A freelance writer is someone who works without belonging to any single organization or company yet acts like a little business or a self-employed entity. Freelance writer are sometimes represented by a firm or a temporary organization that resells freelance labor to clients; others work independently or use professional associations or websites to get work. At the point when looking to get work for magazines and daily papers, keep pitches short, sweet and fascinating. Regardless of the possibility that you’re sending your fifth in succession of rejected pitches, be polite and professional. In case, you’re composing, and thoughts are interesting and important, and then you will eventually get a response.

Whichever way you get into freelancing, the absolute way to achievement is diligence. When you’ve figured out how to get your foot in the entryway with a smart thought, things ought to get a little bit easier and more work ought to begin coming in your direction. Building contacts and keeping up a decent relationship is critical in any profession yet when you’re for finding your work every day this is even more essential. Here some steps are explained below required to become a freelance writer:

• Be a good freelance writer
  One quality basic for a freelance writer is an unwavering commitment to quality. Search improvement requires the sort of articles that client would need to share. Article submission is the most fundamental piece of quality link building, and this ought not to be ever compromised on.

• Thorough researcher
  To become a freelance writer, a person ought to have a research oriented bent of mind. Additionally, it is essential that the statistical data points utilized as a part of the articles are precise. Consequently, a freelance content writer should be diligent with the details.
  
• Be Punctual
  Submitting articles are an important part of the search engine optimization (SEO) method; punctuality gets to be supreme. Google expects back connections of a site to become consistently with no real changes.
  
• Understand SEO
  You hire writers to write content, that will be submitted in article directories and will form backlinks for you. It helps if the writer is aware of the intricacies of SEO. Knowing how to include best keywords while remaining true to the quality of the article is something that he should have mastered. Writing for SEO means supplying genuinely informative or useful articles that also promote your website.
  
• Determination and responsibility
  To become a freelance writer, you will need to make decisions and to take responsibility both for the decisions and for your actions. You will have to possess both your successes and your failures. You will get profit by the capacity to evaluate the circumstance and make decisions on the spot, as well.

• Be flexible with tasks
  Your flexibility will permit you likewise to take rush jobs from customers who require an errand to be finished direly, with quick and short turnaround time. This type of last-minute tasks are not mandatory, obviously – you can only decline if you are not available, or to request more cash for it.

• Should have good communication skills
  Most freelancers utilize only email, chat, voice and video calls, and related projects to convey on the web, through a computer, never in the individual. In this manner, the communication ought to be well thought and exact, at all times.
  
• Be creative
  If you are creative and unique in your work, you will keep an editor interested in you. You have to concoct bizarre points to cover; you should have the capacity to compose smart leads; you should add to a sixth sense for what individuals like to peruse about, learn about or discuss.
  
• Zest for work
  Editors enjoy working with upbeat, positive-thinking writers who have great relational abilities, great work propensities, and a good sense of humor.
  
• Try to complete tasks in short time
  Before proceeding onward to another task, get every one of the photographs, citations, sidebar material, and background possible on the current assignment.

Being a freelancer is a rewarding work considering that you get the opportunity to have the flexibility with regards to dealing with your time without involving the amount that you can potentially earn. As freelancing jobs are turning out to be more required after and well known, there are additionally now a considerable measure of online tools that you can use to discover for employments, venture, and time administration, obtain abilities and a whole lot more. Filling in as an independent is practically the same as individuals who are working in an altered day plan work. You always have to enhance your abilities, satisfy your clients and accomplish projects.
Everybody’s way of getting freelance work is distinctive, yet the length of it prompts cash in the bank, they’re all pretty much as practical. At the point when beginning, numerous individuals turn to websites that give work to the freelancers, where you can bid for work. These can be great for getting experience and a portfolio while getting paid for it. Just ensure the businesses are verified to avoid getting into a situation where you’ve spent hours on work for them to conveniently disappear.
Freelancers have an assortment of explanations behind freelancing; the apparent advantages vary by gender, industry, and lifestyle. For example, the 2012 Freelance Industry Report reported that men and women independent of various reasons. Female review respondents showed that they leaned toward the planning freedom and flexibility that freelancing offers while male overview respondents demonstrated them independent to take after or seek after individual interests. Freelancing additionally empowers individuals to acquire larger amounts of occupation in segregated groups. Freelancing is additionally taken up by workers who have been laid-off, who can’t discover full-time business, or for those commercial enterprises, for example, news coverage which is depending progressively on contingent labor rather than full-time staff. Freelancers additionally comprise of students trying to make ends meet during the semester. On blogs and in interviews about freelancing, freelancers list choices and flexibility as an advantage.

