Category: Freelance

  • The Best Invoice Payment Terms to Avoid Past Due Invoices

    Invoice payment seems to be the stitch on every freelancer’s side. When to do it. How to do it. What terms are best?

    Being clear as to how to get paid is an important step in actually getting paid on time.

    When you send out an invoice, you’re telling your client how much money you expect in return for the work you’ve done. The payment terms specify when that money is due and how it should be paid.

    So the most important aspect of the payment terms is the timeframe in which you expect to be paid.

    But as part of the payment terms, you can also specify what will happen if people don’t pay: perhaps a penalty or interest to be applied after a certain date. Or, if you want to be more positive, you can offer a discount to anyone who pays early. You can also specify payment methods.

    We’ll look at how those options work in the next section, as well as examining which ones work best.

    Read the rest of this awesome post on Envato Tuts+ Business Tutorial

  • 5 skills you need to ensure your freelance survival in the future of work

    Many are considering freelance as a way to make a living more than ever. Those that make the jump, quickly find out that there are unforeseen hurdles that puts one at a decisive precipice. Is the personal challenge worth it?

    Increasingly people are seeking the autonomy to do what they want to do when they want to do it, and they want their work to have meaning.

    This very desire for autonomy with a purpose is manifesting itself in a number of significant ways not least of which is the rise of the next wave of freelancers that is expected to increase to 70 million by 2020.

    Welcome to the world of First Name, Last Name Inc.

    Individuals are their own companies and their own brands. Yes, your reputation precedes you. The walls are

    Read the entire post on Freelancers Union

  • How to Stay Productive and Stick to a Daily Rhythm

    Productivity is one of those freelance areas that seem very elusive. All of us at some point feel that we need help in getting our act together in order to produce more.

    Let’s face the facts first. Since we all are different, we all have very unique ways of being productive. To some working during the day is a must. To others working in the silence of night is a must. No matter what your bent is, here are a few suggestions to think about your productivity method and some things you might consider changing.

    Small and large changes, new opportunities, life choices, and circumstances beyond your control stack up to create an ever-changing landscape. It’s on this shifting ground that you’re trying to build a productive, focused life.

    Fortunately, you can learn to maintain stability even in the midst of ongoing change. It’s not always easy, but with a few key strategies, it’s doable. And the more you do it, the easier it becomes.

    Step 1. Change How You Think of Change

    Humans tend to equate safety with predictability. We feel more secure when we know what’s coming, even when what we can accurately predict isn’t that pleasant, valuable, or good.

    Read the rest of this awesome post at Tuts+ Business Tutorial

  • How to create a simple 2-page business plan for freelancers

    Writing a business plan can be a daunting proposition. It conjures up images of a giant multi-page document with charts, numbers and information you have no idea where to get.

    Though not everyone feels the need to create a business plan, admittedly it is a good idea to at least have a cursory idea of where you’d like to take your business.

    What Problem Do You Solve?

    Freelancers can do many different things. You can be a freelance artist, a freelance consultant, a freelance writer, designer, producer, filmmaker, wedding planner, photographer – the possibilities are endless. When people ask us what we do, as freelancers we tend to just say that we are “freelance ____ (insert noun here)”. But in your business plan, rather than defining what you do, drill down on exactly what problem you solve.

    Read entire post on:  Freelancers Union

  • Stabilize your freelancer rollercoaster income

    One of the most difficult things to a freelancer is how to stabilize their rollercoaster income.

    It seems like the fluctuation from month to month is sometimes to much to bare. It also makes running a home budget nearly impossible.

    No matter how new or experienced my creative entrepreneur clients are, one of their top worries is how to manage inconsistent income.It’s easy to find personal finance and business planning tips on how to control your expenses or increase your income, but to truly develop a well-oiled system for achieving financial stability, you need to tackle both sides.

    Check out these 5 steps to start creating a more stable income.

    Read full post on Millo.co

  • How to Overcome the 5 Biggest Obstacles to Business Growth

    2015 is almost behind us. As freelancers we already need to be looking back and planning to move forward.

    If your business is ready to grow, check out these tips for dealing with some of the factors that frequently thwart small business growth and putting them to your advantage.

    Trust Your Gut, But Pay Attention to Business Indicators

    Your gut instinct is a great catalyst for growth, but don’t rely on it alone or you may find yourself going down the wrong path. Instead, look to your business reports to assess growth opportunities.

