The Freelance Resource: freelance resource

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Freelance Resource You Should Have: The All In One

Whenever we are about to set up a small office at home, we try to look into all the machinery and objects that we would need, then prioritize it, and finally buy it. In such a situation, it is surprising that we buy that great computer, that awesome computer table, that EPABX enabled telephone even though we do not have an EPABX at the moment, and even the extra large file cabinet storage for 'when we get more clients', and yet forget one of the greatest tools you would need for your freelance business - the All in One.

The All in One, also known as the AiO, is basically an enhancement of the first generation printers. Generally, the All in One is the single machine that has dual, triple or even quadruple uses, with some AiOs having upto seven uses. The AiO generally converts into a:

Xerox Machine

Fax Machine

Scan Machine

and also some uses that are prevalent in the everyday of the office.

While this is about the general usage of an AiO, here are some aspects where your AiO can be a lifesaver:

With the AiO, you can immediately create professional looking invoices, put in a corporate envelope with a printed out address, so that it just adds to the professionalism of it all.

Also, with the AiO, you could double it up as a scanning machine, which will enable you to scan and upload documents on the web, whenever they are needed for identification purposes, etc.

The AiO machine varies in cost and maintenance. Of course, the main maintenance of a AiO is the cartridge that is needed for the printer, and the cost of the cartridge depends on whether you have a laser printer or a deskjet printer.

There are several types of AiOs that are available at various prices. If you are thinking about which one to buy, you should first find out what kind of use your AiO would see. If you have several foreign clients, it is suggested that you get an AiO that has a fax machine as well as a scanning machine, while if you are someone who has only local clients, you would do well to buy just a scanner copier, because you would not have to send a fax to and fro intermittently.

Small Budget Work at Home Jobs:

Like every business, one requires to set up a business. To set up a business, a person would require some finance and other resources. However, there are many people who would like to work at home for a supplementary income, apart from their day jobs, on an experimental basis. Some might not have the requisite financial support to set up a work at home business immediately. However, this does not mean that a person cannot set up a Work at Home business if they do not have the financial resources. Here are some work at home opportunities that do not require even $100 to set up:

Freelance Writing:

Depending on your capabilities, a freelance writing job may be the easiest of all jobs for you. Freelance writing is required by anyone who requires to advertise their products or services on the Internet. Freelance writing may also be required by anyone who has a website, and requires to either advertise their website, or populate their website on the Internet.

There are several job boards that offer freelance writing jobs for free. Also, there are specific websites that offer freelance jobs, and writing jobs all available quite freely on these websites. And the only hardware that you would require to set up a freelance writing gig is a computer with an Internet connection.

Medical Transcription Job:

Medical transcription jobs are another good idea if you do not wish to invest a lot in your work at home endeavor. A medical transcription basically acts as a writer for a doctor. The doctor may record their experiences and ideas in audio, and the medical transcriptionist would have to type up the records. This work is manual and it might not be everyone's cup of tea. Also, to enhance your opportunities of getting medical transcriptionist jobs, you may have to undergo special training - which is not as expensive as other professional courses.

Blogging:

Blogging is another great way to make money with your work at home job. If you have a knack for writing, and have experience in any particular niche, or even would like to research a particular niche and provide relevant and unique information, you can create a blog on the same. Once your blog is popular, you can monetize it by either selling relevant products or by placing Google Adsense links on your blog.

Customer Service Desk:

Many small businesses have products and services, but do not have the bandwidth to provide a interaction to the consumer. These companies offer a work at home opportunity, where the person would have to answer e-mails and relevant queries about the product or service that the company or the organization is dealing in.

These jobs require you to have the relevant e mail protocol and in some cases telephonic protocol. Such jobs are not easy to come by, so make sure that you keep an eye open for them whenever they are available and apply.

These are just some of the small budget work at home jobs that are available. You can always search the Internet to find out more low budget freelance jobs.

Holding Fort: Being Professional With the Client.

Freelancing is a finicky business, where you will find many kinds and types of clients all through the day. There is a good chance that while the client is looking for someone who is not affiliated to a company or a firm - and therefore would charge less - they will also expect a level of professionalism in the freelancer that they are hiring. A freelancer should keep in mind that he or she is the only person who would be able to either take their profile and position up in the world of freelancing, or bring it down into the doldrums. It is entirely the freelancer's responsibility to make themselves look professional, so that they are well accepted by the world of business. Here are some tips that the freelancer should consider to have a professional outlook:

Visiting Cards/Letter Heads/ Etc:

Gone are the days when visiting cards and letter heads would take a month to make a week to give out. With technology, making visiting cards and letter heads is just a half day work, and the impression that a nicely designed visiting card would make on the client is surely worth the trouble. Also, with digital age printing, you can actually print out a thousand visiting cards or a thousand letterheads within a few hundred dollars.

Official Phone/Cell Phone:

You might be working from home, but that does not mean that if your client ever calls you for something important, they should hear Junior's chatter. If you are working from home,make sure that you have a separate phone line, which you provide to your clients so that they can contact you without the hassles of talking to someone whom they haven't been properly introduced to.

Web Presence:

Making a website is no longer that $10000 with $1000 as monthly expenses thing. You can have the perfect websites for small businesses under $100 per year, and what's more, you do not need to be a technical guru to run these websites on your own. Once you have these websites sett up, you can actually run and update them yourself.

