Michael Rose | Working From Home
Great to see the Guardian covering the Rise of Homeworking:
The rise of home working | Money | The Guardian
Of course, we’ve know about the steady rise of home-working and the joys of working from home for some time now. For more on home-working don’t forget our Working-From-Home section is where to find all the latest posts.
If you’re like me – a freelancer who occasionally works from home and who happens to live in an old, listed or converted flat – you’re no stranger to fluctuating wireless signals, and the headache they can cause when you’re trying to work.
Thick concrete walls, organic (horsehair) insulation and poor telephone infrastructure make working from home in these types of flats something of a struggle. It makes matters worse when the one room in your flat where you get the most work done just happens to be out of range from your wireless router. So, when you run a business that relies heavily on a stable internet connection, what’s a freelancer to do?
Ed Hopson | Managing Business,Starting Out
I have always been interested in running a project/small business outside of my 9 to 5 full-time job. Something that I can grow in my spare time and that has the potential to grow and then become my main source of income! Talking with friends, I was given a copy of Emma Jone‘s Working 5 to 9 – How to start a successful business in your spare time — Great timing!
Michael Rose | News,Starting Out
Despite cuts across the board, overall, UK business is seeing a positive change thanks to the new Government. Tax breaks, including extended relief on the increase in Capital Gains Tax and National Insurance have been introduced and support for SMEs has been very positive.
To mark the importance of SMEs, The Startups Awards 2010 have added a Home Business of the Year category to their annual awards.
Joycellyn Akuffo | Working From Home
Do you like bashing the snooze button as many times as you like? Do you hate those gossipy water cooler conversations? While there are lots of side-benefits from working from home there are some real benefits too. Joycellyn Akuffo editor of MothersWhoWork.co.uk lists her Top Ten reasons why working from home is so appealing to so many.
Michael Rose | Technology,Working From Home
If you occasionally work from home then getting a decent broadband connection can really help you get your work done effectively.
Thanks to modern-day technology, working from home is no longer a second-rate way of staying in touch with clients and colleagues and broadband has become a vital lifeline for many home workers, allowing them to email or browse the web in comfort while also being able to send and receive large files with ease.
If you’re not up to speed with Broadband at home Chris Marling of Broadband Genie gives you a a few things to consider.
Leif Kendall | Starting Out,Training
John Williams believes that work doesn’t have be a chore. After itching for something more than the corporate 9 to 5, John went independent and discovered the joys of being paid for things he would happily do for free. John’s interests and work eventually led him to coach other aspiring players.
Freelance copywriter Leif Kendall takes a look at the advice on offer.
David Howell | Technology,Working From Home
If the underneath of your desk looks like a bird’s net of tangled cables, power bricks, and distribution sockets, now is the time to tame your wires and create a tidy environment in your home office.
Here are a few quick ways to tame those cables…
Michael Rose | Editor's Blog,Working From Home
Who needs an office? Well, the Prime Minister I guess. Your accountant, perhaps. The CEO of a corporation with multiple divisions for sure. But if you’re an agile company producing web-content, applications or software do you really need to have all your troops all lined up ready for battle at 9am every morning five days a week?
Freelance Advisor has always tried to promote home working as a flexible, sustainable and more productive option for 21st century working and this week Seth Godin, Hive Logic and Chris Ashworth all made excellent points about the failings of the traditional office.
Emma Jones | Managing Business
Are you wondering how to grow your business and develop it in a way so it’s not wholly reliant on you? Have you considered outsourcing/franchising/productising as a way to achieve that growth? Emma Jones outlines the options with tips for each strategy.
Judy Heminsley | Lifestyle & Time out
Co-working offers freelancers both flexibility of where to work and also the chance to meet with like-minded co-workers and collaborators. Working from home expert Judy Heminsley recommends the Jelly approach.
Michael Rose | Working From Home
Whiteboard are great for brainstorming, making quick notes, adding important phone numbers or targets… but they’re not cheap.
Whiteyboard is a brilliant ‘stick-on’ solution and, starting at $10, won’t break the bank. If you’ve got a spare space on your wall and want a quick, cheap whiteboard solution then this looks like a really smart solution.
Emma Jones | Starting Out,Working From Home
There are over 5 million people doing it and today a book is launched to help many more follow in their footsteps. We’re talking about ‘Working 5 to 9’ which involves holding down a day job and building a business at nights and weekends. The book’s author, Freelance Advisor Emma Jones, offers 8 steps showing how you can do the same.
Anthony Hewson | Managing Business
Relationships are more important for a freelancer than for any other individual.
That’s a pretty bold statement and I’m bracing myself for a wave of incredulity articulated by examples of people going through any sort of emotional or physical trauma. Ok, leaving that probably overwhelming group aside… here’s why
Emma Jones | Working From Home
Working from Home. If you need to work from home unexpectedly then these online tools and services will help you get the job done. Freelance Advisor Emma Jones shares her tips for staying connected with co-workers and clients.
Anthony Hewson | Working From Home
You gave up working for someone else for a reason. More than one in all likelihood, but one stood bold and proud: freedom.
Such a noble word; such a bright and sparkling principle; such a statement of hope and promise.
Such a lie
As part of our #GreenOffice series we’re looking at neat tips and technology for keeping costs down and running an efficient eco-friendly office.
