Carpet cleaning?

How much time and money have you wasted self cleaning your carpet and rugs? Freelancers like us, though have flexible time to work, should avoid mixing home work and professional work. We have better things to do than banging, foaming, and spraying carpets in our front yard. Let the professionals do it.

You have invested quite an amount of money on your carpets. Don't ruin it by cleaning it harshly. Those expensive persian rugs do have some special procedure requirement. And stop buying expensive off-the-shelves carpet cleaning liquids.

Anyway, a list of carpet problems was forwarded to my email. If your carpet exhibit these signs, you may need to call professional help: carpet cleaners San Diego for instance have a couple of good ones.

• Dark line around room perimeter, stair edges, under doorways and drapery.
• Spotty brownish appearance in parts of the carpet.
• Brownish to yellowish discoloration of the carpet or a yellowish color on the tips of the fibers.
• Yellowish to brownish discoloration on the carpet.
• Gradually evolving yellow discoloration. Carpet slowly losing its color to a yellowish tinge. Ionic optical brighteners are agents used to convert invisible ultraviolet light to visible light, which increases apparent brightness.
• Yellowing of carpet in traffic areas around entrances and exits especially from parking or street areas.
• Shows as a lighter area on the carpet surrounded by a darker ring.
• Carpet has light or dark spots in random locations.

See, what did I tell you? Those things only professional carpet cleaners can do.

Personal Injury Case

This one we should all be aware of. We have a right to file for personal injury claim at any time we are harmed by another person or company. Personal injury cases are not only limited to car accidents, slip and fall injuries or work injuries. One basic criteria to know if you can file a claim for personal injury is if the other party was negligent. Negligence is to act with reasonable care. So when someone was negligent and as a result you were harmed, chances are you might have a personal injury case.

To actually know if you have personal injury case is to talk to a personal injury lawyer. You lawyer will be evaluating your claim if you can recover from personal injury case. He/she will, at the least, prove three things: that you have suffered damages, the other party was negligent and that negligence was the cause of you damges. Of course there are other things to consider whether you can collect from your personal injury claim or not. The best way to find out is to talk to a personal injury lawyer.

Personal injury lawyers handles wide variety of personal injury cases. They even handle negligence cases that don't actually involve personal injuries. If you're not sure about your claim, it's best to talk to one. They have answers to questions like: how much is your personal injury worth, whether you get a compensatory or punitive damages, why you shouldn't deal directly with insurance companies, or what's the likelihood that your case will go to trial. These are the questions that only personal injury lawyers can answer.

How To Become A Freelance Chef

When you think about chefs, what do you think of first? Which aspects of chefs are important, which are essential, and which ones can you take or leave? You be the judge.

Becoming a freelance chef does not mean that just knowing how to cook automatically qualifies you to go into someone’s home and cook for them. Obtaining the necessary industry (yes, it is an industry!) knowledge through a comprehensive training program puts you way ahead of the game. Knowing how to market yourself as well as how to go about everyday business functions like accounting, price-setting, scheduling, menu-planning, customer relations, and more can very well dictate whether or not your freelance chef business succeeds or fails.

Two of the biggest organizations in the business of training and bestowing accredited certifications to personal freelance chefs are the United States Personal Chef Association (USPCS) and the American Personal Chef Association (APCA). Both organizations offer information regarding liability insurance, software to help with scheduling and menu planning, tools and equipment, and local chapters provide coaching, advice, and other support for members.

Thanks to the advent of these trained personal freelance chefs, many families now have their favorite meals prepared for them up to several weeks in advance, ready to simply heat and devour. For many, this means getting a decent, home-cooked meal instead of relying on fast food or tv dinners. And most personal chefs not only do the cooking, they plan entire meals, do all the necessary grocery shopping, and clean up their mess when through in their client’s kitchen. Personal chefs spend, on average, four to six hours twice a month in their customers’ homes making such dishes as salmon with Parmesan crust, fettuccini Alfredo, crab cakes, and other fine meals. Some suggest and provide wines, as well.

Once you begin to move beyond basic background information, you begin to realize that there's more to chefs than you may have first thought.

Pricing averages from $7 to $15 per plate, but with savings found in time saved by not having to shop or do the cooking themselves, people from singles to seniors and professionals with little or no free time, find the service worth much more than the cost.

