Sean Hodge Takes Over as Editor of FreelanceSwitch
For those of you in the know, you’ve probably noticed that Amanda Hackwith has moved to the Rockable Press side of our business following the release of her successful book Freelance Confidential: The Whole Truth on Freelancing. She’s still a full-time Editor at Envato, but is now putting her skills to use creating books and other Premium educational content.
I’ve taken over Editing FreelanceSwitch, which is really exciting. I’ve been in the drivers seat for a couple months now, so things are running smoothly. No big speed bumps in the transition. I’d love to hear any suggestion you all have, and I’ll drop some information about myself here so you can get to know me.
Freelance Caffeine Fix: 4 Fine Coffee Makers
Credit: elenathewise on Photodune
I have a confession to make. I’m addicted to caffeine. For breakfast I either have a can of Diet Coke or a small iced mocha with skim milk from Dunkin Donuts, which happens to be a 5 minute walk from my house or a quick drive on my way to the office.
I am well aware that having a can of Diet Coke for breakfast is not healthy. I should be eating poached eggs, whole grain toast, a banana, and a glass of pomegranate juice. Here’s the thing—I can’t eat first thing in the morning or I feel sick. Here’s the other thing—I don’t have time.
I suspect that many of you that work in the fast paced media world might also have a caffeine addiction and also don’t have the luxury of a breakfast that includes all of the food pyramid. Am I right? So coffee (or Diet Coke) it is.
I’ve created a list of some of the top coffee makers that should perk up any freelancers day. And, depending on your lifestyle and taste, there is a coffee maker for you on the market; I guarantee it!
Is Your Business Tech-Oriented or People-Focused?
Credit: Roger Byrne on Photodune
For many freelancers I know, social media is all-encompassing. We love to tweet about everything from our latest blog post to our favorite brand of coffee. Then there is the other group that never miss an industry workshop and seem to spend more of their time traveling than at home. There are many different types of freelancers and businesses—which type is yours?
In his latest book, The Referral Engine, author John Jantsch has a very interesting section where he talks about what he deems are two different approaches: There’s the business that relies on social marketing, email newsletters, blogs, and online communities—the techies; the other is built around face-to-face networking, print collateral, workshops, and seminars.
Top Freelance Jobs from Job Board – Week 3, May
Looking for a new client? The FreelanceSwitch job board is a great resource of freelance gigs and opportunities. These opportunities are in various fields, from development to writing to design, and come from a wide range of potential clients. The job board is hand-moderated by dedicated staff and volunteers from the freelance community.
Each week, we’ll feature a selection of the best job opportunities posted for the week. This week, we’re featuring jobs in Drupal Development, Web/UI Design, Art Direction and more!
To apply for any of these jobs, simply pick up a FreelanceSwitch membership for an affordable $7 a month. See something you like? Join now!
Win a Free MacBook Pro and $1,000 in Printing From UPrinting
Hello everyone! Today we’ve got a special treat for you. Our friends at UPrinting are giving away a free 13 inch MacBook Pro (valued at $1,199) and $1,000 worth of printing to 1 lucky Tuts+ reader. To win, all you have to do is answer a simple question and submit it using the form below.
How to Speak at a Barcamp and Love it!
My name is Allan. I co-founded LessAccounting. I’m an entrepreneur. I’m a husband. I’m the father of the two cutest kids you’ve always wanted but will never have. And I love Barcamp. You may be wondering what Barcamp is?
Barcamp is a gathering of minds in an open environment with the intent of sharing ideas and providing feedback. It’s an opportunity to present openly, cooperate creatively and iron out kinks. You get 30 minutes and a board space the size of a Post-It to advertise your talk.
Why present at barcamp? I think the better questions is: “why wouldn’t you present at a barcamp?” We’re all looking for an audience, right? Why not speak to an audience of minds just like your own–willing to provide helpful feedback and advice? It’s a no-brainer, really.
Creative Self Promotion Event – Win $100 in MOO Printing Vouchers
Editors Note: This contest has closed. Congratulations to the winners Justin Katz, Heather Hunter, and Lee Gustin. We’ll be contacting you shortly to distribute your prize. Big thanks to everyone who entered.
Credit: Luisa Vidal on MOO
Need to put your name out there? Get the right peoples attention? Grab more clients? Who doesn’t right? It’s time to put together a creative self promotion.
FreelanceSwitch and MOO have teamed up to challenge you to think outside the box. Will you create a viral video to promote your freelance business? Design an awesome set of promotional postcards? Utilize multiple media to get your message out? Or will you do something nobody else has ever thought of?
