Marie is a DIY enthusiast and a self-taught woodworker. Well actually, she’s more of a DIY addict and an amateur woodworker if we’re being honest. For as long as she can remember she’s had a deep curiosity for understanding how stuff is made and figuring out how she can make it myself.

The funny thing is that I remember my brother buying me a giant toolbox one Christmas, and I wondered to myself What on earth was he thinking? But I guess he knew even before I did that one day I would have a shop full of tools.

While she wishes writing about DIY projects and making how-to YouTube videos was her full-time job, she also has a full-time career as a market researcher in the pharmaceutical industry. Marie is also passionate about cycling and hockey, but these days woodworking takes up most of her time.

Marie lives in Montreal, Canada, where she works on projects out of her small garage shop. While she’s been DIYing for a long time, Marie decided to launch diymontreal.com in August 2016 in order to share projects with other DIY enthusiasts like herself. Then, just recently in 2017, Marie started a YouTube channel.

Website: https://www.diymontreal.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/diymontreal
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/diymontreal/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/diymontreal/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DIYMTL/

We’ll be talking about your story about how you started woodworking and the journey you’re taking with your YouTube channel. I always find myself relaxing at the end of the day watching DIY channels and getting inspiration from the projects that are created. I also feel that it would an interesting story to hear about how people manage and create content for YouTube as an entrepreneur.

Here are a few points that we talked about:

• Marie started her journey by starting a blog to showcase and talk about her DIY journey
• She’s been blogging for about 2 years before jumping into YouTube
• That honey-do list is a perfect opportunity to get started in DIY
• Planning, research, and figuring out “how to do this…” is a long process. Don’t rush the process!
• The beginning is the hard part – little to no traction can deter
• Instagram and sharing on social media was a turning point for Marie
• The more you share, the more you’ll position yourself as the expert in that field
• The truth is, not every project makes the cut
• Have a bank of projects that you can pull from when needed
• Start with projects that you need to be done around the house
• Monetization is different depending on the category, views, and size of your audience
  • Build your audience and you’ll find success. This can take time
• Mix up your revenue stream so you’re not relying on a single point
• Don’t do this to make money from the start
• Make this your passion and the quality will show!
• Build a process – Create a check-list of things you need to do for your projects, channel, marketing, etc. After a while, it will be second nature
• Interact with your audience on your social media platforms. Work on growing your community.
• Build that mailing list!
• Challenges are real when running a YouTube channel
  • Time is the major challenge
  • Think of the composition of the piece
  • Work on the “Beauty Shot” of the item. This will get better with more practice
• Starting off, you need…
  • to not focus on fancy camera equipment – Use your phone
  • pay attention to lighting – Use lamps, flashlights, or other sources to light up your subject
  • to use the basic video editing software until you find what you need or can upgrade
• Marie would love to eventually collaborate with other makers in the DIY space
• Marie would also like to push out more frequent projects on her channel and blog

Quick Picks

Marie

• Pixel 3 – This phone was ALMOST the upgrade phone, but have heard enough bad stories that she held off. Don’t upgrade.
• Udamey courses – Great way to learn things that you may not be aware of.

Marion

• City of Savannah, GA – Possible family trip that may be a tradition
• Spending time with family – <3

The post FHS 42 DIY YouTube Channel ft Marie of DIY Montreal appeared first on The Freelancer Head Start.

School Days

During my early years, I would frequently take things apart. As a curious child, you can find me behind the TV taking the phone apart because I wanted to know how it worked. I feel that at was the turning point in becoming an entrepreneur; I wanted to know how the world works! One thing at a time.

Getting candies, toys, and small trinkets is every child’s dream, and it certainly didn’t pass me by either. I started to paying attention to how much things might cost and how to then get that amount to buy my own candy and toys. I didn’t want to wait for mom or dad to reluctantly buy me something.

I raided my parent pockets for coins! I raided the seat cushions, the dresser, the cup holders in the car. I was relentless.

I saw an opportunity to help my parents just give me their spare change. To them, it was low value, but to me, it was very high value. Creating a system where they could just put their spare change in allowed me to efficiently collect them. Collecting that spare change was my goal, and I made it easy for my parents to fork it over.

High School

By my high school years, I expanded my efforts to get actual dollar bills. I started to look around the neighborhood to see what we could do as kids. Raking leave, mowing the grass, taking out trash, or whatever menial job that kids could do. I wanted to start doing that for pay because I was already doing that for my parents.

