These individuals transcended their initial roles to become iconic figures who have influenced millions of lives through their innovative inventions, groundbreaking business models, and visionary approaches, all while freelancing.

This isn’t merely a tale of accumulating wealth or gaining prestige; it’s a narrative of adding substantial value to humanity. For instance, Andrew Carnegie leveraged his innate ability to connect with people to establish a timeless legacy through various enterprises, libraries, and charitable foundations.

Similarly, people like Bill Gates, Aaron Montgomery Ward, and Sam Walton have shown that freelancing can transcend the notion of self-employment. It involves developing self-discipline, responsibility, and a strong work ethic.

Once you have mastered these attributes, you can then use them to positively affect an ever-increasing number of lives.

And that’s how legacies are made. It’s the greatest gift you can offer both yourself and humanity.

Andrew Carnegie

Freelancer in Business Consulting and Networking

The story of Andrew Carnegie is a textbook example of a “rags-to-riches” tale. Born in a single-room weaver’s cottage in Scotland, Carnegie went on to become one of the wealthiest individuals in history. His humble beginnings make his extraordinary achievements even more remarkable.

In 1848, Carnegie’s family migrated to America in search of better opportunities. At just 13 years old, Andrew found himself working as a bobbin boy in a cotton mill, working grueling 12-hour shifts six days a week.

Though a freelancer, it was not by choice but out of necessity. He had only his time to sell. By age 15, he was working as a telegraph messenger.

Master of Networking

During his free hours, Andrew would frequent prominent businesses in Pittsburgh and make an effort to get to know the owners. He’d share information about other important business figures he knew, aiming to build valuable relationships.

His commitment and skills as a telegraph boy – being able to translate telegraph signals without writing them down – did not go unnoticed. He earned a promotion and eventually landed a job with the Pennsylvania Railroad Company at 18 years old.

Carnegie quickly climbed the corporate ladder and formed a close relationship with Thomas Alexander Scott, the company president. This connection allowed him access to insider knowledge and investment opportunities, although some were ethically questionable.

The Gift of Influence

Andrew’s knack for influencing people helped him accumulate working capital by making smart investments and forming alliances with influential individuals. This ability also enabled him to orchestrate a significant business merger between Woodruff’s and Pullman’s companies when he was just 25.

Despite amassing unparalleled wealth and establishing the world’s largest company, the US Steel Corporation, Carnegie had a complex view on the subject of wealth. He was involved in the largest personal commercial transaction ever, worth $480 million, but his thoughts on wealth were far from celebratory:

“Man must have no idol, and the accumulation of wealth is one of the worst forms of idolatry! No idol is more degrading than the worship of money. Whatever I engage in, I must push extraordinarily; therefore, I should be careful to choose a life that will be the most uplifting in its nature.”

Bill Gates

Freelance Programmer and Innovator

Bill Gates is synonymous with Microsoft, a name that has become a cornerstone in the world of computing. Although he has often been dubbed the richest man on Earth, Gates actually hails from a middle-class background in Seattle.

At the young age of 13, Gates showed early signs of entrepreneurial spirit. He sold items at a school rummage sale to fund computer time on a General Electric system. There were no personal computers back then, but Gates was determined. He self-taught BASIC programming and began to master the machine.

Early Ethical Hacker

Gates was so proficient that he, along with three friends, managed to hack a PDP-10 system owned by the Computer Center Corporation (CCC). Upon discovery, they were banned from the system. However, Gates turned the situation around by offering his programming skills to identify other vulnerabilities in CCC’s system, in exchange for more computer time.

That’s when Bill Gates officially stepped into the world of freelance coding.

He continued his freelance programming work for Information Sciences, Inc., developing a payroll program in Cobol at the age of 16. The next year, he worked on software for class distribution among students.

Early Entrepreneurial Ventures

In the same year, Gates and his friend Paul Allen started Traf-O-Data, a tool for traffic analytics. The project didn’t succeed, but that didn’t discourage them. They approached MITS, a company that was developing a computer using the Intel 8080 CPU. Despite having no finished software, Gates and Allen convinced MITS President Ed Roberts to meet them by saying they were close to completing compatible software.

The duo then hastily wrote the code they had initially lied about, leading to a successful meeting and the birth of their company, which they named “Micro-Soft.”

Read Also:  The Beginning of Famous Tech Companies in 40 Classic Photos

Aaron Montgomery Ward

Freelancer in Copywriting and Direct Mail

Aaron Montgomery Ward would likely be hailed as the master of sales letters if he were around today. As the pioneer of the mail-order business, he revolutionized the way people bought products. His beginnings in the business world, however, were quite humble.

Ward entered the workforce at just 14, performing the unglamorous job of stacking bricks in a kiln. He eventually transitioned into sales, peddling various goods. By 1865, he had taken on a freelance role, working on commission to sell products for Case and Sobin, a lamp company.

Innovator of Direct Mail Sales

While working in dry goods sales for Field Palmer & Leiter, Ward conceived the groundbreaking idea of direct mail sales. He saw it as a way to reduce costs and simplify the role of salespeople.

Ward had a grand vision: to make manufactured goods accessible to everyone, even those living in rural areas. Despite skepticism from his peers, he took the plunge. In 1872, Ward launched the world’s first general merchandise mail-order catalog, featuring 163 items. He wrote all the product descriptions himself, effectively making him the world’s first freelance copywriter in this niche.

Sam Walton

Freelance Salesman Turned Entrepreneur

Walmart stands as the largest public corporation on a global scale. As of 2013, it surpassed giants like Shell and Exxon, employing a staggering 2.2 million people and generating nearly $500 billion in revenue. The man behind this retail behemoth is Sam Walton, who began his journey as a freelance salesman.

Sam Walton grew up on a farm in Oklahoma and started working at a young age to support his family. One of his earliest gigs was milking the family cow and delivering the milk to various customers, effectively becoming a freelance milkman in his youth.

The Hustle of a True Freelancer

During the tough times of the Great Depression, Walton took up various roles to make ends meet. He delivered newspapers, sold magazine subscriptions, and even worked various sales jobs, including waiting tables to pay for his meals. Walton epitomizes the hustle and determination characteristic of a true freelancer.

By the age of 26, Walton was ready to make his big move. With a loan of $20,000, he purchased his first retail store. This was the humble beginning that would later blossom into a retail empire. After expanding to multiple locations, he inaugurated the first Wal-Mart store in 1962 (now known as Walmart) and the rest is history.

The post People Who Started as Freelancers and Changed the World appeared first on Hongkiat.

Contrary to common perception, external elements are seldom the primary reason for business failure. The key lies in your choices and your actions. The prosperity of your startup depends on your ability to find the ideal equilibrium between involvement and autonomy in your business activities. It’s akin to maintaining a healthy romantic relationship: being either too possessive or too indifferent can both lead to disappointment.

Striking the right balance is vital for your business. To guide you through this journey, here are seven pitfalls that every entrepreneur should avoid.

1. The Pitfall of Over-Specialization

Many people mistakenly think that entrepreneurs should specialize in a single area, much like certain insects. Robert A. Heinlein, in his book Time Enough for Love, expressed a contrasting view:

For example, ants make poor mentors for entrepreneurs. An ant unquestioningly obeys its leader (the queen) and lacks the ability to think outside the box or innovate. While ants are efficient at carrying heavy objects, they are not entrepreneurial by nature. They are engineered to excel in a designated role for the collective good of their community.

Avoid mimicking ants.

Champion Adaptability

Heinlein’s viewpoint implies that humans, particularly entrepreneurs, should be adaptable. An entrepreneur should not only be capable of executing various tasks but should also excel in areas such as market research, administrative tasks, process optimization, and even graphic design. Adaptability is crucial.

An entrepreneur is a true master of many skills.

Successful entrepreneurs understand that excessive specialization can be an obstacle. They adopt a balanced strategy by not overly concentrating on a single domain, but rather taking a comprehensive view of all crucial aspects of their business.

2. The Hazard of Excessive Enthusiasm in Business Ventures

It’s natural for entrepreneurs to be swept up in the thrill of a new endeavor. Much like the honeymoon phase in relationships, everything seems perfect at the outset. You may believe you can juggle your current job and a new startup, but this is often a symptom of excessive enthusiasm.

Attempting to launch multiple businesses at once is a surefire way to fail. The cornerstone of business success is total dedication. As previously discussed, being a master of many skills within your own enterprise is essential.

Do you truly think you can effectively manage multiple startups? The wise course of action is to dive into a new venture only after your current one has stabilized, has been operational for at least three years, and has matured beyond the startup phase. Therefore, start modestly and concentrate on nurturing one business at a time.

3. The Fallacy of Passion as the Ultimate Objective

The notion of passion is frequently romanticized in literature, quotes, and articles. However, the practical reality is different. Astute entrepreneurs don’t blindly chase the abstract concept of passion. The fact is, industries are either profitable or not, irrespective of our personal preferences. Opportunities for business extend beyond our passions.

The real question to ponder is: Is it worthwhile to follow your passion at the expense of potentially more lucrative and faster-growing industries?

Don’t Be Misled by Passion

You might counter, “If Steve Jobs succeeded, why can’t I?” The point is not that he was superior; it’s that genius doesn’t guarantee wealth.

Remember, the world doesn’t solely require impassioned visionaries; it also thrives on logical choices made by shrewd entrepreneurs. As Benjamin Franklin aptly stated:

I agree with Joshua that you should develop passion for the startup you’ve logically selected. Make this decision after investigating the most promising sectors. A well-considered industry choice significantly enhances your likelihood of success.

4. The Dangers of Emotional Involvement in Business

Your enterprise is fundamentally made up of people: team members, collaborators, and customers. Success hinges on your ability to be pragmatic in your interactions with them.

Entrepreneurship entails leadership. Leaders leverage human resources to meet organizational objectives. If someone is underperforming, it’s your duty to implement changes. This may involve letting go of employees, terminating longstanding client contracts, or even pursuing legal action against partners. Business is not a realm for the emotionally fragile.

Finding the Equilibrium

Beginner entrepreneurs often form personal connections with staff and clients, which can adversely affect the business.

People are attracted to strength and seek a leader to look up to. You must fulfill that role. While it’s acceptable to occasionally reward your team, don’t allow personal bonds to impair your professional discernment.

As always, balance is key.

5. The Perils of Excessive Control in Leadership

You can’t be omnipresent, nor can you be omniscient. Your triumph depends on your team’s capabilities. Opt for team members who can function autonomously, eliminating the need for incessant supervision.

Over-controlling tendencies often arise from neglecting the principle of emotional detachment. If you find it difficult to part ways with underperforming team members, you risk squandering valuable time and resources, thereby jeopardizing your enterprise.

Strategies to Counter Over-Control

To sidestep the pitfalls of excessive control, consider implementing the following strategies:

• Invest in staff development programs
• Instill confidence in your team
• Delegate tasks effectively
• Engage your team members in a meaningful manner

If these approaches don’t yield the desired results, you might consider hiring a specialized manager to supervise your team. This would allow you to concentrate on overseeing that particular individual. Are you up for the challenge?

6. The Hazards of Overexpansion: A Lesson from the Gaming World

If you’re unfamiliar with the meme “All Your Base Are Belong To Us” from the game Zero Wing, it serves as a warning for both gamers and business owners. Let’s delve into why.

