Diversifying into related fields

It is easy to diversify to various related fields when you are a freelancer. All that you have to have is the energy and determination to learn more. Diversifying may sound a bit too general. But diversifying can be very strictly specialization as well.

Diversifying helps in many ways. It paves for easier application of theories of one project to another. Your learning curve may be slow but you may end up reaping the benefits of being an expert at what you do. They are measurable when you get higher paid projects. This may result in spending less on advertisements since you will have the good will, which an expert can command, from the client who may refer you to many others as well.

Diversifying helps specialization since every time you diversify; you also specialize in a new subject. Which means the term diversification goes hand in hand with specialization on a new line of business. While concentrating on your primary strength, it is also necessary to ramp up and diversify. Clients can see through your specialties or expertise very easily. Hence, it is necessary that you need to be a master at what you do. Which also means, that every time you diversify, ensure that you learn the ropes of the new technology well enough to generate an income out of it.

Let us take the example of journalism graduates. They can diversify into writing books, magazines, or articles and publish them. This will ensure that they have their own set of working norms. But here, they have to try hard to publish their work. What they need to have is experience working in a publishing house or even at a newspaper to learn how they need to manage both aspects of the business viz writing and publishing.

People in the technical field have a better chance of diversifying. They can learn new programs and computer languages. There are ample certification courses available as well. In fact, they necessarily need to diversify since technology gets outdated faster. The individual has to update himself with newer technology to keep abreast with the trends. This also allows this field to be very dynamic in terms of inventions and changes.

Web developers have an advantage here. The internet is the place where all the new things happen and web developers will get opportunities to develop new websites about the new industries and technology. Thus, a freelancer who is a web developer will have vast knowledge about every single aspect of the business that he is working with.

Marketing consultants can double up as advertisers. They know the product they sell and they know the different aspects of the product. Similarly, once you are successful at marketing a product and has the knowledge on the skill sets required, you could sell anything. Same is the case when it comes to advertisements. Marketing professionals double up as advertisers for their products. Both these skill sets go hand in hand.

The above throws light on how a freelancer can diversify into different skill sets and use them to generate income. While diversification generates income, it also generates more business. One could create new products while selling some other products or invent a product that goes well with the ones that you are selling already.

The question is whether you prefer to be in the comfort zone or not. Being in the comfort zone means lesser risk. And being away from the comfort zone generates risk. But experience will tell that even while you take calculated risks you could have success calling on you with huge profits and business opportunities.

The key to diversification is to start slowly. Learn each new technology at a pace set by you. Then master them. Once you know where to keep your next step you will know how to climb up the treacherous path. It is a full time job in itself for a freelancer to expand his business.

Another way of diversifying is to outsource less and to do more. Many occasions warrant that some of the work related to your project be outsourced to another freelancer. But situations like that can be a hidden opportunity for the freelancer to learn those new aspects and to be a master of his work. The key is to recognize learning opportunities and outsource lesser and lesser. This way you can earn more and generate more business as well. The new learning will be helpful in future as well.

Do some training to your subordinates or peers and impart knowledge. This way, you are sharing your knowledge and get to know some form them as well. Follow the above techniques and it sure will help your diversification process.

Keeping in touch with your clients even after completion of the project

It is easy to keep in touch in today’s world. There are more ways to be in touch than to be away, from people. So why not continue association with someone who has employed you for some time? It is important to keep in touch with past employers. Especially for freelancers who have been on a project for a longer period of time, say six months.

To find ways to be in touch is not difficult. There are ample opportunities that present itself for such a situation. Freelancers can take this opportunity to inform clients about the new things they have learnt. They may also talk about some prestigious projects undertaken. Talking about your achievements will create a positive picture in the minds of the client about you.

After completing a job well, don’t you think that your earlier employers should know what you are up to? You may update them in many ways. One such way is to occasionally give a courtesy call to the employer. You may have a casual chat with the contact point and inform him about what you are up to. You may also update him a bout you latest achievements.

There are networking sites like LinkedIn where you could update your latest projects, learning, interests etc. This gives you visibility. Not only past employers but also future recruiters who are looking for people who have talents like yours, are able to see your work profile.

If you have a website that publishes your work, you have visibility in the web as well. You may promote your website on social network sites. There are ways to advertise your work well. News letters can be a medium through which you may publicize your work. It is used by many to keep the clients updated on their work profile use this mode.

Well, that said, why is it important to be in touch? Keeping touch can be a follow up of what has transpired earlier. Hence, it need not necessarily be on work related matter and meetings. It can be a regular exercise you do, to exchange information or ideas or just casual chat. It further leads to more work from potential clients who were also past employers.

Always remember to appreciate the client for giving you an opportunity. This is another strategy that could earn you brownies. Clients will appreciate that you remembered them. Sending them a New Year gift or a Christmas gift as a token of appreciation will have an impact on their view about you and how you maintain professional relationships.

