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With our Freelance Mac App bundle past 1000 copies sold, I wanted to take a quick moment to highlight the fact that as part of the promotion we have partnered with SmashingMagazine to give away completely free copies of their eBook: “Successful Freelancing”. All you need to do is send out a super quick tweet promoting the bundle and you’ll get your own copy of the book which normally retails at $5. It’s that easy!

Thanks to the wonderful guys at Smashing for allowing us to run this neat little promotion, and thanks to the hundreds of people who’ve already taken advantage of this offer!

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When you started out in freelancing, you probably daydreamed about the perks of the lifestyle: make your own hours, choose your own clients, do things your way. Then business picked up and you daydreamed less often. You found yourself working long hours, even weekends. Your choice of client became driven less by preference and more by the economy. And while you still do things your way, it’s definitely more of a give-and-take.

That’s okay; you still wouldn’t have it any other way. But why not let the summer take you back to that day-dreamy feeling that freelancing first instilled upon you? Here’s some suggestions to get it back, if only for the sunny months ahead.

• Squeeze your week. Sure, most full time freelancers work at least five days a week. But for the summer, see if you can squeeze your work into four days. You may find it’s easier than you think, just by tightening up your planning and organizing. Or work out a compromise: if you can’t manage to free up a whole day, squeeze out an afternoon, or a day every other week.
• Get outside. If you work from home, there’s probably a perfectly nice backyard just a few steps away. Grab your laptop and get outside. Or, take your lunch outside – without your computer.  If you live in an apartment or city environment, hop in the car, drive to the nearest park, and soak up that vitamin D.
• Plan your vacation. Don’t leave it to chance, telling yourself you’ll take a spontaneous vacation during a ‘slow week’. It’s likely that you’ll want to use that slow week to focus on your marketing efforts. Well in advance, cross a week off your calendar, get your family or friends in alignment, and take that vacation.
• Juggle your schedule. Most freelancers try to work the typical 9-5 day, finding it easier to fit in with the rest of the working world and to accommodate family needs. But there’s nothing wrong with occasional deviations. You may not want to work late everyday, but what about once a week in exchange for a morning off?
• Be spontaneous. Discipline is definitely a desired trait of a freelancer, but remember that adage about all work and no play. Allow yourself some leeway this summer; step out to watch your children in the camp talent show, or take the dog for an extended walk on the beach.

Embracing the flexibility of summer can be just what you need to recharge your creative juices. Soon enough the temperature will drop, the days will grow shorter, and the idea of confining yourself to your workspace will become much more appealing.

Photo credit: Some rights reserved by elenathewise.

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Not everyone dreams of freelancing. Christine Hofmann-Bourque, a freelance writer from Boston, was just hoping to work at a national magazine — and she did for some time. But when her spouse decided on a career that would require him to relocate, Christine put her creative talents to work as a freelancer. She also decided to leverage connections from her full-time days to help her thrive as a freelancer.

You are now working as a freelance journalist contributing to many premier publications — a career many aspiring and existing writers covet. What was the key to getting where you are? Did putting time in as a full-time employee help to open doors?

When I first set my sights on a career in journalism, my end goal wasn’t to be a freelance writer — it was to work on staff at a national magazine. I got a great job at Meredith Corporation, a big publisher based in Iowa, and eventually moved into the features editor position at Country Home, a fantastic interior design magazine. I loved the staff, I loved the magazine, and I loved the whole creative process of putting a magazine together from start to finish. To this day, few things make me happier than seeing a new magazine in my mailbox! But after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, my husband felt a call to serve in our military. So when he signed away his life to Uncle Sam, I decided to become a freelancer so I could continue to work no matter where he is stationed.

I’ve been a full-time freelancer for almost eight years now and — without doubt — having been on staff at a publishing company was a big part of my initial success. I had already established personal and professional relationships with many magazine and book editors who had nice budgets and were making regular assignments.

Even though I didn’t set out to be a freelancer, it is one of the best things I’ve ever done. Don’t get me wrong: Freelancing is tough, especially in this economic climate. But it has made me into a much, much better writer and editor. Freelancing forces you to be creative. Because you have to prove yourself on every job, it forces you to always be your best.

Did you always know you wanted to write?

I always loved to write, but honestly it didn’t occur to me until after I graduated from college that perhaps I could make a living doing it. I went the route of many young people who don’t know what they want to do in college: I got a liberal arts degree (political science), then worked at a traditional corporate job (at an insurance company) for five years. It was while I was working at a job I knew wasn’t right for me that I finally figured out that what I really wanted to do was create magazines.

