In this blogpost, I share 4 of the many video editing software’s I have tried and tested since I started offering professional video editing services in 2009. Since that time, I have found these 4 to have good terms for beginners.
Before I begin highlighting my picks; I assume you have the following;
A computer with the right specs for video editing.
And video editing/creation skills.
With this said, here are some softwire’s you can download and use for free and pay for it later when you have work that pays.
4 PRO Video Editing Software’s With Fair Terms For Beginners
Camtasia studio is an easy to use software that I use all the time for my vlogs. As a beginner, you get 30 days trial when you sign up to download it. Within this period, you will be in a position to do many things with the software among them screencast video recording and editing.
You can even produce paid work using the software!
This way, when you get paid for the video editing job, you can upgrade to a paid version of the software.
DaVinci resolve 17 is a free video editing software recommended for creators who are into filmmaking. You can do many things using the software on a professional level for FREE.
It’s important to note that the computer specs needed in order to use this software is a bit higher. Be prepared to purchase Blackmagic products as you progress.
I believe they did this considering the video production industry terrain. There is no guarantee for work when beginning or at all time. Its a good offer for a starter who is hard working as they can learn to use the software and do a lot with it during this period.
This is another professional software that one can consider when starting up. It was widely used between 2000-2010 before final cut Pro came in for Mac. The company offers four different versions of the software.
As a beginner, you can start with the free version –Media composer first– then progress to the professional version of it once you start making money from video editing.
These are few of the many professional video editing software’s that I have tried and used for free in the past.
What About Adobe Premiere and Adobe After effects?
I know you are wondering; what about Adobe Premiere and Adobe After effects? I don’t think they are good for a starter who have no money to spend on software. 7 Days is not enough to explore a software and get comfortable with.
Secondly, I understand that many people have access and use patched/cracked version of all Adobe Software’s and uses it to do their work, am totally against piracy. I say from a businessman perspective.
If you want to organically grow your freelancing profession editing videos, I recommend purchasing software license or use the ones I have recommended above when starting up until you make money.
And that is it from me. Which professional video editing software do you recommend for beginners to use? Share your suggestion in the comments section below.
The recommended file size for GIF video animations on various website platforms vary. As a video editor, its good to know how to compress GIF videos or animations.
Video: 3 Ways To Compress GIF Videos or Animations
In some websites, any GIF video file size will play, while in others, GIF’ whose file size is more than 5 Mbs will not play.
If the final file size of the animated GIF you have produced is larger than what the site recommends; how will you compress it without losing the video details? In this blogpost, I will share with you 3 ways of compressing GIF videos.
Reduce Video Pixels
This is the first option you have to consider. What’s your video editing dimensions?
For instance, if you want HD video and your editing dimensions are 1920×1080, you may have to consider reducing the dimensions to that of a smaller version of HD. In this case, the size will be 1280×720. This will dramatically reduce the final GIF video size by Half. If you are using Camtasia studio, go to project settings and select 720p HD. Most sites recommend a GIF video of 1200 Pixels. So this means you will reduce the dimensions from 1280×720 to 1200×676 pixels.
Reducing the Video editing dimensions on Camtasia
Reduce Rendering Frame Rate
Popular rendering frame rate for GIF videos is 15 Frames per second. The highest frame rate recommended is 30 Frames per second and minimum is 1 Frame per second. The higher the frame rate, the higher the size, the lower the frame rate the lower the file size.
In the past, I have found out that 5 frames per second is very effective in dramatically reducing the video file size without the final GIF file lagging when you play.
To do this; in your rendering settings menu, click on the frame rate drop down menu and select 5.
GIF Video Animation Rendering Frame Rate on Camtasia studio
Using Free GIF Compressors Available Online
There are many GIF compressors available online today. If you have tried the options above and your GIF video size is still larger than the recommended size, you may have to consider this 3rd option of using a GIF compressor. I have tried and used a free GIF video compressor found here. The results was very good. I was able to reduce my GIF video size by 68% without losing the image quality.
Bonus Options
If all the above options of compressing your GIF video file fails, you may want to consider reducing your GIF Video duration. If your GIF Video is say 60 seconds, you can try reducing it by 5 seconds and see the difference.
Add clip speed to the GIF video
Another way of doing this is to speed up the video on the timeline. This will help reduce the file size by a slightly small percentage.
Conclusion
Learning how to compress GIF video files directly from your video editing suite is the best way I recommend. I know there are many other ways that one can do this.
Do you know of any other way of compressing GIF videos that I have missed to mention here on this blogpost? Please share and let me know in the comments section below and you will another freelancer out there wanting to compress GIF’s.
Online service delivery is proving to be very efficient and convenient in Kenya. 2 years ago, you could not get an e-mail reply from many of the government institutions’ websites if you contacted them via their contact form. That’s still the case today in a some of them.
Watch Video – Kenyan Websites That Topped My List in 2021
I used and reviewed some of the Kenyan websites in 2021 which include government, parastatals and banks. Based on my experience, all of them got good rating when it came to resolving issues related to their services.
