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Using Tools To Manage Freelancers
Using Tools To Manage Freelancers
In today’s article, I’ll share a few resources and tools that will make it easy to manage a team of freelancers.
By the way, this is a continuation of another article about the Power Of Outsourcing which can be found here.
OK, let’s look at some useful tools that you can use to get the best out of your outsourced teams.
Cloud-Based Systems
You may decide that it makes sense to use a cloud-based content management system to manage your freelancers.
Asana is an awesome tool for project management as well as managing your team based on tasks and deadlines.
You can find that here: https://www.Asana.com
The benefit of cloud-based systems is that you and your freelancing team can access them from anywhere.
One of the reasons I like Asana is that they offer a free app for users, too.
You can use cloud-based systems to:
- Grant access to your regular team and freelancers
- Set up projects
- Assign work
- Track progress
In other words, they provide you with an easy way to track and manage multiple projects. They also give your freelancers a place to check in and deliver work.
In addition to Asana, I like Joomla and Monday.
Of course, you can also use something like Google Docs or OneDrive to share files, but they’re not complete content management systems.
Accountability
OK, now let’s talk about accountability and why it’s so important when managing a team of freelancers. In a healthy working relationship, everyone must be accountable for their work.
With freelancers, one of the best ways to create accountability is to include delivery milestones and deadlines within your contract.
Let’s talk about how that can work.
If you’ve got a short-term project, you may simply decide to give the freelancer a delivery date.
In writing, that might mean that you’d say:
I’ve added two new blog posts to the CMS. Those are due on April 21st by 5:00 Eastern Time.
Of course, you can include the due dates in your CMS as well.
For long-term projects, you should break down deliverables into milestones.
For example, if you hire a freelancer to redesign your website, you might have the following deliverables:
- Design concepts, including themes, colors, and fonts
- Home page mockup
- Full site mockup
- Beta site
- Final site
Each milestone should include a due date and a payment.
This method allows you maximum control over deliverables while making it clear what the freelancer’s duties are.
The final element of accountability has to do with the consequences of not being accountable. It’s important to spell out what will happen if a freelancer misses a deadline or milestone.
Your expectations should be spelled out in the contract and reinforced in every interaction you have with your team.
That doesn’t mean you’ll need to mention accountability and consequences every time you speak. It simply means that your actions should always be clear and consistent.
If you communicate well, provide freelancers with the tools they need to excel, and hold yourself and your team accountable, you’ll be able to get the best possible work from the freelancers you hire.
OK, now let’s recap what you need to pay close attention to in order to build a successful team that will take your business to the next level.
Outsourcing Check List
OK, to recap, the things you need to do to build a successful team of freelancers include all of the following:
- First, identify the work and projects that are suitable for outsourcing and determine where you need the most help. Take your time with this! Don’t even think about hiring freelancers until you know exactly how you’ll utilize their talent and skills to further your business goals.
- Write a job description that’s clear and compelling, making sure to spell out the qualifications necessary for the job. The more information you provide, the better. Be as direct as possible, including your expectations. This will minimize the number of unqualified candidates that apply for your job, leaving you free to focus on the people who will help you grow your business.
- Accept quotes and qualify the freelancers who respond, making sure to ask for samples, check references, conduct a Skype interview, and conduct due diligence before choosing your team.
- Create contracts for every freelancer that outline important terms including privacy, milestones, payments, and termination methods.
- Ask the freelancer to sign a non-disclosure agreement. Remember, you can do this before you even begin discussing the terms or details of your project. While you’ll need to provide them with a basic outline of the tasks you’re looking to outsource, you don’t have to give specific details until after the NDA is signed.
- Provide your team of freelancers with the communication, tools, and accountability measures to deliver excellent work. Consider creating a SLACK channel so you can better manage and communicate with your team.
Regardless of how hard we may try to convince ourselves not to outsource, the bottom line is that delegating important tasks to qualified professionals is simply the fastest way to grow your business and skyrocket your income.