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Source:- http://theadventurouswriter.com/blogwriting/top-10-qualities-of-working-freelance-writers

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Let’s be clear here, because what I did-what made me successful-was done BEFORE I went freelance, not after. Granted, my path to the flexible profession was abnormal. Having decided in college that “normal jobs” weren’t my thing, I used time in between studying and a karaoke bar job to set myself up. But when you read how I made the transition, you’ll realize that if you have any experience in your field at all, you’ve got it easier than I did. Just always remember that becoming a successful freelancer doesn’t begin the day you quit your job, but the day you decide it’s the lifestyle for you.
In between deciding to become a freelancer and becoming a freelancer, you need to prepare to be a freelancer.

For most of us, Freelancing full time, seems like a dream come true. We get to be our own boss, work our own hours, and are responsible for our own success. It all sounds great – and it is, but freelancing full-time isn’t for everyone. While some freelancers thrive on being their own boss, others find that they’re not as good at working for themselves as they were working for a company, or in their 9 to 5 job. For you to be successful as a freelancer, you need to be accountable for yourself. Otherwise, you might end up spending half the day tweeting and going through your RSS reader.
With freelance work being such an enticing prospect, no one would blame you for giving it some serious thought. However, a common issue does simply not know how to start. Fortunately, building a successful freelancing career is easier than it seems — just follow the steps below.
1. Choose Your Craft
Freelancing full time means you’re responsible for yourself and your work more than ever. There’s no one around to monitor how much work you’re getting done or whether you’re meeting your targets.
As a freelancer, you may be required to think outside of the box — we’re not all graphic designers or programmers. However, you may find that your “secondary” skills can offer up freelancing opportunities. For instance, if you are a strong writer, then you have the potential to develop a freelance writing business.
2. Create a Brand
The secret to succeeding as a full time freelancer is to treat it as a business. When you first start freelancing full time, you will need to create a strong brand that sets you apart from the competition. Your brand is your identity (i.e. your website, blog and social media accounts) and it should clearly communicate your unique selling proposition — what you do that makes you special.
With that in mind, you should narrow down your focus to a specific industry. For instance, as a graphic designer you might choose to do branding work for digital startup businesses only. This form of specialization will make you far more attractive to a specific set of prospective clients and give you a greater chance of success. You can try to cater to all and sundry, but you will probably only provoke indifference.

3. Build a Portfolio and Source Testimonials

In freelancing your earnings are directly dependent on your rates and there are no perks in freelancing. you need to be able to negotiate reasonable freelancing rates for yourself.
For you to be successful as a freelancer, Therefore, if you are good at what you do and can demonstrate your skill through a quality portfolio and positive client testimonials, you have every chance of success. The conundrum, however, is in building a portfolio without experience. Many freelancers will react to this by picking up the smallest and least lucrative jobs around, but that puts them into a vicious cycle of bargain-basement work.
So don’t be afraid to do pro bono work for the right clients when you are first starting out. The free work you do at this stage can ultimately be priceless when it clearly communicates your worth to future potential clients via an extensive portfolio and glowing testimonials. Also, offering your services at no cost is a gentle introduction into the world of freelancing where you do not feel the pressure of having to deliver a service of requisite value.

