Freelance Video: Paul Silver on Going Freelance, Networking & Clients
The Farm’s Paul Silver talks freelancing; getting started, working for clients, finding work and staying alive.
Winning new business! 6 Simple Rules for Success
Darren Fell | Managing business
Winning new business the easy and fun way. By following 6 simple rules you can build the freelance life you always dreamed of. Lucky you! You could be getting yourself shed-loads of new business starting from today.
You may to want to earn good money, have long holidays and be your own boss….but all you have to do is win new business. That’s the bit where most freelancers get the heebie-geebies. But I promise you can do it and you’ll get good at it!
Create a publishing empire from your home
Emma Jones | Managing business
Do you have content you would like to share with an interested audience of existing and potential customers? It’s never been so easy to package your content in a stylish way, and distribute it in a cost-effective way.
Enter the age of home publishing with Emma Jones.
Freelance Review: Pretty pink Pogoplug powers unprecedented personal productivity
The guys and girls at Cloud Engines are my new best friends! As a roaming freelancer (working on contracts in other people’s offices, working from home and, sometimes, working from bed) the problem of where to keep my data has always been a difficult one to solve. Not any more.
Pogoplug is a great solution. It’s got 4 USB slots and it connects to a home WiFi router and, yes it really is that simple, now I have access to my portable hard drives wherever I am in the world.
Go Freelance - 2010 Edition
‘The ultimate guide’ to going freelance is now even bigger and better. The 2010 edition comes with 32 packed pages of advice for anyone who freelances or who is considering making a move to freelancing.
VAT is moving online
Michael Rose | Accountancy & Tax
From 1 April 2010, if you have an annual VAT exclusive turnover of £100,000 or more you will have to submit your VAT returns online and pay your VAT electronically. Also, if you register for VAT from 1 April 2010 onwards, you’ll have to file online from the start, whatever your turnover.
Family friendly freelancing – tips and advice from a working mum
Linda Jones | Lifestyle & Time out
Agency director and mum of twins Linda Jones shares some expert tips on how to successfully balance the demands of a freelance career with those of a growing family.
Long term investing for Freelancers
Paul Cleworth | Financial & Insurance
Successful long term investment is not just about buying low and selling high. Stock markets rise and fall, and share prices are vulnerable to everything from political news to the weather. Trying to find your way around – particularly during times of high volatility and uncertainty – can feel like negotiating a minefield.
So how can we make sense of such a confusing world? It is probably time to go back to basics – stock markets may rise and fall, but the rules of sensible investment remain constant. Wealth Matters’ Paul Cleworth gives us the low down.
Go Freelance! Making a living doing the things you love
Leo Babauta | Lifestyle & Time out, Starting Out
As Confucius said… “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”
As part of our new series on Making a Living Without a Job, productivity guru and professional blogger Leo Babauta explains that everyone can go freelance and earn a good living by doing the things they love to do.
Freelance Contracts: Are notice periods a good idea?
One of the things guaranteed to provoke debate is the whole question of notice periods in freelance contracts. On the face of it, an equal right for you and the client to step out of a contract looks like a good thing to have.
But are they really worth anything?
Freelance Questions: “How do I set up a Limited Company?”
Michael Rose | Accountancy & Tax, Starting Out
Setting up a Limited Company is one of the smartest way to get paid for your work. With a Ltd you get to define your brand, own everything you do, run your business in the most tax-efficient way and pitch for work you wouldn’t be able to get as a sole-trader.
Some people, usually the folks at Umbrella companies, will tell you that setting up a company is costly and complicated but with low-cost solutions out there it’s a no-brainer.
Is Your CV Fit for Purpose?
Marketing yourself with an excellent CV or resume is not easy. Malvolio has found that there are not only technical issues to deal with but often several layers of audience from recruitment agencies, to human resources, departmental heads and senior management.
Can you help Malvolio unpick this particular puzzle?
Freelance Filmmakers: How to be an Appealing Media Freelancer
How to get ahead in film-making. Brighton-based film-maker Tom Hickmore from Nice Media gives his top tips for getting noticed and getting a job in the film and media industries.
Find out what you need to do to impress, from CVs and portfolios to selling yourself and outright flattery!