So I started going door-to-door and offering lawn service to people in the neighborhood and signing up work. From there, I would recruit my friends to work with me and split some of that profit. I would keep 60% of the payment and they would be paid out 40%. It worked well that way because I was the one finding the work, locking in the agreement, and paying out my friends.

I learned from that experience that partnering up with people and taking a smaller cut can still make you money. You don’t have to take it all on yourself and think you need to take on the world solo.

Time @ INPO

INPO stands for Institute of Nuclear Power Operations. We helped regulate the nuclear power industry here in North America. Similar to how the NRC inspects and verifies the operations of power plants, INPO does that but kicks it up a notch.

INPO was during my college internship days and I worked on the help desk. I was the first level support and picked up the phones or answered the phone calls for any problem. We were the first line of defense. Then I started to notice patterns that we were having.

From there, I trained myself to become the subject matter expert for that specific problem. With time, I became the ‘SharePoint’ guy for our 400 people strong company. I became more senior and was able to sit with Project Managers and other experts to learn how to manage projects, have conversations about the budget, and direct technology in a way to meet the goals of the project.

The employees at INPO had specific roles that they performed when they went out to inspect these power plants. You had the woman looking at the chemistry of the plant because she was the “Chemistry Woman”. The gentleman focusing on the auxiliary pumps because he was the “Pump Man”. They were very specialized…..and VERY well paid..

I learned that specializing in a specific field can help you become the expert in the room a lot quicker and command higher compensation. From observation, I realized it the power of specialization.

My First Company

When I was getting more senior at INPO, I would be approached to work on personal computers and devices. This lead me to start offering that as a service on the side to work on peoples machines.

A friend of mine at INPO was in the same boat as me. We would both be approached, but we would often share customers if we could not work on them ourselves. We also both had that entrepreneur spirit with finding and acting on opportunities if we found any. His family ran and operated a public gymnastics gym in North Georgia.

We started a company installing public access points in public locations. The first (and only) location that we were able to start with was his family gym. We had an inside track with the operating team, and installed the internet, access point, and configured everything. We then started shopping this idea around to other gyms, locations, and other public locations.

In the end, we folded the company because we realized we wanted to focus on graduating more than driving around everywhere fixing issues. This was also in the time before smart phones were super popular, so WiFi was slow and unreliable. Which was a huge headache when trying to get dozens of people on a single access point.

We both learned how to create an MVP, shop it around, and what to do WHEN things go wrong. It took a lot of patience, determination, and elbow grease to just get things started. We grew a lot while we operated that company!

Setting Out on My Own

During my time an INPO, I also started to expand my Rolodex and circle of influence. I wanted to keep people around me that I felt that I could help and grow with. I knew that I wanted to eventually work for myself and felt that keeping up with potential clients and past clients would work out in the long run.

I started moonlighting on the side and slowly built up my experience and confidence in working with strangers. I used these opportunities to start saving in my warchest for emergencies and backup income for when I DO step out on my own.

That war chest enabled me to take on more risk, be patient and picky about the clients I wanted to take on and find quality work. As I grew into freelancing, I increased my rates and kept evolving. Word of mouth and Referrals started to work for me and allowed me to step further and further into working for myself.

I fell upon a W-2 job that luckily allows me to currently work both Freelance and have clients. The catch is that that single W-2 job is good bulk of my income at the moment and that makes me worry. That is a single point of failure if I am let go.

Whats Next?

These coming years, I want to focus on diversifying my income even more. I want to make sure that I don’t have a single point that is getting me the largest ‘operational’ income. I want to ensure that the load is spread out as much as possible.

In the mean time, I am enjoying my W-2 work and I am able to balance this with my clients. I want to work on a few passive income projects, course work, products that you can purchase, and maybe additional client engagements.

We shall see what 2019 and 2020 brings!

The post FHS 41 How I Started appeared first on The Freelancer Head Start.

Make sure you CAN

When you work for an employer, you usually sign agreements stating that you’ll do X, Y, and Z for that company. One of those agreements may be to
take on side work or projects outside of the scope of your existing day job. Make sure you CAN work on side projects and moonlight by going over your agreements that you signed.

You don’t to put yourself in a position where all your hard work could get you in trouble with your current employer. MOST companies wouldn’t care what you’re doing in your off time. As long as you don’t compete with them.

