Hello there Freelancers…

In anticipation of the news of our exciting LAUNCH, we would like to ensure that you, our freelancers, are properly equipped with requisite knowledge that will support the long term profitability of your careers.  With that in mind, we would like to elucidate two crucial aspects of every successful freelancers process:

• SECURING A CONTRACT

• NEGOTIATING YOUR RATES 

The contract phase

As budding or even experienced freelancers, a mistake we often make is skipping the contract phase.

One of the rights referred to in our previous article is the right to a suitable contract. It is not recommended that you start work without executing a contract and/or securing an advance payment. There are plenty of people who are owed money... Obviously this trap affects some freelance

Working without a contract is one of, if not the biggest stumbling block for freelancers. The lack of a crystal clear agreement can leave room for misunderstandings, conflicts, delays in payment, no payment and other headaches.  During the contract negotiation phase, consider the following recommendations:

• Be professional and polite 

• Clarify all project fees, terms and schedules in writing 

• Ensure that you understand all of the expectations included therein

• Do not be afraid to ask questions

A solid contract should clearly describe the scope of work and should be referenced if/when a misunderstanding related to additional tasks without additional compensation presents itself.  The executed contract can support a conversation that begins with “this isn’t consistent with our original agreement” followed by an ask for a fee that would be appropriate for the additional work.

Setting your rates too low

Another frequent mistake that new freelancers make is to undervalue their services. This creates the impression that the freelancer is either lacking confidence in his/her capabilities (therefore the quality will probably be poor), is brand new to the industry and doesn’t know what to charge, or has zero business skills — all of which are a no-go for most serious outsourcers. In order to garner respect and exude professionalism, do your research and set appropriate rates.  With this approach, more often than not, employers will respect your terms and you will be best positioned to win the business.

BETA LAUNCH 

Product Changelog

Open Beta Functionality

• Open sign-ups for both companies and freelancers (meaning anyone can sign up now)

• Freelancers can create profiles

• Freelancers can join the Discord Community after the onboarding process

• Companies can post job listings

Coming Soon

• New onboarding experience for freelancers

• “Find jobs” page where freelancers can find jobs

• “Proposals” page where freelancers can send a proposal to companies

With more to come! We will keep you updated…

Our Metrics

This week, we have surpassed the 2000 member mark in our Discord Community!

We are seeing more Engagements on our Twitter Channel. Be sure to turn on your notifications and don’t miss the fun.

Discord community: 2,038 | Join our Discord Channel here

Twitter Followers: 190 followers | Follow us on Twitter here

Instagram Followers: 1683 | Follow us on Instagram here

Total Number of Beta Freelancers: 377 | Create your profile here

Total Number of Beta Companies: 7 | Create a company profile here

Are you Interested in becoming a moderator on our discord?

We are inviting volunteers to join us as moderators within our growing Discord community. Please email thelma@blackfreelancer.com to learn more!

Would you like to support us? You can do so by sharing BlackFreelancer with your network on Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram (links above). You can also go to https://www.blackfreelancer.com/merch to purchase merchandise, take selfies and tag us!

NEARCON

The 2022 NEARCON Conference is just 2 weeks away!

Blackfreelancer is partnering with NEARCON in giving out a limited number of tickets for those who would like to attend the event.

Tell us why you want to be at the NEARCON event this year here and stand a chance to win a free ticket!