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Do you want to expand your freelance business into other countries? Are you looking to meet new people and establish personal contacts for future cross-border collaborations? Compare your entrepreneurial experiences with peers from different places? Then we have an opportunity you shouldn’t miss!
This year, Freelancing.eu is co-organizing several international meetings for European freelancers in collaboration with local Impact Hubs. International meetups like these haven’t been organized by anyone in Europe, so we’ve decided to explore their possibilities and invite other communities as well. The format is open, titled Freelancers On the Road, and future meetings will likely involve other partners as well.
Participation is free; you are just required to register via an online form. We have recently announced new meetups in Dresden and Ljubljana:
Some meetings may be rather intimate, while others might be large-scale, much depending on the size of the local freelance community. Most participants are local or from the surrounding areas of the respective cities. For those traveling from afar, it is advisable to plan additional activities, meetings, etc., in case of any changes or cancellations, as we all experienced, for instance, during the covid era. While it is unlikely, having a backup plan is always wise — as one would naturally do when planning any trip abroad on their own, which is also the case here.
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How to price your work as a freelancer? Amelia Tait has prepared an excellent overview article in which she advocates for a more equitable and informed approach to freelance pricing — encouraging freelancers to openly discuss their rates with peers within the creative community to assess relevant rates.
"If you feel anxious about probing your peers, then you can look for guerrilla spreadsheets where creatives anonymously share their rates," writes Amelia and shares a few such spreadsheets for different disciplines like animators, journalists, and producers.
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Why should you use core values in your creative business? Jessica Abel highlights the importance of incorporating core values, emphasizing its positive impact, such as improved decision-making, more effective marketing, and a stronger connection with like-minded clients.
She also discusses the challenges creative professionals face in balancing business demands with ethical standards and outlines a detailed activity designed to help you identify and integrate core values into your creative business.
"Building a successful, ethical business offers you a chance to do significant good in the world, and to counteract all those myths and assumptions. You need to see the power you hold, and then use it intentionally."
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How did the freelancers from the British platform YunoJuno fare? Katey Gregory's article summarizes the main outputs from the regular Freelancer Rates Report, which presents insights into day rates and project lengths — based on 98,000+ YunoJuno freelance contracts.
As the survey shows, day rates have risen slightly year on year, averaging £379 per day despite the challenging economic conditions. Meanwhile, project length has fallen slightly to 24 working days.
The report delves into the day rates across 15 disciplines. Among the top-earning fields are strategy (£497 per day), market research (£488), and data (£473). You can download the full report in PDF at the bottom of the website page.
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If you're looking for a guidebook that introduces you to the practical use of AI tools (especially LLMs like ChatGPT) in the workplace, check out the new release Co-intelligence. It's written by Ethan Mollick, who teaches business and innovation at the University of Pennsylvania.
Unlike other authors, Mollick doesn't exaggerate or promise miracles. Instead, he soberly describes the challenges and opportunities of current technology and outlines strategies you can build on in the coming years.
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When updating your professional profiles or CVs, the mention of hobbies can be a double-edged sword, says Jenny Holliday. Historically, hobbies were used to give a personal touch and showcase other skills. However, they can also serve as distractions or even become embarrassing if not chosen carefully.
Instead of listing 'hobbies,' which can seem immature, consider framing them as 'interests and achievements' to maintain a professional tone. It’s important to reflect on whether these interests are relevant to your work and if they truly reflect skills that add value to your professional profile.
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Speaking of longevity science, the practice is what makes a master, right? One of them is undoubtedly the legendary investor Edward Thorp. At 91, he’s jogging, doing pushups, playing tennis, and thinking strategically about extending his lifespan even further. In a rare Bloomberg interview (worth registering to get behind the paywall), Thorp describes his regimen and outlines his take on risk prevention, arguably the cornerstone of his longevity practice. Indeed, most freelancers can benefit from his career-spanning insights.
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Longevity is a major topic for career freelancers (as discussed from the business perspective on Wisepreneurs). However, the scientific side of longevity and lifespan is much more complex and inconclusive. There’s a great and sobering conversation about it between Max Lugavere, author of the Genius Foods and other books, and his guest, Charles Brenner, a biochemist who conducted the breakthrough research on NR (which led to the development of Tru Niagen, a leading NAD booster). Available on Spotify and YouTube:
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Many creative professionals face their inner critic — a voice filled with self-doubt and criticism that emerges during the creative process. This voice, as Jessica Abel says, often hinders creatives by perpetuating feelings of inadequacy and fear, leading to procrastination and a decrease in self-confidence. Contrary to the popular approach of silencing or combating this inner critic, she suggests a more empathetic and understanding stance. Inspired by Nicole Lewis-Keeber's work, a former clinical therapist, Jessica proposes that the inner critic should be viewed as your protective mechanism, rather than an enemy.
"Compassion towards your inner critic will allow you to make decisions for yourself based on your goals, and not your fears."
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Elina Jutelyte, the founder of Freelance Business, has published the most complete list of independent freelance communities that we’ve seen since … well, ever!
At Freelancing.eu, we’re proud to be featured on her list of 30+ diverse freelance communities from all over the world. These communities are indeed far less numerous than freelance platforms and job boards, highlighting the rarity and value of such independent networks. As Elina nails it: “It illustrates how difficult it is to maintain an independent community and make it a financially viable activity.”
Note: As a complementary source, take a look at our list of 450+ European resources for freelancers.
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