This morning I was getting started on the day, fired up Twitter and immediately saw that Chris Brogan had a new post. One that hits home to an issue I’ve been having as a consultant or freelance professional. The post is a great resource for those starting out freelancing, or re-launching their personal brand.
The biggest thing I took away from his post was the importance of blogging. That is the piece that I’ve struggled with for several months. Most of the other parts, I’ve been working on for some time. But the most important part is blogging.
Without sharing your ideas, or expertise, or passion on a topic, people can’t gauge how interested or engaged you are in your profession. When you write about your profession or interest, you are sharing your knowledge – your expertise on the subject and providing content that attracts the attention of others.
That is the point I wanted to reinforce in Chris’ post earlier today. While all the points are very important, providing the content and networking with peers are the top two things that you can do to help show who you are and why potential clients should choose you over another freelancer.
Up here in Minnesota, we quite often get some good winter storms. Because of these, travel can become quite difficult. Not just because of the snow & slush that accumulates on the roadways, but because of the population growth of the Twin Cities as well.
I’ve long driven in from the fringe suburbs, or more rural areas to work in the "cities" (as we call the combination of Minneapolis & St. Paul). This is the first year that I’ve gotten truly frustrated with the traffic experience tough. So lately I’ve been working from home, or even more enjoyable, from conveniently located coffee shops in many locations.
The ability to work from these remote locations constantly amazes me – even though I work in technology, specifically in regards to making these options available to the general worker. The flexibility afforded the worker that has no real ties to a physical location is what makes it a powerful tool for them when the occasion warrants.
The real "trick" for remote access solutions to work for a business is for the business to really believe that their people can work outside the office. This can be very hard for many businesses with a "traditional" point of view on working. Many believe that if they can see their people at their desks "working" then that person is probably wasting time, or otherwise being unproductive.
While this can be true, its the flexibility and freedom that helps motivate and empower the individual worker that makes working remotely a benefit to an organization rather than a risk. When managers and supervisors believe in their team members, and allow them to structure their own day according to their natural work rhythms real productivity will become quite obvious.
So here I sit at a global coffee chain writing about working remotely – using the tools and technology that makes it possible. Once again, just amazed, and enjoying it.
@MAC_Arms Pay taxes when you make your money, pay taxes when you spend your money, pay taxes when you successfully invest your money, pay taxes when you save enough taxed money to afford a house, pay taxes to live in your house, pay taxes when you sell the house that you paid taxes on to
Yup, taxes are criminal and we need serious reforms. I've always said that if you want to see a tax revolt, make withholdings illegal and have Americans write a tax check every payday. They'll revolt for sure. You don't miss what you never had.
Sen. @berniemoreno says voter ID and proof of citizenship are simply common sense.
“We’re talking about a very low threshold — identify who you are and prove you’re a U.S. citizen when you register to vote. I think we’re getting closer to
