12 Nov 09 What a Freelance Writer Worries About?

Freelance writing is an exciting career. It gives you an opportunity to break free from the shackles of regular 9-5 job. A freelance writer, for all practical purpose, is a knowledge entrepreneur. You noticed, I didn’t use the word “information”, instead, I chose “knowledge,” because that is what a freelance writer is: a knowledge entrepreneur. And like any other entrepreneurial journey, it also has its own hiccups which keep a freelance writer worried.

In this short post, I will provide a list of common cause of concern for freelance writers, especially when one is starting out on the freelance writing journey.

Investment

If you thought it is just the number crunchers who worry about investments then you couldn’t have been more wrong. Investment woes keeps freelance writer worried as well, but most of the time it is not the investment in stocks, bonds, and funds that worries a freelance writer, but it is the investment in equipments and stationeries.

Do I need to have that new Mac? Or will windows do? Should I buy a printer, scanner and fax combo, or will the faxing part be dealt with installing fax modem software? These and similar questions pops in the minds of freelance writers quite often, and answer to these depends upon the requirement one has, and the stage of career a freelance writer is.

Working too much

Some people have left their day jobs for freelancing in a belief that he will have to work a lot lesser than they do while in a regular 9-5 job. Well, if the work timing is your concern then leaving your job is not advised because a freelance writer may have to work long hours. If this seems like a problem then revisit your decision. I took this job because working more was never a problem for me because I love what I do. Having said that, I must say that in time, everything will settle down, and work hours will become more regulated, but not initially.

No clients

Not getting enough clients to keep one occupied is another common worry that most of the freelance writers have. If you are in the initial stage of your career then this worry is legitimate. Indeed, getting a new client is difficult, and that is why we stress on retaining existing clients. If you stick long enough to freelance writing, you will see that this worry also subsides in time, as you start getting more and more clients through referrals.

No Money

This concerns all of us. We all get paranoid when it comes to money. After all, this is what we get (along with experience, learning, excitement, and fun) from freelance writing. When starting out, a freelance writer often commit a mistake of grabbing low-paying jobs. This indeed gives you something but not what you deserve for the time you spent. Hence, a freelance writer gets frustrated. Do not fall prey to the clients that wish to take you for a ride by paying you less and making you work more. I once travelled down that road. It was fatiguing. Wait for some time, you will get well-paying clients.

Tags: Belief That, Buy Scanner, Day Jobs, Entrepreneur, Entrepreneurial Journey, Fax Modem Software, Freelance Writer, Freelance Writers, Freelance Writing, Freelancing, Hiccups, Investments, Love, New Mac, Number Crunchers, Printer Scanner, Shackles, Stocks Bonds, Woes, Worries

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15 Oct 09 Get A Raise During A Recession

Getting a raise in a recession is not easy, but can be accomplished. Even if your company is cutting jobs, and looking for new ways to save money, you can still find a way to get a raise. Or even a promotion, if the situation warrants such a thing. The road is especially difficult, but nothing is impossible if you play your cards right. Just be careful in how you approach the situation, or else you could find yourself on the money saving chopping block.

First off, ensure that you know the situation. If your company is basically on fire and jobs are falling left and right, and not even your boss seems to be safe, probably not the best place for a raise. But if things seem fairly comfortable, with a few worries here and there, you could have a good shot. Just make sure you don’t paint a target on your back by asking for more than the company will think you deserve.

Asses your worth to the company before asking for a raise. If you find people have been laid off or fired in your department, but you have survived the scrutiny, there has to be a reason for that. Asses your accomplishments and your skill set, so that you can see why the company values you. This will give you good groundwork to make use of in an argument for why you deserve a raise.

Finally, using your track record as a resource, go in and ask for a raise with your previous accomplishments as your foundation. Be prepared to get rejected, after all it’s recession, and this is more of a long shot than anything else. But be courteous and stay positive, and illustrate this isn’t a deal breaker for you, as to whether or not you’ll stay with the company. You’d just like a raise or a promotion for your continuing efforts in helping the team strive for success. Make that point evident, and you’ll be fine.

Tags: Asking For A Raise, Asses, Boss, Cards, Chopping Block, Getting A Raise, Groundwork, Jobs, New Ways, Paint, Reason, recession, Scrutiny, Situation Warrants, Target, Ways To Save Money, Worries

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12 Nov 09 What a Freelance Writer Worries About?

Investment

Working too much

No clients

No Money

15 Oct 09 Get A Raise During A Recession

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