Tagged: Tips

16 May

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43 of the Best Freelancer Tools, 2013

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43 of the Best Freelancers Tools, 2013

The thing about being a freelancer is TIME.

Because the minute you decide to put your slippers on and become a freelancer, you’ve suddenly become more than just a designer, developer, writer… or whatever it is you rock at.

Now you’ve also got to keep track of your hours, expenses, purchases, taxes, meet with clients, communicate with them etc.

It’s tough. But there are some great tools out there that’ll make that stuff so much easier.

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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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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05 Apr

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Being a freelancer or being a professional freelancer

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For the hobbyist freelancer, scoring an occasional project or assignment may be merely a way to make some extra cash. You may be helping a friend or business acquaintance out with a fresh website design or taking photos of your cousin’s kids just for a little extra spending money, or to keep your skill set fresh. But for the freelancer who is building his career one project at a time, each and every assignment is an opportunity to build a portfolio, gain networks and experience, and earn a living.

According to the Freelancers Union, nearly 30 percent of America’s workforce is now considered independent workers. Some are just working for pleasure while others are striving to build a lasting career. The two groups seem similar enough but there are a few core differentiators: Continue Reading

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23 Nov

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Passive Income for Freelance Web Designers

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Here is a free-built path to income

Here is a free-built path to income

Are you a freelance Web Designer? Looking for some extra cash to help you attain your goal to be financially independent in the near future? No time for more work? If your answer to all these questions is a BIG YES, then read on (Don’t worry, this is not a get rich quick scheme!).

A lot of Web Designers would be delighted to know that they can ‘passively’ earn a good sum of money in the Web. What you are about to read here is not at all a secret for most tenured designers, but can absolutely be a good reference for new Web Designers with budding freelance careers. So here we go with some of the known ways for Web Designers to gain passive income;

Affiliate Marketing – This one is the most known option amongst all others listed here. This is in no way a surprise for most of us because affiliate marketing is viable money making option not only for Web Designers, but also for ‘almost anyone’ who owns a blog. Web Designers have an edge over all others however because they have been gifted with skills to alter a page’s design for an affiliate banner to blend well with the other elements of the blog.

Consulting Services – Offering a service such this is another viable source of passive income for Web Designers. We are pretty certain that a lot of ‘traditionally employed people’ would want to know how you earn at the comforts of your home. Give them a helping hand while gaining monetary benefits in return. Now, you may argue that this is in no way a passive source of income as it will require you to spend time teaching others to learn your craft. You are partly right, but just think of it this way: No matter how busy you are, you’ll need some time off work and you’ll need a social life. Spend some time socializing while still earning by sharing to others what you enjoy doing.

Resell Hosting – Now is the time to see the opportunities right in front of you! You are designing websites so why not consider being a one-stop-shop to your clients? Well, this is not at all too laborious to do. Simply tell your client that you also offer hosting (and make sure you really do!). Saves them time spent on looking for a reliable hosting provider.

Sell themes – Again, you may argue that this option is not at all a source of passive income because you will obviously need to spend hours designing a theme. But hey, we’re certain that once in your career, you’ve done some experiments and you’ve come up with some mediocre work. Why not do some touch up on these designs and sell these themes at an affordable price. Not only will this help you build a brand of your own, but will also help you raise some funds for business expanding purposes.

This list contains the options that will help you gain extra income while keeping a constant and more reliable stream of earnings through freelance jobs. This post not only serves as a resource for you to find more opportunities, but also serves as an eye opener towards seeing the web as a good start for any business endeavor.

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11 Nov

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Freelance Job Transcription Opportunities

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Freelance Job Transcription Opportunities

There is no doubt that a person’s gift of gab can take him to inexplicable career heights that even he might not be expecting. Communication skills, both in writing and speaking, can help a freelancer acquire numerous jobs;  each of which has different nature which gives him options and growth opportunities as a home based worker. This proves that now more than ever is the best time to learn to be a good English speaker, writer and– listener? Read on.

We’re certain that we have caught your attention there. Here is a trivia: If you have not noticed yet, transcription is on the fifth spot in Donanza’s September Top 10 Most Popular Searches but it is not in Donanza’s 50 Most Required Skills. Puzzling, right? Whether there is demand for this service or not is definitely no issue. The result can only mean that freelance job transcription opportunities are just around the corner completely unnoticed.

