#FreelanceFriday: And the word of 2018 is toxic

Nov302018 by MeneeshaNo Comments

#FreelanceFriday: And the word of 2018 is toxic

#FreelanceFriday: And the word for 2018 is ‘toxic’ “The Oxford Word of the Year is a word or expression that is judged to reflect the ethos, mood, or preoccupations of the passing year”. This year that word is TOXIC. “Toxic” has many strings – toxic waste, toxic poisoning and the like. And events around these issues have facilitated the word’s rise to the top of the most-used pile. (more…)

Nov22018 by MeneeshaNo Comments

#FreelanceFriday: firing a client

Freelance

#FreelanceFriday: firing a client As a freelancer, you quickly learn that it’s important to have as many clients as possible. More clients mean a healthier bank balance every month. We never really think about firing clients … until one (or two) come along and we know we would be happier not having them around. Whether the client pays late or is difficult, or you simply do not have the capacity to fulfil the brief – the time will arrive that you and your client may need to part ways. How do you do this? Do you simply walk away and not look back? Do you opt for diplomacy and tact? Or do you leave the door open for the future? [caption id="attachment_2733" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Ending a relationship with a client…

Oct192018 by MeneeshaNo Comments

#FreelanceFriday: valuable tips that helped me negotiate the entrepreneurial journey

Freelance

#FreelanceFriday: tips for the journey to success There’s no manual on how to be a freelancer. And as the gig economy evolves at a phenomenal pace we often find ourselves wishing someone could sit us down and explain exactly how we can keep up with the trends. We all need a bit of advice and useful tips. As the term itself suggests, freelancing is a pretty fluid concept. Many of us combine skills, we often upskill and even venture into completely new territory as we negotiate our paths. (more…)

Oct52018 by MeneeshaNo Comments

#FreelanceFriday: the hustle is real

Freelance

#FreelanceFriday: the hustle is real I began blogging some years before I became a freelance content creator. It was the ideal platform for me to work at my own pace while I held down a full-time job. It was also a great space to build content that was my own. My goal was to hone my skills as a writer, direct traffic to my site and get people engaging with the content I was creating. The bottom line was I was passionate about writing and I just wanted a space in which I could voice my opinion. Blogging was a purely cathartic experience. At the time, I had no intention of monetising my blog. (more…)

Sep282018 by MeneeshaNo Comments

#FreelanceFriday: Dear freelancer. I see you, I salute you

Freelance

#FreelanceFriday: Dear freelancer. I see you, I salute you Rates and fair pay are hands down the most talked about issue amongst independent consultants. It became evident to me when, as chair of a freelancing organisation, the questions that we fielded most often was around our rates survey and report. And as our economy hits uncertain times, many of us in the gig economy are the first to feel the burn. As I await news of another massive fuel hike and as everyone tightens their belts around me, I find myself grappling with the question of how I position myself so I too can survive. (more…)

Sep212018 by Meneesha1 Comment

#FreelanceFriday: ruminating on my choices

Freelance, Lifestyle

#FreelanceFriday: ruminating on my choices We make choices every day of our lives. And they begin the minute we open our eyes to the world we have been born into. Making a choice is a simple act. It’s something we don’t often think about – it happens as easily as brushing our teeth in the mornings. Yet choice impacts on our lives in every way. (more…)

Sep182018 by Meneesha1 Comment

Misogyny in the workplace is alive and well

Freelance, Lifestyle

Last week I wrote a blog about my friend Anxiety and how we met. I’ve pinpointed an incident that took place almost a decade ago as the root cause of my trauma. And while I have dealt as best I can with that incident, Anxiety and I remain good friends. She drops in every now and then. It’s inconvenient, but some guests just don't understand “no”. After many years of therapy, I’ve come to realise that while the initial stress point was being held up in the sanctity of my own home, a secondary and more insidious stressor was the reaction of my manager at the time. (more…)

Sep142018 by Meneesha1 Comment

#FreelanceFriday: Let’s talk about anxiety

Freelance

#FreelanceFriday: Let’s talk about anxiety A few years ago I was held up in my home. I was in the shower, getting ready to fetch my kids from school and head off to work. I’d spent a productive morning writing an article after interviewing a South African woman author. I was inspired and so full of hope. (more…)

Sep122018 by MeneeshaNo Comments

Productivity: what is useful work

Freelance

Productivity: what is useful work According to the Cambridge dictionary productivity is the rate at which we do useful work. Did the number of hours I put into something yield useful/beneficial results? How many minutes did I spend creating this blog? How many minutes on answering a text message while creating it. And what value do I get from all of that time spent? Was it worth the time? It all boils down to what Seth Godin refers to as business/busyness. The trick is to separate being busy (busyness) from creating value (productivity). Being busy is not constructive. (more…)

Sep72018 by MeneeshaNo Comments

What to do when a creative block happens

Freelance

What to do when a creative block happens On December 4, 2017, I launched my freelancing career in earnest. Since then, I have steadfastly and consistently shared and engaged with followers on my social media platforms. Advice, travails, highs, wins, reviews … I’ve shared what drives me in my business. I’ve also created blogs, websites, and other content for various clients consistently through this year. Producing content comes relatively easily for me. I sometimes wake at 4am to quickly make a note of something I’d dreamt about. That phrase “where did you dream that up?” has taken on a whole new meaning for me these days. (more…)