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US-based solopreneur coach and writer Sarah Duran is one of the brightest voices in the business of freelancing. Over the years, we’ve shared a number of her articles, and now she’s coming with a special:
Boss Mindset is Sarah’s free virtual workshop for freelancers, consultants, and solopreneurs, scheduled for Friday, September 29, 2023 at 9am MST (or 5pm CET in Europe).
Sarah is bright and experienced, an outspoken supporter of running freelancing as a profitable business. This is a great opportunity to e-meet her in person. If you miss it, at least make sure to subscribe to Sarah’s newsletter The Hustler's Manifesto on Substack so that you won’t miss the next one.
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German quality… in apps?! You bet.
Most of the current AI-powered apps are just hype, but the German-made Auphonic is a different beast. An extremely powerful and easy-to-use sound processor, it allows podcasters and audio creators of all kinds to produce much clearer sound from the original audio — or video (yes, you can even upload videos, including short clips recorded on your phone).
The list of features is extensive, while the app itself is quite inexpensive, especially when you buy 100 hours of one-time credits at €1.47 per hour.
“Auphonic is one of my favorite pieces of software. The integration of AI is seamless and makes the audio processing of the podcast I host simple and reliable. I highly recommend it!” — Lex Fridman
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Elaine Pofeldt, the author of The Million-Dollar, One-Person Business, is one of the truly original writers on freelance business, and especially the top-earning tier.
Her recent Forbes article, 10 Niches Where Very Lean Businesses Are Making Big Money, is yet another example:
She analyzed census data to determine the niches where microbusinesses with up to four employees have the most money left over after making payroll, and came up with a top ten list that includes Creamery butter manufacturing, Ethanol and grain alcohol manufacturing, or Flavoring syrup and concentrate manufacturing.
These (and others) are hardly dream jobs for most people, but the profit angle could be quite persuasive for some.
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Marc Andreessen, who is well-known as an Internet pioneer and prominent tech investor, as well as a supporter of less-regulated AI development, has a great new interview on the Huberman Lab podcast.
He and Andrew Huberman discussed the innovator mindset, which is second nature to those entrepreneurs and freelancers who are okay with going against the crowd, being disagreeable, and risk taking. Naturally, they have also discussed AI and how it transforms the human experience:
Note: There’s also a fantastic book How Innovation Works by Matt Ridley, if you wish to read more on the subject.
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Vodafone Business UK specifically recommends Freelancing.eu as a source for hiring freelance experts in an article with top tips on building a team to manage digital profiles:
„We recommend freelance hiring websites such as Upwork and Freelancing[.eu]“
Thanks for highlighting our open directory!
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This post is based on a brilliant 2019 Linda Thompson’s article Dutch website helps journalists better understand freelancer agreements:
The media are said to be in crisis, which is often reflected in one-sided standard contracts offered to freelance writers. They are somehow expected to accept the unfavourable terms and not discuss them because competition is high. Or is it?
As a beginning freelancer, Dutch journalist Nick Kivits accepted this common practice, giving the contracts only a quick read before sending them back signed: “The first few years I did it all wrong. I signed everything,” he remarks.
Nick decided to improve the negotiating position of freelance writers. He began explaining and commenting on standard Dutch media contracts through his website, Freelancevoorwaarden.nl. He focuses on what's wrong, where the common issues lie, and what writers should be cautious of. These are three things in particular: exclusivity terms, payment terms, and copyright clauses. The comments are often informal and humorous, like “Will I be paid extra for re-use? Haha. No.”
Our take: Nick's idea presents an extremely effective and original way to help colleagues in an industry that is rife with one-sided contracting practices. It makes it easy even for beginners to know what to look for in contracts, and it’s clear that freelancers in many other industries would benefit from a similar analysis. The only catch remains the copyright of the contracts themselves — after all, every contract is someone’s copyrighted work, and so publication of the quoted parts must clearly be in the public interest.
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We are launching Freelancers On the Road — a new initiative to organize international freelance meetups across Europe in cooperation with local freelance communities and coworking spaces.
If you're interested in hitting the road with us more than once, you can sign up for updates by joining the core group.
The first event in the series is scheduled for September 27-28 at Coworking Cvernovka in Bratislava, Slovakia.
Attendance is free; no registration is required. Just join the Facebook event and then show up in good spirits — freelancers from all countries are welcome!
Note: This pilot event is (exceptionally) branded as the 1st Czech-Slovak international freelance meetup. Therefore, the afternoon debate will be held in Czech/Slovak, since most participants will speak these as their primary languages.
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The staff at British IPSE have selected and published a collection of the best podcasts for freelancers and the self-employed. Explore and enjoy!
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There’s a very comprehensive website at PrivacyTests.org with privacy ratings for internet browsers. Is your browser secure? Draw your own conclusions — and maybe switch to another.
Note: Another similar website is Secure Messaging Apps Comparison.
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“Exposure to entrepreneurs (mostly) encourages entrepreneurship,” explains Matt Clancy in his older evidence-based article accompanied by a podcast episode titled Entrepreneurship is contagious.
Citing several studies, Matt comes to a conclusion that aligns with our regular observations in our work with freelancers — being around other independent professionals makes one think about career choices and more likely to choose the freelance way.
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