Whether you’re planning a new creative self promotion, or have a great story to share about a successful promotion you’ve done in the past, we’d love to hear about it. Win One of Three $100 Printing Vouchers from MOO by sharing your creative self promotion story or ideas.
When It’s Time To Go – Leaving Your Current Workplace
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“I wouldn’t want to know a man who hasn’t been fired!” I forget who said that but I laughed whenever I heard it because I had never been fired. But in the corporate world “the boot” can come unexpectedly, thrust us into having to jump into running our own freelancing business, and place us in the unsteady position of needing to learn the small business ropes quickly. Being prepared before getting fired can help you negotiate a severance package that will help you land solidly on your feet, even if the worst happens.
There was one time I gave two weeks notice and they fired me the next day. They actually told me to go and not to train my replacement, which is a sound business decision because who knew if I would steal client information, or poison my replacement. It’s a good business principle to just pay someone the two weeks of salary and get the lame duck out and away from the company.
In this case, however, since they technically fired me, I was eligible for unemployment. Six long months of it, baby! I didn’t care. I was happy.
Since then there were two more similar incidents. One involved a payoff for leaving quietly with a resignation to keep my mouth shut about…something. The other was what they call an “at-will-firing” (you sign a document when you are hired, agreeing you can be fired without notice or reason and will not take legal recourse – standard in America these days). Unfortunately, my former employer gave a reason. They didn’t have to. They shouldn’t have.
It would have been better for all involved if they had just said, “we’re sorry but business is bad and we need to cut our overhead. We’ll consider bringing you back if business gets better.” Sounds better — friendly and professional. I would have been happy. Instead, after several rounds of layoffs and the strain of buyouts, retirements and severance, someone must have had the brilliant idea to change the rules on year-end-reviews.
Freelance Confidential – Review
From expert advice by members of the freelance community to hard cold numbers on what’s happening on the freelance scene from around the globe, Freelance Confidential tells all.
FreelanceSwitch editor Amanda Hackwith uncovers the facts and myths about freelancing and reveals some of the numbers and tips that keep freelancers on the top of their game.
The book is available from Rockable Press in eBook format for $29 and paperback for $34.99 from Amazon.
Open Thread: Should you work for an employer prior to freelancing?
Last week’s open thread talked about the usefulness of formal education for freelancers. We got some interesting responses and had a great discussion! This week, I thought we’d look at another surprise statistic from the Global Freelancer’s Survey. We asked freelancers how many years they’d worked as a full-time employee before beginning their freelance career.
excerpt from "Freelance Confidential," Rockable Press
Of 3,285 responses, 543 had never worked for an employer before freelancing. That’s a large number of “native” freelancers!
We focus so much on readers who are “making the switch” to freelancing from the corporate environment–escaping the cubicle, becoming your own boss, etc. We are, after all, FreelanceSwitch. I had expected “I didn’t work as an employee before” to be a minor response. I thought the results were interesting so I dug a little deeper into it for the chapter in Freelance Confidential.
I compared the way survey responses differed between those who were former employees and those who began freelancing from the start of their career. Freelancers who started their career freelancing shared some interesting characteristics: Continue Reading
Freelance Confidential: Now Available!
We’re very proud to announce the release of Freelance Confidential, Rockable Press’s newest book on freelancing. This book aims to provide the hard numbers on the biggest issues of freelancing and advice on how experienced freelancers can improve their business. More than just another single person’s view on freelancing, Freelance Confidential contains contributions from the Editor of FreelanceSwitch, Amanda Hackwith (that’s me!), a panel of expert entrepreneurs and freelancers, and YOU, the FreelanceSwitch community!
Last winter, we asked readers of FreelanceSwitch to contribute to a global survey on freelancing–over 3,200 of you responded! Get those statistics and you’ll learn the real numbers on the biggest questions which revealed some surprising new trends for the freelance industry. Did you know…?
- Fewer freelancers live in large urban cities than did three years ago. What are the benefits?
- New referrals from advertising and cold calling has dropped significantly. What’s the best new source?
- Freelancers with former experience as an employee report the highest level of satisfaction and happiness. Why is that?
Blinksale: Invoicing Service Review
Starting out on your freelancing career can be a daunting task for just about anyone. From registering your business name to setting up your accounts, there can be a lot of stress when making those first important decisions.
One question the FreelanceSwitch forum gets frequently asked is: what should you use to invoice your clients? So we thought we would take a look at one straightforward invoicing service called – Blinksale.
Continue Reading
