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Top 6 Reasons You Shouldn’t Wait to Start Using a Freelance Marketplace

Posted on September 12, 2014December 23, 2017 by Pam

Top 6 Reasons You Shouldn’t Wait to Start Using a Freelance Marketplace

What better reason could there be for why you shouldn’t wait to start using a freelance marketplace except that Upwork has just recently published a press release on the 20 fastest-growing skills for freelancers in Q3 2017.

Think about this: More than one in three workers – reportedly 53 million Americans are now freelancers. That means that regardless of whether you are a Small- to Medium-sized Business (SMB) or a Fortune 500 corporation, you have ready access to independent contractors with a shipload of skills and talent who are looking for freelance jobs online.

There are many reasons that companies are beginning to look at the benefits of using a freelance marketplace for outsourcing needs. Let’s look at the top 6 reasons:

Save money

Using freelance marketplaces is a way for companies to save on expenses like wages, overtime, benefits, space and more.

Hire teams quickly

When hiring teams or individuals from a freelance marketplace, you have wide diversity in the number of freelance profiles, portfolios and feedback that you can review to ensure you are making a wise choice.

The number of categories and sub-categories from which you can choose freelancers from are wide and varied. There are categories like IT, Web, Mobile, Design & Multimedia, Office & Administrative, Project Management and many more.

Enjoy flexibility with scaling up or down

SMBs and Fortune 500s can now enjoy the flexibility of adding or lessening the amount of people needed to work on projects or jobs as dictated by client and customer demand. Look at your major holidays where you will need extra manpower (especially Thanksgiving, Christmas and marketing campaigns). Add and subtract independent contractors easily and quickly – even right now!

Hire the right person for the right job

Using the freelance marketplaces allow companies to get the right talent – globally. Sometimes it’s possible that a company may need a talent or skill that is difficult to find within the local market or geographical region. With the large numbers of skilled workers in the marketplace, companies are much more apt to find just who they need for the job.

Get projects completed on time and efficiently

Managers can decide on when they want a project completed. They can set up the project with one deadline date or multiple milestone dates. They can also require status reports to be kept abreast of the freelancer’s progress. In addition, the major freelance marketplaces usually provide robust reporting for review.

Have flexible payment methods

Freelance marketplaces do their best to provide the employer (or buyer) a safe platform during hiring, working and paying. Some of them like Upwork or Guru take this one extra step by providing an escrow system. This helps ensure that the employer only pays for work done that has been received – and approved. In addition, many places have timers that ensures the employer only pays for time worked.

So act now. Don’t wait any longer to start using a freelance marketplace to complement your existing staff. You won’t regret it.
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Pam Lokker is a skillful writer and proficient virtual assistant. Borlok Virtual Assistants is the place to get global expert Virtual Assistant services with quality and on-time delivery.

Revised 12/23/2017

What Are Five Key Things a Company Should Look For When Hiring a Freelancer Writer

Posted on February 23, 2014June 30, 2015 by Pam

What Are Five Key Things a Company Should Look For When Hiring a Freelancer Writer

If the time has come for your small business to outsource, there are five key things a company should look for when hiring a freelance writer. First of all, let me explain what a freelancer is.

According to Wikipedia, “A freelancer, freelance worker, or freelance is a person who is self-employed and is not committed to a particular employer long-term.” Another term that is sometimes used interchangeably with freelancer is independent contractor. You can usually find good freelancers through freelance marketplaces like elance.com or odesk.com, as well as other places.

The freelance industry has changed a lot in the past few years. The types of jobs have become much more versatile with independent contractors being accomplished web developers, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) experts, freelance writers, software developers, administrative support personnel, and many more. Just recently I discovered this statement in Forbes, “The freelance economy is the future of work. At least, that’s how the labor market sees it. An estimated one in three Americans—or 42 million people—is a freelancer.” (2/11/2014, Why the New Freelance Economy is Great For Your Small Business”)

That means there are a lot of skilled workers out there, but you do need to be careful to do your research. So let’s take a look at those five key things I mentioned earlier that will increase your chances of finding a freelancer that you will be happy with.