Oh, how I understand! So, many writers struggle to get high-profile pieces without having worked at a magazine like you did. How can they overcome that and forge connections as if they were an in-house writer? Did having a Master’s help?

I don’t think having a master’s in journalism necessarily helps. Of course, it doesn’t hurt either. But I got my master’s at Northwestern University because I was making a radical career change after college from a corporate insurance gig into writing and editing at a publishing company. I’d already been in the workforce for five years and didn’t want to necessarily start “at the bottom” again. The master’s degree helped me make a career switch without moving backward.

What is your biggest challenge as a freelance writer?

The biggest challenge of freelancing is that you don’t have one boss, you have dozens of bosses. Every single editor who hires you thinks her or his job is your number one priority. And when deadlines collide and sources don’t return your calls and your brain isn’t coming up with a clever lede, it’s up to you to figure out how to get things done. There’s no calling in sick or asking a coworker to cover for you.

Another huge challenge? I no longer have an IT department to call when the printer goes down or a crazy warning flashes across my laptop’s screen. I have to troubleshoot all problems, which seem to have a knack for showing up when I’m on deadline. I’ll admit I’ve had many a meltdown over technology.

I don’t think you’re alone there. You seem to have a niche writing about home decorating/renovation/design style. How did you get into that? How can other writers create thriving careers writing about the topics they enjoy?

Meredith Corporation, where I used to work on staff, publishes a lot of magazines centered around home and family, so it was natural that those are topics I write a lot about. But I also write about topics such as real estate, the military, personal finance, and food. I’ve learned the hard way that if you don’t enjoy a certain topic, it’s very difficult to write smart leads or do good research. For example, I simply don’t enjoy writing about medical issues. If I even type the word “blood,” I’ll get queasy. (See? I’m getting lightheaded right now.) I know I can’t produce good copy about serious medical topics, so I stick with other topics I can do well.

What was your worst professional experience? How did you learn from it?

Any time a mistake creeps into a publication I’ve worked on, that’s a bad day. But mistakes are inevitable. I just figure out how it happened, and how to prevent it from happening again.

Tell us about how you landed some of your book credits. Did you already know people from your days at Country Home, or did you make more connections?

During the last eight years, most of the freelance work I’ve gotten has been through people I’ve worked with in the past, or people they’ve given my name to. I put my best into every job because I never know what little job could lead to a big one months or even years down the road.

Absolutely. So what else do you want to achieve in your career? What’s next for you?

I have an idea for a book. We’ll see! I continue to work on growing my website called “The Strength Behind the Strong,” which is for people who have friends and family in the military. That continues to be an inspiring project for me, but it is a lot of work! I give bloggers who post daily a lot of credit. But magazines are still my first love, and right now I’m editing and writing most of the articles for the Fall 2011 issue of “Flea Market Style” magazine. I’m also blogging about the making of the Flea Market Style magazine.

What advice do you have for writers that are looking to freelance for leading publications? Should they start with trades, study journalism or work full-time at a magazine if possible?

My best advice? Be more than *just* a writer. I’m a writer — and also an editor, copyeditor, fact checker, copyfitter, blogger, and more. I’d tell anyone who is just starting in this business to work on staff somewhere, whether it’s as an intern or as a paid staffer, whether it’s at a trade or consumer publication. What matters isn’t necessarily where you start but that you learn the ins and outs of publishing. (Now, some people may say print magazines are a dying breed. I disagree. Especially decorating and design magazines, where the photographs are as important as the words. But that’s a whole other discussion …) Being an on-staff editor made me a better writer too because I spent so much time working with terrific writers who knew how to put together a great story. (OK, so I also worked with some not-so-great writers, but that’s a learning experience as well!)

The great news for today’s freelancers is that technology makes it easier than ever to work on cool projects without necessarily living in New York City. The new Spring/Summer 2011 print magazine I just finished working on for Harris Publications — Flea Market Style — was put together by basically four freelancers in four states: Iowa, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and California. Thanks to email and my iDisk, which acts as a server, we share everything from scouting shots and page layouts to manuscripts with ease.

Thanks, Christine — we wish you all the best!

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As freelancers, we tend to want to keep the number of tools we’re using to a minimum. We’ll set up some sort of accounting tool, maybe something to help us handle project management and not much more. But there are reasons that finding a customer relationship management (CRM) tool that you’re comfortable using is worth the added hassle.

