p.s.  we don’t want to sound like your mom.  Think of us as your friend who cheers you up so you can be at your best

Daily Dose of Inspiration:  What to Read…

1. If You’re Feeling Lazy

“Many great ideas go unexecuted, and many great executioners are without ideas. One without the other is worthless.” – Tim Blixseth

“The world is more malleable than you think and it’s waiting for you to hammer it into shape.” – Bono

“No great man ever complains of want of opportunities.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.” –  Aristotle

“Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

“You’ve got to seize the opportunity if it is presented to you.” – Clive Davis

“Action may not always bring happiness, but there is no happiness without action.” – Benjamin Disraeli

“You’ve got to love what you do to really make things happen.” – Philip Green

“Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don’t quit.” – Conrad Hilton

“Action will destroy your procrastination.” – Og Mandino

2.  If You’re Stuck in a Rut ( creative rut, that is )

“There’s no good idea that can’t be improved on.” – Michael Eisner

“The only limit to your impact is your imagination and commitment.” – Anthony Robbins

“You don’t need to have a 100-person company to develop that idea.” – Larry Page

“A major stimulant to creative thinking is focused questions. There is something about a well-worded question that often penetrates to the heart of the matter and triggers new ideas and insights.” – Brian Tracy

“In the realm of ideas everything depends on enthusiasm.. in the real world all rests on perseverance.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“The only way of finding the limits of the possible is by going beyond them into the impossible.” –  Arthur C. Clarke

“Seek the lofty by reading, hearing and seeing great work at some moment every day.” – Thornton Wilder

“When inspiration does not come to me, I go halfway to meet it.” – Sigmund Freud

“Well, when you’re trying to create things that are new, you have to be prepared to be on the edge of risk.” – Michael Eisner

“Clean out a corner of your mind and creativity will instantly fill it.” – Dee Hock

3.  If You Feel Like Quitting

“If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Then quit. There’s no use being a damn fool about it.” –  W.C. Fields

“Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.” – Thomas Jefferson

“What we think determines what happens to us, so if we want to change our lives, we need to stretch our minds.” – Wayne Dyer

“I’ve always worked very, very hard, and the harder I worked, the luckier I got.” – Alan Bond

“Long shots do come in and hard work, dedication and perseverance will overcome almost any prejudice and open almost any door.” – John H. Johnson

“Think not of yourself as the architect of your career but as the sculptor. Expect to have to do a lot of hard hammering and chiseling and scraping and polishing.” – BC Forbes

“You have to put in many, many, many tiny efforts that nobody sees or appreciates before you achieve anything worthwhile.” – Brian Tracy

“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” – Walt Disney

“Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don’t quit.” – Conrad Hilton

“Persistence is what makes the impossible possible, the possible likely, and the likely definite.” –  Robert Half

4.  If You Need to Find Your Strength and Passion

“They can because they think they can.” – Virgil

“…by stretching yourself beyond your perceived level of confidence you accelerate your development of competence.” – Tony Buzan

“It is unwise to be too sure of one’s own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err.” – Mahatma Gandhi

“It doesn’t matter who you are, where you come from. The ability to triumph begins with you. Always.” – Oprah Winfrey

“We are the creative force of our life, and through our own decisions rather than our conditions, if we carefully learn to do certain things, we can accomplish those goals.” – Stephen Covey

“Wallowing in the past may be good literature. As wisdom, it’s hopeless.” – Aldous Huxley

“Everybody has talent, it’s just a matter of moving around until you’ve discovered what it is.” – George Lucas

“I was just pursuing what I enjoyed doing. I mean, I was pursuing my passion.” – Pierre Omidyar

“If you want more, you have to require more from yourself.” – Dr Phil

“What is it that you like doing? If you don’t like it, get out of it, because you’ll be lousy at it. You don’t have to stay with a job for the rest of your life, because if you don’t like it you’ll never be successful in it.” – Lee Iacocca

5.  If You’re Feeling Stressed

“It makes no sense to worry about things you have no control over because there’s nothing you can do about them, and why worry about things you do control? The activity of worrying keeps you immobilized.” – Wayne Dyer

“We create stress for ourselves because you feel like you have to do it. You have to. I don’t feel that anymore.” – Oprah Winfrey