On this blogpost, I will highlight some of the top sites and mobile applications which many Kenyans use on their daily basis. Almost all of the services that I am going to review here saved me a great deal in 2021.
I love this app for what it does. Let me start with its ability to allow users to transact globally. Some of the clients I work with reside in different parts of the world and pay me using Paypal. Being able to receive payments from PayPal in minutes to Mpesa with good exchange rate is great deal.
Paypal to Mpesa and vice versa
Inside the app, you can see the link to either top up PayPal or Withdraw money from PayPal. The process is as easy as paying a bill. Also, you will receive your money within few minutes. The second beautiful thing I love about Mpesa app is being able tag expenses each time you spend. E.g when you pay for shopping, you can tag the expense as ‘shopping.’ At the end of the month, you will be able to see how much money you spent on shopping. This really helps in managing expenses and being accountable.
The third feature I have been using and love is the Mpesa mini-apps. The mini-apps within the Mpesa app is quite convenient to those using the app. E.g With mini-apps, am able to book a flight, train, buy electricity tokens, pay for insurance e.t.c.
If you are someone who is looking for ways to save time and money, then you will enjoy using Mpesa App for the convenience that it brings.
KRA iTax portal is another very convenient website for me that I use in filling my monthly Tax returns.
I visited the iTax portal a lot in 2021 to file returns, request for waiver, update my personal information and more. The portal really saved me time and money. You don’t have to pay someone to help you file returns if you have little transactions every month. It’s easy to file returns once you learn how to do it. One can use iTax portal to file returns, generate payment receipts’, clear all penalties associated with their PIN and more.
Also, I used the portal to request for a Tax Compliance Certificate (TCC).
On BRS portal, I was able to update my registered businesses’ contact information directly on the portal. Also, I updated the beneficiaries of my company as per companies act 2015.
At the the comfort of your home, you can apply and pay for business registration on the BRS portal today.
This is the site for requesting company closure or strike off.
Closing a company in Kenya
Towards the end of the year 2021, I initiated the process of striking off Trendline Network Ltd here. You can access the portal on the address www.ag.ecitizen.go.ke. When you make an application to strike off your company, it will take up 5 days to be reviewed. It will either be approved or rejected.
You can find useful resources related to law on Kenya law website.
I found this site last year when looking for the weekly Kenya Gazette publication. The Gazette is free to download on the site. After my application for company strike off was approved, I was advised to regularly check the weekly Kenya Gazette, for the first publication on the first month, andthe last publication after 90 days. Kenya Law website has been very helpful to me when following up on company closure.
NHIF selfcare portal was very helpful to me in 2021. After many years of not paying for my medical insurance, In 2021, I was able to finally update my personal data via the NHIF self care portal. Also, I was able to change the outpatient hospital via the portal.
It’s easy and secure to use NHIF online services besides being able to do everything at home.
I did a review of ArdhiSasa portal in 2021 and published it here. During the review, I tried different things on the site and I was contented with the portal speed and ease of use.
Ardhisasa Kenya Review
On Ardhisasa, you can search and transfer property, order a plan and order a tittle of any property in Nairobi county. They say they aim to expand the service to contain land information from all other counties in Kenya.
I signed up for online banking with Diamond Trust Bank (DTB), KCB Bank and I &M Bank owing to the fact that I have an account with the banks. My experience with their online banking services was satisfying. I was very happy with each one of them.
They embrace 2 factor authentication which is a good practice when it comes to safety online. With the introduction of online banking in Kenya, customers now have an additional option of transacting money from their bank accounts when other options fails or are not available.
From transacting over the bank counter, using mobile short codes, debit and credit cards and bank mobile apps; one is not limited on how they can transact.
Conclusion
Technology is proving to be the effective in many sectors of the economy in Kenya. Being able access many of these services online anywhere across Kenya is a good thing. This is the way to go for many small and big companies/businesses.
And that is it from me on the 8 Top Sites and Apps I Used Most in 2021.
If you need help to create video reviews for websites, apps or software’s, you can request a free quote on www.techtubestudio.com.
You can build a very rewarding career as a freelance video editor working from home. The challenge most professional video editors have is how to get started.
In order to be taken seriously as a video editor, one needs many things. The first one, is a license to a paid professional video editing software. This is besides a computer with high specs to use in editing videos.
Watch video: How to kickstart Freelance Video Editing Career OnlinePhoto by Alex Fu on Pexels.com
Having a access to premium quality royalty free videos, photos, music and sound effects is an added advantage when looking for work.
With all these requirements at hand, you will be well equipped to go out and look for video editing work.
But what if you don’t have the money to purchase licenses to all the recommended software’s and you are very good at video editing? Will you opt for the cracked version of the software’s you need?
It’s obvious most people will opt to go for the later because its easy and you make all the money without paying for the software license. Sadly, it has more downsides than one would imagine when it comes to private data. I don’t recommend downloading cracked software even if your friend is using and recommends it.
In 2022, it is possible kickstart your career as video editor serving online clients using free legit resources.
In this blogpost, I will share with a sure path to success as a beginner professional video editor.