Put a fire in your belly: overcome inertia, forget fear and get things done
Leif Kendall | Lifestyle & Time out
Is something holding you back? Are you contemplating change, but struggling to make the leap? I can’t tell you how to motivate yourself. But I can write about the things that help me get going…
Freelance Training: How to improve your Sales hit rate
It is competitive out there, the freelancing market is growing every day and now more than ever it is important that we make the most out of every opportunity. So how can we improve the quality of our client interaction?
Let’s look at a simple sales formula for calls/meetings to get us started…
Freelance Finance: Are you ready for retirement?
Paul Cleworth | Financial & Insurance
You may not be thinking of retirement just yet, but it’s always worth being aware of rule changes that could impact on your pension. Paul Cleworth, Financial Planner and Director of Wealth Matters shows us freelancers and contractors how we can tee up our options…
Are you ready for retirement?
Freelance Event: Design Portfolio Clinic
How do you present your work? What do agencies look for in a portfolio? Wouldn’t it be great if you could sit with a few digital media agencies and ask them what they thought of your work and what you could do to improve?
What you need is the i-design 09 Portfolio Clinic!
Avoiding Accountancy Hell: Two steps to Accounting Heaven!
Darren Fell | Accountancy & Tax, Guides
Got a great accountant but lousy software?
Or great software but an accountant who wants everything in Excel spreadsheets?
Crunch Managing Director Darren Fell explains why choosing an all in one accounting solution can save you a lot of time and hassle when it comes to your year-end.
Freelance Productivity: Focusing on what is most important
Leo Babauta | Lifestyle & Time out
Purpose Your Day: Most Important Task (MIT)
Leo Babauta, creator of the highly successful Zen Habits blog shares a few tips on prioritising your freelance tasks and streamlining your workflow.
Getting things done… zen style.
Freelance Advice: Commercial coach, professional nagger, mentor
Whatever you decide to call them, having someone to act as a commercial reality check in your business is invaluable. Finding someone with business experience who is prepared to meet and make you accountable could make the difference between meeting or missing your targets.
Benefits So how can a commercial coach/Non-Exec type person help your business? Here [...]
Freelance Advisor reviews: Bluetooth headsets
If you wanna get ahead, get a headset Bluetooth headsets get a lot of stick from a lot of people, largely because the general public seems to have taken issue with the idea of somebody going about their business with a hi-tech gadget so visibly attached to the side of their head. I wonder if glasses [...]
Freelance Event: Have a chat and join the debate…
If you want to find out more about Freelance and Contracting then the Freelance Advisor team will be at the Digital Media Job’s Fair in Brighton today. We’ll be there From 12am – 8pm if you want to pop in for a chat and from 2-4pm we’ll be hosting a session especially dedicated to current and [...]
Great tips for good networking
Carey McIlvenny | Managing business
You’ve made a break for it and decided to head out into the business world as a freelancer. Now, you’ve just got to do a bit of schmoozing and bring in new work, sounds simple? In reality, networking is often a daunting task. Carey McIlvenny shares some tips. You might find yourself at a fab [...]
Freelance Awards: Why Freelancers Need To Be Celebrated
Michael Rose | Managing business
Freelancer and contractors are unsung heroes and Xchangeteam’s Emma Brierley has made it her mission to get freelancers the recognition they deserve. This month’s Freelancer of the Year Awards are only the beginning… Why Freelancers Need To Be Celebrated At some point in their career no less than one in seven British workers will be their own [...]
Working from home: creating the perfect home office
Jim Hatley | Technology, Working from home
If you’re freelancing from home on a regular basis a well-lit, well kitted-out office is essential – not just a luxury. Freelance Advisor’s resident gadget guru Jim Hatley takes a look at some home office must-haves. Home office heaven: Screens, scanners, DAB and desk-lamps Last year I have covered a few bits of kit to enable you [...]
Marketing yourself: 7 steps to creating the right impression
Emma Jones | Managing business
Whether it is networking, meetings, clients or conferences, marketing yourself is an essential skill for any freelancer or contractor. Freelance Advisor and author Emma Jones offers seven quick tips to help you shine Starting on the right foot: 7 steps to creating the right impression You only get one chance to create a first impression. To make [...]
Going freelance: Four ways to get your family to support your freelancing career
Dianne Bown-Wilson | Starting Out
Choosing to switch from full-time to freelancing can be a tough decision and the change will go a lot smoother if you have the help and support of those closest to you. Freelance Advisor, Coach and Consultant Dianne Bown-Wilson continues her series of articles on freelance career development issues for freelancers and contractors. Nearest and Dearest [...]
