October 3, 2013

Taking your work across boundaries

Few freelancers have had the opportunity to work across the boundaries. This means that some of you have worked across organizations and country borders. Teams located across the world usually operate at a time which is convenient for all the members of the team.

The teams that work across borders mostly do not see each other face to face. They would have seen each other only through company websites which host their photographs. But these teams have an understanding with each other. This understanding is mostly on professional grounds. The agreement would be to cooperate with each other to get work done. This is to ensure that the work gets complete well in time. There are no other emotions etc which run in between.

While working across boundaries, the most important factor to keep in mind is whether you understand the communication between teams. Many times, there are issues on understanding the accent, language and the words used and also the actual communication. So it is better to have conferences where the communicator communicates well and asks for affirmation form the audience if the same is clear to the team and understood.

There are net meeting devices which customarily help to project the required training material and information sheets across to the laptops or desktops of the team members. This ensures that all the members are on the same page and communication becomes easier. While doing presentations or while sharing spread sheets and diagrams of the project, this becomes an easier method to quickly do comparisons, reports and to send the right message across. Many times when more than two people are in the conference, this is an easier way to share expectations for the future. While confirming the same through telecom is a secondary measure.

Where there are clarifications from team members, they could use online forums or chat messengers to clarify on what they need to do. Emails confirming the topics can then affirm the agreed points.

It is foolishness to think that working across borders sitting at your desk top is easy. Small misunderstanding pave way for bigger problems and hence it is important to have the communication right.

Weekly online meeting can solve issues to a large extend. Noting down what needs more coverage, clarification and clarity needs discussion with all key stake holders. Such collaborative work is always rewarding at the end when the project takes shape well.

It takes competency both in your work and in relationship building to work across borders. To be sensitive to the cultural and personal background of the person at the other end will help you to fare better, while being with them. Once the comfort level is established, you could leverage on it to get superior work done.

Tone of voice used while speaking, matter a lot. Please ensure that you use a very subtle clear tone, with neutral accent, while speaking. This will ensure right warmth in the communication. Together with the right words, your communication will appear trustworthy to the diverse resources that are listening to you at the other end.

Many a times the change required is in the way we interpret the whole work in front of us. There are times when, as freelancers, we may have to take a higher responsibility in understanding the work that needs delivery since the responsibility of creating it lies with us.

Understanding others is of utmost importance here, since the role we play in the team will be successful only depending on the understanding we have with them. Building consensus on certain project plans and action plans are basis this collaboration. The influence we have on others matters as it reflects on the work we do and the opinion others have on us. Active collaboration impacts the greater idea and output.

Milestones are helpful while planning your projects across borders. Each team and member will have to have a milestone of achievement for their work. These needs close monitoring for results. Last but not the least is enrolling the right people to work together. If there are hiccups, it is better to replace people who do not gel together as a team. This is to ensure that work gets the right focus.

So dear friends if you are part of a larger team or plan to work across borders, I hope this provides a good insight for you. Let this give you guidance to working conditions and expectations that arise in such situations.

K Saravana Kumar

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September 9, 2013

Points to remember – for the first time freelancer

A person who does freelancing for the first time may go through many emotions and decision making tendencies. It is alright to try freelancing even if you have a regular work. The key is in the passion one has to pursue his or her interests. If the freelancer has a passion for the work he is involved in, he may see success very soon.

Combined with passion is the enthusiasm to get work and do the same effectively. Enthusiasm sparks creativity as well. So another most important trait required for a first time freelancer is enthusiasm to follow through and get work done.

Self discipline is another trait most people need to work on. For a freelancer this is essential as he is not reporting to anyone while at work. So he has to be on time for work, continue to work for the stipulated hours and bring out results with out supervision.

Balancing both personal front and professional front is a challenge that first timers face, it is important to k now how to balance your personal and professional life, especially when you do not travel out of home for work.

Money management is difficult for a first timer, unless the experience is good. So be lenient and learn the ropes of freelancing before you demand great rewards. There may be too much competition around. But cleverness does not pay for the first timer, as you will have to work and prove yourself.

