Your particular form elation does not in any way have to be as whimsical as this gentleman’s seen here.
Image via Freepik
Hi, everyone!
Hi All,
Checking back in after a long hiatus from the website blog to give you an update on the goings-on at freelancemikey.com and beyond.
Life has been moving a little more adventurously lately, as I’ve moved into a new home since my last post. With that said, I’ve still been working on several personal projects including a film that I should be finished writing within a few months. I’ve also ventured out into new sources of income and expanded my financial future through them. I will continue to work in consulting, marketing, copywriting, and music production and I hope that you’ll join me in my journey.
In the coming months, I’ll be writing interviews in blog form with various artists of all genres and walks of life, and having some fun, and maybe even making some new friends along the way.
Keep rollin’,
Mikey
October 2022!
Photo: Jeremy Thomas
Hey all,
I just wanted to drop by and say thank you to everyone who has been supporting me through my transition to Fiverr.com on a regular basis.
As many of you know, i’ve been spending the past couple of years focusing on music editing and mashups as well as some editing for screenwriting—and of course, spending time with friends and family and enjoying my life.
As of now, I haven’t really decided what to do with this blog, but I do want to keep things current. I think there are some exciting things on the horizon both professionally and personally. Stay tuned.
Thank you again to everybody who has contributed to the business and thereby made my life really enjoyable!
Book a session with me at Fiverr.com/mikeywrites0010.
Seeking Artists and Creative Business Professionals for Interviews
Image by russn_fckr
Hey there, all! Some exciting news!
If you are an artist or creative business professional who would like to be profiled on the FreelanceMikey Blog, please contact me here or at my preferred email at mike.lapenna@gmall.com.
I’m also taking some time to aggregate some content on here to create a more expansive experience. I’m excited about where things can go in the next few months.
I’ll be revamping and re-populating some of the comments sections soon as well. Stay tuned!
Yours,
Michael LaPenna
Create With Us!
Business is expanding more quickly than I could’ve imagined, and for the better. The blog posts may continue to be a bit more curated or sporadic in the near term. Of course, if you would like to blog with us, more specifically, with me Mikey, Fill out your information at the “Work with us!” section at the contact page here and I’ll get back to you usually within 48 hours.
Keep creating,
Michael LaPenna
Set Off on the Path of Freelance Success
by Courtney Rosenfeld, gigspark.biz
Though once considered the fringe of employment, 16.5 million people work in the gig economy in the United States, a figure that’s set to grow as more and more companies outsource projects and professionals discover the freedom and flexibility of being their own boss, setting their own hours and often working from home.
This could be a golden opportunity for you, whether you’re tired of trudging to the office every day or looking for an extra source of income in retirement. Opportunity abounds in a number of specialties, from writing to designing to pet care to housecleaning. However, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the responsibility of running your own show and finding enough contracts to pay the bills, so here are some tips to keep things on track.
Set Goals
You need goals to stay motivated, move forward and be successful, says an entrepreneur writing for the Balance Small Business, who provides a list of resources that help you set realistic targets for your enterprise, whether they’re financial or related to finding new clients. Remember to divide them up into long-term and short-term goals so you have something to aim for every day when you start work. There’s no point in just saying, “I want to be a millionaire.” If that’s the dream, you have to make a plan for it.
Create a Cozy Home Office
You’ll be spending a lot of time in your office, so make sure you’re well equipped in a space that’s dedicated to work and nothing else. It will serve you well if you have a spare room you can devote to your enterprise, but setting aside a quiet corner in the basement or attic would also suffice. A natural source of light does wonders to keep up your spirits, especially when the sun is shining, while an ergonomic chair provides the comfort you need for long hours at the computer. If your home is lacking space, you could convert part of your garage into an office. If you don’t have a garage on your property, consider building a prefab steel garage and using it as office space. Steel structures are inexpensive and easy to maintain.
Stay Organized
According to a startup expert with Forbes, successful entrepreneurs all “batch” their tasks. This refers to grouping everything you need to do into categories, then doing one of those all at once. For example, set aside one morning for writing emails and the afternoon for developing a business plan, but keeping in mind priorities that need to get done that day, of course. This technique helps you avoid floundering in a jumble of random activities.
Manage Your Finances
One of the cardinal rules of running your own business is separating your business from your personal life, and the easiest way is by setting up separate bank accounts. Once that’s done, create a budget for expenses based on an average of what you make from month to month, as that varies. Remember that you are one of those expenses, so pay yourself on a regular basis by transferring money to your personal account. Be sure you have enough to keep up with loan payments, and use a home cost calculator to determine how much you can spend on property if you’re on the market.
Keep Marketing
The nature of freelance work means bouncing from contract to contract or project to project, so you can never cease promoting your services, or your revenue streams may dry up. With little cash to spend on advertising, choose a few inexpensive means of getting the word out, and batch them into your schedule. Social media channels are on your side, so make daily or weekly posts that include a link to your blog or website, and don’t be timid in asking for referrals from past and current customers.
