Letting The Cat Out Of The Bag: Is Freelancing Really For You?

Freelancing and working from home is a dream to many. Designers, bloggers, social media experts and many other careers that didn’t exist a couple years ago have now become a comfortable means to earn a living for some.

Freelancing sure does sound great, but ask anyone who has been doing this for a while and they will tell you that the cons are usually higher than most anticipate. Sure, you get to take a break anytime you want. Working in your pajamas sounds great, but the stakes are much higher than most imagine.

In this article I want to look at some of the downsides of freelancing, and take a sobering look at some realities that every freelancer needs to confront.

Never a Guaranteed Income

This may not be true for some, but for most this is the case. Ask any freelancer and they will tell you that one of the biggest cons of working from home is the uncertainty of it all. There are a few freelancing gigs that offer a consistent income, but working from home is usually one of those deals where you can go from rich to poor within days.

If you’re single you can survive on the bread and butter, but if you have a family to feed make sure you do the research before you dive in. Remember to look into the future not just the present — you might be able to earn thousands this month but once the contract is over it’s back to the basics.

Life On The Web Can Be Lonely

Most freelancers are dependent on the internet. We all know that networking on the web is all about social media these days. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and others all have started replacing the need to hang out at a coffee shop, and Friday night bar outings are frequently replaced by podcasts.

No matter how much fun it is to socialize on the web, real life socialization is important, and often difficult to find as a freelancer. You will have less opportunities to just be around people than you would at an office. The reason being that your participation on the social web directly affects your business and we can’t let the business die. Socialization on the web isn’t only a matter of choice when working from home, it becomes a necessity, an integral part of your work — but there aren’t too many socialization opportunities at home.

Time, The Devil

Seriously, managing time while working from home is one of the toughest aspects of freelancing. If you are single you might not have a lot on your plate, but anyone who has family knows what I am talking about. When you work from home there are expectations and you might feel a heightened sense of responsibility. Kids running around, nagging relatives, or a couch potato spouse might make the job even harder.

Many freelancers end up working late hours since they are so tied down with household responsibilities and other things that you can usually avoid if you work in an office. Time management isn’t an easy task and many freelancers fail to manage time effectively. This can cause problems not only in your work life, but in your personal life as well. This is one of the key things you need to analyze before you jump onto the freelancing bandwagon.

Different Roles, Different Outcomes

Being a great designer or an awesome writer isn’t good enough when you decide to become a freelancer. A freelancer has to be the best in a lot of other fields. For example, you may be the best designer out there, but what’s the point if no one knows about you. You need to be a good marketer too.

Whether through social media participation or a campaign of some sort, you have to be able to sell yourself to the clients. Freelancing isn’t about being good at one thing, it is being good at many things. You have to be the productivity guru, financial planner, a good salesman, smooth talker and above all the best damn time manager there ever is. Freelancing is about putting all of your eggs in one basket and making sure they stay in there.

Too Much, Too Little

If you are a freelancer, I am sure you can relate to this. One of the things most freelancers battle with is what to charge and whether to charge hourly or by project. If you are a designer, you can either charge by hour or the finished work. Same thing with writers and other freelancers.

It’s a thin line between getting that dream job and losing it because of pricing. Ask for a higher amount and they might bail out, ask for less and they might think you are not good enough because it’s lower than industry standards. The biggest problem arises when you take on a job and find out you are actually charging way less than you should be for what you have been doing. You will go through a lot of different stages when freelancing, and trust me, most of the time you never get out the “too much or too little” situation.

What do you think?

What do you think? Are you ready to be a freelancer? If you are a freelancer, do you agree with what I had to say? Are there any other difficult realities that I missed?

About the author: Ritu is a freelance writer who has been involved in social media for several years. At the moment he is working on a variety of projects, but is always open to new ideas. Contact him at email(at)ritubpant(dot)com or follow @ritubpant on twitter.

