Happy July Freelancers!

Hope you have been enjoying some fun and games and maybe some fireworks with family and friends this last week.

We’re looking forward to a refreshing time during Costa Rica’s “green season” at the upcoming IL Conference July 18-21… Our session will be held on the first day, July 18. If we’ll be seeing you, don’t hesitate to reach out and let us know.

If you weren’t able to catch the live webinar this week, head over to your course Dashboard now to watch the replay of Part 1 of our series: Cracking the Client Connection Code

Now, here’s the round up from the Barefoot Consultants world!

See you next week,

Winton

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What's inside this week...

• Feature Article

  • Statistic of the Week

  • Productivity Tool of the Week

  • Job of the Week

• The Ultimate Freelance Profile

  • Next Afterparty

Feature Article

For most of us, reinvention — of our careers and ourselves — is an extremely tall order.

As London Business School professor Herminia Ibarra notes, you might know what you don’t want to do any more but be unsure what you actually do want to do next.

People “don’t know how to search when they don’t know exactly what they’re searching for,” she says.

Our Feature Article this week is from the Harvard Business Review: How to Think Strategically About a Career Transition

What if you focus less on the word “career” in the title and just think about ‘transition’?

This highly educated and celebrated author talks about using what you “don’t want to do” to figure out what you DO want to do.

In the webinar, Winton and I both pointed out several ideas, including the Client Connection Worksheet, that are awesome for working through this process and figuring it out.

Most of all, it’s ok to be unclear. It’s a starting point and just like the author of the article talks about, just take it step by step and look for joy to be your guide. 

We’re not “stuck” with anything and we can decide to do even different stuff later if we like.

Click below to read the full article

Statistic of the Week

Plenty of keywords and categories for everyone to find something they are interested in that they can propose to do.

Since we looked at this same topic a year ago, another 35 categories – nearly 30% more – have been added! This equates to endless opportunity!

Productivity Tool of the Week

NordVPN

if you aren’t using a VPN yet, it’s worth considering as an online freelancer. VPNs are virtual private networks. Why use one? It keeps your online activity secure, especially when working in places like coffee shops, airports, hotel lobbies, foreign countries, etc where the WiFi connection is shared by many.

Why we recommend NordVPN ahead of others

Like everything else online, there’s a lot to choose from. Nord VPN is like the McDonald’s of VPN services – while it’s very mainstream, that has the perk of being very secure and well tested. And although you’ll be adding a small monthly expense, that is a business expense that’s cheaper and way less time- consuming than getting hacked!

LEARN MORE ABOUT NORDVPN

Job of the Week

Here’s an example of a job that turns something you might consider your hobby into an income.

For our search keyword in Upwork we entered “Sewing” . Here we look at 6 points that demonstrate the criteria of a “good client”

Notes on the job description were covered such as the ability to include compliments in the proposal which might include the benefits of being able to communicate directly with the pattern maker, the clever inclusion of the checklist and how well thought out and simply described the job description was.

Guide to the key points

1. We see the payment method has been verified

2. The client has a high star rating with a fair number of reviews (15)

3. Client is in Austria; the current time for the client is also displayed

4. 60 jobs posted with a hire rate of over 50%

5. $11k spent = seasoned, experienced client

6. Looking for 3 freelancers, suggests it’s an interview job - they’re interviewing you as you are also interviewing them.

The Ultimate Freelance Profile

“Done-For-You” Service 

Your Upwork Profile is your "storefront" in the freelancing world. To show your future clients your “goods” you want to give them the best-dressed display window…the profile that stops them in their tracks!

Start strong and fast with our expert coaching.

We give you Comprehensive Support: From initial phone call to final upload and ongoing reviews.

Our Step-by-Step Process: 

🕰️What’s the Timeline?

Within 12 to 21 business days you’ll have a complete profile!

Next Afterparty: JULY 29

Register once and get reminders for the Afterparties for the rest of the year!