Freelancers who use Payoneer as their primary method to make and receive payment have a reason to smile again after Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) completed its audit and lifted the freeze on the Payoneer prepaid Mastercards after 5 days in dilemma.
What it mean’t to payoneer Mastercard Holders?
The FCA had communicated that they had taken these measures with the primary objective of protecting the interests and money of consumers who use Wirecard.
Pending further actions from the FCA, Payoneer users were temporarily unable to withdraw their funds on to their cards, nor receive new payments onto the card.
What Happened to the Money in Payoneer Accounts?
If the Payoneer card limit is $5000, then, users were only able to transfer the funds in excess to their bank accounts. $5000 were be frozen pending FCA further action.
Getting Paid during the Period
Any payments that freelancers received from marketplaces that they operate in was not be affected by the freeze. The funds, and any others already on their virtual currency balance, were available for bank withdrawal.
In Summary
Its good to understand that Wire Card’s Former and not the current CEO was arrested for failing to explain the missing $2 billion for it’s customers in Germany.
There is a regulatory body in UK called Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) which regulates Wire Card.
FCA has freezed all the transaction being done by Wire Card to protect the money of their customers.
Payoneer has not done any fraud. So No need to worry. Its not only Payoneer who is using Wire Card to process payments. Many other companies who use Wirecard as their payment processor was frozen.
Your money is safe, and once the investigation is complete, all the money from Wirecard will come back to your Payoneer Mastercard and you can start using that money thereafter.
If you receive any future payment, it will not be affected by the freeze. You can send them to other Payoneer users as payment or can be withdrawn to a bank account.
Payoneer might tie up with other card processors and provide you with Mastercards or Visacards from those processors soon. This is because the case in question might take a while to resolve. It has affected billions of dollars in transactions done every day.
And that is.
Let me know what you think of this blogpost in the comments below.
If you are a client, the only way you can make a difference in a Freelancers life is hiring with a view of working with them for long term. It’s obvious, by the time you decide to hire, you have already done your due diligence and made sure that they have all that it takes to complete the job at hand.
Watch video- 5 Reasons You Should Hire Freelancers For Long Term
Unlike traditional way of hiring people where someone signs a contract for a given period of time- Freelance hiring terms are different. For you to succeed in hiring a freelancers to work for you, look at hiring for long term.
But not every newbie client looks at it this way. Why? because, they have the liberty to hire and fire anytime. Also, you can opt to hire one on one-time fixed contract.
I mean, even if you are working on a same project over and over again-you still have the freedom to end the contract after completion of a milestone and hire someone else to do the same job without any problem. In some occasions, the reason behind the decision may be valid.
So how is this problem anyway? Well, initially it isn’t. Its fun doing so. It feels good to work with people from different countries and see what they offer. But as you go on, that excitement to ‘hire‘ someone new starts to fade. This is contributed by a number of reasons.
In this blog-post I will be exploring long term unforeseen issues that will arise as a result of inconsistency in working with an individual freelancer.
Broken Communication
Sometimes, when you post a job, you get only one qualified freelancer. You may not have a problem during the interview process and you end up a hiring him/her.
Mark you, when doing this, you already have 2 or 3 qualified freelancers in your contacts whom you had hired to work for you in the past and they did a perfect job.
Now, when the deadline is due, the freelancer stops communicating and ghosts you for weeks. This is quite disappointing. While you may have the liberty to re-post the job and get new applicants, the project at hand may not be any useful depending on its intended purpose.
Assuming you had consistently worked with one freelancer from day one, you could have been in a position to predict his behavior and find a resolve before the deadline reaches.
Repeatedly Explaining What Your Expectations Are
Unless you were disappointed by the first freelancer you hired, there is no point in hiring a new freelancer to do a similar job for you. Its wise to consult the first freelancer on if they can do the job at hand as well as their availability.
Its more easier to work with a freelancer you had worked with before. You will take very little time explaining to them what to do as well as what you expect from them.
Room to Negotiate on Charges
While there is a probability of finding a new freelancer with a lower bid anytime you post a job on a freelancing platform, the quality and guarantees you get will vary.
