Go to Work For a Boss or Be the Boss

I get this question from many of my friends, 'How I work and earn?'.

If you do not like the 9 - 5 job hustle and are thinking of an earning opportunity, then you can be your own boss. Freelancing is an option.

Let me clarify...

Who is a freelancer?
A freelancer is a self-employed person.  You can opt to offer services to businesses or work with many clients at a time.

What type of work can freelancers do?
A freelancers' work often varies as they can provide every type of service a business would need. This includes, but, is not limited to:

• Internet marketing
• Affiliate marketing
• Social media marketing
• Publicity
• E-commerce/ online store
• Copywriting (writing text for advertising/marketing purpose)
• Writing and proofreading - articles and blog posts
• Technological support - web programming and design
• Creative work - graphic design
• Financial support -accounting and bookkeeping.

What are the requirements for a freelance job?
You'll need basic computer skills, of course, a computer, and an Internet connection. But most of all, you need the right attitude to succeed online. It requires you to make a choice - something you love doing or can stick with. Of course, you will need to do some research, plan, and execute it well.

Are you still wondering if it is really possible to make a living working online and from home? Well, the answer is a definite 'yes'.

Benefits of freelancing
You can read my post on 4 major reasons that make freelancing an attractive choice for many people today. But before you jump in, make sure you know what you are getting into. Here are the benefits of freelancing:

• Quick, flexible, affordable, and easy to start

• Set your own price

• Set your own work hours

• Work full or part-time on the projects of your choice

Disadvantages of freelancing
Well, Freelancing has its advantages and disadvantages. It:

• Takes time to build reliable clientele.

• Work can be intermittent and erratic.

• Managing multiple projects and clients is a challenge.

• Pays less to beginners.

How to start freelancing?
You must know how and where to begin as a freelancer. Read my post on evaluating and defining yourself as a freelancer but here is a recap for you:

• Decide what work you will offer.

• Niche or target market.

• Create a website or online portfolio.

• Network on social media.

• Set your price and charge enough.

• Find work by reaching out to clients using freelance sites like Freelancer.com, Upwork.com, Truelancer.com, Guru.com and many more.

As a freelancer, you can run your own business with little or no investment. You can choose to work with companies who hire freelancers for various jobs. If you like talking about products then affiliate marketing is perfect. Or, you can check out my post on skills in demand.

Here are a few other ideas for everyone. You can do anything listed here in the infographic, and see what you would like to do.

Freelancing is a great way to start working and being your own boss. But, success comes to those who do not wait for an opportunity. Create one and make your dream, tomorrow's reality. 

"Your true success in life begins only when you make a commitment to become excellent at what you do." - Brian Tracy

If you have any questions, do leave in a comment. Good luck!

10 Fastest Growing Skills for Q3, 2017

20 Fastest-growing Skills for Freelancers - 2017

Here are fastest-growing skills for freelancers in 2017 according to Upwork Skill Index.

Other skills like website building, graphics designing, accounting and bookkeeping, Inventory management, content writing, digital and social media marketing, compliance management are still in demand.

Virtual reality is one other skill that has made it to the list for the very first time. There is a growing demand for AI (Artificial Intelligence) related skills too.

20 Fastest-growing skills for Freelancers in 2017

6 Tips for Freelancers to Pay Off Mortgage/Loans Faster

If you are someone who has recently purchased a home or has credit card loans to pay, then this one is for you, even if you are a freelancer. 

Purchasing a house is a fantasy and now that you have one, you must aim at paying mortgage faster. Mortgages are payable in installments over a 30-year period. This, not the only option available. People often panic looking at the number of installments they must pay. The loan is payable before that and does not lock you down for 30 years. Prepayment charges may apply.

Many people wish to pay the mortgage off as early as possible, as it makes sense. Paying it off builds up equity and enables another investment. Follow the tips mentioned here, and you will be able to cut down the 30-year term by at least half. The tips may sound difficult to follow, but you can pay the mortgage off faster by using them.

Here are 6 tips to pay off the mortgage at a faster rate:

1. Budget & Save

It is best to start now, by keeping track of spending; record all expenses. Make a budget and ration every dollar of earnings to specific categories. Divide the money towards savings and expenses. Write a budget plan down and create a cash envelope system to control expenditure.

Cut down all small expenses like coffee and hunt for bargains. Take advantage of thrift shops, coupons, and clothing sale.