Look at the community near you. You may find initial opportunities coming in from there. This community will help you in your professional and will also demand something in return. So go ahead and be a part of the mutually helpful community that you live in. Market yourself in your community by joining in for other voluntary efforts and you will be popular. Popularity instantly earns you the rewards, and people might just start referring you for more work.

Create portfolios that will help you reach other once you are established. Web pages or even good advertisements will earn you a lot of exposure. Let us not even mention the benefits if word of mouth publicity. Money should be the last criteria when you freelance. Charge less in the beginning. Once you get to be the expert you may quote your prices and be confident that you will for sure be successful.

Ongoing contracts may have a few lessons to offer. Try to learn as much as possible from your assignments. Once the learning is over, the rest will follow in line. But do not have too many to do in one go. If you are doing one project, give your complete attention to it. Distractions affect the quality of work. So, if you are a part-timer and want to freelance as well, be sure to deliver to the best of your abilities.

Freelancers need to be brave. There are times when you will not have any project in hand. You may be constantly looking for a job. Other times you will have your days full with work. Both ways are dreadful and hence one has to prepare for extreme eventualities. Be prepared to work hard when there is lot of work coming your way. And have a strong emotional capability to handle days when projects are not so forthcoming.

Another factor that you will not have control over is what the client will say about you. Some may give a positive feedback and some may not. As a first timer try to remember that your reaction also matters. So accept criticism and move on. Where the positives are said, appreciate, and thank the client.

Keep in mind that your skills have to speak louder than your voice. Hence, concentrate on doing a better job each time. Big companies will give you more exposure. Be sure to charge them fairly. Big companies can also cause you losses, if they do not like your work.

Learn to handle competition that exists among freelancers. Your networking skills will help you here. Improve your entrepreneurial skills and you will be able to go a long way.

The factors mentioned above are the major challenges a freelancer is bound to face while at work. But as your experience increases, you may have to overcome more and more challenges on the personal front. This may be in the form of health issues, or owning your business, hiring people and expanding your horizons. On the professional front, some of the challenges pertaining to knowledge will grow less as you will be an expert as time flies. Let me wish you a good time ahead!

K Saravana Kumar

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September 4, 2013

Freelancing – Understanding your project/task

Understanding the task at hand is as important as the knowledge one has to have about the project. The freelancer should know if his skills match with the skill requirement. For this, he may have to have exchanges through emails or through telephonic conversations.

A task that has been outsourced may appear to be simple at times. Such tasks will require only a basic talent from a freelancer to complete it. But at times, there will be hidden complexities associated with the same. Thus, it is always advisable to read through and understand the requirements before attempting to do a project.

When the project is technical in nature, one has to be confident that his or her exposure matches to the requirement of the project. Technical upgrades may vary from year to year. Newer versions of the older technologies are available each year and one has to keep updating on the new technology.

Freelancers who do work in software development need to be up to date with every new aspect of work. The client would want a use friendly interface to be developed. The idea might appear to be brilliant and simple. There will be no introduction manual at times. Understanding the project is of utmost necessity here.

Let us look at the numerous applications that are developed. Every year there are new applications that come into the market. The ones that are popular are the ones easy to operate. Those with too many complications may not survive. No one will take time to hunt down the ones that are difficult to use. The easier applications and the readily available applications have more takers. Freelancer may keep this in mind – What you produce need to user friendly, readily available and easy to use.

Reliability of your output is another factor that points to the understanding of the task. A person who has understood the task, and knows what has to be done, is able to churn out reliable work that will stand the test of time. When a transaction takes a longer time to for implementation, the one reason is lack of understanding among the people who are involved in implementing it. This lack of understanding among people further filters down to lack of understanding of the job itself.

For the freelancer, the best way to know if you have understood the task at hand is to reward your work completed. As and when you complete a work reward yourself and you will know that you are in line with what is expected.

What you have not understood after a discussion with the client needs writing down. This later requires discussion in a forum where you are in touch with experts in the matter. Mentors can also help in a very large way to implement these unresolved issues.

Many times, you may be a part of a larger project that would be break up in pieces and distributed amongst many freelancers. Sometimes you do not get the larger picture until you see the connection of your project to the larger work schedule. In such situations ask for a meeting where all the people involved are at one place and discuss the larger cause. This is give ample insight to the task on hand.