Getting The Tools You Need
By the time you are reading this, I assume you have a computer with the right specs and video editing/creation skills. With this said, here are some softwire’s you can download and use for free and pay for it later when you have work that pays.
Camtasia studio is an easy to use software that I use all the time for my vlogs. As a beginner, you get 30 days trial when you sign up to download it. Within this period, you will be in a position to do many things with the software among them screencast video recording and editing.
You can even produce paid work using the software!
This way, when you get paid for the video editing job, you can upgrade to a paid version of the software.
DaVinci resolve 17 a free video editing software recommended for creators who are into filmmaking. You can do many things using the software on a professional level for FREE.
It’s important to note that the computer specs needed in order to use this software is a bit higher. Be prepared to purchase Blackmagic products as you progress.
Final cut pro is another great video editing tool if you are a Mac user. When you download the software, you get a 90 day free trial.
This the longest window period that no other video editing software company has attempted to offer. Their competitor Adobe premiere pro gives users only 7 days to try.
I believe they did this considering the video production industry terrain. There is no guarantee for work when beginning or at all time. Its a good offer for a starter who is hard working as they can learn to use the software and do a lot with it during this period.
This is another professional software that one can consider when starting up. It was widely used between 2000-2010 before final cut Pro came in for Mac. The company offers four different versions of the software.
As a beginner, you can start with the free version –Media composer first– then progress to the professional version of it once you start making money from video editing.
These are few of the many professional video editing software’s that I have tried and used for free in the past. I know you are wondering; what about Adobe Premiere and Adobe After effects? I don’t think they are good for starter who have no money to spend on software. 7 Days is not enough to explore a software and get comfortable with.
Secondly, I understand that many people have access and use patched/cracked version of all Adobe Software’s and uses it to do their work, it am totally against piracy. I say from a businessman perspective.
If you want to organically grow your freelancing profession editing videos, I recommend purchasing software license or use the ones I have recommended above when starting up until you make money.
These include Pexels, Videvo, Pixabay, Vidsplay and Pikwizard. Utilize these sites when starting up to get free videos and photos to use in creating stunning videos for your clients. 0
Getting Free Music and Sound Effects
You will need music for use in video intros and general video production. For instance, some videos will not need a voice over narration but instead a background music.
You can get free music on YouTube audio Library here. This is a sure place I know. Of course google search offers you with a whole lot of other alternative places.
How Can These Resources Help You Get Work?
Creating A Video Portfolio
With the free videos and photos, you can create a nice video demo to showcase your skills. Plan this by writing a script that communicates a message. It can be a short video to market a product or service.
Create a couple of different styles of professional videos for use in showcasing your video editing skills. Each time you are requested to send a proposal, send links to the videos alongside it.
Creating Videos For Clients
Some clients don’t have a budget to purchase royalty free videos, photos and music. Having an idea on where to get free assets online will give you an upper hand on getting hired. This means that, you can use the free resources to produce videos and get paid.
And this wraps up our blogpost today on the steps you need to kickstart your video editing career online as a beginner.
Once you have earned money offering video editing services, you can invest the income in purchasing licenses to your favorite video editing software. Your video editing career path will be easy if you patiently follow this advise.
and that is it.
Which professional video editing software do you recommend for beginners to use when starting up for free? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
And if you need help to create and produce professional screencast videos and GIF’s for your business, you can request a FREE quote here.
When editing video on your preferred video editing software timeline, there are certain audio effects you will want to add and make the video sound good and professional.
In order to add the effects you want, you will need to know how to control the audio while editing the video on the timeline. In this blogpost, I will share with you ways to control audio while editing your videos.
Adding Audio Points
This is like the main skill you need to learn. Once you are able to master it well, you will be able to control the volume level of the background music on your videos. Audio points are small keyframes that you add to your audio in order to control the volume in different sections of the video as it plays.
The same can also be applied to video.
To add audio points on Camtasia studio, right click on the audio you want to add audio points to. From the menu that pops up, select add audio point. Repeat this process to add another audio point.
Control Audio on Your videos
Controlling The Audio Points
When you add audio points to your audio, the audio points will appear like in the screenshot below.
Audio control points
Use the control points to raise and lower volume of the audio selected. To do this, click, hold and drag the audio point(one at a time) down to lower the audio volume and up to raise the volume. You can add the control points at any section/part of the audio on the timeline.
Use The Control Points To Fade In
At the beginning of your audio, you can use the audio points to fade in. To do this, add two control points to your audio. Let the audio points be 3 seconds apart with the first control point appearing at the beginning of your audio.
Fade in using audio points
Drag the first control point down as shown in the image above. Play to listen and adjust accordingly as per the video you are editing.
Fade In Audio In the Middle of the Video
Lets say you in the middle of editing a video in the timeline, and there is a title that appears for 3 seconds. In the same video that you are editing, you have a background music playing in low volume. You want the music volume to rise at the section where the title is and fall again once the title disappears.
How will you achieve this audio effect?
