How to start a freelance career

As a freelancer I often have to dispel the myth that I spend my days in pyjamas, flitting between daytime TV and writing the odd article.

The reality of most freelance careers is a multi-discipline role involving a wide range of skills, from client management and accounting to strategic planning and marketing. So how do you prepare for the plunge into life as a freelancer?
There are currently around 1.6 million freelancers working in the UK, according to data from freelance association,PCG, with a 12% increase since 2008.

It leads to a far happier workforce, according to a survey by accountancy firm SJD, in which over two thirds (77%) of people said they found being a contractor or freelancer more satisfying than being an employee, with less than 10% saying they would go back to permanent employment if they were offered the chance.

The benefits are clear with 84% of respondents enjoying higher rates of pay, 70% the flexibility contracting offers, 65% greater freedom and just over a third citing the kudos of being viewed as an industry expert as important. So if you are serious about adjusting the work-life balance and being your own boss, what steps do you need to take?

Make a plan
Starting a freelance career is not something to do on a whim. It requires careful planning to ensure you are ready to make the change, both professionally and financially.

Draw up a household budget to work out how much income you need to sustain your lifestyle and talk it through with your partner if you are likely to need their financial support in the beginning. Be aware that you will be giving up a secure monthly salary for what may be an irregular income from potentially short contracts or sporadic jobs.

If possible, make a gradual transition from full-time employment, advises Jon Norris, editor ofFreelance Advisor and Crunch Accounting: "It may mean a few months of hard work as you work your 9-to-5 during the day and freelance in the evening, but it will allow you to build up a client base and steady income before you cut the employment cord."

Build a financial buffer
Make the most of your current full-time position to build up savings before you make the leap. A fund equal to around six months salary is the ideal size buffer, but aim to save as much as you can.

"Freelancing can be a fickle game, and clients can come and go with surprising frequency," says Norris. "If you run into financial trouble in the first few months of freelancing, an emergency stash of money can be the difference between life and death for your new enterprise. "

Start networking
Building strong contacts is vital to a successful freelance career and should be a top priority both during full-time employment and once you leave. An industry friend helped PR & social media consultant Clare Homer make the decision to go freelance in July.

"After eight years in the industry I had grown bored of my in-house PR role and wanted a new challenge. At the time, my friend, who is a business coach, was launching a new app and said he could offer me regular work and advice. This was just the boost I needed to set off and start my own business, CfHMedia."

A proactive approach to networking is key, explains Clare. "I researched potential clients, contacted them about my services and asked for a call or meeting. If I just waited for clients to knock on the door, then I'd still be in the same job. I make a conscious effort to network online and at events and it's invaluable."

It is also worth speaking to the specialist agencies in your industry, advises Matthew Huddleston, chief financial officer of FPS Group. "Find out what kind of contracts might be available, whether you are suitable for them, and how much you can earn."

Get organised
If your freelance career sees you working from home, it can be tempting to lie-in and knock-off early. However the novelty will likely wear off after week or two, when you may find yourself working longer hours in order to meet client deadlines and earn the income you need to live on.

Creating a routine and structured working day from the outset is key. The bonus is that you can pick your own hours. Cake maker Marian Shaw, works around her children, by starting her day at 5.30am and dropping off orders after the school run. "I then have a second 'shift' and drop off the next batch of orders before I pick the kids up," explains Marian. "I have been doing this three days a week for the past year and it is working really well. I have to be strict with my time but it is worth it to be there for my children."

When the work is done, arranging payment requires rigorous organisation. "An unexpected shortfall in cashflow is the number one killer of new businesses, so do everything you can to get paid and get paid on time," says Norris. "Set strict 30-day payment terms on your invoices and include late payment penalties in your contracts and enforce them where necessary."

Know your worth
Being able to set your own rate of pay and keeping the money for yourself is one of the major perks of working freelance. However, setting this rate is one of the hardest things to do. You will be charging for your time and services – so it is crucial not to undersell yourself and work for less than you deserve, as well as not set your rate too high and price yourself out of work.

Industry research is vital to determine the right rate for you and your clients. Large corporate companies are likely to have bigger budgets for example, while small businesses and fellow freelance clients are probably working on tight budgets – so it makes sense to set your rates accordingly.

Experience should play a part in determining your rate too. So newbies for example, should consider dropping your rate a little to attract work, with the knowledge that you can increase it once you have built up a portfolio.

The state of the economy is also a major factor at the moment. In a survey of contractors byThe Pulse Umbrella Group, almost three-quarters (73%) are confident about the demand for their skills in 2012, yet only 16% expect to see their fees increasing this year, and over half (53%) would consider reducing their rates to get work if they had to.