In this day and age, prices go along with quality. If your requirements are high and the amount you are willing to pay is low, only entry level freelancers will apply.
This may lead to wasting a lot of time hiring and re-hiring with the hope of saving money only to end up loosing more.
But when you repeatedly hire the same freelancer for the same skills- at some point – after several contracts, you will be able to negotiate for a discount.
Sense of Security
When a freelancer is assured of consistent work , they will give your project their all. Your project will be on top of their priority list. They will worry less.
They will stop taking in new work because what you are offering to them takes care of their bills.
Their life will eventually change because they will have time to think of investing their earnings. At the end, it’s not about the pay, its about what it does to their lifes.
It feels good when you know that the job you are offering is helping someone live a life of their dreams.
Consistency Means Trust
When you are consistent in what you do, everyone around will trust you. It’s effect is symbiotic.
The freelancer will trust you and you will trust them. If you are connecting with the freelancer through a gig platform, the platform will love you more.
These are 5 reason you should hire a freelancer for a long term. I hope you learned something from this post.
If you need help to edit videos or produce professional screen-cast’s tutorials, let me know here. Alternatively, you can send me an e-mail to connect@cheptiony.com
Until next time, take care. Follow me on twitter @cheptiony
Any client, be it a newbie or experienced at hiring, have one thing in common- they are always looking for ways to save time and money. That’s exactly what a Freelance Video Production Agency does for clients when they hire them. On top of it, save them headache!
I know you are thinking, but what type of headache? I will explain this in a moment.
Lets begin with the foundations of a video. What does one need to produce a professional video? Well it depends on the type and purpose of the video. Here are 10 things that a Video Production Agency will do to save you time and headache.
Writing Powerful Scripts And Sales Copies
This is what communicates the vision of a company or rather the vision one has for his business. It has to be written is a simple and convincing tone.
While engaging a professional copywriter is essential, you as the owner of the business is in a good position to provide direction by providing an outline of your vision for the copywriter to rewrite it in an engaging manner. This is where a Freelance Agency comes in.
Hand Picking Pro Voice Overs
In instances where a video requires a professional voice over narration, an agency will help you hand pick the right voice. For a new person who have never created a video before, choosing the right voice over is quite difficult. When you engage a Video production Agency, they will not only hand pick for a the right talent, they will also enlighten you and the varieties of voice-over talents out there. e.g American, African, Indian e.t.c.
Searching And Purchasing Royalty Free Music and Sound FX
Music and sound effects are necessary in most videos as they set the mood. Not all freelancers will tell you where they got the music used in your video and whether they have the rights to use it. As a result, you video maybe be taken down a few weeks or months later after you have publicly published it due to copyright claims.
Most Freelancer Video Production Agencies will inform you upfront about the music rights, as well as where they are sourcing out the music they propose to use in your video. In-fact, they will give you an option to make the purchase yourself so that you are sure.
Constructing Easy To Follow Storyboard
While it is necessary to have a storyboard before producing any video, most video producers are creative and would rather produce the video using the script only.
This is very common in occasions where client’s budget is very small. Storyboard saves one a lot of time and money. Most Video Production Agencies will advise you to include a small fee for storyboard creation because of the benefits that comes with it.
These are four common ingredients of a professional video.
So, is this what a Video Production Agency able to provide and safe one time and headache?
Yes. But there is more. Click here to hire us today.
Managing Video Reviews And Revisions
Any video produced has to undergo a review. The review process is very necessary because little mistakes are easily sported and quickly corrected. A Video Production Agency usually offer their clients unlimited revisions for a given period of time. This is good for the client as through this, satisfaction is guaranteed.
Advising on Payments And Approvals
Once you agree on how you are going to pay the Agency, you will rest assured that you project is being taken care of. Most Agencies love when they are paid for giving value to their customers. Freelance video production Agencies are flexible and understand the modalities of online payment.
Drafting NDA’s and Contracts
Setting up contracts and NDA’s for Agencies is easy and hassle free. Most agencies have an existing NDA’s document that can be edited to suit both of parties. This will act as protection for both the Freelancer and the client.