    Read entire post on FreshBooks Blog

  • Land juicy freelancer projects with budgets to match

    collabmiami freelancer freelance

    Finding a client that loves your work is the easy part. Landing juicy freelancer projects with budgets to match is a completely different thing.

    As a freelancer, you’ve got the skills. But as potential clients become more savvy they not only want skill, they want to know that the value you bring to the table is worth it.

    Identify what makes you unique and how that is of value to your ideal clients.

    Imagine this: you have a full pipeline of high-quality clients who have great projects and budgets to match. Your clients respect what you do, you love your work, and your business affords the lifestyle you wish to have. Does that feel like an inspiring and attainable goal? Or are you so stuck in a cycle of unfulfilling, low-budget projects, you don’t even have time to think about it? If it’s the latter, don’t feel bad, everyone’s been there at some point.  But if you have the talent (and I know you do!), those projects and budgets are within your reach, and this post is all about taking the first step to making that dream a reality.

    I learned that high-quality clients will hire the most qualified person to solve their problem, and are willing to pay top-dollar for their services.  It was my job was to position each creative professional on my roster as a specialist within their field, uniquely qualified to solve the problems their ideal clients had.

    Whether you know it or not, we are all born with a unique gift or talent. No exceptions! Whether you’re a freelancer photographer, illustrator, graphic designer or video producer, your unique talent or specialty is how you create positive transformation in the lives of others. And when you identify your talent and share it with your ideal clients, you can’t help but achieve the fulfillment and success that you wish for.

    Read the full post at: Freelancers Union

  • Discussion Series Recap

    ColabMiami_TamboDiscuss_recap

    Wow! What an incredible time for all at the CollabMiami Discussion Series Meetup!

    The vibe was awesome at TamboWorks, an awesome new coworking space in the heart of South Miami. The founders were on the floor and made everyone feel welcomed from the get-go.

    From the onset, the meetup engaged everyone in the room. The subject matter at hand was “How to scale your freelance business.” As soon as the topic hit the floor everyone enthusiastically joined in. I mean everyone. Ideas and suggestions came from every direction. Everything from “How do you know you’re choosing to collaborate with the right freelancer?” to “What apps are best to keep team communication functioning?” were discussed. All in the spirit of freelancer helping freelancer.

    This is what makes CollabMiami meetups far more then another event on a calendar. It is not about one person’s expertise being expounded upon. It is about a community of professional freelancers coming together to meet, share information and help each other along the freelance journey. It doesn’t get better then this.

    Till the next meetup,
    George

    #freelancersunite

  • Want a better freelance business?

    Want a better freelance business? Value people more than the business.

    collabmiami

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Some people wonder if CollabMiami is just another business networking meet up… absolutely not! CollabMiami values people relationships more than business profits. Not a popular business model, but it is our credo.

    CollabMiami is building authentic friendships first with the ability to form trusted business relationships between freelancers and solopreneurs. Our MeetUps are no-hassle, no-agenda, no-pressure. Total strangers become friends by the simple act of sharing a table and working alongside each other. IT IS AWESOME! It has truly been an absolute pleasure to meet such incredible people and make such great friends along the way.

    Can’t wait to schedule a freelancer flash mob!

    See you at the next MeetUp;)
    george

  • The future of work is already here!

    It’s a beautiful afternoon as I write this post at the Dineen coffee shop in Toronto.

    I’m also instant messaging a co-worker in New York City, about to get on a Skype call with our Community Manager in the Netherlands, and sending an email to our development team in Paris.

    Some may think this isn’t an organized and efficient way to operate a growing company. To us, this is the future of work.

    Many of the greatest companies in the 21st century, including Virgin, 37signals, and IBM have built successful businesses by providing people the freedom to work where they want, when they want and how they want. And many other 3D teams are organised this way too: Polycount, CGCookie, Allegorithmic…

    Here’s why.

    You get SH#T done

    Shorter commutes, private office, flexible work hours.

    This all leads to: less time wasted, more productive work hours and increased happiness amongst employees.

    In 2013, Stanford University conducted a study by randomly assigning employees at a call center to work from home and others to work in the office for nine months. The result was a 13 percent performance increase by those working from home, of which 9 percent was from working more hours.

    People criticize working remotely because they find it difficult to measure the number of hours their employees are working. What they forget is that going into the office does not equal productive work.

    “Office workers are interrupted—or self-interrupted—roughly every three minutes.” — The Wall Street Journal

    In fact, once thrown off, it can take over 23 minutes for a worker to retrieve focus on their original task.