When a task fails to come up the way it has to come up create a back up plan. This can come with experience. Once you know how to create back up plans you would want to do away with them and have the taste of success the first time around.

Having a positive morale and attitude is important to understand the tasks given to you. Certain work may be stressful and you need to motivate yourself about your capability to deliver the work well.

Understanding what goes first also is vital for success. Every freelancer who understands his task will know what goes first. For example, some who write a story for children will have to know the age group of the target audience first. They need to know the background of the target group. Then he should know the language the children will speak and read. The moral that has to reach the target group and the emotions that make the story fall in place. Finally, any input to make the story interesting for a child is clearly made note of. Some marketers would also ant their part to be taken care of – the story should sell!

K Saravana Kumar

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September 1, 2013

Exchange of ideas among freelancers

Idea exchange is a vast topic where freelancers can make use of an idea at a higher level to bring about great output at work. These ideas help differentiate your work and product from others’. The success of an individual freelancer depends on the unique ideas he brings forth in his work. Once these ideas get acceptance he can continue to innovate at his work. I am sure more people would want to hire such a person for his uniqueness. Such uniqueness eventually ensures profit in business.

How so ideas strike a person? The answer lies in effort put towards adding value to ones work. If a freelancer can constantly think of bringing about value addition in work, then he may end up thinking of new ideas which are workable and innovative.

How does one add value to work? The answer lies in the critical thinking of the person. Once you analyze the requirements and critically try to meet each task, then the task of adding value is complete. Now, the next step is to think about how to work, away from the conservative frame work.

There are quite a few inspirations that one will come across during idea exchange workshops. Brain storming sessions will help unlock the imagination of the freelancer. Collaborative ideation will enable global changes and improvement.

Mentors who have relevant experience can moderate the ideas generated. This offers great help since mentors know for sure, as to what will work and what will not. Thus, the vetted ideas can further develop into healthy output, which is new and more effective.

Ideation enthusiasts always have a “big question” in front of them. This question will eventually lead them to explore and learn about new things. And the ideas they generate helps them to overcome the challenges they face. Collecting samples and sharing experiences are the best way to gain insights about the work at hand. Ideation workshops are a platform from which you can collect such relevant samples and experiences.

Small businesses also may do the ideas exchange program. These ideas have the power to encourage people to go on with their dreams. They also enable people to realize their dreams.

How do freelancers exchange ideas? There are many methods to do this. Some of them get a mention above. Through workshops and other collaborative efforts, one can gather new ideas. Creating blogs is a less expensive way to get ideas and discuss about them, keeping in line with the new trends. Blogs can help generate discussion topics and also get people to share their opinions about a certain topic. Opinions aired by groups and individuals can create a new thought process and this can generate new ideas as well.

Reviewing the actual workability of the idea is a good way to assess the functionality of the ideas shared. This needs vetting and testing, by knowledgeable people. Surveys can also bring about the truth behind the workability of a new thinking process. The more approvals gained the better the idea and the workability of it. Groups which focus on generating and taking up ideas, to develop and implement them, can help in such activities. This way, idea sharing will base itself on the target it is supposed to achieve.

Collaboration with critics also will provide ideas as to how to bring about more changes to the product in hand. There are critics who will point out the right issues at the right time. Such feedbacks can stimulate more ideas to enable extraordinary ways of implementation success

Implementation plans can further enable us to develop the idea that already exists. Resources required needs identification during the initial stages of idea exchange. The correct amount of resources will lead to accurate implementation and success of the idea. Idea exchange can increase the morale of the people involved. It also helps increase the knowledge of the people involved.

It is always a good idea to share “ideas” when you have a large group to support and hear to what you have to say. Forums, in any form, thus are to gain importance for a freelancer to effectively gather and build is ideation techniques.

Let us start a new movement from today. Let us be part of this team, who ideates and also shares their experiences for others to learn and improve!

K Saravana Kumar

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August 28, 2013

Remembering where to find topics on the subject you write about

Remembering where to find topics for your subject is a major challenge most freelancers face. Many times the editor or the employer just introduces a topic to the writer, to develop content on. Many other times, and in most cases, the writers get the opportunity to determine the topics by themselves.

