony Jacowski is a quality analyst for The MBA Journal. Aveta Solutions - Six Sigma Online ( rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.sixsigmaonline.org/">http://www.sixsigmaonline.org ) offers online six sigma training and certification classes for six sigma professionals including, lean six sigma, black belts, green belts, and yellow belts.

Sick of Corporate Stress? Try Freelancing by Diana Schneidman

2009-08-28T12:30:00.000-07:00

If you've spent any time online learning about the benefits of becoming a freelancer, consultant or some other type of entrepreneur, you are well aware of Johnny Paycheck's example and why you should tell them to "shove it."

Writers expand on the pleasures of self-employment: wear what you want, do what you want, sleep when you want, amuse yourself when you want, and ideally, have enough money to pursue all these pursuits and more.

Anything is better than your last job, whether you are now drop shipping Chinese-manufactured exercise equipment or selling old stuff from your basement on eBay, they argue. You just may be able to afford a second (or third) home and still have spare time to coach your child's T-ball team.

But lately there is an even more compelling justification for self employment: the commonplace, yet extreme, dysfunction of many corporate workplaces.

Now I don't have numbers to support my theory-I can't even suggest ways the Departments of Commerce or Labor would measure it-but the anecdotal evidence is pretty convincing. The atmosphere in the modern office is highly toxic. Psychological cyanide is billowing out the A/C vents and saturating those long gray hallways and gray cubicles.

What a time and energy drain the typical office has become.

Today, the very best part of freelancing is removing yourself from omnipresent corporate stress!

Let me reminisce about the early 1990s. The receptionist would get a call at 10:30 that everyone must be back from lunch by 1 for an ad hoc staff meeting. Right at 10:30 work would come to a complete stand-still and we'd gather to speculate about the big message.

Often if was merely that a different executive was being rotated in to head our department. We'd think that was big news, but it pales in importance to the major layoff notices coming down more recently.

Well, the stress is huge lately, in case you haven't noticed. Corporate employees are falling apart from the craziness.

If you've been working inside this environment, you know what I mean. It's the insanity that makes unemployment seem desirable. It is the underlying cause of silly arguments, temperamental blow-ups, withholding of critical info and most important, conflicting and impossible demands on staff.

The best thing about freelancing is that you can limit exposure to tension to 10 minute blocks of time, all of them by phone. We commiserate when the client is pressured or fearful, try to distill meaningful input, and convince them we know what we're doing and the results will be fine.

Then we hang up, go about our work, and thank God we don't work there. Or we sit back with our coffee, turn on Oprah or go for a walk. But mostly you smile, knowing it is their problem, not yours.

Or perhaps it is your problem. Your contact's job may be in jeopardy, and in turn, you may lose out on future assignments if they are let go.

There's a solution for this too. As a freelancer, you are always looking for the next assignment. So simply redouble your efforts, just in case.

Diana Schneidman helps unemployed and underemployed people who want to start earning money quickly as a freelancer or consultant. She has successfully practiced freelancing and editorial consulting in marketing communications and market research for the insurance and asset management industries since 1992. Access her free report that reveals "Two Secrets to Start Getting Freelance and Consulting Assignments Quickly and Two Dangerous Questions Guaranteed to Lock You Up in Analysis-Paralysis Prison" and other free information at http://www.StandUp8Times.com