Building multiple bases in a game without adequate planning can result in losing them all. The same logic applies to business. The journey from $0 to $100,000 is fundamentally different from scaling from $100,000 to $1,000,000.

Moreover, the leap from 1 million to 10 million dollars introduces its own set of unique challenges.

Regrettably, numerous entrepreneurs overlook this. They quickly secure loans to establish new branches upon tasting initial success, often leading to setbacks.

Rapid expansion can be harmful. A single error in managing a branch can have lasting adverse effects on your entire enterprise.

Control Your Expansion Speed

Scaling your enterprise is an art. Approach it cautiously, similar to how you would in a relationship. Conduct thorough research before making significant decisions. Here are three essential steps to ponder:

1. Begin Modestly

Avoid investing in an extravagant office and a large team immediately. Different cities exhibit varied consumer behaviors. Start small, as you did in your hometown, and allow the business to grow naturally.

2. Seek a Younger Version of Yourself

Until cloning becomes a reality, find a younger, driven version of yourself to manage the new location. Allow them to work remotely initially and scale up only when sales are evident.

3. Embrace Digital Management

Employ tools like Skype, Dropbox, and TeamViewer to oversee your business from afar. These tools are often more budget-friendly than regular travel. Even traditional enterprises can gain from contemporary management methods.

7. The Dangers of Unquestioningly Heeding Advice

Aspiring to be an entrepreneur? Exercise caution when accepting advice, even mine. It’s crucial to adapt and rely on your intuition.

No one can offer a guaranteed blueprint for success due to the myriad variables in the world. You need to formulate your own tactics and establish your unique voice.

In Short, Be Your Own Guide

Experience remains the most effective instructor. While advice is plentiful, it can’t substitute for hands-on experience. Listen to others, but make your own judgments. Even if you encounter setbacks, the lessons learned from your actions will be invaluable.

Lead with your vision, and others will follow.

The post The 7 Mistakes Entrepreneurs Must Avoid and Strategies to Dodge Them appeared first on Hongkiat.

In the modern era, technological advancements like airplanes have given us the ability to travel faster than the fastest bird. Similarly, strategic planning allows us to explore even the most inaccessible parts of the ocean. The aim is not perfection, but rather, continuous improvement. In the business world, this principle is key to effective marketing.

Why Marketing Is Crucial

Marketing plays a pivotal role in business success. Traditional marketing strategies focused on showcasing a product’s strengths and benefits to attract potential clients. However, in today’s saturated market, this approach is no longer sufficient.

Nowadays, everyone is both a consumer and a provider. What distinguishes you is your ability to subtly showcase your expertise without overtly stating it. This nuanced method not only captures attention but also elicits emotional engagement, thereby drawing clients to you.

Weakness 1: Time Constraints

Expertise is highly valued by clients. I’ve started to delegate some coding tasks to platforms like oDesk and Fiverr, where there is fierce competition in various freelance fields such as coding, design, and video editing.

Despite this, clients are often willing to pay more for genuine expertise. Being an expert implies that your time is limited, which can actually work in your favor. Use your part-time freelancing and limited availability as a unique selling proposition.

When you apply for a job, highlight that your time is a valuable asset. Stress that you are committed to efficiency and will not squander either your time or the client’s. By working diligently and swiftly within the scope of the job, you can turn what may seem like a limitation into a compelling advantage.

Weakness 2: Deficiency in Specific Skills

Confidence is often mistaken for arrogance, especially among experts. However, a balanced mix of confidence, honesty, and self-assurance can be advantageous. For instance, if you lack expertise in a particular skill, you can turn this into a strength by being forthright yet confident.

Consider the following example:

“While my Java skills are limited, I believe I can develop a streamlined, robust app. My experience with VB Studio equips me to create innovative solutions, such as unique coding patterns, that a specialized Java programmer might overlook. Are you open to a non-traditional approach for your app?”

Would you consider hiring someone who presents themselves in this manner? I certainly would.

Belief in your own capabilities is crucial for convincing others. In today’s digital age, acquiring specific skills is easier than ever. Platforms like Udemy offer a plethora of courses to help you become an expert in almost any field.

Weakness 3: Inexperience

Recognizing your lack of experience in a specific area is the first step towards improvement. If you’re new to a freelance platform and have no ratings or job history, it’s crucial not to underestimate your capabilities.

If you’re applying for a job where you lack direct experience but understand the objectives, try to relate your other work experiences to the task at hand.

For instance, if you’re a freelance writer venturing into Photoshop design, you can discuss how your writing skills are transferable to design. Be candid about your lack of ratings, but emphasize your strengths.

Here’s a sample letter of intent:

“I’m eager to design your website using Photoshop. Although I don’t have job experience or ratings on this platform, I possess the necessary skills for this project. My fresh perspective will enable me to create a custom site that meets your business needs.”

“Being new to this platform, I bring a fresh approach without the constraints of rigid thinking. I’m adaptable and willing to meet your specific needs.”

“Here’s why I’m qualified: I have previously worked as a writer for… and completed…”

Proceed to list your writing achievements to further bolster your case.

Weakness 4: Operating as a Small Entity

Being a small company or even a solo entrepreneur is not a drawback; it’s an opportunity. As a smaller operation, you have unique advantages, such as:

• Providing individualized attention to each client
• Delivering faster and more personalized customer service
• Offering competitive pricing due to lower overhead costs
• Being agile and innovative

Make sure to highlight these benefits when communicating with potential clients. Many people today prefer smaller companies because they often feel overlooked by larger organizations that can’t offer personalized service.

When you’re a small operation personally managing client relationships, these issues are mitigated. Make your clients feel valued and special. However, be cautious as your company grows; rapid expansion could lead to a decline in the personalized service your clients have come to expect.

Conclusion

In summary, your online presence – be it your profile on freelancing platforms, your personal website, or your mobile app – should be meticulously crafted. Any perceived weaknesses can be repositioned as unique benefits. Adopting this strategy is crucial for effective marketing and personal growth.

The post Transforming Weaknesses into Strengths: A Guide to Personal and Professional Growth appeared first on Hongkiat.

While you can hire freelancers from various networks like Upwork, the quality is often a gamble. If you’d rather not take that chance, read on for 20 design tools perfect for entrepreneurs and marketers on a budget.

Ready to take the plunge? Let’s get started with these cost-effective design solutions!

Wix

Your One-Stop Web Development Platform

Wix is a cloud-based platform for website development. It allows complete customization, making it easy to build anything from a business site to an e-commerce portal or a personal blog. And the best part? You can start for free.

What sets Wix apart is its user-friendliness. You don’t need any prior web development experience to create a professional-looking website. The sites you build are SEO-friendly, optimized for mobile devices, and can be integrated with features like online booking or e-commerce.

Getting started with Wix is a breeze. Simply pick a domain name, choose from hundreds of templates, customize your chosen template with a drag-and-drop editor, and publish. You can also use Wix’s SEO tools to increase site traffic and boost your online presence.

Cost Breakdown:

Wix provides free hosting and a variety of templates. If you require additional features, premium plans range from £4 to £21 per month for websites, and £15 to £27 per month for business and e-commerce sites.

Visit Wix

Creative Market

A Treasure Trove for Designers

Creative Market is a hotspot for designers looking for inspiration. The platform offers a wide array of design resources, from templates and icons to Photoshop add-ons and 3D elements.

The “Simple License” offered here covers both personal and creative uses of most items. What’s more, every week they offer six free resources. Sign up for their newsletter to stay updated on these freebies.

Cost Details:

Browsing through Creative Market is free and the items for sale are reasonably priced. Additionally, loading your account with $100 or $200 will earn you 10 or 22 free credits, respectively.

Visit Creative Market

Adobe Color CC

The Ultimate Color Tool

Formerly known as Kuler, Adobe Color CC is the go-to tool for color schemes. Whether you’re struggling with color choices or simply don’t have the time to start from scratch, this tool has got you covered.

The idea is simple. Use the color wheel to pick the perfect color palette for your project. You can choose up to five harmonious colors based on predefined rules.

For those short on time, the tool also includes an “Explore” tab that features ready-made schemes from other users. You can copy, edit, and save these into your own library.

One of the best features of Adobe Color CC is its integration with other Adobe products. You can import your new color theme directly into Illustrator, Photoshop, or InDesign. An Adobe account is required to maximize the utility of these themes.

Cost Breakdown:

Adobe Color CC is completely free to use, as is the Adobe account needed to make the most of its features.

Visit Adobe Color CC

Freepik

The All-in-One Design Resource

Freepik serves as a comprehensive platform for those dabbling in design. Based in Spain, the site offers a wealth of icons, vectors, and even photos, making it a one-stop-shop for all your design needs.

You can combine it with Pexels, Pixabay, or any of the numerous free stock photo providers to elevate your projects.

Cost Information:

Freepik offers up to 60 free downloads a day. However, proper attribution to Freepik is required for the files you use.

Visit Freepik

Pablo

Buffer’s Social Media Design Tool

Pablo, a free tool by Buffer, allows you to create and share visual quotes across your social media channels. With seamless Buffer integration, your social media management becomes a breeze.

This tool automates the design process, offering pre-selected quotes and images. You can also upload your own backgrounds and customize them with effects like contrast and blur.

Cost Breakdown:

Pablo is a free tool with no hidden charges.

Visit Pablo

Pexels

High-Quality Images for Free

Pexels is a treasure trove of high-resolution images that are perfect for any project. All photos are covered by the Creative Commons Zero (CC0) license, allowing you to use them for both personal and commercial projects without attribution.

Cost Summary:

Pexels is free, but you’re encouraged to make a small donation via PayPal to support the platform’s hosting capabilities.

Visit Pexels

Visme

Your Go-To for Visual Content

Visme’s presentation maker is a game-changer for businesses looking to enhance their communications and presentations. With a plethora of professionally designed templates and a myriad of design elements, Visme makes slide creation a breeze.

You can enrich your visual content by using stock photos, stock videos, vector icons, and more. Insert your brand’s colors and fonts for a cohesive look.

The versatility of Visme extends beyond presentations. You can also create infographics, social media designs, marketing materials, and other types of visual content. The business plan is priced at $29/mo (billed annually).

Visit Visme

Instapage

The Landing Page Maestro

Instapage is a go-to choice for landing page creation, boasting over 250,000 users worldwide. This platform offers an array of templates that you can customize to fit your brand’s unique identity.

Customize your page with your logo, message, and other brand elements to make it truly yours. You can even A/B test different page versions to find the most effective layout for your audience.

Pricing Options:

While Instapage offers a free plan, it comes with limitations, such as the absence of a mobile-responsive feature. The paid plans—Basic ($29/month), Professional ($79/month), and Unlimited ($179/month)—offer a more comprehensive set of features, making it a valuable investment for your online presence.

Visit Instapage

Canva and Canva Pro

Design Simplified

Canva is an excellent tool for startups or individuals looking for an easy way to create visually stunning content. Whether you’re crafting social media posts or event invitations, Canva’s drag-and-drop interface simplifies the design process.

Canva Pro takes it to the next level, allowing for brand kits, template customization, and sharing capabilities. Easily maintain brand consistency with preset colors and fonts.

Price:

The Canva Pro subscription is priced at USD 12.95/month or USD 9.95/month if billed annually. Additionally, individual paid images can be purchased, often at discounted rates when bought in bulk.

