Category: Featured

16 May

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43 of the Best Freelancer Tools, 2013

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You know how when you first started thinking about freelancing you thought about how incredible it would be?

Those thoughts of being able to work where you want, when you want. And that belief that you’d finally have tons of time to work on different projects.

Agreed, freelancing is amazing, BUT there’s that whole issue with time.

Because from the minute you decide to put your slippers on and become a freelancer, you’re suddenly expected to do more than just what you rock at professionally. Now you’re also expected to be:

  • office manager,
  • accountants department,
  • meeting coordinator
… you get where I’m going with this.

There are a bunch of ever growing tools out there to help you out.

The question is, how are you supposed to figure out what tools you need and which ones are the best?

We asked hundreds of awesome Donanza freelancers what are their favorite freelancer tools, and put together this comprehensive list of the best tools for 2013.

Check them out, use them, share them with your other freelancer pals, and let us know if there’s anything we missed that MUST be on there, before the year is out. Continue Reading
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20 Aug

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The Value of the Deadline

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Today, I’d like to share one of the best secrets to my success. Don’t. Miss. Deadlines.

While this isn’t the only thing you need to find success – we can’t forget about Pricing Strategies or Understanding What the Client Wants, for example – it is one of the most important. When it comes to deadlines, here’s the number one thing to remember.

Clients can, and will, miss deadlines. Freelancers can’t. Ever.

Every project you work on is going to have a deadline. Our job as freelancers is to negotiate the project needs and let the client know how long it will take to complete. The client will need this information for their own timeline, so they can meet their own objectives.

Here are a few Dos and Don’ts that I use on my projects: Continue Reading

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16 Jul

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Estimate the time for your projects

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As a freelancer, you’re often juggling multiple projects at once, creating one of the most daunting tasks for many: Time management. But if you accurately estimate the time commitment required to complete a project, you can safely meet your clients’ needs while maintaining balance in your schedule. Creating a time outline will help ensure you keep those proverbial balls in the air.

Here a few key components to consider when estimating the time needed for project completion: Continue Reading

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13 Jul

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Five Ways to Make More from Your Writing

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Freelance writers are lucky. Really, we are. That’s because writing is the ultimate transferable skill and we can use that skill to cross niches and sectors and make our writing careers even more lucrative. When it comes to freelance projects, there’s no rule that says that you have to stick to writing web content, white papers or press releases for clients. You can also write for yourself and make some welcome additional income. Here are some suggestions. Continue Reading

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Filed Under: Featured, Freelance resources, News, writing

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04 Jul

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Must have soft skills for each freelancer

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Freelancers have their own niche, whether it’s writing, photography, web development, design or any other field. They are good at what they do, experts in their respective fields. But just because they can design an innovative app, doesn’t mean they can be successful as a freelancer. Regardless of skill set and background, every freelancer must refine a certain set of skills that can propel them to the next level of success. Soft skills are those necessary characteristics that augment the skills of the trade, enhancing interactions and job performance. Developing soft skills often proves to be useful beyond the freelance world as these skill sets often transcend the work-life boundaries.

Interpersonal Relationship Skills

One of the greatest strengths of any good business owner is their ability to connect on an interpersonal level. As a freelancer, you may feel that your work stands for itself and growing your interpersonal skills is unnecessary. But you need to be able to Continue Reading

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21 Jun

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The Hidden Costs of Freelance Projects

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Bidding for freelance projects is not an exact science. Especially when starting out, we can accept a rate for a project and then realize that we’ve actually undercut ourselves by not taking into account all of the little extra things we do on projects that we don’t count on the bid. Here are a few examples of costs we may forget to think of when pricing a job.

Mistake No. 1: The Cost of Research

When I first started freelancing, I was happy to get a gig writing 100 articles on an aspect of the finance industry. As many new freelancers do, I hunted around for what I thought was a suitable rate per article, placed my bid and was very pleased when I landed the gig. However, by the end of it, I wished that I had charged more. Because of the specifics of the job and demand that the content needed not to flout restrictions about financial probity, I had to do a lot more research on the topic than I would have normally. – That took considerable time; time that I wasn’t being paid for. Of course, I completed the job for the agreed rate, but I never made that mistake again.

Solution: Include a couple of Continue Reading

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Filed Under: Featured, Freelance resources, Freelancers, News, Tips & Tricks

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10 Jun

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Killing the Excuses

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Killing the Excuses

I’ve been freelancing full time for a few years now. I’m fortunate that my social circle, online and offline, feels that I’m a good person to talk to about the freelance life. Freelancing is one of my favourite topics, so when I’m asked to meet somebody who is looking for information on making the switch from a corporate job to a freelance option, I try to make time to meet with them to answer their questions.

Generally, my advice to them is similar to what I’ve already shared here; how to build your brand, how to set your rates, and how to write kick-ass proposals. Some of them listen to the advice and find a way to make it work.

Unfortunately, some of them spend more time making excuses that keep them in their current job.

Today, I’d like to take a look at a few of the main excuses that might be preventing you from finding freelance happiness.

Where Do I Find Clients?

Everywhere. This excuse is easy to address because your clients are in your community and around the world. You don’t have a lack of clients; you have a lack of confidence. If you don’t think you’re worth it, your clients won’t either. Continue Reading

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04 Jun

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DoNanza Book Club: Top 3 Books for Freelancers

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Taking the leap into freelancing can be one of the scariest decisions of anyone’s professional career. It often means giving up a steady income and benefits to take a chance on a passion or a love that can bring greater joys. But, taking the leap doesn’t have to cause you heart palpitations and panic attacks. Several successful freelancers have penned books to help others ready to take the journey into freelancing.

Here are my top three books that I think can help every freelancer, regardless of industry, should read:

The Principles of Successful Freelancing

This step-by-step guide walks wannabe freelancers through the steps to successfully transition from the 9 to 5 Continue Reading

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24 May

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DoNanza Book Club: Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game

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There are thousands of books on freelancing, and some of them are quite valuable. But sometimes the most powerful teaching can come from books not written for the freelance audience. With the DoNanza Book Club, we are profiling some of the many books that people read merely for the pleasure, but offer valuable lessons in life and business. This week, Moneyball.

Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis

Disguised as a true story about baseball, Moneyball may be the “best book ever written about business,” according to The Weekly Standard. The challenge facing Oakland A’s General Manager Billy Beane is one that many freelancers recognize: How do you compete against rivals who have higher profiles and more resources than you do? Continue Reading

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21 May

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Avoid Freelance Burnout

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Don’t sacrifice your health for your projects

There are times when you get so caught up in a project that you might forget to eat, sleep, or bathe; you’re running purely on deadlines and caffeine. That’s okay to do sometimes, but if you do it too often or for too long, you risk burning yourself out and jeopardizing your health and your ability to work on great projects in the future.  Here at DoNanza, we want to make sure you find balance in your life so you can enjoy a long career of freelancing.

What is Burnout?

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines burnout as “exhaustion of physical or emotional strength or motivation usually as a result of prolonged stress or frustration.” Continue Reading

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