Do Not Compete

The biggest no-no that you can do when starting to Moonlight is to start competing with your employer. This can land you in a WORLD of trouble.

When you are finding clients, make sure they are not clients you are taking away from your existing employers. You are being paid to be your employer’s resource and they’re not going to be too keen on you taking their clients. Do not work on the clock when you are supposed to be working with your employer. This is basic wage theft and can face jail time…

If you offer the same services that your employer does, then you’re just asking for trouble. Don’t poach or skim work from your main job and take it for yourself. You more than likely signed a non-compete or something stating that you won’t take work from your employer. Your services should compliment or gap-fill what your employer cant do.

Make a Deal with your Employer

If you feel comfortable approaching your employer to work on the side, by all means do it. Pay attention to the workload that your employer is having and offer to offset some of the tasks that are normally going to contractors, consultants, or outside help. You may be able to work after hours as a contractor yourself for the same company.

There is nothing wrong with approaching your employer with a proposal for alterations to your time or your total compensation.

Time – You can ask for more time for yourself to work on your moonlighting jobs. Make a deal with your employer about the number of hours you are working on your main job. Be upfront with them and ask for a few hours a week to work on your own stuff. It doesn’t hurt to request this as part of your compensation package.

Ask to have a few hours to yourself on a Friday in exchange for additional hours during the other days of the week. Ask to have every 3rd Monday off to attend community events. Ask to leave work early on Tuesdays if you can come in earlier on Wednesday because you’ve got a product to deliver. You have the ability to present options to your employer that benefits both parties.

Total Compensation – Your total compensation could be lowered if you negotiate for increase time to work on your own business in exchange. You have the power to ask for the rights to work on client work outside of your regular job if your job doesn’t normally allow it. Propose a lowered compensation package if they waive that limitation.

Work under a Brand vs your Name

If you are feeling iffy about stepping out while you’re also working for someone else, consider working under a brand instead of your real name. Your employer may have a stronger indication that you’re stepping out if you promote under your own name versus a company name.

You will get to a level where you’re needing to promote yourself as the expert in your field and using your company as a front-man/woman may not cut it anymore. Your clients are going to see you as another employee or help instead of the expert who can give them a return on their investment.

Start with working under a company name, then look into promoting work and being seen as the actual expert.

Finding Work

In Episode 2, we chatted about finding and researching potential clients.

http://www.Reddit.com

Reddit is a forum style website that has millions of users and thousands of communities. One of these communities are going to be exactly your client base. On Reddit’s homepage in the upper right corner, you can search for what’s called subreddits. These are the specific communities where your clients and customers live. For example, if you were a web developer who works with non-profit animal shelters, you would want to more than likely search for the ‘animal shelter’ subreddit. Within a few days or hours of using Reddit, you’re be able to identify at least 3-5 subreddits that focus on your niche. This may be one of the easiest places you’ll use when finding and researching your customers.

http://www.meetup.com

Meetup.com is a site that lists communities that line up with who your customers are. You can even find people who have similar tastes, ideas, or industries. Let’s say you’re that web developer that wants to find non-profit animal shelters. You could search “animal adoption drives” or “animal lovers of Atlanta” to find people who have similar interests. Then you can hone in on where and when they congregate. There are dozens of topics or groups or industries that meet all over the world and the States.

http://www.LinkedIn.com

You can think of LinkedIn as a social network for professionals. You can join specific communities within LinkedIn, connect with similar professionals, or target specific people in specific companies. LinkedIn has a very extensive search option that lets you find almost exactly who you’re looking for. You can pay for their premium level account and open up even more options for finding that specific client or audience. 

Other locations where you’re going to find customers include…

• http://www.hunter.io Hunter.io is a researching site that lets you know emails of companies. If you already have a name of someone in a company, you can grab their email address.
• http://www.slack.com – You can join a Slack channel specific to your targeted industry and jump in on the conversation
• https://angel.co/job-collections/remote – A job listing of startup companies looking for help
• Referrals – If you’ve already worked for/with (including professors) someone TELL them that you’d love for them to refer you in the future. Be specific about what type of client you’d like to be referred to.
• Networking Face-to-Face – Go to free trade shows or join an organization that has your target clients. It’s gonna take some practice doing face-to-face conversations, so don’t feel like you’ve failed your first time out.
• Guest Posts – Contact blogs that you follow and offer to guest post. It’s a win-win for both as you get to show what you can do and they get additional content. Finding and researching your customers may become easier after guest posting because they will start coming to you.
• Contact people/organizations/business direct – Use LinkedIn to search for people in a particular field or matches your criteria. Use your local Chamber of Commerce to find companies in your area or demographics. Heck, even looking at Google search results for contact information may work.