Visit Canva

WhatTheFont

Font Recognition Made Easy

WhatTheFont is an ideal tool for those who lack design skills but wish to emulate a designer’s touch. Simply upload an image containing text, and the tool will identify the font used.

Once you have the font name, you can find it on various font repositories like FontSquirrel, Google Fonts, or 1001 fonts.

Price:

WhatTheFont and most font repositories are free to use. However, make sure the font you select is also free for commercial applications.

Visit WhatTheFont!

Coolors.co

Effortless Color Generation

Coolors.co is a top-notch color generator designed for ease and accessibility. Whether you’re a seasoned designer or a newcomer, Coolors offers a range of features to help you find the perfect color scheme.

The platform includes HEX codes, adjustable color components, and toggles for brightness, temperature, hue, and saturation, making it incredibly flexible and intuitive to use.

Price:

Coolors is a free-to-use tool, accessible to all.

Visit Coolors.co

Design Seeds

The Artistic Approach to Color

Design Seeds offers an alternative perspective on color generation. Founded by an artist who appreciates the nuanced art of color selection, the platform provides hand-crafted color palettes for those seeking something more emotionally resonant.

Each palette is created with meticulous care in Illustrator, often paired with an inspiring photo. The HEX codes are provided, making it easy to integrate these carefully curated palettes into your own designs.

Price:

Design Seeds is free to browse, though the founder offers freelance services for those seeking customized solutions.

Visit Design Seeds

Pixlr

The Free Photoshop Alternative

If you’re looking for a cost-effective way to create logos and graphics without committing to Adobe’s subscription model, Pixlr is worth checking out. This free online photo editor offers a user-friendly interface that closely resembles Photoshop, making the transition to this tool relatively seamless.

It’s not just the UI that’s impressive; Pixlr also offers a variety of file-saving options, including the ability to save files as TIFF, which will come in handy for future design work.

Price:

Pixlr is free to use, both on desktop and mobile, although the mobile version is still under development.

Visit Pixlr

BeFunky

Your One-Stop-Shop for Photo Editing and Design

BeFunky goes a step beyond conventional photo editors by offering a comprehensive suite of creative tools. Whether you’re creating a collage, editing a photo, or designing graphics, BeFunky has an interface tailored to each activity.

The platform provides a rich array of resources including icons, templates, and fonts. It’s an ideal solution for a wide range of projects, from event invitations to infographics.

Price:

BeFunky’s basic tools are free, but to unlock its full potential, including an ad-free experience and premium templates, a Pro account is available for $4.95/month or $24.95/year.

Visit BeFunky

Freebbble

Your Source for Free Dribbble Content

Freebbble serves as a curated hub for free design resources available on Dribbble, the popular showcase site for professional graphic designers. Whether you’re after fonts, icons, or templates, Freebbble has neatly categorized them according to license and resource type. However, it’s advisable to double-check the license terms with the original creator before using any free resource.

Price:

Freebbble is a completely free platform that aims to make high-quality design resources more accessible.

Visit Freebbble

Easel.ly

Visual Content Marketing Made Easy

In the age of decreasing attention spans, Easel.ly provides an intuitive platform for creating infographics and other visual content to engage your audience. The platform offers a range of templates, objects, and images, making it a one-stop solution for your visual content needs.

Price:

Although Easel.ly is free to use, it comes with limitations on the number of images and fonts you can use in each infographic. However, its Pro plan, priced at $3 per month, offers extended features and customization options.

Visit Easel.ly

UXPin

Your Gateway to UX Design and Prototyping

If you’re contemplating diving into the world of UX design, UXPin is a comprehensive platform for prototyping apps and websites. It features a user-friendly dashboard, collaboration tools, and resources for easy prototyping, making it ideal for beginners and professionals alike.

Price:

UXPin offers multiple pricing tiers, starting from $19 per month. While it provides a wealth of free learning resources, a subscription is necessary for full access to its design capabilities.

Visit UXPin

The post 20 Design Tools for Startups on Budget appeared first on Hongkiat.

Whether you’re anxious or not, you’ll agree that, whenever you’re tied up in a traffic jam or commuting to work by mass transit, boredom can get the better of you. So why not pull up this helpful list of game apps and download a few, for the fun of it?

VVVVVV

Created by Terry Cavanagh, an Irish indie developer, VVVVVV is a platformer with spot-on bare-bones pixel graphics, that defies gravity and thankfully has an auto-save function in place to avoid any unnecessary frustration pile-ups.

The game capitalizes on a low-fi retro-nostalgic trend, while the minimalist graphics go hand in hand with its original, ever surprising game mechanics and a real earworm of a chiptune track by Souleye.

• VVVVVV For iOS
• VVVVVV For Android

Alto’s Adventure

The Toronto-based developers (Ryan Cash and Jordan Rosenberg) going by the name of Snowman started out with productivity app Checkmark, then went on to games via Circles and Super Squares.

For Alto, they got help on the design side by Harry Nesbitt – and the ensuing game soon gained traction: the trailer itself passed the 100,000 views mark 3 days after the big release!

• Alto’s Adventure For iOS
• Alto’s Adventure For Android

Ridiculous Fishing

Indie Dutch developer Vlambeer’s crazy fish angler ride, Ridiculous Fishing, lets you virtually blow your catch to smithereens, no release, just instant gratification. Now there’s no need for you to get up at the crack of dawn to catch the tasty finned morsels.

The quirky visuals and suitably eerie music will get your head in a game at all hours: just power up, keep calm and cast a wide net! It made 2013’s “Game of the Year” and dubbed “a heroic quest for glory and gills”.

• Ridiculous Fishing For iOS

Mr. Jump

From the already roster-heavy game developing trio 1Button, came Mr. Jump, a game banking on the ever popular one-tap mechanic and never amiss streamlined graphics that are so easy on the eyes.

The game’s an uncluttered no brainer, featuring a blank, square-headed avatar that predictably hops forward as best it can to avoid the precipices and hurdles that are deviously peppered along the way.

• Mr. Jump For iOS

Two Dots

Released in May 2014, Two Dots is a basic connect-the-dots game. The title pair of dots get dragged across all sorts of uniquely minimalist gameverses, tundras and jungles among them, where a new bit of trouble can always crop up out of left field.

With more than 185 levels to get through, each with varying, unpredictable mechanics, Two Dots was “created with the notion that beauty and fun are not mutually exclusive.”

The team has kept busy, coming up with new levels on a regular basis and updating the dedicated Tumblr blog with inventive new posts (even a webcomic!).

• Two Dots For iOS
• Two Dots For Android

Lastronaut

Lastronaut tells the apocalyptic journey of a pixelated last-man-standing protagonist got a lot of traction on the back of its nice-looking 8-bit graphics and relentlessly catchy gameplay.

Developed as something of an experiment, with the first-time devs trying to answer the question whether a free-to-play game with no pay involved at any level, ever, would take off, Lastronaut was launched to great, immediate acclaim and one million downloads, one week after launch!

• Lastronaut For iOS

Beyond Ynth

Beyond Ynth features a half-airworthy, frustratingly slow bug that you’ll need to guide through to the end of each level by having it move boxes around while avoiding getting squashed under them – basic, but focus-grabbing stuff.

Beyond Ynth was published by FDG Entertainment 5 years ago, and had picked up both the Excellence in Gameplay and the Grand-Prix awards at the 7th International Mobile Gaming Awards.

Coming on the heels of the critical darling Ynth, the beautifully-illustrated (at times hand-drawn) 80-level epic hasn’t needed much in the way of promotion.

• Beyond Ynth For iOS
• Beyond Ynth For Android

Powder

Powder makes you a skier who races downhill, gathering points the longer you stay upright. It’s set against a snow-capped mountainous background that really excels in terms of glacial stylishness.

Conceived by the creative pair of indie devs Dave Chenell and Eric Cleckner, working out of New York, the game’s, as they put it, “simultaneously soothing and stressful”.

The game had more than 200,000 downloads in the first week and was featured by Apple in more than 15 countries.

• Powder For iOS

Timberman

Digital Melody’s Timberman, an arcade game with old-school graphics and a pixel-artsy feel that I know many will enjoy, has been unsurprisingly gobbled up like hot cakes on the app stores.

You get to play as a burly lumberjack, chopping at a tree that keeps going on forever. It sounds like simple gameplay, which is probably why it is super addictive.

“Created by Pawel Kitajewski, creative director for the Polish digital interactive agency Digital Melody, it has had an impressive uptake, boasting over 15 million players, and got named one of the best games to have landed on the Apple store in 2014. There’s now a host of Timberman items you can buy, T-shirts and iPhone cases that bear its pixelated insignia.”

• Timberman For iOS
• Timberman For Android

Turbo Bugs 2

Turbo Bugs 2 can at times be just as frustrating as any adult-targeted endless runner out there.

That, added to the cute factor that the bug’s slice of life has well cornered, results in a ride that, while not terribly original in terms of gameplay, keeps your heartbeat elevated and your eyes at ground level, hot on the heels of the lead bug.

From the Bulgarian devs at Zariba, Turbo Bugs 2, through its bug’s eye view and well-drawn, cartoonish characters, stands out from the pack. If you can’t put it down even when the clock’s run out on your coffee break, don’t feel guilty, it’s not just you!

• Turbo Bugs 2 For iOS

Boson X

In Boson X, you play as a scientist, suit, tie and in active pursuit of the elusive Higgs boson.

Not at all as boring as this description might lead you to imagine, the app will have you quantum-leaping forward into a ceiling- and floor-less race, at an ever-increasing pace.

Launched by Mu and Heyo (namely, Ian MacLarty and Jon Kerney) 2 years ago, the game itself took 3 years to make, since the developers had day jobs. Just as well, since soon after its launch, enough accolades came in to make them feel the moonlighting was worth it.

• Boson X For iOS
• Boson X For Android

Angry Birds 2

Angry Birds 2 is the best bird flinging game you’ll ever find. Your aim is to hit and destroy piggies tower by throwing different birds at them through a slingshot. Each bird has its own features that you can use as a strategy and save the bird eggs.

The game offers daily challenges, multiple levels, and leaderboards. It can also be played with others if you want to compete in an arena with other players or join a clan of your friends to take down the piggies.

• Angry Birds 2 For iOS
• Angry Birds 2 For Android

Ballz

Either you want to relax your brain or just kill time while waiting, Ballz is an easy and pretty addictive game. You are required to swim your finger to throw the balls and break the bricks.

As you clear a level, another more difficult one comes up. Your success lies in the angle of the ball being thrown which makes it hard to reach the high score. Ballz has an endless gameplay and you can challenge your friends to beat your highest score .

• Ballz For iOS
• Ballz For Android

Mini Metro

Mini Metro is an interesting game about designing a subway map for a growing city. To start with, you can draw lines to connect the stations but as the lines grow, you need to redraw the subway lines to keep a smooth flow of the metro.

The best thing about this game is that yo get to build a subway network of real-word cities, like Budapest, Berlin, Hong Kong, and a dozen others. There are daily challenges, regular upgrades, and colorblind and night mode display available.

• Mini Metro For iOS
• Mini Metro For Android

Crossy Road

Why did the chicken cross the road? We don’t know but we do know how addictive can it be to make the chicken or pigeon cross the road, river, or rail track with Crossy Road.