“If we agree that the bottom line of life is happiness, not success, then it makes perfect sense to say that it is the journey that counts, not reaching the destination.” – Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

“Action may not always bring happiness, but there is no happiness without action.” – Benjamin Disraeli

“Doing what you love is the cornerstone of having abundance in your life.” – Wayne Dyer

“It’s all about quality of life and finding a happy balance between work and friends and family.” –  Philip Green

“Even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness, and the word happy would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness.” – Carl Jung

“To me every hour of the day and night is an unspeakably perfect miracle.” – Walter Chrysler

“Positive things happen to positive people.” – Sarah Beeny

“Cheerfulness is what greases the axles of the world.  Don’t go through life creaking.” – H.W. Byles

As J.K. Rowling said, “Anything’s possible if you’ve got enough nerve…” so when the sea of freelancing gets rough, take a pause and find your inspiration.

What inspires you today?

If you have inspirational blogs, inspirational quotes or motivational brand pages that you wish to share with fellow freelancers, please feel free to post in the comment section below.

Something Interesting:

40 Plus Ways to Unwind and Relax
Sometimes All You Need is A Little Inspiration to Keep Rolling
4 Ways to Hack Into Your Mind and Become Infinitely More Creative

Life is Like a Cup of Coffee

Pinterest Etiquette for the Social Freelancer

Last time, we’ve brought you basic freelancing netiquette you might have missed when connecting with potential clients online.  We’re on a roll!  This time, we help you start on a clean slate right, whether you do it to boost your freelancing business or for trend’s sake.  Learn that just because you can treat Pinterest as your virtual pinboard doesn’t mean you can skip:

Giving Credit Where It’s Due

If you check out the list of Pinterest etiquette, you’ll see that they remind you to link back to the original source.  If you’re using the image search on Google to choose your pins, you may find it useful and yet, you may carelessly link back to Google and not the original source.  Instead, always pin from the source and if you’re unsure, just skip it altogether.  The last thing you want is having to deal with copyright issues simply because you want to share something good.  Think of it this way – designers, photographers, writers are all doing business online and by sharing their content minus the credit, it’s like stealing business from them.

Making Sure that Links Go to the Right Address

If you’re building your freelancing brand through Pinterest, authenticity is called for and by editing the links of pins to redirect images to a different URL, you’re defeating the very purpose of sharing pins.  Yes, it may drive traffic to whichever site you intend it for, but this is simply a shady practice.  After all, honesty is the best policy up to this date.

Sharing the Things You Love

Like we said over and over, the social web is not about you and just because you’re free to post anything doesn’t mean it’s your personal billboard to use either.  Pinterest is all about sharing the things you love, something you’re proud to share.  Of course, if you’re into design, you can share your projects.  The key here is striking balance, after all, you are in a community of people and conversation matters more.

Posting Original Content

Pinterest is great for content creation, so long as you don’t copy and paste what’s already out there – most especially, copyrighted content.  If you feel lazy about writing descriptions to your pins, you can simply attribute the author or artist to where these images belonged.  This also means that if you’re wanting to take a pin for posting to your blog, make sure that you check out if its’ properly credited to the original source.. or else, just don’t do it!

Doing Your Due Diligence

Like many new social networks, Pinterest is working hard on defining its policies, especially in the matter of privacy.  For now, practice due diligence by reporting content that violates the site’s Terms of Service to make the experience truly pinteresting.

Many businesses have been riding the Pinterest wave and as such, it doesn’t hurt to mind your manners. Like any other sites, there’s the good, the bad and the ugly.  One major drawback for freelancers is that they have to request for an invite and user profiles are limited to a few lines.  Pinterest may be much better suited for sharing content than meeting people… but that’s too soon to tell.  So for now,  let’s just get our etiquette in check while we discover this visually-oriented site.

Your Turn

Any other Pinteresting tips to add on top of our list?  How do you find the site so far?  Is it useful for your personal branding efforts?

Pinterest Challenge

Something Interesting:

Seven Ways to Use Pinterest to Boost Your Personal Brand
What Freelancers and Small Businesses Should Know About Pinterest
Will You Be Jumping on the Pinterest Craze?

