Category: Tips & Tricks

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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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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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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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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14 May

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Pricing Strategies for Freelancers – part 2

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In the last article, I looked at per piece and per hour project pricing models for freelancers. Today, it’s time to look at pricing per project. This strategy offers protection for both freelancers and clients, but you have to do it right.

Image credit:  401K

Pricing per project

Give a project price and both you and your client know exactly where you are. The question is, how do you create a good project price? The work you have already done to set your target hourly rate will help you with this process. The other thing you need to know is how long it will take you to do key project tasks. It’s always a good idea to time yourself for a while when doing projects so you know what’s realistic. You’d be surprised Continue Reading

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11 May

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Pricing Strategies for Freelancers – Part 1

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Finding a project you love is only half the battle of freelancing; landing it is more of a challenge. One of the biggest headaches for freelancers is how to price your services. This is not just a problem for new freelancers, who often find pricing a struggle, but also for experienced freelancers branching out into a new area. Here are some tips on setting the appropriate price for the job.

Image credit: 401K

Preparation: what do you want to earn?

Sometimes it’s tempting when bidding for a project to:

* see what others have bid and match it

* pull a figure out of the air, cross your fingers and hope

While we’ve probably all done this at some point, in the long run it’s not a sensible way to operate. Matching what others have bid doesn’t make sense because you might have different skills and different costs from other freelancers. Pulling a figure out of the air doesn’t work because it has no relation to the amount of work you will do (or the taxes you will have to pay on your income). As a professional freelancer, you need a better pricing strategy. Here are some options. Continue Reading

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29 Apr

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Give a Little to Get a Little

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Big businesses get big attention for the work they do in their communities. Companies like Microsoft, Pfizer, Oracle and Merck rank atop the list of organizations committed to charitable giving. These companies donate large sums of money in hopes that will pay off in the long run, both for their organizations of choice and their businesses.

As a freelancer, how can you make a difference in your community without having the resources of a Fortune 500 company? The answer is simple: Offer your services pro bono. It’s a win-win situation. Continue Reading

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22 Apr

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Understanding exactly what the client wants

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As a freelancer, you’re going to find yourself working with a multitude of clients. In some cases you’ll work with them just one time, while in others you’ll have the opportunity to develop lasting business relationships. Regardless if a client is new or old, it’s important to treat each project as new and be sure to understand exactly what the client wants.

Don’t ever make assumptions

Understanding the client’s expectations is crucial. Do not work based on assumptions. It’s vital to gain as much information from the client as possible before beginning and in some cases before accepting the job. Sometimes, a client may know they want an app, but have no idea what kind, what it should be for, or even whether it’s a reality. Other times you’ll have a client capable of providing you with in-depth details but doesn’t due to time constraints or communications issues.

It’s important to ask the client Continue Reading

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15 Apr

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The easy way to establish your expertise using Quora

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While big brands have long sought to be recognized as thought leaders in particular business areas, it’s now just as important for your own personal brand. Quora provides the platform for you to show your expertise across multiple subject areas and get you noticed, not just by your CV, but by the quality of your writing and knowledge.

In this article, I’ll look at how Quora can help you to find the right opportunities and have the right opportunities find you.

What is Quora?

Quora is a real-time questions and answers service. Launched in June 2009, it soon found a core audience in the Silicon Valley tech industry. This proved pivotal in driving uptake, as questions, especially from journalists, were getting answered by the people uniquely positioned to answer them. It has managed to stay relevant and authoritative as it has grown, blossoming into a vibrant and energetic community.

Quora: there are questions on a variety of topics, here it’s ‘How to get started as a freelancer’.

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06 Apr

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Questions each freelancer should ask a potential client

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Freelancers face numerous potential problems when dealing with clients. A quick Internet search reveals horror stories of non-paying clients, personality conflicts and unreasonable demands. Forward-thinking freelancers can gauge the worthiness of potential projects and clients by asking the following critical questions in advance of signing an agreement.

Image by svilen001 on Stock.xchng

Long-Term Vision

  • What are your long-term goals? Knowing the long-term direction can help freelancers develop strategies and tactics that can be built upon to continue advancing a business toward its goals.
  • How do you see contract talent as a part of your long-term vision? This helps you set your expectations — and your calendar. You will be able to determine whether this has the potential to be a long-term project for your or if you will be seeking new work within the next few months.

Working with Freelancers

  • Have you worked with freelancers in the past? What was your experience? Companies that have never worked with freelancers and those with a negative prior experience often require that you spend more time and energy in building trust.
  • Have you ever completed projects of this scale in the past? If this is a client’s first go at an e-book, a social media marketing campaign or blog, you may need to anticipate some additional consulting hours to help your client understand the process. Continue Reading
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