There’s another reason why outsourcing is important: when you try to do it all, you’re taking 2 big risks.
The first is that some tasks and projects won’t be done as well as they well as they could be if you had more time, or the necessary training. This could lead to distributing inferior products or low-quality content that won’t help move the needle.
The second risk, and it’s a big one, is that you’ll simply burn out and not be able to stay on top of your market.
No matter how many skills are in your arsenal, or how many years of experience you have, there are always tasks that can (and should) be done by seasoned professionals. As the old saying goes, just because you can do it yourself doesn’t mean you should.
Well, there is a lot more to be learnt about outsourcing for efficiency; far more than can be covered in this short post, but if you’d like to know more about this, then click on the featured resource below where you can pick up a free report that covers this topic in more detail. Download it, read it and take action 😊
The Power Of Outsourcing
The Power Of Outsourcing
There’s no doubt about it: outsourcing important tasks to qualified freelancers is the easiest way to free up your time and resources while being able to focus on the things that matter most.
And it helps you to work on your business rather than in your business, which means you have a good overall view of what your business is doing and the direction you want to take it, rather than getting bogged down in everyday tasks that you really shouldn’t be doing.
But outsourcing is more than just time management and being able to spend more time doing what you enjoy.
By hiring qualified professionals, you’re able to tap into new markets, expand your outreach and test new products and ideas that you may otherwise not be able to develop on your own.
Think about the countless businesses that have benefited by hiring app developers, or companies that outsource all of their brand-building and marketing campaigns so they can focus on brainstorming new avenues and products.
We’re all good at some things and not-so-great at other tasks associated with our business so it only makes sense to hand over the reins to someone who can do a better job then we can.
That doesn’t mean that you’re giving up control of your business. Your freelancers will work behind the scenes for you, at your discretion. They will follow your lead and work hard to get the job done – with no credit.
Yet you reap all the rewards.
Now, let’s look at the importance of utilizing contracts in order to protect yourself and your business. You need to read this before you even consider hiring a freelancer.
Contracts That Protect You
Before you seek out potential candidates to fulfil the gaps in your business, you need to make sure you have all your ducks in a row – starting with contracts.
Contracts, such as NDA (non-disclosure agreements) ensure that your information, ideas or discussions are kept private and that freelancers aren’t able to discuss or share any part of your project with other potential partners or employers.
This is not only important when it comes to hiring authors and writers to develop content where you wouldn’t want them to share that work as samples for future positions, but it’s also important regardless of the type of freelancer you hire.
You want to make sure that all your ideas and creative output is protected and that whatever you discuss with freelancers remains confidential.
Many people make the mistake of thinking that NDA’s are only assigned once you have hired a freelancer when in reality, you can easily require a potential freelancer to sign an NDA before you even begin discussing the project or the possibility of them joining your team.
Here are a few resources I recommend if you’re looking for pre-made contracts and NDA’s that you can customize to suit your needs:
https://www.jotform.com/pdf-templates/contract
https://www.legalcontracts.com/
Keep in mind that these are templates designed to give you an outline but aren’t necessarily entirely applicable to your business. You should eliminate clauses that don’t apply to you or add new clauses as necessary before you ask anyone to sign them.
Next let’s look at the importance of properly managing a team.
Managing Your Outsourcing Team
You’ve assembled a team of skilled freelancers and you’re ready to put them to work.
What’s next?
Teamwork! Your freelancers will only do a great job for you if you manage them properly and build a cohesive team that includes you, your full-time employees, and your freelancers.
In this section, I’ll explain some of the key strategies you can use to manage your freelance team members and maximize productivity.
Communication
The key to managing any team is communication. It’s one of the most important leadership skills to have. Without it, your other skills and strategies won’t amount to much.
With it, you can do anything.
It’s important to set up lines of communication for you and your team members. Here are a few suggestions that you may find useful:
- Create expectations for communication by email.
For example, you might let your team members know that you expect them to respond within one business day when you send them an email.
