Why is there a need to be an effective freelancer?

Ecclesiastes 9:10 says it better: Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might for there is no work nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the grave whither thou goest. The thing with freelancing is, a single instance of a bad output or a messed up project can spell the last thing you’ll ever hear from that client again. The lifeblood of successful and thriving freelance career is word of mouth. If people only hear how bad you work, you will never go far enough. You will either find yourself diving with your rate just to be able to get some work. Else, you’ll be deserting this profession with a not so graceful exit.
If you want to be able to demand good pay rate, keep your clients happy. If you want to benefit from free advertising through word of mouth, be an effective freelancer. Bottom line is, if you want to keep a job for a long time, be an effective freelancer!

Challenges to becoming effective

There are various reasons why we are ineffective in what we do. Based on my observations and personal experience they include:
1. Distractions
2. Doubts in what you can do or achieve, skills, education etc.
3. Communication breakdown – when we stop communicating with
4. Greed – when it’s all about money that you think of and not your client’s needs
5. Procrastination – need i say more about this?
So How do we become effective?

Tips to Effective Freelancing

1. Keep the focus – multi tasking is a practice not many will be good at. Being focus is still the best way to go. But does this mean that I’ll only take one client at a time? Not necessarily, focus simply means devoting a specific time for a specific client.
2. Nurture the existing – I’ve been taught in my call center training that retention is better than acquiring new customers and it’s still the same principle with freelancing. If you have a way of keeping the existing clients. After all, when their business grows and they’ve seen your dedication, you will eventually reap the rewards of your loyalty.
3. Pray – this may be new to your ears, but prayer has been a secret weapon in my work as a freelancer. I do not have a college degree. But I must say that by prayer, I’ve learned things I never imagined I could do if I only relied on my own.
4. Stay Connected (communication) – Business is all about connections. The better connected you are the better chances of opportunities coming your way. There are so many social media platforms that you can use to stay connected. Twitter and Facebook, as well as blog commenting have been my primary choices in networking and the effort and time investment has paid off well.
5. Keep on learning – every search you make on Google or Bing or Yahoo is a step to learning new things. All major how-to’s that can pull you through the tech stuff is just a click away. All we have to do is to be diligent in finding them. Learn from you connections. The people around you, no matter how different their line of business or work can give you a big step towards learning new ideas that you can implement sooner or later in your freelancing.
6. Learn from mistakes – We don’t necessarily have to learn just from our mistakes but from other’s experiences as well. But I have proven that going through the situation is the most effective form of learning (at least for my experience) We you have a personal, first hand experience of a problem, you are better off at solving it than those who just read it in books or seen it on tv. So don’t frustrate when you commit mistakes, cherish them and keep them always in mind.
7. Maximize time – You can’t borrow from the past to make up for tomorrow’s lack. Use the time you have “now” for the things that needs to be done “NOW”. Think like a sprint runner or an F1 racer. A split second can mean a whole lot. When you work, every micro second counts. Make sure you don’t waste their time because you certainly wouldn’t want to waste yours too! Punctuality is not only about being on time, it’s all about character.
8. Honesty at all times – honesty is about setting the right expectation and delivering what you promised.
9. Get some feedback – there is no better way of knowing if you are being effective or not than asking the clients who you work for. That is why it is imperative to get a feedback from them. It would be ideal if you can create a list of questions to provide to them that focuses on certain criteria that you would like to evaluate, such as: deadlines, communication, language (are thoughts and ideas properly communicated?), etc. This will also help you better understand their needs and personalize your approach in providing your service.
10. Enjoy the privilege – there are millions who are out of work who would love to take on your work. So don’t just get frustrated with little challenges. Be happy you have a job. When you are happy with what you do and appreciate the privilege you have been granted, it’s easy to be effective. No matter how small or big your project is, learn to take it as a privilege and not a right.

The truth is, I’ve been riding along this trend of smartphone users for quite some time now. And no questions asked, I am hands up with what these little machines are capable of. Those apps are just amazing. Which makes me think that there are more smartphones than smart people nowadays. But that is of course another story.

I’d like to share with you my list of favorite Android apps. And I hope you would be kind enough to share yours too.