• The more you know about your clients and (prospective clients), the better. Good CRM tools help you collect and maintain information about the people you’re working with. Many of the newer tools even go out and pull in information from social media about given people in your CRM database. You can use that information to better tailor your services: perhaps a recent tweet from a customer has given you ideas on how better to design a website for him. Similarly, a well-timed birthday wish can show your client you care about more than his checkbook.
• You can better track the differences between clients. Every client has her quirks: some want you to include a specific purchase order number on every invoice, others need to run revisions past multiple stakeholders. Bringing all those details into one place, such as in your CRM tool, will make it much easier to manage each step of the process. All you have to do is check what quirks you’ve noted as you send out invoices or other communications. 
• You can manage the contact information for the people you’re working with. Have you ever found yourself in a position where you absolutely have to talk to one of your clients right this minute — and you didn’t have anything easily accessible beyond an email address? Using a CRM tool helps in two ways: first, if you know that you want to fill out as many fields in a client’s entry in your database as possible, you have an incentive to actually ask for more information. And many of the more recent additions to the CRM marketplace integrate tools that will pull information about an individual out of their email signature, as well as other places, helping you create a centralized record. 
• CRM software can keep you out of your inbox. Personally, I have a problem that when I head into my inbox to send an email to a client, I can get sucked into dealing with any new email that has arrived — pulling me away from that one email I really ought to be working on. But when my first stop is my CRM tool, it can be asier to stay focused. The tool that I rely on is integrated with my email account so that I can send emails without actually switching into my inbox. 
• You can outsource some of your communications with a little more ease. If you want to bring in a virtual assistant to handle a little bit of your email — maybe something as simple as contacting past clients and offering them a special deal — having all your contacts in a CRM tool makes a lot of sense. You can give an assistant access to your CRM tool without handing over your email password, as well as have him track the communications directly in your CRM tool.
• You can get a reminder to check in with old contacts. It’s easy for people to fall off our radar, especially when we get busy. But a good CRM tool can remind you to stay in touch, with updates on when the last time you communicated with a particular person was. You can also make a habit of going through your database regularly and checking in with a certain number of people. Even brief emails can bring you back in contact with someone who may need your services.

There are a wide variety of CRM tools available online these days, with varying features and varying prices. Some are even at that magical price point for a beginning freelancer — free. Test out any options that look good. Since most tools offer at least a free demo, it makes sense to get a feel for them before you fully commit to moving all your contacts over from your address book or wherever else you keep information.

Photo credit: Some rights reserved by Yuri Arcurs.

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5 Ideas for Choosing Your Home Office Equipment Setup

Now that you’ve made the decision to become a fulltime, stay-at-home freelancer, it’s time to start thinking of ways to outfit your home office. There are a few things to consider when choosing home office equipment – form and function being part of it, but personality is important, too. The equipment in your home office needs to fit a set of criteria; such as: be supportive, ergonomic, useful, durable, affordable and yes downright cool. Let’s look at a few ideas to consider as you setup your home office.

Artists unite for Japan Flags

Since March 11, the tragedy in Japan has impacted the entire world in many ways and unfortunately continues to do so. But can we make a difference? We certainly can! As artists and designers, we can support the people of Japan and their struggle with our art.

French Agency Creasenso did exactly that by gathering 11 talented illustrators to create some amazing designs for sale, in order to support the Red Cross in its efforts to aid refugees. They will donate 100% of all profits to this worthy cause.

7 Tips for Prioritizing Tasks Effectively

Most designers, regardless of whether you are self employed or an employee, have a to-do list full of all kinds of different tasks that are fighting for attention. It may include finalizing a project for one client, working on an estimate for another client, responding to emails, recording payments and working on financials, etc. With so many different things going on and a to-do list that likely includes tasks related to several different projects, knowing how to effectively prioritize can be a real challenge.

Detailed Comparison of Premium WordPress Theme Clubs

WordPress professionals are faced with many options when deciding which membership-based theme providers are worth their investment. It is important to know how frequent future releases are, what your actual cost will be over time and what kind of support you can expect. It is also important to know what types of themes you will be gaining access to. What I will provide in this article is information to help you compare the details of popular WordPress theme clubs, so that you can more easily determine which might be useful in your situation.

Selling Your Soul: Behind the Marketing Curtain

In a few weeks, two friends, Marie Forleo and Danielle LaPorte, are bringing to life a one-day experience called Selling Your Soul.

Yeah, I know, that name brings up all sorts of stuff. That’s the point. This post is not about that event, it is about the website, video and copy they’ve set up to market it.