Building a Stand-Out Brand 101

Let’s forget about popular notions here and go the unorthodox way – where you can be efficient at being ‘unpopular’.  In this era where you find new ways of marketing yourself as a freelancer, you need to come up with a different kind of recipe for success, namely:

A Memorable Personality

Instead of thinking about what you can offer, define clearly who you are as a freelance expert.  Yes, men are from mars and women are from venus.. and by this clear definition, John Gray managed to make a bestseller of his book.  So, if there are plenty of fish in the sea, what makes you recognizable?  Besides, people do business… with people.

A Unique Selling Point

Wouldn’t it be great if you’re the only person who can do the job?  Now, think about what makes you the better choice, the best value for money and sell your services with these things in mind.  Your unique selling point is that one tagline that will create a positive impression about your business.  Instead of saying, ” I offer copywriting services..” try spicing it up and say ” I deliver quality writing jobs on time, all the time! ”

Consistency

From your logo, tagline, website design, web content… what is that super glue holding your brand in place?  Building a strong brand can even mean going minimal.  The key here is having a consistent look, a consistent tone and a consistent level of quality in your work.  Unless people got tired of your brand, there’s really no need to change it.

Meaningful Voice

If picture can paint a thousand words, imagine what a video can do.  It’s all about giving a clear picture of who you are that will matter, that special factor which makes you shine.  Think about the words people will use to define you and your business.  What do you want people to think when they hear your name?  What benefits will people associate your name with?  Getting it right each and every time may be tough, but if you spend the effort to create a voice for your brand that your audience will want to share, you may just let them do the talking ( and promoting ) for your brand.

Honesty

It’s totally fine to check out your competition, but totally passe to become another ‘Me-too’ freelancer.  Find the courage and humility in building your brand’s identity and when you do, deliver more than just what you can promise.  Your honesty shall win the trust of your clients, helping you forge meaningful relationships and gather useful testimonials as well.  Constantly refine your brand so it remains strong enough to engage and stand out from the crowd.

Carving out a niche in your market is a tough step, but the rewards are worth it.  Are you ready to take a major leap in presenting your ‘unpopular’ side that will set you apart from the rest?  Can you make that strong emotional connection that will win you a client’s loyalty?

Your Turn

Have you ever tried new ways of branding yourself as a freelancer?

Four Principles of Career Distinction

Something Interesting:

Why Freelancers Need a Brand and How to Create One
Personal Branding for Freelancers & Contractors
Hot WordPress Themes for Freelancers for Personal Branding

The Nitty Gritty of Social Influence for Every Freelancer

Perhaps, you don’t even have to go to the length of stealing customers from your competition if you will only invest in your social influence.  As defined by Wikipedia, Social influence occurs when one’s emotions, opinions, or behaviors are affected by others.  In short, it will be your ability to influence others to take a specific action and for freelancers, that can mean your influence to get clients hire your services as an expert in your niche.  You may think that this is a popularity contest, but there’s more to numbers than meet the eye, and social influence can simply mean:

Being a Specialist

If you want to develop your influence and be known in an industry, you have to focus on one area and stop being a jack (or jane ) of all trades.  By demonstrating your expertise in a specific field, you will get the respect that helps you gain high profile clients in the long run.  Take note: You don’t simply declare that you’re an expert.  You have to walk the walk, and you can do this through content marketing – by regularly creating content that’s authentic and compelling, which can be shared through various social networks across the Web.

Sharing More, Selling Less

Gone were the days when businesses chase customers by bombarding them with annoying sales pitches.  If you want to earn your social influence right, you can’t simply buy it – no matter how shady sites out there are offering you hundreds to thousands of dummy fans or followers.  There is a big difference between sharing and shilling.  If you find a way to offer genuine help that matters to your target market, you will reap the rewards of not only being seen as a real expert in your niche, but someone they can trust.  And we all know that trust is the final push that makes someone buy a product or service.

Social Partnerships

There’s a wisdom in getting to know everyone worth knowing in your niche.  Who are the influential people in your industry?  Key influencers move people, no doubt, and if they like what you have to offer – they can be a great source of publicity for your personal brand.  This is not an easy fete though and it takes you back to sharing quality content to getting noticed.  Imagine this: An influencer retweets your blog post to thousands of followers that you don’t even have access to.  This means, you have to keep your sharing buttons easily accessible so people can share your brand’s juice, or you may create a bond that builds reciprocation through..