Training schools for freelance personal chefs provide cooking and business education through seminars, personalized mentoring sessions, classroom instruction, video- and audiocassette teaching, CDs, books, and online testing for a typical price of around $900. Information varies, of course, from school to school, but usually includes such things as checklists for starting out with your business, learning how to price, preparing recipes and planning menus, packaging prepared meals for storage, sanitation and hygiene, and more. Chefs who are already certified as personal chefs – and who are already successfully running their own personal freelance chef businesses – commonly provide instruction and support as mentors.

Personal chefs enjoy all the benefits of any other business owner – and all the responsibilities. Some freelance chefs cook for as many as 15 families. But to most, all the hard work is worth it. One personal chef summed it up nicely: “When you cook for a family for any length of time, you become a part of that family as well.” And who would not enjoy that?

Don't limit yourself by refusing to learn the details about chefs. The more you know, the easier it will be to focus on what's important.

In the meantime you can find out more by visiting the web site listed below.

About the author: To learn more, please visit http://define-culinary-arts-program-schools-restaurant-management.info/ Keith Londrie II klondrie @ http://yahoo.com http://define-culinary-arts-program-schools-restaurant-management.info/

Article Source: www.isnare.com

Finding Freelance Projects

Being a freelancer is a tough job for anyone. Whether you are a writer or a web designer you know that the competition is fierce and you must always be on the look out for more jobs when working on one. This is part of the course when freelancing. Most often there is no stability or guarantee when freelance is involved. You are hired on a project basis and will be kicked to the curb once the project is complete unless you happen to earn another project right away which is rare to say the least.

To help fill the gap between those needing skilled labor and the freelancers that provide the labor there are several web sites that have sprung up. These sites allow employers to post projects of a wide variety and then the freelancers can bid on those projects. This has become an effective tool in maintaining a steady flow of work for the freelancer, but there are several downfalls to some of these sites.

For one thing, there is normally a fee that is charged for using the service. How much and how often varies by site. Normally you will pay a monthly membership fee as a freelancer wanting to bid on projects. This fee can be as high as eighty dollars on some sites, but the average is twenty. One should be careful when working with a site like this as it will be much harder to turn a profit when you consider the amount of money you have spent on the monthly fees.

There are also sites that work on a commission basis. This works by paying a percentage of the money that you earned from a project to the site for successfully bidding and completing a project. The commission charged is different with every site and averages around 10%. This system of payment is a lot more popular as the freelancer can simply add the commission amount to their bid to ensure they are getting the amount they need to complete the project.

The services offered by these sites are normally wonderful. A project manager is a great tool for tracking the projects that you have bid on and those that you have won. This ensures that nothing gets swept under the rug and forgotten about thus tarnishing your reputation.

Other sites offer safe payment resources. These payment options are basically escrow accounts where the money is held until the project is completed and approved. This works to provide security for both parties. The employer does not release the money until the project has been completed and approved. The freelancer is guaranteed to get paid for all their hard work.

There are some sites that offer all of these services and remain free for the freelance worker and the employer. They maintain the site through advertising and do not charge a commission or a monthly fee. This has become a very popular occurrence as freelancers can earn more money without having to spend so much in the process.

About the author: Visit the next generation of freelance portals, http://www.workasfreelancer.com. Besides a lot of features, the service is free of any commissions and fees from signing up to signing the contract with the project creator.

Article Source: www.isnare.com

Freelance Photography: How To Begin Your Career

Photography is a vast world. There are many different types of photography and many different kinds of people that enjoy it. It’s a hobby that be relatively inexpensive or one that you can invest a lot of money on. Photos are so special because they give us memories of times and places and events in our lives. We can hold onto these memories forever with a photograph.

As much as people love photos, many people love taking them even more. Whether it’s a mother who takes photos at every of her children’s moments in life (first smile, first step, first spaghetti meal) or maybe it’s the father who never forgets his camera for a football or basketball game, or maybe it’s the young girl who loves nature hikes with her camera; these people are not exceptions. They all have an eye for those special moments and they all appreciate the camera’s ability to capture that moment and freeze it in time forever.

What is Freelance Photography?

