It’s about time you launched your freelance career Hello and welcome to my podcast, In this episode, I will discuss why it is time for you to launch your freelance career. This also applies to those currently employed. I was lucky enough to have launched mine before the company I worked for shutdown. It was a scary 3 months, especially for those who had no other side hustle. I could spend time talking about how Covid-19 is the main cause for this but no one was prepared for this.  I know of friends who went into panic mode, mostly because they worked for many years and never thought of starting their own business. Some of them did not know what to do with their severance package. If you are listening to this, please do yourself a favor and start your own business. The feeling of being your own boss is priceless. Scary but fulfilling. Where to start You will have to first get a website, then create social media accounts and embark on an email marketing campaign. In case you do not know how to design a website, I will give you a few tips.  1. Logo - You will need a professional logo, please do not use those online logo generators. If you can’t afford to hire a local designer, you can use Upwork or Fiverr. Make sure the designer sends you a JPG, PNG, PDF,EPS and SVG formats…..do not settle for JPG. I have redesigned logos for clients because who ever designed their logo never sent them the raw files. Please note, you will need corporate colors.  2. Branded - Website If you are a web and graphics designer, you are one of the lucky ones. If you don’t want to learn to code but need a website as soon as possible I got you covered. Wordpress vs Wix I will start with the easy one, Wix. For those who don’t know, Wix is a drag and drop website builder that requires no coding skills. It is super easy to setup, mostly, because you can host your website on their servers. It has more than 500 templates to choose from. Be warned, one of my clients has had a huge issue with transferring their site to another hosting. I hope they get to fix that, if you can afford their services, then you don’t have to worry about it. Wordpress WordPress is FREE and the most popular website builder that require a certain level of technical know-how, especially with HTML, CSS and PHP. If you are a beginner, don’t worry, it includes some features that can allows you to setup your site with no knowledge of coding. There are thousands of WordPress themes and elements to assist you in creating your dream website. Incase you get stuck, you will find hundreds of YouTube videos that can show you how to customize or fix errors. Also, most WordPress Theme developers attach Installation guides to the downloads. I prefer buying themes from ThemeForest. You can preview the themes, check reviews and how the developers respond to questions. To have a fully functional website you will need a professional logo, a short bio, portfolio (with or without descriptions) and a few articles. You can do this in 1 week or less.  3. Social Media Accounts - You will need to identify the best platform for your business. In case you don’t know which one to pick, I would recommend Facebook and Instagram. For you to look professional, you will need a cover photo for your Facebook page, upload your logo and fill the About and Services section. Do not fill your timeline with offers! Due to character limitations, I am not able to paste the other texts.

Fat-hi Said: My Freelancing Journey To Become An Entrepreneur

It’s about time you launched your freelance career

How to pull an all nighter Hello and welcome to my third podcast, How to pull an all nighter Have you ever experienced working all night just to look and sound like a zombie the next day? I have, even though I am a night owl, I tend to be cranky in the morning. You see, I stopped taking coffee ever since I got Kidney Stones. I do miss the smell and the kick coffee used to give me in the morning. Now, its all about power naps and lemon tea.  As a night owl, it is natural to stay up late but if you work 9-5 you might not make it to 1 am. I tried different methods while I was working on the Integrated Financial Report back in 2017. Coffee, cold water, soda, you name it, somehow it made things worse. So how did I do it?  “Baba, just sleep for 30 minutes, shower and work on your project” my mother would always say. I remember those words like it was yesterday. This is called power nap, it will boost your energy level and productivity. Although, if you sleep longer you might wake up feeling groggy.      Plan to stay up late Dont you dare do this without a clear goal of what you want to accomplish. Remember, pulling an all nighter is unhealthy and should not be done often.  Stay away from Netflix and the social media. Listen to music instead, I prefer those with a fast tempo.  If you feel like you are losing your focus, drink some coffee. Dont over do it though.  Your body has a neurotransmitter called adenosine,  which promotes sleep. Once the effects of coffee wears off, you wont be able to fight off the sleep. If this happens, walk around the house or eat some protein rich foods like nuts, eggs or protein shakes.  After pulling an all nighter It is vital that you do not drive the next day or mess with your normal sleep pattern in the evening. Whatever you do, avoid caffeine past 4pm. Drink alot of water, eat fruits and vegies. I would not recommend pulling an all nighter often, be strategic about it. 

