Freelancers: Here's How to Maximize Your Workday
Stop procrastinating at work
Okay, I make jokes on social media all the time about how half of my workday is spent looking at Facebook, but distractions are a real problem for most freelance writers. The folks over at Activia Training have come up with this great infographic that can help you stop procrastinating and maximize your workday. You can read more here.
I'm a New Business- How Can I Prove I'm Legitimate and Trustworthy?
More people than ever are able to quit their day job and set up their own business- a venture they are truly passionate about and can pour their heart and energy into. While this is fantastic, it’s certainly not all smooth sailing. As a new business you’re a small fish in a large pond and need to prove to customers that you’re worth your salt. In general, customers like to shop with sites and brands that they know and trust, as they are understandably wary of scams and bogus companies. So as a new, up and coming business you need to show that you are professional and will deliver on the products or services you advertise. Here are some of the ways you can go about showing potential customers that you are who you say you are, and persuade them to make their first order.
Online Presence
These days your company has to make a good impression online, no ifs or buts. Even if you’re a local business that doesn’t sell online this still applies to you. People looking for local services will be scouring the web, so your business needs to be visible or you will lose out on potential customers.
The first way you can be present online is by having a good quality website created. Unless you’re an expert don’t try doing this yourself, while many sites make it easy to build basic websites these days it can still look amateurish. Invest money into this part of your business- a smart, professional and fast loading website will show customers you’re a legitimate company that can be trusted. While anyone with a bit of computer know how can put together a basic website these days for a scam, a high quality site shows people that this is less likely and it’s a site that can be trusted.
Social media is another critical element to get right. A good following and responsive pages show you can be trusted. Social media is just one marketing strategy of many you should be considering, you can get more information from theprauthority.com on this.
A smartphone app is another way you can be present online. This gives you a chance to get onto the phones of your customers and have your site and products just a click away. Plus, an app shows you’re legitimate since they have to be verified before being added to the app store. On top of this, scam websites wouldn’t go to the hassle or expense of having an app created, so the fact that you have one will reassure potential customers. There are lots of talented app designers online, take a look through some portfolios and find a designer whose work fits the image you want to create.
Finally, writing a blog is another way you can be present online, and again is something that a scam site wouldn’t go to the hassle of doing. A blog can help to grow your customer base, and plus it shows that you also know what you’re talking about in the area you sell in. For example, if you sell clothes you could write about fashion and styling tips and advice, trends, celebrity looks and more.
Uniforms and ID Badges
If your business has a physical store, or your workers interact with clients or customers in any way (even via video chat), then uniforms are a good way to make your business look more professional. You can have a custom logo embroidered on things like tshirts, shirts and hats. You will usually pay an initial fee to have your logo added to the system, but after that you can order items of clothing for uniform whenever you like.
An obvious point: the staff wearing the uniforms too should be behaving professionally too. Good training will ensure that everyone knows what they’re doing, how they’re expected to behave and how to respond to different questions and scenarios.
A Nice Workplace
getting an office for your freelance business
If customers or clients ever come directly to your workplace, for example if you’re a shop or an office, you will want to make a good impression. If your customers are underwhelmed, they could easily go and find another company to shop with instead.
The decor and aesthetics of your office are important. Neutral walls look clean and smart and maximise the light, making the office look more spacious. Living plants add a decorative touch and allow it to look professional without being too clinical looking. On the plus side, they have also been shown to boost productivity in the workplace too. Choose nice furniture, and ensure the office is kept clean and tidy so that it’s both functional and looks nice too.
Two Tips for Small Business
Running a small business is a process that has radically changed over the past decade. Before, you’d set up a brick and mortar store. You’d make a name for yourself in your local community and you’d rely on physical traffic through your store to make sales and generate a profit.
However, nowadays, with the rise of Ecommerce, we’ve become a lot more dependent on tech and the web. Now, Ecommerce is great. There are all sorts of perks that come hand in hand with it, such as reaching a worldwide audience more easily, operating at all hours of the day and night, and better opportunities for networking and brand collaboration.
But when we’re so much more reliant on tech, it’s important that we take measures and precautions to ensure that we succeed, no matter what may be thrown at us. So, here are a couple of pieces of advice that will help you to make relying on tech less hassle and more problem-free.
Make Sure You Have an IT Consultant
An IT Consultant is an essential contact for any company - no matter how big or small it may be. IT consultants can take a look at any issues you may be having with the tech you rely on and they will be able to offer advice to repair it or replace it as quickly and effectively as possible. There’s no point looking for an IT consultant once a problem has already occurred. This will only delay proceedings and will mean your business is out of service for a longer period of time - impacting sales and profits. Having an IT consultant ready and waiting will help you tackle issues immediately and get things back on track much more quickly. Now, there are two ways of going about this. You can have an in-house consultant or an outsourced consultant. In house consultants are ready whenever you are. However, so are outsourced and outsourced consultants tend to be a little more cost effective. This means that the latter is often the better option for small businesses in particular.
Update Your Software
Software updates exist for a reason. Those little pop up notifications we receive prompting updates aren’t there for the fun of it. But for some reason, so many of us click delay and ignore. When you’re running a small business that relies on tech so much, you need to make sure that you and any staff you may have are taking notice of these prompts and update software whenever updates are available. This will make your devices less prone to problems and hacking in the long run and prevent issues and wasted working hours.
These are just two pieces of advice that can make relying on tech a little less daunting. Tech is great for your company and your business’ progression. You just need to make sure you keep on top of things!
The Boring Side of Freelancing & Why It Matters
If you’re thinking of becoming a freelancer or have already made that transition, you probably want to learn about the freelance life. Today, it’s time to look at the boring things that often get overlooked, or at least, not talked about very often. Many of these things are important, though. And forcing yourself to spend time on the boring stuff could be the difference between success and failure as a freelancer.
Invoicing and Chasing
Of course, you’re going to want to get paid when you’re doing freelance work. No one wants their hard work to be for nothing. However, invoicing if pretty boring, and what’s even more tedious is the inevitable need to chase non-paying clients.
Anyone who has worked as a freelancer will have experienced late payments at some time or other. In some instance, those payments never arrive at all. It’s boring to do all that chasing, and it can get frustrating too.
Following Up
When you’re producing important work for people, it pays to follow it up. You need to be sure that the work you’ve completed was received in the right way. If that’s not the case, it can really throw a spanner in the works and destroy your reputation going forward.