The game has many retro pop-art inspired characters that you can collect and make them endlessly hop. Also, you can compete with your friends on the same device and can even play it on the big screen with Android TV.

• Crossy Road For iOS
• Crossy Road For Android

Levelhead

For the fans of Sci-Fi and robotics, Levelhead would offer an interesting pastime. The backstory tells you that you’re a newly-hired employee at the Bureau of Shipping which is the galaxy’s premiere package delivery service.

You get to create your own levels, build incredible machines, create amazing expeditions, and even train your very own GR-18 delivery robot for different delivery scenarios. How cool is that!

• Levelhead For iOS
• Levelhead For Android

Dan The Man

Dan The Man is an action-packed game that works in a story mode with interesting secrets to uncover. It is a very well-designed game and though offers only 12 levels (in the story mode), but these levels are so engaging that you’ll get addicted.

The best thing about the game are the different modes that it offers. Campaign mode, story mode, adventure mode, and a multiplayer mode – and these modes are free. Also, you can upgrade your characters and create your own hero.

• Dan The Man For iOS
• Dan The Man For Android

Subway Surfers

Subway Surfer is one of those games that keep you hooked for a long time. It is a classic endless runner game full of adventures. You play this game as Jack who surfs subways trying to run from an inspector and his dog.

The game features vivid HD graphics, hoverboard surfing, really fast swipe aerobatics and interesting challenges. Our hero Jack also paints trains and plats trees with his partner Mala.

• Subway Surfers For iOS
• Subway Surfers For Android

Snake VS Block

A simple snake game, however with an added challenge of hitting and breaking the bricks. You have to swipe your fingers to move the snake of balls and try to break as many bricks as possible.

You also get additional balls to make the snake bigger. The game has an infinite game play, an easy finger swipe control. You can practice and get an impressive score and then challenge your friends to surpass you.

• Snake VS Block For iOS
• Snake VS Block For Android

Flow Free

Free Flow is a simple games in which you have to connect the pipes of same color to create a flow. However, the trick is to avoid the pipes of other colors because if pipes of two different colors cross or overlap, they’ll break.

Free Flow feature more than 2500 free puzzles, free play mode, vivid graphics, and cool sound effects. The game is really fun and relaxing pastime for anyone.

• Flow Free For iOS
• Flow Free For Android

Color Road

A simple ball rolling game, Color Road is free 3D game that might remind you a bit of the Twisty Road. All you need to do is to roll to the ball which has the same color and avoid the one that has a different color.

You aim is to try to reach the finish line to clear a level. It’s a super fun color matching game with endless game play and much potential to keep you hooked.

• Color Road For iOS
• Color Road For Android

The post 20+ Highly Addictive Mobile Games to Try appeared first on Hongkiat.

Welcome to that “12:00 o’clock going-to-the-office-never-have-to-answer-to-nobody” dream life! You’ll finally have the time and resources to do all the stuff you wish you’d done. Trips, vacations, freedom, and prestige!

Well, you’ll first need to start your business. And guess what? You’ll be very likely to end up closing it or selling its assets! And that’s a good thing. Let me explain.

Entrepreneurs Fail Constantly

That’s right. You could say it’s a never-ending, always-fashionable trend. Entrepreneurs, whether they’re dirt poor, millionaires, or even billionaires, just keep on losing. Don’t believe the hype. That’s the real state of entrepreneurship.

If you want to go into business for yourself, get ready for feeling failure and pressure about 90% of the time. But don’t worry. You’ll at least be in good company.

Did you know about Steve Jobs’s or Bill Gates’s failures? or that some of the most successful entrepreneurs initially faced much failure? Did you know the average millionaire goes bankrupt at least 3.5 times or that 3 out of 4 start-ups funded by Venture Capital fail?

So, if you were to generalize, by the 5th year, regardless of the industry, over half of all startups shut their doors.

That’s just facts.

But Why?

And the reasons why this is happening are even more ludicrous. According to StatisticBrain, the #1 reason all businesses fail is emotional pricing.

That’s to say, entrepreneurs usually overprice their products or services and are too stubborn to adjust to the market. They fail and give up. It’s not the economic climate, the industry, or management.

The list of bankruptcy reasons goes on, with increasing audacity and disregard for common sense:

• Living too high for the business
• Nonpayment of taxes
• No knowledge of pricing
• Lack of planning
• No knowledge of financing
• No experience in record-keeping

Why These Numbers Are Good News!

These high failure rates and stupendous reasons for failure are actually really encouraging for any budding entrepreneur. What they mean is:

• Competition is really low.
• You’re bound to succeed if you keep at it.

These reasons paint the picture of failure as being the most common element in business today. That’s normal. Because of this, the only winners in business are the ones who:

• Apply common sense (no emotional pricing, paying your taxes, planning and adapting, etc.)
• Continue practicing business after failure.

That’s the big secret you don’t hear in the interviews: being an entrepreneur isn’t so hard. Just keep at it and apply common sense. You only need one win, and bam: you’re a hero. Even billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban admitted this in his book:

“It doesn’t matter how many times you fail. You only have to be right once, and then everyone can tell you that you are an overnight success.”

Your Business Will Fail

I can predict with great certainty that your first business will be a disaster. I’m happy to be the first to let you in on this secret. Wisdom comes from practice, so it really doesn’t matter how much you’ve read or been taught, how many PhDs you have, or how much encouragement you get from family and friends.

You won’t have that common sense. You’ll reach too far. You’ll overexpand, overprice, and treat clients and employees wrong. I know I’ve said it’s easy, but most of us aren’t born with that much needed common sense.

You’ll fail miserably. Almost nobody makes a million dollars with their first business. Almost nobody makes that first jump. Not even superheroes. Neo from The Matrix Series can fly and dodge bullets, but even he didn’t make that first jump in the movie.

Here’s Neo looking smug and confident.

Here’s Neo doing/failing his first jump

The sooner you are OK with failing, the sooner you’ll be successful.

And don’t think for a second that just because you’ve failed, you won’t be able to get investors or hire people again. That’s because real investors and smart people aren’t surprised by failure. They already know these hard facts of the business world.

Charles Holloway, director of Stanford University’s Center for Entrepreneurial Studies summed it up beautifully:

“How well a failed entrepreneur has managed his company, and how well he worked with his previous investors, makes a difference in his ability to persuade U.S. venture capitalists to back his future start-ups.”

What All This Means For You

So the conclusion is you should start your first business as soon as possible so that you’ll be able to fail as soon as possible. The sooner you fail, the better. You want to have a startup mentality.

One awesome idea to apply comes from Start-Up Nation, a book covering the impressive financial success of Israel:

If an entrepreneur has a business idea, he should start it that week.

Stop preparing. Stop building features for your clients who aren’t even there yet. Just stick a Beta Version next to the brand’s name and go to market. Good enough is good enough.

If given a choice, take speed over quality. Nothing worse than an uncertain, perfectionist Captain fighting the storm.

What to Do When Failure Comes Knocking

After your business fails, here’s what you need to do:

Find comfort in the facts and figures given in this article

Re-read them. Internalize them. You are not special. You didn’t make the first jump. You’re normal, and that’s OK.

Evaluate assets

Every business, no matter how bad, has some sort of assets. I.e., cars, equipment, office space, or maybe intellectual property, employees, or client base.

Even if the business is making no money, you still had to have some clients, or maybe you’ve worked and had ongoing relationships with different companies. Those are still valuable assets. Maybe you have a nice commercial lease worked out. That’s a plus in any buyer’s eyes.

If you have a brand name, that’s awesome

Brands carry a lot of value for investors. I’ve seen business saved just because they had mass appeal thanks to their brands. Open up a spreadsheet and list all your assets.

If you aren’t happy with what you have, add another column. Call it “Experience”, and in the corresponding cell, write “Invaluable”. You’ll feel better, and it’s absolutely true.

Sell the assets individually or collectively as a business

Another scenario would be to give it away and keep a certain percentage if you think the business still has potential. If you have trouble finding a willing buyer or person to take over, consider these routes:

• Contacting the competition
• Contacting business partners
• Asking your accountant or lawyer. They’re usually well connected.
• Being honest and asking your employees.
• Being honest and asking your employees if they know somebody.
• Ads, forums, blogs, newspapers
• Universities. Find a young, hungry wannabe entrepreneur. Give it away for free and keep a percentage.
• Try gatherings or conferences from your industry. Don’t be shy.

The Last Step

Now you’ve sold it or gave it away and kept interested, sit down. Relax. Detach. Open the spreadsheet. Write the top 3 mistakes you’ve done while owning the business. Write the corresponding three lessons you’ve learned. Once you’ve done this, it’s time to restart.

Restart as soon as possible. You’re now closer than ever to being a successful entrepreneur.

The post How to Deal With Failing In Your First Startup Business appeared first on Hongkiat.

Well, not really. Meet Chris Messina, which boasts the abovementioned resume and is a global celebrity not thanks to his inventions, but because of a pretty stupid idea (his words, not ours):

“I spent a lot of time working on technologies that I’d hoped would unify the social web and give people more choice – and instead of any of those efforts taking off, this stupid, stupid idea I had ending up being the thing that caught fire. Go figure.”

The #Hashtag

That stupid idea began in 2007, when Chris tweeted this:

Today, that pound sign / hash symbol used before a word, better known as the hashtag, is everywhere. You can see it in TV ads, hip-hop videos, bars and billboards. Politicians use it to try and get people to #vote and Lil Wayne uses it to get more followers on his weird Gucci-inspired Twitter alias #liltunechi.

Everyday, more and more apps introduce support for the hashtag, trying to emulate the giants who are already on board: Google+, Pinterest, Tumblr,Instagram, Path, Twitter.

Seeing the obvious trend (with a delay I might add) and not wanting to be seen as the odd one out, Facebook took to its Newsroom and announced hashtag support for its users.

What’s Facebook’s @point, #Skipper?

The idea, as they present it, is simple:"help people more easily discover what others are saying about a specific topic and participate in public conversations.”

So FB’s hashtags are basically tags used to categorize conversations between users. Facebook also graciously offered these 3 usage tips for the hashtag:

• Search for a specific hashtag from your search bar.
• Click on hashtags that originate on other services, such as Instagram.
• Compose posts directly from the hashtag feed and search results.

It would seem then that this update comes from the Menlo Park-based firm’s plan to engage users in more conversations. Now, as ever, that’s not the full story. Facebook has two potentially giant benefits from introducing the # API. They are SEO and monetization.

They care about #traffic

From an SEO standpoint, there’s a lot to gain. Imagine how much traffic Facebook could be getting from Google, via all those nifty #-tagged words.

Take the word “#facebook”, which according to Google’s Keyword Tool receives 3,760,000,000 hits which are [Exact] matches. Imagine how frustrating it is for Zuckerberg to see this link as the top result for that keyword.

Now, multiply that with all the giant brand names out there who are promoting themselves offline (TV, radio, banners) via hashtags, and you’ll get the picture. There’s a world’s worth of an army out there Googling various hashtags.