Providing Customer Service
It doesn’t matter who responds to your e-mails so long as it’s timely done. Freelance Video Production Agencies are customer oriented. They listen to the customer requirements and addresses them fast and on time.
Easily Managing Multiple Projects
This is what differentiates an Agency and individual service providers. They can handle multiple projects at once. If you assign an agency two different projects, they are able to handle them at a go without fail. This is because of their experience and team work. They are connected to experts in each category of video editing and production.
Negotiation For Discounts
If you are a company that requires video services on a regular basis, Video Production Agencies are the best option. As you engage them on more work, you can negotiate on rates after sometime. Agencies are flexible and are willing to give discounts based on trust.
On the other hand, they negotiate with service providers connected to them for a discount in return for long term engagement.
And these are ten things that a Video Production Agency can do to save their clients time and headache.
Imagine hiring one entity to take care of everything from scripting to production? Is that not awesome?
Have you ever engaged an Agency to handle your video projects? What was your experience like? Let me know in the comments below.
And if you need help to create and produce professional videos for either marketing your business or educating your customers through your website help center, let me know here.
Alternatively, you send me an e-mail to connect@cheptiony.com
Until next time, take care.
Follow me on twitter @cheptiony or wordpress @cheptiony
In video creation, there are many important elements that when combined, results in a very successful quality production. But all of them are pointless if the story-line is not good.
In this, I mean the script. It has to be very easy to understand. From here, when creating the video, you can incorporate other elements that you see necessary to spice it up and make it appealing.
https://youtu.be/TAcSHXu-HKo
While many newbie video creators think that Video resolution, audio quality, video effects, sound effects, and video format are necessary, it doesn’t beat how the video script is written.
In this blogpost, I will focus on 4 video elements that should come last in your priority list when pitching for a project in video production.
Video Resolution
Don’t get me wrong on this, video resolution do matter especially in this day and age. Most young people own 50+ inches Television sets that are able to stream 4K to even 8K resolution videos. With this said, before any production, one should look at reasons they are producing the video as well as the behavior of their target audiences.
In 2020, across the globe, 4K video resolution or higher is still a luxury to many as a lot of people watch videos on their mobile phones in HD. Secondly, It takes time to produce videos of this quality and uses a lot of data when streaming.
Additionally, if 80% of the targeted audiences will watch the video on their mobile phones and PC’s, it will be pointless to produce it in 4K.
So, it makes sense to weigh options and consider HD video as the best option in order to save time and money.
Finally on the same note, if the video is being published on Youtube, it’s worth to note that video resolution is only used as the keyword to filter content when searching. It thus means that, even if the video quality is say, 4k, and the storyline is poor, the viewer will opt out early.
Sound and Visual Fx
Hollywood movies are good at this. They know how to blend it with the story. But if the story-line is not good, sound and visual Fx would not do much.
Ever watched a movie and after 15 mins you still wondering what the movie is all about? That’s what I am talking about. Sound and Visual effects might be good, but if the story is poor, it won’t bring the value desired.
Variety of Shots
Variety of shots are good. I can compare it with the spices added on food to taste. Sadly, some spices don’t work on some food. For the spices to blend well, the right procedure has to be followed when preparing the meal.
This is same with video. A variety of shots with a poorly written script will result in a very poor video output. While this is important, again, it is never a first priority when planning a production.
Casts/Actors
Casts are people appearing on a video. Now, beauty and sex sells. That is a fact. Incorporating this on any video will create a lot of traction. But you need to ask yourself; how can I create scenes that makes it possible for every character in my imagination to appear on the video?
Young audiences enjoy watching clips with beautiful girls until they realize they are being duped into watching it because of the amount of skin the girls are exposing. It’s here that they are awakened to identify the value they are getting from watching the video.
Again, this means that the story-line or script is the King.
In conclusion, every good video starts with a script and storyboard and then the rest follows based on your budget.
If you find this article helpful, let me know in the comments below. And if you need help to produce high quality video tutorials, let me know here.
You can send me an e-mail to connect@cheptiony.com
Many prospective clients new to the ‘Freelance economy’ will use this season of pandemic to get the most from unsuspecting freelancers for less or even free.
