Rules for good leadership

Over the years, I have had the opportunity to work directly with a number of leaders. I define these as people who lead their own teams and organisations. What makes some of them good leaders? My answer is personal and subjective. Note the “some of them” reference. Being good at your profession does not necessarily … Read more

About Ben Matthews

Hello, I’m Ben Matthews Based in London Co-Founder and Director at Empower Brief summary of my story so far: Contact me Want to ask me something? Email me at [email protected] Book My book, Freelance in 30 Days, is out now

About

Hello, I’m Ben Matthews Based in London Co-Founder and Director at Empower Brief summary of my story so far: Contact me Want to ask me something? Email me at [email protected] Book My book, Freelance in 30 Days, is out now

Women freelancers surge in the UK, with 63% rise in highly-skilled female freelancers

A 334,000 (63 percent) rise in highly-skilled women freelancers has driven the UK’s increasingly female freelance landscape over the last 10 years according to new research from IPSE, the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed. The increase takes the number of senior-level women freelancing in the UK to 863,000. The professions that saw the … Read more

Guide to the gig economy

The gig economy is the rising labor market that hires temporary, contracted workers instead of traditional employees. Companies are outsourcing tasks to already-trained, nonbenefited workers, and workers have a chance to work for multiple companies in temporary positions and quick gigs or to fulfill ongoing work. There are a lot of mixed feelings about the … Read more

Freelance Mobile App Developer Q&A: Nick Nicolaou

(This is the sixth in a series of interviews with freelancers, telling us their stories on how they went freelance. The aim is to help others who are thinking of becoming freelance learn more about what it takes, as well as get advice and inspiration so they can get the confidence and understanding to find … Read more

Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish

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

Meeting Heroes: My Y Combinator Interview Experience

Growing up in the seaside town of Brighton, I never thought I would meet and mingle with "famous" people (famous in the form of well respected icons – not the here today, gone tomorrow celebrity variety). When I was small, just going to the local park or the walk to school seemed like a big trip. … Read more

Inc Magazine’s “30 Under 30″

“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

Freelancer of the Year Finalist

I’ve been shortlisted by the nice people at IPSE as a Freelancer of the Year finalist in their Freelancer Awards. This is mainly for my work at Montfort, but also for other initiatives like Freelance in 30 Days. It’s a lovely surprise. The other 2015 finalists are: Rebecca Seeley Harris, re:legal Consulting Nick Forshaw, Weakend … Read more