By following up, you could get a chance to put things right if they went wrong. Doing all that following up is pretty boring, and it often leads nowhere. However, it’s not worth taking the risk of not doing it.
freelancing
Building Your Online Skill Set
You need to have the right online skills to succeed as a freelancer in the modern landscape. It’s all done online, and if you don’t have a strong online profile, then you won’t go far in most cases.
However, learning these skills can be frustrating and dull if they don’t really appeal to you. Not all freelancers are technically savvy, and they often just want to focus on the creative side of things. Tools like embedded BI at Izenda, among many others, can make life easier. And it’s often good to hire people and delegate tasks when you can afford to do that.
Handling Emails
Handling emails is something you do a lot of as a freelancer. On the one hand, you have people contacting you about all kinds of work, and you have to filter out the stuff you’re not interested in while responding to the stuff you are. You also need to communicate with other industry figures to boost your profile and move on up in your career. Pitching work to important people might also be an aspect of freelancing that you do, and it can get very repetitive and disheartening.
Just be sure to keep track of those that you're waiting for a reply from and to keep notes on people you want to contact. A simple spreadsheet can help keep that organized.
Freelancing is not all fun and games. However, freelancing means taking the rough with the smooth, and this stuff matters.
Need step-by-step tips for becoming a successful freelance writer? Read my book:
The Fluff-Free Freelance Writing Master Course: The only course that gives you concrete, actionable information to building a successful freelance business without any fluff.
Your Small Business Will Fail Disastrously If You Forget The Following
Failure! It's an ugly word, one that no small business owner wants to hear. Unfortunately, it's one many small business owners hear a lot. In fact, 8 out of every 10 small business folds in the first year. So to prevent your freelance business from being a part of those statistics remember to always do the following to give it the best chance of long-term success.
Put the customer first
Does the customer always come first in business? Most of the time. After all, they are the one ultimately paying your wages. Yet still plenty of small business owners seem to forget this.
Of course, it harms their business. With so many competitors out there why would customers stay where they weren't treated right? So as a business, you need to ensure that you provide the best service to you customers to retain them.
how to treat customers well
This is a multi-faceted process, but it includes being available for questions and reassurance, something that is vital if your business is online. Now, I'm not saying answering phone calls in the middle of the night. Make sure your business hours are posted on your site and that your customers know this. When your business is open, be sure to answer client emails, calls and texts quickly. And be friendly, gosh darn it!
Also, it's important that you keep your customer up to date with the delivery status of their order. Think about how aggravated you are when you order something from Amazon and don't get a tracking number. No one wants to be unsure when their item is coming after they have paid for it. A quick email update is all you need to send every few days to keep a client happy. Oh, and if you use route optimization software as part of your logistics, they will get their package faster, which will be a win for them and you, too.
Use specialized marketing programs
Another common mistake that small business' make is that they don't recognize the value of specialized marketing programs for the type of company and field they are in. Some make the mistake of thinking that they can handle their marketing in-house by reading a few posts online and sending out a couple of newsletters. You may need a little help, though.
marketing your small business
In particular, marketers offering specialized solutions like these comprehensive MSP marketing programs for managed service providers, are so valuable because they know the field that they are working in, inside and out. This allows them to create the perfect marketing strategy that will appeal to your target audience and allow your company to stand out from your competitors. Ensuring a consistent stream of leads to be converted into successful sales.
If you're just a one-person freelancing business, it can be a smart marketing tactic to create content packages for your customers. For example, freelance writers can offer monthly blog upkeep packages for businesses for a set price. The package can include weekly blog posts, social media shares and creative images for the blog posts.
Pay attention to finances
Also, ignoring the financial side of things can lead you down a path of woe. After all, money does make the world go round, and if you don't have enough of it, your business can definitely grind to a halt.
how to run a small business right
This is especially the case in the beginning stages of your freelance business if you don't have the correct funding to get your project off of the ground or to get your product developed. You need to learn how to deal with late invoice payments and company cash flow too.
Remember though that these can be resolved by having someone supervising the financial side of things, especially chasing the payments. This can stop a disastrous cash flow crisis before it's even happened.
I use PayPal as my invoicing system. It's simple to use and if a client doesn't pay, I can file a dispute with PayPal. I've never lost a case because I make sure to get everything in writing.
Have comprehensive goals and strategies
Lastly, a ship without a rudder is destined to get into trouble, and the same goes for your small business. You will definitely need clear goals and a comprehensive strategy of how you are going to achieve these. Think of your goals as the destination, and the strategies as a map of how to make the journey.
setting business goals
I like to write out my business goals at the first of each month. Of course, you may not always keep to what is written down, since being successful in business some time calls for some quick thinking and flexibility. That is where having a plan B comes in.
In fact, it is perfectly acceptable to look at the business model you are using and realize that it isn't doing everything it can to help you achieve your end goals. Change it by diversifying the products and services you offer, reassessing the market, client and price point, and even launching your company under a different concept.
Pro tip: I've noticed that one of the big slip-ups for most freelancers is that they undervalue their product. If you undervalue yourself, then others will, too. Raise your rates to find clients with higher standards.
Need step-by-step tips to making big money as a freelance writer? Read my book:
The Fluff-Free Freelance Writing Master Course: The only course that gives you concrete, actionable information to building a successful freelance business without any fluff.
Field Sample: Getting The Scoop On Your Own Business
As a small business owner, you already have loads on your plate. From the work you do to the little jobs that come with it. Most people in your shoes have barely a second to spare. Some areas, though, are simply too important to slip under the carpet. At the top of this list is something all businesses should care about; what their customers think of them. To help you out with this area, this post will be exploring some of the different ways you can gather a sample of how people regard your business.
Reviews/Feedback Forms
Reviews are an exceptionally powerful thing. Like a lot of the little parts of business, though, they can also be tricky to understand. If you have a lot of customers, but don’t have many reviews, this is probably a positive sign. It means that people aren’t passionate enough to leave a bad review.
Of course, though, it can still be worth working on this area to make sure reviews are coming in hot and heavy. The more you get, the easier it will be to start making changes to your company to make it better.
Third Party Surveys
Sometimes, you need a way to ask customers what they think of you, without letting them know that you’re asking for it. To achieve this goal, consumer survey companies can be used to get the scoop on your company. Using other businesses when questioning participants, the people supporting you will be able to maintain discretion throughout the process. This is often the best way to get very honest feedback. Try a Facebook group poll or SurveyMonkey.