Personal Life Outside of Work

Are you spending longer at work these days, putting in extra hours just to get everything done? And, when you finally clock out and leave, do you bring your job — and workplace worries — through the front door with you?

It can be a constant struggle protecting your precious personal life from the pressures of work. And it’s a battle many people are losing.

How to Make Your Freelancing Website More “Cutting Edge”

Do you ever get the feeling that, because you’re a freelancer, much is expected of you? For example, because we’re freelancers and not regular employees, most people expect us to be unconventional, bold, independent, and creative. The words “cool” and “hip” may even be appropriate to describe most freelancers.

In the same vein, freelancers’ websites–being representations of ourselves online–are also expected to be du jour (current) and on the cutting edge.

8 Ways to Successfully Sell Using Social Media

There’s this age-old problem with selling: If we could only get more people to pay attention to us, we could build relationships that lead to sales.

Fortunately, social media offers an amazing source of business opportunities. If you approach it the right way, you can build many relationships that could be crucial to your business growth and success.

Making the Mental Shift from Employee to Freelancer

Three years ago, when I left my job to freelance full time, I had a hard time shifting my mental math from salary to an hourly rate. When a client agreed to pay $30/hour for my copywriting services, I was over the moon, thinking it was an outrageously extravagant sum. After all, $30/hour x 40 hours in a week x 52 weeks in a year = $62,400, which was way more than the salary I’d just left. (I’m sure some of you are already laughing at that equation, because you know where I’m going with this.)

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There’s a point in every business when having a CPA becomes necessary. Your taxes get too complicated for the local tax preparer, you need to start thinking about saving for retirement and you generally need to make sure that you’re bringing in enough money to grow, at least a little. For freelancers, however, identifying that point can be tough.

A part-time freelancer with a day job almost never needs a CPA. Even someone who has been freelancing full-time for a while may not need a CPA. And if you don’t need a CPA yet, that’s fine — why pay for an accountant’s services when all you really need is some help from a tax preparer?

What Can a CPA Do For You?

Natalia Sylvester is a freelance writer. She’s been going to the same CPA for years — she started out bringing her taxes to her parents’ CPA when she landed her first job and stuck with that CPA when she need more help. “In the beginning especially, he helped me get organized in terms of my record keeping, what expenses I could deduct, how much of my income I should be saving for tax purposes, etc–basically educating me on how the whole process for freelancers differs from when I was employed. Aside from my yearly tax return, he also calculates my quarterly payments, so I send him all my records periodically. He’ll also say things like, ‘Wow, you’re really picking up steam,’ when I’ve had a really great quarter, so that’s always nice.

You may not need a certified public accountant for all your accounting needs, of course. There are a variety of other professionals whose skill sets overlap with CPAs to a certain extent. Mariette Knoblauch is a tax accountant and provides services such as startup consulting — setting up your books, getting a business license and so on — as well as tax preparation services. Knoblauch also helps small business and freelancers find ways to improve profitability, find more deductions and generally keep more money in their pockets. She points out, “Consulting with an experienced bookkeeper, accountant or CPA who does a lot of work with freelancers can save time and money. Getting your books set up properly gives a freelancer critically important information about costs and profitability in real time, so changes can be made if necessary to stop doing unprofitable things (or raise prices so they become profitable). Consulting with a tax professional (registered preparer, enrolled agent, or CPA) allows a freelancer to plan and arrange their business so that they can take advantage of all the deductions and credits available to them, and pay the lowest amount of tax they legitimately can.”

What You Need to Look For

There are accountants who specialize in working with freelancers, although that’s not necessarily a necessity — even for a freelancer who is looking for an accountant. Rather, it’s important that your CPA (or any other financial professional) is generally comfortable with the mechanics of small business, like Sylvester’s. She says, “He had worked with other freelancers, though it wasn’t necessarily something he specialized in. To me it was more important that I could trust him, and by the time I started freelancing I’d already been doing my taxes with him for several years, so we’d built a working relationship. It was also helpful that a lot of his clients were small business owners, some of whom had started out as freelancers and then formed LLCs or Inc’s, so I knew that we’d be able to continue working together as my business grew.”

While you may not need a full-fledged accountant right away, talking to a bookkeeper early on can help you get your books set up in such a way that your future accountant won’t feel the need to charge you extra just to clear up the mess. You’ll want to start looking at transitioning to an accountant as your freelance business grows and you need to start looking for more deductions and ways to help your business grows. It’s also helpful to have an acocuntant on your side if you run into problems — preferably before the problem even starts. Knoblauch notes, “A freelancer would need a CPA for any audit or review work, for example if reviewed financial statements are needed for a bank loan. A CPA, enrolled agent, or lawyer is needed in case of an IRS audit — those are the only people allowed to represent you before the IRS.”

