Well, I am a lazy person sometimes. Or, let’s say it prettier: a procrastinator. There are days I work for 16 hours with only very small breaks for eating and going to the bathroom, while in other days I can barely finish anything. When I am working on some nice challenging projects or just feel like working, I am a robot. But, like anyone who’s not actually a robot, I do have my darker times with absolutely no energy to work. In those moments I’d do anything, just so that I don’t work on the projects I have to. So, … Continue reading →

Some people have a romantic view of what it means to be a writer. They imagine an individual sitting alone in a café in Paris or some beautiful city, sipping fresh coffee or maybe a glass of wine as they jot down some ideas for their next piece of work. Those people think of writing as a career and they immediately think about not having to get up in the early hours of the morning and commute to some office where they work for someone else. They imaging a writer as getting up when they feel ready, to do some … Continue reading →

When we were kids, our parents would ask us: “what do you want to become when you’ll grow up?” and we’d say: a doctor, a teacher, an astronaut etc. We went to high-school, then college and some were able to get good jobs. Maybe we achieved our goals, maybe we never became what we fantasized about when being kids. And still, after a while working for others, you might just get sick of your situation. Yes, the pay is good, the careers seems to be blooming, but there’s still something that doesn’t make you 100% happy. You have a JOB, … Continue reading →

One of the hardest things for a beginner freelancer is to come up with rates that are both good for him and the clients. These rates would allow the client to receive top quality for a good price (don’t fall into the trap of thinking all clients want you to work for pennies), while the professional can earn a good revenue, while working on something he loves doing. Very small rates can mean starvation, while too big rates might also lead to starvation, since the clients might choose someone who does a similar job, but at a more competitive price. … Continue reading →

Since I have personally started doing well as a freelancer, many asked me how can they enter this business. And many were wary to do this because, even if they are currently studying or already have a diploma, there’s still no portfolio for them. Landing that first client is difficult, especially when you haven’t had a previous one to showcase your work. Does this mean you can’t start? 1. You can do without a portfolio. I have talked to some people who were able to land jobs even without a portfolio. It doesn’t happen too often though, so please don’t … Continue reading →

When starting out as freelancers, or even when we need some “residual” income, we bid for jobs on one of those famous sites: RAC, Elance, oDesk, Guru, iFreelance etc. For an established professional, with a good reputation on the site and an excellent portfolio, getting jobs is pretty easy. Let’s say that after 8 months on Elance, I work mainly on invitation jobs, than having to scour through the listings to try convince people of my worth. I am very highly ranked in my niche, I have an excellent reputation and quite a portfolio. But I have started FROM ZERO … Continue reading →

Guest post by Alex Toll from ResearchWritingCenter.com The term freelance worker refers to a person performing tasks for an individual or corporation without an employment agreement extending beyond the completion of the job. The term freelancer also implies a person working solely for himself/herself. As his/her own boss, a freelancer is, of course, in complete charge of their scheduling, and allocation of effort and resources, including to high tech devices. Successful freelancing is often associated with competence in riding the current wave of technology to hasten work and broaden mastery. It is clear that the Internet is a vital time … Continue reading →

Starting freelancing is not an easy decision. The first weeks / months of a fresh freelancer are far from being a walk in the park. You have to build a portfolio, learn how to schedule work, accept lower rates sometimes (to build that portfolio in the first place and get the first clients), come up with new expenses, at the moment your wallet doesn’t look too “good” either. And, on top of all these, uncertainty. Doubting yourself. You read countless articles about freelancing, you see portfolios with good looking young men (there are a lot of women freelancing, but mainly … Continue reading →

One of the questions I get from many people who know I am currently making a living from web freelancing is: “but I don’t know how to do web design. What can I do?” Well, freelancing doesn’t mean programming or web design, even if many web freelancers are involved in these 2 main job categories. For a person who’s not so web savvy, making a living from these 2 types of jobs is almost impossible. Still, there’s more to freelancing than just C++ or WordPress design. I’ll try to give you some ideas, who knows maybe some of you can … Continue reading →

Working with clients is maybe the most difficult aspect in any business, so the online world doesn’t make an exception. Especially when you’re having to deal with a professional who’s not even living in your country, having faith in their abilities is not something you can easily do. So, how do we make our clients trust us, even if we are miles away? Be truthful about who you really are Many fall into the “big business” trap. They work from their bedroom on an old PC, but nothing on their presentation would make them look less than a huge corporation. … Continue reading →