Watch video
But does economy slowdown mean you should compromise with your regular rates and serve clients based on ‘their’low budget that is below what you normally charge? Does this mean you should offer your freelance services for free?
Since Freelancing is a ‘open’ economy dependent of the best bidder, its crucial that one is keen as a freelancer so as not to compromise with value by offering services at a lower price.
It’s obvious, the level of spending by most clients as we speak has reduced due to fears that the pandemic may go for long.
While your priority now is a sustainable source of income, you should also look at the long term effect of offering your services at a low fee. This is a question of being ‘productive‘ as opposed to being ‘busy.’
Here are three things to to consider when before dismissing request for free work.
Have you been working with a client for some time? What kind of services are they selling? Which market are they serving? Have their markets or customers been heavily affected by the pandemic?
Keenly answering these questions will help you understand how to respond to your clients need for a discount. If the services you are offering still takes the same time to complete, then declining to give a discount might be the best option. This way, if the client withdraws their existing contract, you will be in a position to accommodate a new client who is willing to pay you in the rates you are asking for.
Nothing Changed. You Still work From home as Before.
While Covid-19 pandemic is here with us, Freelancers who used to work from home still do so. Its just that now, they can’t have their regular meetings over coffee with their friends or local clientele.
So, the point is; nothing changed. You still pay bills as you used to pay.
This answers the question on whether to offer services at half the price or for free. It’s up to you to decide if it is worth. Don’t be ‘Mr. nice‘ expecting the client will love you. This is business. So, learn always to say no to something that you don’t agree with.
The only way you can gain financial freedom is setting your value high and being firm on it. People perceive that freelancers who charge high rates deliver quality with little or no supervision. In a time when economy is not doing well, few people can afford to hire you. So does it mean you lower your rates to match the demand? Absolutely NO.
Doing so is dangerous. In most occasions, when you lower your rates below your normal, you will have to do more work to meet your targets. At the end, quality will be compromised.
Again, this is the other reason to say No, without explaining yourself. Any client who values quality work will respect your decision.
And that is it from here. Do you get irritated when clients sends you an e-mail requesting you to do for them some work for free? How do you dismiss them in a professional way?
Share your feedback in the comments section below.
And if you need help to edit your videos or produce professional screen-cast video tutorials, let me know here.
Until next time, take care. Follow me on twitter @cheptiony
We all want to live a good life, that is why we always strife to make ends meet. With this said, we should always be ready for misfortunes because ‘shit happens‘ and if you are not prepared, you will be truly frustrated.
The recent worldwide spread of Covid-19 Corona virus hit everyone with shock. No one anticipated the disease outbreak. In countries acutely affected, they have closed down their businesses. This means, as time goes, they will be loosing money hence the economic downturn.
And that is why in today’s blog-post, I ask; How prepared are you for unexpected tragedies as a freelancer in your business? Have you organized your work in a way that you will still remain in business in times of trouble?
Before I delve into today’s topic, I want to point out various tragedies that are common in the freelancing business. This applies to all freelancers and freelancing agencies out there.
Unexpected Death of a Family Member
None of us is prepared for such tragedy. But it strikes in times when you least expect. I recently lost my beloved mum and it was such a shock. I never expected it would happen based on her health state. She was 79 years. Like my siblings, I was hopeful that she would live till she was is 90 years like my father.
When this happened, it meant that I had to leave all that I was doing to participate in organizing for her burial. The biggest challenge I was having was, who will I trust to step in for me on video edits I was working on? That was the hard question I had to find an answer.
While I regularly contract other freelancers through my agency to help me with edits, it was really hard to give out one particularly project which I was working on for a client. It followed a particular style.
A style that I understood well. I ended up pausing the project to mourn for the loss. I am glad that the client understood.
Work ‘Dry Spell ‘- Long Term Client Suddenly Pulling Out
If you have a long time client who pays you well, you will always work hard to keep him or her. That’s good. But be careful not to be so comfortable with it. Keep bidding on new jobs and grow your client base.