When to Make the Switch

Only you can really decide when to make that switch over. A good rule of thumb would be to wait until you have about 3-6 months of your income in a war chest before you step out. Having that safety net can sometimes make a difference in how you pursue and take on work.

Stepping out on your own is a big step and moonlighting is that slow and steady pace that can get you going to 100% self employed. Build up your Rolodex of customers/clients while you’re working for someone. Start small and you’ll grow big!

The post FHS 37 How to Moonlight appeared first on The Freelancer Head Start.

Know When to Cut the Cord

Its hard to know when to let a client go, but its easier to make that decision when red flags start to pop up. Those red flags can sneak up on you or be super obvious.

A few examples of Red Flags that pop up could be:

• Red–Flag 1: “I don’t know what i want, but i’ll know it when i see it”
• Red–Flag 2: Money is stressed more than the outcome
• Red–Flag 3: Why deposits are important
• Red–Flag 4: “I don’t really have a budget right now”
• Red–Flag 5: Low to no communication
• Red–Flag 6: Sporadic Payments

In FHS 17 (Click here to listen), we chat about the red flags that we come across every once in a while.

Sometimes you come to a point where you can’t provide the services that your clients hired your for. Your skills may not be up to par or your availability changed dramatically.

Sometimes you may need to go in a separate direction. Did you decide to stop providing that service? Are you evolving your business to keep with the times? Your growth is more important than holding back and pleasing your client.

Sometimes you have to raise your rates which will then price your clients out. Don’t limit your income by keeping clients that wont move with you. The goal of every engagement is to help your clients gain a positive return in your services. There will be a few clients that you’ll hold on to at your old rate, but you should slowly plan on moving them up to your new rates.

But if you’re reached a point where you need to let them go, be specific about it. Don’t beat around the bush. Don’t lie about it. Be the professional in the relationship and let that client go!

Be SPECIFIC

Don’t be timid or vague about why you’re letting them go. At this point, you should have already had communication about changes you’ve needed to implement.

Maybe the client is unaware of able to resolve the issue. You can never really know what is going on with the client and having that open communication can move things along. A lot of times in your favor. You should have had open communication with your client when problems popped up. From there you may have been able to resolve the issues.

Let the client know specifically why you have to go in a different direction. Don’t be rude or curt, but be professional and firm with the reasons.

Leave on Good Terms (If Possible)

You never know when or if you will circle back to the client. You may have a reason to leave the client because your services outgrew their budget. Or you’re taking on different types of work.

Leave with a good taste in their mouth and help them transition (as much as possible) to an alternative. You never know how they may referrer you to other work.

If you DO want to burn your bridges, make sure this is a bridge worth burning. Don’t let your emotions take over and do a “scorched earth” type of scenario.

Stop Working on Work

Regardless of how you are letting the client go, you still need to stop all work for that client. Do not drag on additional tasks as “favors” or “to help them out”. It is not fair to you or the client if you keep sticking around and working on their tasks.

If you let the client go, that also means you let the work go. There is no obligation to keep working for free….and you should not be working for free!

Don’t Be Shy About It

Being firm and assertive when letting the client go is similar to ripping off the bandage. Its gonna hurt…but only for a little bit.

The post FHS 36 Firing Clients appeared first on The Freelancer Head Start.

Chef Jack – Digital Marketing Consultant

Chef Jack wants to provide you with the best choices in food.  Whether you are seeking personal chef services, cooking classes, full-service catering of events, or connecting with masterminds over an amazing dinner, Chef Jack ATL is ready to meet all your food and catering needs. You can follow his delicious posts on Instagram.

Website: http://chefjackatl.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mastermind_dinners_atlanta (@Mastermind_Dinnners_Atlanta)

As a guest at the table you will be sharing and exchanging with other pros about what’s working, what’s not, and how to improve your business.  While working towards the next level of your business, you will be dining on a custom-made, gourmet dinner prepared on-site by the award-winning Chef Jack.​

Prepare to be inspired, motivated and encouraged on your entrepreneurial voyage with the support and advice of people who are in the same lane as you.