- Set up an online messaging board or use a content management system like Asana to assign work, exchange notes, and track the progress of each freelancer and their assignments.
- Schedule a weekly conference call or Skype to check in and make sure that your team members have what they need.
That takes care of the organizational part of communication, but I also want to talk about the kind of casual communication that rarely gets discussed, so let’s look at that now.
The Importance Of Open Communication
In the previous section we were talking about how to effectively manage a team of freelancers, but can you guess what one of the most common reasons that projects get delayed or deadlines aren’t met?
Lack of acknowledgement!
When a freelancer delivers work to you, always acknowledge it.
Make sure you let them know that you got it, and if you won’t be reading or reviewing it immediately, make sure they know that, too.
It’s also a good idea to give feedback on the work you receive even if you don’t have any changes.
Every freelancer appreciates that kind of communication and believe it or not, it’s rare.
Finally, you should also let your freelancers know that you (or someone you designate) can be available to answer questions at their request.
What you don’t want is freelancers who are second-guessing themselves or you, feeling adrift because you haven’t responded, or wondering what you think of their work.
While you don’t want to spend too much time micro-managing your freelancers, it’s important that you open up a channel of communication and that you stay available during projects.
If you want a structured system for this to make it easier to manage, consider adding your team to a SLACK channel so that you can communicate both individually and as a team.
You can also set up a schedule so that your freelancers know when you’re available and when you’re not.
Well, there is a lot more to be learnt about outsourcing for efficiency; far more than can be covered in this short post, but if you’d like to know more about this, then click on the featured resource below where you can pick up a free report that covers this topic in more detail. Download it, read it and take action 😊
Change Your Outlook With The Proper Money Mindset
Change Your Outlook With The Proper Money Mindset
If you look at the profiles of wealthy people, you will find they have a different mindset than others. They know the value of money, and they know the fundamental factors of how to make their money grow. If you are not yet wealthy and feel you are struggling, take some tips from these wealthy people.
An age-old idiom of money is to use compound interest in your favor. Benjamin Franklin was a big proponent of this principle. He was quite wealthy for his time, so it is likely he knew what he was talking about.
But, it makes sense. If your money grows on its own, and the money that you earn ends up growing as well, it’s only a matter of time when this amounts to a decent sum of money. And if you keep adding to the balance, that money will also grow along with it.
The situation is a bit more complicated today with government taxing the growth of money. But, you can invest in an IRA or 401K and have that tax deferred until some future period. Speaking of taxes, make sure you work with a qualified accountant and a financial planner to ensure you are paying the least amount of taxes possible. Wealthy people do this.
Another principle wealthy people adhere to is creating multiple income streams. The more income streams you have working for you, the quicker you will become wealthy. When you have multiple income streams, pump up the ones that are working well and dump the ones that aren’t.
After you are financially well off, make sure you never touch the principal. Set up your principal so that it earns the most it can earn and live only within the means of the earnings on that money.
If possible, add to the principal with as much of the earnings as you can afford, so that the principal grows. Just never tap into it. If you find any shortfalls, consider taking on some temporary work. Once the principal is gone, it’s gone for good.
The final tip is to stay out of debt as much as possible. The debt will drain your savings and your portfolio. There can be smart uses of debt as long as the result of using that debt brings in more money than the debt itself. But, most debt should be avoided to keep your financial outlook stable.
Why Aren’t More Schools Teaching About Money?
It’s one of the most fundamental skills for people to have, i.e., learning about proper money management. If kids don’t learn it early on, how are they expected to take on a money mindset later in life? When they set out on their own, this is when it will be needed most.
Our society doesn’t do a good job on teaching kids about money. But, when they get to college, we wonder why they get into trouble with credit card debt. First, why are these credit card companies even offering college kids credit cards in the first place?
The truth is, they know kids will run up a huge balance and not be able to pay. Parents don’t want to see their kids start out with negative credit, so they end up paying for the kids.
There is a responsibility for parents to teach their kids about money. But, if some parents are not good at money management, how will they be able to teach that to their kids? If the parents are running up high debt, how will that set an example?
