FastTrack Freelancing: FastTrack

By Lee Lister

Many people have thought about becoming a freelancer, but making the jump from permanent work can be daunting. What is involved? Where do I look for contracts? can I get my first contract? How do I get myself organized to become a freelancer? All of these are questions that this book answers. The FastTrack group of books, ebooks and training courses are designed to give you complex information is an easy to understand format that can be referred to again and again.
The author Lee Lister has worked freelance for over 30 years and brings her wealth of information into this book.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Biz Guru Ltd
• Release date: Jul 9, 2022
• ISBN: 9781907551093

Lee Lister

The Biz Guru, Lee Lister, is a Business Consultant with more than 30 years management and business and consultancy experience and 20 years tender and business proposal writing for many household names. On the internet she is known as  “The Bid Manager” or “The Biz Guru”. After owning her first profitable business at age 11 years she began an unparalleled journey through business consulting that continues to span across the United Kingdom, United States and the globe.  She learned at an early age to identify a market need, such as the time when she a youngster in the small seaside town where she saw tourists arriving by the bus load with no way to transport their baggage to the hotels.  She had her father make a barrow that would hold enough luggage to charge a pretty penny while helping out the tired tourists at the same time.  Hence, her first niche market was established!  Her entrepreneurship continued and before she was sixteen she bought and ran her own car and motor bike! In her mid twenties she discovered that she had an IQ of a genius level. This led her to ignore those who said it could not be done and instead to develop her skills and broaden her experience.  She travelled the world, working as she went – and this was before email, Skype and Wi-Fi. Instead she depended upon dial up internet and her websites to produce work. During her consultancy she has worked with new entrepreneurs, discussed strategies with directors of banks and written speeches and provided consultations for presidents and vice presidents of several foreign countries. She has been published in several British industry magazines and was recognized by an invitation to be key-note speaker at the International Business Development Conference in Washington, DC in 1997.  She is highly skilled in lectures and corporate presentations on project management, bid management and business issues. She is a prolific published writer of books, ebooks, training courses and articles.

Book preview

What is Freelancing?

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When you think of freelancing, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? You probably think of a writer, IT specialist or designer straight away but what about all the other careers?  Can they be freelancers?

Many people are now working as freelancers now, even more will be thinking of taking the plunge after working from home during the pandemic.  So, is freelancing the pot of gold that many think it is?

The availability of fast and reliable internet and audio/visual communication methods has certainly helped people work remotely from their cubicle office.  The term Digital Nomad has arrived.

Well, first, there are lots of people that are trying to become freelancers all over the world and it is not just the young.  Many an experienced professional has become jaded with the troublesome commute and looked lovingly at working remotely and under their own terms.

Some have become freelancers after the Covid epidemic and they discovered the joys of working from home, others have recently lost good jobs and they are attempting to make a living an pay the bills. 

The reality is that for all the well paid freelancers and digital nomads who are making YouTubes about their great life or selling ebooks about how you can make money for little effort, many freelancers are not working very often and not paying their bills!

Freelancing is not as easy as it can appear.  You might be working very hard for a few weeks and then there is a lull and you are desperately seeking out new work. The truth is that for every week of work you are probably spending another week seeking out new work. This can be troublesome, stressful, difficult and boring. 

Why are Freelancers Required?

It is important that you understand why the potential client actually wants a freelancer rather than a permanent member of staff that they can keep employed for a long time, having some confirmation that the person they want is always available. Understanding why you are required as a freelancer also helps you with your approach to the contract.  So let’s look at the reasons why.

There is a shortage of staff at a particular time so you will in effect be a hole plugger. You will be taking on the role for a set time and then they will shake your hand and say thank you and then move on