Special Events
Trade shows, local events, and all manner of other special gatherings present you with a great chance to talk to the people buying from you. The attendees at these sorts of events tend to be very varied, giving you access to a good range of people.
Simply watching how people react to your custom marquees will be enough to know if you’re doing well. Of course, though, you should also approach people directly to understand how they feel. If nothing else, this will show that you care what they think.
Customer Retention
Finally, this last option is something you already collect, though you may not realize it. When someone buys from you, it’s almost like entering an audition, and the customer is the judge. If you fail to impress at this point, it’s unlikely that they will ever buy from you again. But, if you do well, you could gain a loyal customer for life. It should be easy to tell if people are repeatedly buying from you. You might want to use the help of software like Excel to present and filter your information, though.
Hopefully, this post will inspire you to start tracking what people think of your business. Not only should you be reading reviews, but you should also be working to achieve the other goals on this list, as well. One isn’t enough, since your customers will come from everywhere.
Pay Fair, Play Fair: Creative Strategies To Improve Staff Retention
preventing employee turnover
In the lurch! That is where your freelance business will get left if you have a high turnover of staff. In fact, it can cause an enormous amount of disruption to your business, adding extra work to other employees and to you. You'll need to fill these spaces and train the new people up. That is why high staff turnovers need to be avoided wherever possible, making staff retention something that needs to be high on any business owners or managers priority list. With that in mind read on for some creative strategies that can help with this problem if you're new to hiring -- and keeping -- employees.
Pay fair
One strategy that folks in charge of running a business can use to ensure a better staff retention rate is to pay fair wages. Yes, I know it's tempting to pay the least amount possible. However, paying just on, or under the goin
g rate is never a good idea. Remember when you were a struggling freelance writer, and your competitors (hopefully not you) were getting paid bottom of the barrel rates?
managing employee turnover
Low pay attracts the wrong kind of employees, ones that have to work there because they can't get anything else, rather than the ones that are at the top of the field. It also means that anyone you do employ is likely going to be on the lookout for a better-paid post, meaning your business is vulnerable to them leaving at any time.
To remedy this, pay a decent hourly wage or salary. Also, pay for overtime, and you can even incentivize longevity in your staff by offering increases in wages for long service. It is in these ways, you can use pay as an incentive to work for you, and to keep working for you, and so improve staff retention.
Play fair
It's not all about pay, though. You have to play fair, as well as pay fair, to encourage your staff to stay. So what does playing fair look like in the world of business?
dealing with employees
Well, in part it's about providing additional benefits to your employees that will reduce the risk of them jumping ship. This can include things like medical insurance, a bonus scheme, and even workers compensation insurance, a form of insurance that will protect your employees and your business if they suffer an injury at work.
In addition, it's vital to take a look at the expectations and working condition that you are providing for your staff. A healthy work environment, one that acknowledges and does something about major stressors can make all the difference here. For example, repeatedly imposing unrealistic expectations and deadlines can cause a lot of stress in your workers. While realistically assessing how long things will take, including breaks for stress-busting exercises is a much better idea.
You can even organize work-based wellness activities such as yoga, exercise, or meditation classes. Something that will help your employees deal with stress in their day to day work lives. Remember, if folks are less stressed, they are much more likely to enjoy their job, something that in turn makes it much more unlikely that they will up leave you, creating a staffing vacuum that you then have to deal with.
SOLO NYC: A Film About Freelancers in New York
I came across a pretty cool project about freelancers in New York, and I thought I'd share it with you. AND CO partnered with Soares to explore the freedom and entrepreneurialism that is frequently overlooked in the context of the so-called gig economy. The resulting piece, “SOLO NYC,” follows the triumphs and trials of four independent workers whose talents have led them to pursue their own career paths across a broad range of professional callings.
In the alleyways, back kitchens and matchbox studios tucked away in countless of bustling, yet remarkably unglamorous, neighborhoods wedged within the most vibrant city in the world, there’s magic is happening. Every damn day.
New York’s professional style understated yet relentless. Showing up, doing your best—and doing things a little differently—is the mantra of millions of people who rise with the sun to chase their dreams. With a little luck, and a lot of sweat, millions of men and women are making their career ambitions happen, and doing so outside of the traditional career path.
AND CO’s film “SOLO NYC” is an intimate look at the trials and triumphs of New York’s rising class of creative freelancers. Featuring Helen Levi, Alex Trochut, Adriana Urbina and Zipeng Zhu — Directed by Daniel Soares.
You can watch the film right there:https://www.and.co/solo.
“New York has always been about grit and relentless self-reliance—and this dynamic takes on a new meaning when applied to the city’s freelance workforce,” said Martin Strutz, co-founder of AND CO. “We made ‘SOLO NYC’ for the thousands, if not millions, of people wake up each day to chase their self-motivated career ambitions. They are thinkers, writers, creators and entrepreneurs, but most distinctively, they are independents.”
“The thread across all of my projects is a chance to feel something and then extend that feeling with the audience,” director Daniel Soares said. “This project was especially near and dear to my heart as it involved bringing to life the unique stories and perspectives of fellow freelancers who, like myself, call New York home.”
About The Cast
SOLO NYC
Helen Levi: Helen Levi is owner of Helen Levi Ceramics, and a freelance potter and photographer whose studio is based in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Born and raised in New York’s East Village, she has been profiled in Businessweek, GLAMOUR, ELLE, Vogue, Saveur and Bon Apetit, among other lifestyle and design publications. Levi began taking pottery classes in elementary school and continued through college, where she taught peers the craft despite studying photography. Today, a search for Levi and her work on Pinterest yields thousands of shares.
Instagram: @helen_levi
Twitter: @helenlevi
Website: http://helenlevi.com/
Alex Trochut: Alex Trochut is an award-winning designer, illustrator and typography artist based in New York City. A native of Barcelona, Spain, his talents have been tapped by clients like Nike, Adidas, The Rolling Stones, Katy Perry, BBC, British Airways, Coca-Cola, Pepsi and The New York Times. Influenced by pop culture, street culture, fashion and music, Trochut’s unique style has made him an icon in his space, garnering accolades from the Grammy Awards (nominated for best packaging in 2016), Art Directors Club, the Type Directors Club, the Creative Review, and more. He has more than 50K followers and 1M views on Behance. In 2011, he published the compilation book, “MORE IS MORE.”