Meaningful Dialogues

It may be tough, especially for freelancers working 40++ hours in a week to monitor conversations about his/her brand on social networks – but if you can spare at least an hour each week, do so.  You may miss opportunities for collaboration and queries from future clients.  Sometimes, they don’t really know what they want to achieve in a project and if you’re quick enough to spot the one-liner question that can lead to a discussion on how you can be of help, you may just land a sweet deal.  The key here is using social media platforms as a communication channel, an engagement tool, and not as an automated mass marketing outlet.

Being Genuine

There are online tools like Klout and PeerIndex that help you know your influence score and other stats.  Still, you must go beyond the numbers that can be gamed and aim for quality leads that can be converted into another freelancing gig.  Keep in mind that the Social Web is not about self-promotion, but the value of community built on relationships.  Yes, there’s no shortcut here and even social media experts will have to agree with me that it’s all about building value on a consistent pace.  This may simply mean being the best that you can be, loving what you do, and spending time to share that passion with your online community.  There’s no need to be someone you’re not.

Social influence may be another buzzword that defines your visibility on the Social Web.  If you want to win in this social media age, you’ve got to be social!  It’s not enough anymore to simply show off your professional credibility. Are you ready to build that bridge between you and your community?

Your Thoughts

Do you think that social influence is important for freelancers today?

Something Interesting:

How Do You Increase Social Influence? Don’t Think About the Score
How to Win Clients and Influence People
The 10 Best Books for Freelancers about Social Media
The New Klout: Cyber Influence Made Flesh?

Freelancing Predictions for 2012:  A Brighter Outlook

The freelance market may have been stagnant in 2011, but online hiring has hit a record high last year – up by over 100% from 2010.  As the demand for talent and flexibility to run an office increases, more businesses will hop in the rising trend of hiring remote workers or independent professionals.  It’s what you can call a freelancing wave – and it can also mean rise in newer technologies or tools to make online collaboration seamless.  Freelancers, brace yourself to another year that will be defined by:

Global Mindset

Work is not anymore defined by a physical office and freelancers must be able to adapt to different cultural settings in order to stay on top this year.  There will be a paradigm shift in how people view work – far from the traditional set-up many have been used to for many years.

Innovation Meets Excellence

You probably have encountered this word the nth time, but in order to stay on top of the freelancing game, you have to know that it takes openness to innovation and creativity which will set you apart from those who are merely doing what was asked of them – where you have the chance to exceed work expectations by focusing on quality, not on quantity.

Social Partnerships

Social networking is on the rise and we’ve seen how quick changes are last year, when Google+ entered the social media scene.  Because more collaboration tools are on the making, we are more likely to see combined forces among freelancers, as well as building relationships beyond the tip of the iceberg – where freelancers will break the ice between their brand-customer relationship.

Virtual Teams

By being open to working across multiple online platforms with various persons across the globe, we’ll definitely see more virtual teams formed.  Contrary to popular belief, we’ll see them work more productively as they collaborate to succeed on their projects.  This will also include a much deeper engagement level and sense of responsibility among the team.

Outsourcing

Businesses, large or small, will outsource work to experts who can fill in their needs.  From rural sourcing to offshore outsourcing, this can only mean good news for freelancers who want to find new prospects and capitalize on plenty of freelance portals on the Web.  Cost will always be the number one driver for companies to consider outsourcing, but there are also other factors involved, like the speed of service and the ‘hire it when you need it’ mentality.

These are predictions based on freelancing news and events from last year.  No, we are not playing it like Nostradamus – just the sort of predictive analytics anyone can use and it’s not a rocket science either.  If there’s only one thing we can agree on, it’s that 2012 is a promising year for freelancers and career shifters out there.  Perhaps, we can look back to this post sometime near 2013 and say, “Hey, we’ve told you so!”  Are you excited to work in this age of hyper-specialization?

What’s In Your Mind?

What do you think will freelancing look like this year?  Share your own predictions on the comment below.

The Future of Work 2.0

Something Interesting:

13 Useful Tips to Get your Freelance Business Started in 2012
What are Your Predictions for 2012?
Give Yourself a Raise in 2012

If you can’t even start to map out your goals for the new year because of all these holiday rush, have no fear.  I’m sharing with you a list of resources that can inspire you to come up with your top X list for 2012.