They alos care about #cash

After traffic, there’s big monetization potential, which Facebook is keenly aware of:

“The recent "Red Wedding" episode of Game of Thrones, received over 1.5 million mentions on Facebook, representing a significant portion of the 5.2 million people who watched the show. And this year’s Oscars buzz reached an all-time high on Facebook with over 66.5 million interactions, including likes, comments, and posts. To date, there has not been a simple way to see the larger view of what’s happening or what people are talking about.” – [Source]

Knowing that Facebook is deviating from its original goal of connecting people and joining the ranks of the increasingly money-hungry Internet giants, it’s easy to imagine how they’d sell trending hashtags or create some sort of a paid advertising. In fact, they’re already pushing advertisers to use them.

Why should you #care?

Say you have a Facebook Page promoting your local business. Theoretically, the more pound signs you use when #talkingaboutwhoeverknowswhat, the more eyeballs you’d potentially get, thanks to people clicking and searching that hashtag.

Obviously, you’d want to use only relevant, trending ones. This process would eventually lead to more ‘real pounds’ in your company’s bank account, due to increased visibility; theoretically, at least.

In practice, the actual hashtag search results order will probably be decided by a number of factors, including ‘virality’, fan base, brand, posts reach, etc.

Open for misuse

It’s hard to imagine the little guy leveraging the new hashtag for more business on the long term. But I would imagine, at least now, when the idea is pretty new, that some lucky unethical bastards might use hashtags to piggyback important events and drive traffic to their pages.

This begs the question: Will Facebook manage to keep their hashtag search results relevant and spam-free? The answer will decide whether its users will use it on a big scale or just as a waltz step between various social media platforms.

You should #care about using it right!

In the end, you shouldn’t really mind Facebook’s #hiddenagenda. If you’re a decent user, you only need to #care about a few rules when using Chris Messina’s invention:

1. Keep it relevant

Like stated before, piggybacking on trending hashtags just for traffic’s sake is a no-no. You’ll eventually ruin your reputation, receive bad comments and might even be sent to Internet jail in a “do not pass GO, do not collect $100 dollars” manner. So use hashtags only when relevant to your post.

2. Keep it simple

Less is more. If you want to start a cool hashtag for people to use, go for one or two words or an abbreviation. Say you want to promote your favorite cartoon character, Ren and Stimpy’s Powdered Toast Man.

You might not want to go for #PowderedToastManRenStimpy. A way better option would be something like #PTMChar.

3. Keep it obvious

A lot of folks simply skip searching existing tags before coming up with their own hashtags. As such, they just write the hashtag they expect others to be using. You want those people to also be part of your conversation.

Keeping your hashtags based on your brand, product or show’s name is usually your best bet. Also, check to see that the hashtags won’t end up hurting your PR efforts #susanalbumparty-style than helping.

4. Don’t spam

Using too many hashtags in a single update or comment might leave you wondering why nobody loves you. That’s because you’ll be seen as a spammer.

Studies show that, at least on Twitter, tweets with one or two hashtags receive double attention, while tweets with more than 2 hashtags receive 17% less engagement.

There’s no reason to think that Facebook works differently.

5. Define your hastag

When first posting a tag for a conversation, it’s good practice to define it. Let people know what the hashtag is about. Describe it in simple words. You can also define it here if you want to be thorough.

Conclusion

Hashtags are a great invention. We should be happy that Chris Messina came up with this insanely awesome and “stupid” idea. Facebook might be late in jumping in on the train, and they might be doing it for the wrong reasons, but that shouldn’t keep you from caring about your image and using hashtags correctly.

The post Facebook Hashtags – How It Works, How to Use It Right appeared first on Hongkiat.

They’re scary, those damn monsters. They’ll get your agent angry, your readers unhappy, and your clients running. The reason they attack is because your day-to-day state really affects your work. The way you feel on a consistent basis determines the quality and refinement of your efforts.

But there’s a way to survive. First, you can avoid everything by just making sure you keep the monster inside you happy. Here’s how.

Create your micro-cosmos

Your workspace is like the painter’s canvas. Don’t keep it clean; keep it inspiring. If you’re a neat, tidy person and order inspires you, then yes, clean it up. If not, and you’re like the majority of creators out there, make sure your workspace is:

• Comfortable for your body
• Isolated/Undisturbed by an outside presence
• Easy to get to, preferably in your house
• Has writing equipment for jotting down ideas
• Full of the things you like (no matter how ridiculous others may think it is)

Set a quota

Set a goal for yourself. If you’re a writer, set a daily amount of pages you’ll write. Anthony Trollope, a well-known, successful novelist of the 19th century was known to force himself to write 3000 words (250 words per 15 mins, for 3 hours) before going off to his job at the postal service. This he kept up for 33 years, in the span of which he wrote more than two dozen books.

If you’re interested in other funky targets and rituals that creative people have used over the centuries, check out Daily Rituals: How Artists Work.

Create a work ritual

Unlike some people think, a routine work schedule helps your creativity in that it helps you achieve the before-mentioned quota. A routine is just another sort of ritual, which takes place in your micro-cosmos.

Here are some examples:

Nude Ritual: Victor Hugo wrote The Hunchback Of Notre-Dame while in his house, totally naked.

"Done by noon, drunk by three" routine: The phrase comes directly from Ernest Hemingway, who used to apply it thoroughly while writing The Old Man And The Sea. He stops working at noon and gets drunk, daily. Fun times.

Writing horizontally or vertically: Albert Camus wrote while standing. Prust, Twain and Orwell did so while lying in bed horizontally. Heck, Kafka is rumoured to have stood on his head for creativity. Whatever floats your boat, really.

Not sleeping: Painter Salvador Dali is famous for his sleep tricks. He’d use all sorts of waking up mechanisms as soon as sleep would take him – slipping keys from his hand which banged against carefully placed metal plates for example. He said it made him more productive.

Killing the "Monster"

If all else fails, and you find that you’ve awakened the monster, and the giant comes running at you, grabbing you by the neck, you should, with the last life you’ve got left in you, do the following.

Start working anyway, despite the fact you don’t feel too creative. Don’t analyze your work, just compose. No judgement, just creation. Go ahead and create, not thinking about the way in which you do it. Often times, that’s enough to loosen the monster’s furry grip.

If you’re still barely clinging on to life, do the exercises below. Their goal is to jumpstart your brain’s software, literally "warming up" your creativity by putting your synapses and neural pathways to work!

Exercise 1. Inner World Reflection

This comes straight from philosopher Robert Anton Wilson’s bestseller, Prometheus Rising. In the book, Robert talks about conquering our potential through understanding the way our brain is wired. One of the exercises goes as follows:

Think about the electrons in your body. Then go bigger. Think about the atom containing them and their movement. Then ponder about your molecules. Scale up and think about the nucleus of the cell which contains all that matter. Then the cell itself.

Work your way up through the body, thinking about each tiny bit, constantly increasing the size of the lens through which you look. After that, your body, your room, house, neighborhood, area code, district, city, country, continent, planet. Try to have a satellite view of each, thinking about as many details as possible.

In the end, you should be at the edge of the observable universe. Here’s a tool to help you with this exercise.

Exercise 2. The Daydream Rapid Synapse Connection

This exercise is my favorite. It’s tons of fun.

Just pick something to think about. Let’s say a rabbit. Then, as fast as you can, find the next logical connection in your mind. Let’s say rabbit makes you think about running. Then what does running make you think about? Maybe Usain Bolt, maybe the speed of sound or maybe standing still.

This exercise works on your own personal universe of mind connections. It should be done for at least a few minutes.

In that time, you should have covered dozens of even hundreds of elements, and you’ll find yourself in a very, very different space then when you’ve started.

Exercise 3. Inspiration by Visualization

Go online and watch videos like this:

Check out sites like 500px, deviantART, or Tumblr or photography. Search for tags such as "weird". You’ll be amazed at what you find.

Exercise 4. Shifting Your Reality Tunnel

Find something you’re really against and write 5 arguments if favor of it. Make it a really taboo topic. Trying to understand somebody else’s totally different belief system and values (even when they are totally wrong) will develop new neural pathways.

Make sure it’s something you have a strong opinion about, like teenage pregnancy, abortion, death penalty or your mom’s cooking.

Whatever the topic, shifting your reality tunnel and your beliefs, even for just a moment, by looking through the eyes of "your enemy" is hard – but it’s sure to get your creative juices flowing.

The post Practical Tips to Cure a Creative Block appeared first on Hongkiat.

Apple and Microsoft have full-time employees like engineers, marketers, and other skillful people in different fields.

Still, when we are talking about the Internet and tech industry, on the whole, most of its innovation, content, and coding is done by passionate freelancers.

We see the same thing with mobile. Most app companies are started by entrepreneurs who worked as freelancers to get their start. Freelancing jobs could be called “personal incubators” for young entrepreneurs, who are lacking in minimal capital to start a small business.

And when those businesses are finally financed, they look towards outsourcing as much as possible to skip on health care obligations, benefits, and office space.

The backbone of The Internet

So make no mistake, small and medium-sized business are the ones creating the majority of, well, everything on the Internet. Freelancing is the backbone of those businesses.

The most sought after jobs are technical, coding, creative, writing, and design jobs. He said mobile app development jobs are also on the rise.

Now, let me ask you this: What if all the freelancers stopped working?

When freelancers stop working

Let’s assume for a moment every single freelancer out there would seek secure, stable jobs, leaving behind the freelancing work they do online. What’s the worse that could happen?

The Huffington Post would almost die

… and so will Business Insider, NYTimes.com, Mashable and every other major blog, online magazine, or publication on the Internet.

That’s because their content output is so huge, interesting, and diverse thanks to experts in all sorts of the field who are writing for them freelance. They are what the Harvard Business Review calls Supertemps — experts pursuing project-based careers.

Only a fraction of all the news you see on the Internet is written by full-time employees of that particular publication. Almost no blog has the power to hire full-time writers for its entire content.

Design: We’d be back in ‘95

Design agencies have loads of talented people working in them, and will probably never die (unlike many advertising agencies).

Nope. They’ll endure, thanks to branching out, offering development services, and the corporate need to pay more for something, to justify spending your entire quarterly budget and get a bonus.

But the fact is the majority of designers nowadays are freelancers. And they offer the same services or often better, at a fraction of the cost. 99Designs has thousands of talented designers with over 90 design skill sets.

Similarly, Crowdspring boasts of 210,000+ creatives from 195 countries. If you have an old school design studio, you’re probably mad as hell.

But the fact remains, small to medium-sized business are now empowered to look like Top 500 Giants! And the Internet is not comprised of only Coca-Cola’s site (which frankly could use a contest on 99Designs) or Apple’s “simple, clean, smooth” online presence you’ll hear so many people trying to emulate.

It’s the small guy with a local e-store who “owns” the Internet. He is the future. It’s he who relies on freelancers to get his site looking like it’s 2013 and not ’95. And it’s the foreign freelancer who is making it all possible.

Google Play and the App Store?

Most of the apps in both giant marketplaces are coming from freelancers or small businesses that rely on freelancers for outsourcing. Yes, there are some terrible apps because of this. Yes, I also hate the use of too many ads and ad networks.

But the truth is, it’s from this chaotic breeding ground that you get the beautiful diversity of the virtual app world, in all its 257 chromatic variants.

I like that. And so do you. You wouldn’t want just a few giant apps, no diversity, and a massive monopolized.

The planet would be in danger.

Yes, it would. There’s this small thing called Globalization. It’s the reason some national economies are now dying. Only those fast enough adapt to globalization and outsourcing stand a chance to thrive. That’s neither a good or a bad thing; it’s just a shift.

