So you’re a workaholic, and make yourself available (to yourself) 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Running a freelancing business is like breathing to you. Stop, and you believe you’ll die. Free lancing should be called slave lancing, shouldn’t it? This is a follow-on to my previous article: The 24×7 Freelancer Trap . […]
Getting Out of the 24×7 Freelancer Trap Read More »
This is the question many freelancers are asking at this time. We market for a simple reason. If our customers (existing and potential) don’t know we exist, what we do, and how we can benefit them, how will we get more work? Savvy freelancers like you know that marketing is a core function of your
Freelancers: How To Market Yourself in a Recession Read More »
If the project you were busy working on has just been shelved then you might be feeling puzzled, frustrated or even angry. Sometimes, it doesn’t seem logical or even fair. It’s likely that your project has suffered the consequences of one of these 3 reasons: The excess of boom-times causes business leaders, in recession, to
Canned Project? 3 Big Reasons Why Your Project Has Been Cancelled Read More »
No isn’t the dirty word. It isn’t the killer of deals, or the destroyer of business
Freelancing Negotiation: Start with No Read More »
It’s become the de facto means for people to tell each other what they’re having for lunch, or which movie they’re about to see. Not just that – it’s become a hotbed of activity for business and commercial purposes, favored by Internet Marketers, Bloggers and product developers to spread the word about their vittles. A
How to Use Twitter in Your Job Search Read More »
Just like permie employees, you rise from a long and restful sleep on a Sunday morning, put on some coffee, enjoy a long breakfast reading the newspaper, and then decide whether it’s the beach or the park for a day’s fun and relaxation with the kids. NO WAY JOSE! Instead, you slide out of bed
The 24×7 Freelancer Trap Read More »
If you’re in Sales, a Freelancer or in a role where you need to secure some kind of deal, at some point you may need to Cold Call
How to Cope with Cold-Calling Read More »
The recession is a different environment from boom-times (er.. yeah?) so have you spoken to your accountant about what options you have to strengthen your finances? A straw-poll of freelancers and contractors told me yesterday that only 17% of freelancers are talking to the accountant. Why aren’t freelancers talking to their accountant. Perhaps the equally
Freelancers: Talk to Your Accountant Read More »
We’re in a recession. Cashflow is tight. So don’t let your invoices go unpaid another minute! This is short, but sweet. In business, cashflow is king. Profit is great. Low-cost operational costs – cool. But without cashflow, you’re dead in the water… Chasing invoices is the must-do activity if you’ve got debtors. The Time-Value of
Freelancers: Chase Your Invoices Read More »
By combining your LinkedIn profile with Facebook ads, you’ll discover an effective way of getting yourself in front of potential employers who use Facebook (and let’s face it, who doesn’t?) It’s a guerrilla job-hunting tactic that enables you to search the hidden job market and find or even create the best jobs before they hit
How To Find Work in Your Dream Organization Using Facebook And LinkedIn Read More »
Fact: Taxes Are A Pain In The Ass, But They’re Part Of Business Any business, whether online or not, really has to pay its due taxes. Some people would resort to starting an online business thinking that they can evade tax payments if they do so but the truth is, the tax dues will surely catch up with them
Taxes: The Dangleberrys of Online Freelancing Read More »
Who said “The only things certain in life are death and taxes?” Yes I remember – it was the taxman. It’s not to late to start planning for this year’s drain on your bank account by getting your finances in order. No one enjoys dealing with taxes, especially freelancers by nature. We do this job
10 Excellent Tax Tips and Resources for Freelancers Read More »
You might have learned this before – ALL freelancers should use Freelancer Marketplaces (such as Elance) for ALL their work (and somewhat obviously then) buyers who use freelancers should use them too. They bring to buyers and freelancers benefits that mustn’t be scoffed at. PROBLEM: The currency used is $USD, but what if you’re not
Essential Tips for non-US Freelancers Using Freelancer Marketplaces (e.g. Elance) Read More »
Did you see the news item where an Iraqi journalist, Muntadhar al-Zaiydi, threw his shoes at President George W Bush? Whether you’re a Bush supporter or not, it’s hard not to see the funny side of this, especially at the skill in which ‘W’ dodged the missiles. [Are these classed as Weapons of Mass Destruction?]
Who Would You Throw Your Shoes At? Read More »
Freelance Marketplaces, like Elance and Rentacoder, have grown very popular with freelancers and their clients because they are a ‘platform solution’ to many freelancer business problems. For a small(ish) fee, freelancers enjoy many benefits. What are they, and why use these platforms? You might already be familiar with these platforms, and use them regularly. If that
You may have noticed that SimonStapleton.com has been focusing a lot lately on landing that top job. It’s no surprise these posts have received a lot of feedback, as in this global economy, landing a well paying job is something that is highly desired. But how do you perceive your worth? Do your perceptions on
How To Calculate Rates in a Competitive Market Read More »
As a freelancer, you are likely to be in a disadvantaged position as far as personal development and feedback goes. Why? Well permanent employees, as a rule, are nurtured by their employers. You don’t receive the benefit of the development opportunities presented to permies, unless you create them yourself, and out of your own pocket.
As a Freelancer, You’re At A Disadvantage Read More »
The Open Source movement continues strongly, and with it comes a greater number of more powerful free tools and applications. After a long week of scouring the web for the best free programs, I’ve compiles a list below where you will find a great selection of tools and applications for those in the IT/Development and
35 FREE Tools for IT/Developers And Business Read More »
In a recent post on her blog, Elizabeth Harrin shares with us some research from Forrester which (in her words) reminds us that projects are about people, not technology. Elizabeth Harrin is a blogger (a girl’s guide to project management) who won the ComputerWeekly 2008 IT Blog Awards in the Project Management category. Her post
Projects Are About People, Not Technology (According To Elizabeth Harrin) Read More »
Why do IT Projects fail? There are 10 reasons why failed projects end up that way
Ten REAL Reasons Why IT Projects Fail Read More »