Instagram: @trochut
Twitter: @alextrochut
Website: http://alextrochut.com/
Adriana Urbana: Adriana Urbina is an independent chef and owner of Tepuy Dining, a Venezuelan inspired pop-up dining company based in Brooklyn. Urbina has been featured in the New York Times, Huffington Post, and Eater and was recently named winner of the Food Network competition “Chopped.” Born in Caracas, Venezuela, she began cooking at age 12 and attained a double culinary degree from Le École of Alain Ducasse in France and Sumito Esteves in Venezuela. Since then, her pedigree has taken her to various Michelin Star restaurants before launching her own business in New York.
Instagram: @tepuydining
Website: https://www.adrianaurbina.com/
Zipeng Zhu: A former senior designer for esteemed design studios Sagmeister & Walsh and Pentagram, Zipeng Zhu runs an independently owned and operated creative studio, DAZZLE, from his Brooklyn home. His exuberant and colorful design, illustration and animation work has made him an icon and source of inspiration in the design community, with his projects garnering more than 400,000 views on Behance alone. Zhu grew up in China and moved to New York in 2009 to pursue his passion for design after abandoning his prior career path as a biochemist.
Instagram: @ZZDesign
Twitter: @ZZDesign
Website: http://zz-is.it/
Making a Business Out of an Innocent Blogging Hobby
Everyone loves blogging. It’s a fantastic way to get on the internet to share your thoughts and ideas, but how exactly do you turn an innocent pastime like blogging into a fully-fledged business? It’s actually a lot easier and manageable than you might think.
blogging tips
Develop your own niche
The first hurdle to overcome is building a niche. If you talk or write about general subjects, then your niche will be difficult to find and you’ll most likely need to rely on your reputation or personality to build an audience.
There are plenty of bloggers that talk just about their own lifestyle, the things they enjoy or current affairs. These types of bloggers are easy to come by, but only the ones with unique personalities or followings will be able to turn it into a viable business opportunity. Everyone else is usually pushed into obscurity because they have nothing that sets themselves apart.
When you want to develop a niche, you need to pick something that will allow you to create quality content that will engage people. A good start is to pick something you are personally passionate about. This could be something like a book series you like, a hobby you have or even something that you’re skilled at.
For instance, if you work as a programmer at a tech company then you could write about your work, you could write about your daily life and the projects that you work on (assuming you don’t break any rules about leaking information!). You need a proper niche if you want to be successful in blogging, so pick something that you can personally connect with.
Move away from WordPress and other hosts
If you want to take your blogging seriously then you’ll have to self-host your website. While free websites are fantastic for getting started, people aren’t going to take you seriously if you don’t have your own domain name and a custom design for your blog. This will make it far easier for people to remember your website and it also gives your content an air of professionalism.
This can often be difficult depending on how much knowledge you have regarding hosting your own website. It might be worth your time and money to hire a web designer to help you out, but if you’re willing to do some research and learn how to set up your own website and domain name, then it could save a lot of money.
Learn how to make money from your blog
There are plenty of ways to make money from your blog, but depending on your content, the delivery and style you focus on, you may need to adjust your ideas.
The most basic way to make money from a blog is to use advertisements. By placing banner ads on your website, you can monetize your website with the help of advertisers. It’s simple because all you do is place banners on certain parts of your website and you’ll get paid depending on how many impressions they get. Most advertisers pay per thousand impressions you get on the adverts, so it’s slow income unless you have lots of readers checking out your blog.
Another fantastic way of making money on your blog is to place affiliate links in your content. You place links to the products you review or use, then you get paid a commission whenever someone uses your link to purchase it. You can set up affiliate links with general companies such as Amazon, or you could have private affiliates that also include discounts for your readers.
Lastly, another option is to attach your blog to a service or product that you sell. For example, if you’re a blogger that focuses a lot on the history of something, then you could write an ebook that compiles all of the information you’ve written and sell it as a non-fiction book. For example here's my book:
Understand the costs of growing your blog
When your blog starts to generate money, you’ll need to start improving your content, hiring people and also spend money on outreach. After all, no one’s going to notice your blog if you don’t spend money on advertising it and spreading your reach.
The best way to do this is to start taking your blog seriously and thinking of it as an actual business. The moment you make your first penny from your blog should be the moment you decide that you are now a business and no longer a hobbyist.
Start looking at professional services to help you grow your blog. For instance, recruit the services of a marketing agency to help you expose your blog to a wider audience. Consider risk management strategies to minimise the possibility of your blog losing relevance in your chosen niche. You can find more details from Equify here if you’re interested in professional services that can help reduce the risks in your business. Even though you’re not a physical business, there are still plenty of ways to ruin your blog and sink back into obscurity.
Be careful
Starting your own business can be a difficult process that takes a lot of time, effort and resources. However, with the right assistance, you can make it much easier to handle especially if you’re turning something you love into a business.
However, it goes without saying that you should be careful when you turn a hobby into a job. Many people find that their love for blogging diminishes because it turns from being a pastime into a job, and some people often find that they lose their passion for writing as a result of it.
Make sure that you understand this risk before you turn something you love into a job. Try your best to pick a subject you feel passionate about, and treat your blog like a business as soon as you decide to take the plunge and turn it into something profitable. With a bit of luck and a lot of hard work, you can easily turn an innocent hobby such as blogging into a business venture.
You can also check read about website hosting at Mango Matter Media.
Bring These Office Skills To Your Home Business
More often than not, people spend a few years working full-time with a company to build up all the skills and experience they will need to bring to their very own company once they do decide to go freelance. So, which skills are transferable from full-time work to your home office? Here are just a few of them.
Time Management
Just like when working in an office, you will still have plenty of deadlines to stick to when you are working on your own at home. You just get the added advantage that you can do your work whenever you please, just as long as you hit the deadline.
freelancing
So, bringing your time management skills from your office job to your freelance life is a super idea. Often, freelancers get lazy when they work from home and start quite late in the day. However, it’s a good idea to try and stick to regular office hours as this can help you organize your time better and put you in a professional mindset ready for work.
A Professional Attitude
Speaking of a professional mindset, that attitude is extremely important as it can help freelancers create a structure for themselves. There are various ways you can help yourself develop a professional attitude.
For example, rather than sitting around in your pajamas all day, it’s important you still dress as if you are going to the office even if you have no reason to leave your house. You will also find it useful if you have a home office or dedicated work space for you in your home so that it still feels like you have an office to go to.