Part of the planet’s total GWP (Gross World Product) of around 70 trillion dollars is made up of goods and currency which move through or thanks to outsourced jobs.

A scenario in which freelancers would all seek secure jobs would start a financial crisis like no other. That’s just all sorts of wrong.

And consider this:

A lousy Internet hurts the planet.

A poorly designed interface for the Internet with few giant apps on the apps market and almost no alternative media, blogs, and content from

Supertemps would probably hinder connectivity to the point where people wouldn’t want to get online. That means less knowledge for the masses, less unique, distinct thought processes, and less communication. We’d go back in time.

Back to ’95 again. And I don’t want that.

So if you’re a freelancer, be proud of your contribution.

You are the revolution.

The post Why Freelancers Are Saving The Internet appeared first on Hongkiat.

There are usually rewards for the backers: they get promotional materials, or to try out beta-versions of the product, and if it is an event, they get exclusive backstage access.

In this way, the creator of the project raises capital to do it, and the contributor gains the rewards for supporting a project he or she believes in. Sounds too good to be true? Well, there’s a catch. For the project to raise money, it needs to follow specific guidelines. Here are the seven best practices for running a successful crowdfunding gig.

Build It Before Launching

Many crowdfunding campaigns go under because they fail to lay the groundwork before introducing their project to the masses. You want to have a social presence. Either a Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube account already in place.

Have your website describing the project you’re doing. This will help you harness the power of your audience for getting the campaign off the ground, and it also allows people who don’t know you to trust you more.

Nobody likes giving money away for no reason, so having your name and your campaign’s site pop up on Google when a potential pledger is searching for you outside the crowdfunding site will help build trust in your project.

Know Your Target Audience

There are tons of crowdfunding sites out there. It’s your job to know which website your potential pledgers (the people are contributing to your project) are browsing. That means understanding each site’s audience. Look at what sort of projects are featured on the homepage, and what campaigns are most successful on the site.

If a particular site raises the most money for music projects, and you are doing a piano recital, that’s the place for you. If you have a cause awareness campaign, you should check out MightyCause or RocketHub. Go for the ol’ behemoth KICKSTARTER for projects involving tech.

On the other hand, appsplit, the first app crowdfunding site launched in 2010, is great for mobile development.

Reminder: Make sure you read the terms and conditions for the site you choose. Some take a significant portion of the money gathered and/or require you to be a US citizen. Others have more relaxed terms.

Storytelling and Psychology

Believe it or not, the crowdfunding model is older than the Internet. During the 19th century, newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer (yes, the inventor of Pulitzer Prizes) raised more than $100,000 in six months.

The goal? The pedestal restoration of the Statue of Liberty, which resulted in 125,000 people pledging towards it. Why? Because they cared and could identify with the story.

Most people browsing KICKSTARTER are looking to support things they believe in or care about. There are also certain psychological trends all humans fall into. Tony Robbins talks about this in an excellent TED talk.

How To Tell A Story

Think about this when you’re presenting your project’s story. Remember to make it emotional. The six keys elements you’ll need to address in your overall project presentation are Certainty, Variety, Significance, Love & Connection, Growth, and Contribution.

Most of the people want all of those things, so talk about them. The trick is to convey the ideas to the eventual pledger by hinting at them. Make sure they get it within the first minute. Let’s say, I’m trying to raise money for a social job platform for Android. Here’s an intro that works well:

“My project is certainly significant because we are trying to connect young people with their potential future jobs, contributing and improving to the overall employment rate here in Romania. We will impact more than 10,000 people in the first four weeks, and with a minimum conversion of 2%, our app is bound to drastically change the lives of 200 people.”

The combination of real numbers, overall tone, and the six elements make for a compelling story. What takes it to the next level, though, is the human element involved.

Video? 100% Yes!

What better way to tell a story than through video? Having a video for your project is an absolute must. “More than 50 percent of crowdfunding projects with a video is successful. Conversely, only 30 percent of those without a video succeed,” says Kendall Americo, CEO of ClickStartMe.

First, let the viewer know who you are, then jump right into the story. Your video should have a catchy title such as: “Would you save the app world with me?” as opposed to “New app to be launched soon”. The story being told should be short and precise.

You need to convey the following:

• Who you are
• How your story is connected with the six key elements
• What the rewards for the contributor are
• Asking exactly for what you want and explaining where the money will go
• Thanking everybody in advance, already assuming they’ve pledged

Consider making a professional video as an investment, and if you’re not comfortable with your accent, maybe hire a voice talent.

The Inner Circle

Competition for funds is fierce nowadays. That’s why you’ll want to make sure you have a few friends or family members as first investors. People often imitate others in order to belong to a tribe.

Take advantage of this “group mind” by planting the first seed yourself. Once you have your 1st round backers, others will come.

Lots of Rewards

Rewards are awesome, and offering them is a no-brainer. Try giving rewards for even the smallest of donations. Here are a few ideas:

• Behind-the-scenes photos or videos
• Autographed materials, photos, t-shirts, mugs, and other souvenirs
• Including the pledger in the product’s credits
• The actual product (free or largely discounted)
• Invitation to launch parties, events, social gatherings
• Unreleased beta-versions of the product
• Including the pledger’s name within the game/product
• Access to the team or one-on-one talks with you
• Direct involvement in the script/features of the campaign

Get the word out.

The Internet is full of blogs and publications about every topic under the sun. Immediately after your campaign starts to grow, contact as many as possible. Once you reach your first milestone, your project can become a story, especially if you are raising money for a cause.

Media attention spreads like wildfire if it’s an exciting project. Best to not contact anybody on launch day and wait until you hit your first milestone. That will prove some interest in your idea, and you’ll be more likely to score an article.

The post 7 Tips For A Successful Crowdfunding Project appeared first on Hongkiat.

Business plans are in place to give investors a sense of security. Hence, they try to test the person they are funding. Creating a business plan is just a test — a flight simulation if you will. It would help if you spent some time flying inside the simulator, but don’t get caught up.

Every entrepreneur knows that things will go wrong in real life, and no business plan can save you then. What will save you is your ability to bounce back, adapt, and fight. What will save you is being a real-life Iron Man.

But why exactly do these business plans fail? And if you are to make one, what’s the best business plan possible? Let’s have a look.

The map is not the territory

Reading a map and following a business plan is quite similar. Looking at any map, you see the overall direction in which you need to go. The map, however, won’t show you the people on the street, the traffic lights you need to stop at, or the distractions you need to avoid along the way

It can only show you the different corners you need to take en route to your destination. Sure, you need the map — for about 10 seconds. After that, it’s game on, and the actual environment will guide you.

Simulation Versus Real Life

What if there’s a crowd somewhere in between you and your destination? You’ll need to jump, dodge, run or slow down, depending on what’s actually in front of you. At some point, you’ll even need to forget the map. Will you stick with the plan and slowly work your way through the mob, or divert and look for a faster alternate route?

This is where you can see the difference between real entrepreneurs and wannabes. And there’s no right or wrong choice either. You’ll have to make that choice on the fly, considering the specific variables presented to you.

Fighting the tide

Going against the tide is how businesses make money. However, making their mark is where the real reward for entrepreneurs is.

Most of the time that doesn’t go down well with the big VC firms as their priorities are protecting their assets and making a decent yearly profit. Still, if you are an entrepreneur, your concern is offering the coolest product possible to as many people as possible. So how do you cope? You ride your wave.

How to ride your wave

Sure, you need to catch a good disruptive wave (a growing industry). But that’s as far as your business plan takes you. A glance at the map, a sight of a future, increasing wave, and in you go like a brilliant surfer. Don’t second guess yourself either as you lose time.

I’m not saying you should invest heavily in this fashion. Start small, and see if it works. If you invest little and start on multiple waves, you won’t drown when things go wrong. And eventually, you’re bound to hit the Jackpot and make up for all the losses. So when you see a wave that keeps on rising, you focus on that entirely and disregard everything else.

That’s your only business plan. The overall goal of finding the right wave, creating the best possible product and bringing it to as many people as possible. All the rests are distractions and unnecessary complications.

Just do it

No real superhero entrepreneur wants to hear about complex forecasts of customer volume according to age groups, and how an increase of 2.5 percent for the marketing budget three years from now will convert more young people into buyers. That’s for people concerned about profit.

So if you can, start by not putting yourself through the ordeal of having to construct such estimations. In the words of Sir Richard Branson: “Screw It, Let’s Do It!”

If it’s that simple, why doesn’t everybody do it? Well, it could be a multitude of insecurities and negative beliefs, which I’ll sum up as “fear of starting.” That is another reason that not everybody can create a successful business.

You need to adapt to win

Each superhero has their flaws and weaknesses. Sometimes, the superhero even runs away. He also asks for help. He doesn’t just blindly rely on his superpowers. The lesson here is he doesn’t always stick with the original “business plan” of going in and using his powers to win the fight.

Adaptability is what makes business work. Pivoting in crucial moments. Anticipating the future and adjusting your course accordingly make for a successful business.

So don’t believe the hype. Trust in Sir Branson. Forget your business plan. A business should be a fun sport. Yes, it can be a contact sport, but will a few bruises even matter when you know you’ll be smiling in the end?

The post Why Business Plans Don’t Work For Entrepreneurs appeared first on Hongkiat.

That’s exactly what the freelancing industry can do for you. It’s a catalyst for rapid growth. But this needs to be done carefully. Sometimes you’ll want a firm, other times you need just one freelancer. There are also parts of your business you want to keep to yourself, and parts which are best managed by freelancers.

Here’s a guide on when, where and how to use freelancers for your startup.

1. Accounting

Yes, I am starting with accounting, the dreary, taboo topic nobody in the business world really likes to write about. That’s because it doesn’t really make for great headlines or high click rates. ‘Experts’ love to hype things and talk about ‘business’ like it’s a Superbowl commercial: loud, simple and colorful.

The reality is, if you run your own business, accounting should be the most important thing for you. And no, it’s not always fun. That’s exactly why you need a freelance accountant working for you.

You don’t want a big accounting firm managing your startup. You’ll get as much attention as Shuffleboard competitions on Eurosport: really close to none (Shuffleboarding at its best. Your rivals probably wish you have long hours of “fun” with it).

So what you want is a freelance accountant, who will be on your call 24/7. As an entrepreneur, you are a jack of all trades especially accounting. Keep your hand on the pulse of the business. Ask questions. A lot. Don’t be afraid to look stupid in front of your accountant. That’s the one place you are allowed to be.

A freelance accountant will give you one-on-one time. You’ll have him or her under control. You’ll learn more. Go for local freelancers as opposed to hiring somebody you can’t meet. This is one place where freelancing sites aren’t that great. However, you can find accountants by:

• Asking other entrepreneurs
• Posting questions on accounting forums (that’s how I found mine)
• Posting a listing on job sites
• Looking for Facebook groups related to entrepreneurship and accounting
• Reading finance blogs and interacting with other visitors

2. Marketing

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM) are great tools, in the hands of the right expert. If you are a startup, go with a ‘lone wolf’, don’t hire the pack. Go for just one freelancer. If there’s any place you want to spend a little more, this is it. That’s because there are just so many phony individuals in this niche. Everybody is an SEO expert nowadays.