You can achieve this using audio control points. To do this, add four audio points to your background music. Adjust the first 2 points to be 3 seconds apart and next to where the title begins. Have the other 2 control points at the end. (Ref. to the screenshot below).
Start by dragging the third control point up first to raise the volume to the percentage you want. Drag second control point up as well to the same level as the third one.
At the end, your audio points will look like the screenshot below but on the up side as you are raising the volume.
Fade audio in the middle of the video
Once you have mastered audio control using the audio points, other edits related to audio will be easy.
Adding Sound effects To Video
The process of adding sound effects to a video is same as the one of adding a background music. The difference is the positioning of the sound effect in question.
Drag and drop the sound effect to the position you want it to appear on your video on the timeline. Replay the video and adjust it’s position to ensure that it’s in sync with the visual effect.
Sound-effects-alongside-the-video-graphics
Trimming Audio Separately On A Video
Sometimes, you will want to trim audio separately on a video. In order to do this, you will have to first separate the video and audio. Next, right click and select separate audio and video. From here you will be able to edit audio and video separately.
Trim Audio on a Video separately
Exporting Audio Only
The process of exporting audio only from a video timeline varies with video editing software’s. To do so on Camtasia Studio, click on export on the top menu and select export audio only. Select your preferred audio file type and click save.
Export Audio Only on video
Conclusion
There is more to video editing than just trimming the video as desired. These include editing the audio, designing and adding motion graphics, adding subtitles e.t.c.
Knowing how control your audio on the timeline manually is very good. With more practice, you will be able to do them accurately and faster.
If you are a professional freelance video editor, I urge you to factor in audio editing in your quote when asked to send a proposal.
And that is.
Is there any other way to control audio in your videos? Share your feedback in the comments section below.
And if you need help to produce professional screencast videos, you can request a quote on www.techtubestudio.com.
As one grows as a freelancer, there is a need to own a website where you can share your skills and ideas. WordPress is one of the best and most popular platform to host your website.
It’s easy to use. Moreover you can start publishing on the platform for free. All you need to do is sign up. This means that you can build your online business from scratch on WordPress.
While anyone is capable of building their website on WordPress, along the way as workload increases, they will need a helping hand. By hiring a freelance WordPress website designer, you will save time and money.
In this blogpost, I will be sharing my process of hiring a WordPress website designer as well as some of the things I look at when hiring one.
Where to Hire
Hiring a freelancer through the freelance marketplaces is what I will focus on in this blogpost. It’s the safest and most reliable way to hire a freelancer. This is owing to it’s Escrow payment protection, ability to get a variety of freelancers, affordability e.t.c.
One of them is through referrals. If you know individuals who offers web design services, I urge you to contact them directly on their websites and discuss with them your project. If their quote is within your budget, go ahead and give them a contract. It’s a good deed.
Video: How I Hire a Freelance WordPress Website Designer
With this said, lets now dive into what I look at when hiring a freelance WordPress Website designer.
It Starts With Cover Letter
If you are a freelancer, you know that cover letter is everything a client needs to make that decision of hiring you. CV’s here don’t work. Your profile and past client reviews is what someone will look at if they need further clarification on your portfolio before they hire.
That’s what I also do. I base their experience with the number of happy clients they have served.
So in this case, what do I look at when reviewing a cover letter?
Cover Letter Greetings
How do they address me? This is very important. Some addresses me personally by my name and others prefer to use ‘sir/madam.’ This tells me that the freelancer is kind and respectful.
On the other hand, someone who just writes ‘Hi or Hello‘ to me sounds a bit mean and unprofessional.
Reading further the cover letters of most of second type of freelancers confirms that truly they are unprofessional because they don’t know what they are talking about.
Most of them send generic cover letters. That is why I think every detail in the cover letter matters.
Addressing The Problem
When you Post A Job, you as the client is supposed to describe in detail what you are looking for in a WordPress web designer. Also, you need to describe the tasks you want accomplished on your WordPress website.
I expect a freelancer applying to my job post to mention something about my needs in the first paragraph.
In many occasions, I decline 40 to 60% of the applications. This is because their cover letters are generic. In this I mean they have one copy of cover letter which they reuse on all their applications.
Links To Their Portfolio
This is another most important aspect. Have they designed a WordPress website before? How do their past designs look like? Does any of them impress me? If I like some of their past designs in their portfolio, I proceed and shortlist the candidate right away.
Depending on my urgency, I can proceed and send them a message informing them that I have seen their application and I like specific website designs they have in their design portfolio.
I then remove or decline all applications without links to any past project.
This is unless I have few freelancers applying to the job post.
Cost
By the time I am looking at the applicants quoted price, I would have filtered about 80% of the applications. For the ones remaining, I will look at their costs and compare it with the value they intend to offer.
While cost does not come first, its an important aspect that I look at when evaluating a freelance WordPress designer.
Timelines
How much time do I have with me to focus on this?
While this is communicated upfront while posting the job-depending on how experienced and committed the freelancer is- I expect them to propose their own timelines for completion of the project during the interview.
If my preferred freelancer does not propose a different timeline, it means they are fine with the timeline I proposed to them. This for me is a perfect candidate for the job.
