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Finding freelance work can be difficult during the summer months. When school is out and the kids are at home many clients take time off for their holidays, meaning new projects and work is put on hold until the autumn. There’s a reason why freelancers call it the "summer slump". But finding freelance work while…

There’s plenty of posts out there on "How To Learn To Code in Just One Month!", but not a lot for why you should learn to code. One of the problems is that you get articles like this,  with the following unhelpful insights into how others have learnt to code: "I slept an average of 5 hours a night, had…

Get my best content on how to be a confident, creative and happy freelancer.   Enter your email below to sign up to my free 5-day course, delivered free and straight to your inbox: [mc4wp_form id="1526"] No spam, easy to unsubscribe. You’ll learn: How to get the confidence to go freelance How to work out…

How to build long-term client relationships is a follow up to yesterday’s post on finding freelance work in the summer slump, and a longer term goal to write more about freelancing in general. I’ve written quite a bit about what I’ve learned from freelancing, but if there’s any topics you want to cover just let…

Oh man. I hate doing accounting. So writing a whole article about freelance finances might be the undoing of me. But as a freelancer, your finances are one of the most important parts of your business. If you don’t keep on top of your income and outgoings, your invoicing, your tax returns and everything else…

This is the seventh in a series of interviews with freelancers, telling us their stories on how they went freelance. The aim is to help others who are thinking of becoming freelance learn more about what it takes, as well as get advice and inspiration so they can get the confidence and understanding to find out…

Lots of people dream about going freelance, but getting the confidence to go freelance is something else. Starting your own freelance business can feel like a big risk. There are lots of unknowns and you’re going to have to rely on your own knowledge, experience, judgement and plain hard graft to make your freelance business…

One of the main things people ask before they go freelance is how to work out their freelance consultant rate. Setting your freelance consultant rates is difficult. Set your day rate too low and you have to work longer and harder to make a decent income. Set your day rate too high and you risk putting…

There are many ways to win new clients as a freelancer, but you’re more than likely to come up against a new business pitch process as one of them at some point in your freelance life. You’re name is added to a shortlist of freelancers or small agencies that a client wants to see about a…

Ah, networking. Otherwise known as "talking to other people about what they do" or "collecting as many business cards / twitter / LinkedIn connections as physically possible". Have you ever read an article about networking that wasn’t full of common sense points and cliché? They mostly describe networking experiences as working something like this: In…

I’ve been looking at the products and services I use as a freelancer, so wanted to get some advice and other opinions on what freelance tools are the best to use. I’ve become a big fan of the Freelance Subreddit, which has a whole community of freelancers, so I asked "What’s your freelance stack?" to…

This is the ninth in a series of interviews with freelancers, telling us their stories on how they went freelance. The aim is to help others who are thinking of becoming freelance learn more about what it takes, as well as get advice and inspiration so they can get the confidence and understanding to find out…

This is the eighth in a series of interviews with freelancers, telling us their stories on how they went freelance. The aim is to help others who are thinking of becoming freelance learn more about what it takes, as well as get advice and inspiration so they can get the confidence and understanding to find out…

When you first go freelance, you’re likely going to build your business on your existing skill set and knowledge. Whether you’re a freelance photographer, web designer or writer, you will have built up the confidence to go freelance as you know you are good – no, excellent – in a particular field. But after a…

Where you do your freelance work might be one of the most important decisions you make as a freelance consultant. Get your work space right and you’ll be more productive than you ever thought possible and even open yourself up to new opportunities. Get it wrong and you’ll find your environment either stifling or distracting,…

Hello Bar is a popular WordPress plugin that inserts a highly visible notification bar at the top of your website or blog. Combined with a clear call-to-action button or sign up form, it’s a very effective way to direct people to a certain page on your site or get sign ups for your email newsletter. The Hello…

There are many different variations on how freelancers are working and defining their work today. According to the Collins English Dictionary, "a freelancer is a self-employed person, especially a writer or artist, who is not employed continuously but hired to do specific assignments." Seems fairly straightforward to me. But a new report argues that is there are now 5 different types of…

