Author: Freelancing Buzz

The freedom of making your own decisions about where and when to work is definitely one of the main perks of freelancing as a programmer . Best of all, this freedom enables you to travel and discover the wonders of the world while working to fund your adventures. And coming to China should be on the “must-do” list for any traveling freelancer. This country is incredible, and immersing yourself into the Chinese culture can inspire your creativity and teach you a lot of new things. And the experiences you’ll gain here are sure to be unique and memorable. However, not all those experiences will be good. Inevitably, you’ll feel frustration and anger when dealing with China’s many internet restrictions and slow connection speeds . But sometimes, the obstacle is the way ! This is where preparation matters. Being equipped with the right tools will make your trip more enjoyable and give you a chance to actually do some work while you are exploring China. In this post, I’ll offer you concrete tips for traveling to China while working as a freelance programmer. VPN and Apple Tech to Boost Productivity and Avoid Restrictions To all the owners of Apple tech, the first and, arguably, most important thing you’ll need to do as a developer traveling through China is find an Apple-compatible way around the “Great Firewall.” Of course, this means you’ll need a virtual private network (VPN) for Mac. You literally cannot do anything even remotely efficient as a programmer in China without using it. Therefore, if you want to work while here, post to Facebook and Twitter, or even access Google, you have to get a VPN and resign yourself to everything that using it implies. As you should already know, this means that your internet connection speed will drop somewhat. Considering that as a traveler using Wi-Fi in China, you’ll be subjected to a slow speed by default, performing some tasks with a VPN can be downright painful. You’ll need to use a device-compatible VPN even if you aren’t using a MacBook for work. However, in such a case, working in China will be even worse. As a consequence of multiple blocks and restrictions, your productivity as a programmer will drop greatly by default. Therefore, you’ll need to use the most efficient tech to stay on top of your game. While many Apple resources are blocked, just like everything else in China, due to the popularity of the brand, you get somewhat more leeway with the help of the local Apple services. It’s not a perfect solution, however, especially if you are going to do any app development whilst there. VPN can interfere with the testing, and it can slow down uploads/downloads that aren’t fast to begin with. Without this solution, though, you will struggle to do much online in China. The only services and sources that will be open to you are the local ones. This means they will only be able to provide limited information to […]

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Job description Vacancy for: SEO specialist (freelance) Based: Cape Town, South Africa Projects Abroad’s mission is to provide the gold standard of support and safety, so our volunteers and interns can fulfil their potential, discover themselves and create positive change in the world. Projects Abroad is the world’s largest international volunteering and internship provider, recruiting young people from all over the world. We’ve been running projects and sending volunteers/interns all over the world for 25 years. We have sent over 115,000 enthusiastic volunteers to 29 countries to volunteer and gain work experience in the fields of teaching, medicine, journalism, veterinary science, law and conservation. We are looking for a SEO Specialist to be responsible for assisting the SEO Manager with implementing and monitoring SEO across multiple Projects Abroad websites. You will also help advise on content across various platforms (blog posts, websites, landing pages created specifically for SEO purposes, and more) and non-technical SEO. This role involves working directly with our UK office and other offices around the world to advise on SEO. You will help with tasks such as keyword research, building keyword lists and maps, setting priorities and deadlines, making sure that offices working on SEO are on track to make these deadlines, and that every office is in line with our overall SEO and marketing strategies. The SEO Specialist will also need to be on top of the latest SEO news and monitor any developments and trends. Tasks and responsibilities: Keyword research (using multiple tools, such as Keyword Planner and Keyword Explorer) Creating and maintaining keyword lists and keyword maps Optimizing meta-data Traffic monitoring and recommendations SEO audits and competitor research SERP-ranking monitoring Recommending new pages Recommending improvements to existing pages Keeping up to date with the latest developments and trends in SEO Setting deadlines and making sure they are kept Assisting the SEO Manager with various tasks related to SEO Conditions: Freelance Self-Employed Contractor role. The complex nature of the accounts involved will require the successful candidate to spend the first 3 months of their contract in our Claremont, Cape Town office learning the job role. After this point, a combination of home/office work will be considered. Are you interested? Please fill in the application form and include: A one-page cover letter telling us why you are the ideal candidate for the role A CV highlighting the experience and qualifications relevant for this role Requirements You should: Hold a Bachelors’ degree with writing background (ideally) Preferably have some experience in digital marketing and working in the field of SEO Be proficient in the use of Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and internet Have intermediate knowledge of Google Analytics Be proficient in the use of SEO tools like Keyword Planner, Moz, Raven Tools, Majestic Have experience working within a culturally diverse environment. Have excellent written communication skills and good oral communicator with people of all ages and backgrounds Have the ability to work under pressure, meet short deadlines, and multi-task Be innovative and self-motivated, relishing a new […]