4. Start Pitching
As a freelancer, You should only seek paying clients when you are able to demonstrate your abilities (and your reputation) with a quality portfolio and testimonials. Once you have done so by working on pro bono jobs, it’s time to start pitching.
But whom should you pitch? Well, if you branded yourself correctly then you should know exactly whom to pitch. By having such a narrow focus, potential clients are far more likely to take you seriously than if you offered a generic service. Businesses want to work with freelancers who seemingly came into existence to serve them specifically — you can create this illusion through specialization.
5. You Must Learn to negotiate
As a freelancer, in a full-time job you’re paid a fixed salary each month with a raise every year, medical insurance, paid leave and other perks. In freelancing your earnings are directly dependant on your rates and there are no perks in freelancing.
In order to succeed, you need to be able to negotiate reasonable freelancing rates for yourself. There’s nothing wrong with starting out with low rates – as long as you steadily raise them as you gain a reputation for yourself and are always improving your skill set to deserve higher pay.Failure to negotiate rates means that you’ll be stuck with low rates – and nobody else is going to help you raise your rates.

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Life as a freelancer is really tough and easy at the same time. The word freelancer is often used in close connection with the word ‘freedom’ since they are closely linked. Though partially true, the life of a freelancer is definitely not all gay and full of merriment. Millions of people out there are deciding to quit the boredom and lethargy that come with a 9 to 5 job and are opting to work as a freelancer. When I took the decision myself, I had to garner a lot of courage and the initial days did not seem to be troubling at all. I had the choice of not working when I didn’t want to, working from anywhere I wanted to and more importantly to get to decide how much and what kind of work I want to take up as a freelancer.

Having said that, you must also know that what disturbed me and has a similar effect on any other freelancer are the times when I did not get work, the days when I kept pitching for one project after the other, but they were awarded to someone else. There were weeks when I had to curtail my grocery shopping since I wasn’t sure what kind of project I will be getting. On the other hand, I always knew that good work will be appreciated irrespective of whether you are a freelancer or a full time employee in an organization. It feels great to know that someone is hiring you because they know you will be doing the work, only because they have faith in your abilities and like what you do. This is the biggest reward for any freelancer.

There are certain features which identify the life of any freelancer and while freedom is one of the most discussed ones, there are others which contradict the concept of freedom of choice. When I started to work as a freelancer, I didn’t know that there would be no time boundaries. There aren’t any. The credibility of a freelancer is largely dependent on his or her ability to deliver on time and this is what made me very tense. Work as a freelancer meant not having any starting or ending time and even today I have to wait for client feedbacks and make changes whenever they want me to. This includes working on Sundays and public holidays too, if need be! A freelancer is also responsible for finding work on their own which means that the time which you won’t be spending on work might be spent after getting some. I worked out an easy way around this once I had a steady base of clients – I created a schedule for my work and told myself that a freelancer needs her free time too!

Risk is another major issue causing many sleepless nights to a freelancer but what good was ever achieved without it! Risk is likely to crop up more in terms of the financial side of your work as a freelancer. You might even have to do some charity during your initial days to prove your worth. Once you are confident about your skills, it is best to ask for an advance payment for your freelancer projects. Remember that a good client, who has no intentions of cheating you, will be willing to send it without much hassle. However, to prove your worth, a freelancer must indulge in constant marketing. I took every opportunity where I met strangers to talk about how I work as a freelancer.

In this regard, it is definitely important that you have a website or at least be very visible on the internet through social networking sites. Clients who are looking to hire a freelancer are almost always looking for them online these days. In fact, there are many websites which offer work opportunities to a freelancer and this does not include the writing and translation industry but also graphic designing, website designing, data analysis and much more. In fact, you might be surprised to know that certain finance companies and HR companies need a freelancer too! Get a business card printed and mention that you are a freelancer when handing it over. Most people are fascinated by the idea of freelancing even now and will remember it.

The biggest kick that I get everyday out of my life as a freelancer is how I am in control of everything. This also means that I am the one responsible for it all. Thus, on days when I am sick, I end up wishing for someone who would fill in for me. A freelancer is also in charge of his or her own development and this is what will determine whether or not you will have a sustainable base of clients. If you are a writer, you have to read and increase your stock of words and improve your writing skills. If you are freelancer in website designing, you have to be aware of the different software being launched and at the same time do research to find out about the latest trends in the industry. This is both an enticing and a stressful idea – there is no one to tell you what you are doing wrong expect maybe your clients who might just take the project away from you!