The Right Email ID:

You are forgiven if you have a web mail id like Gmail, Yahoo or MSN if you do not have a proper website. But if you have a website, there is no reason why you do not have a official, corporate sounding email like 'roy@acmecreations.com'. And make sure that you right the right web mail address, if you do not have any other option but to use it. Try to stay away from those accounts that heralded you as 'bloodysaint@xyz.com.

Five People the Freelancer should have on their Speed Dial

Freelancing is not a simple job. When a person is freelancing, they not only have to look at their work schedule, but they also have to ensure that their entire outfit is in good working order. Of course, there are several people who are responsible for the smooth running of a freelancer's business. These people can be considered to be the invisible freelance resource.Here are the people whom a freelancer should have on their speed dial:

Freelance resource # 1 - The Network Guy:

In many cases,a freelancers business depends on the Internet connection. In other cases, the freelancer uses the Internet connection for interacting with clients and such. Any which way, the Internet connection is quite important for the freelancer. Therefore, make it a point to keep the number of your ISP or if possible, the local person who oversees the Internet connectivity in your area.

Freelance resource # 2 -The Computer Guy:

Remember, the computer guy is different from your network guy. Call the computer guy if you have a problem in the software, or if you want to upgrade or have some kind of software installed, or even if you want to upgrade on your RAM or storage space, etc. It goes without saying that if your computer conks out there's nobody to help you except the computer guy and you if you have any computer knowledge.

Freelance resource # 3: The Furniture Guy:

Your furniture needs do not end at the computer table and the computer chair. Sometimes, you will need a file cabinet, or some specific furniture to place an odd shaped telephone or something. Also, if you have already bought your furniture, make sure that you note down the number of the furniture guy, because you have no idea even how the smallest of flaws in the chair or the table that you will be using everyday will irritate you to no end.

Freelance resource # 4: The Pizza Guy:

Running through deadlines is part and parcel of a freelancer's life. There will be many situations in your freelancing life where you do not have time to cook, but are very hungry and have a deadline to meet in the next hour. To save you from making such unpalatable decisions, make sure that you keep the pizza' guy's number where it is easily visible, so that you can call for pizza during those dire strait times.

Freelance resource # 5: The Telephone Guy:

This may not seem as necessary, because even I do not when was the last time I took up the phone and called someone for my business interactions, but nevertheless, the telephone is a important part of our lives, and it may cause some kind of irritation if it is not working.

Multitasking: The Bane of Freelancing

Keeping in mind everything that the GUI has given mankind, you cannot but curse the GUI for giving one ability to the entire population of people who use computers - multitasking. While multitasking has its own advantages and in fact, it is supposed to be one of the best aspects that a hardcore computer can have, multitasking has its own disadvantages for the freelancer. Here are just some of the disadvantages that multitasking can have for a freelancer.

Disturbance:

Whenever a freelancer works, it is a given that there will be three to four windows open on the computer. If it is a writer, they will have their research sites and the word processing software, a graphic artist will have references and a graphic software, while a programmer will have ten thousand code windows open. All these windows in all three scenarios do not cause problems, but it is the other window that causes a problem. With multitasking, the writer may lose his flow if he decides to play a game of Solitaire, the graphic artist may forget the right color combination while they are busy poking someone online, while the programmer would just have to shut down the computer and walk away even if he loses one component of the code. It is a well known fact that multitasking can disturb a freelancer, but the level of disturbance can be so high, that the person might just stop working for the day because of something interesting that they found on the Internet.

Distribution of Resources:

Another important reason as to why the freelance should not multitask is that it simply distributes their important resources like concentration and other physical resources like sight sound, typing etc. Because of the distribution of resources, there is a increased chance of errors or mistakes in the assignments that they are working on. These errors may be as simple as typos that are overlooked, or code that has not been rightly closed down. Seriously, erroneous assignments have ended more freelance careers as compared to non submission of assignments.

Increased Time:

Basically, multitasking is a lose lose situation for the freelancer in the short as well as the long run. If the freelance starts mutlitasking, they will start spending more time on the assignments than actually needed, and this will actually create a situation where the person has a lot of work, but simply does not have the time to do it. This will also cause the deadlines of the assignment to 'whoosh by them', which will also cause the ripe assignments to fly away from them too.

The Freelance Resource: Setting your Own Price

Working as a freelance basically means that you are your own boss, and work when you want it and how you want it. However, there are some disadvantages of being your own boss, and just one of them is that you have to set the price of the services that you offer on your own. There is not Human Resources, no Project Manager, no CEO, nobody. This is just you and the client,and whatever you say will be the final word for the client. Of course, it is after this that the client will decide whether the price that you are quoting is feasible for them or not. Here are some tips on how to set your own price.

Never Set your Price, but the Price of the Service Rendered: When you are talking to a client, make sure that it is always about the price of your time that you would be putting in for the project, not a general calculation that you offer on a per hour basis. Of course, you would have to decide on the time on basis of whether you would have to put some more resources to complete the job, and whether how much time it would actually take for you to complete the project, and many other such aspects.

Try to Gauge the Budget that the Client would be Willing to Pay: If you have had a few freelance gigs, you would by now know the type of money that is paid for this kind of work. Try to gauge the amount that is normally paid in the market for that kind of work. This will not only help you in cracking the deal, but also give you an idea of the market rates for the said project.

Look at the Competition: Another good idea to set your own price would be to look at the competition and find out what they would or are charging. It would be foolish for you to either overcharge or undercharge drastically as compared to your peers.

These are just some of the aspects that you should keep in mind while setting up a price for any assignment that you get as a freelancer.