Working from home: top five freelance home-business opportunities in 2009
The top 5 home-business occupations in 2009 Whether it is a second income to make ends meet, a result of reduncancy or a decision to make a fresh start as a freelancer, the home business and startup sector looks like it will continue to grow in 2009. Freelance Advisor and home business startup supremo Emma Jones [...]
Freelancing on the move: 3 essential tools for roaming freelancers
Off on his travels again… tech-loving freelancer and electronic evangelist Jim Hatley grabs some essential items for work on the move (and gives us some novel uses for a digital camera). Essential items for your briefcase Continuing on from my briefcase fillers piece of last month, Id like to run through a few of the other items [...]
Freelance Advisor Reviews: Top 5 technology applications of 2008
Freelance Advisor and author of ‘Spare Room Start Up’ Emma Jones gives us her review of the best applications for freelancers. Top 5 technology apps of 2008 As we enter the month of December, I can’t help but look back at the year that was. The thousands of new businesses started, the people we’ve profiled, and the [...]
Tis the week before Christmas…
Emma Jones | Managing business
Freelance Advisor and author of ‘Spare Room Start Up’ Emma Jones give us a timely reminder of the things we could be doing in the run up to Christmas. What can freelancers do when things get quiet over the holiday season and what plans can we make for 2009. When the phones hush and emails subside One [...]
Freelance Advice: Marketing yourself for free
Darren Fell | Managing business
Freelance Advisor founder Darren Fell is a successful entrepreneur and all over the first page of results when you Google his name. We asked him to share the secrets of his success and he responded with this guide to marketing yourself. Marketing yourself for free, a guide. The big question running through everybody’s mind when they jump [...]
Freelance Designer’s Guide: Choosing the right printing method for your clients
Andrew Walker | Managing business
Whether it is business cards, promotional posters or flyers for a club night there are many printing options and quality and colours will vary greatly. Print adviser and consultant Andrew Walker guides can help you decide where to get your printing done. Choosing the right printing method for your client Digital vs Litho Printing The two main printing [...]
Freelance Advice: Portfolio Working and how to go about it
Dianne Bown-Wilson | Lifestyle & Time out
In part one of this series consultant, coach and trainer Dianne Bown-Wilson explored the advantages of portfolio working. Today she helps us identify the tools we’ll need to put it into practice. Portfolio career: How to Designing a Portfolio Career comes down to achieving an appropriate and desirable balance in your life between need and want. Ultimately [...]
Freelance Advice: is Portfolio Working the right choice for you?
Dianne Bown-Wilson | Managing business
If you’ve recently retired or are thinking ahead to your remaining working years now could be a good time to consider developing a portfolio career. In this two part series consultant, coach, trainer and writer Dianne Bown-Wilson tells us why it is a good idea and how to go about it… Portfolio careers: the perfect pick [...]
Create a professional welcome while working from home
Emma Jones | Working from home
Freelance Advisor and author of ‘Spare Room Start Up’ Emma Jones offers us the first in a new series of pieces for our Working from Home section. Here she takes a looks at what freelancers with a home office can do to create a professional image for clients and a great first impression for customers
A [...]
Freelancing on the move: 3 essential briefcase fillers you can’t afford to be without
Off on his travels again… our tech-loving freelancer and electronic evangelist Jim Hatley grabs some essential items for work on the move. Essential items for your mobile office Today I am going to look at a few more items that are essential for life on the road. Working from home is fantastic, and is certainly one of [...]
Working from home: 17 secrets for success
Leif Kendall | Lifestyle & Time out
Ah… the life of a freelancer… feet up, TV on, sitting around in your dressing gown and your clients are none the wiser. But is this really the best way to approach your freelance and contracting work? Freelance Advisor and Web Marketing Consultant Leif Kendall asked the freelancers on the Brighton New Media list what [...]
3 tips for disaster recovery: Backup, backup, backup
Resident gadget guru and reviewer for The Times Jim Hatley shares some invaluable advice on disaster recovery for freelancers. If you have a home office and don’t have an IT helpdesk… Who you gonna call? If your entire operating system went belly-up on the first day of an important contract, how would you deal with it? Apologise, [...]