Retrieved on 13^th October 2009 from http://freelancefolder.com/is-freelancing-really-for-you/

New To Networking? No Problem

Build your networking skills--one step at a time.

written by Ivan Misner

As an entrepreneur, one of your primary goals is to continue to fill your pipeline with new business. One of the most cost-effective ways to do this--particularly for a smaller business--is through networking. Before you can begin to be an effective networker, it's important to identify some of the strengths and skill sets that you bring to the table as a business professional.

· Are you a people person?

· Do you enjoy public speaking?

· What kind of professional background did you have before starting your business?

· How long have you lived in the area where you do business?

· What other natural skills do you have (such as time management, organizational skills or keeping clients focused) that may not fall directly into your business expertise but are valued by people?

One of the biggest roadblocks to networking is the fear that being more of an introvert impedes any successful attempts at networking. In fact, it's a question I get quite frequently: "How do I network if I'm not a naturally outgoing person?"

Go ahead and breathe a sigh of relief, you don't have to become Mr. Man-About-Town, to be a successful networker. Most business people, over time, naturally develop a certain level of comfort from dealings with customers, vendors and others in their day-to-day transactions. So even people who aren't gregarious or outgoing can form meaningful relationships and communicate with a little practice.

Become the host
Over years of teaching people the art of networking we've found many techniques that can make the process markedly easier--especially for those who consider themselves a bit introverted. For example, volunteering to be an ambassador or visitor host for a local business networking event can be a great way to get involved without leaving your comfort-zone.

If you're wondering how being a host can help your introversion just think about it. When you have guests at your house or office, what do you do? You engage them, make them feel comfortable; perhaps offer them something to drink. What you don't do is stand by yourself in the corner thinking about how much you hate meeting new people.

By serving as a visitor host at your local chamber event, you effectively become the host of the party. Try it! You'll find it much easier to meet and talk to new people.

Build your social capital at your desk
If it's taking you a bit longer to get used to face-to-face networking, remember that thanks to technology's continuing advances, you can also network without ever leaving your desk--online networking is a very effective way to connect with potential clients and referral sources.

Computer technology and the growth of the internet has made it easier than ever before to connect with large numbers of people. Online networking gives you broad reach with low cost and effort.

What online networking doesn't do, however, is provide a forum where relationships can deepen. The nature of the medium strips away essential communication cues such as facial expression, tone of voice, and body language. That is why emoticons were invented--to help convey whether one is happy :D, unhappy :(, or joking around ;).

Online networking has an etiquette all its own which some would deem rude. Communications are blunter and less polite, and this often comes across as aggressiveness. It's easy to get "flamed" online-- encounter open hostility that is. In person, social norms still dictate more restraint.

It's usually better to use online networking with people only after you've established a relationship with them by traditional means. To develop trust, respect and true friendship, it's hard to beat in-person conversation and the occasional handshake or pat on the shoulder.

Offer advice to break the ice
So, we're back to the challenge of doing some face-to-face networking and you haven't had much practice at it, or you're not sure how to break the ice. You might want to start by offering some free professional advice.

Let's say you're a real estate agent talking with someone at a networking event who, although not ready to buy a home today, is heading in that direction. You could say something like this:

Well, I know you're not interested in buying a home right now. But when you're ready to start looking, I'd highly recommend checking out the north part of town. A lot of my clients are seeing their homes appreciate in the 10 to 20 percent range, and from what I understand, the city is thinking about building another middle school in that area.

See how it's possible to offer some value-added advice without coming across too sales-y? A statement like this acknowledges that you aren't trying to push them, while still demonstrating your expertise. He will probably remember the conversation when he's ready to act.

This model works for just about anyone in a service-based industry in which knowledge is the main product. If you're a marketing consultant, give your prospects a couple of ideas on how they can increase the exposure of their business. Don't go overboard; maybe share a technique you read in a magazine or tried with one of your clients.