A Continual Training Program
When you are in full-time work, there are plenty of opportunities to train on the job and take courses funded by your employee. Once you are freelance, all your training is up to you.
Even though it may be expensive, it is still important that you take relevant training such as an operations management online degree and other further educational courses.
I recommend buying a subscription to a site like SkillShare. A premium membership gives you access to all of the learning videos. It’s one way you can edge past your competitors and be more attractive to clients than them.
Communication
Just because you don’t work in an office with other people anymore, there's no reason why you should neglect your communication skills. After all, you'll still need to keep in touch with your clients and customers via email, phone, and Skype. More importantly, you’ll need to maintain your communications with clarity and confidence and without any dropped calls or frozen video conferences. The best way to do that is with specialized internet services, for example, with internet for truckers or any other business vertical you may enter into. When you have clear connectivity and reliable internet service, you’ll be available to your clients at every turn.
Failing to stick to communication best practices could end up with you putting some of your professional relationships at risk. So, even though you might not use them on a day-to-day basis, don’t forget to take the time to brush up on your communication skills!
You might be surprised just how many of your office-based skills can be brought over to your freelance business. If you do transfer them successfully, your home-based business will certainly grow leaps and bounds!
Need help getting started? Grab my No-Fluff Freelance Writing Starter Pack.
Don't Believe These Myths About Freelancing
People hear freelancing and they think, sitting around at home all day doing barely any work and making good money out of it. They think that it’s easy and everybody that does it is doing great. If that were true, why isn’t everybody doing it? Because that isn’t true.
There are so many myths about freelancing and people are drawn in by them, only to find that it really isn’t for them and they’re struggling a lot. If you’re thinking about going freelance, make sure it isn’t for one of these reasons.
freelance writing
Freelancing is Easy Money
This is by far the most common mistake that people make about freelancing. They think that you can just get a load of clients and start making easy money straight away.
There are two problems there.
Getting clients takes work, and even when you do, you still have to work for your money. When you’re first starting out you’re going to be tight for money for a while. It might even be worth considering borrowing a bit from somewhere like smallbusinessloans.co to get you started or to save up a few months worth of savings. It acts as a good buffer, which you’ll need.
So many people leave full-time work to go freelance, only to find that they can’t get any work in and they’ve run out of money. It’s going to take a while to build a customer base and start earning a decent amount and if you aren’t prepared for that, you won’t last long. Here's how to get started finding clients.
Freelancing Is For Lazy People
A lot of people look down on freelancers because they think that they’re layabouts that sit around at home all day doing nothing. That’s probably true of some people, but most freelancers often work harder than people in a traditional 9 to 5 job.
The main difference is that we just work different hours. The amount of work that we’re doing is usually the same or even more than somebody that is limited to 8 hours a day in the office. We also have way more responsibility to deal with. When you’re working a normal job, there’s somebody else that is responsible for handling all of the finances and finding clients for the company, but a freelancer does that all themselves.
Freelancing Is Less Stressful
Everybody gets stressed about work and people think that freelancing is far less stressful than traditional work hours. That’s not the case at all. When you don’t have a regular paycheck you’ll have to deal with the stress of managing your finances and finding enough work to pay your rent.
There’s also the added stress of meeting deadlines that are often strict and at strange times of the day if you’re working with somebody halfway across the world. When money is tight and you’re trying to keep yourself motivated and finish projects as quickly as possible so you can get paid, stress levels are off the scale.
Freelancing is a great career option for some people, but if you’re only considering it because you think you can do minimal work for maximum payout, think again.
Your Online Writing Business Needs These Things To Thrive
There are some things you'll need to get right if you want your online business to not only survive but thrive over the long term.
Easy as pie! That is how most people regard starting up and running a business online. Of course, the reality of the situation tends to be a tad more complicated than that. In fact, there are some things you'll need to get right if you want your online business to not only survive but thrive over the long term.
An internet connection
OK, so having a reliable internet connection when you run an online business is pretty obvious! Of course, many online business owners prioritize low overheads above paying out for a reliable internet connection. The problem is they risk not being able to get online to talk to customers, or do client work, and put the success of their company in peril.
Protection from security risks
Next, if your business primarily operates online, it is essential that it is protected from any security risks. In fact, you will need to ensure that you safeguard your customers' information in line with the GDPR rules, and block any threats from entering your network too. Oh, and don't forget that you will need to ensure you can access your business remotely in a safe way as well. You can visit charlesit.com and site like them to find out more about getting a managed security solution.
A great online reputation
When trading solely online, as the post at mention.com suggests, your online reputation is essential. After all, the vast majority of people will check reviews for a product or service before they even consider buying it. Of course, that means you need to do your best to ensure that any reviews you do get are glowing ones.
Luckily, by offering a high level of customer service throughout your work with a client you can help to maximize your positive reviews. Even if you do get the occasional poor rating, it's not the end of the world. Replying in a calm, helpful, and positive manner is a fantastic method to show that particular person you care about their experience with your business while also proving to other potential customers that you care as well, something that can help you to continue to win over custom online.
A website that works for you
Finally, when it comes to running a business online, your website is one of the most critical assets that you have. In fact, without a site that is well presented, clear to navigate, and easy to use, you will be limiting the possible success of your online endeavor.
Don't panic if you’re not a coding wizard, though, as there are plenty of specialists out there that can create an effective and attractive website for you. If you don’t want to hire someone, SquareSpace sites are easy to set up and run (and inexpensive). That’s what I use.
Think You're Ready To Start Your Own Business? Hold On!
how to start my own business
We all have that dream of being able to stand up from our desks, tell our boss what we really think of them, and storm out, ready to start a new life. However, it's hardly surprising most people don't do that since they generally don't have a plan for what comes after. Thanks to the internet, it's never been easier to do just that. Of course, that doesn't mean that there aren't still a lot of challenges in your way. If you really want to start your own business, here are a few things that you need to be fully aware of before you get started.
Does the world want what you're selling?
It's easy to think to yourself that you've got the perfect product and that you're going to be a millionaire in no time. However, the world is filled with people who thought the exact same thing, bet everything they had on it, and then crashed and burned horribly.
Now, this is certainly not meant to scare you away, but it's always better to think about these things before you commit. Before you actually start to push forward with your business, it's incredibly important to do as much research as possible. The last thing you want is to discover, too late, is customers don't care about your product, or someone else is always providing it to them.
Do you actually have the time and skills?