Connectivity is what keeps everything smooth for a freelancer. You must be available, even if not for work, for a chat or a feedback. You never know when a potential client is looking up your profile on a site and wondering whether or not to hire you! In order to make it big as a freelancer, you must divide your time but not be stressed if work intrudes into your free time. A successful freelancer always responds to phone calls and messages or at least gets back to them in time, checks email on a regular basis and replies to them. Don’t be shy of meeting new people and interacting with them about your freelancer work – anyone can be a potential client for a freelancer!

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The world has had tremendous growth in terms of technology. The introduction of the internet particularly has had a significant impact in socializing, business management, education, communication as well as improving the ability for a person to earn an honest income. Presently, the number of people engaging in online work is increasing. This is because the freelancing business has had a positive impact on the people who engage in it. Evidence shows that people are able to generate a stable income that is more than they would have in a normal and formal employment. Numerous organizations give individuals a proper platform to pursue their freelancing careers. The two most popular organizations are oDesk and Freelancer.com. In order to get a better picture on the best platform amongst the two, it is important to note their characteristics and compare their pros and cons.

The oDesk platform was first launched in the year 2003 to cater for the individuals who did not find satisfaction from their employment. The company sought to fill the global demand for a platform that would offer freelancers and outsourcing organizations a secure environment to interact. From its inception, oDesk was able to attract a freelance earning rate of nine hundred and twenty million dollars. This showed that the organizations is very successful in bringing together freelancers and outsources. further er, the company has quite good review concerning its service delivery strategy as well as payment process. One of the advantages of using this platform is its minimal fees of only ten percent of the total amount charged for any given task. The low fees is favorable to new comers and individuals who seek to start their careers. The profile system on oDesk is comprehensive therefore a person can write up all their qualifications. The higher one’s profile-ranks, the better his or her probability is to secure a task upon bidding. The system also provides for employment on an hourly basis and is flexible on the total cost or earnings per hour. Freelancers can negotiate with vendors freely. In addition, the platform also gives vendors the ability to keep track of the task awarded to various freelancers through screenshots, mos and keyboard activities. The organization also has a wide network incorporating freelancers and vendors thereby improving the chances of a new freelancer finding a suitable source of income.

Freelancer.com is also a global outsourcing platform founded in the year 2009. Since its inception, the company has been able to acquire a total of one hundred and fifty three million dollars in freelancers income. The company has had a near perfect expansion plan that has seen it acquire other platforms such as freelancer.de, Lime Exchange, and scriptlance.com. the expansion strategy allowed it to gain a good percentage of the freelancing market share. The organization currently has seven million one hundred thousand freelancers registered. Number of tasks posted is four million one hundred thousand. The huge number of freelancers shows that the company is a quality company. However, comparing the number of jobs posted and the number of freelancers registered shows that competition is very high. In terms of fees charged, the company takes a thirteen percent fee on all tasks completed.

Comparison

The oDesk platform gives new freelancers a better chance to launching a successful freelance career because of its low fees as compared to Freelancer.com. in addition, the competition at Freelancer.com is very high and this will make newcomers to have a very hard time in starting up. Recently, oDesk acquired Elance thus improving its network base and ensuring it is the market leader for now. The merger is favorable to both newcomers and veterans since it increases the number of tasks while reducing the competition. Therefore, oDesk is a better platform in terms of quality, payment and talent pool.

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E- Commerce is in the record high transactions of millions of dollars that happen every day through various online shopping platforms and they are possible with these payment gateways for websites.

If you are hiring staff around the world who you might have faced the problem of how to really pay. There are various methods or applications for efficient and reliable payments. These  methods provide you with one easy platform with online web interface through which you manage all account activity, you can easily integrate these payment gateways for websites.

Today freelance has become a profitable income opportunity, not only for individuals but also for small and large companies. If you are thinking of joining a separate website probably you ask yourself, “What are my options for receiving payments?”, “Which Payment Gateway for Website should i use?”.

Involved with the freelance job marketplaces are the online accounts that can be used with the payment gateways, which is the fresh thing for many of the people who haven’t done any online transactions earlier.

Many years back, if you worked distantly for the foreign client, you could only get waged by bank transfers from foreign banks to your own local bank, which used to take much time. Now with the services like Paypal, Payoneer, and Skrill, even people in the least established, and establishing countries can send and obtain foreign currencies simply and speedily by using them as their payment gateways.