What if you love photography so much you wish you could do it for a living? I mean, you actually get paid for your photographs! But you work solely for yourself, selling each photo or series of photos individually. You don’t have a boss. You work sometimes on assignment and you may sell to magazines. That is freelance photography.

Freelance photography may be your entire career or it may start out as something you do in your spare time but begin making money from it. It’s just like freelance writing in this sense that many people turn it into a career and enjoy the freedom of working essentially for themselves on their own time and making money doing something they love doing anyway.

How to Build a Portfolio

To start getting jobs as a freelance photographer, you need a portfolio. A portfolio will show samples of your work. Even if you have never had photographs published or publicly displayed, you can start a portfolio of your best work and then add onto it if you win photography contests or start receiving paid work.

How to Get Jobs

As we mentioned, building a portfolio is the first step in submitting your work for pay but when it comes right down to it, it’s the quality of the photo that will determine if you get paid for it. Some people have more of a natural talent for taking great pictures than others but it is a skill that anyone can learn. There are schools dedicated to the art of photography and you can even get a degree in it. If you are just getting started, you can look into classes provided by your local community center or community college. Some cities have photography groups that meet to share photos and tips. There are also many groups online dedicated to photography and freelance photography.

You need to view as many famous photographs as possible. Take a look at what is getting published and compare it to your own photos. This allows you to compare and learn from other’s work. It takes more than just point and shoot to get a great photo. You need to learn about focus, lighting, colors and backgrounds and much more.

Once you start learning about photography and creating a portfolio, you can start submitting your photos to contests and magazines. Get a list of photography markets and start submitting to ones that accept your type of photos. Don’t expect to make it to the big times right away. Few people actually achieve this but you can start small and eventually make your way into a nice living from freelance photography.


About the author: Looking for information about Photography? Go to: http://www.asaphotography.com 'ASA Photography' is published by Colin Hartness - An excellent resource for Photography! Check out more Photography articles at: http://www.asaphotography.com/archive

Article Source: www.isnare.com

When Is The Ideal Time To Look For A Job?

Most people start searching for a new job when they "need" a job - when they've resigned or been asked to leave their current job, or have simply decided to leave. However, if you want a great job - one that suits you down to the ground - these are unlikely to be the best times to start looking.

Well, as it happens, the ideal time to start searching for employment has less to do with your need for a job and more to do with a particular organization's need to hire someone for that job. To be precise, the best time to be on the outlook for a new job is when the organization has realized it needs to hire someone for that job.
But let me clarify: the ideal time is not when the company has hired a recruitment agent or is already advertising for the job... it's when the company has JUST realized that it needs a specific position filled.

And just why is this the best time for YOU to start looking for a job? Because if you're "there" when the company has decided it needs to hire... and you have all the experience, qualifications and skills its looking for, then (except for any regulatory or political requirements to advertise the job) you're the one its likely to hire! The only reasons why the organization wouldn't hire you would probably relate to the remuneration you ask for or for corporate political reasons outside your control.

But, of course, if you've researched the organization and prepared yourself for the role... presumably you would only present yourself for the job if you understood the lay of the political land and knew what salary range would likely be accepted.

Having said all this, you still need to be "in the right place at the right time", don't you? So how do you accomplish that... when the organization isn't advertising the job? (And how do you know whether or not you want to work for that organization anyway?

Well, I'll be honest, this is where you will have to roll up your sleeves and do a little work. Nothing hard - but some decision making, research and a little networking. And the first step is to identify which companies you'd like employment with.

Let's say, for example, you wanted to develop project management skills and were particularly interested in the software industry. Therefore, you would identify medium to large sized software vendors where there were likely to be project management roles on offer.

Following this initial research, it's time to find out more about each company you've identified. This will allow you to sort the "wheat from the chaff" so that you can target the three or four firms you'd most like to work for. Ideally, you'll also try to meet the key decision makers at those companies - the people with the power to hire you or recommend that you be hired. This may be a matter of attending industry events and even meeting other people who might be able to introduce you to the "decision makers" (the people with the power to hire you or recommend that you be hired)... or of calling up the person you want to meet and asking if you could take them out for a coffee in return for a chat. Do whatever is appropriate to lay the basis for a relationship... so that, over time, the decision maker(s) will keep you informed when a job opportunity comes up.