To have a general idea on the topic in hand is good. This then is broken down to subtopics or paragraphs, to cover the overall subject matter that needs representation. Finding subtopics for creating output can be easy. Jotting down the points as when it comes to your mind helps. But in most cases, this may not be sufficient.

So one has to do a little bit of research while determining what goes into the article or book. There is a wide variety of methodology available today. One such is the internet. The theme can look upon or researched on the net and zeroed upon. One has to use imagination and creativity to ensure that the output created is interesting enough to keep the reader asking for more.

Yet another method of researching is to examine books available in the local library. After going through the print material, your conventional ideas can further develop to suit the topic of interest that the writer is writing on. This also leads to augmented knowledge on the topic in hand. Again, books and the internet can only guide you to certain extend.

Apart from the above, life’s experience of the writer will help create more thought provoking content. Each individual is different and each individual will have his or her own experiences in life, which are different from others. So writing personal experience will command more bonus points since it appeals to the editors as well. More appreciation comes forth for the work thus done and this will see the writer blooming well into his career.

Every situation that we come across has a story in it. A creative writer can generate a full fledged page of article from simple life situations.

When it comes to topics related to science and technology the above may not apply. Here one has to really understand the subject matter in detail to attempt writing. But understanding such subjects is easy as well. Most of the time there is a logical step to follow. The writer has to discover the logic and grasp the topic and he will easily find a way through to write about the same.

Comparing the work done by others and translating it to simple understandable work is one domain of expertise where writers can test their knowledge and creativity. Similarly, agreeing or disagreeing with thought leaders is another way of kick starting a new thinking process. Such writing activity done on a regular basis ensures that the writer’s thoughts are active and captivating always.

A writer can generate topics of interest, to write about, from friends and acquaintances as well. While in a conversation, or during an activity, numerous themes of interest appear and opportunities to write about them arise. Which means if there are two or more people interested in the same subject, it is worth writing about. Some of these appealing trends might only last for a few years but it is worth following the story to know your capabilities, on generating public interest on a topic. Here capabilities also point to your effectiveness in writing about a current topic and scoring on readership as well.

Keeping your own journal of topics, on where to find them is helpful. When asked to write about topics which are not current, but from the past, this may be of a huge help.

Finally, researching and reading on subject matter can only help in understanding the topic in hand. But the writer has to have talent to recreate an output which is appealing to the audience and should think of what might impact writing in a positive way. What is more – having the right words and context while you write is important. It helps harness the right audience to view and read your work.

Optimization of work helps in building better readership and more and more work will follow. Content authors to get the readers appreciate their work by ensuring original output each time they write. Here the subject and output need to be synchronized to enable the reader to relate to what is written

A happy client is what we need at the end of the day. A well documented article is a reference point for future. So everytime you write, ensure that your writing is an example of good work for future reference.

K Saravana Kumar

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August 25, 2013

Creativity – a freelancer’s path to success

Creativity is an art. The way you project yourselves on the things you handle in everyday life to the tasks you do requires creativity. Its the key criterion to compete and remain successful in freelancing career.

Creativity comes along with experiences. There are many ways to be creative, to get new clients or to make better use of equipment and office space.

Some tips include using a different device like ipad or a computer to split the work you do just watching tv or can be to upgrade an existing system if you can’t afford a new one. Recreate the area where you work, keep changing the screen or paintings rent a different place to work,working along with tour group of friends once in awhile. Marketing yourself also shows how creativity you are. Make variety of cards to let your friends and relatives know the services you offer so that they could depend on a reliable person instead of a stranger.

The options are many, all you need is to try think a bit out of the box.

These examples help you grow as a freelancer.

Having known the inspirational quote of Pablo Picasso,

Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.

We should stick to the creativeness we own. At every moment one must remember to be unique. There are many people who can do the same repetitive task with training. To make a difference as a freelancer and to be the first pick for the people outside, the art must be mastered.Never lose the uniqueness.