Every time someone gets in touch about what they need to prepare to go freelance, I typically find myself telling them the same things over and over, in order to lay the foundation for a solid freelance consulting career. So, I’ve created a freelance checklist. This list covers the top 25 things you should consider…

In case you haven’t heard, Ammado is set to be the next big thing in online fundraising. Well, outside of the US and Canada anyway. Based in Dublin, Ireland, Ammado is a social network just like Facebook or MySpace, but whose primary focus is to empower people and nonprofits worldwide to fundraise and donate online.…

PR – or public relations – is all about reputation. It’s the result of what you do, what you say, and what others say about you. It is used to gain trust and understanding between an organisation and its various stakeholders, whether that’s employees, customers, investors, or the local community. PR isn’t just for big…

You might have heard this already via the Bright One blog, but  this week it was announced that I’ve included as of the Future 100 Young Social Entrepreneurs of the Year. The Future 100 Awards puts the spotlight on young people aged 18-35 who are demonstrating entrepreneurial flair and innovation in running a responsible business…

I was lucky enough to be invited to the inaugural #DowningTweet party, through my work with Twestival (thanks for the invite, @amanda!), which took place at 10 Downing Street. We were there to support the www.millionmums.org campaign, which aims to stop women from pregnancy or childbirth-related complications around the world.  As @SarahBrown10, Global Patron of…

If you’ve got a new website in the works, it’s never too early to think about how you’re going to launch and promote it. We recently launched our new micro-volunteering app, Bright Works, and have learned plenty of lessons along the way. Here are some tips covering several of the most effective methods for getting a…

I’ve recently been working on a funding application for Bright One and Bright Works to Nesta’s Innovation in Giving fund, which aims to invest in, support and grow innovative ideas that bring about a step-change in levels of giving and exchange and which have a credible route to being self-sustaining in the longer term. Part of the…

Instagram, the mobile photo sharing community, are doing a great job of showcasing how different charities are using the platform to engage with a new community of users, all through sharing photos. They list 3 examples in their post on Nonprofit organizations using Instagram: Robin Hood NYC, Oceana and Charity: Water. Here’s the tactics being used…

I have been blogging at Pudding Relations for 2 1/2 years ago – not a bad run at all. But the irregularity of blog posts appearing there made me think that what I was writing about didn’t interest me as much as it used to. A change of direction was needed. After a conversation one…

Shocking headline I know. But actually really refreshing to see someone in a high-level position in a notoriously long working-hour industry (having been at Google and now at Facebook) working a 9-to-5(:30) every day – and getting a much better work/life balance for it. From an interview with Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook COO, on Makers.com: “I…

“Twiibbons, Twadges, Tweeshirts and Twandanas.” * Furiously scribbles notes…*

The GOOD 100 was announced earlier this year with a call to action on the GOOD website. They were calling for nominations to assemble an annual list of people, businesses, and institutions driving change in the world. The idea was for readers of GOOD  to let them know about someone—in your community or anywhere on…

Last night I went to an event organised by 160characters and the Mobile Entertainment Forum called Sending Out an SMS: Charities Prepare To Go Mobile. Although charities have been slow to pick up the potential offered by mobile the barriers to adoption are crumbling. With a growing number and range of successful case studies, the…

Watsi, “an online peer-to-peer crowdfunding platform that allows users to fund life-changing medical treatments for underserved people in developing countries”, has become the first nonprofit that the start-up incubator Y Combinator has chosen to invest in. Perhaps one of the reasons that Watsi are the first non-profit to become part of Y Combinator is because…

(This post is cross-posted from the Bright One blog) We’ve come along way since Bright One started in September 2008. Bright One has made great progress, from a small group of people who wanted to change the world for the better in their own small way using the skills they have, to a strong and…

“They’re solving problems like education and health care, creating jobs, and manufacturing right here in the U.S. And yes, a few of them also happen to be making some pretty cool apps for your phone.” Below is the “30 Under 30″ of US business start-ups, published on Inc.com. You can also view the slideshow here.…

Today saw the launch of Airtime, the first live video network: “Airtime is the most efficient, easy to use, browser-based video chat service between friends using their existing Facebook networks. The service allows you to share live experiences through content, and expand beyond your social graph to discover new people through similar interests in an environment that is collaborative, fun…