Now that you're as "in the know" as you can possibly be, your job is to (1) keep your ears to the ground, (2) think, and (3) act! In other words, if you learn that the company is thinking of bringing out a major new product - think about the implications of that. Does that mean that they'll need more project managers to help with the launch? If so, get on the phone to your contact and ask for the chance to present some ideas about how you could help.

Obviously, when the opportunity arises you'll have a better idea of what approach to take, but the point is, all it really takes to get the job is to be aware of what's going on with the companies you're monitoring, analyzing that information, and acting on it. And, really, that's as hard as it gets.

Okay, so this approach may not be the best way to go if you need a job and you need it NOW (who knows when the companies you're targeting will need to hire?). However, it really is the approach to take in order to land your dream job... and only requires a little research, patience and the confidence to talk to people to do it. Try it!

About the author: Anna Johnson. Get the job you want! Watch Anna's funny and inspiring movie, Career Choices, then download a free chapter of her shocking and controversial ebook, Insider Job Secrets Revealed: http://www.insiderjobsecrets.com/career-choices.htm

Article Source: www.isnare.com

How To Choose A Career

By definition, a career is an occupation undertaken for a significant period of a person’s life, which typically offers opportunities for progress. When it comes to choosing a career path, it’s important to consider a number of factors and how they may affect your future.

It isn’t always easy to know what you want to do tomorrow, much less 10 or 20 years from now. Right? This is why so many people often struggle with choosing a career, but there is one way to improve your ability to choose the right path. If you choose a job in a field that you already love, work will be enjoyable and you may find yourself with the perfect career. Many people have turned their hobbies into a career, while others have used their talent to land them the perfect job. If you have an interest in a certain topic, find yourself passionate about a hobby or simply have a natural talent, it may be worth considering as a future career possibility.

During your search for the perfect career, education will undoubtedly play a significant role. For certain careers, you may need a specific type of degree or certification. If this is the case, it’s important to look at various colleges and what they have to offer. Some offer job placement assistance, which is important to those who are new to the workforce. Speaking of which, your geographical location may impact your ability to succeed in a particular career. In some cases, you may find yourself in a situation where relocating for a job is a requirement in order to find success within a specific field. When choosing a career, it’s important to consider your willingness to travel and/or permanently relocate.

As mentioned earlier, a career generally is a job that offers the potential for progress. If you find yourself in a rut, you may lose interest in your career choice, so consider selecting one that will give you the chance for advancement. As is the case with almost everything in life, progress is an important part of happiness.

Have you ever heard someone say that money isn’t everything? Well, it’s true. With that being said, it’s important to note that money is necessary and the career that you choose will greatly determine your livelihood. Some careers are naturally more profitable than others, but the key is to look for a career that offers you a combination of financial stability and will provide you with enough left over to save for retirement. Regardless of your age, it’s never too early to think about the future and how to prepare for it.

The information contained in this article is designed to be used for reference purposes only. It should not be used as, in place of or in conjunction with professional career advice and/or recommendations. For additional information or advice relating to job placement or selection, consult a professional career counselor.

About the author: Leslie Gerard is a consultant for Red 3 Enterprises ( http://www.red3enterprises.com ) and its subsidiaries ( http://www.red3enterprises.com/2007/03/04/gifts-and-otherwise/ , http://www.red3enterprises.com/2007/03/03/moveable-models/ )

Article Source: www.isnare.com

High Speed Internet

I'm trying to consider Comcast Cable Deals for my high speed internet needs. My internet connection has been too intermittent recently that pushing updates to my client servers has affected badly. Update script executing stops in the middle of the critical procedure resulting to corrupt files most of the time. These are the times when you wish it didn't started updating at all. Trying to pickup where you left off isn't a desirable to be in.

Anyway, the Comcast Cable offers: Comcast's Bundled Service Plan seem to fit my home entertainment and work needs. It got digital cable, highspeed internet and digital voice bundled in one plan. It will be saving me $200. With that amount I can get a second new 19in LCD monitor.

Another bonus is that for all of that Comcast Cable sends only one easy to read bill. I'm a sucker for simple things so a simplified, unified and a easier to understand billing statement wins. It saves me from the hassle of paying three different products at three different billing cycle.