Pricing can vary from accountant to accountant, ranging from $150 per hour to $400 per hour. Before that number scares you, think about how your own pricing works: you can charge more per hour as a freelancer because it typically takes you less time to complete a project in your particular field. It may take a CPA only two hours to complete a tax return that someone with less expertise would spend an entire day on. Sylvester points out that she feels that what she pays is definitely worth it. “I’d pay more if I had to. It’s not just a matter of my time being valuable (which it is), but the peace of mind from knowing that I’m handling my taxes correctly, and the amount of money I save by doing so, is worth it to me.”

Credit: photo by kozumel

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Know what my goal is for 2011? To not buy a gym membership.

I’m one of those people who pay high sums to keep the equipment at my gym clean and untouched. As a freelance writer, you’d think I’d be able to find a few hours a week to hit the gym (I must think so too since I keep renewing my membership), but seeing that most of my work is currently sandwiched in between naptimes and play dates, spending an hour of precious writing time at the gym seems awfully extravagant. In 2011, I am determined to recognize the situation for what it is and not squander my hard-earned money on club fees.

But of course, I need exercise. Clicking the mouse doesn’t exactly tone muscle. And no matter how excited I get over a particular project, my heart doesn’t thump at anywhere near my target rate. As a writer who often pens health and fitness articles, I know that all it takes is a lousy 30 minutes a day of moderate intensity exercise – even if it’s in 10 minute increments – to reap health benefits.

So , I decided to do all of us time-strapped, non-gym-going freelancers out there a service by asking fitness professionals what we can do to stay in shape from home. These four 5-10 minute routines won’t make you break a sweat, but they’ll get your blood flowing and give your heart a little goose. What’s more they’re specifically designed to address the peaks, valleys and long, flat stretches in a freelancer’s life, so you’ll know exactly when to do them.

Now….no more excuses. Get moving!*

The Stress Buster

As freelancers, we often find ourselves in feast or famine periods – both of which can bring stress. When we’re crazed with work or fretting about where our next check is coming from, our bodies get infused with tension, which can lead to chronic headaches, fatigue, chest pains and even high blood pressure. It can also affect our mental state, making it diffcult to be confident and productive.

Let’s not go there. Here’s an exercise to draw stress from the body and get you working efficiently again. This 7-step routine comes from Whitney Wilson, a New York City-based yoga instructor.

1. Begin by kneeling on the floor with your big toes touching and knees wide apart. Bring your hips to your heels and lean forward until your torso is resting between your thighs. Stretch your arms along body, pressing your hands on the floor firmly, palms down. This position is called Balasana or “Child’s Pose.” Hold for 5 – 10 breaths.

2. Next, come forward onto your hands and knees. Align your knees under your hips and your wrists under your shoulders. Spread your fingers well and curl your toes under. On a deep inhalation, look to the sky. This position is called Marjaryasana or “Cat Pose.”

3. As you exhale, stay in Cat Pose, but rest the tops of your feet onto the floor. Tuck your head down and bring your gaze to your navel as you press your shins to the ground and stretch across your upper back. This is Bidalasana or “Cow Pose.”

4. Alternate between Cat Pose and Cow Pose 5 times, inhaling deeply for Cat Pose and exhaling deeply for Cow Pose.

5. Sit up, sitting well on your sit bones and extend your legs along the floor in front of you. Press your hands onto the floor by your hips as you lift your breastbone up and draw your upper arms back. This is Dandasana or “Staff Pose.” Hold for 5 – 10 breaths.

6. Bend your knees and bring the soles of your feet together. Slowly bend from the hips and bring your chest towards your feet in Baddha Konasana or “Bound Angle Pose.” Hold for 5 – 10 breaths.

7. Extend your legs, keeping them long and soft. Lie back and rest your arms by your side with your palms facing up in Savasana or “Corpse Pose.” Close your eyes and return to a normal breath. Stay in this posture for as long as needed, but attempt at least 3 – 5 minutes of quiet stillness.

The “I Nailed It!” Victory Pump

Don’t you love those moments when all is right in your working world? That project you’ve been struggling to master has suddenly turned silky and smooth; your dream client has just requested your services; the big paycheck you’ve been waiting for has arrived. Don’t squander all that good energy you’re feeling! Invest it back in yourself by doing a few exercises that keeps your heart rate up and blood flowing freely.