IdeaPaint, but for any surface: CLEAR can be applied over any type and any color of interior paint to achieve a dry erase think space that seamlessly blends with any decor. It is also certified low-emission, virtually odorless (insert happy dance here). This is one of those companies who make innovative products with a conscience…

I’ve just finished the Revive Your Inbox programme from Baydin, “a 21 Day course to help you restore email sanity”. “Invest 20 minutes a day for 21 days. Revive Your Inbox is designed to reduce the amount of email you receive and learn to deal better with the ones that matter.” The benefits of good…

Just read this post from Lane Becker, Co-Founder of Adaptive Path and Get Satisfaction. It’s a great read and reminder of the hardship involved with running a startup and how even the most successful-seeming companies have gone through several make-or-break moments (Zappos being another great example). Having read and enjoyed the post, it was the very…

From Mashable: “On April 5, M+R Strategic Services, a public relations and communications firm working with leading non-profits, and the Nonprofit Technology Network (NTEN), a membership organization of non-profit professionals who use technology for their causes, will release their sixth annual eNonprofit Benchmarks Study of what is working today in online advocacy, fundraising and social networking. The study…

Recipe (via Stories from Space) Serves to create several small pieces or 1 large piece of graffiti ________________________________________________ 1 can of beer 1/2 teaspoon sugar Several clumps garden moss You will also need a plastic container (with lid),  a blender and a paintbrush _________________________________________________ To begin the recipe, first of all gather together several clumps of…

Freelance in 30 Days is the first book I’ve written. It’s self-published and I wrote and published the 200-page book in around 100 days, starting late August and finishing in early December. Along the way I’ve learnt a lot about the self-publishing process and gathered lots of information about how to make it work for…

I wrote a book about freelancing! It’s called "Freelance in 30 Days" and you can buy it here. This book aims to get you excited, inspired and absorbing insight into what it takes to go freelance, attracting your first clients, standing out as a high-profile freelancer, and building a valuable pipeline of new business for your freelance…

Social media has changed a lot over the past few years and continues to changes at a rapid pace. As a freelance social media consultant, it’s my job to keep up to date with those developments – from a trend and strategic view, right down to a macro and tactical level. So when an old…

Today is #MassiveMonday, the most popular day of the year for people looking for a new career, according to Metro and the Times. For many, Massive Monday is a time that they seriously think about going freelance and they’ll be looking for freelance info to help them make the jump to freelancing. If you’re thinking the same, then…

Monday 5 September 2011, saw the public launch of the NSPCC Sexual Abuse theme campaign ‘Rebuilding Childhoods’ in the Metro newspaper. The Metro kicked off the campaign with a front page feature on how young victims of child sex abuse can be driven to suicide without expert help. Child abuse can devastate lives. Its effects can…

The inevitable happened this week. A fantastic client that we’d been working with for 6-months on a great campaign let us know that they would be winding down the freelance project we’d been working on. We have a great working relationship with the client. We were consistently adding value, respected each others’ work and were productive in achieving…

I’ve been thinking recently that a lot of the success that I’ve had as a freelancer to date is that I’ve position myself as more of a consultant and less of a freelancer. Freelance work tends to be transactional, where you’re delivering directly on a service that a client had asked you to provide –…

When you win a new client and start working on a fresh freelance project, it can be one of the most exciting times for any freelancer. You spent time and effort putting together a project plan and strategy that you know the client should go for. When they do and you get that call to…

Last week, I posted a shout out for National Freelancers Day, inviting anyone to get in touch with any questions they had about the business of freelancing. The idea came from the emails I sometimes get from readers who are looking for advice on how to go freelance or improve their current freelancing business. Like…

Writing a thorough brief for a freelancer is one of the best things you can do during a project to make sure that you get the results you need. Freelancers appreciate being given a detailed brief as it lets them understand exactly what is required from the project and what they need to deliver. Having…

Negotiating freelance rates with clients can be notoriously difficult. There have been several times recently where I’ve had to discuss my day rate against the project the client is offering, trying to find ground where we’re both happy with the rate. So when I received this email from Laura, we got into a great discussion…