Search Results for: blog negotiating contract work

One More Place to Find Freelance Work

Many of us probably check Craigslist when we want to see whether something that we want is available used for a good price from someone who lives nearby. Of course, there are many other ways that people use Craigslist besides buying and selling stuff. Today, I learned that freelance writers can actually use Craigslist to find work. Of course, like any place where freelance jobs are posted, writers must be cautious in responding to Craigslist ads in order to protect themselves from scams and people who are trying to get quality work without paying a quality price. Craigslist is such … Continue reading →

Contract or Ongoing Negotiation?

‘Marriage is not a contract but an ongoing negotiation,’ so said one of the characters in the new TV show Blue Bloods. ‘Now there’s a topic for a blog,’ Mick said. Indeed it is. First I have to disagree, not with Mick but the comment. To me marriage is a contract, a binding contract. ’Till death do us part,’ sounds pretty binding to me. It is a contract and a commitment made before witnesses and often before God. However there is a sense in which marriage is also an ongoing negotiation. The very word ‘negotiate’ means, according to the dictionary, … Continue reading →

Freebies at Work

Are you taking advantage of all of the free perks that your workplace provides? Many free perks of the job aren’t advertised. The company leaves it up to the employees to find out about these freebies, either by reading the employee handbook cover to cover, browsing through obscure parts of the company’s internal website, visiting the HR department, or finding out through word of mouth. Other freebies are a bit more obvious but still not utilized. One important thing to understand about freebies at work, is that while you should feel free to use these perks, since they are provided, … Continue reading →

Negotiating Contract Work

Do you ever wonder how or why some people can have their homes remodeled, additions built and upgrades made for bottom line prices? The secret is in negotiating for these types of services. The first thing that you want to do before negotiating contract work for your home is to ask around for references to people or companies that do the work you want. Don’t be afraid to ask your friends and neighbors the price that they paid for similar services. Also ask if the work was completed on time and if the person or company was easy to work … Continue reading →

Hollywood Writers Going Back to Work

Could it be? Is it possible? Are striking Hollywood writers really putting down their picket signs and heading back to work… so we can finally learn what happens to the ladies on Wisteria Lane post tornado? Sort of. It appears as though the three-and-a-half-month-old work stoppage is finally coming to an end. Hollywood producers reportedly caved in and agreed to give striking writers a piece of the profit that their work might make over the Internet. In exchange, the Guild had to end their fight to have their membership include animators and reality television players. Hooray! Reruns be gone! Well… … Continue reading →

Negotiating? Do Your Homework

Negotiating is not one of my favorite parts of working independently and having my own business. As a matter of fact, I never really thought of myself as someone who did all that well with contracts, bookkeeping, accounting and the “hardball” part of business. BUT, since I am a one-gal shop, negotiating contracts and payments is one of the things I have to learn and get better at. The one thing I do know is that the more prepared I am, the more confident I feel and the more successful I am likely to be at the negotiating part. So, … Continue reading →

Negotiating (and Renegotiating) Which Parent Does What

Many of us single parents have an ex-spouse or co-parent who we need to work with in the process of raising our children. Good or bad, adequate working relationship or not, we still have to find a way to negotiate (and often times, renegotiate) which parent is going to take care of what. This can be anything but an easy, comfortable task! I’m speaking from experience when I admit that even the best laid plans can go awry. I tend to be a painfully organized person when it comes to paperwork and agreements, and just because it is written down … Continue reading →

Negotiating and Working with Clients & Customers You Never Actually Meet

In this world of the internet and long-distance communication, it is becoming increasingly common for those of us building businesses to have clients and customers that we never actually meet face-to-face. Our version of a small business may be nothing like those of bygone eras–when a small bakery or trade shop thrived for years working with local neighborhood customers. Telephone and e-mail might be our mainstay of communication with clients and it can be a challenge to make sure we have clear understandings and communication with people who we don’t ever meet. Even so, I do feel like I somewhat … Continue reading →

Take Your Homeschooler to Work Day

I spent the day painting a mural in a playroom. I took my daughter with me to do the job. The home where I was painting had another girl her age that was also homeschooled, using an online program. They sat together and homeschooled separately on their individual programs, at their own pace. She also was able to witness me at work and was able to absorb how to go about being a professional artist. When you homeschool your kids and work from home like I do, every day is ‘take your child to work day’. In fact, your business … Continue reading →

Great Frugal New Year Resolutions

What are your New Year resolutions? The number one resolution overall, according to most of the poles is to get fit. While I do need to work on that one as well, most of my resolutions are centered around living frugally. Here are some great frugal resolutions that anyone can keep! Stop Paying for Things We Don’t Use From extra channels on the cable bill to seldom-used gym memberships to extra bank fees, there are a number of things that we pay for out of habit or because we don’t even think about them. One of my resolutions is to … Continue reading →