Now, you might argue that if clients need transcription jobs, then why don’t they post job openings for it in freelance bidding sites? Well, it may sound unfair, but unless it is really urgent; no client will proactively reach out to you to send you projects— and this does not only apply to freelance job transcription opportunities, but to all other freelance jobs as well.  Therefore, as frequently mentioned here in www.donanza.com, keep in mind that jobs won’t find you so you should be the one to do the looking.  This said, we have prepared the following tips to help freelancers address the growing need for freelance transcriptionists by finding their job ads and taking advantage of them.

1. Utilize Google

Never underestimate the power of your fingertips! The reason you may not be seeing transcription freelance jobs a lot in bidding sites is because they’re not posted there at all! They may be on the ‘Careers’ page of a potential client’s website for all we know. Therefore, you may need to exhaust all of  your resources– and these resources include search engines. Simply type in the relevant keywords in the search bar and hit go/search. Should you need help with keywords, we’ve listed some that you can use in your search;

-          General Transcription

-          Legal Transcription

-          Court Reporters

2. Network with fellow transcriptionists

Nothing beats a good network that won’t only help you find freelance jobs, but can also share valuable tips and advice that can motivate you to keep going with your search and eventually, find these elusive freelance job transcription opportunities. Forums such as that in www.TranscriptionEssentials.com is a good venue to where you can start realizing your professional networking goals.

3. Read through advertisements

This is fairly easy. All you’ll need to do is to read through the advertisements available in the page where you get your daily dose of freelance job transcription tips, advice and tricks or even on the same page where you get your job leads.

Finally, it is also crucial that you understand that finding freelance jobs is not yet the end of your journey— it is only the beginning. You need to have prerequisites prior to it such as a resume and cover letter that converts and/or skill enhancement. And the most challenging amongst all these: You’ll need to keep your clients. After all, it has not been easy for you to find them. Make the most out of your efforts.

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05 Nov

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FREE Freelance Job Resources

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It is an understatement to describe the internet useful. In fact, it will be difficult to describe the internet through a single word— no word is enough to capture the very sense of the web and everything it can offer. It has literally revolutionized the way we live from all aspects possible— from the way we do our shopping up to the way we work towards a more rewarding career. This fact holds very true to us freelancers— and the more it would after you read this article.

As a freelancer, you are generally all accustomed of doing everything on your own— logging in your hours, scheduling tasks, handling your finances and even looking for softwares that will make your freelance job easier. If you are new to freelancing, however, and you feel a need to use a resource to make your work a complete breeze; be cautious so as to not fall on baits offered by freelance tool providers which abound the web. Here is the deal: You need not spend even a dime on a freelance job resource just to be more productive. Below are eight of the most recommended tools that will help you with your freelance job.

Google – Google is a BIG word in the internet business. This is for the fact that it has pioneered a lot of applications which made the internet business as productive as ever. Google is similar to a one-stop shop from which you can get any of your needs from the personally owning a blog up to the twisted and complicated world of project management. In fact, you can even start and manage an online business through it— totally free.

Creative CommonsShowcasing masterpieces of photographers and graphic designers have never been this easy and free! This page is run by a non-profit organization who advocates themselves to protecting a freelancer’s work by licensing them and sharing it with others.

You Send It - Now, bulk emails will no longer take up much space in your inbox and that of your client’s. You Send It allow you to be able to send a file of size up to 2GB to your client’s email. From there, they will  just have to download the file directly into their computers.

ProtolizeThis is a haven for web designers and developers who wish to collaborate and to rank the web tools they use according to efficiency.

Free Contracts for FreelancerA freelancer will need to protect himself in one way or another. And, what is the best way to do it? – Through a contract or an agreement. Not good with such documents? No need to worry as it doesn’t really matter what your freelance job is, Free Contracts for Freelancers is here to the rescue. Find free templates, tips and how to’s to be able to draft an agreement that is fair and ‘impressive’ to your client.

Fax Zero - Need to send the signed agreement over to your client? A freelance job agreement will not be much secured without you and your client’s signature. Fax Zero is a free internet fax service always available to keep paper fax transactions.

Freelance SwitchFreelance jobs are all over the web. Such demand increased the number of freelancers from around the globe. Fortunately, there is enough work to keep them occupied and earning. However, these same productive people are the same people who needs support groups in order to keep their sanity despite their inevitable isolation from their closest society. Freelance Switch is one site that they trust to build them connections with fellow freelancers and supply them with their daily dose of informative, useful and inspiring blogs.

ZohoA value provider turned into a provider company? Free project management portal which is useful to almost any freelance jobs is what Zoho does. Sign up for a free account with them to start reaping benefits. As your company blooms, then that may be the time to consider upgrades.