Could you make £60k a year from pub quiz machines?

Christian Drummond, a 40-year-old from Brighton, is in the headlines today after claiming to make up to £60,000 a year playing pub quiz machines. His incredible knowledge of trivia means that as he trawls over 10,000 pubs and nightclubs he can make up to £60 an hour.

So can we follow his example?

Good money

Drummond told his story in the Daily Mail today. It's an enviable income. He has made a small fortune from the machines, which put him through an English Literature degree at Sussex University, paid for his wedding, and sent him on holidays. It is currently his full-time job.

Over the months he has developed techniques. He has a favourite game: The Colour of Money, and he goes from pub to pub - moving on after a pay-out. He travels to a new city once a fortnight and plays until he has exhausted all the pubs in that location.

So far he has stayed out of trouble, although he has been escorted from one pub, and had another landlord turn the machines off.

Downside

However, he admits there are downsides. He has to keep on the move, and he plays the games for ten hours a day. After staring at a screen for that long - and using your brain - the whole things starts to feel like work.

He said: "It was very exciting at first, but now it has become work, but not just that it has become drudge work. It is not what I studied for, so now enough is enough and I want to get a normal job."

Can you win?

Of course, for the rest of us, the real stumbling block is that this only worked for Drummond because of his exhaustive capacity to retain trivia. He told the newspaper, for example, that he can name all 500 Dickens characters, the number of sets in every Wimbledon final, and the populations of every African city.

Without this kind of brain, its a recipe to feed a small fortune into quiz machines around the country: to gamble and lose.

Tips

Gambling is never a sure thing - and for most of us it's a sure way to lose. However, for those who are happy losing their money this way, he revealed his top tips for playing the machines to the Mail.

1) If the question has a numerical answer, 80% of the time it's the middle one of the three given. On dates, it's almost always the earliest.
2) If you want to gauge how generous the game is, play one which gives you a numerical target before it pays out. That way you can see fairly quickly how many answers you need to get right in order to be paid.
3) Always play the same game, and get to know the common answers. There are also bizarre questions the machine will use if it is set not to let you win. Once you get asked something truly odd it's time to move on.
4) Don't gamble if you are given the option.
5) Aim for lots of small payouts rather than one big win.

Warnings

For many people, giving these tips a whirl is a harmless bit of fun. However, GamCare says that there are a number of warning signs you need to watch for - which indicate it's time to stop.
1) Spending more time and money on gambling than you can afford
2) Finding it hard to stop
3) Having arguments about gambling - or lying to avoid them
4) Losing interest in other things
5) Gambling until your money is gone - and chasing losses

M&S cuts loan rate to 5.5%

Interest rates are on personal loans are now at a six-year low.

If you want to borrow between £7,500 and £15,000, M&S Bank may be willing to lend to you at 5.5%. That's a cracking rate, especially when you remember that back in January, the cheapest loan on the market was 6% a year.

Here's how the M&S Personal Loan compares with other leading loans on the market:

Best personal loans - £10,000 over five years

Loan	Representative APR	Total amount repayable	Monthly repayment
M&S Personal Loan	5.5%	£11,423.91	£190.40
Derbyshire BS Personal Loan	5.6%	£11,449.80	£190.83
Tesco Bank Personal Loan	5.7%	£11,476.20	£191.27
Sainsbury's Bank Standard Nectar Cardholder Loan	5.7%	£11,476.20	£191.27
Clydesdale Bank Online Personal Loan	5.8%	£11,502.60	£191.71
Yorkshire Bank Online Personal Loan	5.8%	£11,502.60	£191.71
AA Existing Member Personal Loan	5.9%	£11,529.00	£192.15
Barclays Bank Existing Customer Barclayloan	5.9%	£11,529.00	£192.15

So the M&S Loan is the clear market leader, but don't assume that everyone will be offered a loan at 5.5%. M&S Bank is only obliged to offer loans at 5.5% to 51% of successful applicants – plenty of folk could be turned down or offered a loan at a higher interest rate.

That said, if you have a good credit rating, there's a good chance you will be offered a 5.5% loan. That's as long as you're looking to borrow between £7,500 and £15,000 for a period between one and five years.

And even better, a recent law change means you'll probably be able to repay your loan early if you wish, and not have to pay any penalty fee.

Read more in Overpay your loan without penalty.

A new bank

This week's rate cut comes after M&S launched its first ever current account last month. It's a premium account where you have to pay a monthly fee, but I suspect that M&S Bank will still win a fair number of customers thanks to its much-loved, trustworthy brand.