This technique open up a good conversation with the person while you're networking and, if you play your cards right, who do you think they'll go to when they're in need of your kind of service? When it comes to building rapport and trust, few things do it better than solid, helpful information provided out of a genuine concern for the other person.

Become a trusted source for quality referrals and contacts
Another way to ease into networking is to provide a referral or contact. This could be a direct referral (someone you know who's in the market for another person's services) or a solid contact (someone who might be helpful down the road).

Let's say you're networking, and you run into a person who owns a printing shop. You talk for a while, you hit it off, and even though you don't know of anyone who's looking for this person's selection of print services right now, you'd like to help him out. So you say:

Jim, I don't know of anyone who's actively in the market for printing services right now, but I do have someone who I think could be a big help to your business. Her name is Jane Smith, and she's a marketing consultant. I know a lot of her clients need business cards, flyers and things like that printed, and while I don't know if she has a deal on the table right now, I think you both would really hit it off if you got together.

You see how easy that was? You stated right up front you don't know what will come of the contact. But you then followed up by saying you do think this person could help and briefly described how. Chances are this will sound like a good idea to your new contact.

Called the "father of modern networking" by CNN, Dr. Ivan Misner is a New York Times bestselling author. He is the Founder and Chairman of BNI, the world's largest business networking organization. His newest book,Networking Like a Pro, can be viewed atwww.IvanMisner.com. Dr. Misner is also the Sr. Partner for the Referral Institute, an international referral training company.

Retrieved on 28^th December 2009 from http://www.entrepreneur.com/marketing/marketingideas/networkingcolumnistivanmisner/article204186.html

How to raise money for your tech startup

written by Kris Appel

As a first-time entrepreneur, raising the money to launch launch a medical device was a significant undertaking.

I am not only a first-time entrepreneur, but I chose to start a company in an unfamiliar field. I have a background in linguistics, but my company develops medical technology for stroke rehabilitation.

So I started this endeavor with two strikes against me. This month, I will close my Series A round, and my first product was launched this summer, a rehabilitation device that improves arm function in survivors of stroke and other brain injury. Here is how I was able to attract investment:

• Humility -- Everyone knows something I don’t. Why wouldn't I want to learn from them? I am thankful that people care enough about me to offer their advice and give me their time. I'm sure they have other things to do, but they've chosen to spend this part of their day with me, and I'm going to listen to what they have to say.

• Be nice to everyone, all the time -- I’ve met people everywhere who might turn out to be investors or important advisors. You never know when someone is going to help you, it could be weeks or even YEARS away, but you want them to remember you fondly, and to want to help you succeed.

• Meet with everyone who asks -- Especially early on, I met with everyone who requested a meeting with me. And I didn’t mind asking each person for something -- a referral, a market report, scientific data I couldn’t afford to buy, business advice. Some of those casual meetings turned into major investments later.

• Enter business plan competitions -- I entered, and won, a few business plan competitions. In addition to winning cash for my business, I made a lot of contacts, got some very positive press, and got a TON of free advice about my business plan.

• Let people get to know you -- All of my investors were strangers to me when I started this company. But I sought them out in the beginning as advisors, and spent time with them over months and years, talking about progress I’ve made and where I’m headed. It helped to build trust and credibility, and they eventually invested.

• Be patient -- Every single aspect of this business has taken a lot longer than I thought it would. But so far everything has happened exactly as expected, just at a different time.

• Surround yourself with supportive people -- This is the hardest thing I’ve ever tried to do. I needed all the courage I could muster, and support from friends and family. I dropped friends who couldn’t support me, and found new ones who understood. It made a difference.

• Keep your business plan current -- This seems obvious but it’s harder than you think. Almost every month STILL I take time to update my business plan. You never know when you’ll need to email it to someone, or enter it into a business plan competition, or use parts of it for a grant or loan application.

Kris is the founder of Encore Path, a medical technology start-up in Baltimore.