How To Pull An All-Nighter

Hello and welcome to my second recording. I wanted to talk about Health Risks and how to avoid them. I have listed 4 that I feel are important to you. This of course is my personal opinion. I have  over 9 years of experience in the web and graphic design industry and I hope what I share will help you maintain a healthy and productive career. The 4 points are: 1. Poor Diet 2. Staying hydrated 3. Sleep pattern 4. Isolation Poor Diet: This ofcourse is self explanatory, if you don't eat well then you can't complain if you lack energy or fall sick often.  You might not pay attention to what you eat but your body will give you signs.  It is up to you to take care of yourself, if you don't, then the hospital bills will keep piling up and all your hard work will be for nothing. I used to be a victim. Fixing this is very simple, all you need is a meal schedule. Spend a few minutes on Sundays to plan for the next week. This will turn out to be fun, trust me. You will be able to come up with a healthy meal plan. 2. Staying Hydrated I still suck at this. Due to my recent Kidney stone problem, I was forced to change my drinking habits, less caffeine, minimum 3 litres of water per day. Staying hydrated will save you alot hospital visits. The last time I visited the hospital I spend $540 on tests which included ultrasound, CT scan etc. My urologist told me that if his patients drank enough water he would be out of business. The best thing to do if you forget to drink water, set an alarm or install an App called "Drink Water Reminder Tracker". Be warned, it will irritate you. 3. Sleep pattern This depends on what project you are working on and the timeline. Lack of project planning can lead to poor sleep pattern, among other things. Learn to compensate the next day. Bad sleeping habits can cause health issues and poor work performance. My old man used to say, don't touch caffeine 6 hours before bedtime. Don't drink water 1 hour before bed.  I would also recommend working out after work, it will help you sleep better. 4. Isolation Freelancer love to work alone, without a social life it could lead to depression. I would encourage you to hangout with your friends at least 3 times a week, maybe for lunch. If your are single then this is a must for you. I hope what I have discussed will help you. Stay healthy, stay focused and God bless. Thank you for listening.

Health Risks To Be Aware Of As Freelancers and Entrepreneurs

Full-time employment offers more than just job security. Compared to part-time or freelance, it is less stressful. You don’t have to worry about health benefits, career advancement or retirement plans. However, for those in the creative industry, it can lead to stagnation. Your employer might not utilize your skills or challenge you beyond your scope of work. This could have a negative effect on your creativity. Most in the creative industry feel they need to accomplish more in order to grow their brand and influence. They end up taking more risks by investing their time and money. This can lead to unhealthy lifestyle habits such as working long hours or overeating. Then, lo and behold, depression! I went through this, it took a lot of medication, counselling, and meditation to get over it. You can imagine the impact it had on my family and friends. I had to make a decision before it was too late. This meant I had to dedicate at least an hour every day to do the things I love. If I had not done this, I don’t think I would have lasted through the most challenging times as a graphic designer. It has to be done in stages. Let’s say I want to make a cake for dessert. The first thing I need to do is find recipes, buy ingredients then make it. I found myself doing this during lunch hours while at work. I would spend a few minutes going through dessert recipes from the All Recipes andDelish website. After work, I would go to my favourite grocery store to buy the ingredients. This process is therapeutic for me, it takes my mind off work. If  I am successful in preparing the meal, I reward myself with a glass of wine, if not, I would go back to the recipe or contact the author. Other than cooking, reading a book or meditating helps me relax after work. This has become part of my routine and has dramatically changed my life. I can’t remember the last time I took migraine pills or drunk a cup of coffee because of my 9-5 job. I am an early riser, this is only possible because I unwind before bed.  If you’re reading this and feel you need to change your habits, start now! If you think you don’t have the time for such activities then I recommend reading my article on Self-care budget, it is less involving but it will cost you.

Therapeutic Activities Of A Web and Graphic Designer

I am an experienced lead designer with a demonstrated history of working in the web and graphic design industry. I will share my experience with you hoping that it will help your business grow. I will discuss Brand Strategy, Content Writing, Social Media Management, Things To Know Before Hiring A Freelancer among others.

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Fat-hi Said: My Freelancing Journey To Become An Entrepreneu...

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