• Skrill, formerly “Moneybookers” currently does not offer an option for transfers of But it is the rational alternative for withdrawals from several countries Western Europe. What makes Skrill extraordinary is the fact that Skrill lets instant withdrawal into the bank account of the recipient when used as a payment gateway.
• Payoneer’s payment benefits are their service of the United States that comes especially useful for sending and getting payments in the countries where some other major payment services in the United States are not available to be used as a payment gateway.
• PayPal as a payment gateway works reasonably well for countries like the Philippines, but not a great choice for Russia and Ukraine, for example. PayPal fees are much lesser if the transaction is measured as transfer to a friend or relative. PayPal is a fairly inexpensive payment benefit when money is transferred in the US, but costs go up considerably for international dealings. PayPal also has a less expensive choice for companies that are compensating numerous people at the same time massive payments.

These were some of the online payment gateways with their payment benefits in the past. They provide numerous benefits to the sender and the receiver both.

The online payment gateways are a good choice for the transfer of money if you can get the association with them. They have the capability to send a debit card that allows users to withdraw money from an ATM wherever you are.

For example Freelancer.com, Up work (formerly oDesk), and Elance all have the connection with these payment gateways to send and receive payments. Some of them has very less fee for members; there are some fees for the recipient of the withdrawal from ATMs and for each load to your card. If you have a great number of personnel who might be able to get the business relationship with them.

These online payment services help web-based businesses of all sizes find new ways to pay their people. They provide an easy, efficient and secure way to pay people around the world directly to their prepaid cards.

Source:- http://freelancequest.com/2015/01/07/best-withdrawal-methods-for-elance-odesk-freelancers-payoneer-vs-elance-wire-transfer-vs-skrill-vs-paypal/

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Freelance part-time is a great way to use your skills and talents, meet your business aspirations and make certain extra money. Though many part-time workers are content to keep their side just that line, others convert their free concert in a full-time career.

The key to the effective transition from the part-time(freelancer) to the full-time freelancing is to develop a strong plan of action before. This is where a secure platform on which your company may develop to the point that ultimately can be sustained is built. Keeping these aspects in mind when planning the leap to the freelance full time. Working as a freelancer is an art and it is not adapted by everyone, as a freelancer there are many things that are needed to take care, but if you are a successful freelancer then you can become a successful entrepreneur too. Below are some of the points that a successful freelancer adopts in order to shift from a freelancer to an entrepreneur.

• Savings as a Freelancer:-

Build a pillow in your savings account. As there will be sudden expenses, irregularity and lean times as you prepare for full-time. Have additional savings to fill the financial gaps provide physical and emotional security. At times, it takes the little more time to build a clientele full time as well, making it even more significant to ensure that you have a bit of financial padding to cover your bills.

• Strong Freelancer Portfolio :-

Having several large pieces in your wallet before leaving as a freelancer. Have some freelance familiarity under your belt before you think through doing it full time. This way you can show your skills and talents to prospective clients just out of the box. Do not wait until you are jobless to start building a portfolio of his most impressive work independently. If you need to complete some projects for free to build your portfolio, it is best done when you have other bases of the income than just your self-employment.

• Promote Freelancer Portfolio:-

Configure your own website. Do not trust any place in the portfolio. Set yourself apart from the gathering by creating their own online identity. You can exert more control over their location and how it is marketed, as it is yours. You also do not have a concern about a portfolio of their work instead decide to be detached from some motive or the company that manages this site to take it offline.

• Diversify as a Freelancer:-

Look for reliable sources of revenue, such as places that can land multiple projects, at main. This will make available financial stability while marketing and portfolio are constructed. As your marketing efforts and referrals earning independent work, you may depend less on these sites, and the clientele has been built.

• Transition from Freelancer to Entreprenur:-

Have a sit with their employer for at least a month before you intend to stop talking about the transition. Make it as simple as possible to train somebody to take his place. It is best to maintain a good relationship with those with whom you worked instead of burning their proficient bridges. In some circumstances, if your freelance work overlays with what you’ve been doing for your boss as a freelancer, you may be able to endure working on the contract basis.

