Some thoughts on the real world by one who glimpsed it and fled

Here’s the text of a speech Bill Watterson gave at Kenyon College, Gambier Ohio, to the 1990 graduating class. SOME THOUGHTS ON THE REAL WORLD BY ONE WHO GLIMPSED IT AND FLEDBill WattersonKenyon College CommencementMay 20, 1990 I have a recurring dream about Kenyon. In it, I’m walking to the post office on the way to … Read more

Freelance in 30 Days Book: Get the confidence and knowledge to succeed at going freelance

The freelance book that helps you get the confidence and knowledge to thrive in your new freelance career. Do you want to build the confidence to finally go freelance? Do you want the freedom and flexibility that comes from being your own boss? Do you want to be a creative and productive freelancer? Answer "Yes" to these … Read more

Late Payment: What I’ve Learnt from 80,000 Freelancers

In this post I’d like to share with you my list of the top four resources you can use to tackle late payment. It’s based on my own research, combined with the insight I’ve gained from working with our users (to date over 80,000 of them). I hope you’re able pick up some great new … Read more

Communicating the Future, Guv

So, it was December 2012 and I was travelling in South America (La Paz, Bolivia, to be exact). And I was on the interwebz, checking Twitter, as you do. And I saw a job post for a company called FutureGov. The job was for Head of Comms, which sounded good to me. The skills required … Read more

Balancing the Positivity Around Crowdfunding

Crowdfunding is a well-known concept for most people, thanks to sites such as Kickstarter. Headlines of consumer products, such as the Pebble, to films, apps and games getting funded – with no apparent downsides – are everywhere. So when I was asked to write a piece on the "negative" side of crowdfunding, which would be … Read more

Where To Find London Tech Events, Meetups and Hack Days

A friend recently asked if I knew of any upcoming London tech events, so I sent them back a list of the sites I use to keep updated with the latest Tech, Startup and Hack Day events in London. Some of these events listings are for membership-based organisations, such as TechHub and Campus London. Please … Read more

Find Freelance Work in the Summer Slump

Finding freelance work can be difficult during the summer months. When school is out and the kids are at home many clients take time off for their holidays, meaning new projects and work is put on hold until the autumn. There’s a reason why freelancers call it the "summer slump". But finding freelance work while … Read more

How to build long-term client relationships as a freelancer

How to build long-term client relationships is a follow up to yesterday’s post on finding freelance work in the summer slump, and a longer term goal to write more about freelancing in general. I’ve written quite a bit about what I’ve learned from freelancing, but if there’s any topics you want to cover just let … Read more

28 tips from freelance websites that you can use to be a successful freelancer

Each of the main online freelance job sites – Elance, oDesk, PeoplePerHour and Freelancer.com – have guides detailing what they think it takes to be a successful freelancer, communicate well with clients and run effective freelance projects. While undertaking freelance work in these online marketplaces is an art in itself, there’s loads of useful information … Read more