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The freelance life has a lot going for it, but it isn’t all peaches and cream. Staying ahead of the competition is tough. The best project management software for freelancers can give you an edge and help put you on the road to solo success. Many freelancers neglect organization, which can be a mistake. Every mistake presents an opportunity to improve, though, and better self-management can give you more time to work and sip lattes, rather than fiddling around with admin. In this article, we’re going to look through some of the available project management tools to see how they can help you work better. Best Project Management Software for Freelancers 2019 What Makes a Project Management Tool Right for Freelancers? In our experience, freelancers range from rolling in cash to scrambling to pay the bills every month. Price will be a big factor, so we’ll look for tools that have a free or inexpensive option. Freelancers with less spare cash might also like to take a look at our best free project management tools article. The usual things we care about, such as features and ease of use, are relevant to freelancers, too. We’re also considering security and support, but because freelancers may just be managing their own data, they may not be as bothered about security as, say, a business manager. Team size and communication are less important. Many freelancers work alone or in small teams, so we’ll look more at the way projects are organized than the team features. That said, freelancers often have multiple things on the go, so we’ll favor platforms that accommodate that and let you create multiple projects easily. Because freelancers tend to be self-starters, they may be fine with support options that lean toward fixing their own problems, too. If you’re lounging around in your casual pants watching Netflix when you should be working, give Wrike a try. It does a good job of putting you in a business-like frame of mind. It has a learning curve, but once you get to know it, it’s a great way to help manage your projects. It has a free plan, too, so it doesn’t have to cost you a thing. When you’ve finished your work and want to get back to streaming, our best Netflix hacks article is worth checking out, too. Wrike lets you create tasks, break them into subtasks and add dependencies between them. That allows you to figure out which order things need to be done in. You can also make forms that let other people create tasks by filling them in. That might be a good way to capture client requirements, if used correctly. It has several views, including a list, a basic kanban board, a Gantt chart and a stream. You can use it to store files and leave comments on them via its proofing feature. The interface is crowded and the navigation has a few quirks, but there’s a lot included. Wrike’s integrations allow it to connect […]

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The term ‘freelance’ has a lot of connotations. It’s synonymous with yoga pants, mid-week brunch dates and ‘coffices’ (a.k.a. cafe offices). At best, it’s flexible working that enables you to be your own boss and build a business on your own terms. At worst, it’s juggling deadlines, chasing unpaid invoices and questioning if you can go another day without washing your hair. Follow Ladders’ magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness , Productivity , Job Satisfaction , Neuroscience , and more ! My experience sits somewhere in the middle. Four months ago I took the plunge into freelancing writing , turning my back on a stable, full-time role at a digital agency to chase my dreams in editorial and publishing. It was a decision spurred by the realization that I wasn’t living up to my potential or following my passions. I felt out-of-place, overworked and on-track to climb a ladder in an industry I’d never wanted to be a part of. So, has freelance life solved my career crisis? What lessons have I learned along the way, and would I have tackled things differently if I could do it all again? Read on to find out what I wish I’d known before jumping into freelancing. 1. Time Will Slip Away. Fast. It’s amazing what you can achieve with 9 extra hours up your sleeve. You can hit snooze, stop by your favorite cafe for brekkie, and still make your favorite yoga class. But, without office hours to hold you accountable, it’s easy to let the day slip away. My first few weeks of freelancing taught me the value of setting a clear schedule for each day. By blocking out my calendar at the beginning of the week, I quickly realized I didn’t have infinite amounts of free time to play with. With deadlines looming and multiple projects on the go , it’s crucial to allocate and block out deep-work time to ensure you can submit deliverables on-time. The good news? Without an office to commute to, you can use this time to fit in leisure activities you’d usually miss out on. Use this extra hour or two to hit the gym, head out for a run or join a fitness class you’ve always wanted to try. 2. You’ll Need To Create Your Own Routine This one might sound obvious, but hear me out. When you’re a part of the 9-5 grind, there’s a sense of familiarity to each day. You’ll catch the same train each morning, stop by your usual coffee shop on the way to your desk and order your go-to salad when it comes time for lunch. So, what’s the value of all this? Our brains are hardwired to seek out and follow a routine. To save mental energy, we develop habits that help reduce the number of decisions we need to make each day. Plus, routine helps build a sense of connection with those around us. Whether it’s working alongside the same faces or visiting our favorite barista, […]

