successful home working
Posts tagged freelancers
Home working in Greece
439 months ago
Today’s guest post is by Kalliopi and Diona, an electrical and computer engineer and freelance translator, two work-at-home Greek mothers who got to know each other online. Finding out that they were both working from home, they decided to join forces and create a blog, Mammas Work At Home, sharing Greek content for work-at-home mums. Here they explain how working from home is slowly becoming a more popular choice in Greece in response to economic and social changes:
‘Traditional choices for young families in Greece, especially during the baby’s first couple of years, have been to entrust the baby with the grandparents or hire a full-time nanny so that the mother will return to work. During the past few years these choices have been changing due to a number of reasons.
‘Grandparents are still working; families move mainly to bigger towns and hiring a nanny may not be the most affordable option. The country has been going some very important financial changes which affect not only the state affairs but households and individuals too. Long hours keep parents away from their home and family beyond the 9-5 schedule. Mothers do not always fit the ideal corporate profile and may not be the preferable candidate choice.
‘Starting a home based business or working from a home office are emerging choices for mothers who wish to spend more time with their family and continue their career or pursue a new one. Working from home seems to be gaining in popularity taking small but steady steps. At Mammas Work At Home we try to provide an online meeting place to exchange all kinds of information from practical details and tax regulations to creative activities for the kids and inspiring success stories.
‘Especially since the country has been facing the reality of a new economy, our blog has been receiving an increasing number of emails from mothers who wish to know more about the options they have to work from home. It is indeed very moving to see how mums communicate their concerns about work as well as personal and family matters. And it is really inspiring to see how women seek career solutions beyond the traditional work opportunities set out for them overcoming the somehow old-fashioned view that working from home might be regarded as less professional.’
The UK is also facing big changes – how do you see home and work life changing in the future?
Are you a freeformer?
11 year ago
It’s been a busy week, what with making ourselves at home in the new house and firing up the brain cells, which have got rather too used to operating on Spanish time. Fortunately we got broadband in time for me to hear through Twitter – where I seem to hear all the best stuff – about a talk last night at Bath University by James Alexander, one of the founders of Zopa.
Zopa isn’t a bank, it’s an ‘online place where people can lend and borrow money’ and was established following extensive research that showed the emergence of a new category of people known as freeformers. Freeformers have lost faith in the old systems to look after them, believe in self-reliance and collaboration, and value community and transparency. The kind of people who tend to be freelancers and home workers, in other words.
I came home feeling uplifted that there are people creating businesses like this, even when the ‘experts’ say it’s not possible. And feeling much more hopeful having heard James’ advice to ask for help and you will be surprised by how much you get.
I know the isolation of the home worker has become a bit of a cliche, but that’s because it’s so true, and it applies to me as much as anyone. Working by yourself at home can make you spiral further and further into yourself and your own resources without even realising what’s happening. I’m now intent on reaching out to find more likeminded people and I’d love to hear if you’ve had any good results from doing so.
Go Freelance
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Having mentioned my podcast with Freelance Advisor, I mustn’t forget to tell you about their comprehensive and very readable guide to freelancing, Go Freelance, which has just been revised and updated for 2010. It covers everything you’d ever ask about going it alone, from getting started and understanding the legalities, to getting paid – and what to do if clients aren’t paying – to staying motivated when things get tough. All completely free and almost 2000 people have downloaded it already, which says a lot.
Just do one thing at a time!
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I’m pleased to say my advice to myself worked and I was able to get stuck into my new webpage on how to start your own Jelly. It’s now published apart from some pictures I’m waiting for A to put on as we have a glitch with the site that means pictures have to go on the server first…or something. Something that I need to stay well away from, anyway!
I’ve written the new page in response to all the questions about Jelly and coworking that have been coming in to me and Lee Cottier, who organises Jelly in Bristol and Bath. It seems that although the idea of coworking has been around in the UK for a few years, it’s now really taking off. Timing is all.
Having completed this, I’m keen now to crack on with my page for freelance writers working from home.
Jelly on ice
12 years ago
A and I crunched carefully down the road yesterday to Jelly at The Old Church School and were joined by two other people who live locally and were able to walk in. Others were stranded by the ice and couldn’t make it.
Having spent all the previous day at home, with not even a short walk, it made me feel so much better to be in a different environment and talk to people I don’t often see. I’m always recommending other home workers to get out as much as they can, but even so, every time I do it, I am amazed once again just how much difference it makes to my mood and outlook.
I’ll be organising more Jelly very soon and details will appear here and on the Work from Home Events page. It’s worth pointing out that you don’t have to have a laptop to come to Jelly! Just bring some portable work – something to read, write, sew, knit, whatever – and enjoy the company.
There’s always some help available. Yesterday A got a Jellyer going on Twitter and Tweetdeck. Often it turns out that something that is a complete mystery to you is natural as breathing to another Jellyer!