What's more M&S isn't just making a push in personal loans and current accounts. The M&S Credit Card is also a very attractive product as it comes with a 15-month 0% period for new purchases.

Let's imagine that you got a new M&S card and then used it to buy some new furniture for £2,000. You wouldn't have to pay any interest on the resulting debt for 15 months!

You can also earn M&S reward points as you spend on the card. You'll get one point for every pound you spend at M&S and a point for every £2 you spend elsewhere. Every 100 points gives you a £1 M&S voucher.

Read about rival reward cards in The best reward cards.

You do need to be careful though. The 0% deal will probably end if you don't make the minimum monthly payment on every card bill. It's also worth noting that the 15-month period begins when you take out the card not when you buy the furniture.

Still, the M&S Card is a great bit of plastic and it's effectively an even cheaper way to borrow than the M&S Loan.

Should you borrow?

Before you rush out to get a new credit card or loan, do ask yourself if you really need to borrow. Debt can become a massive millstone if your circumstances change, and, of course, you'll have to pay interest if you take out a personal loan.

Even though the rate on the M&S Loan is low, you'll still be giving money to M&S which you could be spending on yourself.

So if you're able to hold back from borrowing, you may do yourself a favour in the long-term.

Foods for hair and beauty

It's a well-known fact that a good balanced diet can help keep your body healthy, and that goes for your skin and hair too. Here's how to harness nature's finest ingredients in your beauty regime...

Top related searches:

1. Foods for beautiful skin
2. Dry skin cures
3. Seaweed soaps
4. Honey moisturiser
5. Aloe for skin
6. Oily skin cures
7. Honey face mask
8. Coconut oil
9. Coconut oil for hair
10. Good skin diet

Honey
Known as Mother Nature's antiseptic, honey has been shown to help heal wounds quickly as well as killing bacteria. It's a natural antioxidant and works to kill bacteria, making it an excellent ingredient for naturally getting rid of spots, but it's a great moisturiser too. Try Madeleine Ritchie's Silk Face Gel, containing Royal Jelly, Manuka honey and jojoba oil, for a moisture boost that will leave your skin soft, and help to repair and protect it.

Pumpkin
Containing hydrating essential fatty acids and antixoidant vitamins A and C, pumpkin isn't just for Halloween. Within this golden ball of goodness hides an enzyme that effectively peels away dead skin and speeds up the production of new cells, making it a fabulous anti-ageing ingredient. Zia Natural's Pumpkin Exfoliating Mask will leave your skin refreshed, repaired and glowing for a more youthful appearance.

Seaweed
Seaweed has been used for centuries in the Far East, not just as a healthy food but a natural skin care wonder plant too, thanks to a host of vitamins, minerals and amino acids. It is thought to reduce inflammation and irritation, cleanse and soften but firm the skin too, which is why it is often used in products aimed at reducing the appearance of cellulite.

The Body Shop sells an excellent range of seaweed skincare products, from clay masks to clarifying toners and day creams. For a really indulgent treatment, head to the Dorchester Spa in London and try the Thalgo Micronised Algae Seaweed Body Wrap, that will have you detoxed and relaxed in no time.

Salmon
We should all be well aware of the health benefits associated with oily fish these days, but did you know it can help rejuvenate your skin too? Salmon contains a compound called dimethylaminoethanel, or DMAE, is thought to help firm skin and smooth away those fine lines and wrinkles. Swanson's Cosmetic Science Wrinkle Cream contains DMAE to give your skin a soft, supple appearance, without a greasy feel.

Olive oil
It's hardly surprising that olive oil acts as a natural moisturiser, and because it helps to protect against dry skin, people who suffer from psoriasis or eczema may find they benefit from this natural hydration, even when applied directly after a shower like baby oil.

Better still, it makes for an excellent homemade treatment for those dry, winter split ends. If you're not keen on using the bottle from your kitchen, try Bumble and Bumble Hairdresser's Invisible Oil, which contains not only olive oil but a range of seed and nut oils - the result is soft, smooth, frizz-free hair that will strengthen your locks and reduce breakage and tangles.

Boris Johnson: Living Wage To Rise By 25p An Hour

                                        Boris Johnson - launching the increase in the Living Wage

London's Living Wage must increase by 25p an hour, to £8.55, Mayor Boris Johnson has announced, worth an extra £4.5m to workers on low wages.

The Living Wage outside London will also rise by 25p to £7.45, compared to the national minimum wage of £6.19.