Give customers gift

To attract customers and to succeed in business you must use creative approaches. One such would be gifting your regular customers.The market trends keep changing with time and is often difficult to meet the customers expectations. Offer free services every now and then. This will help retain your customers for the second and third time.Send them your brochures along with goodies on special occasions . in big companies they have people to monitor and do these but as a freelancer it’s your responsibility to track your customers. When You feel low and when the number of clients are getting less these techniques help you boost your freelancing career.Use your fantasy and implement these things into your business plan. Make customers want to come back and you will have the best possible chance to survive.

Reward!

Own a website or a blog and keep updating your recent work. This will increase the number of readers visiting your site.Giving something extra to the visitors on your website always is a good thing. As a freelance blogger help people with tips that can help them gain more hits. Gift a new member who joins in your portal. Conduct quizzes more often. This helps you get more contacts with the interaction you do.Post some useful suggestions on how are to present a particular information. This will potentially give more clients for you.

Treating your clients

Clients are more valuable for one to be successful. Giving existing customers good offers as mentioned in the previous tip is important. But remember to be service minded.Maintain your limits to satisfy the customers. The attention you pay to the customer is important it will make him feel he is important and make him more loyal. Use positive language when you talk or write to him. Remember to let him know that his feedback is always appreciated. That way you can keep making your services more and more attractive and get happier clients. Don’t forget that existing clients can be the best advertising you ever get!

Feedback

In Order to become a successful freelancer getting feedback is critical. You can ask your friends or family to improve the services you provide.Not only should you have comments enabled on your website for feedback but should remember that you work towards to achieve it. . Most important of all, every time when you have finished your project – ask the client what he thinks.This attitude makes your client feel the client important. Getting someone else’s opinion is always good and this will help you to become even more successful and have a fresh mind.Having a fresh perspective of doing things is always essential to succeed. when your share your thoughts and ideas it will kindle the thoughts of others as well and hence the combined result based on these ideas help you provide a better product.

Steve jobs has given to us a wonderful quote based on this synthesizing which leads to an amazing creative product which is ,

“Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while. That’s because they were able to connect experiences they’ve had and synthesize new things.”

Take the time you need!

At the early stage of taking a work, we might be very enthusiastic to execute but as time goes we might lose the interest to perform. Its our responsibility to stay motivated and give a better service to the client as promised. Don’t compromise yourself to postpone any job you take. Its creativity which makes you do things better. When you get a task or commit yourself to take a job make sure you give the timeline to yourself.This not only helps you to complete the work but you will have ample space to think about the task the ways to implement it, the enhancements you can do while working on this.

You need to have a strong impression created that each days work is not dragged to the next.

This is so important, it can’t be mentioned enough. Same as with the tip about learning to say no.

A successful freelancer is one who manages time and handle the project effectively. Reputation matters for a freelancer. Make sure your clients don’t go to anyone else other than you.

Hope these tips helped you to bring back the creativeness!

K Saravana Kumar

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July 27, 2013

How To Be A Freelance Teacher

Freelancing jobs are full of potential and opportunities Freelance teaching is not a new concept. It has been around for ages. However, the latest trends in globalisation have given Freelance teaching a new spin. Here is a short guide to help you start of as a freelance teacher.

The first step is to decide that kind of freelancing teaching job you are in­terested in:

A) Travelling freelance jobs: These kinds of jobs require you to travel to other states or countries to take up a teaching assignment there. These kinds of jobs are especially popular with teachers who have multilingual experience.

B) Online freelance teaching jobs: These jobs involve sitting at home and tutoring over the internet. These types of projects include tutoring of subjects such as History, Geography, English etc. assignments are handed over the internet itself.

C) Regular freelance teaching jobs: These are regular freelancing jobs that you can take up in the local areas like tutoring school students, teaching art etc. and do not require travelling or access to online services. You don’t need to travel for these jobs.

Once you have decided what kind of freelance job you want to do then it is time to think on the following points.

What different you can offer?

The biggest challenge that a freelancer faces is offering something different than what others are not. Think hard and fast about your special qualities as a teacher.

Be ready to network extensively

When you are new in the business you don’t have much contacts so be prepared to network eaten surely. Look up your old contacts, old students, and visit local online communities to build up the network. It will be hard work but it will be worth it.

Stay in touch with teaching even when not working

Teaching is a profession in which you need to be at the top of your game at all the times. Therefor it is important that you stay in touch with teaching at all the times. Volunteer at the schools / colleges or at the night classes. This will help you in understanding the minds of your students better and therefore you will be able to teach better.

