(Note: I get the irony of writing about a digital diet on a blog, which you will undoubtedly read on some kind of digital device.) It’s a fact of modern life that we spend most of our days looking at digital screens. From checking tweets on your mobile, to doing email on your laptop, to … Read more
Steve Jobs, the late Apple co-founder, ended his famous commencement speech at Stanford University in 2005 with the words "Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish." This advice came from the back cover of the Whole Foods Catalogue final issue in 1974. Accompanying a photograph of an early morning country road, it was the farewell message of the … Read more
I love being productive and the feeling that comes from getting the right work done at the right time. A recent productivity hack I’ve been following is to save all reading – including articles, newsletter and books – to outside of work hours, when I have downtime and can concentrate on the material. There have … Read more
Oh man. I hate doing accounting. So writing a whole article about freelance finances might be the undoing of me. But as a freelancer, your finances are one of the most important parts of your business. If you don’t keep on top of your income and outgoings, your invoicing, your tax returns and everything else … Read more
One of the main things people ask before they go freelance is how to work out their freelance consultant rate. Setting your freelance consultant rates is difficult. Set your day rate too low and you have to work longer and harder to make a decent income. Set your day rate too high and you risk putting … Read more
I was lucky enough to be invited to the inaugural #DowningTweet party, through my work with Twestival (thanks for the invite, @amanda!), which took place at 10 Downing Street. We were there to support the www.millionmums.org campaign, which aims to stop women from pregnancy or childbirth-related complications around the world. As @SarahBrown10, Global Patron of … Read more
“They’re solving problems like education and health care, creating jobs, and manufacturing right here in the U.S. And yes, a few of them also happen to be making some pretty cool apps for your phone.” Below is the “30 Under 30″ of US business start-ups, published on Inc.com. You can also view the slideshow here. … Read more
You’ve got the perfect name for your freelance consulting business. You may have even gone and registered your freelance domain name in a fit of excitement. You may even be lucky enough to have won your first client. It’s time to register your freelance consulting business. If you’re like me, you may find the idea … Read more
How much experience do you need to go freelance? And if you want more or feel like you need more, how do you get more experience as a freelancer? When I first went freelance, I had 4 years experience of working in the industry. That might not seem a lot, but I felt that in order … Read more
Hiring freelance web developers is notoriously difficult. Not only do talented web developers possess technical skill, but they must also be able to work in a team, predict deadlines, and handle the stresses of product development cycles. With such a varied skillset, it’s difficult to identify the candidates that have it all, and just reading … Read more