The Living Wage Foundation will, from Monday, be awarding a "kitemark" to employers who pay the Living Wage - and said it hoped the mark would become as recognisable as the Fair Trade logo.

The Greater London Authority, Barclays Bank, Lloyds of London and KPMG are some of the largest companies who pay their employees and contractors the Living Wage. Lord Coe pledged in 2010 that all those working on the London 2012 Olympics would be paid the Living Wage too.

But most government departments, including the Department for Work and Pensions, still pay their cleaners lower than the London Living Wage.

High-profile campaigns have also called for the Living Wage to be paid by the Tower Of London and John Lewis, where striking cleaners from contractor ICM won a 10 per cent pay rise, back-dated to March this year.

Buckingham Palace also agreed last year to give workers a pay rise, after it emerged many were earning well below a Living Wage, according to the Daily Mirror.

Johnson said during a briefing to local authorities, charities and employers, who already pay their employees the Living Wage, that the standard helped to build "motivated, dedicated workforces".

He added: "The Living Wage helps businesses to boost the bottom line and ensures that hard-working people who contribute to London's success can enjoy a decent standard of living."

"Despite very challenging economic times, it's clear that more employers are waking up to the huge benefits that paying the Living Wage delivers.

"We have a great range of household names on board and I want to see more coming forward."

Since the Living Wage was introduced in 2005, an estimated 11,500 workers have benefited.

Why I Choose Not To Wear a Poppy

It is that time of the year again when it seems like everyone is wearing a poppy; on the tube, on the bus, in the park. You cannot get away from them. Yet, like every year, I refuse to wear one. It is not because I am opposed to remembering those who died in WWI. In fact my great uncle Muhammad Shaban, of the 30th Punjabis, was killed in the First World War fighting for the British in Tanzania but I still cannot pin a poppy to my clothes.

It feels as though everyone that appears on TV has to wear a poppy. Asians, Muslims and black people wear extra big ones just to show their additional loyalty to, what has become, a nationalistic and a patriotic symbol.

Rather than wearing a poppy, if we really want to remember the dead, then why don't we stop engaging in new wars? Why don't we stop occupying other countries? Why don't we stop bombing and killing children? It seems, however, the politicians are committed to repeating the mistakes of the past and sending other people's children to fight their wars over resources, power and status.

I recently received a letter from the Royal British Legion, with images of soldiers that have suffered injuries. The images were accompanied with captions reading; "They are just boys. But they are our boys". They are not my boys or 'our' boys. This may sound harsh to some, but they knew what they were signing up for, they went to fight in an occupation of a foreign land. If they get injured in the process it is the government's responsibility to take care of them, not for them to rely on the charity of the public who are already paying for a war that has been going on longer than the second and first World Wars combined. I feel for the families who have lost their loved ones in politicians' wars. A life is a life, British, Afghan or Iraqi; I wish our media saw it that way - but instead we get disproportionate coverage of some victims which means that we end up only caring about 'our' dead.

The poppy is used as a tool to promote current wars. It is not used to say 'never again' as it should be. Politicians use it to beat down opposition to war whilst questioning people's loyalties and patriotism. The symbol of the poppy was never intended for peace or to stop war, it was a cry for others to take up arms and take revenge in a poem by John McCrae. The gentleman whose idea it was to start the poppy, General Earl Haig, was responsible for gross incompetence on the battlefield in which thousands perished.

Yet, we are blinded by this cry of 'our boys' and the fallacy that British troops are in Afghanistan defending Britain. On the back of the envelope there is a 'send a message of support to an injured hero' plastered next to a British flag. Hero? Really? Since when did we start calling paid soldiers, with Kevlar protection, air support, heavy machine guns, armoured vehicles and tanks heroes? In this narrative the farmer who is defending his country from the occupier is the bad guy. Who are the real heroes?

We have whole-heartedly bought into this premise that soldiers are sacred and their role should never be questioned. I for one cannot accept it and must see the world in a much wider context. Rich versus poor, ruling elites versus the proletariat, the politicians versus the people, big business versus the indigenous people, the well-armed Western soldiers versus the rag tag resistance of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Who will remember the children killed? Who will remember the victims of occupation? Who will remember the contribution of Muslim soldiers to the World Wars? Will they be remembered in the minute silences? Will their images be brandished on the news; will anyone even think of Ali Shan who fought in Burma for the British and now lives in Birmingham? Ali Shan does not wear a poppy and neither do his children or grandchildren. Then there is the case of my great uncle, who will remember him? We will, we do not need to wear a poppy to remember him.