    Give people the freedom to work where they want, and begin to re-think the 9-5 working style. By adopting a culture of trust and respect, you’re empowering individuals to not just show up, but to show results.

    Work and retain the best people

    We hear it over and over again: Always hire the best people.

    The company’s that embrace telecommuting have a significant advantage over those that haven’t figured it out. For each candidate that is available to work in your city, there are hundreds more around the world that can do it better and cheaper.

    Hiring top talent is already hard enough as it is, why limit the single most important ingredient for the success of your business?

    It’s inevitable that more and more skilled workers will adapt to a remote working lifestyle, and it’s the companies that can accommodate the lifestyles of these talents that will become the market leaders in the future.

    Remote has never been easier

    The good news is, it’s now easier than ever to coordinate the work of individuals from around the world. As long as we have access to a lab top and the internet, there are hundreds of tools that have been created to make the process seamless.

    Now I’m not suggesting that it’s a walk in the park. There are setbacks to working remotely that is simply easier with in-person interactions, such as training, instant feedback, and relationship building. So here’s how to make that all work.

    1. Think output
    Focusing on a results-orientated system is the initial step to take when going remote. At the end of the day, the output that we produce is the only tangible result we can present that brings the business forward.

    I’m a huge fan of focusing on output because it forces me to prioritize my focus to tasks that will have the biggest impact, and helps me stay productive.

    Too often we see this in today’s working environment:

    • Person A takes 5 hours to complete a project, and Person B takes 30 minutes to complete the same project.
    • Person A comes in early and stays late at the office, while Person B can leave the office earlier to recharge or plan new projects that will bring value for the company. Yet Person A is rewarded for their “hard work” and dedication, when Person B has accomplished the same outputs, if not more from being productive.

    Systems such as ROWE (Results Only Work Environment) are being introduced to promote output work cultures, where employees are evaluated on performance, not presence. It has been implemented in companies such as Best Buy and Gap, where they’ve seen: 20 percent improvement in productivity, 90 percent decrease in turnover rates, and increased customer satisfaction.

    2. Get SMART

    Now that we’re focused on results, we need to set the right goals and metrics for ourselves.

    Creating goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely are the five most important factors to consider. Investing the time to plan and write down your smart goals will do wonders for your output.

    If you’re a coder, you could set a goal to release a certain feature in the next week. If you’re in sales, it could be calling 50 people a day with a target to close 10 per week.

    I encourage you to set your own goals, as you’re the best person that knows your working style.
    There’s no better feeling than waking up each morning and having a clear target for exactly what you’re going to accomplish that day, week, or month.

    3. Communicate, communicate, communicate

    I can’t stress this enough.
    The caveat to working remotely is that we miss out on 70 percent of nonverbal communication such as facial expressions, voice tones and eye contact. Working from other sides of the world, communicating the smallest things are a must.

    This is why we use HipChat at Sketchfab as our instant messaging tool to keep in regular contact in an informal manner. It allows me to be myself and have more natural flowing conversations with my
    co-workers.

    The beauty of working online is that it has forced me to articulate everything I communicate. 750 word long emails have to be shortened to 300 word emails, while getting the same message across. This has helped me keep my writing short and concise, which has transferred over to my speaking skills as well.

    4. Create a company bulletin board

    All this means is have a project management system or a “bulletin board” that allows each team member to see what everyone else is working on.

    Sometimes we get so ingrained about our own tasks, that we forget what’s happening with the rest of our team members.

    We use Pivotal Tracker, but there are several others that just as effective, such as Basecamp, Asana, and Trello. This helps me understand what the high-level priorities are for the company, and allows me to assign tasks to any team member without having to bug them about it.

    5. Have regular feedback

    It’s difficult to know if your work is producing the impact that your team members expect when working . You can never have too much feedback, because we can always improve our work, become better team members, and have greater impact.

    Design a structure for individual regular feedback, whether it’s bi-weekly or monthly. Creating a culture for continuous improvement will allow members to feel that they’re personally improving, which leads to increased work engagement, and greater loyalty for the business.

    Avoid using email and take feedback to video chats as much as you can. You can’t risk leaving out 70 percent of your nonverbal communication for something as personal as individual feedback.

    In order to build a successful business in a talent shortage economy, we have to hire the best people — period. The opportunity to tap into a global talent market has never been more possible in the world that we live in.

    The future of work is already here, it’s up to you to take advantage of it.

    Sean Kim
    Adventurer, Entrepreneur, Lifehacker. Follow me @sseankim


    This article originally appeared on Sketchfab and is reprinted with permission.