“Love the way you work”

My work as a freelance gave me a leap of faith.

I have to leave a high corporate position just for one reason then – to give more time for my family.

Eventually, this was just one of the reasons.  its actually “FREEDOM” – to be your own and to work for yourself.

This takes a lot of guts and courage. Discipline would always be the keyword.

At first, I have those hang-ups. When I saw people walking in the street, wearing their corporate attire, I feel those insecurities inside.

For me, it’s really ok to feel that way.  I know I am too sentimental.  But from there, I learn how to focus.

I concentrated on my I.T. niche, that is project management, programming, ERP consulting and teaching.    Indeed, I adopt the wise word from Confucius:

“Choos e a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.”

For almost 10 years now,  happy to say I survived doing freelance work.

These were some of the lessons I learned along the way which I like to share:

1.  Create your portfolio.  From there, one has to prove your worth formulating and implementing an I.T. work for them. As Steve Marin says:

“Be so good they can’t ignore you” 

2.  Even this is a freelance work, I formalize everything like:

• getting government business permit and renew it every year
• issue official receipt duly authorized by Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR)
• formal proposal letter
• meeting with agenda to talk about
• dress professionally as I love to wear my corporate attires I have in my closet
• formal contract duly signed by both parties

3.   Always be true to what you promise.  Stick to the deadline no matter what.  If there would be some adjustments along the way, be very, very honest to communicate everything to them.

4.  As much as possible, create multiple streams of income.  Back-up plan is necessary.   We have fixed cost to pay every month and it is important to keep the income generating.

To share with you, I have too many hats:

• ERP Implementation and Maintenance
• Manage to design and maintain simple / E-Commerce websites from different clients / companies
• Teach part-time to corporate accounts / I.T. schools / graduate school
• Accepting consultancy work outside to different companies
• Have blogs to maintain like this site

 5. Do network and promote services. How?

• Start with friends and relatives
• Maximize the use of internet marketing and social media account like Facebook or Twitter to tell what you really do
• Ask for recommendation to previous clients to give you new clients
•  Join groups to expand horizons of meeting new people that eventually will be your client

Last but not the least which for me is very essential, putting time to oneself  and do not forget to thank the LORD for all the gratitudes.

If you are following me in my social media updates, I really do take time – eating what I like, travel where my itchy feet were up to, do some jogs or simply pampering.  This can be together with my friends and loved ones or “me alone”.

I am not burning myself with lot of clients.  I still like to enjoy what I am doing to keep the passion flowing.

From this move, I rejuvenate myself to become stronger and feel better as a person as I respect myself day by day.

I am not a business guru nor claiming to be one.  Thru self-experiences along the way, we learn each lessons everyday.  Try again and again.

From trying, the path of getting the right track keeps visibly more clear to what I like.

As my end my post, let me share you what my grandmother would always tell to us:

Walang taong magugutom if masipag at masikap.

As Benjamin Franklin says,

If we are industrious, we shall never starve.