Revisions and Bug Fixes
At my early stages of hiring a freelance WordPress designer, there was a lot of bug fixes and revisions that I requested fixed each time. I suspected the errors was created by the designer so that I could give him more work and hence more money.
Today, if you are hiring a designer, you will find out that some guarantee you 30 days FREE maintenance on your site. Someone who can make such an offer knows what they are doing.
They mean business and you rarely request revisions from them.
Long Term Commitment
This for people who foresee building and making changes on their websites over time. Once you find a suitable freelancer, tell them about your plans to continue improving on your website. Having a consistent designer to your site is good. They get familiar with your website the more they work on it.
Conclusion
Communication still stands out when hiring a freelancer online. Someone who is able to communicate well via e-mail is a suitable candidate so long as they are honest. I rarely interview freelancers via video call unless its absolutely necessary.
Escrow protection on payments is a security assurance for both parties in the freelance marketplaces. You only release payment when you are satisfied with the work delivered.
So, don’t tolerate poor communication on e-mail exchanges during the interview process. It’s that important.
And that is it.
What is it that you look at when hiring a freelance WordPress website designer? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
And if you need professional screencast video production services or production of GIF’s for your website, you can request a free quote on www.techtubestudio.com.
Creatives in the YouTube vlog business face many hurdles in their journey to success. Vlogging is a practical business school of it’s own. Those who have succeeded and now earns from this channels are good examples of resilient creators.
Sadly, people who have not vlogged before cannot understand the REAL meaning of ‘giving up on something‘ until they get involved in the vlogging business.
The most common question I am ask by people is; do you make money from your blog or YouTube channel? Its a really tricky question because the value one gets by creating content is beyond money.
In this blogpost, I will share my vlogging story as well as some hurdles creatives go through to get their videos out there to their targeted audiences.
The Creative Process
“What I am going to share?” That’s what goes through the mind of a creator each week when planning to produce their content. With time, one realizes that unique and original content takes time to create and sell.
Video:- My Vlogging Story & Lessons I Have Learnt
My regular blogging and vlogging experience has thought me that google and YouTube algorithms are unpredictable. It therefore means that the only way to beat it is to come up with original content targeted at a very specific niche/market.
It took me a year to realize this. At my early stages, like any newbie creator I wanted ‘many views.’ In the channels I owned in the past, I bought ‘views’. This never made any difference in my life apart from seeing that I had many views on my videos:-). I was getting no feedback from those who watched or liked the videos I created.
I did this for a year. Over this period, I realized that the contentment I wanted from it was missing. So, I had to sit down and rethink on my content.
Why was I having a YouTube channel in the first place? What was my purpose? Thinking through these questions helped me restart and reorganize myself again.
My Vlogging Story
In my life, I have had more than 5 YouTube channels that are no more. The first original one was suspended back in the year 2014. I was not told the reason why despite trying to appeal unsuccessfully. The channel that followed after that was similar to the original one but never got anywhere because I was not getting views like I did in the first channel.
The other two was targeting a niche market. I was leveraging on information found on the internet to create the videos. I will explain how I did this in a moment.
Leveraging On Information Found Online to Create Content
If you search on YouTube today, ‘How to make money on YouTube without shooting/creating any video‘ you will get several video tutorials showing you how to do it. I find many of these tutorials ‘predatory’ in some way depending on how you look at them. If you believe that video creation is art- and you are an artist- I suggest you don’t follow what any of these videos tell you because you will end up wasting your time.
With that said let me tell what happened after I followed one of the video tutorials. So, I stumbled upon the video while scrolling down on YouTube.
The idea is to produce videos on a daily basis on the trending topics they tell you. For example, today you may decide to do a video about ‘Health.‘ Lets say that based on your SEO keyword research, you notice that many people are searching for ‘How to lose belly fat.‘ You google the same and find many articles talking about belly fat.
The idea here is to use someone else’s blogpost to create the video. You copy word by word but reorganize the points. For example, if the article is about 10 ways to lose belly fat, you create a video about top 5 ways to lose belly fat. You get the point right?
Next step, is to open a Cloud Text-to-Speech app or software and paste your script there. In this blogpost, I will use Google text to speech online program. Choose the voice over you want (either male or female) and click play to listen and record the script.
Download free videos and photos online relevant to your script. Match it with voice over recording from text to speech program and add a free music from YouTube Music Library. Create a nice intro and outro for branding. Once ready post your video on YouTube.
Credit the blog author in the video description area by pasting a link to the blogpost you got your script from.
This sounds like a good and legit idea right?
The Question is How Sustainable is it?
At the beginning of taking this route, you will find yourself very excited that you are finally building a YouTube channel. This is especially if you love video editing. But the excitement will only last long if you intend to use your channel to market your ‘video editing skills.’
If your motivation is to make money out of your channel, the probability of being disappointed by the ‘searchengine‘ algorithms is high. For the six months that I ran my channel this way, I never succeeded to make any dime. I used to post 2-3 times a week.
It therefore means that having a purpose for starting to vlog at the very beginning in very important.