Network with other freelance teachers

When you are starting as a freelance teacher then in order to get some hands on experience on what actually happens in the freelance teaching world, it would help you a lot to network with other freelance teachers. Remember never ask them to share their client details but ask them about how they started, what they charge and what are the points to look forward to. Teaching methods of every teacher is different and therefore you are bound to pick up some useful points every time you interact.

Make sure all your documents are in order

Nobody wants a teacher who is not organized himself/herself. Keep all your documents in order, which should include your degrees and certificates all in order. If you are interested in traveling freelance jobs then make sure that your passport is updated and you have the necessary permissions.

This way you can present them promptly and the point will go in your favour.

Don’t be afraid to take up new challenges

Just as every teacher is different, every student also had different learning capability. As a freelance teacher, you usually don’t get the time to mould the student as you wish and therefore it is important that you mould yourself the way the student wants. Some students like to have lots of books to read and some understand better with the practical way. Take up new challenges with confidence in your teaching methods and you will defiantly succeed.

K Saravana Kumar

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June 29, 2013

Five Quirky Freelancing Jobs

Tell anybody that you work as a freelancer and they will ask you about either of the two things: what do you write about or what kind of programing that you do? Most people’s idea of freelancing is limited to writing or something related to computers but if you will dig a little deeper freelancing is much more than that. There are hundreds of freelancing jobs, which you might not even have heard about. You can enjoy a freelancing career even without having to write a single article or computer program. In this blog we have listed five such quirky freelancing jobs

Pet Trainer/Groomer: Most people love to have a pet at home but often don’t have the time or clue on how to train them and groom them. A freelance pet groomers takes up the responsibility of training the pet for the owner. All you need is lot of love for the animals and basic knowledge how to train them. Of course there are various specialties in pet grooming also such as horse groomer, dog trainer, parakeet trainer etc.

Freelance finder: A freelancer finder finds things for people. If you need a particular gift item for your loved one or just want to create a replica of an old memory then a freelance finder will find the things you want for a very small fee. Freelance finding can be about anything but is quite different from the detective work.

Freelance shopper: I think this is one of the most exiting freelance jobs of all. A freelancer shopper shops for things which other people don’t have the time for. For example an interior designer will hire a freelance shopper for shopping for interior decoration products needed for a home or office or a manager might ask a freelance shopper to find some office gifts under a budget. Sometimes a freelance shopper might be asked to even suggest gifts or products which further helps broaden his/her horizons.

Mystery Shopper: A mystery shopper is different from a freelance shopper. A mystery shopper is hired by big brands or independent product evaluation companies to shop for their products and give their reviews. These reviews include employee behavior, product quality, billing systems, general ambiance of the outlet etc. For example as a mystery shopper for McDonalds, you get to eat a free meal there and also evaluate the quality of their burgers. Mystery shoppers are paid according to the projects.

Freelance home maintenance: People who are away from their homes a lot need somebody to oversee the maintenance of their homes, coordinate with the cleaning services etc. Freelance home maintainers undertake to take care of your home as if it was their own and make sure that everything is the way you want it when you come back from your holiday or business trip.

K Saravana Kumar

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April 30, 2013

Budgeting: Why Is It Important For A Freelancer?

Being a freelancer means that you are your own boss. This also means that you are responsible for the success or failure of your jobs.  A freelancer does not have a steady income at all time. The income will vary depending on the nature of the job, number of clients etc. Freelancing also does not cater for any employee benefits. Therefore as a freelancer, it is important that you learn the art of budgeting down to the pat.

We hear a lot of reasons for why freelancers tend to ignore budgeting including ‘I am trying to build up a business first’ or ‘I never had a problem till now’ or the classic ‘Never had the time’. But if you ask them, most freelancers will agree that maintaining a budget is very important for any freelancer.  In this post, we will take a look at some of the reasons for why budgeting is import for a freelancer.

It helps you cater for lean times

As I said before that, a freelancer can never be sure of a steady income. You might earn more from a job or sometimes you might not have a job. Therefore, the money that you earn from the high paying job will come in handy when you don’t have a job provided you have made a budget for yourself and followed it through.  Because even when you don’t have a job you will have to pay for expenses like bills, electricity, internet, phone and food.

