Anthony Caruana

Freelance contracts – a guide

Jan 14, 2011Anthony CaruanaWorkbusiness, clients, contracts, insurance

Many of freelancers I talk to are excellent practitioners of their chosen craft. However, when it comes to understanding the obligations and responsibilities for the freelancer and client, there’s lots of confusion. That’s why it’s important to understand a little bit about contracts.
Contracts are an insurance policy. If everything between freelancer and client goes well you’ll never need to look at the contract. However, when you get started the contract is important because it make clear what each party expects from the other. That way, there are no surprises for either party.

The iPad as your only computer

Jan 14, 2011Anthony Caruana2 CommentsReviews, Workconferences, iPad, toolkit, tools, travel

Recently, I attended Tech Ed – Microsoft’s major technical education event for IT professionals. I attended as a member of the media at Microsoft’s expense (just laying out the appropriate disclaimers before I start). I was away for four days on the conference, having left home on a Tuesday and returning on Friday afternoon. For

Quick Tips – getting PR to communicate with you

Jan 12, 2011Anthony CaruanaWorkcommunication, customer service, PR, productivity, service, tips

It’s happened to every journalist I know. You need to talk to a PR person to get some piece of critical information and they don’t respond to email or messages promptly. How do you get PR to communicate with you and respond in a timely manner? Here are two tips. One was passed on by a colleague and

Starting out – how to advertise

Jan 11, 2011Anthony CaruanaWorkadvertising, business, customer service, excellence, service

When you first start out freelancing, it’s important to work at getting new clients. Without clients, there’s no work to do. If there’s no work, there’s no meny coming in. And without money the whole roof over your head and food thing starts to look like a luxury. But how do you advertise and let

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