Currently here are the prices for their services. Digital Cable starts at $33 per month with $75 credit cash back. High Speed Internet plan have prices starting at $33 per month with $125 rebates and a FREE modem. Digital Voice also starts at $33 per month with $25 cash back and has only 1 rate for all your calls so you won't overwhelmed when the bill arrives.

Dead-End Job? Warning Signs You're in the Wrong Job... And What To Do About It

There's nothing worse that hating your job. You dread Monday mornings. You drag into the office late. You avoid socializing with your co-workers. But what if you actually like certain aspects of your job? What if things aren't so cut and dry? How can you tell if you're putting energy into a job (and a career) that won't satisfy you for the rest of your life? How can you tell if there's something better out there for you? Well, here are a few warning signs that, even if you're enjoying certain parts of your workday, you'll ultimately be better off going in another direction:

1. You rationalize your misery. Most people "make the best" of their jobs for practical reasons: They need the extra money. They think they have to pay their dues before they can move on to a fulfilling career. They believe disliking their job is just part of life. But making excuses for leading a so-so life (even if it's not that bad) will always leave a void in your heart.

2. You aren't challenged for fulfilled. Sure, you may be interested or even fascinated with certain parts of your job. But if you don't feel like you're growing in new ways, or contributing anything worthwhile to the world, you may find yourself wondering what the point is of all your hard work. Everyone has a purpose in life, and if you feel like your current position isn't going to allow you to fulfill that purpose, you'll probably end up tolerating a job that doesn't fit you.

3. You complain about your job to anyone who will listen. We all know that misery loves company, so if you hate certain aspects of your job, there will probably be plenty of people there to join you in the pity-party. In the beginning of my career as a paralegal, I spent every Friday night with most of my co-workers, complaining about certain parts of our job. Even though I generally liked my job, and loved the people I worked with, somehow all we ever focused on was the negative parts of our job. It became a way to connect with and relate to each other. This was my first clue that I was in the wrong field (at least over the long term).

4. You daydream about what you'd really like to do with your life. Do you have a passion that you just can't bury? Do you secretly wish you could do surf tours in Costa Rica? Or open a Bed & Breakfast in Vermont? Most people have a vision for what their life would look like, if it weren't for all of those pesky adult responsibilities. If you find yourself thinking that there's something better out there, there just might be.

There are a zillion different jobs out there. There is NO reason to suffer for a lifetime in a job or a career that isn't right for you. If you decide that you ARE in fact in the wrong job, it's time to start taking steps to move into a field that you LOVE. So how can you do that?

First you have to figure out what's stopping you from leaving your current position. Is it just that you can't figure out what you'd rather do? If that's the problem, then start doing some research. Begin talking to people who have careers in something you suspect you'd really like to do (mystery shopping? CIA agent? CEO of a major corporation?). People love to talk about themselves, so offer to buy them lunch and in return see if you can ask them some questions about their job. I've never had a problem getting someone to open up to me about their life. If you went to college, visit your alma mater's career center. Most campuses allow alumni to utilize their services forever. They can give you personality tests, offer research tools, and provide counseling if you just need someone to bounce ideas off of.

Is the problem that you know what you'd rather do, but it seems unrealistic or impossible? Then the first thing you need to do is banish those doubts. Talk to a career counselor or to a trusted friend. Start by admitting that you have a dream for your life. Then begin uncovering the reasons why you're blocking yourself from realizing your dream. Are you afraid of failure? Do you think you need to be "responsible"? Do your parents/friends/spouse put down your ideas for a different life? Do you think you're too old to start all over? Figure out what your obstacles are, and then begin brainstorming ways to overcome them. This is when a coach or a counselor can really come in handy. Real change takes a lot of dedication and persistence, and having someone on your side, committed to your success is the best way to realize your dreams.

It's never too late to make yourself happy. You only get one life - make it as amazing as possible!

About the author

Sarah M. Schultz, MA, CPC is a certified Personal Development Coach in Park City, UT. Sarah coaches teens and college graduates in identifying their personal values, developing an authentic identity and building a passionate life. Register for your free copy of her article "Self-Reliance: 7 Tips for Finding Your Strength Within" on her website at: http://www.newheightslifecoaching.com.