Hootsuite

As someone who manages quite a few Facebook pages and Twitter profiles, Hootsuite is definitely a must have for me or for someone who needs to post updates every single day on multiple channels. I’ve tried Tweetdeck and Seesmic but had to go back to the powerful Owl even if they started charging $5.99 per month. The convenience of being a one-stop social media management tool is priceless.

Lastpass Premium

If you have a gazillion of passwords and websites to remember, I would certainly recommend Lastpass. Although you could get the free version for your laptop or desktop, upgrading to premium account for $12 will give you a lot of convenience. This is specially true if you are using your smartphone or tablet on a regular basis. I previously used Dolphin HD for my browser but when I installed Lastpass I don’t see any reason keeping Dolphin.

Skype

I use Skype on a daily basis for IM and calls to clients, friends and even family. So this is definitely something that is always in use. I keep both Skype logged in on my desktop (or laptop) and my smartphone even when I’m just at home. You may ask why? Signing in on both devices actually ensures that I always have a copy of messages on my computer and on my smartphone. So when I’m out with just my smartphone, I wouldn’t have a problem checking for previous messages that I need.
I also find Skype service better than Yahoo Messenger or Gtalk. So this app would certainly be a mainstay on my phone.

eBuddy

Aside from skype, I also make use of eBuddy. This app accommodates my other IM profiles like Yahoo, Gtalk, Facebook, MSN and AIM.

Dropbox

I have been using Dropbox on all my desktop computers and on my laptop and it’s but logical to keep one on my smartphone (I guess). I really like the convenience of being able to access my files even when I’m on the go. The ability to get client document is a hit. Unfortunately, since Dropbox has it’s own limitations, I have to add Google Docs which is my next app of choice.

Google Docs

There’s no point of arguing why this one is included. Aside from it’s free and it’s linked to my Gmail account, Google Docs is the practical and economical solution for freelancers who want to view and edit documents on their smartphones. There are other options available like OfficeSuite, but I don’t see any compelling feature that will make me cash out for this app.

WordPress

I have installed wordpress just in case some brilliant idea comes up while I’m just on my phone. But I find this a little challenging to use, first reason is because of the size of my phone and typing isn’t so convenient. I have, however, kept it intact on my list of apps and would probably get my first post soon using wordpress for Android as I’m still mastering the use of Swype. For me, this would be great on devices with larger screen or better on tablets.

Wondering if I maintain a todo list? Well, I do. I actually make use of

Note Everything

The name says it all. Note everything allows you to create text, audio, video, paint note, note from barcode, note from Google Docs and this is only for the free version. You can get the Note Everything pro Version for a small fee of Php182.69 or roughly $4.2 based on the current exchange rate of $1-Php43 that can give you access to more features.

Alright, since we’re talking dollars and pesos here, let me also share with you:

EasyMoney

If you are someone who tends to forget how much you have saved or have spent, or you tend to ask yourself every end of the day, where your money went, this is good for you. You can buy this app for $10 and it’s a good investment if you are into (serious) budgeting.

So there you go. My list of Android apps. Now it’s your turn!

The fact is, the internet is becoming the biggest job site you could ever imagine. Come to think of it, it’s not only limited to local opportunities but its global. So for those who wants to catch up on the booming online jobs industry, I have listed the eight most sought after skills on the web.

As a bonus, I have also added a few resources which would be a good place to start gathering information on how or where to get your dream jobs. Read on…

1. Virtual Assistant

– Newsblaze.com considered Virtual assistance (VA’s) as one of the latest and hottest home based businesses in today’s market. You may ask why, well, there’s a lot of reasons why this skill is such a hit. For entrepreneurs who want to keep the business rolling, getting a well rounded VA who could almost do everything, like managing a blog, social media accounts, office and admin works, customer service, this is such a big hit. Best of all, they are literally getting some quality service at rock bottom prices if they outsource the job from India or the Philippines. Chris Ducker of Virtual Business Lifestyle has actually taken advantage of this niche. Chris started an outsourcing company called Live2Sell that provides VA services here in Cebu and he’s been reaping the rewards for finding Filipino VA’s who simply provide awesome service at very low rates.