Experience as a freelancer – I highly recommend that in your search for a person that will work with your company as a new hire, that you establish in your interview just how long they have been an independent contractor. Especially on the freelance marketplaces, there are loads of individuals claiming to be a freelancer but they are brand new at it. No, I’m not saying that you can’t hire a newbie freelance writer, but I am saying that you will have greater success with someone that has been a freelancer for a while.
Experience in his or her field – An experienced writer that has been freelancing for a given amount of time will have knowledge that newbies won’t have – knowledge, for example, for the best way to research on the Internet, what the best sites are to use for reports, and more. Just as in a full time or part-time job, how much history does the writer have to support that experience? Have they been writing for their own or other business owners’ websites or blogs? Does the individual have samples that can be shown to you?
Skill proficiency – Before going to the interview with the freelance writer or copy editor, you should have a good idea of the types of skills the potential new hire will need to fulfill the job requirements. Has there been any effort to continue education in the writing field? Does the writer have any certifications?
Is the individual dependable? – This one might be a little difficult to gauge, but you can do it. Here are a couple of ideas. Does the individual have references on company letterhead? If through a freelance marketplace, has the freelance writer received positive feedback, negative feedback or no feedback at all? Does the feedback show that an individual provides excellent service and on-time delivery?
Does the freelance writer charge reasonable rates? – Well, first of all, do you know what reasonable is? Are the rates charged hourly, per piece or bundled at a fixed price. Once you uncover that information, you can then do your homework and find out what the going rates are for your location. How is the quality of the content? If the content is first-rate, then the individual may charge a little more. But, you’re not going to want to pay an unreasonable rate if the content is full of spelling, grammar or punctuation errors.

This list of five key things that a company should look for when hiring a freelance writer is by no means a complete list. There are other things to consider such as is the individual a team player, is he or she an excellent communicator, does the individual provide excellent customer service (Yes this is important; after all, you are their customer). But if you keep the above in mind, you should be well on your way to getting a great freelance writer.

About the author: Pam Lokker is a skillful writer and proficient virtual assistant. Borlok Virtual Assistants is the place to get global expert Virtual Assistant services with quality and on-time delivery.

You Can Find Good Paying Jobs on Freelance Marketplaces

Posted on November 25, 2012June 13, 2015 by Pam

Jobs are a dime a dozen on freelance marketplaces, but you can find good paying jobs. What can you do to increase your chances for ensuring that the job invitation you receive is legitimate?

Believe it or not, when my partner and I started freelancing in 2006, even though we were new, we did get buyers (or clients) inviting us for an interview. For just starting out, I would say we didn’t do too bad. Our specialty at that time was transcription. Through our persistence, we were actually able to find good paying jobs. That’s not to say the road was not a little bumpy, but the clients posting the jobs at that time had a good grasp of what someone should be paid.

Find Good Paying Jobs

Over the years we’ve slowly seen job offerings from a wide selection of countries globally. Your highest concentration of jobs being offered are from India, Pakistan, the Philippines, U.S., Canada, and the UK. Along with that concentration came the gradual disintegration of fair pay for an honest day’s work. For people in the U.S. and Canada, it’s common to see buyers posting jobs and demanding that independent contractors bid low, and I mean, VERY LOW.

Don’t misunderstand me. There are still jobs in the freelance marketplaces that will pay you a decent pay — but you’ve got to be on your toes, do your homework, and protect yourself from unscrupulous employers. Here are some lessons we have learned over the years that have increased our chances for bringing in good pay.

• If the job posting sounds just too good, it probably IS too good. This is where you really need to do your homework. Do they list their company name or any name at all, or can you glean any information from the search engines and/or places like the Better Business Bureau? Do they have any history in the freelance marketplace
• Depending on the freelance marketplace site you use, fixed rate jobs can spell trouble with a capital T — unless you have the option to request escrow.
• If you see a job posting and you declined it for one reason or another and it keeps getting posted, if you didn’t like it the first time, the chances are you won’t like it the third time around. 🙂
• Your gut instinct is the best judge of what you should or shouldn’t bid for. Pay attention!

Finding good-paying jobs on freelance marketplaces is difficult but possible. Have patience and perseverance — and above all, have a positive attitude. Good Luck!

SMB Change Management – Why You Should Embrace It

Posted on March 7, 2012November 17, 2022 by Pam

Small Businesses have so much going for them, and I applaud every single one of you for being entrepreneurial in spirit. You have taken the first step to fulfil your hopes, dreams, and goals. But, what would you do if you were suddenly confronted with change? SMB change management is not for the faint of heart. Would you embrace change or run from it? Continue reading “SMB Change Management – Why You Should Embrace It”

Cloud-based Project Management with Trello Increases in Popularity with Virtual Assistants

Posted on February 17, 2012April 9, 2015 by Pam

As more and more virtual assistants look to save money while increasing communication and collaboration with fellow team members and clients in order to provide on-time delivery, they look to the Web for a cloud-based project management tool that is cost-effective and versatile.