Source: GoArticles

Keys To Success - Must Have A Clear Goal

This is another important key that you will need if you want to success. You must have a clear goal in your life. If you've read my previous articles about the keys to success, maybe you will think that this key is more important than other keys. But like I said, the order of which key comes first is not important. All these keys to success are equally important, you will need them if you want to success in your life.

I know that many of you already know about this key, you always heard that successful people saying that you must a goal, you must set your goal, etc. Yes, indeed, without a goal, you cannot achieve anything. Now, if you’re reading this article, means that you’ve the interest to success in your life. Nothing will happens automatically, because you have the goal that you want to success, only then you will come across this article, and read until this point. Therefore you see, if you don’t have a goal, you will not do all these things, you won’t be reading this article by now. Only if you have a goal, your goals will leads you and tell you what to do.

Well, the goals you set must be clear. Let me give you some examples here, what a clear goal means. A clear goal is something that you can achieve, the more tangible, the better. If you have a goal like this “I want to be rich in two years”, it is not clear enough. Because it never state that how much is it that you want to make. For some people, rich means having $1 million, and for some people, having $10k is considered rich. So you must set clear goals for yourself, the clearer goal you have, and the easiest it can be achieve.

When we are small, our goals are crystal clear. Try to ask a child, what he wanted to be after he had grown up. Straight away he will tell you “I want to be a doctor”, “I want to be an engineer”. But after we grew up, our goals became very blur. If you don’t believe this, you can try to ask your friend. And you will get something like “Well, it depends”, “I want to be success”. These are all the blurry goals you may get. The time we grew up, we’ve been exposing to the negative environment that changes our mindset.

Have you ever heard some one said that he wanted to go for vacation? But in the he ended going nowhere. Why? Because his goal is not clear enough. If you said that you wanted to go for a vacation, you must know where is it that you wanted to go. If you wanted to go to Malaysia, did you know that Malaysia is big and where you want to step foot? Your goal should be like this, “I wanted to go to Kuala Lumpur of Malaysia, I’m ready to spend $5,000 for this trip, I will stay there for 7 days and 6 night, etc”. This is a clear goal. Even if you say that you want to buy a BMW, you must specific the model, the colour and other features. Only then it can be considered as a clear goal, and can be achievable.

Hence, you know the importance of having clear goals now. Keep this key in together with you. When you are down, frustrated, take out this key again, and remind yourself about your goal. It will give you a lot energy in pursuing your dreams.

Learn how to Make Money Online, live a Millionaire lifestyle in no time. Get all Free Tips Making Money Online here, http://themillionairesecrets.blogspot.com/

If you don’t act on this information today you may never get the opportunity to take this life changing step again. Just follow the link and start your new life today!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Shawn_Lim

Take a break, play online casino

Once in a while, we need to take a break from work and give ourselves some time to recharge or ways to enjoy. One of those things I do away from work is playing online casino. It gives me a way to earn and having fun at the same time.

Online gambling, like other online and offline ventures of mine, involve some degrees of risk. I consider them all gambling. Putting up new sites and monetizing it is no different from betting on online blackjack. The only difference I see is that with online gambling, I get the results right away while my online ventures takes months or years to know if they bore fruit or not.

What's the first thing you should do when you want to gamble online? Look for a decent online casino. There are tons of them so you'll need some sort of a list. Online Casino Bluebook list popular online casino sites for free. The list are reviewed by experienced online gamblers. Casinos in the list are rated and ranked by bonus size, payout percentage, customer service, game features, number of games, software graphics, and ease of use. Oh did I say those in the list are the top 10 online casino sites? That alone is good reason enough for you get started on finding your luck online.

Employer Responsibility and Liability in Employee Leasing

When trying to decide on employee leasing for your business, it's very important to be clear about who takes employer responsibility and liability. It's wrong to say that the employee leasing services company takes all the responsibility and liability. It's not right to leave to you, the business owner, most of the liability which is the reason why you avail of staff leasing service in the first place.

Employer responsibility and liability must be shared. This is in fact what Axis Group advocates as a Professional Employer Organization (PEO). Axis Group partners with their clients to allocate and share employer responsibility and liability. They are in the "business of employment". Risk management, workers' compensation, human resources, labor law compliance, payroll, benefits, and employee tax administration are just some the services that Axis Group provides. Making it the complete human resource and employee benefit package leaving you free to manage product development and production, marketing, sales and service.