On the other hand, if you are solo professional who wants to start a VA business of your own but finds the web as an uncharted territory, here are some sites that I would recommend for you to visit.
a. IVAA - International Virtual Assistants Association
b. VA Classroom – a site co founded by Craig Cannings
c. VA Training Online -
d. VA Networking -

2. WordPress Developer

– Over 25 million people have chosen WordPress as their blogging platform, according to WordPress.org. And that is reason enough why wordpress developers can look to a bright future ahead in terms of job availability. Whether it’s WP theme you are developing or WP plugins, you’ll sure have millions of hungry users who can keep you busy if you do a good job.

3. Social Media Marketer

– This is probably one of the areas where most are already engaged unconsciously. The places where you frequently visit like Facebook, Twitter, Youtube or Flickr could actually help you earn if you take time to study social media marketing. You don’t really need to be a guru, you just have to understand how social media works and how you can implement it to your own system. Alright, to make things a lot clearer. Let me throw you some of the personal resources that I recommend if you are planning on exploring this area:
Socialmediatoday, Socialmediaexaminer, Mashable. Also, you can check out some well known figures like Brian Solis of www.briansolis.com Neal Schaffer, author of Maximizing Linkedin, Seth Godin, and Chris Brogan.

4. Web Designer

- As long as the web is there, web designers will always have plenty of work to do. But it’s not just being able to design. If you can throw in a couple more skills to add to your design skill, it would give you a better edge. Most people would actually prefer a one stop shop so try to learn a bit about the other areas. To get a good glimpse, check www.99designs.com

5. Content Writer

This is probably one of the most in-demand jobs online that helps you hone your craft but at the same time get paid.
Anne Waymaalso n has some great insights that you can use as well some great advice on how to monetize your writing. The fact is, whether you are novice or an expert writer, you can still write and earn by utilizing some sites paid to write sites like: Hubpages, Bukisa or create a blog of your own then monetize it. There is Adsense, Bidvertiser, and a couple other monetization techniques that you can use while enjoying your writing. You can also find opportunities as article rewriter, ebook writer, etc..

7. Apps Developer

– Apps or applications and software integrators are becoming a boom in the current market trend. And this will continue on as the landscape becomes more engraved in being mobile but consistently connected to the web. Google apps which has become one of the most popular and the never ending iPhone and Android apps are becoming increasingly mainstream. The possibility almost endless. And if you are keen on creating useful applications then you’re up to something promising in terms of generating a passive income source. Check out AndroidApps.com as well as iTunes store to get a feel of what the apps industry has in store for you.

8. SEO

- All the above mentioned skills has in one way or another a common goal, to be visible to their target markets. And SEO work will do that for them. I suggest, if you have already engaged yourself in blogging, and social media, SEO would be a next good stop to really maximize the efforts that you are pouring into your online work.
There are a few SEO sites where you could get some great insights and updates and I would suggest that you subscribe to their newsletters. Check out SEOConsultants for its 12 select blogs.

But who wouldn’t want to be superman? And who have not done a superman act before?

Juggling 4 or 5 jobs, then taking even more even if it would mean a missed lunched or dinner, a 2hr sleep or just about anything that would mean sacrifice of personal comfort just to please the King Client, well, that’s a superman in its finest class indeed.

But what could be worst, is when you thought you are doing a heroic job by taking in too many responsibilities, you end up tragically overwhelmed and exhausted. Does that sound familiar?

That’s a common mistake may freelancers take especially those who are still new to the job. Making the mark, creating a lasting impression but something may not be consistent. Now let’s get back to the real world and remember that Superman is myth and whatever our actions are, we won’t bring him to life in our freelancing career.

So here are a few suggestions to keep you sane when you think you feel like having the itch of a Superman Syndrome.

1. Rest – come on, even the Creator rested. You  deserve some rest too! If you think you are doing your client a favor by spending longer hours on a project and not getting enough sleep, you are dead wrong. According to a sleepdeprivation.com article, “Lack of sleep costs an estimated $150 billion annually due to lowered worker productivity.” It can spur a myriad of other health related issues, so if you really want to do your client and yourself a favor, hit the sack! You will not only give yourself a fresh start when you wake up but you are giving your body a time to recover from a stressful day.