I do not hold these opinions because I am a Muslim, although it helps. I can see the suffering of fellow Muslims at the hands of soldiers acting on orders of my government. What are my thoughts on the extreme minority of Muslims in the UK that burned poppies? They were idiots. Burning something that others hold sacred and dear is never right.

My act of not wearing a poppy when everyone else is, is in remembrance of all those men that were sent to their deaths, forced to go over the trenches to face machine guns. I remember all those that were sacrificed for the sake of power using disastrous tactics. I remember men like my great uncle, who were seen as cannon fodder because they were not white. I remember all those families that lost their loved ones and prayed for no more wars. Most of all, I don't wear a poppy, hoping that people will move away from jingoism and realise that it is not a symbol of respect and honour for the dead, but by wearing it and accepting the current narrative, it does the opposite - it glorifies and promotes war.

Multivitamins - Don't Believe the Hype

A major study published last week found that taking a standard multivitamin pill lowered the risk of developing cancer. Published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, this large-scale, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 14,641 male physicians in the US aged 50 years or older, found that taking a daily multivitamin supplement reduced the risk of developing cancer. Inevitably, this has been accompanied by triumphant headlines, lauding the benefits of multivitamins (and you can just imagine the supplement industry rubbing its hands in glee). So, it begs the big question, should we all be popping a daily multivitamin to protect against cancer?

The first thing to point out is that the size of the benefit in this study was modest, amounting to an 8% reduced risk in cancer incidence in those taking the daily multivitamin supplement (and we should note that there was actually no significant difference in the risk of cancer mortality). But still, 8% is 8%, and in the war against cancer, most of us would welcome nudging the odds in our favour.

But don't get too swept away with the idea that multivitamins are some sort of panacea. Relying on multivitamins to quell our cancer risk is misguided for three reasons:

1. Multivitamins are a poor relation to real food. Unlike their synthetic counterparts, real food contains a mind-boggling diversity of not just vitamins and minerals, but hundreds, indeed thousands, of bio-active plant compounds, known as phytonutrients. Prize candidates include lycopene (cooked/processed tomatoes), catechins (green tea), glucosinolates (cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli), quercetin (onions), sulphur compounds (onions and garlic), anthocyanins (berries), luteolin (celery), chlorogenic acid (coffee), flavanols (cocoa), lupeol (mango), resistant starch (legumes), isoflavones (soya), and the list could go on and on.... In essence, what we find is a complexity and synergism of bio-active nutrients that mere multivitamin pills can't come close to replicating.

2. Multivitamins are an unintelligent scatter gun approach to supplementing nutrients, conceived on the premise of providing 'a bit of everything'. The trouble with this approach is that whilst we get some nutrients we really do need, we also get some we don't. Surely, a more sophisticated strategy is to just supplement with the nutrients that are genuinely missing from our diet, at just the right dose? We strongly argue the case for a more informed and intelligent use of nutritional supplements in The Health Delusion, highlighting in particular the two nutrients that Brits simply don't get enough of: vitamin D (especially in the winter) and selenium. Your multivitamin will contain these nutrients, but the chances of them being present in optimal amounts (especially vitamin D) is slim, and a disappointment when we consider that both of these nutrients are likely to be powerful allies for cancer protection (you can find my recommendations for winter supplementation of vitamin D and selenium here).

3. Being lulled into the belief that multivitamins are the answer may divert attention from the really important dietary factors more conclusively proven to lower cancer risk. For that, look no further than the profoundly helpful report on diet and cancer compiled jointly by the World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research. Representing the scientific consensus from a small army of leading experts, it synthesizes research from across the globe into a set of clear recommendations. Examples of these recommendations include maintaining a healthy weight throughout life (perhaps one of the most important ways to protect against cancer), being physically active as part of everyday life, eating mostly foods of plant origin (such as fruits, vegetables, minimally processed cereals, pulses), limiting intake of red meat and avoiding processed meat, and limiting alcoholic drinks. For anyone motivated to reduce their cancer risk through diet (and physical activity), this is the stuff we should really be taking notice of.

The message here is not to throw away your daily multivitamin. It goes almost without saying that dietary and lifestyle changes are notoriously difficult to make, whilst taking a pill is easy. So if you do take one, stick with a relatively modest dose product (as was used in this study, which incidentally was 'Centrum Silver'), and avoid unnecessarily high doses, especially of antioxidants (such as vitamins A, C, E and beta carotene), which as we spell out in The Health Delusion are likely to do more harm than good. But for those serious about slashing their cancer risk, I'd recommend you focus your efforts elsewhere first, before rushing for the pill pot.