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U.S. Federal Trade Commission proposes a ban on non-compete agreements that would also cover independent contractors (freelancers) and interns in addition to full-time employees.
The Economist welcomes FTC’s proposal, citing an estimate that as many as one-fifth of American workers are restricted by non-compete clauses, reducing innovation and productivity spread as a result.
Our take: If this goes through in the USA (and later in the EU), it could be one of the most important pieces of legislation to support freelancers. Many independents who work for established companies are expected to sign non-compete agreements without adequate compensation, making them less competitive and tying their expertise to a limited number of clients. Breaking these shackles would be a good thing.
Here’s a new testimonial from our member Jakub Res, who is based in the UK:
“Opportunities don't happen, you create them — such as by joining Freelancing.eu. As well as significantly improving your visibility on the Internet, the website gives you a sense of belonging to a vibrant and inspiring community where a can-do attitude is the norm.”
⭐ Are you a freelancer too? Join us and reach out to new clients.
The creators of the phenomenal AI-driven DeepL Translator have just released DeepL Write — a free AI writing companion for correcting grammar, improving vocabulary and style.
The beta version of DeepL Write runs in a browser and currently supports American and British English, as well as German. However, if you want something a little more sophisticated, try Grammarly.
Working with important, anchor clients that “provide steady work and make up a good chunk of your freelance income” has a number of pros and cons, as stated in Rudri Patel’s article:
Our take: Best practice for freelancers who work with anchor clients is to stay ambitious and make sure that their side of the deal is well-represented in an ongoing collaboration.
Play.ht is an online AI voice generator that can produce very realistic text-to-speech audio.
This can be useful for narrating articles, producing podcasts, video voice-overs, or online courses. While some voices are still a bit synthetic, many sound quite like real people. The app supports 142 languages and accents.
There is also a new feature of voice cloning, which enables you to have a copy of your own voice created once you’ve met certain requirements.
Here’s a new testimonial from our member:
“Since leaving my corporate career in 2010 and becoming a sole trader, I was dependent on any kind of promotion of my brand. I finally realized that the most effective way is having quality references. Being listed on a trusted portal like Freelancing.eu gives you a nice kick of trustworthiness you definitely need. Thanks to Freelancing.eu my profile and brand grow on the European level. Going beyond our home country is something we should all embrace. The world is full of clients. Thank you!” — Radek Hrachovec
⭐ Are you a freelancer too? Join us and reach out to new clients.
Robert Vlach has picked his books of 2022, some of which are relevant to freelancers:
New York’s Governor Kathy Hochul vetoed state-level Freelance Isn't Free Law, delivering a major blow to the Freelancers Union’s campaign to protect freelancers against non-payers above the level enjoyed by other businesses. The legislation has been a hallmark of the Union’s effort that was supposed to serve as a model for other cities and states across the U.S.
In her letter, Hochul claims that the new legislation would require an expense of at least several million dollars annually, regulation of private contracts, and a new complaint process that would functionally displace civil courts.
Note that since 2017, the city-level Freelance Isn’t Free Act has recovered ca. $2 million in wages owed to freelancers, according to Graphic Artists Guild.
Are you looking to improve your work habits this year? Andrew Huberman, the Professor of Neurobiology at Stanford Medicine and host of the renowned Huberman Lab Podcast, has a great suggestion for a highly functional schedule:
And of course nourish, hydrate, relate & avoid energy sinks, i.e. don’t mix states of mind across above steps; practice functional compartmentalization.
Obviously, each can be of different duration. The key here is really to learn how to turn on and off different modes of thinking and action according to the multiple demands of daily life. Nothing is worse than someone who can’t frameshift.
Today’s issue of our newsletter included Robert Vlach’s list of personal insights from 24 years of freelancing — also published on LinkedIn and Twitter.