Fitness trainer Joanne Fredrick, founder of www.cyber-cise.com, a website that specializes in at-home workouts for people with little time, recommends doing upper body exercises when you’re feeling happy or excited. “It is nearly universal,” she writes via email, “that when something good happens we pump our fists in the air or give someone a high-five. Moving your upper body is a great way to celebrate a big victory. This program has the added benefit of helping you build some muscle tone.”

You’ll need 3-5 lb weights for her 5-minute routine:

1. The Shoulder Press. Pick up a weight in each hand and raise your hands up, palms facing forward, hands at shoulder height. Take a breath in and as you exhale, push your hands up over your head until your arms are extended. Return to the starting position. Repeat 10 times.

2. Concentration Bicep Curls. Separate your feet and keep them flat on the floor. Grab a weight in your right hand. Lean forward and place your right tricep just above your right knee, palm facing inward toward your left leg, arm extended straight toward the floor. Place your left hand on your left thigh for support. Inhale, and as you exhale, curl your right hand up, pause for a second at the top and lower your hand back to the starting position. Do this exercise 10 times on each side.

3. Back Flyes. While holding a weight in each hand, bend forward so your chest is over your thighs. Keep your back straight, feet flat on the floor and tighten your abs. Inhale, and as you breathe out, raise your arms out to the sides and up, while concentrating on squeezing your shoulder blades together. Inhale as you return to starting position. Repeat 10 times.

The Blues Booster

Happy is the freelancer whose ideas always hit the mark; rare is that freelancer as well. Even though rejections, lost clients and missed opportunities are a regular part of our lives, it doesn’t mean that hearing the words “no thanks” doesn’t sting a bit. And if we hear those words just a little too often, they don’t just sting – they hurt. Then we get pessimistic and depressed. And then…well, let’s just say that it’s a nasty cycle. This routine, by Joanne Frederick, is a full-body stretch designed to rouse you from your depression and rid the body of the tension that frustration brings.

1. Torso Stretch: While sitting or standing raise arms over head and clasp hands together. Raise up from the torso feeling tension in the mid section. Hold for 20-30 seconds.

2. Bicep and Wrist Stretch: While sitting or standing stretch right arm out in front of you, palm facing up. With your left hand lightly pull down on the fingers of the right hand until you feel a stretch in the bicep and wrist. Hold for 30 seconds. Repeat on the other side.

3. Shoulder Shrugs: While sitting or standing bring shoulders up towards the ears and hold for 1 second. Drop the shoulders and hold for 1 second. Repeat 5 times in each direction.

4. Neck Stretch: Bring head down towards left shoulder. With the left hand lightly pull down on the head feeling a stretch in mid to back of the neck. Hold for 30 seconds. Repeat on the other side.

5. Back Stretch: Stand about a foot away from your desk or countertop. Slowly fold body over until your back is level with the floor. Your arms are stretched out holding onto desk surface. Slowly pull back until you feel a stretch along your back. Hold for 30 seconds.

6. Hamstring & Glute Stretch: From a standing position, bend slightly at the knees. Bring the right leg across the left knee and lightly press until you feel tension in the hams and glutes. Hold for 30 seconds and repeat with the other leg.

7. Triceps Stretch: Bring left arm overhead, bend your elbow until your left hand is behind your back. Put your right hand on your left elbow and gently press down light stretching is felt. Hold for 30 seconds. Repeat with the right arm.

The Boredom Brush-Off

Your freelance career is amazing, stimulating, and invigorating…except when it isn’t. We all know the dangers of being bored and working from home: the refrigerator. Instead of searching for leftover Christmas cookies, do these lower-body exercises, courtesy of Joanne Fredericks. And drink a big glass of water.

1. Leg Sweeps: Stand up and extend your right leg in front of your body with your toe pointed to the floor. In one controlled move, sweep your toe from the front to the side, to the back. Return to the starting position. Repeat 10 times and then switch to your left leg.

2. Hip Extensions: Start by lightly holding the back of a chair, wall or bar for support. Keeping the right leg straight, slowly lift it behind you while squeezing the buttocks. Return to the starting position without touching the floor and repeat 10 times. Repeat with the other leg.

3. Hip Abductions: Lightly hold the back of a chair, wall or bar for support. Keeping your right leg straight, slowly lift it to your right side, up away from your body. Lift your leg as high as it will comfortably go to maintain proper form and balance. Return to the starting position without touching the floor. Repeat 10 times and then switch to the left leg. Remember that it is more important to maintain proper form and balance than to lift the leg high.

