[thelist] OT - How to work freelance on a global scale.

[Asif Suria]

If you plan to start your own business in order to
spend more time "innovating" and maintianing a
flexible schedule, one of the biggest obstacles you
are going to face (especially if you do it solo) has
to do with spending time doing mundane and often
important business tasks. 

You will have to market your services, network with
existing and potential clients, invoice clients,
collect payments, balance your books and file
quarterly taxes (if you live in the US). You will also
have to spend time to stay current with technology or
changes in your field on your own dime. So your hourly
rate has to be high enough to cover the costs
associated with all these activities. If you hourly
rate is going to be that high, then you need to have
some sort of highly specialized skill in a growing
field.

Given your objective, another approach to starting
your own business could be to find a job in a company
that has a flexible corporate culture. Folks in most
Silicon Valley companies do not wear ties and have
flexible working hours. Start-ups are known to foster
innovators (especially the ones that have enough
funding). Google allows its employees to spend time
every week on "pet projects".  

I hope this helps.

Asif
http://www.sinletter.com

--- VOLKAN ÖZÇELÝK <volkan.ozcelik at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi all,
> 
> I'll jump straight into the question:
> 
> I currently work as a J2EE architect in a large
> corporation and earn
> pretty good amount of money (okay, I cannot yet buy
> myself a Ferrari
> but my salary gives me an adequte living standard)
> 
> Though I will be psychologically better off if I
> work for my own: I
> hate wearing ties. I hate tying ties :) I don't like
> working from 9am
> to 6pm five days on a regular basis.
> Besides I have a quite irregular sleep cycle and I
> don't like sleeping
> too much (no I'm not an ubersleeper - the favorite
> discussion in
> blogosphere nowadays)
> I don't like being routine (If you've grasped the
> air of corporate
> culture you know what I mean). I want to research,
> apply new (and
> sometimes dangerous things), which the top level
> managers would not
> disagree because it's risky, it has not been tried
> by other apriori,
> it is not "what they have been doing for years".
> 
> I want to be (and I like to be) innovative in short.
> 
> So, I think a freelance position suits much better
> to my personality.
> 
> And after I settle down a few things in my life
> (which may take around
> two or so years), I may consider doing my own
> business.
> 
> Given that some portion of this list is composed of
> freelancers &
> owners/bosses of their own job who are excellent in
> what they do, I
> want to ask everyone:
> 
> 1. What are the pros and cons of being a freelancer
> / small business
> owner (financially, time-scedule, stress and
> deadlines etc)
> 
> 2. What are the ways to advertise yourself on the
> net, so that people
> know that you are doing some good business at a
> reasonable price.
> 
> 3. What is an average hourly rate for a freelance
> position (do not
> respond to this if you wish, or respond off-topic. I
> guess that as
> ones reputation increases so does their income)
> 
> 4. How the money transaction and agreements go back
> and forth internationally
> (like I send a fax to them describing project specs
> and timing, they
> sign it and send a fax back to me... just guessing.
> Or is there
> another way to do it?)
> 
> 5. How are the legal issues overcomed? (say my
> client refuses to pay
> money, but I have half the work done to them, how
> can I claim my
> money)
> 
> 6. Is it a good decision to reduce the risk by
> starting up 2-3
> colleagues rather than taking my lance and fighting
> alone. (humm,
> that's why it's freelance, free - lance, never
> thought of it before).
> 
> 7. Anything else that I forgot?
> 
> 
> Both your on-the-list and off-list responses are
> highly appreciated.
> 
> Thank you very much in advance.
> --
> Volkan Ozcelik
> +>Yep! I'm blogging! :
> http://www.volkanozcelik.com/volkanozcelik/blog/
> +> My projects/studies/trials/errors :
> http://www.sarmal.com/
> -- 
> 
> * * Please support the community that supports you. 
> * *
> http://evolt.org/help_support_evolt/
> 
> For unsubscribe and other options, including the Tip
> Harvester 
> and archives of thelist go to:
> http://lists.evolt.org 
> Workers of the Web, evolt ! 
> 



		
__________________________________ 
Yahoo! FareChase: Search multiple travel sites in one click.
http://farechase.yahoo.com