One virtual assistant collaboration solution that Borlok Virtual Assistants has recently been introduced to is Trello. Trello is a cloud-based project management tool that virtual assistants can use to organize their projects with clients. So let’s take a look at some of the benefits of Trello.

Cost effective

As we as virtual assistants need to be concerned with our expenses and watch every dollar that goes out of our business, Trello is cost effective. As a matter of fact, you don’t need to pay anything to enjoy the versatility of this powerful virtual assistant collaboration solution.

Increases organization

I can’t tell you how many times since I’ve been a virtual assistant that I’ve had to learn how to become better organized. Take it from someone who came from a not-so-organized background, this was not an easy thing to do.

Trello tells you in an instant what’s on your plate, what stage of the process it’s in and who is working on it. It can be effective even if you are a solo virtual assistance business.

User-friendly

Once you log into Trello, you start out with your board which is simply a collection of lists. Depending on how many clients you have, you can have multiple boards – one for each client. Your cards are the individual tasks that you need to do for that client in order to complete the project. Add an attachment, embed video, add a member to the card, specify a deadline and make checklists.

Real Time Updates

Trello is entirely cloud-based. Log in to your account from any computer. All team members can see instant updates in real time and you don’t even have to refresh your screen.

Customize your board to fit any workflow

The more I use Trello, the more impressed I am with this cloud collaboration tool for virtual assistants. In addition to increasing productivity within my firm, I can ensure that communication takes place among all members of the board. Everyone who is assigned to a card can instantly be notified of any changes taking place and provide input. Just look at some of the different possibilities to manage daily workflow:

• Event planning
• Personal task lists
• Software Development
• Publishing
• Recruiting
• Sales
• Freelance and Consulting
• Customer Support
• And much more

Cloud-based project management with Trello increases in popularity with virtual assistants – and with good reason. It combines all the tools needed to manage your projects effectively and provide global expert services. However, I would be amiss in this review if I did not bring up some of the disadvantages of using such a collaboration tool as this. While I’ll admit that I’m a staunch Basecamp advocate and awfully new at using Trello, I’m glad to say that I haven’t found any flaws yet with Trello. For the time being, I am thrilled to have found such a useful cloud-based project management tool that can make a virtual assistant’s daily workload a lot easier to manage.

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Pam Lokker is a master writer and proficient virtual assistant. Borlok Virtual Assistants is the place to get global expert VA services with quality and on-time delivery.

Revised 4/9/2015

Is Your Small Business Trustworthy

Posted on December 19, 2011March 13, 2025 by Pam

I’ve been thinking the last few days about what attribute I would like my business to be known for. What do people think of our small business? Are we a trustworthy business? What does it mean, and take, to be trustworthy?

Trustworthy has a lot of synonyms that mean similar things; but first, let’s look at the definition of trustworthy. According to the Encarta Dictionary: English (North America) that is included in Word 2007, “trustworthy means reliable, deserving trust or able to be trusted.” Some synonyms are dependable, reliable, responsible, truthful, honest, constant and honorable.

As I work with colleagues in the industry I’m in, it concerns me when I see trust eroding between businesses and consumers.

PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) has conducted four Trust Surveys. In their latest trust survey, there were some alarming statistics. The result of their findings is that there is a significant disconnect between business perceptions and consumer reality. For example, one finding demonstrates that the trust gap is growing:

“Consider that 90% of business executives think customers highly trust their companies while only 30% of consumers actually do.”

I would like to think that Borlok Virtual Assistants (Borlok VA) is a model for other aspiring virtual assistants – whether or not they are just starting out or have been in business for many years. In order to build trust and strengthen a reputation, I need to demonstrate certain characteristics and traits that would show that my business and its subsidiaries are dependable.

As a company that works in the highly competitive online freelance industry, my goal is that our friends, clients, staff and colleagues view us as being fair and dependable, that we have a good track record and that we’re knowledgeable. But, along with those qualities are the unwritten connotations that we are profitable, up to date in trends, skilled and credible.

Ways to Become Trustworthy

So what are some ways that you can ensure your small business is trustworthy? Let’s take a look:

Be honest all the time with yourself and with others – Be sincere and truthful in your dealings with vendors, colleagues and clients and friends. Go above and beyond to foster that precious relationship that you can have with your customers — and everyone else.
Be consistent – To me, this means that our clients should be treated the same; and in our case, that means to provide global expert services with quality and on-time delivery. In addition, provide excellent customer service to ensure you don’t have issues with client retention.
Deliver on your promise – if you say you are going to meet a specific deadline, meet it; but better yet, exceed it.
Say what you mean and mean what you say; then follow through by walking the talk – there’s no room here for being wishy, washy, is there?
Have an open door policy – no one should be afraid to speak with you. Foster collaboration.
Honor your contracts – if you have a non-compete clause in your contract, make sure you honor it. The same would go for a non-disclosure agreement and all other aspects of that contract.

