6 Ways to Promote Your Freelance Business
You need customers to make money as a freelancer. Unfortunately, clients don’t just fall into our laps, which mean we have to actively look for business. Even if you don’t have much experience in the areas of marketing and promoting, there are several inexpensive ways to promote a freelance business. In some cases, you don’t have to leave the house.
Advertise on the Internet: You have to get your business name and product in the public’s eye. Start online and place free classified ads. Since the Internet is flooded with free classified websites, you’ll need to place several daily ads. If you don’t have this kind of time, look into websites that automatically renew ads every hour or once a day. Read more
Telecommuters Beat Isolation By Working Together
Most people will jump at the opportunity to work from home. It’s a win-win situation. You’ll earn a steady paycheck from your employer, but save money on everyday expenses such as gasoline, lunches, coffee, (and the biggest expense) daycare. But, there’s a negative side to work at home life.
Talk to any freelancer and they’ll likely gripe about daily isolation. Sitting in an empty house day-after-day and having little contact with the outside world can drive an outgoing, extroverted person mad. Yeah, telecommuters are more productive and they enjoy certain time freedoms. Besides, no one wants to pass on the chance to stay in their pajamas all day. But, loneliness is real.
There are many ways to beat isolation and have the best telecommuting experience. It seems as if some telecommuters have come up with a creative solution, which offers the best of both worlds. This “next phase of working at home” actually involves leaving the home. These work at home professionals aren’t returning to the workplace. Rather, they get together with other telecommuters and turn their local Starbuck’s or Barnes and Nobles into an off-site home office. With their laptops and assignments, they co-work a few hours each week, and enjoy a little conversation and a change of scenery.
Co-working is just the right thing for telecommuters who miss the workplace atmosphere and camaraderie.
Technorati Tags: co-work, telecommuter, telecommuting, work at home
What to Do When You’re Called Back to the Office?
When you telecommute, there’s always a chance that your employer will call you back to the office. Employers acknowledge the advantages of telecommuting. But sometimes, the arrangement doesn’t work. In your mind, you’re doing a great job. You feel more productive, and all your assignments are completed ahead of schedule. So, there shouldn’t be a problem?
Unfortunately, your employer’s vision of productivity can differ from your own. And if you don’t live up to their standards, you might be called back to the office.
- Don’t Panic: Your boss phoning you at home and requesting your presence in the office isn’t usually a good sign. However, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Maybe the company’s working on a special project and they need you on-site. Talk with your boss, and find out whether they’re axing the telecommute agreement.
- Re-Negotiate the Arrangement: If your current telecommute work schedule isn’t working, propose a different plan. Rather than telecommute five days or 40 hour a week, ask to work at home part-time, and in the office part-time.
- Admit Your Mistake and Beg for Forgiveness: Working from home takes discipline. And unfortunately, some people can’t balance work and family. You may be able to fool your boss in the beginning. But they’ll eventually catch on. If you want any chance of salvaging the arrangement, don’t argue or make excuses. Employers have every right to call a telecommuter back to the office. Come up with a quick solution and ask for another chance.
Technorati Tags: work at home, telecommuter, telecommuting
How Much Do I Make? N.O.Y.B
Before I became a freelance writer, nobody ever asked about my income. Likewise, I didn’t dare pry into someone else’s personal business and ask about their salary. But for some odd reason, that changed once I became a freelancer.
I’ve been a freelancer for more than five years, and during this time, I’ve had a handful of people ask about my pay. I’m not bothered by questions such as: what’s your hourly rate, or how much do freelancers charge? But when someone has the audacity to ask, how much do you make a month? - I have to draw the line.
The first thought that pops into my head, “that’s none of your business.” And the second thought, “how much do you make a month?” (this question always stops them in their tracks). But, I’m not a rude person, and since the people who ask these questions don’t mean to be rude, I’ll usually shrug my shoulder and say, “I do alright.” That’s all they need to know. Read more
Should Clients Know You Work from Home?
About ten years ago I worked as a secretary for a screen printing company. We had sales reps who worked in the office, and reps who worked from home. Since my job entailed answering and screening phone calls, I had to hide the fact that some of our reps worked from home. If a customer called for a telecommute rep, I would take a message and contact the rep with the information. I never questioned the reason behind the big secret. I did my job like a good little secretary and kept my mouth shut.
But, I couldn’t help but think: so what if a few employees telecommuted? As long as their aren’t kids crying or loud background noise, what’s the big deal? They had to report to the office on a regular basis, and a supervisor checked their progress. I assume the company wanted to project the most professional image possible, in which telecommute employees didn’t fit their ideal description.
Because some work at home jobs involve customer contact, a company might require it’s workers to stay mum on the telecommute arrangement. After putting myself in the company’s shoes, I can better understand their position. I don’t think hiring telecommuters makes a company less professional. And if a client discovers that a employee works from home, it shouldn’t become an issue. On the other hand, I realize the need for damage control.
Some telecommuters lack discretion. They may answer the telephone with the television or kids playing in the background, or they may put off customers to tend to personal matters. Employers are generally open to a telecommute arrangement - as long as work and home don’t collide. Maybe employers feel that telecommuters will uphold a professional image and be more conscious of their surroundings when forbidden to disclose their location.
Technorati Tags: work at home, telecommute, telecommuting, self-employed, clients