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When businesses work with remote workers, they are able to recruit talent from all over the world. Conversely, when you work remotely, you can seek work with clients on a global scale as well. That’s a great thing for both parties involved, but international remote work also has its challenges. Here are six things you should consider before contracting with a client in another country. 1. Payment complexities Getting paid when you do work for someone in a foreign country can be complicated. Chances are, there are going to be fees. You may also face delays at the client’s end as they are trying to figure out their billing. Hence, study your options in advance and get familiar with different payment processing options out there. Just know that you could lose a bit of money in the process and face additional cross-border taxes as well. So you may want to adjust your rates to make up for this. The good news is that the expenses you encounter are likely tax deductible. 2. Cultural differences regarding presentations and meetings Part of building your reputation as a freelancer is sharing your knowledge with others. You may find yourself presenting your thoughts and recommendations as a speaker at conferences or meetings. When you do, be sure to tailor your approach according to the culture of your audience. Cultures tend to be either applications first, or principles first . For example, Americans tend to be applications first. When you present to them, they want you to dive right into the ‘hows’. How do you apply this concept? What are some examples? They want action steps. People from Germany, Spain and other European countries lean towards being principles first. They want to understand why you came to the conclusions you did and dig into your methodologies first. Imagine that you’ve determined that a business can increase sales by 25 percent if they provide customers with free samples. An applications first audience will want to know what kind of free sample, whether or not they should provide them with every order and how to follow up with customers. A principles first audience will first want to know how you came to your determination. 3. Taxes If you do any significant amount of work for a client in the US, they’re going to send you a 1099. After all, that becomes their proof that they paid you and allows them to deduct that from their taxes. With foreign clients, you may never receive any sort of tax documents. This doesn’t relieve you of any tax obligations. You are still responsible for reporting your income. To be certain your records are correct, you should contact all foreign clients to double check your numbers. Once you know this, you can do the work of figuring out what you might owe. You can also see if you qualify for the foreign earned income tax exclusion . This covers some cases where you may be able to leave income off […]

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I have tried both in my life – marathons and sprints. Given, the sprint was forced on me by my 8 th grade track coach and the marathon was a half marathon. But still, I understand the difference between the two. One takes force and the other takes stamina. Yet when it came time to launch my freelance writing business, I forgot all the lessons I had learned. I charged at breakneck speed into freelancing as if it were a sprint. This was unsustainable, both for my business and my life. A mixture of excitement and fear of failure led me to sit down at my computer at 8:30 p.m. (after already closing up shop) to finish my portfolio page. At 11:00 p.m. that night, my eyes were bloodshot and my dog was whining from loneliness. Another day, my husband and I made plans to rent a movie, but I pulled out my computer to tweak one little thing – and before I knew it, it was 2 hours later and too late to start a movie. I was running on adrenaline. But, like I expected, this didn’t last. It couldn’t, not for the marathon required to run a freelance business. It was unsustainable, both for my business and my life. Especially when first starting as a freelancer, I felt like I had to do everything all at once. Website, pitching, figuring out what SEO meant. I dashed from one task to the next without any method or plan of action. I know I’m not alone. So I’m sharing five helpful tips that I have learned that will help you maintain marathon-style thinking (and your sanity) in this crazy little thing called freelancing. 1. Create a Morning Ritual Like a runner’s warm-up prior to a jog, a morning ritual helps to ease into your day. It also helps you to remain present, to focus on the small joys of the day, rather than rushing to your desk first thing to send that client email. Before sitting down to write, I recommend you: Get ready. This includes showering, brushing your teeth, putting on makeup—whatever your normal routine of going to an office job would be. Wear normal clothes. Try not to fall into the trap of wearing sweatpants all the time because after a while, your work and your home life will become inseparable. Eat a good breakfast. Sit down at the table and eat something, even if it’s just a banana. Savor that cup of coffee. Do yoga or stretch. I like to spend a few mornings a week using Headspace, the meditation app. Or I pet my dog and she brings me lots of joy to start the day. 2. Don’t Work From the Couch Just like you wouldn’t run a race in sandals, don’t do your work from the couch. Or the bed. Or the floor. And definitely don’t have the TV on in the background. At a recent writing workshop I attended, run by Melanie Figg […]