What exercises do you do to keep in shape at home?

*Of course, I can’t help but add the usual disclaimer that you perform these exercises at your own risk; that you should consult your doctor before undertaking any new form of exercise, that FreelanceSwitch.com is not responsible for any injuries you incur while performing these exercises, etc.

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I recently attended a University of Arizona business school seminar on corporate entrepreneurship. Which had a whole lot more to do with freelancers than one might think.

Now, I know that the word “corporate” gets strong reactions from many freelancers. After all, quite a few of us escaped from stultifying corporate environments. And now we’re enjoying a life that’s filled with Freelance Freedom.

But here’s where we and the corporate world have something in common: We want our businesses to succeed. And this seminar started off with three things that every business must do:

1. Solve customer problems. What might this three-word sentence mean to a freelancer? If you’re a copywriter, you might be replacing a client’s ineffective website copy with words that sell. Or maybe you’re a logo designer. You target startup companies, many of which have amateurish-looking logos. And you’re able to convince these companies of the worth of a polished, professional look that will serve them well as they seek customers and investors.

2. Be better than the competition. The word “better” strikes fear in the heart of many freelancers. That’s because they equate this word with price. As in, having a lower price than one’s competitors. And, to be sure, a lot of clients are looking for the lowest price possible. But price isn’t the only place to compete. You could:

• Offer faster times to completion than your competitors.
• Provide in-depth expertise on a certain topic.
• Specialize in a certain area where clients are willing to pay more.
• Be a leader in your field. This isn’t something that happens overnight. But it can happen after you’ve gained  many years of experience, and your name recognition brings you a lot of business. So, make this a goal.
• Develop a reputation for getting the job done. I’ll elaborate on this point below.

I recently got a call from a client in distress. Seems that his new company needed a website. And their first web designer got a job and couldn’t finish the project. The second designer turned out to be so flaky that the project was miles away from completion.

Which greatly angered my client. After all, a year had gone by, and his company still didn’t have a website.

While I’d like to finish this story by saying that I was the design hero who got the website launched, the company’s marketing director gave Designer #2 the ultimatum: Finish this job or you’re gone.

And, since I’ve received no additional distress calls from my client, I assume that the site’s been finished to his satisfaction.

3. Be profitable. Without profits, no business stays in business. It really is that simple. And what does being profitable mean? It means that you’re showing respect to the people who’ve supported your freelancing business, not just as clients, but as friends, family, and colleagues.

Okay, enough of the three things. It’s time to give credit where credit is due. Permit me to introduce you to one of my town’s entrepreneurship heroes, Jim Jindrick. He’s the man who presented the aforementioned corporate entrepreneurship seminar.

Here in Tucson, Jim’s known as a must-hear speaker on any topic relating to business. If he comes to your town, go listen to what he has to say. You’ll be glad you did.

Photo credit: john.schultz on Flickr

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This is the third article in a series on resources for the traveling freelancer.  You may find the first article here and the second here.

This article is about exchanging work for room and board on the road, which is good for those who want to take it easy with their work or even for writers looking for new material.  There are farm owners, hostel and hotel owners, and home owners who are part of global networks offering room and board to “volunteer” workers (there are also country-specific sites and Australia and New Zealand seem to be very popular destinations).  Arrangements vary widely and the volunteer must do good research to find the right agreement and host.

WWOOFing

WWOOF, World-Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms, is an international group of organic farm owners who offer room and board to volunteers who spend up to five hours per day helping out on the farms.  The type of work varies from farm to farm and could include anything from composting to wine making.  WWOOFing can be good for writers who want to work in the countryside – on their writing and on their farming muscles.  This isn’t something I’ve tried but I learned about it from other travelers, all of whom had pleasant and not so pleasant experiences to share.

Farmers may host one or multiple volunteers.  Good experiences involve friendly hosts who share stories and a lot of knowledge and bad experiences could involve hosts who are simply looking for long-term free labor.  Hosts have also complained about volunteers who don’t do much work at all.

Why Do It

•    Healthy lifestyle – you’ll eat fresh organic food and get your workout.
•    City dwellers might find the peace of mind they needed to de-stress.
•    You can work on your language skills if you choose a farm abroad.
•    Being in a different environment can greatly help creativity.
•    You might spend a lot of time alone.