Kids also need to learn the proper techniques of portfolio management and how the stock market works as well as other financial vehicles available. This foundation could help the kids make better investing decisions at a time when it is needed.
Too many people are under the false belief that young people first starting out can take on more risk. Bear in mind, these same young people make much less money when they first start out. So, taking on those higher risks means it will take much longer for them to recover financially.
Another problem is both teachers and parents are not trained on how to teach about money. It’s a much more complicated subject than it appears on the surface.
While teachers could teach the basics of budgeting and why it’s important to stay out of debt, they don’t have the resources to teach them about proper investing or what to do when someone gets in financial hot water, i.e., large consumer debt, etc.
When kids get to college, they often don’t have a clue about money management. This could be a large reason why subjects like their countries’ national debt are low on the priority scale. If they are informed, they may not be as willing to accept the government spending in the manner that it does.
If these college kids get into politics themselves, their training could help them in reducing this debt and keep a fiscal order with policies.
Why Don’t More People Have A Budget?
A budget is a great way to get and keep people on track with their finances. It lets you see what money is coming in and what is going out. Obviously, you want the inflows to be greater than the outflows and the bigger the spread, the better.
One big reason people don’t budget is that they want instant gratification. We see something on television that is cool, some new electronic gadget, etc., and we want one. Kids see the newest toy and it is immediately on their radar.
Credit cards make it easy to buy and defer payment. So when the urge to buy is strong, people justify that they have time to pay it off later. However, do this enough and you’ll find your balances on the credit cards to be much greater than you can manage.
There are people who make budgets but then cheat on them. They end up using all kinds of excuses as to why they spent above what the budget allowed. This is a big reason why people fail with budgets. After they cheat once, it becomes easier to do so in the future.
The key to staying on track with a budget is to focus on why you have a budget in the first place. When you do that, you can say to yourself anytime you get the impulse to buy that it will ruin that future goal. Once people start to see their balances grow due to budgeting, it helps to reinforce and motivate people to stay on track.
If you create a budget and find that the outflows are greater than the inflows, you will need to cut back on expenses or increase your income somehow, or a combination of both. Increasing income has become a bit easier with the internet.
You could post your skills online and pick up some freelance work in this way. This is something the entire family could get involved with. Over time, if you stick to your budget you should see the benefits. These will more than make up for the effort required at the beginning of the process.
Many people find they prefer working in this sharing internet economy and choose to do it full time. As long as it brings in the necessary cash to stay within the parameters of your budget, you could choose to do this yourself. Just make sure you factor in everything that you are giving up working for someone else.
Whatever you want in life will require discipline to achieve and being good with money and becoming successful is a small part of this. And if you want to know more about harnessing the power of self-discipline, then check out the featured resource below for a free report; download, read it and take action 🙂
The Obstacles Of Success And Failure
The Obstacles Of Success And Failure
I’m sure we have all had to overcome obstacles of some sort in our lives, whether they be personal, career based, or business based.
Obstacles are just a fact of life, aren’t they?
We often think of obstacles as situations or items that make us fail. It brings people down where they feel they have no way out of those situations.
However, there are plenty of instances where success can get in peoples’ way as well. In fact, it can be more debilitating for some.
Success As An Obstacle
When people succeed in whatever they are trying to accomplish, they have proved that they can do it. Sometimes, once that happens, they revert to the situation before success.
Since they have shown themselves what is possible, why bother proceeding and going further with that success? This can become pretty demotivating when you start to think this way.
This commonly happens in the arts as well as in sports. For example, suppose a musician learns a difficult piece of music. Some will not proceed to learn other pieces of the same difficulty because they have shown themselves and others that they can play the one they learned.
Another reason why success can be an obstacle is that the excuses are no longer valid because you have already accomplished something.
It’s easier to use excuses. When you get to the point where you are almost succeeding, you may find ways to sabotage that success so that you can go back to using excuses. You’ll find plenty of people who will support your use of excuses, but it won’t get you where you truly want to be.