Watch Your Health
When striking out on your own with a new business, you need to be at your best mentally and physically, so this is not the time to neglect your diet and fitness routine no matter how much you want to tap away at your laptop. Turn it off, put on your sneakers and head out for a jog, cycle or power walk. When it’s time to eat, load up on vegetables, lean proteins and whole grains while keeping sugar and fat intake at a minimum.
Starting up your own business may be a bit nerve-wracking at first, but once the revenue starts flowing in, you’ll begin to appreciate the freedom of being your own boss. It’s truly liberating, so enjoy it.
Image via Pexels.
Courtney Rosenfield started her career in the gig economy after several years of enviously watching others do the same thing. She started Gigspark to be a resource and a first step for people who are looking to join the gig economy, either to supplement their income or as a way to fulfill their dreams of becoming an entrepreneur.
Four of the Most Important Freelance Jobs to Hire Out for Your Small Business
by Courtney Rosenfeld, gigspark.biz
There are many advantages to hiring out freelance work for your business. If you run a small business, for instance, you may have realized that you don’t need a full-time staff. Or, perhaps you would like a full-time staff but can’t afford it. Either way, hiring freelancers can free up time and money for you to spend on growing your business in a way that would be much more difficult than if you were paying a full-time staff.
Yes, it still costs money. But it can cost less money than paying a staff over time, and the growth and reduced stress you experience will likely make it more than worthwhile. Determine what kind of projects you need done, set your budget, ask around for referrals, and review job boards. Once you have a candidate in mind, send them a test project. If they return a completed project to you on time that meets your standards, you may have a keeper. If not, keep looking until you find a freelancer in that specialty who provides the product you’re envisioning.
Finding the best freelancer you can at a price point you can work with will help you focus on the tasks you need to, and it will ultimately help your business flourish. While there are many different types of freelance work, these four are some of the most essential ones to consider.
Virtual Assistants
Any successful business owner will tell you that delegating tasks is vital to effectively running a company. When you delegate tasks that don’t come naturally to you and that will waste your time, you can spend time on things that grow your business. There are many tasks that can be taken care of by a virtual assistant, and looking on the right job board can direct you to qualified, reliable candidates. Essentially, a virtual assistant can do anything from administrative support and scheduling to customer service and data entry.
Web Designers
It’s no secret that an awesome website is necessary for any small business. There are many platforms available today that allow someone with minimal design knowledge to build a website; however, these websites are often easily spotted, and the limited features of these platforms can make it difficult for your site to stand out among the crowd. Bringing in a web designer can give you a unique, high-quality site with responsive design technology. Also, a professionally designed site will be more reliable, run more efficiently, and increase your company’s search engine optimization (SEO).
Content Writers
Providing audiences with written content has become increasingly important for small businesses of all kinds. Having a blog on your website that discusses industry-related subject matter and offers expert advice highlights your company’s credibility. Qualified content writers can write about topics your audience cares about in a readable way. Furthermore, they can clearly translate ideas that you don’t know how to put into words, and they can provide an unbiased view of your products and services.
Social Media Managers
Finally, hiring a social media manager can prove invaluable to your business. Social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter offer affordable (and sometimes free) marketing tools, and bringing in a professional who knows how to utilize and manage those tools can free you up to work on the things you’re best at. A social media manager can lay out a strategic plan for your social presence, consistently post meaningful content, promote your brand and products/services, expand your customer reach, and ultimately boost your sales.
As a small business owner, virtual assistance, web design, content writing, and social media management are all jobs you should consider hiring out to freelancers. Remember to find the best candidate you can within your budget, and test them out before committing to multiple projects. Hiring qualified freelancers can free up your time to focus on the projects you do best so that your company can grow and thrive as much as possible.
Photo Credit: Burst
Courtney Rosenfield started her career in the gig economy after several years of enviously watching others do the same thing. She started Gigspark to be a resource and a first step for people who are looking to join the gig economy, either to supplement their income or as a way to fulfill their dreams of becoming an entrepreneur.
Coming This Fall to FreelanceMikey.com!
I’m back with a quick update about this blog. Hello, ladies, gentlemen, and non-binary patrons and readers!
Life is getting busy as I get ready to ebmark on several new endeavors, and with all this, I’m going to be transforming this blog into an information and interview portal into the hearts and minds of creative professionals from every walk of life from America to Indonesia and any and all points in between. (I’d go into space if I could). My goal is to take you on as many fun journeys into the worlds of creative business art and the art of creative business In ways that are at once focused and fun, comprehensive yet conversational.
Interviews and features will include any of the following:
Entrepreneurs
Educators
Business leaders
Visual artists
Musicians
Actors
Comedians
Novelists
Screenwriters
Playwrights
Graphic designers
Home stagers
Multimedia artists
Psychologists
Sociologists
Biographers/historians
Join me this fall as we take a journey into all this and more!
