Anthony Caruana

Freelancing is a business

Jan 10, 2011Anthony CaruanaWorkbusiness, freelancing, payment, profit, revenue, starting out, turnover

As a freelancer, you may think that your job is to write, design, code or do whatever it is that you do. You freelance because you like the freedom of working for the clients you choose during the hours that suit your life. However, that’s idealistic. The reality is that you’re a small business that

Should a freelancer ever refuse a job?

Jan 7, 2011Anthony Caruana9 CommentsMoney, Workpay rates, payment, refusing work

Should you ever say “no” to a job? When is it not worth working?

What a freelancer’s job really is

Jan 6, 2011Anthony Caruana2 CommentsWorkfreelancing, problem solving

I was reading this article at Freelance Switch that discussed the three things every freelancer should do. Point Number One is something I think every freelancer needs to really concentrate on. 1. Solve customer problems. What might this three-word sentence mean to a freelancer? If you’re a copywriter, you might be replacing a client’s ineffective

Write a business plan and track it

Jan 5, 2011Anthony Caruana1 CommentWorkbusiness plan, goal setting, payment, small business

How do you know of you’re being successful in business? Kaplan and Norton, in their seminal business book The Balanced Scorecard [Affiliate Link], said that: …organisations are operating in complex environments so an accurate understanding of their goals and the methods for attaining those goals is vital. In other words, in order to be successful

Essential books for writers – The Elements of Style and The Grammar Devotional

Jan 5, 2011Anthony CaruanaWorkBooks, grammar, language, reviews, tools

I maintain that almost anyone can be taught to be a good writer. Sure, for some people it comes naturally but with sufficient effort I think anyone can write well. If you don’t have the time or money to attend a writing course, there’s plenty of help available. I suggest that anyone who needs to

Make your home office more productive

Jan 4, 2011Anthony Caruana1 CommentWorkOffice, productivity, tools

One of the great benefits of self-employment is being able to work from home. While that sounds like fun, there are lots of challenges. Being productive at home takes discipline and organisation. That means establishing an area that is clearly for work. When you’re working from home you need to set aside an area that

Flipboard – best social media and RSS reader

Jan 3, 2011Anthony CaruanaReviews, Workapplications, Feeddler, iPad, RSS, social media, Software, Twitter

Yesterday, I posted a summary of the ins and outs of RSS and why journalists need to be across this important, time saving technology. I mentioned in that post that one way to access your RSS feeds was to use a special piece of software called an RSS reader or aggregator. If you’re an iPad

What is RSS and how does it work

Jan 2, 2011Anthony Caruana1 CommentAdvice, Workapplications, RSS, Software, toolkit

As a journalist, keeping up with what’s going on in the world is an important part of your work. However, it can be challenging. Between websites, blogs, YouTube, social media and other online services, the volume of data journalists need to process each day is way beyond the amount of time we have available. That

Don't work for nothing – no matter what

Jan 1, 2011Anthony CaruanaMoney, Workcontracts, freelancing, getting paid, payment, wealth

Here’s a quote from Australia’s richest person, Frank Lowy. “I don’t work for nothing. I’m entitled to get paid.” If making money is one of your working goals, then I think Lowy’s advice is worth remembering. Clearly, giving freebies isn’t a path to financial independence. When you work for free (volunteer, charitable work is the

Filing the paperwork

Jan 1, 2011Anthony Caruana1 CommentWorkFiling, home office, organisation, paperwork

As a freelancer, you’re not only the main worker bee but also the business’s administration department. That means keeping things in order so that bills get paid and documents are filed for easy retrieval. It’s one of my least liked tasks. I guess if I was a little more disciplined I wouldn’t let it mount