The truth is, experts do cost more, but don’t be fooled by the price tag. There are many dumb ‘SEO experts’ who cost a fortune. Real SEO experts get results – and results are the only thing that matters. Make sure you set goals for your expert and make sure his pay is conditioned by achieving those goals.

Don’t be fooled into hiring ‘social media experts’ or ‘market research experts’. That’s basically all hype. Do all the social media management on your own (here are some social media marketing cheatsheets to get you started) or if the volume of work is too big, through a virtual assistant. You just set the tasks, and then hire a decent, English-speaking VA.

The truth is social media isn’t hard. You just need to act like a real person. There are tons of tutorials out there on how to manage your Facebook, your Twitter, your Pinterest, and every other profile. Try to read as many of them as possible and then get to work.

3. Design

If you are developing a website to help your business or your entire company relies on an e-commerce website, you should, by all means, use a professional freelance designer. From logo creation to website design, to banners and flyers, your company’s image really makes a difference. This is the second-best place to invest your money in, after SEO and SEM (traffic is the most important thing by far).

Make sure your freelance designer knows a bit of coding. Great designers usually do. You want a design that is easy to implement, not just something which looks great. Also, it helps to know what your e-commerce site needs to have, so you know what you are getting into.

4. Coding

Now, for coding your site, that’s a totally different story. Great coders are usually very reluctant to interact with people. That’s why you want a freelance firm. More and more companies are enlisting their services on freelance websites. But if you can, work with a local company for the coding part. It will be easier to push them in the direction you’re wanting.

Another crucial reason you want a company, and not a freelance coder is the fact that you need an interface between you and the programmer. You need someone to put some pressure on the coder every now and then (and Lord knows that you won’t be able to scare him into delivering by writing in CAPS LOCK on Skype). A firm is just safer. They’re also less likely to steal your startup idea and more likely to get the job done fast.

5. Analytics

Here’s one ‘meal course’ you’ll want to handle on your own. Don’t hire anyone for this. You need to know what CPM, CPC, funnels, bounce-rates and all that other weird gibberish means. Again, there are loads of tutorials out there. Here are a few found here to get you started:

• A Guide To Goals And Funnels In Google Analytics
• Google Redeems Itself With Google Universal Analytics
• 20 Must-Know Tips & Tricks To Master Google Analytics Data
• 6 Powerful Google Analytics Features

6. Newsletters (Writing)

This is such a delicate topic. If you’re a startup relying on sales via the Internet, collecting and maintaining an e-mail list is the absolute way to grow. Creating the newsletter then becomes a high priority task. Either daily, weekly or monthly, you need to take the time and practically create a sales letter from scratch each time you send out an e-mail to your subscribers.

There are some great freelancers/entrepreneurs out there who can work for you on this one. But they charge a lot. That’s not the way to go if you’re just starting out. This is one just for you.

First thing, you need to create is the prototype of your subscriber. If you haven’t already, ask your subscriber details about his age, sex, location and keep a history of how often he visits your site or buys from you.

Important note: keep changing the appearance of the newsletter, at least monthly. Experiment and keep an eye on your clickrates and open rates. I’ve personally doubled our clickrate for 2 weeks on one e-commerce site I owned by applying text-only newsletters, written in a personal, friendly fashion.

7. Blogging

There’s absolutely no reason why your company shouldn’t own a blog. I get it, you’re busy actually doing the business, you’ve got no time to write about it. Get a freelancer!

Hire a blogger. It doesn’t matter if you’re selling flake food enriched with beta carotene for ornamental fish. You can blog about it and people will visit. Sometimes, being the big fish in a small pound equals success. You never know, the blog might become a business in and of itself.

Just write!

Read Also: Why ‘Just Write’ Is The Best Writing Advice You’ll Ever Get

8. Customer Care

Here’s one area you won’t want to work with any outside people. You’ll find cheaper local labor. And even if you don’t, it’s worth paying more to get a local person. Customer care (CC) is basically the interface between you and the customer. As such, CC creates the user’s experience. And medium to long term user experience is the most important factor in determining the success or failure of your company.

You want a local employee, whom you can supervise. A lot. Clients will create problems in places you thought didn’t even exist. Quite a bit of your input will be needed. The key to massively successful companies such as McDonald’s is the experience the user has when interacting with the company. Learn from that.

User experience is always worth investing in, even if it doesn’t yield immediate return.

Conclusion

Working with freelancers isn’t for everybody. We’re still a long way from reaching the full potential of the freelance industry. It’s still in its infancy. Some entrepreneurs prefer working with people directly, in a more hands-on fashion in an office environment. But if you’re a startup, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t leverage the opportunities this industry lays out for you.

By employing freelancers in certain key positions, your startup can have multiple departments, just like a corporation. And in the ‘virtual world’, your online presence will often times be more immaculate than that of big companies.

The post 8 Ways to Launch A Startup For Freelancers appeared first on Hongkiat.

Be inspired and have a look at some of the stories behind historic freelancers who changed the world.

Ray Kroc

Sales & Marketing Freelancer

Believe it or not, the Czech-American creator of the largest fast food restaurant chain in the world, McDonald’s Inc., was at one time just a struggling freelancer. He was a paper-cup salesman, an ambulance driver, a real-estate agent and a freelance salesman, offering multi-mixers for blending.

The mixing tool he sold was a machine capable of making 5 milkshakes at a time. It was his own product, sold only by him. He worked directly with clients and personally managed them. Ray Kroc was a sales freelancer with a knack for knowing how the future would unfold.

Image Source: mcdonalds.com/ourstory

Creativity is a highfalutin word for the work I have to do between now and Tuesday.” – Ray Kroc

Over-night success? Ray himself said it best, “I was an overnight success all right, but 30 years is a long, long night.”

You could say he was a freelancer from 15, when he joined the Red Cross as an ambulance driver, up until his 53rd birthday. He then started the Big M, after selling his multi-mixer to the McDonald’s brothers before eventually going into business with them.

Ray later bought them out and single-handedly built the brand represented by the golden arches.

Walt Disney

Photo & Design Freelancer

When Walt was 4, he was already selling his drawings to a neighbor, a retired doctor named “Doc” Sherwood. The usual subject was the doctor’s horse, Rupert. Walt Disney (D’Isigny, before the anglicization of his French ancestor’s name) was a cartoonist for the school newspaper when he was 15.

He dropped out of school at 16 to join the army, but being underaged was turned away. He chose to join the Red Cross and become an ambulance driver in post-war France.

Image Source: diytheme.com

All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.” – Walt Disney

After moving back home, he struggled to sell his drawings, political caricatures and comic strips to newspapers, magazines and movie theaters. Sadly for Disney, there weren’t a lot of ways to make money as a designer back then.

Eventually he got a job as a designer for Pesmen-Rubin Art Studio, where he met Ubbe Iwerks and started “Iwerks-Disney Commercial Artists”. The business failed. And so did the next, Laugh-O-Gram, which was meant to sell cartoons at local theaters.

Image Source: Ed Black

Walt was freelancing his drawings from this garage turned studio. Frustrated but persistent, Walt became a freelance photographer in order to scrape enough money to get to Hollywood. With the help of his brother, on his third business attempt, the Disney Brothers’ Studio was born.

Alfred Nobel

Product Design Freelancer

Alfred loved writing poetry and inventing things. His Freelancer Profile would probably say: “Always experimenting with product designs.” He is best known for creating dynamite, after years of trial and error. He became interested in nitroglycerine after meeting Ascanio Sobrero, the chemist who invented it.

Image Source: wikipedia.org

If I have a thousand ideas and only one turns out to be good, I am satisfied.” – Alfred Nobel

He went on to try and sell the substance, to be used for controlled demolitions. After failed sales attempts, he went back to the drawing board. He finally patented his invention in 1867 and started selling it immediately.

During his life, Nobel possessed three hundred and fifty-five patents in the fields of physiology, electrochemistry and biology. Some of them were used by his clients, some were under license agreements while others were sold. He was always looking for people to work with on his patents to commercialize them.

Most of his product designs remain unchanged even today, from the dynamite to the rocket propellant. The Nobel Prizes, instated after his death and funded by him, are usually awarded to freelance writers, scientists or world leaders such as the Dalai Lama.

Ernest Hemingway

Writing Freelancer

Hemingway is a Classic American Author. But this wasn’t always the case. His first freelancing experience started with him submitting different pieces to ‘The Trapeze’, his school newspaper. In 1916, he got his first published article under the pen name, Ring Lardner Jr.

At 18, he served on the Italian front as an ambulance driver, just like Ray Kroc and Walt Disney. Perhaps predestined, he would later win the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Image Source: wikipedia.org

There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” – Ernest Hemingway

During his 2 years as an ambulance driver, he experienced his first love with Agnes von Kurowsky (who later rejected him), won the Italian Silver Medal of Bravery and almost lost his legs due to several shrapnel wounds. After coming back home, he returned to freelance writing and got his articles published in the Toronto Star Weekly.

Hemmingway eventually started working as a hired foreign correspondent for the publication, after moving to Paris. Below is Hemingway’s parisian apartment from where he wrote his first book.

Image Source: eatingbender.com

In Paris, he started networking and became friends with the likes of Gertrude Stein, James Joyce, Ezra Pound and other established writers. He became a full-fledged writer, after freelancing his first book “Three Stories and Ten Poems”, which was eventually published by “Contact Publishing”.

Charles Dickens

Journalist/Writing Freelancer

Dickens is known as one of the greatest novelists who ever lived. But you couldn’t possibly envy him for his early years. With his parents and brother imprisoned when he was 12 because of unpaid debts, Charles was left to fend for himself.

He lived in the house of Elizabeth Roylance, a family friend, and later in a back-attic. He left school to work at a boot-blacking factory, in order to help with family debts. Eventually, the family got out of jail, thanks to an inheritance of £450, bequeathed by the death of Charles great-grandmother.

Image Source: Wikipedia.org

I never could have done what I have done without the habits of punctuality, order, and diligence, without the determination to concentrate myself on one subject at a time.” – Charles Dickens

His only option was to become a journalist freelancer, a job he had seen practiced by Thomas Charlton, a distant relative of the family. He reported on different legal proceedings at a society of lawyers called Doctors’ Commons. At 21, he submitted his first published story, “A Dinner at Poplar Walk” to the London periodical, Monthly Magazine.

From then on, he became a real journalist freelancer, traveling Britain, reporting parliamentary debates and freelancing his articles to the likes of the Morning Chronicle journal.

He also wrote short sketches in different periodicals, and was eventually approached by publishers Chapman and Hall to write short paragraphs for a set of engraved illustrations.

Image Source: wikipedia.org

This was Charles’ first publishing success. The resulting novel, called The Pickwick Papers, sold 40,000 units. He went on and accepted a normal job as an editor at a literary magazine. But secretly, he became a freelance writer creating Oliver Twist and four plays while working for the magazine.

The post 5 Historic Freelancers Who Changed The World, Vol. 1 appeared first on Hongkiat.

If you’re not afraid to fail in your startup, like how the greats have failed in their time, then you’ve taken the first step into entrepreneurship. The journey ahead will be long and arduous, and you will make plenty of mistakes along the way. But if this is what you are destined for, then take with you these 7 principles to aid you in your journey!