Once you have cut down on expenses and begun saving money, stash away cash as an emergency fund. Build up at least $1000 to fall back on, which may take 6 months. Leave it unless there is a major financial crisis. Sell your car, if you do not need one, or drive less, walk more or take public transport. Try to cook at home rather than eat out.

2. Downsize or Monetize

Make big cuts in the budget like on housing, transportation, and food. These will make a big impact on the net earnings and eventually the ‘bottom-line’. Downsize to a less expensive, smaller home, if possible. You may choose to monetize it by getting a roommate and use the rental income to pay off the mortgage.

3. Make More Payments

Monetize on skills or talents and increase your monthly income. Many people choose to freelance or moonlight. If you get a bonus, refund, or raise, use that extra cash or income to pay towards the mortgage installments. Pay the monthly installments by going beyond the minimum payment amount each month. You can do this in three ways:

a. Make one extra payment once a year. This will shorten the mortgage by a few years. Divide the amount and pay it in 12 installments or in 24 installments by paying twice a month.

b. If the extra payment sounds big, then round up the payments to pay a few extra dollars.

c. Increase the amount every month, or after every six months and maintain it. You can choose to increment by an ’x’ amount, which could be $5, $20, $50, $100 or whatever is possible. This will save you from paying more interest.

4. Get Inexpensive Homeowner’s Insurance

Shop around for the best and the lowest homeowner’s insurance premium rates. Bundle up auto- and home insurance to your advantage at a lower rate or a higher deductible. Low insurance premiums reduce the mortgage payments. However, if you continue paying the amount as before, then you will be able to pay off the mortgage at a faster rate.

5. Refinance Your Mortgage

Shop around to refinance and convert the 30-year mortgage to a 15-year-loan at a fixed rate. This will pay off the mortgage in half the time. Moreover, you will pay less interest in the 15 years as compared to 30 years. If it is possible to increase the installment amount, refinance and pay off the mortgage in 10 years.

Do not choose an adjustable rate mortgage (ARM) as the interest rate will keep changing, in favor of the bank. There will be extra transaction and closing costs when you refinance.

Moreover, if it sounds risky, then pay the amount as if you have refinanced. This will give you flexibility, in the case of an emergency or financial crisis. You must not fall back on the older payment amount if you want to clear off the mortgage amount faster. This will need discipline.

6. Merge All Debts and Use Equity

Protect yourself from the increasing interest rates by consolidating several unsecured debts. Consolidate credit cards, medical bills, personal loans, payday loans can into one bill. When the home loan interest rate rises, it affects the interest rate of all. Moreover, the interest rate on credit cards and personal loans are higher than on home loans.

If you have already paid off some amount of debt, then you would have accumulated some equity. It is the difference between the current property value and the amount you owe. Use this equity to re-borrow and pay towards the mortgage.

There may be other options or deals available. Keep an eye open for such deals and take advantage of them. You will be able to pay off your mortgage at a faster rate.

References

http://www.shabby2chicpropertysolutions.com/6-tips-pay-mortgage-faster/

http://intuitivefinance.com.au/6-tips-to-pay-off-your-mortgage-faster/

https://www.gobankingrates.com/mortgage-rates/dave-ramsey-pay-off-mortgage-early/

http://www.self.com/story/genius-ways-pay-off-your-debt

Web Services Make Life Easier

Applications running locally on a computer device - desktop or laptop computer, are limited by hardware and OS requirements.

Imagine this. If you were to download all applications for use which will eventually slow down the system, and require upgrades consistently, this is not only time-consuming but expensive too.

Businesses will often run into tangible costs and frustration among users (technical or non-technical), especially, if the applications are ineffective or cannot be integrated with existing business software to meet the requirement.

Fortunately, today, with the advancement in technology, availability of higher internet bandwidth and connectivity, web services offer integration of standalone desktop applications without downloading them onto the device, on the web browser.

The web services provide an online runtime environment which supports these plug-in apps, built in different programming languages, to run across platforms - Windows, Mac or Linux, as well as any mobile device.

Using web services, businesses can deploy the applications cost effectively, allowing access anywhere. It is possible to customize them on a range of devices and offer greater levels of interoperability, and easing maintenance of applications. Moreover, they help in adapting to heavier workloads in an extremely secure environment.

These benefits lower the overall cost to businesses as one pays only for the services and applications used in the cloud. Moreover, the applications can be accessed as and when required which reduces the overall implementation time and technical complexities.