It helps you dream big

When I started out as a freelance writer I was barely able to work 2-3 hours a day because things like housework, electricity cuts etc. would eat into my time. I started operating on a budget where my first aim was to save up enough to buy a generator to not to let electricity cuts interfere with my work.  I saved up enough to buy one in 3 months by sticking to the budget. I now have an answering machine to take care of all the unwanted calls and a much faster laptop and table to help me work faster. This all has been possible because I made a budget and stuck to it.
Having a budget to tidy you over during your lean times will help you dream big.  With your budget in your hands, you will be able to plan for better things and even present a more professional front to the potential clients. Your dreams are not limited to the professional front only; they can be personal also like taking for favorite art class or going on your dream holiday.

It helps you sail through life’s surprises

Life can never be very unpredictable. You never know one moment from another about what is going to happen. If you are not prepared for the surprises that life will throw at you then it will catch you on the wrong foot. Therefore, it is always important to prepare for such unforeseen events. The best way to do that is to have a budget set which will cater for any emergencies.

When you are working as a freelancer, you don’t have the standard insurance covers that are provided by the companies therefore you have to think about it yourself. If you have a budget on hand then you will be able to set a sum aside for emergency funds, which can be tapped easily without you having to worry about money to pay bills the next month.

Budgeting gives you a kind of security for you and your family. Being secure with a budget also means that your mind will be free of worries, which in turn means that you can work better. So you see it is a Win –Win situation!

K Saravana Kumar

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April 9, 2013

How to Become an Expert Freelance Writer

Writing is the most popular freelancing jobs worldwide. Over 70% of writers’ worldwide work as freelancers for various publications, companies, individuals, blogs, and media industry. Being a freelance writer is not easy because you have to learn to be a freelancer as well as a writer. If you are wondering what it takes to be an expert freelance writer then here are some points to help you:

Learn your language

You can write in any language provided you understand the language well. Whether you are writing in English, French, Hindi or any other language, you have to make sure that you understand all the grammar and punctuation rules and are able to use them correctly.

Try and read more and more publications and writings in your language, which will give you a fair idea of what are the latest developments, latest words included etc. Keep in mind that the slang that you use in your normal language might not be understood by everyone.

What do you want to write about?

Theoretically, you can write about anything under the sun.  However since it is not possible for you to ‘know’ everything, we suggest that you stick to some topics, which you know the best about. This will not only help you maintain a flow of writing but also help you in address the topic with confidence.

What kind of writing do you want to do?

After you have thought about the topic that you want to write about, it is then time to think about what kind of writing you want to do. Writing can fall under many categories such as advice, lists, stories, reviews, controversy, comparison, news reporting, diaries, events, life stories, book reviews, questions and answers, informational, inspirational, poetry to name a few.  Of course, you don’t have to restrict yourself to one particular category but it would help you focus more if you can shortlist some categories to start with.

Don’t be afraid to be dreadful

Trust yourself always when you are writing about your chosen topic.  Everything you write about will not be perfect and you should not expect it to be perfect. It is quite natural for a writer to have different views on a particular subject. Therefore, just trust yourself when writing a blog.

Read and Research

It is quite important for a blogger to research well into the topic that he/she is going to focus on. However, an expert blogger’s research does not stop on the topic itself, it also includes keeping up with what is happening around in the world. You have to make a habit of dedicating some time during the day to spend on reading. You can read other blogs, books, papers etc. and get to know what the world around you is listening to.

Your research should also include a timeline about your future posts. This will help you map out a direction for your blog which will in turn help you maintain a continuity in your blogs. Keep in mind that most of the blogs fail because they are not able to hold the interest of the readers. Focus on being credible and emotional in your writings.

Interact with the readers

An expert blogger always interacts with the readers. This interaction can be in many forms  such as responding to readers which comment on the blog, encourage readers to express their views, interact on social media platforms, post comments and queries on other blogs etc. Once you start interacting with readers, you will see that you will have more inputs for your freelance writing and it will only improve with time.

K Saravana Kumar

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