So, when choosing the right Professional Employer Organization (PEO), bear in mind to balance the responsibility and liability between you and the PEO company. Each PEOs have their own specialties but most will work for your benefit. Their success depends on you success. They will try to work on you advantage so you can focus on making your business as success rather waste your time running it.

7 Rules of Successful Freelancer

I've been a freelance programmer, web developer and system administrator for three years. Not that much, you'd probably say, you may be right. You may be wrong either. Anyway, when you're 21, three years don't seem to be a little time.

I started when I was 18. I had a part-time job in dental clinic (I'm terribly afraid of dentists since then, though I wasn't afraid of them before) and my salary could just cover my Internet bills (in a small town ISPs have very high prices while students can't get much money for work) and leave a little spare money to later spend them on my friends' and parents' birthdays and New Year. I'll tell you the full story some day, now I just want to note that I started from barely nothing and today I only get money from freelance. No full-time office work.

1. Work regularly. Don't depend on you mood. You should choose time for you to work, and you must work every day from, eg. 6 pm to midnight, and you mustn't do anything but work during this time. Yes, it's very tempting to have a break, read forums, chat, play quake, make love, go skating, etc, and finish the work next morning. That's completely wrong attitude. You work at home, it gives you more freedom and more flexibility, but it's still work.

Of course, if you feel tired, you should rest. Make coffee, smoke a cigarette, clean your cat's toilet, but do not start doing anything time-consuming and interesting – you'll lose a working day.

If you don't want to do anything right now, force yourself to do. You want money? You want to finish this project? So work, you bastard! Start from simple things, do some routine stuff you didn't want to do the day before.

Also, it is very important to make your family understand, that this is work, too, and they should try to not to disturb you when you're working.

It's hard at the beginning, but soon you'll get used to working on schedule, and become as productive as never before.

2. Don't lie to your clients. “Of course, I do not!” – you'd say. Lie! Terrible lie. There are three kinds of lie to client I know:

1. When you weren't working or didn't yet do something, but you say you were or you did.

Sure, you don't want to look lazy. But you aren't, are you? So what are you afraid of? Tell you client honestly, that you lost a couple days, tell him, why is it so. Don't make him distrust you. Tell him, what are you going to do to outweigh lost time.

2. When you have problems with some part of work, but you say that everything's okay or that there were some difficulties, but you overcame them.

Are you afraid to look not good enough? You aren't then. I'll tell you more about that a bit later. Remember, noone can know everything, no one can overcome each and every difficulty. You understand it, right? So why do you think, your client doesn't? Don't let him think you're a lier. Tell him, that you are not very familiar with 'XXX', but you can work it out, and say how much time do you need to do that.

3. When it was easy to do something, but you say it was a great achievement and you had to go through terrible difficulties to implement that feature.

Are you afraid to get less money than you could? If you want higher prices, take harder work. Any work should cost what it is worth. And do you really want to look that bad, so you are hard to do even simple things? Clients are not coders, but in most cases they realize what is easy and what is not.

3. Don't think you're smarter than your customer. If you're that smart, where's you money then? You not smarter, and neither he is. You now how to code, he know to make money. Everyone is an expert in his own sphere, so cooperate. Ask him, why he needs the features he needs. Understand what are priorities. Tell him, why is 'XXX' bad in your opinion, and how could it be improved. Extreme programming adepts call it 'planning game'. Work together. You'll see the resuls.

4. Communicate. Yes, it's obvious, but many people underestimate the importance of communication. At first, people like when you're open and communicative. Be a nice guy. Let them like working with you. Of course, you met to work, not to chat, but a couple lines in IM isn't a big deal. Just let client know what are you working at right now. Be alive. It is okay to say “Be right back, gonna make some coffee”, you're a coder, coders are known to drink litres of coffee every day. That's thought to be funny, use it. Be a geek and be a normal person at the same time. But do not chat too much, you should be working. And your client surely have things to do, too. Remember (or write somewhere) clients' names. Let them feel you remember them.

And the second, not that obvious, benefit of communication is that it helps you track the progress. When you tell someone what are you doing, you know better where you are now and what are you going to do. IM is optional, but weekly email reports are the must, even if client doesn't require them. It would be very good if it's your idea to file the reports. They are not only to let client know how much he has to pay you. they are for you, too. Without them you may have lost the feel of progress and start working slow and inefficiently. I recently made that mistake, and right now I'm finishing the project I would finish two months ago, if I had reported regularly.