The applications offered by the web services can be easily integrated into the existing systems thus reducing the overhead costs, eventually, allowing businesses to scale globally with the available budget in no time.

There are lots of web services some of them are rollApp, Appetize, Cameyo, Manymo, and Turbo. They offer services with some dissimilarities to make life easy for businesses as well as individuals.

rollApp, Cameyo, and Turbo.net have a lot of applications like Chrome, Skype, VLC Media Player, SketchUp, Games, Animators etc. that can be easily accessed by signing in. Pick an application that you would like to try, and use it without downloading the application after specifying the basics like storage and cloud requirements. Here is a rundown on these web services.

rollApp lets you run any desktop application, work with files and get things done from the browser of your choice - Firefox, Chrome, Safari - or in the cloud with some storage options.

rollApp offers 250+ applications

Cameyo offers virtualization for Windows applications to run on any other device. Turbo.net 

Cameyo creates portable versions of Windows applications

Turbo.net is available as a web-based service and an on-site server and is OS dependent - Windows.

Turbo is a repository for 1000+ applications in various categories

Appetize.io and Manymo work like emulators for Android and iOS applications. 

Use Manymo when you wish to emulate Android apps, embed apps in websites or develop them, collaborate and use to automate testing as well as for quality assurance.

Manymo is an Android emulator

Appetize.io is for iOS & Android application previews. You can even make use of it for training purposes, customer support, testing, and demonstrations of applications.

Appetize.io is an emulator for iOS & Android applications

What is the use of such web services?

• Test or use the application on any device - Access desktop applications from mobile devices
• Use the applications from the browser
• They can be integrated with cloud storage like Dropbox, One Drive, Google Drive, or Box
• Perfect for iPad and Chromebook
• Package large, complex software packages into single standalone executable files with portability options

All in all, there's no reason why you should not be testing any of these web services. Even if you wish to test and see whether a specific application can satisfy your needs before you invest into it.

Electric Cars You Will Plug-In Soon - 2017

Electric cars have been around for a few years and are being considered by the public in place of petrol and diesel ones. This year the electric cars will continue to be the talk of the town. The electric car companies had a great year in 2016, the trend seems to continue as the plug-in market warms up.

Car companies are investing in the electric car technology. This calculates to smaller and lighter batteries and increased battery range. This interprets as a reduction in the battery charge time and more public charging points.

Electric vehicles (EV) are not for everyone because of the purchase price. Car manufacturers are aiming at 50% new electric car sales by 2027. They will get cheaper and faster, with better range. Two major advantages electric cars have been its low running cost and absence of poisonous emissions. The electric car companies are now competing against each other for better range.

Here is a list of the 10 Electric Car Companies to look out for in 2017 in no particular order:

1.    Chrysler

Chrysler’s Pacifica Hybrid is a family minivan, useful and comfortable. It is the first of the kind, a plug-in hybrid electric minivan. The Pacifica Hybrid switches over to gas after running 33 miles at 84 MPGe (Miles per gallon gasoline equivalent) in the electric mode.

2.    Hyundai

Hyundai’s ionic EV is unique and good for commuting. It is stylish with a choice of the power trains – hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric version. It can travel 174 miles on fully-charged batteries and 150 miles within the city. This puts it ahead of the EV’s in the competition making it one car, you would want to opt for.

3.    Mitsubishi

Mitsubishi’s Outlander PHEV is the first plug-in hybrid SUV. It epitomizes the next generation of electric cars. The hybrid SUV is fuel efficient, has a third row for 7 riders, and is quieter than ever at 25 - 30 MPG. There is no reason to expect less from this EV.

4.    GM

GM’s all-electric Chevrolet Bolt EV is spacious, quick and fun to drive. Its fully-charged DC electric batteries cover 238 miles. This is first long-range EV at an affordable price.

5.    NextEV

The Chinese brand NextEV claims NIO EP9 is a bold, sexy and stylish electric vehicle. It is the world’s fastest EV at 127 miles per hour in 7.1 seconds. The supercar is a splendid piece of engineering, making headlines by being the fifth fastest at 195 mph.

6.    BMW

Innovative in design, BMW’s i3 hatchback use high-tech construction techniques. It is different and unlike many electric cars by being low weight and strong. The BMW's i3's official range is 195-mile where its low residuals and running cost make up for the price.