Becoming trustworthy doesn’t happen overnight. It takes working at it 365 days a year. The benefits of being trustworthy mean you get – and keep – more clients and build a solid reputation. So, is your small business trustworthy?
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Pam Lokker is a master writer and proficient virtual assistant. Borlok Virtual Assistants is the place to get global expert VA services with quality and on-time delivery.

Updated 1/21/2025

Steve Jobs Left the World Reeling In Shock

Posted on October 5, 2011March 1, 2022 by Pam

Revised 6/2/2017

Steven Paul Jobs, the computer tycoon of the computer industry is no longer with us, but his memory will last forever in the hearts and minds of Mac users, iPhone users, iPad users, and much more.

Steve Jobs was both a computer inventor and entrepreneur. Born in 1955 in San Francisco, California, his driving purpose was to develop products that were both functional and elegant; and he did just that which earned him the respect and honor of computer users everywhere.

It was devastating for the world to hear that Steve announced that he was resigning as CEO of Apple due to not being able to carry out his normal duties due to the ravages of pancreatic cancer. He also announced at that same time that he would remain as chairman of the board.

October 5, 2011, will long be remembered as a sad day. The family announced that Steve Jobs passed away peacefully in his sleep. As you go to Wikipedia today, you will be met with a black and white picture of Steve showing off the iPhone 4 at the 2010 Worldwide Developers Conference. In addition, you get a full biography of this truly amazing entrepreneur, businessman, inventor, and industrial designer.

As you read Bill Gates’ statement on The Gates Notes, you come to realize how much Steve Jobs meant to fans, colleagues, competitors, and just anyone he came into contact with. “The world rarely sees someone who has had the profound impact Steve has had, the effects of which will be felt for many generations to come. “For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him, it’s been an insanely great honor. I will miss Steve immensely.” – Bill Gates

We couldn’t agree more Mr. Gates. His effects will carry on for many, many years. We are very honored to have been graced with the incredible knowledge that he possessed. We are also very lucky to have been the recipients of the wonderful technological gadgets that he passed our way.

Rest peacefully, Steve Jobs; and thank you.
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Pam Lokker is a master writer and a virtual assistant professional who enjoys writing. While we are not currently taking on new clients, Borlok Virtual Assistants, LLC has been the place to get global expert VA services with quality and on-time delivery for many years.

Strip out Overused Consultant-speak Speech in Content

Posted on June 12, 2011June 16, 2023 by Pam

Why is it that when we see a word or phrase that we really like that we grab it and use them forever? Do you ever stop to think about the words you are using in content? Are they overused and full of consultant-speak speech? Well, let’s check out some words or phrases to consider stripping out of your content.

Strip Out Overused Superlatives

What the heck are superlatives? I don’t use them. Are you sure? Do you really know what a superlative is? Let’s check out Dictionary.com for some help.

1. of the highest kind, quality, or order; surpassing all else or others; supreme; extreme: superlative wisdom.
2. Grammar . of, pertaining to, or noting the highest degree of the comparison of adjectives and adverbs, as smallest, best, and most carefully, the superlative forms of small, good, and carefully.
3. being more than is proper or normal; exaggerated in language or style.

Let me give you five examples from random sites that I looked at:

• the biggest benefit
• the best managed
• need us the most
• the most notable
• the least promising

You can use these words – occasionally – but try not overdo it, okay?

Strip Out Overused Buzzwords

Buzzwords are overused a lot in content, even to the point of distraction. Buzzwords are usually trendy words that are specific to a certain group. For example, in the Information Technology (IT) industry, common buzzwords are SBS, MSP, VAR. In the Virtual Assistant (VA) world, one might speak of EA or VA or PA. Be careful that what you are talking about can be understood by the person it is intended for. Spell it out as I have done with IT or VA or leave it out.

Other types of buzzwords that are just used too much are popular words specific to a particular industry. Have any of these examples cropped up in your content writing?

• Thinking outside the box
• value-added
• alignment
• win-win

If you tend to use the words above, you would be better served to use alternative words in your content or leave them out altogether.

Strip Out Pronoun Overabundance

There are better ways to write proposals than using an overabundance of ‘I’, ‘you’ and the rest of the pronouns. In my opinion, it doesn’t show any creativity and is extremely boring. Quit it!