2. That’s Kryptonite, get it?! - let’s face it, even superman is not invincible. We all have Kryptonites in our lives. We all possess a certain strength and weakness in different terms or areas. If you have not yet done an analysis on your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) you might want to check why determining your SWOT is an essential aspect of successful freelancing. Miles Burke, author of “The Principles of Successful Freelancing” has some examples that’s worth checking if you are lost on where to start. There is also a free SWOT analysis worksheet by Jennifer Mattern that’s free to download.

3. Say “NO” stupid! – if you are overburdened with responsibilities and deadlines and a client asks for another extra mile for you take and you take it, that is what we call sheer stupidity. I don’t know, but saying “NO” just seem so hard for many, but if you are thinking long term, you should start saying no, now! Why? Here’s what a Mayo Clinic study says:

* Saying no can be good for you. Saying no is not a selfish act. In fact, it may be the most beneficial thing that you can do for your family and your other commitments. When you say no, you’ll be able to spend quality time on the things you’ve already said yes to.
* Saying no can allow you to try new things. Just because you’ve always helped plan the company softball tournament doesn’t mean that you have to keep doing it forever. Saying no will free up time to pursue other hobbies or interests.
* Yes isn’t always the best answer. If you’re overcommitted and under a lot of stress, you’ve got a much better chance of becoming sick, tired or just plain crabby, which won’t benefit you or anyone else.
* It’s important to recognize other people. Let those around you come through. Although others may not do things exactly the same way you would, you can learn an important lesson by allowing others to help while gaining yourself valuable free time.

There is also a similar article from GetMoreDone about the benefits of saying NO.

Bottomline: Superman is myth. You are real. You don’t need to do a superman act to please your clients. Saying yes isn’t always the best choice of word just to impress that you can make things happen. The best option is always to “underpromise – overdeliver”

If you are having this same problem you are not alone. You’ve probably thought life is so unfair and employers are opportunists, taking advantage of the employment drought. But that is not always the case.

I couldn’t forget my interview with John Jonas when he said “When you get a job, keep the job” I’m sure John has some great experience why it made such an impact to him. But the question is, how do we keep the job and turn from being a part timer to a full time, full pledge freelancer.

1. Speak Your Mind

– It’s been taught many times and preached repeatedly how important communication is. So speak your mind. Getting your idea across is essential to ensure that you and your client are working on the same page. It’s actually a common mistake to us, that we keep things to ourselves when we have doubts or hesitations instead of saying right there and then. And the longer it gets stuck in your mind, the more destructive impact it will make if those hesitations and doubts turn to be an essential element for you to deliver the needed results. Don’t be overcome by pride that will tend to make you feign that you know things. Accept that you need an answer to all those questions at the back of your mind. Don’t guess. You’re job is not to be a clairvoyant or a psychic.

2. Learn to Negotiate

– before you can keep the job, you must learn how leverage your negotiation skills to be able to get the job. Negotiation simply means becoming more flexible in many terms or aspects like schedule, pay rates, scope of service and other issues. It means agreeing on certain terms that is tolerable to both parties and would bring out mutually beneficial working relationship. Negotiating means sacrificing a part of your comfort zone but not necessarily a lost but a reduction only.

3. Underpromise but Over Deliver

– alright, I know sometimes we tend to become so engrossed in writing those cover letters and proposals but be very careful, you might just end up ruining your career by giving too much assurance to your client. One basic rule, be REALISTIC! Don’t promise the whole universe. They might believe you. Stick on what you can deliver, and when i say deliver, I mean delivering with excellency. It means giving a wow factor to your client’s experience.

4. Don’t Get Stuck

– Don’t let yourself stagnate on what you know, strive to learn new things that you can offer to your client’ and his future needs. Exercise those brain cells! Or else, you’ll get eaten up by the younger, more energetic, affordable newbies. Keep up with the trend in your field and you’ll never regret you did.

