Dear readers,

In this issue of freelancer.international news, we will publish our recent study on top-earning international freelancer jobs.

Following that, we will answer an important financial query - are freelancers who are registered at freelancer.international likely to lose money if they do not get any introductions? Additionally, our guest writer will share some tips on what small businesses should keep in mind so they are not wasting their money on marketing.

In our freelancer article, a freelancer explains how to avoid mistakes when choosing software products and the freelancer joke at the end is about a frustrated project manager who needs to tell his client about an unfortunate failed project.

Despite the ongoing Corona crisis, I wish you a lot of fun reading and of course, as always, success in business!

Rainer Kurz

One of the few positive things that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to the professional environment is the implementation of flexibility in the workplace. The pandemic forced companies, small and large, to adopt remote-working. At the same time, It has also allowed new freelance jobs to emerge. As a result, there was a 22 per cent increase in freelance earnings in 2020 compared to that of 2019, according to CNBC. Inspired by this significant increase, the freelancer.international team has researched the latest reports to find out the most popular and profitable categories for 2021.

Our latest research involved a detailed analysis of our full freelancer database. According to the analysis, thirteen categories have been identified as the key areas where businesses are looking for the most freelancers.

In short - no. On average, freelancers receive six introductions per year, whereby the frequency depends on the individual freelancer profile. In the profiles of the individual freelancers, you can see directly how often they have been introduced.

Even if freelancers are never introduced to a client, they do not run any financial risk by registering. This is because freelancer.international does not charge monthly fees, but only fixed fees per introduction.

From Bert Logan

Small businesses waste an enormous amount of money on marketing. People have to make mistakes to learn and more often than not, small business owners are not qualified in the same way as most larger corporation owners. We are here to help, these are our five ways small businesses waste money on marketing.

Target advertising
Using targeted advertising can be an excellent way to make money. However, this method is best used once you are a more established business with a good following on social media and a constant stream of content passing through your site. If you do not have these two things, the algorithms can be detrimental and not target many people at all when you send out the adverts.

It is also key that you do not shoot yourself in the foot when using targeted ads and over target them. If you select too many options you can end up limiting your customer base, so the adverts only go out to a select few people. Make sure you double-check the search area. One major mistake that small businesses make is selecting only their local area to target with a limited age range and one gender. With these three things together, the reach will be so small that you might as well have not advertised at all.

Giving up too early
Many small businesses expect to get everything given to them straight away, make 100 sales in their first week and have customers clamouring to buy from them. In reality, this is almost always not the case. A business and a customer base take time to build. Owners of small businesses need to be aware of this and not get complacent as they might lose not just a bit of money but the whole potential of their business.

Paying for expensive branding
Why should you pay for branding that you can get for free? There are so many great design apps, tools and options out there. Nowadays, a small business does not have to spend any money on branding other than to get assets printed out. Do all your designs yourself. You don´t have to be Caravaggio either, most of the free-to-use tools are designed to be simple to use for everyone. Online logo creators can be an excellent way of getting started. Using these you can design and create as many different logos as you want for free. You can get customers involved in choosing and designing your logo and you can always revise the design later.

Not knowing how to track
Small businesses usually – always, do not bother tracking their progression right away. This is a big mistake and can cause you to lose a lot of money. There are many apps you can use to track your business. You should track sales, marketing and advertising. Look at what is doing well in your business and what is not. Track your customers and see who is buying your products and interacting with you on social media. Keep eye on your emails, estimates and invoices. You want to be omniscient and see into every little corner of your business, track its progression and make sure it is working for you.

Not knowing when to change
Many small businesses do not see the bumps in the road before they hit them. This is something you learn over time and through trial and error. However, if you track your business, you will start to see things more clearly. Do some research on other businesses too, or if you have friends who have been running one for longer than you, take them for a few coffees and have a chat about the mistakes they made along the way. See whether you can help each other out with things and always remember that if you organically collaborate, you will find you get much further in life.

Remember that you are the superhero to your own destiny, make life easy on yourself, and plan ahead before you dive in. You will find that you can save thousands in the long run.

Registered service providers can present themselves with a short article in the freelancer.international news. In this issue, we present you with a freelancer who is an expert in information technology strategy.
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According to a recent study, more than half of all IT projects fail. The reasons for this are manifold. As an expert for ERP/PPS systems, I, therefore, accompany and support small and medium-sized enterprises in business process optimisation, neutral IT-supported selection and introduction of comprehensive information systems as well as the integration of IT security internally and externally.

My particular advantage, apart from my extensive experience, is the IT-supported approach. The use of neutral questionnaires guarantees absolute neutrality. The database, developed and maintained by independent experts, includes over 600 providers with over 500 software solutions.

Using a 6-step method, I find the most suitable system for my client’s requirements at the lowest possible cost. Due to my experience and approach, the typical errors that normally occur in such a selection process are eliminated.
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The client is concerned about the level of investment required for the planned transformation project and asks his management consultant, 'What could we achieve with less than the investment you calculated?'

The consultant responds, 'The project would not achieve any of the goals, the people involved would be frustrated, the employees would join the competition and the industry would laugh at us. Moreover, previous investments would be completely lost!'.

The client: 'And when could you possibly start the project?' says the client.

To which the consultant replies, 'I think we already started!'