Some people don’t achieve their goals because they believe others don’t want them to succeed. It’s a strange phenomenon and usually is a result of a miscommunication.
For instance, you may be speaking to your parents about your accomplishments, and they question you in a way that on the surface seems like they are disapproving of what you are doing. In fact, they were proud and excited for you. This could cause you to give up on the venture because of you misreading their intentions.
If you find yourself in a position of fearing success, think about what you will gain when you push through to that stage. You will satisfy your goals and your chances of living a better life increase. Further, what you accomplish may help others. It could be a product or it could simply be a technique that frees up those people from a problem they may be facing. They will be grateful to you and you may even turn what you are doing into a business and earn money.
If you truly want something and you are close to reaching it, you should try your hardest to get past that point where you fallback. You will stand out among your peers and you will increase your confidence.
Once you can get past this, you have the tools to accomplish anything you want. You can use that point where you felt like giving up as motivation for future endeavors.
OK, so we have looked at the possibility of success being an obstacle, but what about failure? Can that be an obstacle too? You bet, and logically it appears to be pretty obvious, so let’s take a look at that now.
Failure As An Obstacle
People hate to fail. It associates them with losing which makes them believe they are losers. Society doesn’t look favorably on losers. When failure does happen, people tend to give up too easily instead of using the experience as a way to learn and grow.
We are going to face many obstacles that will knock us down. Some of them will be small obstacles while others will be more severe. We set up blocks within our psyche that prevents us from overcoming these obstacles, no matter what they are.
Some obstacles may require professional help. For instance, if you have lost a limb, you may need physical therapy to get used to life without that limb. If you are using an artificial limb, you will need therapy to become familiar with living with that new limb.
If it is a traumatic experience, it could affect your mental capacity. In such cases, you may need to seek a counselor or psychiatrist to help you deal with the situation you face. Many feel it’s better to get help as soon as the traumatic experience occurs as it will be easier to come to grips with it. Although, it is possible to get help at any point in time.
When your failure isn’t severe (where you’ll need some extra help), you need to reach within yourself and recognize failure for what it is, a learning experience. Read profiles of most influential people, and you will find they have all failed multiple times. The difference is they kept going and did not let those failures deter them.
You need to believe in yourself and what you are doing. When that happens, you will become unstoppable. For example, suppose you have been thinking about creating a business based on something you are good at. You know that you can make it work and also know that others will be receptive to the idea when you do.
As long as you keep your focus on that belief, you will do what it takes to make it work. It won’t matter how many failures happen. Your belief system is in place, and you will analyze your failures to see how you can make changes.
People who have a strong belief will get others on board as well. Suppose, for instance, your spouse is hesitant about your new venture. If you show how strong your belief in the concept is, your spouse will likely come around to supporting you over time.
What do you think about the opposing ideas of success and failure both acting as obstacles in your life? It may sound paradoxical, but the human mind is rarely straightforward is it?
I’m sure many people can see failure as an obstacle, but success? Well, I hope this has made you think about it at the very least.
Whatever you want in life will require discipline to achieve and overcoming obstacles is a small part of this. But if you want to know more about harnessing the power of self-discipline, then check out the featured resource below for a free report; download, read it and take action 🙂
Using Vision To Guide Your Success
Bill Gates, Nelson Mandela, Steve Jobs, Abraham Lincoln, Mahatma Gandhi, Shakespeare, and Leonardo da Vinci; what do all these people have in common?
The first thought that comes to mind is that they are “greats”. They are great leaders, great inventors, and great artists. They are not greats because they are famous. It is their greatness that has brought them fane.
The list of names that humanity considers great is endless. But what exactly makes a person great? What secrets or special qualities does that person possess that others do not? Is it true that some people are just born to do great things?
The truth is, there is no mysterious code or magic recipe for greatness. Nor does destiny choose some people to become great and overlook others.
Every human being has the potential to become great.