Remember to invite your clients to promotional events that you are participating in. This could be in the form of a trade meeting or a community event that you are using as a platform to promote your skills or product. The clients will have an opportunity to attend the event and also view some interesting products and promoters as well. This way you are extending good will to both the client and others around.

Sponsorship of events is another way to promote your business. While clients may have sponsorship requirements, you may take up this opportunity to meet more people from the client’s side as well as other participants who might be interested in your work.

While all the above are mandatory, there is no comparison to the occasional face to face meeting that you might want to have with the client. This may not be a true professional meeting, but these meetings could turn out to be great relationship building exercise that will benefit both parties. You could deliver some important facts and figures while you are at it. This could make you an integral part of your client’s contact list.

Refer your clients to prospective business contacts as well. This way you are opening up another channel for mutual help. The client may also appreciate the fact that you are extending support to them. Refer good people to them who might be of mutual help. Remember, what goes around come around. You never know when you will get a similar help from people you have been in business with.

Ultimately, it is these small gestures that will pave way for greater things to happen in future. All individuals great or small will reciprocate the good will shown to them. The results may turn out to be amazing experiences that one can never forget. Or they may just promote your work and business to higher levels ensuring your success.

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!

Dedication to a project as a freelancer

A freelancer is a person who does work for two relative things, one is to generate money and secondly who has an immense passion to do it.

Taking this in account, what a freelancer should ideally have to succeed is Dedication to his/her work.

Brief note on Dedication:

Dedication is an act of binding yourself to the work no matter how the situations are around you. An individual must take care of the given project as their own and also think about how the users will be benefited by the work they create and produce. While we talk about this, we in turn need to have in mind that the client’s expectations are met and put together a plan.

Steps to stay dedicated

Gathering requirements, creating a plan, setting expectations for yourself and meeting deadline are some key factors which drives you to dedicate to the work. Remember, there are a lot of people out there who has the same talent and have mastered the work as you do but the key to succeed as a freelancer is to perform the job with more perspiration, determination and interest. For instance, Java could be learnt through many websites, blogs, and videos; however the sense of learning involves dedication.

You ought to focus on your goal constantly and should aim for it unswervingly. Make sure you set your priorities right and go by it. Try to avoid taking multiple projects at one point of time. A freelancer should always embrace the opportunity given to them and persuade the job. When the opportunity given is realized the positive attitude of an individual is invoked leading to the steps of successes. Consider every chance as a stage where you can refine your skills and produce the best outcome.

Going by the saying

“Don’t ever give up.

Don’t ever give in.

Don’t ever stop trying.

Don’t ever sell out.

And if you find yourself succumbing to one of the above for a brief moment,

Pick yourself up, brush yourself off, whisper a .prayer, and start where you left off.

But never, ever, ever give up.”

One must never slip away from our ways to finish a goal. We must be steadily motivated and focus on the path of completion. This comes with involvement towards your work.

As an owner of the task you do, you need to make sure a complete work structure is maintained which will help you track the projects, budgets, client’s feedback and if possible you can even reuse some important notes. The quality of the work and the service you offer is valued at the top. Make it as a practice to serve the best out of you.

Dedication not only involves work, but also the way that you communicate to clients on time in-spite of the day to day challenges handled. You must make a schedule for the activities you do, and allocate time slot for each so that you remain devoted to what you do.

Do things right on time. make sure the work doesn’t get piled up. For example, if you get 10 jobs to work , and the deadline is two days don’t save it for the last day. Split the work in hours and get it done by one and half days and review the work you done. This kind of dedication is necessary to maintain the quality and the performance of the job.

Take some time in every day or week to organize your to do list. Make sure you sit and complete the work you start with and do not leave it behind. This will then be a burden and you will lose the concentration on the subject.

As a freelancer you take work for short term goals which helps you to keep learning and remain enthusiastic. This is the best opportunity you get to focus on the work. There are several groups which tell about dedicated people and their sacrifices which led them to heights. You must often refer to those and frame your path to succeed. Have belief in your own self.

The universal statement “Practice makes a man perfect”, it says more about hard work, dedication and the work. More you do work with dedication the more you achieve. Having talent but who does not work to put an effort will not be able to prosper, whereas the desire and the devotion you show to learn will boost your career.

Make some simple artwork in your room keeping in mind of the dedicational quotes you have come across. Create your own chart and the rules that you have framed for yourself and pin it. Every day when you feel low, go through them and rediscover your thoughts and approach. Always have in mind the goal to accomplish what you have started with.

At times rewarding ourselves for what you have done for the day helps finding out the gaps that you have missed. You will have the desire to fill in the gaps and learn more new techniques. This way of dedicating yourself to the work and not getting diverted too much makes you a better freelancer.

A popular sportsman Michael Jordan once said, “It’s my standards that make me successful, every day I demand more from myself than anybody else could humanly expect from me. I’m not competing against somebody else; I’m competing with what I am capable of” These amazing lines tells us more about the devotion he has in his oneself

If an individual understands the importance of following this as a continuous process, the progress level will increase and start to feel as an energetic sky rocket. The most important factor in creating an extraordinary quality of work is through dedication. Yet in a time of constant demands, we often neglect what we know is most important. In order to take your life to the next level, it’s crucial to make a commitment to living a more organized life.