5. Ask for Feedback

– if you’ve worked with someone for years already, don’t get too relaxed and so secure. Times change, moods sway, and most of all, this world is full of surprises. And the worst surprise you’ll ever get is a final handshake from a client whom you “thought” was satisfied. Asking for feedback or evaluation on your performance is a good way of thwarting this kind of situation. It will make you aware of where you stand and what step you should make to resolve any issues that may be critical in keeping the business.
Image source: www.businessandleadership.com

I’m very grateful to the first person who hired me and who continue to be my employer up to this moment. I have learnt a great deal from him and each day wraps another string in building a stronger professional relationship.

I continue to uphold my desire to build a long term relationship in every work or to every employer I deal with. And as I have stepped into a new phase, this is the same legacy that I’d like to build in my team, the Cebu Virtual Solutions.

One thousand hours would not have been possible if I was doing it all on my own. My wife have been particularly instrumental in this milestone as well. And so are the people who prayed for me and my family.

Cheers to 1000hrs and Cheers to more work assignments!

I did enjoy the short talk, which obviously made me feel nervous because it was my first time to do an interview. But the most important part is I’ve learned a great new lesson about working, finding a job and keeping it. And more importantly, I earned a new sense of pride as a Filipino.
I hope tha you will also find this helpful, not only because you are a Filipino, but generally if you are a kind of person who is still in doubt and hesitant about the legitimacy of online jobs or freelance works.

Hi John, can you please tell us something about yourself.

I am 31 I have a wife and 3 kids. I do internet business for a living. That’s all I do. I run internet businesses. I outsource most of my work to full time people in the Philippines. I have a great relationship with them and I love them. I’ve been doing it for about 4 years and been teaching other people how to do it for about 2 years. This is kind of a shocking number but I’ve probably created 15,000 jobs in the Philippines over the last 2 years for Filipinos through teaching what I teach. It’s kind of big impact and I hope it would continue to grow even more.

How did you discover the Filipino talent and the people that you are working with?

Here’s a quick story. A couple of years ago, I mean it was 4 years ago I was talking with a good a friend of mine. And it was brand new at that time, And he said, “You know what John, if you are ready to outsource some of the stuff, make sure to go to the Philippines. Because in India, when they hear you say something and they say yes, that means, yes I heard something come out of your mouth not, yes I understood what you said.” That was pretty interesting to me. I love the Indian people they’re fine, but that was a real eye opening experience. Because here in the US when you think of outsourcing most people think India. And they also think communication problems, headache, and bad work and I thought, I’d try it. This friend of mine had given me some good advice. And what I found was that Filipino people in general are amazing. Really good hard workers, honest, loyal and it’s been really good for me.

What was the first job that you outsourced to the Philippines?

The first time I ever did it, I used the company called, Agents of Value . They are an American company and they have office in the Philippines and they recruit and hire locally and they let that person work for me for full time. The kind of work they do for me is writing, English writing, building and managing and maintaining some of my websites. Which is kind of funny, the first guy that I ever hired he told me recently, “When you hired me I knew nothing” He just learned as he went on how he went how to do this things. He certainly had some knowledge but he ended up learning WordPress really well and his writing got better over time which was only okay when I hired him. You know he is doing some social media for me, social bookmarking, articles and videos and blogs and link building and stuff like that, lots of stuff that they are doing for me.

What is the most essential quality that made the Filipinos as your outsourcing partner of choice?

In general, you guys are honest, loyal, hard working, and your well educated, computers and internet access. That’s not the biggest thing. The really biggest thing that makes this work is the way that the Filipino culture looks up to the American culture. And when I say looks up to, I mean, you guys watch American movies. Other cultures don’t do that. Your billboards are in English, your street signs are in English but obviously there’s Filipino all over the place. But I’ve never, never been to a country that wasn’t England or Canada and I haven’t been to Australia where English is so prevalent. The fact that English is so prevalent and that you guys look up to America it makes us so. You think like we do which is different than other outsourcing that goes on in the world. Where the cultures are so different and the people think differently. So for me what it was, when I ask my guys to do something, they do it right the first time and if they don’t do it the first time, they do a good job. That is very different than other places. You talk to any American who tried this in India or Pakistan, Eastern Europe, or South America or wherever they’ve tried it, they basically hire themselves a babysitting job where the people that they hire, they don’t do it right. They don’t speak great English. They don’t understand, they don’t understand what you said. So those are the really big things. You guys think like we do, your brains work the same way and so it makes for a really good relationship.