What is ‘A Purpose‘ in Vlogging?
I will try to define this from my own experience. Having been fully suspended or expelled from YouTube once and having ran unsuccessful channels in the past, I have found out that having a YouTube Channel is not about the views you get. It’s about the contentment you get from creating the content.
YouTubing is an art. You must resonate with your target audience. My channel on Freelance and business is about a year now and it doesn’t have several views as one would expect.
This doesn’t worry me at all because, I am sure a time will come when I will be able to connect with very specific audience on YouTube. When that time comes, those who will be subscribing to my channel will be real fans.
That’s what will give me more contentment. It starts with the creator being proud of their content. This only comes when you are original.
Avoid Greed On Your Way Up
Don’t be greedy to have many channels. Run one channel consistently until it’s successful. When that happens, you can consider having a second channel when you are capable of hiring someone to run it. Greed took toll on me earlier thus I did not succeed.
When you are able to overcome greed, you will be in a good position to explore your creativity to the latter.
So What Does It Take to Succeed?
When you are able to take care of your psychological issues surrounding starting a YouTube channel, it will be very easy to remain consistent once you begin.
Success begins with you. Do you like the information you are sharing on your vlogs? Do you enjoy writing your scripts? Attach your vision to the content that you create.
Link your idea to the business that you are doing.
For example, at the end of my every vlog, I tell people about my business. Also, at the description area of each of the video that I post, I have a link to my business and my blog.
I believe if one does this for a long-time, it will help them grow their business in many ways i.e SEO, backlinking e.t.c
Conclusion
If you do something that you love, you will enjoy the process and getting many views will be the last thing that will worry you. Your mental health is directly linked with the content that you create. If the information is useful to you, it will also be useful to others because people will react by responding.
What do you think people should focus on in order to succeed on YouTube Vlogging? Share your thoughts in the comments section below here.
And if you need help to create and produce professional screencast videos, you can request a free quote here.
Let’s face it, slavery in the online freelancing industry is real. Today, if you open google and search for ‘how to make money online‘ you will be bombarded with several websites that offer opportunities to make money. 5 years ago, many of these sites were not there.
For me, any legit opportunity to make money online will either make you a freelancer, a Freelance business owneror both. It’s also important to mention that some of the platforms will make you broke and in debt.
Video: Lessons Drawn From The UK Modern Slavery Act 2015
How Safe is the Online Marketplace?
When you find a legit platform to earn money online you are good. The next question you should ask yourself is; how safe am I on this platform from preying clients who’s intent is to misuse my time and pay me peanuts or not pay me at all?
That is why I think the UK Modern Slavery Act 2015 has come at a good time. Although it is limited to the UK only, its a good legislation that you can draw inspiration from as a freelancer or a freelance business owner.
In order to make the online marketplace a safe haven for doing business; we as users must rally for best practices to protect ourselves and the future generations.
I have reviewed the act and found very helpful pointersthat I think it will be helpful to you as a freelancer or an online business owner. That is what I am going to share with you on this blogpost.
What does Modern Slavery Act 2015 Entail?
The act make provisions about slavery, servitude and forced or compulsory labor and about human trafficking, including provision for the protection of victims.
When it was implemented, it then followed that;
Any commercial organization in any sector that supplies goods or services, carries on a business or part of a business in the United Kingdom, and is above a specified total turnover must produce a slavery and human trafficking transparency statement for each financial year of the organization.’
Businesses are expected to confirm their commitment in ensuring that their operations has no involvement in modern slavery or human trafficking in any of it’s supply chains, and in any part of it’s own business.
Secondly, the statement must be published on their website and links to the statement easily accessible.
Here is a summary of the common steps taken by each of my referenced companies to protect freelancers and businesses who use their services from abuse.
Compliance and Measures
To remain compliant to modern slavery act 2015, they have;
Drafted and implemented Employees Code of Business Conduct and Ethics.
Trained their employees as part of the onboarding process.
Whistleblower Policy .
Standardized contracting forms or a standard set of purchase order terms (for the payment processor).
A requirement for suppliers to complete a detailed due diligence questionnaire.
Supply agreements made on the supplier’s terms are duly reviewed by the Procurement and Legal teams.
A requirement for suppliers to accept the terms of provider Partner Code.
These are 7 among the many measures in place. Its important to note that it varies based on the line of business each one of them is in.
Actions Taken on Reported Cases
Both have a very common approach when dealing with reported cases. When a case is reported;
Reasonable investigation on the matter and appropriate action is taken.
There is full cooperation with the appropriate authorities.
Why is Modern Slavery Act 2015 A Good Idea?
To Freelancers
The act is good to freelancers for two reasons. First, by going through this act, you increases your level of vigilance in the remote workplace. Secondly, you become an ambassador of online security and safety.
To Online Entrepreneurs
UK Modern Slavery Act 2015 is a good guide for entrepreneurs planning to serve clients residing in the UK. When you have knowledge about the legislation, drafting a statement based on the business that you run will be easy.
At the end, your will have high chances of being accepted in the UK marketplace.