This way, you will be at peace in-case a client pulls out. You will be having other sources of income coming your way.
Suspension From Freelancing Site
Most freelancers will tell you that at one time, they were suspended from a site they freelance on. Their experience when this happened was not good at all.
When one is suspended for 30 days for violating freelancing sites terms of service, it means that they will not be allowed to work. In turn you will not have income. These terms are meant to protect both the freelancer and the client from any fraud.
Global Disasters – Covid-19 Corona Virus
Let’s admit, while it is possible to work online as a freelancer full time, some freelancing jobs require you to go out and collect information.
These applies mostly to Freelance Videographers, Photographers, Events organizers and more. With the current quarantine measures being recommended all over, it’s clear that some freelancers will be out of business for a while now.
The question is, were you prepared for this? Most definitely no. Now it’s good time to identify financial loop holes so that in future, you can sail through such difficulties successfully.
Direct Client Going Under After You Deliver Final work
While a case like this is now less common, most new freelancers find themselves in this situation. A client contacts them via their site or blog then they agree to work on a project they offer without any structured terms. At the end, the client disappears without paying them. Here is a blog-post I wrote on how to avoid getting into such troubles.
Getting Around the Misfortunes
Build a network of trusted freelancers who work in the same niche as yours. Regularly sublet contracts to them. This way, you will be building good relationship with them. In times when you are away, they will help you with your project and you will rest assured that the project assigned to you is being taken care of.
Bid on projects regularly. Send out proposals to companies. When you do so, you will be growing your client base. If you get one client per week, it will be great. Be careful not to take in several clients to a point where you cannot handle. This will give you a sense of security. You will not panic in cases where a long term client pulls out.
Regularly review ‘change of terms‘ in the freelancing site you are working for to avoid violation. If you don’t like working for a freelancing site, just disable your account and explore new ways of finding clients. Otherwise, you will wake up to shock that your account has been suspended.
Spend wisely and save some money for a rainy day. Don’t wait for a disaster to hit for you to start saving. Start small. Don’t be greedy to save a lot and live in misery. Be reasonable in your spending. At the end, you will realize that you have have enough to sail you through hard times.
Set terms on how you deal with offline clients. Offline clients are unpredictable and can disappoint you when you least expect especially when time of payment comes. That’s why you should have clear terms for collaboration. This way, you will ensure that you get paid for your services.
And that’s all from me here.
Do you have any other thoughts about preparing for difficult times as a freelancer? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
And if you need help in producing videos for your product on service, let me know here. Alternatively, you can send me an e-mail to connect@cheptiony.com
After a complete video review of close to 15 Premium VPN’s with the leading one having 10 Million+ users and others averaging at 1 Million+ users, the question that I have always asked myself during the review process is; do I really need a VPN as a Freelancer living in Africa on a day to day basis?
Each time I ask myself this question, the absolute answer is No, I don’t. But once in a while, Yes.
My answer is based on my past VPN usage. I have always downloaded a VPN only and only for use in activities connected to my freelancing business. In this I mean, if I have an assignment that requires me to access information blocked in my country, that is where I find a VPN in handy. And all the time when I am done with the project, I uninstall it.
The second reason for my No answer is that I was once suspended from a freelancing site for using a VPN. I had used it to make the site think that I was based in US-yet I was not. Being suspended means that you will miss new freelancing opportunities for more than 30 days. This really hurt my earnings. I ended up leaving the site for this same reasons.
But for a Freelance traveler, the story is different because VPN comes in handy in some countries- which is why in this blog-post, I will share with you 4 uses of a VPN as a Freelancer.
To Unblock Content Restricted in Your Country
Content can range from text, photos and videos. Also, it can be games, software’s and mobile applications. Many countries in the west restrict their content for copyright reasons.
Of-course as freelancer, it is possible to be hired by anyone across the globe. Some assignments may require you to access restricted content. You will not be able to do it without a VPN. A good example of this is reviewing a Mobile application made for users in US only. If you live in Africa, You will not be able to find it when you search on PlayStore. And this is where a VPN come in handy.