Retrieved on 11 October 2009 from http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/technology/2009/10/how_to_raise_money_for_your_te.html

10 Ways To Make Your Freelance Business Fail

written by Laura Spencer

As I wade through the many blog posts and articles written about freelancing, I notice a very definite trend. While there are ample materials written for the freelancer who wants to succeed, there seems to bevirtually nothing written for the freelancer who wants his or her freelance business to fail.

It seems a bit unfair, really. I can picture some poor freelancer miserably trapped in his or her success and desperately wanting to get out. Where can they turn to for advice?

Before today, resources for freelancers wanting to fail were scarce. Today, however, we’re going to fix that problem right here at FreelanceFolder.

If you’ve ever thought to yourself this business would be perfect if it weren’t for all of my clients, then this post is for you. We’ll give you a list of tactics that will drive those pesky clients away and quickly lead to your ultimate goal: freelancing failure.

Ten Easy Ways To Fail at Freelancing
Failing at freelancing is not nearly as difficult as many people think. In fact, you can probably find ways to avoid working without ever leaving your home or investing any money.

Here are ten easy ways to fail at freelancing with hardly any effort:
1. Take deadlines as a loose suggestion. If you can meet a deadline, great. If not, well don’t sweat it. You’ve heard of the saying “fashionably late?” Well, when it comes to freelance failure that saying applies to projects too.

2. Take your time when replying to clients. Why reply today when you could reply tomorrow? Keeping them waiting is one of the best ways to fail. The longer the wait, the better your chances of scaring them away.

3. Don’t answer your phone either. There could be a client or potential client on the other end of that line. You have better things to do with your time than talk to a client. Let it ring! Best of all, don’t invest in an answering machine or any kind of voicemail system, that way you’ll never even have to get back to them.

4. Don’t deliver what the client wants. You’re probably smarter than your client and your taste is probably better than theirs too. When your desires conflict with the client’s wants, choose to do what you want to do. You’ll be happier, and they’ll get a better project.

5. Let your emotions out, all of them. If you’re mad at a client, let them know about it. There’s no sense in letting all that anger build up inside you where it could possibly spoil your day. Why not let it spoil your client’s day instead?

6. Run errands. If you work at home, you’re probably surrounded by household tasks that need doing. Why not take a break from work and do them? After all, your priorities are at least as important as the priorities of your clients, right?

7. Fast track your failure with video games. Video games are awesome if you’re trying to fail at freelancing. You can spend hours, even days, playing video games instead of working on your projects.

8. Get wrapped up in daytime television. You’ve probably heard people say that “there’s nothing on during the day.” Well, they’re wrong. Turn your television set on and you’ll quickly discover that there are programs that air during the day.

9. Take up a hobby. Be sure to choose one that has nothing at all to do with your freelancing business. Devote as much time as possible to your hobby – even time that you would normally reserve for client work.

10. You have a bed, use it. Don’t bother to get up in the morning. In fact, if you don’t feel like it, don’t get up at all. When you’re trying to fail your rest is much more important than your freelancing business.

Share Your Tips for Freelancing Failure
All right, I have to admit it. Nobody here at Freelance Folder really wants your freelance business to fail.

However, we freelancers sometimes behave as though we want our business to fail without realizing it. Recognizing and eliminating these failure-causing behaviors can actually help you find freelancing success.

Did you recognize yourself in any of these failure tips, even a little bit? Are there other freelance failure tips that you would add to the list?

About the author: Laura Spencer is a freelance writer from North Central Texas with over 19 years of professional business writing experience. If you liked this post, then you may also enjoy Laura’s blog about her freelance writing experiences, WritingThoughts

Retrieved on 13th October 2009 from http://freelancefolder.com/how-to-make-your-freelance-business-fail/

When Work Doesn't Make You Happy

written by Gill Corkindale

Thanks to everyone who responded to last week's post about whether work should make us happy. There are some great insights and suggestions from readers on how they manage this difficult balance, from the philosophical to the personal and practical. Your responses were further confirmation that this is an important subject and I shall certainly be reflecting on them in the weeks ahead as I work with my clients.

