photo credit: kevindooley on flickr

Being a freelancer is great. You get to work in a way that fits around your hectic lifestyle and while you may initially put more energy into building up a client list (than working for an organisation which already has clients), once you’ve gained a good circle of regular clients and marketed yourself well, you’ve got a career for life. As a freelancer I like to look to the future and consider what may happen when I choose to retire but upon reflection my answer has quite simply evolved into two words: Why bother? Continue Reading

In this issue of Ask FreelanceSwitch, we look at contacting agencies for work and business structures. Ask FreelanceSwitch is a regular column here that allows us to help beginners get a grip on freelancing. If you have a question about freelancing that you want answered, send an email to askfreelanceswitch@gmail.com. Continue Reading

This week Rockable Press launched its latest eBook, Get Going with Google AdWords by author Chandler Nguyen and we couldn’t be more excited!

This book is designed with the beginner in mind, introducing you to the world of Google AdWords. Once you start to get a handle on them, you’ll be bidding on keywords that will help push your site higher in the Google rankings — without all of the time it usually takes for that to happen organically.

Nguyen has put together an “easy to grasp” guide on what AdWords are, what using them can do to give your site that added exposure and how to get started using them right away.
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Please learn from my mistakes.

First, who is this guy?

I’m Allan and I started as freelance designer six years ago. After a few months I started hired developers because I started taking increasingly larger web projects. Within two years of starting freelancing I took on a business partner and we started to build web applications. These projects have done well and we’ve started hosting conferences for entrepreneurs. I’ve been lucky and blessed. I’ve made my share of mistakes but here’s the mistakes I’ve made and what I’ve learned in the past six years. Continue Reading

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Know what my goal is for 2011? To not buy a gym membership.

I’m one of those people who pay high sums to keep the equipment at my gym clean and untouched. As a freelance writer, you’d think I’d be able to find a few hours a week to hit the gym (I must think so too since I keep renewing my membership), but seeing that most of my work is currently sandwiched in between naptimes and play dates, spending an hour of precious writing time at the gym seems awfully extravagant. In 2011, I am determined to recognize the situation for what it is and not squander my hard-earned money on club fees.

But of course, I need exercise. Clicking the mouse doesn’t exactly tone muscle. And no matter how excited I get over a particular project, my heart doesn’t thump at anywhere near my target rate. As a writer who often pens health and fitness articles, I know that all it takes is a lousy 30 minutes a day of moderate intensity exercise – even if it’s in 10 minute increments – to reap health benefits.

So , I decided to do all of us time-strapped, non-gym-going freelancers out there a service by asking fitness professionals what we can do to stay in shape from home. These four 5-10 minute routines won’t make you break a sweat, but they’ll get your blood flowing and give your heart a little goose. What’s more they’re specifically designed to address the peaks, valleys and long, flat stretches in a freelancer’s life, so you’ll know exactly when to do them.

Now….no more excuses. Get moving!* Continue Reading

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I recently attended a University of Arizona business school seminar on corporate entrepreneurship. Which had a whole lot more to do with freelancers than one might think.

Now, I know that the word “corporate” gets strong reactions from many freelancers. After all, quite a few of us escaped from stultifying corporate environments. And now we’re enjoying a life that’s filled with Freelance Freedom.

But here’s where we and the corporate world have something in common: We want our businesses to succeed. And this seminar started off with three things that every business must do:

1. Solve customer problems. What might this three-word sentence mean to a freelancer? If you’re a copywriter, you might be replacing a client’s ineffective website copy with words that sell. Or maybe you’re a logo designer. You target startup companies, many of which have amateurish-looking logos. And you’re able to convince these companies of the worth of a polished, professional look that will serve them well as they seek customers and investors. Continue Reading

In this issue of Ask FreelanceSwitch, we look at first contact with clients and building stronger streams of income. Ask FreelanceSwitch is a regular column here that allows us to help beginners get a grip on freelancing. If you have a question about freelancing that you want answered, send an email to askfreelanceswitch@gmail.com. Continue Reading

Credit: Johan Larsson/Flickr

Developing applications, especially for mobile devices, is hot right now: there are tons of companies that want to create an app that’s usable on the iPhone or another mobile platform. But it’s a specialized area of development and you may need some resources to make sure that you’re able to give your clients exactly what they want. The books below can get you headed in the right direction. Continue Reading

Credit: by joshjanssen/flickr

Part 1: Why the Rush?

Something about the end of December looms as a natural deadline. Project fires have been burning steadily through November but this month, they are burning brightly, finally recognizable as problems that need to be controlled. And who gets the pleading call that says “Help me extinguish this” but the freelancer? Whether we like it or not, the role of fireman or firewoman is precisely what many see as the advantage of freelancers – we exist to help people out of a tight spot. Or do we? What exactly is our role in projects with superhuman requirements, and how do we get through them while maintaining a sense of best practice?

This article examines these questions in two parts, first looking at how and why we make rush jobs a part of what we do and then in part two we’ll dig into some tips and tricks to execute designs under urgent deadlines. In both articles I will share insights from some of this season’s extraordinary Layer Tennis players who are used to being short on time. They have generously taken an extra moment to afford our freelance community their words of warning and wisdom. Continue Reading

I hope you all have an amazing time with family and friends this holiday season. 2010 was truly an incredible year full of all sorts of growth and learning… and from the way things are lookin’, 2011 is gonna be even better! Thank you for reading FreelanceSwitch and being a part of our community. From our family to yours, “Here’s to a GREAT New Year!”
See our holiday wishes video from all of the Envato staff. Continue Reading

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This is the third article in a series on resources for the traveling freelancer.  You may find the first article here and the second here.

This article is about exchanging work for room and board on the road, which is good for those who want to take it easy with their work or even for writers looking for new material.  There are farm owners, hostel and hotel owners, and home owners who are part of global networks offering room and board to “volunteer” workers (there are also country-specific sites and Australia and New Zealand seem to be very popular destinations).  Arrangements vary widely and the volunteer must do good research to find the right agreement and host. Continue Reading

Each month we round up the best posts from WorkAwesome and FreelanceSwitch so that you can catch up on anything awesome you might have missed. There’s a ton of great advice in November’s archives, so make sure you check out the links we’ve compiled for you! Continue Reading