Mastermind Dinners Atlanta are invitation only events.  The best way to be offered an invitation is to register with the Guest List and learn when and where dinners are being conducted, and who the host/moderator is.  Some dinners have themes to be of the most benefit to certain business niches.  By filling out the short Guest questionnaire on ChefJack.com you can receive a special invitation to a themed dinner matching your profile.

Check out more about the Mastermind Dinners here: https://www.chefjackatl.com/mastermind-dinners

Here are a few points that we talked about:

• Unique foods served by Chef Jack
• What is a Mastermind Group (Also what is a Mastermind Dinner)
• Social lubricant
• Involvement increases at Mastermind Dinners helps make your groups more related
• Elements of the foods spur different conversations
• History of the Mastermind Groups
  • Junto Group with Benjamin Franklin in Philly
  • Napoleon Hill of the 1920’s
• Where to meet people
• Partnerships formed with 2 people who had parts-of-skills
• Strategies and importance of networking
• Group is more intimate and encourages discussion
  • ex. A woman spoke up about a great ideas, but execution needed help. Group stepped up and guided her idea to get started.
• Diverse groups bring diverse ideas
• Every problem that you’ve got, more than likely someone has already solved it
• 12 People maximum helps get the conversation flowing and a good pace
  • Effective sizes is about 8-10 people
• Tries to match groups together if possible
• Its OK to share, there are millions of people and ideas out there already

Quick Picks

Chef Jack

• Jason Gaignard – ‘Mastermind Dinners’

Check it out on Amazon. Click Here!

Marion

• Chick-Fil-A Sandwich recipe
• Diary Queen ice cream
• Wendy’s Chocolate Ice Cream

The post FHS 35 The Power of Mastermind Dinners ft Chef Jack appeared first on The Freelancer Head Start.

Click to Listen!

Get Clients Now – by C.J. Hayden

Purchase on Amazon today – Click Here!

Get Clients Now is one of my consistent go-back-and-read-this-again books. This

I recently read an amazing book that helped me reach a 40% increase in my revenue. Get Clients Now (by C.J. Hayden) has helped me identify a rhythm of marketing and promoting my services. This basic guided outline takes you through the different types of effective marketing strategies.

In episode 7, I break down the different strategies that I’ve used. You can listen to that episode by clicking this link here:

From MOST Effective to LEAST Effective Marketing Strategies:

1. Direct Contact & Follow Up
   1. This involves making a person-to-person connection with a prospective client through email, phone call, in person, fax, text message, etc. This tactic can include cold calling, warm calling, and lunch/coffee with potential clients. I touch on a few steps that I’ve done personally to land some of my first clients as well as some of my most lucrative clients.
2. Networking & Referral Building
   1. Meeting people face to face at networking events is just a drop in the bucket for this strategy. Building a list of contacts that you can tap into for referrals, clients, resources, ideas, or information should be the goal of networking.
3. Public Speaking
   1. Positioning yourself as a expert to your potential clients can start from public speaking. Public speaking will help you become more memorable and noticeable than if you were in the crowd.
4. Writing & Publicity
   1. Writing about your expertise can also be a powerful marketing strategy by gaining visibility and credibility among your peers and potential clients. Start small through social media, blogs, or your own website. Reach out to other blogs as guest writers can quickly lead you to more and more opportunities to show that you’re an expert.
5. Promotional Events
   1. Creating an event such as a trade show, fundraiser, or a conference can put you in direct contact with potential clients and bring the audience to YOU. This also holds true with participating in an existing event by owning/renting a booth. Cost is very real on both end at with this strategy: participating in an event or creating an event can be a very expensive cost per head experience.
6. Advertising
   1. There are generally two different types of advertising: organic and paid.Organic advertising is essentially word of mouth and low/no-cost advertising. Advertising by talking about and promoting your goods and products on social media or withing your mailing list is an example of organic advertising. This is the lowest cost engagement and can have some of the highest returns. Referrals are very powerful and builds trust.Paid advertising can help fill your pipeline with paying customers, but they don’t necessarily build trust in your product. Treat advertising as a way to increase your visibility and awareness to potential customers. The trust and eventual sale will come with them interacting with you directly.

The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business – by Charles Duhigg

Purchase on Amazon today – Click Here!

