Freedomlance Inc.

Working independently, you love the freedom of coordinating your schedule to fit your needs. There is no one governing your time but you. Freedom can be a catalyst or a curse in accomplishing your daily work. One of the biggest challenges that freelancers have are distractions. Many times without realizing it a significant amount of time has passed and you've accomplished very little because of a phone call, kids, spouse, television, etc. Even when you're online something may grab your attention related to what you're working on and before you know it, you're completely absorbed in a post or article. 

Avoiding distractions is a daily battle because each day is different. Your intentions are good but somehow your flow gets broken. There are many ways to approach this matter. You have to identify exactly what part of your schedule is being affected. Everyone's situation is different. Here are a few suggestions that may help rid you of distractions. 

·         Turn off the television or radio (unless this is truly a part of your creative process)

·         Turn off the phone or only answer certain calls, such as your child's daycare or school

·         Resist the urge to any household tasks no matter how small

·         Modify your schedule if needed but plan. If you know you have a few appointments or            conference calls next week and don't what to lose productivity, make adjustments so 
     can make up this time the same day or spread it out over the week. 

·         Make time for family, friends and yourself. It's cool to have some balance. 

·         Learn to say "no". For others to respect your time, you must respect it first. This is not          being selfish. You're keeping the commitment you made to make your freelancing 
     business a success. 

There are many creative ways to handle distractions. The key is to stick with it. How do you handle your distractions? How is it effective for your situation...or not?

Last evening I had the pleasure of watching a video of three individuals that are among some of the most extraordinary entrepreneurs today. I'm so hyped I have to share it. You may have a writing business, be an affiliate marketer or an expert consultant. We all are working in the same direction to have the type of freedom you can't put a price tag on. In your quest you may be faced with challenges that have you on the brink of giving up. Don't thrown in the towel! If you are truly genuine in knowing that you are already successful and are trying to clear the path to meet your success, then take a little time to watch this video of Anthony Robbins, John Reese, and Frank Kern having a chat. Learn how to reset your mind and harness the power within you to accomplish your goals. Please share your thoughts!  Video here


"Cheers To Your Success"! 
-Bethany

It's no secret that health care and insurance continue to be an issue, especially in the state that the economy is in. Currently there are nearly 50 million citizens in America alone that are uninsured. Many of them are self-employed. The fact remains that at some point you will need medical care. But with the high costs to carry a policy it has become nearly impossible, what can you do? One option that is not talked about very much is the Health Savings Account, or HSA, and the advantages of having one.  

An HSA is a plan, similar to a health insurance policy, that it covers medical costs for an individual or family. The diffence is, the money you contribute every month is not a premium. The funds go into an account that remain there until a health need arises, and is then used towards the deductible and qualified health care costs of medical, dental and vision. If you don't use the money, it rolls over into the next year. The money is tax free, tax deductible, and tax deferred. If you already have an insurance plan, an HSA can help offset some of the costs that may not be covered. Individuals and families not covered under health insurance will feel secure knowing they are covered and saving money. 

The goal in having an HSA is obviously to cover health costs, but there may come a time when the funds are needed for an emergency. Though this is not encouraged, you can withdraw funds for non-medical expenses. In this case there is a penalty if you are under the age of 65. If you are 65 and older you can use the funds as you see fit, even if you have Medicare coverage. And having an HSA has nothing to do with your IRA. 

Many self-employed individuals prefer this option because it's affordable coverage, provides financial advantages and is portable. So if you move to another state you can take it with you. 

To learn more about the benefits of a Health Savings Account check out the videos, audio, presentations, and health savings calculator at the HSA Center. 

You're familiar with the resume layout that is basic or chronological. These types are probably the most common styles of resumes. The information within your resume has to grab the attention of the hiring manager in about 20 seconds or it doesn't have a chance. Though the process is similar for freelancers, the common resume layout may not be effective to land the job. The focus is not on dates with the length of the job and if there are any gaps. Freelancing projects vary in length and there may be gaps in between projects. The most favorable type of resume for a freelancer is the functional layout. This format focuses on skills and experience in your expertise allowing the reviewer to see exactly what you have to offer. This keeps them from searching through the document to try and figure out if you are qualified, which they probably won't bother doing. 

If you don't have a funtional resume and are finding some difficulty getting hired for your next freelance project, you may want to tweak your current resume to exhibit your strengths. Keep it professional but give it life with action words. If you are a highly skilled editor, state that you are an "expert editor" or "adept in editing". Convey your confidence in your abilities to meet the needs of the potential client. If you are not sure of your work, that is how your resume will communicate. Always check the spelling and grammar and review it by reading aloud or having someone review for you. Getting another opinion is helpful to possibly catch things you don't notice. 

When submitting your resume be sure to include a cover letter, or letter of interest. Many newbies applying for work online will send a short note to Google their name or check out their blog. If a submission requires links to your work, provide them. Many submissions require samples of your work, whether it's for writing, web design, etc. Provide what is being asked for along with your resume and cover letter. 

To help give you some ideas on how to upgrade your resume to functional status, here are four examples for download, from Monster and Southworth, to get things going. Good luck!


1) Basic Functional Resume-download
2) Experienced Functional Resume-download
3) Professional Functional Resume-download
4) Executive Functional Resume-download

If you are familiar with Chris Brogan then you know he is the go to guy in social media. Chris is President of the media marketing agency, New Marketing Labs and is a veteran in social media. As a speaker, writer, blogger, and now author he is an expert in branding, blogging, social media. Chris is co-author of Trust Agents with Julien Smith.


I am waiting with great anticipation for the arrival of my copy which has been shipped. I will keep you posted. 

I remember some time ago (years) when I was scared out of my mind to speak in front of an audience. Just the thought would make me a bit nauseous. I didn't want to do it, but as an up and coming young adult in management it was "required". In fact, I didn't ask for the job. But I accepted it, which meant accepting all that came with it including the public speaking part. Facilitating meetings, tour groups, and the like put me on the spot to be a presenter.

Speaking didn't get any easier until I learned that my audience wanted to know what I had to say. Wow!...Really? Yes, really! Whatever I immersed myself in I became a part of it and spoke with certainty on the subject. Just like when I tried out for the lead in a holiday play back in grade school. The part was for a boy, but I tried out anyway and got it. Some changes were made and the character became a girl. Somewhere along the way a fear to speak came into the picture. Determined to get rid of this conditioning, that was literally in my way, I enrolled in a course that helped me to regain my presentation skills through human relations. I was an effective speaker, again.

Writing is quite the same way. Being effective to your reading audience means you have taken a joyful plunge into your work. When you convey confidence in your knowledge and experience through your writing readers want to know what you have to say. Whether informative or entertaining speak on it...people want to know. 

For those of you that checked in earlier today the site was down for maintainence. No issues, just routine stuff to keep the nuts and bolts running in perfect order. I must admit at first it caught me off guard and I thought "okay what's the deal". But after a few communications, and prompt responses from the hosting service, my mind was set at ease. I must say, I am pleased with the support of the site. A little downtime goes a long way. And that's fine with me. 

Whenever you don't have access to do updates, ad posts, etc. in the admin area, you can actually continue working the same projects just in a different app. If you're like me, you do your posts on desktop anyway. It's easier this way to save it if I have to stop for any reason. I just save it and come back later or pause to add something to another project I'm working on. Before I know it I can log back in to the admin area and complete my updates. No time was really lost. When running your website or blog you want to know you can count on your hosting service to keep you in business.