Why Not Do It

•    You might spend a lot of time alone (too much of one thing can be bad).
•    You might have to pay a membership fee so you can provide free labor for someone.
•    Internet might not be available or it might be slow or limited.
•    You might share a room with several people, which might be especially uncomfortable if there are personality clashes.
•    You might be too tired to get much freelancing work done.
•    Working on a farm is unpredictable and you might be asked to work longer than what you’d agreed on.

Tips

•    Be clear with your potential host about your expectations on the farm and about your freelance work.  That farm in Tuscany might seem so romantic but if your host has reservations about your freelancing and the time you require for yourself, the experience will be unpleasant for both.
•    Find out what resources are available for you to work before you commit to a position.  Some WWOOFers have reported having to pay their host for limited internet and others reported having no internet at all.
•    Consider starting with a short agreement – a couple of weeks might be a good time to see if you like the lifestyle.
•    Be clear about what’s going to be happening at your host farm: find out what kind of work you’ll be doing, what hours you will be expected to work, with whom you will be living etc.

•    Ask for references.

•    Make sure to have health insurance, which most likely you will have to purchase yourself.
•    Have a back up plan and get some information on neighboring farms, transportation and other local resources.

Additional Places To Exchange Work for Accommodation

There are organizations that function like WWOOF that offer opportunities in additional types of settings and for these the pro’s, con’s and tips for WWOOFing apply.  Though many of these sites are generally geared towards students and young people who travel on a budget, there are people of all ages using them and one must just look around to find a good match.

HelpX is “an online listing of host organic farms, non-organic farms, farmstays, homestays, ranches, lodges, B&Bs, backpackers hostels and even sailing boats who invite volunteer helpers to stay with them short-term in exchange for food and accommodation.”  Free membership allows basic access to host information and paid membership (20€ or US$27) allows full access.

Helpexchange.net is much like HelpX but the site design and navigation are basic.

Workaway.info “is a site set up to promote fair work exchange between budget travelers, language learners or culture seekers and families, individuals or organizations who are looking for help with a range of varied and interesting activities.”

Why Do It

• Since you’ll most likely have an agreement with a set time frame you’ll know you have guaranteed and fixed housing for that period of time
• It also may be an additional source of income

Why Not Do It

• If things don’t go well with your employer you might end up having to look for accommodation last minute and that can be a big hassle
• You might end up working too much at your host’s and not enough on your freelance assignment

Tips

Because you’ll spend quite a bit of time working and trying to see the place where you’re living, this option is probably best if you intend on staying in one place for an extended period of time.

There you have the third part of this series of resources for the traveling freelancer.  In the fourth part I’ll list communications options and other solutions to everyday matters.

If you have experience with work exchange please do share!

Photo credit: *sean on Flickr

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With Reverse Auction Factory, end-users can post their requests in order to obtain the best price for needed services or desired products. This means that they can choose the lowest price or what they consider would be the best deal for them. The component can be used to organize auctions in different fields of interest. Here just a couple of examples:

* Freelancing (developers, programmers, designers.)
* Constructions (materials, architects, interior design, pools, etc.)
* Technicians (utilities, locksmiths, plumbers, electricians, etc.)
* many other branches.

Read more…

Reverse Auction Factory 1.5.1 released on August 26, 2010.

* Optimized admin redirect to setup profile component (CB or Love Factory) .
* Optimized Layout for My Won Bids.
* Optimized Custom Fields Manager.
* Improved Profiler update.
* Fixed issues regarding purging cache on admin, admin mail settings shortcuts, CB tabs updated (missing images, itemid's, new rating display, user verified, bidder, seller status on taskpad tab), missing language definitions.

Reverse Auction Factory 1.5.0 released on August 19, 2010.

* Product release for Joomla 1.5.x.
* Custom Fields.
* Custom Positions.
* Themes (available default, azuro and green).
* Google Map support (configuration, radius search, view).
* Moderate Ratings.
* Moderate Comments.
* Export to XLS (admin only).
* Import from CSV (admin only).
* Joomfish Integration (on auctions,categories and custom fields tables).
* Profile Integrations (CB, Love Factory).
* Anti-Spam: Recaptcha and Email Cloaking.
* Added 2Checkout Payment Gateway.
* Endless Categories Update.
* Module mod_rbidstree Full Category Tree (jQuery endless nested categories module).
* Improved Views, Layouts, BreadCrumbs.
* Pricing Plugin improvements (listing, commission, featuring, contact, bid).
* Language files are now as INI files.
* Country Manager.
* Added remove review on backend.

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