You don’t necessarily have to change the world if you don’t feel that that is your calling. You don’t have to carve your name in history books. However, you can achieve greatness in your own niche by learning from people who have left their unique mark on humanity.
We all want to be great at something. None of us willingly chooses to be mediocre. The longing for greatness is an innate need within each one of us.
The big misconception is that we don’t think we were born for greatness. We think that greatness is a quality that a very few unique people are blessed with. We look at people like Oprah Winfrey or Mark Zuckerberg with awe and envy and wonder, “What’s their secret?”
The secret is a simple set of qualities that you can learn to develop. These qualities interact and fuse together, enabling you to create your own personal greatness in whatever you choose to do.
It doesn’t have to be something world-changing, but it will be life-changing for you. You may want to be a great parent, a great spouse, or great in your career. You may want to become a great advocate for a cause that you are passionate about. And if you want to reach higher and change the world – by all means, go for it!
Whatever measure of greatness you want to achieve, these “secrets” of greatness will help you fulfill your personal calling.
In this post you will learn about one of the most important of these “secrets” and that is your vision. By the way, there are seven “secrets” in total and if you want to learn the rest then you can download them in a free report here.
Vision
Steve Jobs had a vision when he started building computers in his garage. His vision was a computer in every home, making technology easily accessible to all people.
Martin Luther King had a vision when he was still an obscure pastor. His vision was a word of equal opportunity without discrimination or racial barriers.
Both men turned their respective visions into a reality that revolutionized the world.
The first step in your journey to greatness starts with having a vision. What is your life goal? What is it that you are most passionate to achieve? What is the legacy you would like to leave behind you? Have you ever really sat down and thought about it?
Vision Versus Goals
The first thing you need to do is to distinguish between your vision and your goals. Think of your vision as the destination that you want to arrive at. Goals are the “stations” along the way that slowly but surely bring you closer to your vision.
Having a clear vision is your foundation. It allows you to decide on the steps you need to take to achieve it, to plan structure and to gear your life towards reaching the destination.
Once you have identified your vision, you will start to set the short- term and long-term goals that you need to achieve.
For example, if your vision is to become a pediatrician, your first long-term goal would be to finish medical school. Short term goals would be to study and pass exams. The next long-term goal would be an internship, with short term goals being to learn all the practical skills you need.
The culmination of all these goals will fulfill your vision, which is a successful practice where you can help and heal sick children.
Now that you know the difference between a vision and a goal, take some time to sit down and think it through. Write down your vision and the goals you need to make to get you there.
Set a target date for achieving each goal. Goals can be daily, weekly, monthly and yearly or all four.
The Three Elements Of Vision
- Purpose. A compelling vision is one that has a purpose. It’s knowing why you were put in this world and what you need to do to leave it a better place. Without a strong purpose, you will lose your motivation.
- Seeing the bigger picture. This means envisioning –closing your eyes and seeing what your future will look like when you have reached your ultimate life goal. Picture what your life will look like in 10 or 15 years when you are running a successful and reputable business. Visualize the great service or product you are offering your customers that adds so much value to their lives. Bask in the feeling that this picture gives you. Do this as often to keep your purpose string.
- Values. A good vision is one based on good ethics and values rather than greed, self-indulgence or empty fame. Good values should be your guiding principle in daily life as you move towards achieving your vision. Reaching the top unethically is not the quality of great people
Use Your Vision As A Tool
Great people have a unique way of making their visions a reality. They use them as a tool to motivate and propel them. This can be done by regularly picturing the result to always keep it top of mind.
The bottom line: Great people can see the future. They can articulate their vision in descriptive and specific terms. They can visualize the result with clarity. This crystal-clear articulation and positive self-talk keep the vision alive. It enables you to set relevant goals and harness your determination and resolve to attain them.
Don’t forget that if you want to read an expanded report that contains 6 other “secrets” you can download that here
And having a strong mindset is critical to any attempt to staying focused and motivated to achieve greatness, so click on the featured resource below to get a free report on how to develop a strong mindset. Download, it read and take action 🙂