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My Hacks Distilled In 4 Easy Steps Photo by Shane Rounce One of the most common advice threads for growing businesses is to hire help as soon as you can. Whether you’re a one-person shop or a business that intends to scale to a large team, getting from today to tomorrow requires additional hands that you don’t (and shouldn’t) have. Rather than DIY startup building , your goal should be to work smart and export the tasks that aren’t in your zone of genius to others who will hit it out of the park. The fastest and most affordable way to go about this is to hire independent contractors and agencies who are happy to join your team on a project basis to complete everything from design, bookkeeping, research, copywriting, to consulting work. With the connectivity the internet provides, you can now hire support from anywhere around the world, so your talent pool options are incredible. I absolutely love this model because it allows any business to receive injections of genius so that the business can shine from every angle. You can fake being buttoned-up this way and accelerate the maturity of your business. Fake it till you make it is incredibly feasible nowadays for the small business owner, which is awesome. Finding solid, freelance talent isn’t easy though. Hiring well in this department requires its own manual and experience to get it right. I’ve learned a couple of hacks over the years that have helped me quickly create a list of top 3 contenders so that hiring someone for a project is quick, painless, and a right fit. Here are those hacks distilled in 4 easy steps — I’m able to ax out 90% of applications based on someone’s cover letter and style of outreach to me. If the candidate does not write their cover letter or present themselves in a manner that I vibe with, I do not need to engage with them. So you will never see me hire someone who: Completely ignores who I am and what my business is about and doesn’t take the time to create a bridge between me and them. The person needs to give me the opportunity to know who they are. Has a communication style that’s completely opposite from mine. Sends me a cold email, LinkedIn message, or asks to hop on a phone with me without having a human conversation with me first (I’m a human being, not a robot). Has a business-first rather than human-first lens. When you’re hiring for a remote role, that person’s soft skills have to align completely with yours. With a remote team, you won’t have the opportunity to clear things up in-person, and so, you have to be vigilant in hiring someone who aligns with your communication style right away. For example, have you ever been on a call with your bank or an airline and had the customer service representative on the other end not address your question directly, skirt around […]

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Freelancing can be a dream come true: the freedom to work whenever and wherever you want, the ability to take days off, and being able to plan your work around your own commitments. However, for the majority of freelancers, self-employment can have many hurdles that they must work to overcome. Freelancers are not protected in the same way that employees are. It can cause many problems that you should take precautions to protect yourself from. 1. Check Your Taxes No one wants to get to the end of the year only to find a large and unexpected tax bill on their doorstep! Self-Assessment : In the UK, freelancers must register as self-employed before the October of their second tax year and apply for a self-assessment tax return . Income Tax : Freelancers pay income tax on any profits over their personal allowance, which is £11,850 for the tax year 2018/19. National Insurance : Freelancers will pay Class 2 Insurance. If you earn over £6,205, you will pay £2.95 a week, which increases to 9% on your profits between £8,424 and £46,350. 2. Get Insurance Every human makes mistakes. Indemnity insurance can prevent these mistakes from causing significant issues for your earnings. If a client claims any of the work that you have done for them, comprehensive professional liability insurance can ensure that you have protection against legal and compensation costs. As stated by Hiscox, if you provide services or advice to a client, then you are vulnerable to claims of this nature and should consider indemnity coverage. It will cover you in the event of a breach of confidence, negligence, or infringement of copyright up to the cost of £10 million. 3. Write a Contract Another way to protect yourself and ensure that you receive the correct payment is by writing a contract for both you and the person you are working for to sign. By being able to show a contract, you will have evidence for any potential wage disputes that may occur. You will also be able to refer to this if your client decides to change or dismiss the agreement that you have made. If a client tries to establish rules that you are not comfortable with, such as control over when you work, you have a contract to prove that you have not agreed to these terms. 4. Use a Freelancing Service Freelancing services take out the frustrations of communicating with a client directly. They create a back-up that will ensure that you are paid and reimbursed for any problems that you may face. Services such as Upwork provide an intermediator platform which can act as a buffer in case of problems. They ensure that you are paid on time and that each party adheres to the terms of their contracts. Although Upwork does take some of your income, this is worthwhile for the amount of protection that it affords. Although freelancing can be difficult, you should not be deterred by potential problems. By taking […]