Running a business is a serious commitment, and it's not something that you should take lightly. You need to be sure that it's something that you are willing to keep pushing forward with no matter what, even when times get tough and you're completely exhausted. Running a business isn't something that just anyone can do. You need to be sure that you're the kind of person who can handle the pressure involved in running a business.
how to start my own business
The legal stuff
Of course, the difficulty in running a business doesn't just come from your ability to make things work on a day-to-day basis. It also comes from your ability to navigate all of the complex legal elements of it, like forming an LLC, getting business licenses and choosing a registered agent. Before you do anything, make sure you head over to howtostartanllc.org to make sure that you've covered everything. Those things are far from the only legal aspects of running a business that you need to be aware of, but it's important that you get off on the right foot.
Of course, if you are able to deal with all of these things, then the only thing standing between you and starting your own business is how willing you are to commit to the hard work that comes with it. But if you are, then there are few things more exciting than being able to take total control of your life and career.
Want to start your freelance writing career? Read my book for detailed steps on getting started and becoming successful!
The Fluff-Free Freelance Writing Master Course: The only course that gives you concrete, actionable information to building a successful freelance business without any fluff.
7 Tips For Starting A Solo Business On A Tight Budget
You don’t always need money to make money. Many solo entrepreneurs have started with nothing. It’s all about being creative in the beginning and taking things slowly – the luxuries can come later. Here are seven tips for getting the ball rolling on a tight budget.
1. Work from home (if you can)
You don’t need an office to begin with – the cost of rent isn’t worth it. Start off by working from home. If you need to get out of the house to do meetings with clients or simply have some social interaction, there are always coffee bars to work from.
You can make changes to make working at home more affordable, such as looking for another electricity provider, which can offer you better rates for higher consumption. Companies like Smart Meter Texas, let you review your home's monthly energy usage to avoid having any bill surprises and allowing you to from work without worrying about your energy bills.
Those with dreams of owning a shop should consider an online store first. Of course, some trades can’t be run from home – however there may still be creative cost-cutting methods to get things started such as owning a market stall before graduating to a shop or operating out of a food truck before opening a restaurant.
2. Do your own marketing
You can do a lot of initial marketing for cheap online and still come across professional. Rather than hiring a website developer, why not build your own site for free on the likes of Wordpress.com? Set up social media pages to help boost your brand and print off your own business cards and flyers using free programs.
3. Use free software
As a small start-up, you needn’t be paying hundreds for business software. There are many free programmes available at the likes of AdminSoftware.biz that can help you to do all your accounting. If you’re going to pay for any software, digital security should be your priority.
4. Use free advice
Every business owner needs advice. However, you needn’t be forking out money on financial advisers and solicitors and IT assistants... at first. There are many free services in which you can ask questions to advisers online. There are also sites such as Citizens Advice Bureau that can have lots of business advice on. This isn’t to mention the amount of blogs and vlogs out there on the internet that can offer advice tips and step-by-step tutorials.
5. Outsource wisely
You can’t do everything yourself and there will be some jobs that you’ll need to outsource. Sites such as Fiverr.com are generally great places to look – you can find cheap freelancers who are able to handle everything from logo design to legal contract writing. Always check reviews and testimonials to get an idea of a freelancer’s reputation first to avoid being ripped off.
6. Consider borrowing
There’s no shame in taking out a business loan. Many business owners will borrow money to get their entrepreneurial venture started. It’s worth using sites such as BusinessLoans.co to compare interest rates and get the best deal. You could also consider hiring a loan broker if you’re looking to take out a big loan.
7. Seek investors
Another option to help fund your dreams could be to seek out an investor. Persuading an investor to give you money requires a solid business plan and a good financial incentive on their part. Unlike a loan, you won’t have to pay interest, although you will be giving the investor a share of your future profits.
Want to get started as a freelance writer? My No-Fluff Freelance Writing Starter Pack gives you everything you need to get started (minus a laptop!) for just $25.
Treat Your Blog Like A Business And It Will Boom
As you start to see your pages as products, your readers as customers and take your traffic, conversion, and business proposition seriously, you should be well on your way to making it as a money-making blogger.
So you want to be a blogger? Well, the first thing you’re going to need to do is kick the creativity to the curb (okay, not totally) and think like an entrepreneur. Blogging as a hobby is all well and good, but if you want to make some real money, creativity alone just won't cut it. Instead, you have to be big and bold and operate like a boss. To do that, you need to treat your blog like the business you want it to be. Board meetings and pencil skirts aside, you’re going to want to get serious with your blogging strategy.
To start with it isn’t that easy to see an online creative outlet as a profitable business, but the skill will come in time. To get you there, you need to follow a few simple steps. As you start to see your pages as products, your readers as customers and take your traffic, conversion, and business proposition seriously, you should be well on your way to making it as a money-making blogger.
Start With A Strategy
Every good business will have a strategy, regardless of what their main activity is. So, if you want to start running your blog like a legitimate business, you need to start out with a strategy. But don’t worry, you won’t have to do this alone. Creating a blog strategy like this might sound complex, but if you follow all of the steps, you should find that you’re able to come up with a plan of action to start treating your blog like a business.
Do Your Research
With a good strategy behind you, you can get started on taking your blog a bit more seriously. The first thing you’re going to want to do is to do some research. If you want your blog content to wow, you’re going to want to make each post count because quality is more important than quantity. So do some research to get some inspiration on what to write about. Look at what's trending, and keep an out for any gaps in content that you could fill with an original idea. Here's a good tool that can help you find out what is trending in your niche.
After researching, you should start to think about the way you can make your content count. Because not only do you want it to be shareable, you need it to be relevant to your niche too. So, to do this, try to ensure that every piece of content you create is interesting, educational, informative, or entertaining. It should have a purpose in terms of what it is giving to your readers.
Stay On Top Of The Competition
Just like in business, in blogging you need to know what your competitors are doing in order to stay ahead. So be sure that you’re reading their posts and following them on social media. That way, you can ensure that you’re offering above and beyond what they are, as well as coming up with original content ideas. Use more explanations, more graphs, more videos or anyway you can one-up your competition.
Focus On Your Following
Growing your blog's audience is a key part of making it a business success. It’s important that you’re able to gain more traffic, increase your conversion rate and generate more money if you want your blog and your business to grow. So work on growing your audience and see it as your customer base.
Facebook groups is one of the best ways to get eyes on your blog. Start a group around your niche and share links to your blog. Don't stop there, though. Also provide your group with a bevy of interesting facts, links to other's blogs and other fun stuff. No one will stick around in a group that's only ads for your blog. If you want an example, you can join my FB group for writers.