For Entertainment Purposes
If you are a fun of streaming new movie content on Netflix US, Hulu, AMozon prime and more, you will require a VPN to unblock them unless you are a resident of US. With this said, it is important to note that there some content restricted to some countries like UK, China, Japan, India and more. This thus means that even if you live in US, you will need a VPN to watch them.
To Stay Anonymous
Popular browsers like Google chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer are well know for logging users data for business purposes. That is what you get in return for using these browsers for free.
If you want your usage logs to be kept discreet i.e Sites you visit, and what you access on a regular basis, you will need a VPN. It is important that you check their Privacy policy before going ahead to purchase them. Some VPN’s logs users data and sells them to third party companies.
For Tor-renting
If you love to download torrents, then a VPN will come in handy. Browsers like chrome discourage tor-renting for copyright reasons. i.e Downloading software torrents.
Also, the download speed of torrents with a VPN is very fast. However, I must mention that not all VPNs allow Peer to peer downloading so you must consider this before getting one.
And that is it!
These are 4 instances I know that you can use a VPN as a freelancer. Of-course there are many more things that you can do with a VPN.
My question is, do you use a VPN ? What are some of the reasons you use the VPN that you choose? Share your views in the comments area below.
And if you need help to create and produce professional screen-cast video tutorials or any other type of video, let know here.
When it comes to work disputes, your freelancing experience doesn’t matter. Contract disputes are unpredictable and can come knocking at your door anytime.
That is why its good to be vigilant from the time a client contacts you. When you do so, you will be able to foresee a problem before a dispute arises.
Remember, in a situation where a dispute has arose, all the communication you had with the client will be used as evidence and can act against you or in your favor.
It is therefore important to state your terms clearly and ensure that your client is ok with them- by them writing back to you.
Also, ensure that the language you use in your communication exchanges with the client is respectful.
With this said, always try to eliminate predictable disputes by detaching your feelings or personal life with the work/contracts you are engaged in.
In this blogpost, I will share with you top tips that will help you harmoniously work with clients and never be scared of disputes.
Disputes are filed by either client or a freelancer if the;
Client is not happy with work delivered by the freelancer and the freelancer wants to be paid.
Freelancer has delivered opposite of what was needed.
Client wants a refund after the freelancer has delivered the service.
Terms of the contract changes along the way and the parties do not agree on additional costs arising from it.
These are four among other many reasons why people file disputes on contracts assigned to freelancers.
Here are my top tips to working around disputes before or after it arises.
BEFORE THE DISPUTE
Make Your Stand Clear From Start
Propose a collaboration plan to your client. Be clear on how you work the moment the client expresses their interest in working with you.
If you are on a different timezone, tell them. Let them decide if they are going ahead to work with you or not.
If you offer 3 rounds of revisions, say it. Tell them how much they are expected to pay for the 4th round.
Serious clients love such terms and will help them make a wise hiring decision.
Be Kind and Professional in Your Communications
Now, this is the key. Use words that are respectful to the client.
Let them know that they are safe working with you. Show what you guarantee and stick to your word.
If the client is mad at you, be sober, take time to look at the issue at hand and explain to them in detail why they shouldn’t be mad.
You are a salesperson and by all means, you need to be very persuasive in your freelancing business.
Persuasion should be your cup of tea/coffee.
WHEN THE DISPUTE ARISES
Don’t Panic
I know it’s scary to read an e-mail saying the client has requested a refund.
That is if you are in a case where you are in good communication with a client today, then the next day when you wake up, he/she has ended the contract with no reason and requested a refund on the funded milestone.
Many people will panic and worried of what to do next. Freelancing sites will encourage freelancers to communicate with their clients and resolve issues with them before raising a dispute.
While this is a good idea, if your communication with the client was not clear while on contract, you will proceed and file a dispute.
But first, put yourself together before doing so. Take a deep breath boy:-)
Compile Your Evidence
For your to win a dispute, you need to have evidence.
As I mentioned at the start of this blog post, if your message exchanges was clear with the client, compiling your evidence will be easier.
Don’t forget to put your anger aside and stick only to facts supported by evidence.