Recommended Reading: Freelancers Vs Entrepreneurs – The Jedi Edition

1. Don’t Look For Approval

Creating a business from scratch takes a monumental effort. Praise to you my friend for choosing to do this, but you must understand, not all people want you to succeed. Not even your family or friends. Not because they don’t like you. They might even love you. And exactly because of that, they want you to stay the same.

Your parents or spouse might not want you to succeed just because you’ll be gone on business more of the time, and at a subconscious level they know that will be detrimental to the relationship.

Your friends might be scared that you’ll change as a person (which will surely happen). They might think of what other people will say about themselves, considering that you all come from the same place, but yet you’ll probably end up richer than them.

Approval, schmapproval

You’re better off taking a break from friend’s opinions and family advice for the time being and focusing on your new venture. Don’t seek approval, you don’t need any. This is a crucial step, which most often is overlooked. The ability to isolate yourself from other people’s approval will determine if you’re a winner or a loser.

“People who want the most approval get the least and people who need approval the least get the most.” – Wayne Dyer

2. Leave Investments For Later

Looking for money at an early stage in your company’s life is a really, really bad idea. You’ll only get part of the money you’re looking for and you’ll end up giving away too much of your company assets or even worse, you’ll give away shares.

Shares are your company’s soul. Be gentle with it and always remember that, when and if the time for an exit comes, those shares will determine the amount you get paid. So you should only look for outside investments once you’ve proven the concept of your startup, when you already have a decent revenue with at least a 3-6 month track record.

3. Business Incubators, Angel Investors Or Venture Capital?

This one is really tough. I would always advise against partnerships too early on, as already stated. The business world is much like the animal kingdom. Usually, the small fish gets eaten by the giant shark, no matter how good the deal you’re offering. That’s just because of this early in the game, you don’t really have that much leverage in order to negotiate an advantageous deal.

If you do decide to partner with somebody, by all means, try to go for somebody in the same industry. That is, if you’re in the online space, you don’t want to partner with venture capitalists who just care about a quarter or yearly profits.

You’ll want to do business with somebody who can actually add value, who can actually spend some time with you at least once a week and who knows his stuff in your startup’s niche.

And The Answer Is…

Business incubators and local angel investors are the best way to go. You’ll have more freedom, as opposed to working with a big investment fund. The term local is key, here.

You’ll want to go looking for these people at your local university. According to Bob Tosterud, Freeman Chair for Entrepreneurial Studies at the University of South Dakota, angel investors are usually looking to invest in businesses started by bright young students. Approach the teachers, they usually either are personally involved in business endeavors, or they know somebody who is.

You might also try and find angel investors by asking:

• Your accountant
• Your lawyer
• Local chamber of commerce
• Business publications, blogs, magazines. Ring them up, they’ll be interested in talking to a businessman!
• Your bank, they have loads of contacts!
• Search for your local government agency which deals with commerce or business

If you want to read a great guide on how to find angel investors, check out this article.

4. Make Use Of A PNL Spreadsheet

So many startups forget to manage their finances correctly. A Profit ‘n’ Loss spreadsheet is a must. Don’t trust your accountant to do it for you. This is the entrepreneur’s job! Keep a really close eye to it, because every penny counts in these inception stages.

List all your expenditures. And I do mean all! Be honest with yourself, even if it’s hard seeing that you’re working 12 hours a day and your company is barely breaking even. This honesty will again make the difference between losing or winning.

Here are two links for you to download some good PNLs: Simple PNL Chart and Complex PNL Chart.

5. Share Your Vision Daily

Your early employees will probably be underpaid. As such, you’re really looking to motivate them by other means. You’ll want to inspire them, and the only way to do that effectively is with your vision. Have daily meetings in which you talk about your company goals.

Since you are a startup, these meetings will consist of 2-10 people. Look each of them in the eye whilst repeating your company’s dreams. Don’t talk about shallow things such as profits or trashing your competition. Give your company a soul. Talk about how the work they are doing will impact your clients lives, will add value to other people in ways you all can’t begin to fathom.

Read Also: How To Condition Your Mind For Higher Productivity

Talk about how great it is to be involved in something so noble. Come up with a great, simple and memorable slogan. Use if often when talking to your people and clients alike. You’ll want something similar to TNT’s “Yes we can!”. If you need ideas for a great slogan, check out this article.

6. Bond With Your Employees

"If you want to change the way people respond to you, change the way you respond to people." – Timothy Leary

Treat your employees well, especially considering they do show faith in your entrepreneurial skills, as they are working for you. Don’t be afraid to share some personal stories with them; just enough to show your human side.

Follow the two principles below:

1. Only praise them in front of their colleagues
2. Discipline/critique only in ‘one-on-one’ talks

Nobody likes to be made to look like a fool in front of other people. So don’t do that, it will only affect your personnel’s productivity. But don’t let mistakes slide, it will hinder your credibility as a manager. Make sure you get your point across strong, without his or her colleagues hearing your critique. When it comes time for praise, be generous with it, and let them all hear.

7. Specialization Is For Ants

As the great Robert A. Heinlein used to say:

“A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.”

And ants, my friend, make for lousy entrepreneurs. Owning a startup makes you a jack of all trades. You’ll be understaffed, underbudgeted, underdeveloped and looking for a massive insight or miracle constantly. You will personally need to do marketing, customer support, finance, client acquisition, billing and well, almost everything.

That’s considering you didn’t go for a massive investment (which as you probably already know by now, is a bad idea!) And doing all this work on your own is a good thing. It will teach you volumes in terms of knowing what to ask from your future employees. So don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty! You’ll be grateful that you did later on!

Adhere to these 7 key rules and you’ll be on your way to having a great business. Do you know about any other golden rules for startups to follow?

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Although different terminology was used in that distant galaxy, the most respected Darth (entrepreneur) in the Star Wars universe was once in a similar position. Examining his transformation can assist you in your journey. But first, let’s delve into how this process truly functions.

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Jedi Masters vs. Sith Lords

Let’s start by examining the differences between Jedi Masters (freelancers) and Sith Lords (entrepreneurs).

Jedi Masters

Being a freelancer is akin to being a Jedi; you undergo an apprenticeship, enhancing your skills by watching videos and tutorials, reading books, and practicing. If you’re fortunate enough to encounter a Jedi Master, you become their apprentice, and your growth accelerates exponentially.

As you grow more proficient and in-demand, you might consider hiring a virtual assistant to handle the basic, routine tasks associated with client interactions, promotions, and other miscellaneous duties – much like how Jedis utilize droids as assistants in battles.

Sith Lords

In contrast, entrepreneurship embodies the Dark Side. As an entrepreneur, you delve into the dark arts, have a higher propensity to dominate the world, and your path is likely to result in a more significant impact than that of a Jedi. You have little regard for outdated, dogmatic rules.

As articulated by Darth Bane (the inaugural Lord and consolidator of Sith Legions), the objective of a Sith Lord is to surpass and ultimately supplant his Master. This ensures perpetual evolution. Additionally, entrepreneurs acquire more toys.

Why Anakin Became Darth Vader

As the Chosen One, Anakin Skywalker was prophesied to bring balance to the Force. In many of his internal struggles, he was depicted as a Jedi with aspirations of greatness – desiring to be the most formidable Jedi ever. Such ego-driven ambition inevitably leads to the Dark Side (akin to entrepreneurship)!

If you wish to helm your own business, you’ll need that very same ego-driven ambition. It’s also imperative to venture beyond your comfort zone and welcome uncertainty. Change is challenging, but just as Anakin ventured beyond his comfort zone to embrace the Dark Side of the Force, so must you.

Reflect on this: Do you recognize a hint of Anakin within yourself?

The Truth Behind Anakin’s Decision

Siths resemble entrepreneurs in their adeptness at managing resources. Most entrepreneurs are driven by a desire to nurture and provide for their families – the inception of business is rooted in the wish to care for loved ones.

However, here’s an insight: This drive predominantly originates from your ego. Your urge to care for others stems from a desire to ensure their well-being, so they remain by your side. Catering to your needs – be they romantic, emotional, or materialistic – is fundamentally self-preservation. That’s the essence of the dark side.

In a similar vein, Anakin’s allure to the Dark Side was fueled by his yearning for the power to safeguard his wife, Padme. He sought to master an immortality spell devised by Darth Plagueis (the financier of the InterGalactic Banking Clan and a Sith Lord).

Jedi Masters vs. Sith Lords (Continued)

Is there a significant distinction between Jedi Masters and Sith Lords? While Siths may appear malevolent, can we genuinely assert that Jedis are entirely altruistic?

Have you ever considered that, at their core, Jedis, much like Siths, assist their loved ones primarily to bolster their self-worth, preserve their self-image, and ensure their loved ones remain close?

Freelancers and entrepreneurs are fundamentally alike. The distinction lies in the Siths/entrepreneurs acknowledging and reconciling with their nature. There’s a ceiling to earnings as a freelancer, limiting the extent to which you can assist all your loved ones. Recognize this, and your growth will accelerate, potentially leading you to become a Sith Lord.

And one more observation: Sith Lords… attract a larger fanbase!

Crossing Over to the Dark Side

Jedis often appear passive, primarily engaging in discourse. While their teachings may be rooted in noble intentions, they often yield limited tangible results in the real world. Jedis, akin to freelancers, are content creators. In contrast, Siths, resembling entrepreneurs, are business creators. A Sith Lord should possess a diverse skill set, spanning content creation, marketing, customer service, and recruiting adept Jedi employees.

Read Also:  7 Ways Freelancing is Similar to a Corporate Job

For you to transition to entrepreneurship, you must exhibit the resolve Anakin demonstrated when he confronted fellow Jedi Masters. This doesn’t mean resorting to violence, but rather displaying unwavering determination, cutting ties, and forging ahead without hesitation. Abandon the habit of exchanging your time for money. Instead, channel the energy of your frustrations (perhaps stemming from ambiguous clients) to ignite your passion for business.

The Sith Code (Revised for Entrepreneurship)

Rule #1: Only Jedi Masters Can Become Sith Lords

Transitioning from a novice freelancer directly to an entrepreneur may not be advisable. Ensure that you’ve attained the stature of a Jedi Master before considering the shift to the Dark Side. This entails having a substantial financial cushion, preferably sufficient to sustain you for at least four months.

Rule #2: Understand How the Force Operates

Refrain from making the transition if you harbor reservations or feel unprepared. Such hesitancy can disrupt the Force’s equilibrium. Contrary to some beliefs, the Dark Side is untainted. It demands mental alignment. Ensure you possess the capability to guide and direct your employees, understanding their roles and expectations. Otherwise, the Force may reject you.

Rule #3: Sith Lords Value Networking

Having first established yourself as a Jedi Master, leveraging the connections you’ve cultivated during your freelancing tenure becomes more straightforward. Your existing clients, many of whom are already Sith Lords, will respect and support your entrepreneurial aspirations.

If you’re introverted and not inclined to change, perhaps remaining a Jedi is more fitting. The essence of a successful Sith Lord lies in networking and leadership. Exuding an aura of influence is crucial to harnessing the Force. If you’re reserved and resistant to change, reconsider the transition.

Conclusion

Embracing the metaphor of Jedis and Siths can simplify your transformational journey. Remember, Sith Lords are the true innovators. It’s widely accepted that a Sith Lord, when pitted against a Jedi Master of comparable prowess, often emerges victorious. This is attributed to the superior strength of the Dark Force. So, young Jedi, what’s holding you back?

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