Whatever your goals are, may you be blessed with inspiration, hope and optimism to become successful in your niche.  All of us from Ajeva is wishing all freelancers in the world a bountiful new year to come… and all of the good freelancing stuff!

Here’s a list of buzz-worthy resources to help you succeed in your goals for 2012:

Ajeva’s Hot Pick:  Top 10 Sites Worth a Freelancer’s Visit

Freelance Folder
Freelance Switch
Men With Pens
The Savvy Freelancer
Freelance Advisor
Guerrilla Freelancing
Escape from Cubicle Nation
International Freelancers Day
Freelance Zone
The Urban Muse

Ajeva’s Hot Pick: Top 10 Freelancing Books Worth Reading

The Principles of Successful Freelancing
Creative, Inc.: The Ultimate Guide to Running a Successful Freelance Business
Six-Figure Freelancing: The Writer’s Guide to Making More Money
My So-Called Freelance Life: How to Survive and Thrive as a Creative Professional for Hire
The Wealthy Freelancer: 12 Secrets to a Great Income and an Enviable Lifestyle
Freelancing For Dummies
Freelancing – The First 30 Days – 2010 Edition
The Well-Fed Writer: Financial Self-Sufficiency as a Commercial Freelancer in Six Months or Less
The Anti 9-to-5 Guide: Practical Career Advice for Women Who Think Outside the Cube
The Renegade Writer: A Totally Unconventional Guide to Freelance Writing Success (The Renegade Writer’s Freelance Writing series)

Ajeva’s Hot Pick: Our Top 10 Blogs for Year 2011

The New Rules of Marketing Yourself as a Freelancer
Steve Jobs: A Freelancer’s Inspiration
10 Cool Infographics for the Savvy Freelancer
How Freelancers Can Have a Global Mindset for Success
50 Freelancing Tips in 140 Characters or Less
How to Survive the Recession While Freelancing
How Freelancers Can Stop Doing Too Much With Too Little Time
If Freelancing is a Game, These are the Rules
Why Freelancers Work Hard But Earn a Little
Freelance Writing: How to Get Hired if You Have No Clients?

That’s all!  And as Oprah Winfrey said, ” Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right! ”

Your Turn

Anything we’ve missed?  Please feel free to share your discoveries in the comment below, thanks!

Seth Godin Challenges You To Fail

Something Interesting:

Here’s Your 2012 Marketing Plan
New Year Goals Got You Paralyzed? Tiny Steps Win the Race
10 New Guidelines for Web Designers for 2012

Does Content Marketing Mean Copywriting?

Competition gets high when it comes to freelancing these days and it’s not enough anymore to have a portfolio website or be active in social networking sites.  Think of content marketing as harnessing the power of information to show off your knowledge and expertise.  You may give out free stuff without asking for anything in return, and the value of the content you’ve shared will help you generate qualified leads.  This is achievable through blogs, white papers, slides or viral videos.  Copywriting on the other hand is getting readers to take an action from what you shared, and you can see this in many sales pages on the Web.  Still, copywriting skills will come in handy when writing a good content, as you want to have that WOW factor that will attract your readers to your headlines, compelling them to read what you’ve got to offer.  The next thing to ask is: Do you have what it takes to share valuable, juicy content?

How to Master the Art of Content Marketing

Just because you’re not into writing doesn’t mean you can’t take a dive into content marketing.  It’s all about the adage: ‘Practice Makes Perfect’ and you can always start with finding content that will solve the pain of your potential clients.  You can:

Stay Up-to-Date With the Latest News and Trends in Your Niche

Take advantage of many RSS feeds on the Web, so you get  fresh news about your industry on a daily basis.  This gives you a competitive edge over other freelancers, helping you gather important data that your target audience will find useful.

Get Out of Your Comfort Zone

The only way you can share great content is to become a master in what you do.  You’re a writer, so, why haven’t you written a book yet?  If you’re a graphic designer, aim for excellence in your work.  When you push yourself beyond your limits, you can share your unique experience with others – and they’ll take your word for it!

Grab Their Attention

The key to attracting your audience is having a compelling title to your content.  Think of it as a thick icing over your birthday cake.  You want to create that interest and desire for your audience to eat what’s beneath.  You don’t have to sound like another salesman making a pitch; just think of your content as something that’s good enough to share.  Ask yourself: What benefits are you offering in your content?