Argue Your Case
Argue your case and let the mediator (which is your freelancing site) to intervene. It’s very important that you don’t digress out of the main topic. Give reasons why your have to be paid .
Be patient and Wait for a Ruling
Wait for the mediation representative to rule on your case.
Don’t bother yourself by contacting Freelancer support team for an update. Once the ruling on your case is reached, your will receive an e-mail on what was decided.
NOTE: If you feel the decision reached by your mediator is not fair, you can decide to take your case further to be handled by the an arbitrator-who in this case will be someone outside the freelancing site you are working on. This will cost you around $300. In my opinion, this is not a good path to take if the contract in dispute is less than $300.
What if The Contract in Dispute was Entered Directly With the Client?
If the client offered you the job directly, it is a different case. The complexity of it depends on the terms you agreed upon when you entered into contract.
Chances are, you will end up not getting paid if you were not vigilant enough from the beginning to insist that the client makes a down-payment before you start work.
The down payment is a confirmation that the client is committed to working with you.
In conclusion, courtesy and clarity should be a way of life in the freelancing business. If you don’t have a clear stand, prospects will take advantage of you.
That’s it from me here.
If you need help you create and produce professional screen-cast video tutorials for your mobile applications, software’s or web apps, let me know here.
Until next time, take care. You can follow me on twitter @cheptiony
As we come to the end of the year 2019, many freelancers are reflecting on how the year was and putting down their resolutions for the coming year 2020.
One of the driving forces behind putting down the new year resolutions is the ‘misfortunes that begot us’ in the past. In most occasions, the misfortunes is as a result of our negligence to small things that contribute largely to success.
While some believe that ‘new year resolutions’ idea is a scam concept engineered by motivational experts to grow their businesses, to an extent, its effective if you apply it your own way without following anyone’s script.
With this said, what many freelancers don’t always realize is that 80% percent of their bad luck is as a result of using pirated software’s to accomplish their work. Now, if you read this post to the end, you will be able to figure out the 80% that I am talking about.
Fact is, almost all work done online relies on using a certain software to complete the job. And what does many freelancers use? Counterfeit software’s to complete the job.
That is why I think purchasing software license should be one of your biggest 2020 resolution.
In this blogpost, I will share with you five reasons you should prioritize purchasing licences to all the software’s that you use in all your work.
Also, I will also tell you why this will help appreciate what you are doing more.
Success Lies On Using Genuine Software
I have been a victim of pirated software for years. Many IT experts who help install software’s in your computer are the main cause of this.
You will pay them, and they will install cracked or torrent software in your computer. Owing to the trust you have on them(IT expert in your area), you don’t find out if the software is genuine or not.
When it hangs and crashes, and you call the IT expert who installed it for you, they tell you that its your computer which is slow and needs some upgrade. Other will say its a virus infection.
Here they will recommend that you purchase an antivirus that they sell. At the end of the day, you will have wasted a lot of time trying to resolve an issue with your computer. Besides, the IT expert will be making money out of your ignorance without any resolution.
In fact, you may find yourself wanting to purchase another computer. In many years that I have been tricked into this, I have found myself in an endless loop of wanting to purchase a new computer, a new software which in turn got me no where. I mean, you will be broke spending all your money in something not related to the problem being solved.
Learning to acquire, install and resolve issues with software’s installed in your computer you use for work is very important.
When you do so, you will be able to quickly resolves issues before they get out of hand.
Purchasing Genuine Software’s is Connected to Good Luck
In the spiritual realm, good luck and success come hand in hand with gratitude. When you purchase genuine software’s, you are expressing gratitude to the genius developer who created the software.
And whenever you do so , good things comes back to you. So if you want good luck in your freelancing business, put your house in place by getting a genuine software before going out to look for work.
That way, you will be confident in assuring the client that they will get what you promise.
Peace of Mind
We all work in order to make money. When we have money enough to gather for our personal needs, our minds are at peace. This is the same with purchasing genuine software’s. You will have peace of mind.
You will work knowing that if the system crashes regularly as a result of using the software, you will have someone experienced to help you out.