What’s your reaction about the comments in Yaro Starak’s post that outsourcing to the Philippines was all hype and unrealistic?

I’ve been doing this for about 4 years. This is not a short term temporary thing. Hiring Filipinos is growing right now and it’s going to continue to grow. It’s not going away and it’s not going anywhere, for Americans. I would say my team is better now than they were 4 months ago. I have hired another person in those four months. I have to my staff and yeah… I can never imagine myself again not having people working for me in the Philippines.

Is there any particular expertise/niche that you think Filipinos are more inclined to excel?

In my experience you are really good at link building; you’re good at writing content. Certainly some Filipinos are good at writing any content. I’ve had some amazing stuff written. I have some very good workers who are capable of writing anything and you are also very good at programming and webmaster work. Skills that I would say Filipinos could acquire to help them in terms of getting a job with an American company would be webmaster work, learning some HTML, learning WordPress or learning to write better. Probably reading an American newspaper or reading American books that would improve your grammar. A lot of Filipinos speak really well, they speak shockingly well to what you would normally think, but then when you write there are just little grammatical mistakes that make a difference. Those are the areas where a lot of Filipinos could improve. Just getting use to our language style and reading American English so that when you write it its better and then simple web master stuff like HTML or FTP because those are big things that my customers look for.
Can you tell us something about Onlinejobs.ph
Onlinejobs.ph is my site and I started it because there wasn’t really great place to recruit Filipino workers for Americans. There were a couple of other places that were okay bestjobs.ph was one of them, it’s not anymore. And when I recognized this is a growing need and there’s not a great place to do it, that’s when and why we started onlinejobs.ph.

What’s the unique advantage that Onlinejobs.ph has over freelance sites like oDesk or Elance.

Probably the biggest advantage for you is that, you’re going to find a full time job on onlinejobs.ph Not many people on onlinejobs are looking to hire freelancer. If they are looking for a freelancer they know where to go. They know how to go to oDesk or Elance. At onlinejobs.ph they’re looking to hire some permanent worker which is a big deal. You are not at the end of this project, you’re not out of work. It’s an ongoing thing. I have never let someone go that has started working for me. If you are a good employee I would say there’s like 2 percent chance of ever being let go by an American company. Once you start working for them and you’re good, because we recognize the value of what you are doing. And it’s not contract work, it’s permanent full time work.

What will be your parting words for those who wants to work online.

I know that a lot of people don’t have any idea this exist. They have no idea that you could work online doing online task. I know that because I’ve talked to a couple of the guys that work for me and I asked this question “What do your friends think of what you do?” And I think he was a little bit surprised at the question he said: “They don’t even know what I do. They don’t understand what I do. They don’t have any idea. They don’t have any idea that this is even possible.

The first things that I would have you understand, if you speak English, you are of value. You can get a job. Second thing is, you need to understand that really all we want is for you to work with us. Here’s the reason I say that. A lot of times Filipinos will start a job and then they’ll find something that they don’t understand or they get embarrassed about or the situation is less than perfect so they quit or they just will never talk to their employer again. That’s the worst thing that you can do. I know that you get embarrassed or you’re shy because of the situation. I had this situation happen to me this week actually where I was trying to hold training meetings at a certain time and one of the people just couldn’t make it. So she told another one of my employees she was going to quit because she couldn’t make it to her training meetings. And she hadn’t said anything to me about it. So that’s really the biggest piece of advice that I can give you is don’t get shy or just run away. Go talk to the person you are working for and see what they say about it. I get the idea that often you guys feel inferior to us. And I really don’t feel that way. And I don’t think most Americans feel that way. I don’t feel superior. If you have a problem I want you to come talk to me. I want you to come and tell me so I can work it out. That’s the biggest piece of advice that I can give: “When you do find a job, keep the job! Don’t just disappear because you’re embarrassed or shy.”