Freelance Advisor Reviews: Two great new mobile phones for freelancers on the move
Free-roaming freelancer and technology evangelist Jim Hatley has been out and about putting a few mobiles phones through their paces finding out which work best for freelancers and contractors who need to stay connected on the road. Time to upgrade? Two great mobile phones for freelancers Mobile phones are big business, both for those who make them [...]
Marketing yourself as a freelance designer: Six simple tips for your CV and portfolio
Michael Rose | Managing business
The death of the CV? Are curriculum vitae a thing of the past? Guest blogger Greg Coley, Creative Director of the integrated agency VGroup, gives an insider’s view on what freelance designers can do to get noticed. Marketing yourself as a freelance designer So you’re a budding young designer straight out of university, a middleweight, an established creative [...]
Freelancing the easy way… and the successful way
Freelancing: The Choice of Champions If you’re thinking of starting contracting or going freelance then you need to take a serious look at the opportunites and options available to you. Freelance Advisor and Web Marketing Consultant Leif Kendall tells us that freelancing is not the easy option… but it is the most rewarding option. Want to become [...]
Compelling Content: Brainstorming your ideal reader or customer
Kath Burke | Managing business
Compelling Content – Part 2 Brainstorming: Your ideal reader or customer A two-part series from freelance copywriter Kath Burke. In part one, Kath explained how you can understand why people buy you. Part two explores how to use brainstorming as an exercise in focusing on the content that really matters before you put pen to paper. Great writing [...]
Write web copy your customers will love reading
Kath Burke | Managing business
Create compelling content your clients will crave In this 2-part series freelance copywriter and content consultant Kath Burke says the secret of writing great web marketing copy is in the preparation. Before you put pen to paper, you need to explore your clients’ deeper concerns and needs. Ah. If only you could magic up the perfect web [...]
Freelance Advisor Reviews: Super Sony Laptop
Gorgeous gadget: the Sony VAIO AW11XU/Q
Life on the road can be tough. The contents of a suitcase are certainly no match for the comforts of home, but if you pick and choose your gear with a little care it doesn’t have to be all bad. We all need cutting-edge technology for the work that we [...]
Tools for Time boxing
Michael Rose | Lifestyle & Time out
Mark Kirby’s piece on Time-Boxing for Freelancers this week got me thinking about all the time I could waste trying to find the perfect tools for the job. The irony of this is not lost on anyone I’m sure so, rather than waste unnecessary time on “productivity p0rn”, I thought I’d take Mark’s advice to [...]
Five tips for surviving as a freelancer during a recession
Leif Kendall | Accountancy & Tax
Continuing our series on how an economic crisis might affect freelancers and contractors, Freelance Advisor and Web Marketing Consultant Leif Kendall gives us five freelancing tips for surviving in a recession. Before I tell you how to literally work your way through a recession, or a credit crunch, or whatever we’re experiencing, I would like to [...]
Three reasons why freelancers are safer during a recession
Leif Kendall | Accountancy & Tax
With gloomy forecasts and images of screens full of flashing red numbers dominating the newspages we’ve been keeping a eye on what the state of the economy means to freelancers and contractors. And it’s not all bad news! Today Freelance Advisor and Web Marketing Consultant Leif Kendal gives us three reasons why freelancing might actually be a very good option during a recession.
Thinking inside the box: A method for focusing on freelance tasks
Mark Kirby | Lifestyle & Time out
Getting things done throughout the day is what keeps the contracts and cash coming in. But how do we know which tasks we should be working on? And for how long? Freelance Advisor’s life-hacks guru Mark Kirby offers a smart solution to planning freelance work. In this post I’m going to focus on a simple technique [...]
Podcast #10: The growth in the Freelancer Marketplace – Fact or Fiction
Andy talks to John Brazier of the Professional Contractors Group, Nathan Pope of the Brighton Farm and Darren Fell of Freelance Advisor, about their views of how the freelancing and contracting market is evolving over the next few years.
Whether you are a consultant or contractor, contracting or freelancing, the future could look bright for the [...]
#10: The growth in the Freelancer Marketplace - Fact or Fiction [26:14m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
Am I an Employee, Self-Employed (Freelance) or a Worker?
Lesley Furber | Employment Advice
There are three different types of working individuals but deciding someone’s employment status can be complicated as there is no single legal definition.