Scope Creep And How To Deal With It

Scope creep is something that every freelancer has to deal with at some point of an assignment or assignments. A scope creep is the changes and growth that were not predefined at the start of the project. Not only can a scope creep cost you a lot of money and a lot of time. Many times, it happens that freelancers are not able to do justice to other assignments because of a scope creep.

A scope creep is also known as requirement creep and feature creep. There are a number of ways a scope creep can happen without you knowing about it or even aiding it unconsciously. For example if you are working on a website design and the client asks you to write a short home page intro and you do it thinking that it is a simple thing, then he asks you to fill in the contact details too and before you know it you are spending time gathering data then designing. This is called scope creep.

Scope creep is not very difficult to deal with; you just have to know when to draw a line between a little something and a lot of extra work. There are a number of ways to deal with scope creep. In this post, we will take a look at some of the ways:

Talk sooner than later

Most freelancers fall a victim of scope creep because they do not talk soon enough. When you let the scope of the project creep up to unmanageable proportions, only you are to be blamed for it. Talk to the client a soon as you feel that you are being asked to do more than that was discussed. Bailing out at a later stage will not get you a happy client.

Know beforehand how much time you are going to spend on the project

When you get a job, especially a fixed price job spend some time with the client tell him/her about how you plan to proceed with the job. Chart down how you are going to progress with the job and how much time you are going to spend on the job. This will give you a definite time frame of the job and you can leave a little time over I case of emergencies. This way you will know if you should start billing extra for any of the changes in the work.

Sometimes scope creep is good if you get to increase your experience base.

Do not be afraid to say no or present a new estimate

There is nothing wrong in saying no to the client if you have completed the job successfully and do not want to take on more of the same work. Be polite and firm and explain it to them. However if you have to do the additional work then do not be afraid to provide the client a new estimate. The client should know that increase work would add to the bottom line. There is nothing wrong in that and you must have confidence in your work. Also mentioning a price up front will ensure that there are no misunderstandings later on. The client will be more than happy to pay the price if asked upfront rather than haggling about it later.

One way to deal with scope creeps is to opt for hourly jobs. This way you will be paid for the work that you do and the client will also know exactly how much work you are doing. Payments also become easier to calculate. Scope creep affects every freelancing job and therefore keeping the above tips in mind will help you deal with it better.

Working remote and benefits

Over 43 million people in this works have taken the advantage of working remotely from their homes or other locations. 21st century has seen a revolution in remote working which many people thought was impossible. Of course technological development has contributed in a great way to this revolution but mainly it has been because of the many advantages or benefits that it has.

What is working remotely?

You will be working remotely if you are working away from your employers business place. Even if you are in the next block it is still working remotely. Working remotely largely happens over computers and internet.

Working remotely should not be confused with freelancing though. You are freelancing when you are not working for a particular employer but choosing the projects you want to work on whereas in working remotely you can be working for a particular employer or freelancing.

There are many reasons on why working remote is fast gaining popularity. Let us take a look at the most popular benefits of working remotely:

More family time:  Around 51% of people who were working remotely have confirmed that they get more family time. The flexible working hours and the time saved in commuting gives them more time to concentrate on their children, spouses and relatives and be more involved in family activities. A better work and life balance is good for your own well being too.

Better productivity: Both the employers and the employees will confirm the fact that the ability to work remotely gives better productivity. This has also enables the employers to post a better retention. Also working remotely you can concentrate more on the job because there are no unnecessary distractions, not surprise meetings and no cooler talks. One more factor that contributes to increased productivity is the need of remote works to prove them because they are not present in office.

Less Stress: When you work remotely, you are subjected to less stress than the regular office environment. There are a number of factors that contribute to this; the first once is the reduction of commuting stress, secondly there is a reduction of stress from peers and thirdly there is a reduction of stress caused due to extra activities.

More earnings: This may sound a little strange to you but working remotely does save you a lot of money. You get to work in the environment that you are comfortable in and therefore you work more, which means more earnings. You save money on commuting and other small expenses that you may incur during traveling to and fro from office.

Remote working also benefits the employers because they do not have to invest in office space, heating costs, security, transports etc.

Better for the environment: Working remotely decreases the net CO2 emission. Telepresence, paper less working, less emissions from the building all contribute to reducing the CO2 emission in the environment. Therefore, by working in the remote office you are contributing to making the world a better place to live in.

Flexibility: The most popular benefit of working remotely is the amount of flexibility that you get when working. Most employers are not concerned with the timings you keep as long as you turn in your work in time and do it correctly. You can set up your own work timings. This also helps cuts down on absent employees in the organization. Flexible working hours also mean that leave planning becomes easier.

Working remotely is a win-win situation for both the parties and it definitely makes more sense than opening a new office in the world of today. All you need a laptop, the adequate skills and the willingness to try something new to make a success of it.