Don’t Call It a Comeback: The FreelanceMikey Blog Gears Up for That ‘New New’
A formal occasion (not my wedding)
Hello, ladies, gentlemen, and nonbinary digital natives! After a long hiatus, I’m back to update you on all the goings-on of late with FreelanceMikey Creative Consultation and what has been the cause of this long but much-needed sabbatical. The FreelanceMikey blog has been dormant lately due to shifting dynamics in the business and in my own life of late. I’ve been focusing on my editing, music mixing, and keeping up my physical health working with a physical therapist (due to my cerebral palsy).
In this vein, I want to take time to appreciate your visit to the website and the FreelanceMikey brand and blog, and I absolutely thank you for your patience. (I’m also planning my wedding these days, so my life rolls on hard—both in and out of my wheelchair ♿️).
New projects, new locations, new interviews, and new horizons are in motion for all of the creative campaigns that my friends, colleagues, and I aim to bring to the fore in 2019.
Currently, there are a few projects very key projects underway including general project consulting and specialized projects. Formats and pricing and listed in the home menu. Go to our services page for more.
Most absolutely, I want you to know that going forward as always, I definitely want to further my mission in helping you be yourself fully in whatever medium you choose to explore.
May you move boldly and follow your bliss,
Michael LaPenna
Updates, updates!
Hey All,
Just a quick update from yours truly from the FreelanceMikey headquarters in beautiful suburban New York. I’ve had to take some time to handle my health in the past two weeks, but now it’s time to get back on the horse! I’m currently in the process of booking interview segments for the blog here on the FreelanceMikey website.
If you're a creative person who kind of views life from a 45° angle (as George Carlin used to say) or just looking to showcase your work in a way that is accessible, talkative, intuitive, and fun, contact me here or on Twitter and Instagram @FreelanceMikey! i’d love to talk shop with you about your contributing influences, meandering pathways, and your highest moments of creative clarity in life, art, business, personal growth, and more. I look forward to chatting with you soon!
Updated 5/23/18: New Blog Interview Series Coming! Conversations About Creating with Michael LaPenna
(We are slightly delayed due to the tornado-like weather that hit the New York area last week. Thanks for being awesome and patient).
Do you like art at 45 degree angles? Do you like people who paint spaceships and sing jazz? Do you like yoga AND psychology? So often, creativity is thought of as a static thing like painting, theatre, music, writing, and the like—but what about what's between those nooks and crannies, between the cracks, the twilight between all these?
I'm interested in the inspiration behind creative work and the lives inspired by that spark.
New things are coming your way and evolving starting with a new blog interview series called Conversations About Creating. Conversations About Creating will explore everything from creative yoga for for healing mental trauma, to neo jazz funk music artists to make you love life just that much more! Join me, Michael LaPenna, for free-wheeling, art-loving, music-jamming, sculpture-making, groundbreaking conversations With creative people from a wide range of fields and feels In the world of art, science, craft, writing, music—and a whole lot of good feelings! It’ll be good times with some good minds, and I can’t wait!
Don't miss Conversations About Creating coming in the coming weeks to FreelanceMikey.com!
How to be happy (in business and in life)
How to be happy has always plagued us, but the search for how to be happy ultimately comes down to a being and not a searching. How to be happy in business or in everyday life is a discision you and I must make. The only way to be happy is to be being it as much as possible. Be the thing that makes you happy by doing the thing that makes you happy! The following excerpt is from a several-decades-old lecture from the late Alan Watts. It's called "Why you're not Happy."
A New 'Plogcast' to Fuel Your Creative Fire!
This audio is totally unedited, The ambient sound you hear the mic picking up is my mischievous ceiling fan whooshing....
Mikey here!
Do you have a compelling story about your business or creative passion that's uniquely interesting that you want to share?
Do you have a job or a hobby or side hustle that's uniquely suited to who you are that you've mastered and want to share with the world?
Are you fueled by your passions and your desire to create something great?
Do you believe limits are only things to be overcome or to be used as tools to make us better at what we do?
Well, my fire-fueled friend, I'm exceedingly excited to announce something I've been thinking about for a long time now: FreelanceMikey Creative Consulting is happy to announce the Fueling Your Creative Fire Plogcast here on the FreelanceMikey blog! Each episode will delve into the deep of what it means to be creative and what it means to be a creative in a world filled with inspirations from any and all walks of life and influences. I'll be getting extremely real with you and my guests to find what makes them light up with that create fire that fuels their every passion and proclivity in business, art, design, performance, tech—and all points in between!
If you would like to be on the show, contact me by any of the methods listed here on the site and bring your best creative story along with your most profound, personal insights to share on the show!
After all, you only get one life to be awesome, so you might as well share your passion with the world!
Mikey out!
FreelanceMikey.com Now Accepting Guest Bloggers!
FreelanceMikey logo with photo effects added.
Let's vibe and blog about the business, about the art, about the creative business!