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Why is Freelance Career so Exciting?

Freelancing is an exciting career and the current trends indicate that millions and millions of workers across the world (42 million freelancers in U.S. alone) have switched over to freelancing taking into consideration the multiple benefits it offers. Now a virtual worker sitting thousands of miles away can execute the projects as seamlessly as any office employee.

Why freelancing appeals so much to professionals?

Feeling of Independence

freelancer

The biggest benefit of freelancing is the control that you can have over your own destiny. You are independent to self-set a working schedule as per your convenience.

As a freelancer, you’re well rescued from the clutches of a terrorizing Boss always making you stand head over the heels, general distractions, office politics, numerous meetings over unattainable goals etc.

Enjoy the Freedom of Choice and Timings

You don’t have to strain your eyes all day long in front of PC, sticking to your desk. Freelancing offers you the freedom of flexible timings. You can work anytime, anywhere as per your choice and schedule.

You have full control over the pace at which you work. You can plan your lunch breaks as per your wishes & are free to take any number of personal phone calls. You can do lots of street shopping and spend quality time with your near & dear ones, which of course is rare if you are involved in a routine 9—5 job.

Also, the choice of doing a project is in your hands. If you wish to execute a short project, go for it.  You have varied options of freelance projects to choose from. When & how you want to work, it’s at your discretion!

Reduced Expenses

When you work from home, the daily expenses are automatically curtailed. You can save a considerable amount of money such as commuting expenses, traveling time, petrol bills etc. In a regular desk job, you end up spending great money on purchasing formal office dresses whereas in freelancing, you can even execute the project in your old, comfortable outfit.

Unlimited Opportunity to Earn Money Online

Freelancing gives you a global perspective and an unlimited scope to execute projects and earn great dividends owing to the time you devote to the freelance work. As a freelancer if you operate smartly and use social networking channels efficiently, you can earn great profits online as these would give you a chance to connect with professionals & companies all around the globe and choose from the countless outsourced projects matching your skill sets.

Many freelancers today are earning decent money online as compared to regular desk jobs. Most of the online services marketplaces, such as ours, offer free registration, where they get access to varied projects matching their domain of expertise.

Reduced Pressure and Stress Levels

The level of frustration and resultant stress is relatively very low in freelancing as compared to that in a full-time job. As in freelancing you are saved from the work pressure and annoying bosses, you can be stress free and improve your efficiency while executing the projects and build a triumphant online presence.

Reduced work pressure and degree of stress give you an excellent opportunity to put in your best possible efforts as these will determine your success as a freelancer.

No Firing, No Lay-offs!

The tanked economy has resulted in massive job layoffs but freelancers are not worried about this aspect. In fact, economic recession has turned out to be a bright opportunity for them to bag more projects and add to their income.

Also, the people who have lost their jobs in this financial storm have started freelancing as this fetches them a scope to earn a decent livelihood on their own terms & conditions.

However, freelancing is not always a bed of roses as it involves lots of real-world difficulties to be handled. In order to thrive successfully in freelance business, one has to face day-to-day professional challenges and overcome the stagnancy in learning process due to less exposure to office environment. In that case, one can make optimum use of online resources available to avoid these difficulties and realize the benefits of this opportunity faster and more effectively.

Hope you liked our post and we welcome your feedback and suggestions on the same.

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Placing a Right Bid Can Help You Win a Freelance Project

Once you become a member of any freelance service marketplace, the first question that strikes your mind is how to place a right bid, and what price should I quote to win a project ?

The thumb rule is to think, analyze, calculate and then bid for a particular project. However, the rate may vary from person to person depending on the expertise, experience and geography. Here, we have put some of the general considerations that you should keep in mind before bidding on a project.

1. Nature of the project- Evaluate what type of project you are bidding on, understand the requirements of the project as how much working hours, resources and funds you would be needing in completing it seamlessly.

2. Compare your cost with the client’s budget- After evaluating the requirements of the project, look for the budget mentioned for that particular project. See if it is as per your expectations or will it meet the expenses you would incur to complete the project.

3. Deadline & Complexity- Check the timelines defined for the project you are bidding on. If the deadline is strict, you may need to invest more time, resources, or take extra help to complete it on time. You must take these factors into consideration before fixing a price for a bid.

4. Investigate competition rates- To stay competitive and in demand, you must keep a track of what people of similar expertise and experience are charging. Research extensively on the Internet, read surveys and blogs on freelance rates etc. Search for similar profiles on the freelance job websites to understand the current market trends and prevailing standard rates.

5. Take OpinionAsk your friends, old business associates in the similar domain about the current market rates as this will give a fair idea  on what price you should quote on a particular project.

6. Follow the middle path- It is recommended  to follow the middle path, don’t charge too high and don’t charge too low as this will directly affect your credibility in the market. Justify your job by charging what you are worth for.

7.  Be flexible with rates- If a particular expertise is in demand, the rates will automatically rise and if the demand is low the prices will fall. Hence, it is important to re-evaluate or readjust your rates as per the market demand. Also, there is no harm in negotiating with the client on the rates as you should not be too rigid about what you quoted.

Use these tips and ideas to plan out your freelancing rates and increase your chances of winning a project. Please share with us your ideas, suggestions and experiences on how you finalize your freelance rates.

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Collaborate and Get Excellent Work Results

Once you place a bid on the project, you can start communicating and collaborating with the buyer using the exquisite pack of collaboration tools on our platform. LimeExchange provides various collaboration tools as these are essential to understand the requirements of the project and for its smooth execution.

Project Message Board (PMB) - Interact with the buyer, discuss requirements, send status report, share files and ask for feedback from the buyer and much more. Now you can reply to a PMB message directly through your email box without even logging in to your LimeExchange account.

Instant Message (IM) – It is an instant way of connecting and discussing work related issues with the buyer.

Using these tools, a service provider can send regular work status reports to the buyer. An early feedback on the project progress helps execute project instantly and effectively.

In case you need more clarifications regarding the requirements, coordinate with the buyer online in a chat session and discuss. You can also make mid-releases for the project and request review comments from the buyer. Keep him updated about the project progress and deliver project to the buyer’s expectations.

To enrich the list of collaboration and Communication tools for you, we also have a  Questions &Answers section, wherein you can share knowledge, ask a question, or discuss an issue or concern with experts across the globe. There are subject matter experts also available to answer all your business, technical or any general query.

Hope these features will help making your project execution easier and would maximize your profits.

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