Since the major interest of the developer is your success, they will help you resolve the issue amicably without tricking you to purchase another plugin or hardware to support it. In this case, the help you will receive will save you a lot of money.
Quality Assurance
In any case, before you invest your money in anything, you are aware of all the qualities they offer. Now, what I have found out over years is that pirated software’s or torrents do not deliver what the developer promises.
That is why you will be lied into thinking that your RAM is not enough, your windows is good thus your computer needs formatting and many more.
I can tell you for sure that genuine software’s rarely hang or crashes. If it crashes and you send the crash report to the developer, in few days, you will receive a notification that there is an update. That update will resolve your problem.
So, when I compare the performance of a torrent software and non torrent software installed in the same computer, I am amazed by the performance and quality it delivers. It’s out of this world.
I now love and enjoy my work more.
Show of Commitment to Your Success
We all do what we do because we trust it will lead us to success. Now the question is, what shows you are really committed in succeeding? Having the knowledge in what you do is half the journey.
So investing money to purchase genuine software despite knowing that you can get counterfeit software is showing full commitment.
There is no guarantee that you will get job when you purchase genuine software, but why not purchase it anyway?
There are many more things that comes along with owning a software licence. You will be proud to say you are a freelancer.
My question is, do you own a genuine software that you use in your Freelancing business? Do you know if the software you are using is genuine?
Let me know in the comments section below.
And if you need help to edit video or develop video content for sharing on your website, let me know here.
If you were in the middle of something and you receive a message from a new prospective client; and upon checking, you realize that the client is a fortune 500 company; what will you do?
Video summary
Well, in this, reactions will vary depending on your experience in the freelancing business. A common reaction will be excitement. You will stop what you were doing to respond to the e-mail. It’s only the response strategy that will only vary with different freelancers.
New freelancers will immediately respond to the e-mail without a second thought while on the other hand, seasoned and experienced freelancers will first let the excitement cool down; then analyze the message to make sure that it’s not another ‘spammer‘ claiming to be a fortune 500 company. Once he/she is sure that the mail is real, he will plan to respond.
We all know that all fortune 500 companies have resources to put into a given project.
And this takes me to our today’s blog-post.
How do you identify a high and a low budget gig apart from seeing what the clients’ budget is?
Clients Brand Name
You will first tell by looking at the clients’ name. One way to know if you can quote high on a project is by first researching about the company requesting to work with you. Most big brands prefer to pay more for quality work.
If you have at one time worked on a high budget gig, you will know the real value that one gain from the job.
It’s good to note that there are some big brands that are less known so your research should not end at just searching on internet about the company.
On the other hand, projects by new enterprises and individuals are usually low budget because they are after saving money.
Their Project Description and deliverable’s
clarity is the key here. High budget gigs are always unique. It is easy to tell this from the title of the job to the project description. If you are prone to shallow descriptions and click bait type of projects, you will quickly notice the difference when you come across one.
Most freelancers will pass a project like this because of the complex language used to describe the assignment. Also, when they notice that it is a big brand, they are hesitant to bid for the fear of being rejected based on the volume of the applicants who will bid for it.
Now, anyone who knows the value that comes by working with a fortune 500 enterprise will take the chance and bid anyway.
Budget For Trial
On occasions where budget of a given project is high, the client will offer to pay for trial. For example, if a project costs $500 to complete, if they see your potential, they will offer to pay you the $500 to work on the trial.
If you compare this amount with a low budget gig, it might be 3-5 times more. And mark you, clients with low budget gigs rarely spend money on trial projects. Moreover, they will want their money back if you fail to deliver.
High reasonable budgets are good as it motivates you as a freelancer to work and give the best that you can to win the full contract.
Workflow Architecture
If you get a chance and you are hired to work on one of the high budget gigs, you will realize that they have a clear workflow on what is expected and how it be will delivered.
You job will only be to focus on the project they have assigned you to complete. You will get a lot of value by working with their team of professionals.
These are four among other many things which include quality feedback, timelines and longevity of the project being worked on.
Do you have a way to identify a high value gig? Let me know in the comments below.
If you need help to create and produce professional quality videos, let me know here.