Now, what do you think? Isn’t the internet very generous to even consider giving freelancers all these resources free of charge?

Happy Freelancing!

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02 Nov

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Freelance Job Competition— what is it like ?

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Post We can never better reiterate the effect of the global financial crisis to the economy and employment rate in countries all over the world. It is like a widespread disease that affects almost everyone connected to the chain of the business industry. In fact, even a work-from-home mommy is greatly affected by this sudden turn of events. How? Read on

The economic recession has led to thousands of layoffs which made most of these unfortunately affected people turn to freelance jobs as a source of living. This is not supposed to be a problem at all. For the most of it, it is even a blessing in disguise as it will help a lot of people learn to do freelancing and of course, learn how to be resourceful in a considerably tough time such this. Very good then, but have we ever thought about for the tenured freelancers and the work-from home mommy we’ve mentioned earlier? Without much thought, we can be certain that this movement in the freelance world only spells out one thing for them: C-O-M-P-E-T-I-T-I-O-N!

They need not fret though as honeys are always available for a ready and hard-working bee. Below are the things that you can do (if you are a tenured freelancer yourself) to keep the flow of work and income favorably steady despite the competition.

Know how to play it— and play it right!

The first thing that you will need to do in order to keep yourself in demand despite the presence of your rivals is to strategize. How can such be done? Well, it is fairly easy. You just need to make sure that your strategies point out to a single direction— towards you! You need to be more visible! By this we mean that you try all options possible to be seen as a value provider in your field—someone with proven excellent work history and someone who can be trusted. Update your portfolio and add more recent projects. Create a testimonials page in your website.  Finally, when everything’s ready, check out www.donanza.com for projects that can keep you occupied. A rule of thumb: Look for work as they’ll never look for you no matter how awesome you are.

Be Customer Service Oriented

You’ve read it right. You will have to be customer service oriented because now that the competition is as stiff as ever, you’ll need to be able to separate yourself from the lot! Keep in mind that the sole difference that you have with your closest rival is not the product or the service that you offer, not even the price; but how you deal with clients and with the projects they’ve entrusted you. Stock on professionalism and you’ll surely have enough to keep you up during the dry days.

Be Better, Do Better

Repeat business is always good business. For one, you’ll never have to invest much on a regular client (read: drafting your cover letters and time spent on interviews) and of course, you’ll never have to look for work— they’ll find you whenever they need you! So, how does be better and do better relates to this? Simple— pretty much similar to all other kind of clients, a regular client will have dynamic needs— and you need to meet these needs or else they’ll move on to another provider. These needs can range from a project requiring a new skill in your field to a project requiring a skill that can add value to your already formerly excellent work. Simply put, you need to learn continuously to keep your stream of work healthily flowing.

Now that you are already equipped with the things that you’ll need to keep your business ‘alive’ despite other competitive freelancers coming in, it is now time to think about sharing jobs. Find freelance jobs that you can work on. Never entertain more business than what you can handle. Never be greedy. Give others a chance while you try to keep yourself as productive as before. This is the real essence of a healthy competition.

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06 Oct

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How to knock it out the first time as a Freelance Translator

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In dealing with freelance jobs and clients, most often than not, second chance is never an option. A stained reputation and feedback can cost you your freelance career in no time. Therefore, it is critical that you realize of the importance of doing things right the first time in your overall goal as a provider.

This article aims to provide guidance to beginners in freelance translation. As most of freelancers may already be aware of; freelance translation is one of the most lucrative freelance jobs around these days. Thus, competition is stiff and requirements are even stiffer. Needless to say, the greatest challenge a starter freelancer in this field will have to face is how to knock it out the first time and how to make it big in the long run. Below are some few tips that a beginner translator and a beginner freelancer should keep in mind as they go through the hoops and loops of their chosen career.

