Getting Started as a Freelancer

Join Freelance Sites

One way of working from home is by bidding on projects in freelance sites. There are a lot of freelance sites all over the internet but these are the ones that I personally use and recommend (especially the first two):

1. GetAFreelancer
2. Scriptlance
3. oDesk
4. RentACoder
5. Elance

All of these sites have free and paid membership. Of course, paid memberships have more privileges but that doesn’t mean free members won’t get their share of success. You can start by signing up for free and as soon as you have built a strong profile, you may then upgrade your membership status. Make sure to read and follow their terms to avoid being banned on the site. (Scrap that! Just click on “I Agree” and you’re all set.)

Know Thyself

Assess your skills and interests. What is your field of expertise? What do you want to do?

 I am good in… 
 Maybe you can try… 
 Speaking 
 Voice Over 
 Writing 
 Copywriting 
 Selling 
 Telemarketing 
 Typing 
 Data Entry 
 HTML 
 Website Design 
 Japanese 
 Translation 
 Art 
 Logo Design 

If You Have It, Flaunt It

Convince your clients why they should choose you and what makes you so special. Do you have years of experience? What tools do you have? Make sure it is related to the job being offered. For instance, telling them that you can make a 3D design of a house, or that you can make a software for networking, or that you have an X-ray vision won’t do any good if the job only entails editing simple data.

Aim High

Do not settle for mediocrity. Try to exceed your clients’ expectations. If you have committed to deliver the project in 10 days, surprise your client by sending the complete and error-free data in 7 days. In that way, your clients will give you good reviews and possibly recommend you to others which can also help increase your market value.

If at First You Don’t Succeed, Heck You Know The Rest…

Do not be easily discouraged if you weren’t able to close a deal yet. Oftentimes, landing on the first job is the hardest part. It gets easier as soon as you are able to build connections with your clients. If you have succeeded on your first try, then your one lucky guy after all. You can go thank that Feng Shui guru in the Chinese shop where you bought that golden waving cat figurine.

5 Worst Things in Working in an Office

In another one of my mindless brainstorming sessions (if there’s such a thing), I came up with a list of five worst things in working in an office (yeah, exactly what the title says…thought you wouldn’t notice). Well, here they are:

1. Waking up to the same beeping sound of your alarm clock in the morning (not to mention hitting the snooze button for the nth time)





2. Meeting your officemate, who by the way has a very strong body odor, in an elevator on your way to the 37^th floor (should have just taken the stairs)



3. Arriving in the office with your boss glaring at you and his widely-opened nostrils vacuuming every molecule in the room (now what?)






4. You thought the shredder was the fax machine (how stupid can you get?)






5. Getting stuck in traffic on your way home with an upset stomach (can’t get any better than this!)

That's why I’m so glad to be working at home! Anyway, feel free to add more.

Things That Internet Money Bought

Working at home has been a very big help for my family and I am very thankful for that. We are a family of four. As a family, we all share the expenses at home. My dad is in charge of the rent. My mom takes care of our daily needs. My brother, who is also working at home, helps me in paying the bills (telephone, cellphone, internet, cable, water, electricity). We also give our parents a weekly allowance (quite the opposite from the way it was before when we were still in school). We also provide financial support for our relatives in the province (a common Filipino trait) and for some friends. But aside from that, there were also other things that my brother and I bought from our online earnings. Some are the following:

1. EVEREST REMOTE CONTROL AIR CONDITIONER

We have an old second-hand air conditioner but it’s been ages since we last used it so it’s time we needed a new one. It gets hot here in the Philippines especially at noon which is not good for our computers.

2. WHITE NEO LAPTOP

We have two desktop computers and one laptop at home but we can’t just simply bring the desktop computers anywhere and we need another laptop since my brother and I work separately so we bought another one. Now, we can also work in an internet café or any where as long as there is a stable internet connection.

3. ROBIN GENERATOR

Power outage means no work so we bought a small second-hand generator just enough to operate the lights, fan, modem, router, and the computers.

4. GLOBE INTERNET CONNECTION

We applied for another internet service with faster internet speed just in case we will have internet issues in the other ISP. So if we are disconnected, we can just switch from one modem to another.

5. HAPPY DREAM THERMOTHERAPY BED

We didn’t actually pay for the whole price. Part of it was loaned by my mom from a cooperative. The product was made in Korea. Its company, Happy Dream Medical, have several branches here in the Philippines but they only have one in our city. We purchased the massage bed both for personal and commercial use. It combines the therapeutic effects of germanium, infrared heat, and acupuncture.

6. MISCELLANEOUS

My brother usually spends his earnings in clothes, shoes, and cosmetics. He is very much concerned about his looks. Believe me, he’s more vain than I am. If you could see what I wear, you will know right away that I’m not an avid shopper. I am thriftier than he is. I only spend when I think it’s necessary or profitable.

But of course, we don’t spend all our earnings as that would not be wise, would it? We save most of what we earn in the bank for safe keeping and perhaps start a new business later on.

Pros & Cons of Working at Home

I have been working at home for more than a year now and I am enjoying it but working at home is not always easy. Today, I have compiled a list of some pros and cons of working at home in my point of view. Let's start with the first one.

PROS:

1. COMFORTABLE. Simply, there's no place like home. There's nothing more relaxing than being in your own private space. You can be working in your pajamas (in my case, a tattered hand-me-down shirt from my dad and loose shorts), and at the same time watching your favorite television show.

2. FLEXIBLE. Most work at home jobs do not have work shifts so you have all the time in the world. Some only require you to reach a certain daily quota so you can work during your free time and just deliver the job before the deadline. This is very suitable for moms since they can spend some quality time with their kids and can still generate a reliable source of income.

3. COST-EFFECTIVE. It can be expensive commuting to work or renting a place close to your office. Take out meals for lunch can also cost more than just cooking at home. Uniforms or formal outfits can also add to your shopping list, whereas if you work at home, you can minimize all these expenses because all you need to have is a computer with an internet connection.

4. SAFER. It's a jungle out there. We all know there's a higher rate of danger outside your house especially when you travel to your office at night or at dawn. You can meet an accident on your way to work or get robbed in a dark alley on your way home. It is always much safer staying at home.

So what's the bad news? Read on...

CONS:

1. GAINING WEIGHT. Since you don't get to move a lot when working at home, you will start to get...brace yourself, this can get a little nasty...fat! I know girls, it's kinda hard to digest but it's true. My brother has been constantly teasing me on this. Not to worry as this can be solved by daily exercise (Yeah, I'll do that tomorrow...I'm serious!).

2. LESS SOCIAL LIFE. In the office, you can always interact with your co-workers, participate in team-building activities or attend company gatherings. Although you may have less social life when working at home, what's most important is that you will have a lot more time with your family.

3. LAZINESS. Sometimes it gets too comfortable working at home that you tend to laze around and leave the work behind. It needs a lot of self-discipline in order to stay productive. As much as possible, keep your bed out of sight so you won't be tempted to lie down and sleep all day.

Despite these disadvantages, I can still say that working at home is something that is just right for me and I know most home workers would agree with that.