How to Manage a Small Business
When pursuing a new career, it can be helpful to see if your personality matches the path you want to go down. For example, networking, running a business, and managing projects are all important aspects of an independent professional’s daily life—and there are certain personality traits that go along with these responsibilities. If you’re considering pursuing…
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Whether you travel frequently or irregularly for work, navigating busy airports, snagging ground transportation, and sleeping away from your own bed is certainly not for the faint of heart. However, there are ways to make business travel easier. By putting a good system in place with a focus on convenience and efficiency, you can minimize the strain of…
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In order to be seen as a trusted leader in your industry, it is important to establish thought leadership. While creating content and finding your own voice are fundamental elements, a big portion of thought leadership development is dedicated to having a presence, both physical and virtual, in the ongoing discourse of your area of expertise. Your…
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What is Scope Creep? Scope creep occurs when new provisions, tasks, or unexpected deliverables outside of an existing scope of work are added to a project. In an effort to make a good impression on clients, it can be easy to say yes to small requests that fall outside of your original agreement. After all,…
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Maintaining client relationships is a crucial part of business as an independent contractor. Clients provide the work you need to keep your business up and running, and establishing trust and a good rapport with them is often just as important as delivering stellar work on a project. A strong relationship can lead to repeat work…
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As an independent contractor, you do it all—from running errands and scheduling meetings to engaging with new clients and attending networking events. All of these responsibilities can quickly overshadow your work-life balance. To avoid burnout, stay on top of your workload, and keep your clients happy, consider teaming up with another independent contractor. Working with another professional is…
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Mindful awareness is a valuable tool to build your mental capacity and can help cultivate the skill of being present. The practice of mindful awareness can unclutter the mind, help you build deeper connections with people, and help manage the stress and anxiety that comes with the modern work world.
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It’s common for business to slow down during the summer months between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Clients are likely enjoying vacation or waiting for the fall to begin their next big project. If you’re not prepared for this downtime, your daily routine and finances may be caught off guard. Just because business slows down,…
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As an independent professional, who you know can be equally important as what you know. To ensure a steady flow of projects, it’s important to build and maintain a strong circle of business contacts you can rely on for work and referrals. Follow these three networking tips to boost your business prospects. 1. Mentorship While…
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Well-rounded, highly-developed soft skills can be invaluable to business success. While soft skills can at times be more difficult to develop than hard skills—more quantifiable attributes such as web design, accounting, or editing experience—they are arguably equally important in running a successful business. What are Soft Skills? Soft skills, often called people skills or emotional intelligence,…
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