One of the reasons why I am especially interested in this subject is because I became unhappy at work some years ago and felt I had to make a change. I had been a journalist for 16 years, when suddenly I knew I'd reached the end of the road. As I began to examine my dissatisfaction, I realised that it was a combination of several things: no clear sense of my next career step; restlessness with the role; the need to broaden my skills; the need for a break and, most importantly, a desire to connect with people.

The effect of my unhappiness became clear as I became irritable with my colleagues and demotivated with the job. But I hung on for a year before I made a move — I found it very difficult to listen to my inner voice telling me I had to give up a successful career. I was lucky, though, because I knew pretty quickly that I wanted to become an executive coach. Even so, the path was certainly not easy. The contacts and friends I thought would support me disappeared, my master plan fell apart, my savings evaporated and two long, dispiriting years passed before my business took off.

Looking back, three sound pieces of advice got me through the hard times:

· Find your own community and support system

· Be prepared to rip up your most cherished plans

· Stick with it for at least two years

I was lucky enough to have friends who helped me emotionally and financially. I went back to university and found a bunch of people who were in the same boat, and later a supportive group of colleagues. I had to give up my plan and roll with the changes. The important thing was that I didn't give up even during the really difficult moments (and there were many!), and as a result clients and associates acknowledged that I was in it for the long term.

I guess the big question now is, am I happier? Well, as we have seen, that's a difficult one to answer! I am certainly happy to be in charge of my own destiny, to have more freedom and to be more engaged with people than before. But it's not all plain sailing: there have been some very difficult moments to weigh against the happiness and satisfaction I now derive from my career. I don't think I would have learned or experienced as much had I stayed in my old job, but on the other hand I miss the camaraderie and fun of the office and the intellectual stimulation from my colleagues.

It all comes down to choice, and this is where I believe happiness lies. In choosing — as far as you are able — what you want to do and how you will do it. While not all of us can choose our work and colleagues, we can all choose how we approach things — with an open, optimistic, and positive outlook or with a frustrated, irritated one. To this end, I suggest you look at the work of positive psychologists such as Martin Seligman and Tal Ben-Shahar, whose course on happiness at Harvard has been inspirational for many students.

Ben-Shahar's six tips for happiness, which include accepting your emotions (positive and negative), engaging in meaningful activities (at work and outside), understanding what you are focusing on, simplifying your life, living healthily, and regularly expressing gratitude are simple and practical.

More personally, the work of Srikumar Rao has been exceptionally helpful to me in defining my life and work. I strongly recommend Professor Rao's down-to-earth yet uplifting approach, which is both refreshing and practical. In a series of exercises he shows the way to build your personal happiness and resilience, including putting an end to your mental chatter, being appropriately selfish, and taking charge of your personal happiness.

What do you think? Do you have any experiences to share about managing your career or changing direction? Or do you have any simple suggestions for putting your life and career in perspective?

Gill Corkindale is an executive coach and writer based in London. She works with managers and leaders from Europe, Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East to develop strategies for business effectiveness and personal change. Formerly management editor of the Financial Times, she uses her journalistic skills and business insights to bring a new perspective on global management and leadership.

Retrieved on 8^th October 2009 from http://blogs.harvardbusiness.org/corkindale/2009/09/when_work_doesnt_make_you_happ.html

Making First Contact With A Client

written by Jan K

The day has arrived! You’ve started your business and you’re about to discuss a project (or order) with your first client.

So…what do you say?

Forget the fact that you really want or need this client. Forget that you’d do just about anything to get the job. Remember that you are now a business. Remember that you are in business to make money (and, hopefully, a profit).

Don’t Be Too Personal

You should definitely be friendly and personable, but don’t be too personal. Your client doesn’t need to know your life’s story. Keep all conversations on track by sticking to business. Answer questions with truthful answers---don’t promise the moon, because you’ll be expected to deliver it.

Congratulations! It Looks Like You Are Going to Get the Job!