Convert that Attention!

Good writers know the art of capturing attention, but not everyone knows what to do after they have done so.  This is where consistency comes in, where you share content to build trust with your audience.  You can always insert a call-to-action, like inviting your readers to subscribe to your blog, or sending them a killer email.

Give Freely Without Advertising

People these days have mastered the art of avoiding the pitfalls of traditional marketing.  If your content looks more like your favorite billboard ad, it will be thrown away in a split second.  You may not like working for free, but sharing free content will help you build your personal brand and rapport, minus the salesy feeling that turns clients off.  Think of it as good karma..

Content marketing doesn’t have to be all about writing; you can share stunning infographics, podcasts, or videos on the Social Web.  So, how does it really work?  After you’ve posted your content, you can share it with your peers on social networks… and let them do the talking for you.  Is it worth doing so?  In a world of content scrapers and time wasters, quality content is hard to come by – If you do share one, you’ll surely get more than the big chunk of traffic on the Web; you’ll get fans and customers instead.  Are you ready to walk your talk?

What If…

You share content so good that some folks may be doing the work themselves, instead of hiring your services?  It can happen, no doubt, and these people may not have enough budget to hire you.  You don’t have to worry about them.  Your ideal clients will see your worth through the value of what you shared… and the word will spread like a plague, a good one, that is.

Just Sharing

We love Content Rules by Ann Handley and C.C. Chapman, where content marketing is explained crystal clear.  Do you have any other favorite book on the subject of content marketing?  Please feel free to share, thanks!

Content Marketing and the Power of Story

Something Interesting:

How 3 Companies Took Content Marketing to the Next Level
5 Content Marketing Strategies for Small Business
Use Your Voice to Attract More Ideal Clients

Six Ways Freelancer Can Master the Art of Innovation

Innovation, by definition, is to renew or change – or simply put, it refers to the creation of a better or more effective YOU.  The trouble with many freelancers is that they don’t let their clients know just how innovative they are.  Learn that with the tough times, hiring strategies change and so should yours as a job seeker.  Companies are looking for candidates who are innovative – who can solve problems, who are efficient and ruthlessly creative.  If you don’t have the confidence factor to put the ‘innovative’ badge on your chest and be the next freelancing icon around, you can:

Accept Uncertainty

When you are certain of things, it somehow limits your ability to grow your skills.  Sure, we always wanted that warm feeling of knowing what’s next and that your freelance career is safe.  This is a myth!  Know that though change is inevitable, it is not always comfortable.. so brace yourself for the unexpected, challenging experience that might push the door of opportunity wider for you.  With new things come change.  Are you ready for the adventure of your freelancing life?  The last thing you need right now is a bore-out.

Change Your Name

Your freelancing job title, that is.  So long as the word ‘freelancer’ is attached to your resume, there is little room for growth.  Think of yourself as a small business owner or an entrepreneur.  That widens your horizon then.  Take for example the case of Nathalie Lussier who founded Raw Foods Witch.  She started with freelancing, without any bigger business in mind.  After sometime, she realized that she can go beyond her knack for writing and translating as a freelancer… and jumped into a business offering coaching and producing products out of raw foods.

Read Beyond Your Fears

Know that everything starts with fear and it can be anything, really.  You may fear competing with freelancing giants, fear big clients, fear the feast-or-famine syndrome we all face as freelancers and many more.  Face your fear and hear what it’s trying to tell you.  Most of the time, what you resist persists because it is a sign that you must do something about it.  All you have to do is let go.

Take Action

The only remedy to fear is to do something about it.  Worries and doubts only bring you a step away from truth and the chance to know is to experience the thing you fear itself.  This is where brainstorming can help you in your quest to conquering your fear.  Before I started out in the writing field, I have this insane fear that my skills weren’t good enough.  If I hadn’t tried writing down my first few words into the first article I’ve published online, I might not have known what it feels like to write for a living.

Revamp Old Concepts

There’s an adage that the best way to innovate is to imitate.  You may blame it on the poor economy why it’s tough to find freelance gigs today, but you have to look closer to your tactics instead.  Are you promoting skills which are in demand?  Can you find new ways of presenting your skills that will make you shine from the rest of the freelancing crowd?  Are you letting your potential clients know that you are innovative enough to solve their problems efficiently?  Take a cue from these questions.  Sometimes, you don’t need to learn a new skill; you just need to present yourself in a totally new package.