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CEO Farrukh Mian puts his money on Pakistani freelance market and a lack of cheap payment gateways. Not long ago, there were news stories everywhere of PayPal refusing to enter the Pakistani market and how it will impact the massive local freelancing community, which has always struggled with payments due to lack of reliable and cheap channels. And that’s the problem a Pakistan-focused startup has decided to take head on. PaySay is a fintech, headquartered in UK with an offshore office in Lahore, that aims to enable local freelancers and education academies receive payments from Europe by offering them a UK-based bank account. The process is very simple: open the website, enter the freelancers page, sign up using an email address and the system will generate UK account details for you in a matter of seconds with details like sort code, account number among others. You can then use these with your foreign clients who then wouldn’t have to pay you through an international bank transfer, saving both parties from the inconvenience. Once you have money in your account, you can either cash it out or transfer it to your local bank. Does this mean you will have a fully functioning UK-based account with bank card or an app to do your transactions? No. “It can only be accessed through the PaySay platform. Technically, these are sub-accounts distributed and managed through us as one can’t sign up with a British bank if they are not based in UK. This is why it’s not possible to directly use the bank’s portal,” says CEO Farrukh Mian. At the moment, they have three digital banks (similar to SimSim in Pakistan) – Tide, Viva Wallet and Starling — on board and customers are given accounts from one of these institutions. The startup was founded by Farrukh Mian, Zahid Khan and Dr Philip Mendrzyk — veterans in payments, software and financial services — and was commercially launched early 2017. “At my previous job, I was working specifically within the remittance side and saw the initial days of the likes of TransferWise, WorldRemit and Azimo, which is where I got the inspiration from and realised the need for some innovation in the industry,” Mian recalls. PaySay started out as a hybrid remittance service: bringing together the Western Union model of high street vendor network and the relatively new digital service as offered by TransferWise and others. But since then, they have entered new lines of business, including payment solutions for freelancers and online education academies that have clientèle in UK. Currently, the local freelancing community mostly depends on PayPal accounts of friends and family abroad; Payoneer (which does operate in Pakistan) — two global brands with wide recognition in the industry. So how does a much smaller player hope to take them on in their own backyard? “The former has the unnecessary hassle of getting multiple layers involved, and the latter charges exorbitant fees, making it a highly expensive alternative solution,” says the CEO, adding […]

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5 Tips for Writing Cold Emails That Get Freelance Clients Tara Fitness Jun 20 Photo by Austin Distel on Unsplash Some people say ‘cold email doesn’t work anymore’ . I say ‘you’re just not doing them right’ . In fact, I believe cold emails are one of the best methods for getting new leads, providing you’re prepared to do the work. And work it takes. If you haven’t cold emailed before, you need to know that it could take 100 or more cold emails before you receive even one reply. Sounds like it’s a whole lotta work for next to no return, right? Work? Yeah! You see, cold emailing is a numbers game. A percentage of the people you email won’t be interested in your services. A percentage won’t find your services even remotely relevant. Some of the emails you send will end up in the junk box or bounce. Many more will be simply ignored. These emails will poke and prod at your self-esteem. You’ll be worried you’re annoying people, stressed about being labelled a spammer, confused that you’re working your hands to the bone without getting a return for your hard work. If you have so much as a smidgen of self-doubt, these emails will seek out your inner-monologue of ‘I’m not good enough’ and do their best to play it on repeat. Yes, my friend, cold emailing is tough. But if you can keep your cool through all of that, there’s a flip side to cold email that’ll make it worth your while. You see, there’s a select few people who’ll read your tantalising tales and be compelled to hit reply. They’ll love your swagger and style, and they’ll want you to inject your personality into their business too. They’ll be chomping at the bit to get on a call and put gold bars in your bank. While you have to accept that many of your emails will go unread and/or unanswered, there are a few tips and tricks you can implement to increase your chances of receiving positive replies. 1. Be the rainbow on a cloudy, grey day. Being boring is the cardinal sin of email. In short, don’t do it. You’re not speaking to the school principal. And even when you’re speaking to a CEO, they have a sense of humour too. If you can make ’em laugh, or paint a beautiful image in their mind, you’ve got ’em hooked. Then it’s up to you to reel ’em in. The easiest way to inject some personality into your writing is to draft your email saying exactly what you want to say; boring is totally acceptable at this stage. Now walk away for at least 24-hours. Then when you return to edit, do so with one goal in mind — to make your email more interesting. E.g. The title of this section was originally ‘don’t be boring’. Boring, huh? When I edited this piece, I switched it to ‘be the rainbow on a cloudy, […]

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