  1. If you plan to go on full time, then work on it! It may take a couple of months or even a year to get an ample list of regular clients whom can assure you a constant stream of work. Therefore, patience is highly recommended as well as a consistent effort to market your service. Freelance bidding sites are great sources of ongoing projects from honest and valuable clients.
  2. It is a bad assumption that after a couple of projects, you are already going to have a good source of income coming in each month just like what happens when you are an in house translator. If you do think this way, this will serve as a reminder that in freelancing, there will be the rainy days and the dry days. Enjoy the pour of projects during rainy days, but make sure to prepare for the dry days. Send out applications whenever a project is about to end. This will ensure that freelance jobs will always be available for you whenever you need them.
  3. Never overlook the local market. Most freelancers think that freelancing is mostly virtual and will involve two people from completely different parts of the globe – this is not true. In fact, a neighbor can always be a source of freelance jobs. Therefore, make sure that everyone who knows you are aware that you offer your translation services.
  4. Link with other translators by joining organizations such as the American Translators Association. This will not only expand your network, but will also expand your knowledge about your work and career. Furthermore, doing so will help you find better projects and better buyers.
  5. Acknowledge the fact that you can never win over the freelance job challenges alone. Make sure to ask for guidance from industry experts. Join a freelance translator group who encourages an open communication on helpful exchange of ideas and experiences.
  6. Rework your resume. Make sure to indicate your skills and your being a translator in a noticeable part of it. For example: ‘Spanish bilingual Web programmer’. This conveys a message of expertise on both areas of freelance jobs.
  7. Go the extra mile and offer services which a veteran translator won’t offer. Let prospects know that you are available for work when no other translators are available such as during weekends or when they are in need of someone for rush jobs.
  8. Continue to learn and show a genuine interest in your newly found career. The web is abounded with lots of free E-Books and newsletters which are great resources for a beginner like you. Make sure to take advantage of them. You can even contribute to them when you are already confident to do so.
  9. Send out applications, but never commit to any kind of freelance job that you can’t handle just for the sake of bagging a new project. This kind of projects can generate income for you, but can also hurt your feedback score and reputation big time.
  10. Make sure that you keep your clients satisfied. In every kind of freelance jobs, and even in regular jobs, this should be observed. Keeping them happy will not only ensure you a good rating in the end of the project, but will also help you stay in the industry for a long time.

I hope that this guide will help you in your pursuit to be (1) a freelance translator, (2) to be a good freelance translator and finally, (3) to be an excellent freelance translator. After all, a good freelance career always starts with an excellent kick-off start. Aim high, hit the keys right and you’ll surely be on top in no time.

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29 Sep

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Freelance Job Opportunities for Bookeeper and Accountants

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The freelance job community has grown from a relatively small group of people enjoying the perks of working from home into a ‘variety of groups of professionals’ in need of opportunities to make good money out of their certified skills. Prior to the outburst of internet usage in business transactions, very limited freelance jobs are outsourced. Now, due to extreme technological advancements, even the most complex office responsibilities can now be taken into the homes of employees from around the globe – accounting and bookkeeping needs of organizations are one of these aforementioned tasks. What could be the reason behind such a surprising trend?

  1. Statistics show an increase in demand for accountants and bookkeepers who can excellently perform in their field of expertise. In fact, if you are to check your local classified ads, you will definitely see a huge ‘ad’ which will prove this notion. How is this fact related to this kind of jobs getting outsourced? Simple. An increase in demand will require an equal increase in supply hence a witty action from employers – freelance bidding sites exploration!
  2. The global financial crisis has also led a lot of business owners to look for cost-effective ways of meeting their business needs. Getting their accounting and bookkeeping needs outsourced as freelance jobs is one of the viable ways to find/hire people with cheaper rates and those who won’t cause much maintenance (read: benefits and office needs consumption).

The aim for this enumeration of the top two reasons for the sudden increase of freelance job opportunities for accountants and bookkeepers all over the web is simple: to get the word out that accountants and bookkeepers can now enjoy the same advantages freelance writers, programmers and web designers are able to enjoy – and this is an undeniable fact!

How to get started?

If you are a full time employed accountant looking through the option of finally practicing your profession within the comforts of your home, getting started in the virtual world of freelance jobs will no longer be as difficult as it is for a new graduate. This is primarily because freelancing as an accountant or as a bookkeeper is simply a matter of knowledge and experience. In fact, freelance jobs of this kind will be very much similar to the job that you have in the office (sans the boss, of course). Additionally, buyers will appreciate excellent ‘real world’ work experiences if you are to work on an assignment for them.

However, for the starters in both their profession and freelancing, succeeding in this pursuit is still very much possible. There are considerably few great deals for a buyer to gauge your capabilities and skills. This fact is in both ways advantageous and disadvantageous for you. You will no longer need to defend your lack of experience, but you will also lack much skills required to perform excellently which will hit your feedback score big time in the long run. Therefore, it is highly recommended that you take certifications which will both enhance your skills and your profile as a freelancer. Furthermore, those who have much to offer (relevant studies and work experience) are able to enjoy higher pay rates and interview invitations. Finally, freelance job opportunities have indeed grown into almost all employment verticals. So, should you wish to move out of your comfort zone, turn your life around a bit and skip your nine to five work schedule.

Happy Freelancing!

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