Put Out A Product
A key element to treating your blog like a business is being able to offer a range of products to your customers. So, you’re going to want to think about the products or services that you can sell from your blog over time. This may not be something that you do today, but you need to be thinking about it. What you decide on will often depend on your niche and what your customers want. Tees and coffee mugs are big hits with comedy blogs. Ebooks, whitepapers and affiliate products are some other ideas.
Take Care Of Your Customers
To run your blog like a business, you do have to see your readers as customers. For this, you may need to find an identity verification solution for compliant product sales, create a CRM database or even conduct meetups. Just make sure that you put your readers first.
As you start to work through each step and follow your strategy, you should find that it’s easier to see your blog as a business than you may have first thought. Then, you’ll be on your way to generating a strong profit from your blogging business.
The 7 Sins of the Unready Writer (Blogging for Noobs)
For everyone who wants to embrace the freelance writing career, there are plenty of helpful materials online to teach you exactly what you should be doing, and how, and preferably when and where, too. But I am of the opinion that the best lessons are the ones that show you clearly what you shouldn’t do. Here’s an ode to the worst mistakes of copywriting.
#1. You don’t stick to basic SEO rules
The first and most basic lesson is that online writing can turn into a successful business if you're being viewed and noticed. In other words, not obeying the rules of SEO – Search Engine Optimization – will get you nowhere. Your choice of keywords, aka the search terms that you want to address with your copy, will define whether readers can find your article or not.
For instance, picking general keywords is a pointless exercise. There's tons of competition! Targeting specific phrases is a better plan. Remember, though, keywords are only useful if you know where to place them naturally in your text, starting with headings and continuing with anchor texts and media names.
#2. You don’t research your topic
Do you remember that time in college when you tried to write essays without opening a single book? If you found it difficult to produce a quality paper, it’s likely that the lack of research had something to do with it. Similarly, when you work as a freelance writer, you need to approach your topics in the same way that a student approaches essays. Except that you don't need to hit the library for your research. You can find plenty of updated, reliable material online. There’s nothing worse than producing an incomplete article that doesn’t provide sufficient information or that delivers fake data.
#3. You don’t protect your content
Online content is accessible, findable and therefore stealable. However, you can protect your original content, using this guide on the DMCA functions. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act is a US law that punishes the infringement of digital rights. In other words, if you notice that someone is making a profit from your original content you can use the DMCA to protect yourself. The only hiccup is that you need to be on the look for potential digital abuse. Setting up Google Alerts can help, too.
#4. You are too generic
Do you know how many new articles are published online every day? The answer is TOO MANY. At least, too many for your content to get noticed if you don’t provide any specific information. Generic text is completely pointless. Get a niche and stick to it.
Niche blogs and niche content follow one specific purpose and they stick with a target audience. Niche content allows you, as a writer, to attract an interested audience. Generic content might seem easier to write – it involves less research time – but it’s often categorized as random, if not placeholder, content.
#5. You think you are too good for proofreading
Lets get things rite from teh startt: nobody enjoy to read a txt ful of mistaks.
Spelling mistakes, wrong punctuation and bad spacing rules make your content feel less intelligent. Readers won't take you seriously.
#6. You lack originality
An original piece of content doesn’t mean that you need to reinvent your industry to attract readers constantly. You can curate existing content – even the content produced by others – assuming that you do it smartly. Listing useful posts about a specific topic is a great way of repurposing content that is already available. Or, you could also write an opinion piece about someone else’s article or page, which allows you to reuse their content while adding a new angle to it.
#7. You don’t follow the trends
Writing great content takes time, but it doesn’t matter how long you spend on a piece. If it’s not related to any current trend or event, then it’ll go unnoticed. A good example of what not to do would be a Christmas article posted during the summer holiday. Nobody would care to search for it, let alone read it. Follow the trends to attract your readers.
Kindness Isn't Weakness: How Compassion Can Benefit Your Business
When it comes to effective business practices, compassion isn't the first thing to spring to people's minds. If anything, when we think of successful business people, we think of ruthless individuals who are harsh, stern, get their own way and often profit at the expense of others. But while this may prove true in some cases, the opposite actually rings true when it comes to operating a small business.
Small businesses rely a lot more heavily on a content and loyal staff base than multinational firms. When businesses are just starting out, highly competent and friendly staff can make or break individual sales which are essential to get your brand out there and cement your brand’s role as a serious marketplace competitor. So, how do you go about adding a compassionate touch to your business and brand? Here are a few tips and tricks to get you started.
Understanding Why Compassion is Essential
Many authority figures in businesses mistakenly believe that putting intense pressure on employees will result in better results from their work, such as increased sales and higher annual turnovers. However, what this actually does is increase stress levels among employees, which can have extremely detrimental effects on their personal health, which in turn will have negative knock on your business.
Firstly, if you offer paid healthcare for your employees, you can look to start forking out more to cover bills for stress induced illnesses such as ulcers, heart diseases and certain mental illnesses. High levels of stress can also contribute towards tensions between workers (meaning that any expenditure on team building exercises is wasted) and higher levels of staff leaving in favor of other positions with alternative companies (resulting in increased spending on recruiting and training new staff members).
hiring freelancers
Paying a Living Wage
While most companies pay the minimum wage when possible, it is a good idea to offer every single staff member a living wage. This shows that you understand that they have bills to pay and expenses coming out and are happy to ensure that these are sufficiently covered by the salary that you are offering them. Different people may have different responsibilities and commitments to cover financially, so ensure that they are gaining a good living from their hard work.
Rewards and Incentives
If you want to go beyond the call of duty, why not consider implementing rewards schemes and incentives in the workplace? These could be varied. Positive schemes to try out could include offering a bonus for the individual who has made the most sales over the year or a monthly prize for the individual who has shown the most improvement or received the most positive reviews via customer feedback.
These types of schemes within the workplace show your gratitude towards your employees and the hard work that and dedication that they are showing in their job roles, encouraging others to follow suit of leading individuals in the business.
Offering Compassionate Leave
While it is not mandatory that you offer individuals paid leave following personal issues or bereavement, it is highly recommended. This period of leave will allow them to get back on their feet and they will be hugely grateful for it. Remember that if an individual is requesting leave for some negative life event, pushing them to work isn't going to be very productive and will simply encourage them to leave your company, spread negative vibes about the workplace or badmouth your company (which may be heard or passed on to potential customers and clients). For more information, refer to this compassion leave guide for employers.