5. Do what you can do and a little above it. If you're afraid you aren't good enough, you aren't. We are programmers. We can do anything. If we don't know how to do something, we read manuals, look at the examples, and do it. But, from the other side, you must clearly know, what you aren't good at. Never take the work you're sure you can't do. But don't be afraid if you have to deal with something new. Ask for more. Get experience. You can't get experience in any other way but working.

6. Love your work. Obvious. Never deal with what you don't like. Be good at what you are interested in. Find your niche, but ensure it's not too narrow. Discover new areas of expertise for yourself, but always keep yourself interested. Enjoy your work, programming is almost like sex, didn't you know? If you don't get any pleasure from your work itself, maybe you should try to find someting more suitable and joyful for you?

7. No step back. Never ask for less bucks/hour than on previous project. No, I don't mean asking more and more and more. You'll lose all your client then. But the work should be paid what it is worth. So don't take the work that is too cheap'n'nasty for you. Be professional.

Maybe not all the mentioned rules are the must, but I did follow them and it brought me to success. My freelance experience is not limited to these rules, check my blog at http://www.miheev.info for updates of this article, my other experience, including reviews of freelance sites and general freelance and programming tips and tricks.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Aleksei_Miheev

More on staff or employee leasing

If you ever thought about outsourcing your staffing needs but is taken aback by the cost of availing staff leasing services, think again. There are staff leasing or employee leasing companies that caters to small to medium size businesses. At least, that's what Elite Business Solutions offers.

With employee leasing services, you should not think about how much you will pay your staff leasing company but you should think of how much you could save by employing their services. HR departments are costly to maintain and the headaches they brought is enough to divert your focus from revenue generating activities. Enter employee leasing companies like Elite Business Solutions.

Not only that. Elite Business Solutions also offers payroll, employee benefit programs, human resource management, and risk management and insurance.

How are these beneficial to you and your business?
They can help implement the practices necessary to maximize the benefits of our service model, which can help take a growing business to newer levels. EBS puts the resources necessary at your finger tips to put you back in control of your business and your vision back to work.

The best of all, You are assigned a business advisor as your main contact. Your business advisor works with the service team to ensure your needs and expectations are being met.

What are PEOs and how you can benefit from them

What is PEO?
PEO stands for Professional Employer Organization. It is also known by it's other name: Employee Leasing Companies. They are in the business of helping other businesses with payroll processing to staffing. PEOs are full pledge HR department.

A general overview of what PEOs offer businesses:

• Payroll outsourcing and processing
• Workers compensation
• Governmental compliance outsourcing
• Employee benefits and savings
• Financial savings plans, 401K plans...
• Small business group health insurance plans
• HR outsourcing and human resource assistance

Why do businesses need PEOs?
PEOs get the job done fast, efficient and economical. PEOs handle the issues with employees leaving businesses to concentrate on running the revenue generation part of the business. No more worrying about workers compensation, for instance. But how does it work? Here's a good outline of how workers compensation is handled by PEOs from Get PEO Quotes website:

• Improves Cash Flow: Most PEO's require no down payment or upfront cost to cover workers compensation premiums. This also eliminates the year end audit since you are on a pay-as-you go plan. No Surprises at years end!
• Sharing the risks: By pooling your employees with thousands of other employees your company is able to share in the economies of scale. Imagine the buying power of a 25,000 employee company to yours.
• Loss Prevention: Employee leasing companies have a vested interest in keeping your employees safe. They are very proactive in helping your company run a safer workplace to help reduce claims therefore, costs as well. Most PEO's have in-house safety engineers to assist you in making yours a safe workplace.
• Certificates of insurance: In the event that your company needs a workers compensation certificate of insurance, they're just a call away. Most employee leasing companies have the ability to turn those valuable workers compensation certificates around quickly.
• Extended Limits: Higher numbers of employees means higher limits of workers compensation coverage, adding another measure of security for your company.
• Claims Administration: In the event of an "on the job" accident, simply call the number provided by the PEO and they take it from there. The PEO will make sure your employee gets the rapid quality care they need with helping them get back to work quickly.