Communication with the prospective client is going very well, and you are confident that you are going to get the job. Now is the time to have the “How am I going to get paid?” conversation.

Always keep in mind that you are a business. You want to be paid. You have an expectation as to how and when the client is going to pay you. Don’t be bashful about beginning the discussion:

“I’m looking forward to this opportunity to work with you. I do want to talk about how I’m going to be paid. My expectation is that you’ll pay me immediately after I deliver the finished job. I normally send an invoice along with the job, and ask that you pay me upon receipt of the invoice. Is there any reason why you won’t be able to make immediate payment?”

If the job is going to be on-going for several weeks, you might like to broach the subject of being made on an interim basis:

“For jobs like this that are going to last more than 3 weeks, I ask to be paid for work done to-date at the end of each week [or “for each segment of the job as it is finished”].” Is there any reason why I would not be able to be paid weekly [or “after I send each segment”]?”

The objective here is that you cannot shy away from having this conversation. Again, remember that you are a business and you are in business to make money. That means you expect to be paid. Don’t make the mistake of working for a client who is unwilling to talk about making payment. You can be flexible and understand that sometimes companies have a set procedure for paying invoices, but the bottom line is to have a clear understanding of how and when you are going to be paid before you take the job.

Should You Take a Job that You Don’t Think You Can Handle

Regardless of how “hungry” you are for the work (or how desperate the feeling that you really need to get the job), you do have to be mindful of your limitations. If the client is asking for the impossible, and you have some immediate doubts that you can deliver, then be realistic enough about yourself and your capabilities to turn down the work.

It is also possible that you could do the job, but the client wants it sooner than you know you can finish it, or wants to pay far less than you are asking. Once again, don’t be afraid to say that you can’t take the job with the time or money restrictions imposed by the client.

Know How to Negotiate

Try to maintain a positive attitude, while you are turning down the work:

“I understand that you need it by Thursday, but I cannot have it done by then. I can get it to you by Friday afternoon. Will this work for you?

“I appreciate the fact that you are working within a tight budget, and I’d like to accommodate you, but I’ll need at least $XXX to be able to the whole job. Perhaps there is a specific section that you definitely need to have done, and we can work out a deal for that.”

As you can see, the idea is not to actually turn down the work. Try to negotiate for a different deadline or a different portion of the job that you can do. This indicates to the prospective client that you have some flexibility and that you are making a good effort to accommodate the need for your service.

Should You Take a Job that You Really Don’t Want to Do?

There’s no bigger mistake that you can make. If your brain starts to raise warning flags about the job before you get to the end of the conversation with the client, then you should pay attention to them. For whatever reason, if you don’t feel immediately comfortable about taking the job, you should walk away from it.

Don’t feel as though you need to justify your decision to the client. If you just would rather not take the job (too challenging, too much work, not enough pay, you get a feeling that you might not get paid, etc., then simply state that you are unable to take on the job:

“Now that I understand the entire scope of the job, I find that I just won’t be able to do it for you. I do appreciate the opportunity to talk with you about this project.”

If you don’t think there is a middle road, then don’t even attempt to negotiate for a different deadline or to tackle just a portion of the job. Your first impression is almost always your best impression.

Be An Instant Success!

Follow through on your promises and meet your deadlines, be confident about yourself, and be reasonable about your abilities. Don’t be shy about being business-like when dealing with prospective clients. Take the jobs that you feel comfortable taking, walk away from jobs that give you a bad feeling. You’ll establish yourself as being reliable and as the “go-to” person who can get the job done!

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Jan K., The Proofer is freelance proof reader and copyeditor. Visit http://www.jansportal.com for more information about Jan’s proofreading and copyediting services and Jan's other free resources. Please visit Mom's Break(http://www.momsbreak.com/) for free printable crafts and projects. © Copyright 2005. All rights reserved.

Retrieved on 16^th September 2009 from http://www.freelancemom.com/Freelancing_JK.htm