Listening to Your Staff Members
The final piece of advice on this topic is perhaps the most important: listening to your staff members. By taking the time and effort to communicate effectively with your employees, you will learn more about them, understand their situations and figure out how to improve the workplace for them.
This may be something as simple as installing a coffee machine in the staff room or a water dispenser in an office. These small changes can make staff more comfortable, content and able to focus on their work. Seemingly minor complaints concerning workload or standard protocol can help you to adjust job roles, responsibilities and other areas of your business to ensure that everyone is getting the most out of their experience within your company.
Following these simple steps can help you to become a more compassionate and empathetic employer who workers will warm to, appreciate their job and work at their highest ability.
Tools to Help Freelancers to Celebrate World Entrepreneur Day
I just received this great information, and thought it would be helpful for you freelancers out there, especially since it's World Entrepreneur Day:
The most recent annual report from Upwork and the Freelancers Union found that more people than ever are choosing to freelance, up to 55 million this year, or 35% of the total U.S. workforce.
Many factors are contributing to a surge in the gig economy like the growing costs of opening a business (office space, utilities, payroll, etc.) to employees seeking flexibility, but one thing remains the same: contract workers do not receive access to the same benefits that full-time employees working for companies do.
The following freelance-friendly services and tools give freelancers a leg up within the expensive major cities where they’re often based:
SPENT Money: SPENT Money helps freelancers save time and money by organizing business and personal transactions, capturing and storing receipts, submitting expenses while earning cash back on daily purchases.
Taxfyle: Taxfyle removes the hassle of finding the right tax professional for your specific needs. The app matches your tax profile to a network of tax professionals to ensure you receive expert service of a credentialed tax professional this season, at the lowest rates possible.
Breather: Breather creates an environment for freelancers to meet outside that isn’t a home, office or coffee shop. A Breather space helps you punctuate your work life, allowing you to meet, work and focus without distraction.
Shapr: Networking should be a joyful experience and Shapr helps freelancers connect with like minded individuals through tagged interested, locations and professional experience.
Protect Your Business with These Tips
The herculean amount of effort it takes to register and launch a business with a stable platform is awe-inspiring to see. Additionally, it’s something that should never be wasted. It’s a shame when we see the potential that certain ideas, projects and business visions have become wasted due to inaction, or inefficiency.
To that extent, it is very important to avoid business downtime to any extent that you can. There will be some days, such as intense snowstorms causing all of your staff to be homebound, where you may need to take a concerning day or two off. But for the most part, keeping your operations running well and caring for the growth of your company means limiting the time when you are out of operation.
As they say, time is money. However, it’s also important to balance this desire for success by ensuring your books are well managed and the work/life balance of those in your company is respected. With the following advice, you’ll achieve on all fronts.
Use Managed IT Services
Managed IT services are worth their weight in gold, and while you may visit zetasky.com to find out why, let me give you a brief summary which is agreed upon my many business leaders and proven industry professionals. When you have someone to help with complex tasks such as cybersecurity, cloud solutions and infrastructure concerns, you are much less likely to make grave errors that can take a network down for a couple of days or more. We all know just how crippling a loss of connectivity can be in 2019, and so it’s not particularly something you can afford.
Avoid Burnout
All systems can be functioning just fine, but then you notice your staff taking leaves of absence due to feeling burned out. Remember, a work life balance is not a luxury, it’s something you need to implement well to ensure that your staff can function in their jobs, stay effective and also improve the quality of their work. Avoiding an unnecessary extra work load, keeping the working environment encouraging, and developing a better means of managing your HR can ensure that you manage this process effectively long before it becomes a problem.
Insure Against Issues
Things happen. The power grid going down in your area, a natural disaster of some kind leaving you without power, or even insurances against vandalism and willful sabotage can come into play for some firms that are experiencing issues. You would be surprised just how effective these insurances can be. Your mileage may vary.
With this advice, we hope you can avoid all business downtime to the extent that you can.
What 2017 Freelancers are Saying About Their Business
The Slash Workers report by AND CO has found that freelancing isn't just the future of business, it's the now and freelancers are loving their life (as if you didn't already know!) They interviewed 300 independent workers in February and March 2017 and basically found out how they feel about every aspect of the freelancing game.
“We launched this study because we wanted to quantify the evolving makeup and motivations of today’s independent workforce. The data revealed a host of unique insights into this new worker class, but most significant was the multifaceted nature of these ‘Slash Workers,’” said Leif Abraham, co-founder of AND CO. “Skilled in a range of talents and exceptionally agile in their career paths, these workers demand a new framework for managing their day-to-day lives, and that’s precisely what we’re building at AND CO.”
Here's some of what they found:
Meet the Slash Workers: 95% of respondents surveyed are “Slash Workers,” that is people who sell two or more talents to multiple clients vs. specializing within a single job function.
Freedom is the New Wealth: Despite a minority of freelancers (23%) saying that going independent has made them more financially stable, they’re overwhelmingly happier since they’ve gone solo: 68% say their quality of life has improved.
Freelance Isn’t a Fallback: Just 6% of respondents said they were freelancing until a full-time opportunity comes along, shattering the commonly-held stereotype that freelancers have no other option. More than 40% of respondents said they intend to freelance “forever.”
Not About the Benjamins: The No. 1 reason freelancers cite for going independent: personal growth (40%), followed by flexibility (27%). Just 7% did so for a perceived financial upside.
Where freelancers work
Open the Floodgates: Two in three freelancers in the study have been independent for less than three years. The largest share of newly-minted independents are creatives.
Death of the Office: 25% of freelancers surveyed said they are “digital nomads,” working and traveling remotely in cities around the world. Looking ahead, 60% of respondents said they’d consider adopting a nomadic lifestyle in the future.
R-E-S-P-E-C-T: Freelancers reported getting stiffed by clients across all income levels, with 44% saying they’ve had trouble collecting payment before. More than 60% of respondents said there is a general lack of respect for the freelance community.
how many projects freelancers do at once
Freelance Wage Gap: Male respondents were 4.5X more likely to earn more than $150K a year than female respondents, yet more men said they had been stiffed by a client.
What’s Missing? 61% of freelancers say they miss the feeling of community that a traditional workplace affords. More than half said they wished more companies would offer remote work options for freelancers.
challenges for freelancers
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