Here is a quick guide to help you establish your status – if you are an Employee, Worker or Freelance.
Pension plans for freelancers and contractors
Phil Illingworth | Accountancy & Tax
“I’m busy earning as a freelancer, but what about all those Pension plans?” It’s a common freelance problem. You’re hard at work earning money from contracts, but you also know you need to keep an eye out for when you’ll be less busy earning. In this new Financial Management series, Senior Pensions & Retirement Consultant Phil [...]
What are my main Employment rights as an Employee, Worker or Freelancer?
Lesley Furber | Employment Advice
Whatever your employment status, whether you are an employee, worker or freelancer, you have rights at work that are protected by law. Below is a comprehensive summary of what you are entitled to plus links to articles that cover each in detail.
How your Employment can come to an end – for Employees
Lesley Furber | Employment Advice
There are various ways your Employment can come to and – but if you are an Employee you have the right not to be unfairly dismissed. Read this article for comprehensive information.
As a freelancer I’ve completed work for an Employer but they’re ignoring my invoice. What can I do?
Lesley Furber | Employment Advice
See this advice on chasing late payments.
How do I negotiate a pay/rate increase?
Lesley Furber | Employment Advice
Asking for a pay/rate rise is not a comfortable thing to do, and there is no ‘right’ way to do it. However, whatever your situation is, you must prepare for a conversation about your pay….. read on for more advice.
Freelance Advisor Recommends: i-design 08 Portfolio Clinic
Michael Rose | Managing business
If you’re a freelance designer or programmer then attending the i-design 08 Portfolio Clinic Wednesday 17 September in London is a no brainer.
First it’s FREE and secondly if you’re currently looking for work or to expand your future client base then you’ll be able to meet 15 of the capital’s most respected and successful interactive [...]
10 things to ask your prospective accountant
Michael Riazi | Accountancy & Tax
Accounts and Audit Manager Michael Riazi helps freelancers and contractors find the advice they need. Last month Michael gave some great advice on how to find an accountant that is right for our freelance business – this month he gives us ten things we should ask on our first meeting.
Before you choose an accountant… An accountant [...]
Staying in touch in the midst of mayhem
Mark Kirby | Managing business
When you are busy, its easy to forget to keep in touch with friends and family who you don’t see on a day to day basis. Perhaps they live far away, or so close you feel you could get in touch with them at any moment, but always forget. Perhaps you see certain people a [...]
Pitch Yourself into the Freelance Market – Part 3
In part one and part two we looked at the marketing process and what you are actually employed for, e.g. the way you think respectively.
Today we look at how to identify the unique features of product, you. Understanding the product – You, Your Abilities, Competencies & Transferable Assets Many of us realise that every interview has [...]
The ADVANTAGES of being a self-employed contractor or freelancer
In the last post we looked at the disadvantages of going solo. Now we turns to the ADVANTAGES of being freelance or self-employed… which is MUCH more fun!
You are the boss
You say what goes. If you want a lie-in or a day off, it’s up to you (but make sure you make the hours up [...]
The disadvantages of being a self-employed contractor or freelancer
In the spirit of getting stuck into the difficult jobs that you hate, but which still need doing, Ground Zero’s Jack Forester talks about some of the disadvantages of being self employed.
First, it can be very lonely starting out in business, especially if you are doing it alone. You tend to spend the majority of [...]
Marketing yourself as a freelancer or contractor
Leif Kendall | Managing business
Become CEO of YouCorp One of the joys of freelancing is that you get to do everything. But this omnipotence means you can’t hate the sales team for not bringing in new clients, because you are the sales team.
You can’t have a spat with Maureen in accounts because she hasn’t sorted your expenses, because you [...]
One.. Two.. Three.. SELL!
Darren Fell | Managing business
I was asked by Phil Green of the MD Hub 100 to present to a MD Hub 250 group about how I took Pure360.com from no customers at all to hundreds. As I thought the following presentation may be useful to all at Freelance Advisor.
It shows the early days and a few photo’s of where [...]
Freelance Tips: Start out streamlined
Carey McIlvenny | Starting Out
As a freelancer, you often have a lot of business admin to manage. It’s easy to get in a muddle. It may sound obvious and tedious, but getting organised from the outset can save you time and money.
It’ll help your finances Think about the 10 minutes a day you spend hunting for your keys [...]
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