The Power of Habit is an interesting book that helps you understand why people do certain habits. Good and bad and how to help break or change that habit. This book looks at huge corporations and individuals and breaks down how habits are everywhere. From Starbucks to Target to the Montgomery Bus Boycott, habits are everywhere and can move mountains.

The Cue, Routine, Reward cycle is the basic concept behind the ‘Habit Loop’. Its what can be measured behind a habit. This can be in business or in life and we may not even be paying attention to it. By breaking down our habits, we can take control over our good or bad habits.

The Habit Loop have measurable stages in our habits. There is the Cue: the trigger for our habit. The Routine: what do we do during our habit. And the Reward: Why do we do our habit. This then restarts the Habit Loop and we’re back to it again.

Bringing this concept into our freelancing operation, we can create a Habit Loop to find and win customers and contracts.

Hooked: How To Build Habit-Forming Products – by Nir Eyal

Purchase on Amazon today – Click Here!

Excerpt from the book: 

Why do some products capture widespread attention while others flop? What makes us engage with certain products out of sheer habit? Is there a pattern underlying how technologies hook us?

Nir Eyal answers these questions (and many more) by explaining the Hook Model—a four-step process embedded into the products of many successful companies to subtly encourage customer behavior. Through consecutive “hook cycles,” these products reach their ultimate goal of bringing users back again and again without depending on costly advertising or aggressive messaging.

Customers and clients have a trigger that we can tap into that rely on existing habits that they have. We go on autopilot when we take action on behaviors that we are accustomed to. Building upon the habits that we may already have in our day-to-day, we can understand and alter them to our benifits. The same goes to when dealing with customers spending and purchasing habits.

Hooked is based on Eyal’s years of research, consulting, and practical experience. He wrote the book he wished had been available to him as a start-up founder—not abstract theory, but a how-to guide for building better products. Hooked is written for product managers, designers, marketers, start-up founders, and anyone who seeks to understand how products influence our behavior.

Book Yourself Solid – by Micheal Port

Purchase on Amazon today – Click Here!

Booked Yourself Solid has a basic premise: promote yourself. This book highlights strategic ways to get customers to notice you and your services. A lot of times, we are focusing on promoting our clients work and ignoring our own business. 

Book Yourself Solid is a handbook for self-promotion that translates into results.

• Build a solid foundation for a stellar public image
• Enhance your reputation for trust and credibility
• Perfect your pitch and pricing to attract higher-caliber clients
• Adopt the six core strategies that will keep you booked solid

The strategies in this book helps us focus on building the foundation of our reputation, how our clients view us, and the type of work we’ll attract. Starting small and eventually building a promotion can help you effectively land the types of jobs you’re looking for in a consistent way.

Whats Next?

I’m finding more and more that I’m moving towards using Audible for books. I tend to also stock up on other podcasts and listen on the go. Here are a few books that are in my queue, but haven’t listened or read yet.

• The Millionaire Next Door – Thomas J. Stanley
  • This book identifies common traits that a lot of successful and wealthy that keep showing up again and again. Its on my to-read list for sure.
• The Total Money Makeover – Dave Ramsey
  • One of the classic books that MOST people have heard about. Its a powerful guide and program to help get you out of debt. The ‘snowball effect’ has helped me, as well as tons of others out there, reduce debt and build a financial platform.

The post FHS 34 What Am I Reading appeared first on The Freelancer Head Start.

You’ve probably heard that joke “How do you eat an elephant” and thought that it was kinda clever. Well, there is a good piece of wisdom to the punch line: “One bite at a time”. Big tasks get MUCH easier when you break them down. And, yes, ‘big’ can be relative to whatever you’re doing, but the statement still stands. Breaking up your task into manageable quick-wins helps you keep that momentum and feel/see progress!

In Short; Getting Sh*t Done!

Eating the Elephant boils down to “Getting Big Sh*t Done”. We all have things that we need to do for our freelancing business and they all range in size and complexity. Most people just have a giant check list of things that they need to do and try to get that box checked. Without realizing the effort that is needed to get that box checked, we can sometimes focus on one task…and one task only.

This approach leaves everything else by the wayside, slows down your progress of getting things done, and doesn’t help you prioritize what you actually need to be focusing on. Are you getting caught up on the HOW and not the WHAT of your business?

Need help getting past that Analysis Paralysis we often have when figuring out our business? Get past the HOW and focus on the WHAT! Check out FHS 21: Figuring Out the WHAT

Your To-Do list may also be a place where ideas go to die. Throwing things on your To-Do list that doesn’t need to be there is pretty common.