While most new PCs come with a decent keyboard and mouse these days (Dell’s keyboards are still a personal favourite of mine) the Solargizer package has all you’d expect from a keyboard (you know, keys with numbers and letters on them, all in the right places) but adds a nice little ‘solar powered’ feature for anyone concerned about chewing up batteries.
Judy Heminsley | Lifestyle & Time out
When freelancing or starting a small business and looking to keep costs down working from home is the obvious solution.
There’s also a downside, though, and that’s the risk of becoming lonely and isolated, with its knock-on effect on self-confidence and motivation.
Continuing our #WorkingFromHome series Judy Heminsley shares her hard-won tips for overcoming the gloom of isolation and how to get motivated in the mid-afternoon slump…
Judy Heminsley | Lifestyle & Time out
When I talk about home working to someone who is office-based, they reply, ‘I could never work from home. I’d spend all day in my pyjamas watching daytime TV.’ What they mean is that they’re afraid that away from the eyes of bosses and colleagues they’d never get anything done, that they would procrastinate.
The trouble with procrastination is that it drains energy from us every time we think about that dreaded task and then stuff it to the back of our minds again. Far more energy than it would take to complete.
So why do you procrastinate?
Yesterday Brighton’s Media Jobs and Skills fair was a huge success we talked to hundreds of potential freelancers from the recently redundant and looking to start a new career to students wanting to go straight into freelance — avoiding the traditional desk job altogether. It was really inspiring to see so many people interested in freelancing and we had over 100 new freelancers sign up for our ‘Go Freelance’ guide during the event.
The day was rounded off perfectly by academic, BBC filmmaker and Guardian journalist Dr Alek’s Krotoski talking to an audience of students and staff at the Sussex University Enterprise Thursday’s event — and the good Doctor was very happy to extol the virtues of Working for Yourself and Working from Home.
Read on for a video clip of Dr Krotoski and the perils of pyjamas.
Andy White | Podcast,Working From Home
Andy speaks to Judy Heminsley, author of Work from Home.
Emma Jones | Working From Home
If you’re new to home business in 2010, or considering starting out in freelancing, working for yourself or working from home, these 10 golden rules from Enterprise Nation founder Emma Jones are are great place to start.
Michael Rose | Working From Home
Working from home is a great idea. Here’s why. Brilliant cartoon from Johnny Contractor: http://www.johnnycontractor.com/
Michael Rose | Working From Home
As Britain shivers though the coldest night this Winter, with local government offices reporting road grit supplies are dangerously low and the MetOffice predicting more snow on the way, we’re wondering how everyone is doing out there. Are you able to make it into the office? Are you working from home? Or are you just glad you’re a freelancer with everything you need in your home office?
We’d love to know how you’re working throughout this week.
David Howell | Technology,Working From Home
Having your own home office, or a small rented place to do you work is fantastic. It sets you up for the day, helping you create a distraction-free space and a professional venue to meet your clients.
As your business grows, however, unless you are lucky enough to be able to afford new premises then space may get tight, and, if you like gadgets and gizmos then it won’t be long before you’ve got wires all over the place, dangling from your desk and tying themselves in knots.
There are two simple solutions… go wireless… or, when you need power, hide the wires.
Emma Jones | Lifestyle & Time out,Working From Home
Recent research has show that home workers and freelancers are more productive than their 9-5, desk-bound colleagues.
Freelance Advisor and Home Business expert Emma Jones takes a quick, efficient look at how you can make the most of your time in the home office.
Emma Jones | Managing Business,News
In best-selling book ‘The Long Tail’ author Chris Anderson says the future of business does not lie in blockbuster hits but in niche products. Home businesses up and down the land are testimony to this. Emma Jones looks at why niche is good and showcases a few shining examples.
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.
More than five million people are working from home after finishing their day job, according to new research published this week.
The survey, commissioned by the world’s biggest office products company Staples, and carried out by Enterprise Nation, the UK’s largest website for home based business, confirms that the ‘5 to 9’ trend is spreading across the country.
Emma Jones | Managing Business,Working From Home
Never has this piece of advice been more relevant. You went in to business to do the things you most enjoy. When you enjoy something, you’re good at it and that, in turn, attracts loyal customers. Keep hold of those customers by sticking to your knitting and find other experts to take on the tasks [...]
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 [...]
Leo Babauta | Lifestyle & Time out
Leo Babauta of Zen Habits rises at 4:30 a.m every day. And he’s clearly insane! But before we roll over and pull the covers over our heads… lets hear some of the benefits and, if it sounds good to you, how you can make it a lasting, productive habit.
Leo Babauta | Lifestyle & Time out
As a freelancer with multiple clients, multiple deadlines and multiple todo lists it can be hard to know what to focus on next – so rather than choose we often end up doing two, or more, things at once. As part of a series of posts on Getting Things Done for Freelancers Leo Babauta of [...]
Jo Blood | Lifestyle & Time out,Working From Home
It’s no fun being average… but at least your desk and workstation have been designed with you in mind. If you’re above-average height you will know that it’s not quite so easy. Posture professional Jo Blood gives tall guys and gals a few hints on how to make their working environment work for them. Tall [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