7.    Volkswagen

The brand that reassures buyer’s safety with the e-Golf variant, along with style appeal. Volkswagen's e-golf is similar in design to its traditional sibling except for some badges and stylish blue flashes. This model will run at an 186-mile range and 125-mile range in the real world. The e-Golf's range is better in comparison to the previous model’s range at 115 miles.

8.    Nissan

Nissan’s Leaf has revolutionized electric vehicles. It has been quite successful, gracing the roads around the globe. This quirky-looking hatchback is quick and responsive, with a reasonable 124-mile range. Its battery recharges to full charge in 3 – 8 hours for an economical drive.

9.    Ford

Ford Focus Electric is like the gasoline-powered model. The hatchback will appeal the masses, due to its traditional styling with a 70 to 100-mile range. Launched in 2012, Ford's Focus Electric in 2017 comes with a lower price tag and 115-mile range. The battery will charge faster. However, it looks compromised compared to purpose-built EV.

10.    Tesla

A company that is well-known for electric cars is Tesla, its Model 3 is the most awaited EV. At a relate-able price tag, it will soon be a reality for those wanting to own an EV. It will compete with Chevy Bolt and Nissan Leaf.

References:

http://www.carbuyer.co.uk/reviews/recommended/best-electric-cars

http://www.cheatsheet.com/automobiles/electric-cars-that-will-shake-up-the-market-in-2017.html/?a=viewall

https://www.zap-map.com/top-10-electric-cars-2017/

Five Tips Guarantee Payment from Clients, Freelancers

Like I promised you will read on how to combat non-paying clients, here is the blog.

Many newbie professionals freelance and often get stiffed on payment in the beginning. It is common and frustrating for small-time business owners. You may feel unappreciated, worn down, creates self-doubt.

You may think getting stiffed may be because ‘you are a newbie and do not have a business mind’, or ‘your work is not good’. Mind you, it is because you let someone take advantage of you.

Ann Landers once said ‘No one can take advantage of you without your consent,’

It is time to analyze the situation and rectify it. If you are a professional the opposite party must see it in everything you do.

Analyze your situation

If you have been ripped off several times, it is time for a ‘Check’. Analyze everything that’s happening-

1.    Are you delivering what is required of you?

2.    Do you meet deadlines?

3.    Do you have return clients?

4.    Are you professional?

If any of these are negative, it is time to change the way you do things. The most important thing is to learn from mistakes. Change your approach if you want to continue freelancing.

If all of these pointers are positive, you just need to implement right work and pricing principles. No one needs a business mind to get paid for their work.

Avoid getting ripped off again by implementing payment policies and a contract. Ask for a deposit and for the balance amount at completion before you submit the work.

Get a good boilerplate contract template for your business. Send the contract and ask the client to sign and return. It will not only set you as a professional but also establish a great working relationship with your client.

The psychology behind asking for a deposit

When you ask for a deposit, the client views you as professional with payment policies in place. They will respect you and your work. This will set the right expectations. This lets them know the way you work. The deposit binds the client without which there is no commitment from the client for the project.

Ethically, 30% deposit is good. You must mention this to all your clients, a deposit is

required to get started on the project, even if they are close relatives. It may sound a little strange, however, you will get used to it.

If the client is not ready for a deposit, do not commit your time when they are not ready to commit to the project, only the serious ones will. This weeds out the non-paying clients.

When they do not make a deposit, let them know you will start only after they pay. Be professional and friendly by telling them they can call when they are ready.

Some clients may give you other excuses like - ‘they do not have the money now’ (and may never have it).

Some clients may not wish to pay a deposit; it is wise to avoid working with them. You can let them know they can contact you when they are ready to pay a deposit.

In some industries, if you have been working for less than 2 years, you may need to prove yourself. If you have been in the industry for more than 5 years, the clients can call your references. You don’t have to prove your worth and ability.

Learning from mistakes

Here is a simple guideline you can follow, so you can always get paid:

1.    Include the pricing in your Email and allow leeway to add in case of change in scope

2.    In case, you work with some materials subject to change or a change in your situation may lead to higher prices, add a date of validity on the price and ‘subject to change’ clause

3.    Begin working after you receive deposit from the client

4.    Send frequent updates to the client

5.    When you complete the project, send them a draft or a snapshot so they can arrange for the final payment

No freelancer would want to work hard and not get paid neither do you want to lose potential work. It is better to implement solutions, policies and avoid getting ripped off, ever again.