Conclusion
At the early stages of working online, most people make losses in the process. The loses arise from being cheated to do work and end up not getting paid, being asked to work on a project aimed at defrauding people, getting hired by scammers who end up stealing your data e.t.c.
Laws like Modern Slavery Act 2015 is an opener. One is able to understand that slavery acts can also be undertaken online and is illegal. This way, whenever one notices anything unusual online, they can report it to the respective authorities for action.
What do you think of Modern Slavery Act 2015? Have you skimmed through the act? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below here.
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Every freelancer working from home always wake up in the morning with one ultimate goal; to perform optimally and give their best in in their work. When one is in a position to consistently perform flawlessly, they will be more happier and fulfilled.
So what will it take to achieve this considering the conditions surrounding working from home?
In order for one to start their journey to high performance, they have to first look at what led them to poor performance.
In this blogpost, I will focus on 3 areas in life that presents long term challenges while working from home.
Solitude
Unlike working in the office where you are able to interact with colleagues, working from home is lonely to many. It follows that the only place that freelancers interact with their collaborators is via video chat, call, e-mail or messaging apps.
Creatives in the digital media space is one group of freelancers who go through moments of solitude as they build their brand.
Video: Ways to Optimize Performance Working From Home
In order to succeed in these scenarios, freelancers have to take personal responsibility. As a freelancer, you are the captain of your ship.
Ways to Deal with Solitude
Set Goals – Goals will motivate you to look forward to the next day with lots of enthusiasm. Your goals must be aligned to solving the ‘solitude‘ state that you are currently in. When you have goals set, you will feel more vibrant when working from home alone.
Prioritize Family time – Covid-19 Pandemic and hard times has proven to many that the ONLY people who will stand with you when everyone is gone is your immediate family. Spend more time with them when not working and build a strong bond. Having a family is a blessing.
Build a Mastermind Network– If you love say travelling, hiking, or partying once a week, find responsible guys or fellow freelancers with the same hobbies. Plan to regularly meet and share. In order to achieve the best results on this, be wise in your approach and do it consistently. Use apps like meetup or join social media groups to connect and kickstart your journey.
4. Start a Relationship – This is for the single freelancers. When working from home, meeting people physically is difficult. Be open to try different social media networks and dating platforms to meet new people. You just can never know!
Health
Your health is important. Sitting the whole day in your chair while working can lead to severe health problems like back pain, eye irritations, neck pain, arm and wrist pain and more. If these conditions are not diagnosed early, it may lead to serious damages to your body.
In order to solve health issues arising from sitting most of the time while working from home, keenly establish the route cause of the problem that you are having. Here is how I have diagnosed some of these problems.
Back and arm pain – This is mostly caused by the chair that you are sitting on. According to spine-health.com ”It’s important to have an office chair that’s ergonomic and that supports the lower back and promotes good posture to avoid developing or compounding back problems.” You can innovate ways to achieve this by adding a cushion behind your chair to support your back and see how it goes. Read more here on choosing the right chair for your office.
Irritations on your eyes – This is mainly caused by the refresh rate of your computer screen. I recommend you acquire a modern monitor or computer as it has been optimized for the eyes. It adjusts according to the environment you are working in. Secondly, schedule breaks in between your workday of 10-20 mins after 1 hour of sitting. This will help you relax your eyes from looking at the screen for a long time besides getting little time to stretch and allow blood to flow uniformly through your body.
Body Health – Lack of physical activity is the biggest of course of many health problems today. When you are working from home, your general health is at risk if you don’t exercise. It is therefore good to have a consistent schedule for exercising. You can do this from home or you can choose to pay for membership in your nearest gym.
Diet
Diet is directly linked to your health. Eating healthy therefore should be part of your ultimate goal. Sample different types of food to find the ones that you like.
According to WHO, a healthy diet helps to protect against malnutrition in all its forms, as well as noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke and cancer.
What you eat will determine how you feel all through the day. When working from home, there is a tendency to feed on snacks when on breaks. Most snacks nowadays contain a lot of sugar. It is therefore necessary that you moderate the amount of snacks you take during the day.
Of course drinking a lot of water should come in here as part of your healthy diet.
How you deal with solitude, health and diet will determine your overall daily performance and sucess in your freelancing business.
Conclusion
While your financial state is another accelerator to your well being, the areas discussed above should come first. Finances tends follow a happy and healthy freelancer. Heathy freelancer does more with less effort.
Is there any other area that freelancers should focus on and thus optimize their performance and achieve more? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
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There are many things that you can do on Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) iTax portal that will save you time and money which you could have spent visiting KRA offices for assistance. Being a regular user of the iTax portal, I must applaud the team at KRA for making all their online services user friendly.
While many Kenyan business persons and individuals are still coming into terms with different tax rates levied on goods and services, its our hope that the laws governing tax collection in Kenya will prevail.
Among the many taxes levied in Kenya include Value Added Tax(VAT) for businesses, Income Tax, Pay As You Earn Tax, Turn Over Tax and Digital Service Tax (DST). You can learn more about various taxes here.