• Manage your Freelancer Business:-

Set up a system for managing all aspects of your freelance business that might help you to shift from a freelancer to an entrepreneur. This will ensure your business operates efficiently and professionally. Ultimately, starting with a strong organization of their customers, prospects, projects and accounting, it helps you feel your task as a legitimate business. It also confirms that the concentration remains on the job of keeping a handle on the “nuts and bolts” of running a business.

• Learn to become a freelancer entrepreneur:-

Learn all you can about running a business because freelancing is a legitimate business proposal and as a freelancer you need to learn it. Learn about being an entrepreneur so you can make intelligent decisions about the operation of your business. Read, teach and join clubs to learn from business experiences of others. Especially as an entrepreneur, knowledge is power.

The transition from part-time to full-time freelancing takes time, a solid plan, careful execution and persistence to create an atmosphere conducive to success. Make sure before you have given notice in your day job that has laid the foundation for an independent, profitable full-time career. It is the form of autonomous part time become successful full-time independent professionals and entrepreneurs viable.

Source:- http://alexisgrant.com/2014/08/12/day-job-to-entrepreneur/

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Let’s look at what fascinates the today’s pseudo generation so much about Freelancing:

Foremost Factor: Money in the Bank

Call it the evolution of services like Skrill, freelance wire transfer, Payoneer or the old horse (PayPal), getting money directly in your account was never this quick and easy. Few steps with registration on one of this platforms and an approval for linking Bank and a premium service charge. That is it, you are ready to receive payments directly in your plastic cards while the client clicks on “Pay Freelancer” option. Though Payoneer is new but is quickly gathering users with fewer overhaul processes and payment flexibility. PayPal is only losing the race being stiff to increase its flawless services in small developing countries like Sri Lanka and Nepal. With a little less charge list than PayPal and other counterparts, Payoneer is getting a good response as well. This helps the freelancer to get complete value for the work.

A Whole new Species with Freelance Skills

While, IT people think, freelancing is only constrained to Development, Designing, Writing and Optimization jobs. There is this totally different type of companies demanding free to move photographers, interior renovators, automobile engineers and even mega-structure builders investing their rich talent to make a difference. The Photographers are invited to shoot in most impossible places of Nature. The Photographers alone can be hired for different purposes like Portfolio making, wildlife shoot, promotions shoots, journalism, product launch and much other minor to major projects. The interior innovators are most often called by bigger global hotel chains and mega-firms to make every corner inspiring and filled. The automobile engineers are kept hired for years, once started on a new idea or concept. Similar is the case with Builders, rather than inviting bids through tender notices. Stadiums, Amusement parks, Grandeurs all needs innovative ideas for cost-effectiveness and a freelancer sees the whole idea from outside giving a better big picture.

Freelance Tools to keep everything at track

If you read my article “10 Amazing Management Tools Freelancers Love To Have”, you would find numerous tools accustomed for a specific cushion to every small problem a freelancer faces. Whether you are an online marketer, get hold of Social oomph and Tweriod to make social media smoother. There are apps which help you to not get distracted by social push notifications while trying to write code or article. You can also make use of password storing and e-wallet managers like Mindmeister, Remember the milk, etc.

New Platforms means more opportunities

Times are gone, when the big 3 or 4 platforms was the only opportunity, a freelancer could get a client. With fresh ideas, the new platforms are developed keeping them completely integrated for handling a specific type of jobs. The purpose of developing these platforms is to provide a fully informative and resolute platform. This gives an opportunity to make more doors for Clients. Worknhire, designs99, SuperTasker and Frisklancer are some of the examples coming into existence in recent years.

The drastic changes have been deemed positive till now and is actually reducing the concentrated poverty issues within fewer capita nations. Alone within the USA, the unemployment percentage is decreased by 5.1% this year. But, the fairy tale to become a six-figure earner isn’t so easy. With increasing interest, competition increases and thus may leave the average talent apart. So, before opting for a freelancing career, make sure you think of full-time employment options also. Once you have a flow working right from your machine, the decision of becoming a full-time freelancer can become discrete and easy.

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