Compare and Conquer

It always makes sense to keep an eye out for your competition, no doubt.  But you can also compare what category is right for you:  a freelancer, a consultant or an entrepreneur.  As  a freelancer, you offer deliverables while being a consultant means you are an expert in your niche.  As an entrepreneur though, you are running and selling a business.  Which category do you fit in?  No matter what you do, take courage to stand for what you believe in and be brave enough to face uncertainties.

As Steve Jobs said, ‘innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower’.  These tips can only help nudge the door of success; it is up to you to push further and step into the limitless possibilities of your freelancing career.  Are you ready to innovate and take that bold step?

How Mistakes Drive Innovation

Something Interesting:

Do You Want to Rock Your Business Results in 2012?
Imitate, then Innovate
Freelancer, Consultant, Entrepreneur: Which Are You?

Five Things You Can Learn from Steve Jobs

Truth must be told, I’m one of the many who admired this person.  Perhaps, it’s because his struggles resonate many of ours and the only difference is: he turned these trials into a whopping success.  Just when you think you’re about to screw up, think of this iconic man and remember that:

Believing in Yourself is the First Step Towards Success

Jobs always have this practical idea about time, that we should not waste it to be living someone else’s life.  Who will believe in you if you don’t believe in yourself?  Don’t let self-doubt mislead you to following other people’s opinion about what you are good at.  Be brave and follow your passion.  Jobs won’t be where he is today if he hasn’t.  And when you do, you can say as he did, “..I want to put a ding in the universe.”

Innovation Transcends Leadership

He used to say that ‘innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower‘.  There’s no doubt that Steve Jobs created more than just a brand; but a cult.  By surrounding himself with people who share that passion for design, customer experience and excellence, he led Apple into a phenomenal high that no one has ever imagined possible.  Being a freelancer, competition just gets tougher each day and by being a visionary, you can be just as notorious in the arena of freelancing excellence.

Doing What You Love is the Ultimate Key

“Why join the navy if you can be a pirate?” Steve Jobs said.  There’s nothing that will beat you towards achieving your goal if you love what you do in the first place.  Because when you do, you will do everything in your powers to get things done today; not tomorrow.  Did you know that Steve Jobs earned a measly $1 paycheck?  He never really did it for the money and according to a SEC filing, he earned a total of a dollar’s worth of compensation in 2010.

Focusing on Client Experience Will Always Have Huge Returns

Building the perfect client-freelancer relationship is like walking on a tight rope for many freelancers, but understanding them is what it all takes to do so.  Jobs has ditched conventional wisdom and built a product that’s centered in giving a flawless user experience that people are simply willing to pay more for it.  Keep in mind that your clients don’t always know what they want when they hired you to help, but you can give them what they want.  As he said, “..be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren’t used to an environment where excellence is expected.”

Keeping Things Simple and Beautiful Works Best

What made the Apple products a big hit is not only because of its simplicity, but beauty as well.  Jobs love for using the ordinary to come up with something extraordinary made his speeches powerful than ever.  I recall this New iPod Nano video in 2009 where instead of blabbing technical jargons, he just showed a wonderful presentation.  Just as same, when you’re freelancing, you need to walk the walk; show, don’t just tell.  Apple’s way of presenting its signature line, beautifully and elegantly, only tells that if you want people to commit with what you have to offer, you have to stop being sloppy and keep things beautiful – or more like, professionally desirable.

Perhaps, my top favorite quote from Steve Jobs is: “Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes. It is best to admit them quickly, and get on with improving your other innovations.”  When things go wrong, a sincere apology can help, coupled with resolutions on how to solve the issue.  It did work for me, all the time.

I bet there are more things we can learn from this visionary who WOW’d the world.  Feel free to add your own in the comment below and become a source of inspiration as well.

CNBC Titans: Steve Jobs

Something Interesting:

Tech Insider: Steve Jobs Is an Inspiration
What Was Steve Jobs’s Most Influential Product?
5 Things President Obama Can Learn From Steve Jobs

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Hope you enjoyed this list? Anything we’ve missed? Please add them on the comment below, thanks!