In this blogpost, I will share with you top 10 on demand services that you can easily access on the KRA iTax portal.
Every Kenyan Adult is eligible to apply for a KRA PIN. Today, most institutions like bank, land registry and Attorney General will require people seeking their services to submit a copy of their PIN number in order to be assisted.
You can apply for a personal and Business PIN number on iTax Portal. You will be required to submit a copy of your national ID for processing of your Personal PIN application. For business PIN applications, you need to apply with a copy of your company registration certificate, copies of director(s) national ID’s and a stamped letter of resolution signed by director(s) requesting for a PIN.
Applying for New KRA PIN
Click on new PIN registration link to proceed. Follow the screen prompts to complete your application.
#2 PIN Checker
In many Kenyan government institutions today, they require citizens to give out their KRA PIN number in order to be assisted. The PIN Checker allows anyone to confirm whether a KRA PIN is genuine. A genuine PIN is generated by the KRA – Domestic Taxes Department System and is in Active status. The Information provided by the PIN Checker is limited to basic details of the taxpayer.
Check if a KRA PIN is valid on iTax
Click on the link under PIN checker and enter the PIN number you want to verify. Solve the security stamp question and click consult. It will bring up the tax payers PIN information.
#3 TCC/Exemption/Excise License Checker
This is a verification option to confirm validity of a Tax Compliance Certificate, Exemption Certificate or Excise License. Clicking the link on iTax site will take you to a page where you will be required to select the type of certificate you want to verify then enter the certificate or license number.
TCC/Exemption/Excise License Checker on iTax
Solve the security stamp and click verify. The system will generate and display PIN, name of the holder and certificate or license status.
#4 Withholding Tax Certificate (WHT) Checker
When you do business with government or a company and they withhold a portion of the tax you charged them, you will be issued with a Withholding Tax certificate by KRA the moment the company files returns. The withholding certificate checker helps one verify the certificate at hand.
Withholding Tax Certificate (WHT) Checker on iTax
To Check if a certificate is valid, Click on WHT checker and then select the type of obligation, withholder PIN, payee PIN, withholding certificate number and date of the certificate to verify.
#5 E-Amendment
If you changed your phone number, physical address or e-mail address from the one(s) that you used while applying for your KRA PIN, e-Amendments link will help you request for changes. Click on it and follow the screen prompts to make the changes. It’s good to provide your active contact details in order to be assisted each time you contact KRA.
KRA Tax E-Amendment
When an amendment requests is approved, you will be issued with a new PIN certificate to reflect the changes.
#6 e-Cancellation
e-Cancellation option allows taxpayers to apply for removal of a tax obligation from their PIN. They can also apply for cancellation of their PIN all together. You will need to have a valid reason for your decision accompanied by supporting documents in order for your request to be granted.
KRA Tax e-Cancellation
#7 e-Domance
e-Domance is a feature where a taxpayer applies for their PIN or Tax obligation to be made dormant for a given period of time. It is mainly targeting Kenyans who plan to travel abroad to study or work.
KRA Tax e-Domance
One can also use the feature to pause a business Tax obligation in case they want to take a break from their operations for a given period of time.
#8 e-Return
e-Return is a popular feature that is used by many Kenyan business people every month to file VAT returns. It is also used by individuals to file their annual Income tax.
KRA Tax e-return
Just click on it and follow to the screen prompts to file your returns. If you are new to filling returns, contact KRA help centre for guide on how to do it.
#9 Payment Registration
Before making any tax payment, you have to first generate a Tax invoice. That’s the purpose of the payment registration feature. When a Tax invoice is generated, you will use the invoice number to make the tax payment through Mpesa.
KRA Tax Payment Registration
Your payment will be reflected on the iTax portal once it’s processed. This usually takes minutes when payment is made through Mpesa mobile gateway.
#10 Tax Compliance Certificate
This document is mostly required on special occasions to confirm that you are a loyal taxpayer and have not defaulted from paying your taxes on time. You can request for a tax compliance certificate on the iTax portal by hovering your mouse to certificates and selecting ‘Apply for Tax Compliance Certificate.‘ You will be take to a page where you just need to give a reason for your request and click on submit.
KRA Tax Compliance Certificate
Bonus
Agent Checker
With continued sensitization on the importance of being Tax compliant going on across the country, more and more fraudulent persons posing as KRA staff are threatening the existence of businesses in various towns and cities across Kenya.
Agent Checker on KRA webste
In order to stay safe from the fraudsters, it’s necessary to verify Identities of anyone posing as KRA staff. Good news is, you can verify it here.
The link will open a page where you will be required to enter the staff ID and your phone number and then click search.
Conclusion
These are 10 among the many services that you can access on the KRA iTax portal online. Learning to do most of the things related to your tax PIN is very important. You can outsource the ones linked to your business to a professional tax consultant.
The knowledge you gain from using the iTax portal will help avoid any unnecessary penalties originating from late filing of your returns.
What service do you use most on iTax portal? Please let me know your thoughts in the comments sections below.
And if you need help with screencast video production services you can request a free quote here.