You want people to read your content, right? Well then, now is the time to strip out overused consultant-speak speech in that content. Get rid of overused superlatives and buzzwords and leave the pronouns back in your office

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Pam Lokker is a skillful writer and proficient virtual assistant. Borlok Virtual Assistants is the place to get global expert VA services with quality and on-time delivery.

Client Retention Is Critical For Small to Medium-Sized Businesses

Posted on June 5, 2011April 10, 2015 by Pam

Nowadays, client retention is critical to the well-being of Small to Medium-sized Businesses (SMBs). It’s not always easy to work with those clients that ask for the moon but give you impossible demands that eat up your time and money. So what can you do with those cantankerous clients, especially if they get ticked off at you? Let’s take a look:

Client Retention Is Critical

Give careful thought on whether to keep them or set them free.

Sometimes, it’s hard to tell which customers are the best. We know right from the get-go that we’re going to have trouble with a particular client. You just get this tightening in your belly as they speak with you during your free consultation that maybe they could be trouble. For goodness sake, pay attention to your intuition. Most of the time, your intuition won’t lead you astray.

If those cantankerous so-and-sos get too ornery, it’s going to take you bucking up and deciding whether they’re just too much trouble to make it worthwhile to continue the relationship with them. It’s okay – if your decision is to let them go, go ahead. Just make sure you weigh all the risks.

Set their expectations early.

Unfortunately, we’ve only had to learn this through hard knocks through the years. Set realistic expectations for them and get their expectations of what they want from you. Doing so will hopefully keep you from wanting to kick yourself in the butt because you neglected to do that.

Don’t burn your bridges.

If you decide to let a client go, or even if they decide to leave your services, make sure that it is in an equitable way. Burned bridges can cause unnecessary stress and hard-feelings that could develop into something more serious like bad-mouthing of you on the social media networks or even lead to lawsuits.

Stroke the feathers of the good clients and keep them happy.

Client retention is critical to the success of your business. Make sure that your client relationship management is above reproach. A happy client can be a long-term client.

To many times, SMBs will stroke the wrong feathers. What I mean is that they will bend over backwards for the brand new client while they let their old clients fall by the wayside. Folks, that’s just plain silly — your older clients are your bread and butter; they have been tried, tested and proved to be reliable. Now why in the world would you want to go mess that up?
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Pam Lokker is a skillful writer and proficient virtual assistant. Borlok Virtual Assistants is the place to get global expert VA services with quality and on-time delivery.

Virtual Assistants Need To Get Smart With Article Distribution

Posted on April 24, 2011June 16, 2023 by Pam

Do you realize that first quarter is gone? Did you achieve your goals for article writing? If not, it’s time to get smart with article distribution. How do we do that, though? Let’s take a look.

First of all, it’s a good idea to implement an overall action plan for your writing. Write down your goals for 2nd quarter, if you haven’t already done so. You don’t want to lose any more time than you already have. Then get busy writing.

Once a virtual assistant has the articles written, what is the best way to distribute them far and wide on the Internet. My recommendation would be to use a proven model for your article distribution. This model should be comprehensive, as well as being easy to use.

DYA has developed a model that incorporates all the finer points of ensuring that virtual assistants get smart with article distribution. Below I’m going to break it down for you.

To Spin or Not To Spin

Now before you bring up that I said before that spinning was not a good thing to do, I’ve since found out that spinning can actually have its uses — if you do it the right way.

Preparation Tools

There are many things we should do to make sure we not only get smart with article distribution, but also stay smart. One way we can do that is by careful preparation.

Distribution and Reporting

What wouldn’t we all give to have our articles show up as a feature article on well-known sites. Don’t think it’s possible? I can attest that it is possible. This happens with continuity in bite-size morsels – a little bit at a time.

Good article distribution can drive traffic to your website or blog site. Now more than ever, virtual assistants need to get smart with article distribution and implement a well-thought-out plan of action to get the best results. This process within this article is just one way. Whatever method you use, you need to start now. What are you waiting for?

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Pam Lokker is a skillful writer and proficient virtual assistant. She is co-owner of Borlok Virtual Assistants, the place to get global expert VA services with quality and on-time delivery.

Updated 6/16/2023

Master SEO with These Top Research Sources for Content Writers

Posted on April 17, 2011October 30, 2024 by Pam

Mastering SEO is no easy task. Content writers must use top research sources to create high-quality content.

Before sitting down to write, a content writer typically needs to explore various sources, digging through reliable information to present content that informs and engages. But where do we start? How do we ensure that our research is both thorough and credible? Continue reading “Master SEO with These Top Research Sources for Content Writers”