Don’t use your To-Do list as a dumping ground for tasks or ideas.

You’ll easily get overwhelmed and discouraged from actually getting sh*t done. But how do we actually get sh*t done? Well…you need to learn how to chew that elephant!

How to Chew

This is where that “one bite at a time” answer comes into play. Any task that you need to do can be done. You just have to attack it with a strategy.

Taking a look at what you ACTUALLY do every day, you’ll realize that you’re only getting on average 3 things done per day. I challenge you to focus on widdling down your to-do list to only 3 things. Try it for a single day and you’ll see that you’re much more hyper focused and effective!

• Break it apart – Take you big task and separate it into small sub-tasks that have actions you can do.
• Set time limits for your work – Don’t think you have to do everything TODAY! Pace yourself and set limits on how long you’ll work on the task each day until its done. Work in 25-minute shifts and take a break after.
• Take breaks – You are not a machine. Take frequent 5-minute breaks after your 25-minute cycle so you wont burn out.
• Focus! – Don’t distract yourself by doing all of the sub-tasks at once. Focus on one task during that 25-minute cycle and one task only! Focus on that elephant!

Choose 3 tasks to do today that you can do within 8 hours. You’ll be hyper focused and proud of your progress.

When you break down your goals into smaller manageable and bite size pieces, you’ll see the fruits of your labor much more quickly than trying to take it all at once. Set a time-box (about 25 minutes) for how long you’ll work on that one piece and keep at it until you’ve made significant progress.

You’ll look back and have that sense of accomplishment and fulfillment pushing you further!

Marathon vs Sprint

Your elephant can be broken down into smaller chunks. Don’t rush through things just to get it done. Take your time by focusing on once piece at a time that will eventually finish the overall goals. You’re going to need some sort of Time Management system in place to keep you on track. One method that I use the Pomodoro method by Francesco Cirillo.

The Pomodoro Method is a simple and effective way to manage your time to help you focus on the tasks at hand

Basic Pomodoro Cycle

1. Choose a task from your list
2. Set a time for 25 minutes
3. Work on task until the timer goes off
4. When timer goes off, put a check mark on your piece of paper
5. Take a 5 minute break
6. Every 4 pomodoros, take a longer break (about 20 minutes)
7. Repeat

While going through the cycle, you’ll get a better idea on how to break that elephant into smaller and more realistic and manageable tasks. You’ll get better at taking off 25-minute chunks of your task.

It doesn’t matter how large of a elephant you have. You’ll still be able to break it apart into manageable tasks. You may even have to break THAT task even one more time. The point is to keep going until you’re able break the task apart into smaller and smaller pieces. Don’t think you have to finish large nearly-impossible tasks in one sitting.

Pace yourself when eating the elephant and you’ll make it through.

Eating the Elephant

Dont think you have to take on that mountain of a goal. Breaking things up into smaller and more manageable chunks are going to put you on that path of completion. Eating the elephant is a process that combines time management, task management, and focus.

Take a task that you need to accomplish that will go towards your elephant. Work on in for 25 minutes. Take a break, and repeat. You’d be surprised to see how much progress you’ll get done with a simple 25-minute focused session.

One tool that I use to keep track of my tasks is Trello (www.trello.com) and its 100% free. Its an online and virtual whiteboard where you can organize and share your thoughts or tasks. I’ve created myself a “To-Do” board where I have a ‘Need To’, ‘Doing’, and ‘Done’ board with dates and check boxes. It keeps my thoughts and to-do’s organized and related to each other.

The post FHS 30 Eating the Elephant appeared first on The Freelancer Head Start.

What is a Contract and Do You Need One?

Some people shy away from the word “contract” because a lot of time it triggers that feeling of “being sued”. A contract, by definition, is a promise or set of promises that are legally enforceable and, if violated, allow the injured party access to legal remedies. In short, its an agreement between two or more people.

My favorite tool to use for creating, managing, and signing contracts is Hello Bonsai. Its an online portal that allows you to quickly and easily create and send a contract. Hello Bonsai also keeps track of when that contract was read and signed. Pretty handy when you’ve got a lot of moving parts in your project.

If you’ve ever done work for hire, the answer to ‘do I need a contract (an agreement)’ is YES! You should never do work for money unless there is something written down and agreed upon. Even if the work being done if for a friend or family member. Especially if its a family member.

