A Day in the Life of a Freelancer

This entry is two-fold; it's informational and insightful and for those reasons, it will run through the month of September. First, it will give you a peek into the world of freelancers (such as yours truly) and two, it will pose the question many freelancers have – do I have what it takes to turn freelancing into a full-time income generator?

Let's start by answering a few other questions. “What is freelancing?” Basically, freelancing is “working independently" and is considered a form of “self-employment.” You do not report to a traditional job or put in the traditional 9-to-5 workday; you are not paid a traditional salary or benefits. You pick and choose work based on your personal interests and skill-sets and you are paid once the project is complete. Simply put, you are working on your terms, and your “office” is either the local coffee shop (love that aroma) or a sandy beach with a breath-taking view of the ocean (or in my case, the lake).

So let's take a look at how this can become a reality for you. An employer (oops! -- I mean a business owner – who does not necessarily need a full time staff person but needs a project completed, posts the job on a freelance website. The project in this case will be 2 hours of transcription that will probably take about 4-5 hours to complete. You (aka “freelancer”) apply for and are awarded the assignment. Two hours or two day later, the project is complete and you submit your invoice for payment. The business owner is very happy with the project and promptly pays the invoice. Once any administrative fees are subtracted, you are also happy because you have received payment for a job well done! Keep in mind that many projects do not pay well in the beginning and you will be tempted to skip over these.  However, I would suggest getting your feet wet as soon as possible to get your name and skill-sets out there in the “freelance community”. Even if your first few projects are less than imagined, you will be excited to see the deposits made to your account.

Finally, there are many ways to build a freelance career but where do you start? What resources are available?  What types of projects will you work on and is freelancing for you? Trust me, you will ask yourself these questions and many more. I could list some of the answers here but if you are like me, you might want to explore on your own.  There are a host of resources available but here are my suggestions for getting started.  Visit Crowdsource.com, Upwork.com (formerly O-Desk), and Guru.com. These sites offer projects that are available once you set up your “free” account. For higher paying projects (the projects that require specific skill-sets and expertise), you may be required to take a few tests or in the case with Guru – increase your membership which includes additional fees. If all of this sounds intriguing still, you must then answer the following questions:

Are you willing to sit for hours, reviewing and applying for potential jobs?
Are you willing to work on assignments for small amounts of money versus a 9-to-5 and benefits?
Are you curious and excited enough about freelancing to give it a try?

If you answered Yes to any of these, I say go for it! -- but don't quit your day job just yet. Rome wasn't built in a day and most likely your earnings won't be either. So what's the plus side? While I can't speak for others, for me it's the thrill of running my own business, earning extra income no matter how small, and the potential to make a living, working on my terms.

How to Become "Unstuck"

Hello Entrepreneurs! I am recovering from a severe case of writer’s block which has held me hostage for the past several weeks. Truth is, I have been literally “stuck” in neutral for the past month or so. But of course, we’ve all been there -- nothing new in the idea department, business is down or non-existent, the phone is not ringing and the mounds of crumpled paper representing frustration, have taken up residence in the corner of your office. So what’s an entrepreneur to do?

I could you tell you that I sat down and made a “to-do” list and tackled everything on it right away – but I did not, because I knew it would end up in the pile with my other lists. I could tell you I met with some fellow entrepreneurs in my favorite coffee shop for an “idea session” and came up with some wonderful and innovative ways to increase business – but I did not, because just like me, they were also “stuck”. So what did I finally do to get things moving? I began cleaning up approximately 22,000 e-mails. These were not business e-mails but those “potentially interesting reads” I vowed to peruse before the end of the century. Trust me – I will not. Sooooo, I created a folder for each month of the “current year”, deleting anything outside of the "current year" and ended up with a group of folders, pared down to a more manageable state. The end result – albeit 4 ½ hours and 1,940 e-mails remaining in my In-Box is the post you are now reading. Share with us how you shift out of neutral and get back on track. In the meantime, a coffee run is definitely in order. Enjoy!

SIMPLE ADVICE FOR TWEAKING YOUR BUSINESS WEBSITE

I am “launching” my business website again.  As business owners, we all do it -- revamping, re-inventing, re-thinking, re-designing, re-launching -- because we (the business owners) are convinced that we have not made the world aware of our on-line presence. Let’s just stop right now.

Take a look at your website, as a consumer, and try to be very, very objective.  You are now the “customer” here.  Is your site functional?  Does it take you, the customer, to where you need to be and does it offer products and services you can use and easily purchase?  If you answered “Yes” to both of these, then you are on your way; get some sleep.  If you answered “No” to either one or both, you still have a little work to do, but still – get some sleep. Start fresh the next day with a clear mind and a great cup of coffee.  Signing off at 4:55 a.m.  (Not good).

The Business Benefits of Working With A Virtual Assistant

If you are an aspiring entrepreneur or currently run a home-based business, are you in a position to hire support staff?  One person, maybe two?  If you're like most small business owners starting out, the answer is probably "No"!  That's OK because there are solutions.  Virtual Assistants to the rescue!!!

How to Control Start-Up Business Expenses

When I began writing this entry, my first thought was to focus on small business owners only.  However, it occurred to me that these tools and tips could apply to not only home-based business owners but individuals as well.  Anytime an idea is transformed into a business concept and eventually into a real live business, one of the most important elements often overlooked in  the start-up phase are the expenses involved in bringing it to fruition.

Watering the Seeds of the Small Business

For most of us, “April Showers Bring May Flowers” -- or maybe not.  We know that in most parts of the country, it usually rains quite a bit during the month of April.  If we have planned carefully – planted seeds or bulbs, early or late last year, and if our green thumbs serve us correctly – we know we most likely will see flowers bloom in May and early June.  Now -- let’s take that same concept and apply it to our home-based business.