A contract is NOT a piece of paper that you can bully people into doing something against reason or their will. Its a way for both sides of the table to have an understanding of what was agreed upon. We want to make clear our understandings with each other. Whether you call it an agreement, a contract, or bargain, both sides of the contract need to agree to the contract terms.

Contracts are tools used to help both sides understand the expectations from everyone when it comes to work being done.

When creating a contract you’re going to have at least 4 main parts to a contract:

• ID the Players
• Scope of Work
• Payment
• Schedule of Work

As always, please consult with a lawyer for your specific needs and verbiage for your contract.

If you want a copy of a Contract Template, click here!

4 Minimum Parts

ID the Players

You want to know what is a part of the contract for both sides. Who is doing the work and who is receiving the work. The first section of the contract should identify this and spell it out in a way that makes sense for everyone. You need to have it outlined as to who you are dealing with as well as who the customer is dealing with.

The contract needs to specify who you are actually doing work for, who is the point of contact, and what everyone’s roles are. Your goal is to remove guess work and assumptions.

An example would be

I am a freelancer in the United States in Georgia. I work through MowenWorks, an LLC, as a consultant. My client is XYX, INC, represented by Sean Smith.

Your definition of who the different players are and how they are being represented my change depending on your type of work. You will still be outlining who you are doing work for and who has authority and final say of your work.

Scope

The scope of the work should also be defined within your contract. It spells out WHAT you are actually going to be doing for your client. Where does this definition come from? Well, it should come from your Roadmapping Session (FHS Episode 22) that you did earlier in the project.

The scope will include not only what you will be doing with the project but what you will NOT be doing with the project. This can and should include things such as

• Hours of operations
• Deliverables
• Client deliverables
• Disabilities
• Your limitiations

In this section, you should also discuss what the agreed upon outcomes will be for the project. We need to spell out what they are hiring you to do and what the client will be, possibly, doing as well to help reach that goal.

You will spell out what is defined as “DONE” with the project so everyone can agree upon and have and understanding. You wont know if the project is done unless you actually define done. Never ending projects are no-fun…

If you want a copy of a Contract Template, click here!

Payment

Payment agreement is pretty important to…get paid… So we have to talk about expected costs and payment schedule up front. The payment section will outline the total cost and any milestones that will be needed to complete the project.

For example,

The Client will pay the Contractor in milestones totaling $1,100.00 (USD). The milestones will be invoiced as follows:

• $550.00 (USD) on March 15, 2018

• $275.00 (USD) on April 1, 2018

• $275.00 (USD) on April 22, 2018

Make sure to include that you will need to take a deposit before work will begin. This is important as it signals the start of the actual project. Another tactic that you should use is to require the last payment be made at the agreed upon end date of the project.

Since you’ve defined what “DONE” is within the project, you’ll also define WHEN “DONE” is going to happen. Your last payment should fall upon this date or before (when the project is done).

Include verbiage into the contract that allows for penalties and fees if certain payments are missed, late, or the project is cancelled prematurely. This helps solidify the financial commitment for both side to work on the project until completion.

Schedule

How long is the project expected to take? We need to have an agreed upon end time and milestones for the project. The Schedule section talks about time frames, deliverable, and end dates. Don’t shy away from making this section as specific as you need to be. A lot of times, the project can have scope creep and the schedule section will help rein in on what is to be delivered.

Here is an example statement for the Schedule:

The Contractor will begin work on March 15, 2017 and will continue until the work is completed. This Contract can be ended by either Client or Contractor at any time, pursuant to the terms of Section 6, Term and Termination.

The milestones of what will be done is included in the Schedule section. You need to specify what is going to be completed and when. This also includes payment milestones for the work done.

Additional Sections

These four mane section described above are not always the end of a contract. There are usually additional sections that you’ll want to include with the contract. Here are a few of them

• Ownership and Licenses
  • Who owns what and how can they be used
• Competitive Engagements
  • You agree to not work for a competitor while the work is being done
• Non-Solicitation
  • You wont take the clients customers from them while working on the contract
• Representations
  • Defines the roles of the people on the contract
• Confidential Information
  • Information and work is confidential
• Limitation of Liability
  • No one is liable for breach-of-contract damages that are reasonably unforeseen

If you want a copy of a Contract Template, click here!

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