Fantasy Football

October 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Thanks for the guest post by Donn Schroeder

I love to play fantasy football. I started a league with my brothers and brothers-in-law a couple of years ago, and we have so much fun competing against each other. Just the other day my sister-in-law was getting on my case about introducing her husband to fantasy football. She said they used to spend Sunday afternoons together, but now he only wants to watch football to see how his players are doing. My own wife cannot understand how I can be so excited about a game that does not actually exist. I even purchased the HD Sunday ticket so I could watch every player from every team. Playing fantasy football and watching football in general are the things I look forward to the most in the fall. I love the leaves changing, and I love when there is coolness in the air because it is a reminder that football is here. I love the fall for so many reasons, but one of the biggest is football season. Although I do not have one specific team that I root for, Sundays in the fall are some of my favorite days of the year.

Filed Under: Guest Posts

Set a Goal for Freelance Re-Investing

October 11, 2011 By Leave a Comment

One of the things that I have set as a goal to do with my freelancing profits this year is to re-invest some of it back into continuing education. Why is this important? Because as a writer, I must stay ahead with the ever-changing tides of this industry if I want to be productive, current and show a black number in my bottom line.

Unlike many other types of industries, profits aren’t as readily visible in freelance writing. For instance, when I worked (briefly) in retail during my college days, we would sometimes receive bonuses in our checks as incentives from sales that were done earlier in the week. The “instant” results were due to technology and the capability to see at the stroke of a key how sales were faring for the week. Since many consumers use the trusty plastic for their purchases, everything is digitally downloaded, even with POS systems.

However, in freelancing, the sale to the customer (or client) is generally not completed until they have perused your work and given it their stamp of approval. It’s only until then that you’re compensated. What if the client is not satisfied? Well, then you get into the Money Back Guaranteed issue, which works significantly different than again, something like retail.

If you’ve ever received a refund back on your credit card (in lieu of cash) it’s because the credit card processing services that particular stores use is able to tell the store how the customer paid, therefore it determines how they are to be refunded as well. Depending on if you use a debit card or a credit card, the merchant can generally issue a refund that matches the way the purchases were made. However, in freelancing, everything is relative, so getting your money back all boils down to what value was placed on the delivered material. That is, the value that both you and the client determines it to be.

Because of these variables, I have decided that the best way for me to approach this is to give samples of my work on my site so that the client can determine if my writing style suits his/her preference. That way, there’s no additional time invested and no loss of funds from either party. It’s also a good idea for me to give several samples of my past work from satisfied clients, not just one or two. I have a freelance friend who has compiled a portfolio, online and offline, of satisfied customers that she uses in her marketing pitches.

With these few steps in mind for my freelance future, I think that not only will things start to get better, but work may also get a little easier. We’ll just have to wait and see, but trust me to keep you posted.

Happy Writing!!

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My Career Sparking Summer

October 9, 2011 By Leave a Comment

I’ve been a freelance writer for a long time, probably for about thirteen years now. I enjoy writing thoroughly, almost as much as I enjoy doing other of my favorite hobbies, like shopping and cooking! But really, writing allows me to focus on the things that interest me, put those things in my own words and thoughts and then translate those things out in a comprehensible way where I can motivate, inform and educate others.

I’ve also been approached numerous times by individuals and businesses to do writing for them, whether it’s for their personal resumes or for their SEO campaigns for their websites. I enjoy doing those things as well, especially when I get research and find out about ‘other’ stuff that interests and intrigues me. What initially sparked this  love for writing is when I was young (in high school) and my sister took a job with the federal government in California writing grant requests for the transportation department.

Of course, being in Alabama, a place like California may as well have been  a place like Mars! As much as I wanted to visit and stay during the summers, there was no way that my family could financially afford nor could I be away from my summertime activities for that length of time.

My sister did however manage to wrangle ONE summer where I was able to visit her in L.A. and do a summer stint with one of her professional colleagues who was also a California criminal lawyer. The lawyer allowed me to work in his office and (help) write summations and sit with him while he composed questionnaires for clients and witnesses. The work was both exciting and mysterious all at the same time!

Working in this law office, you would think that I would have chosen the law field and perhaps decided to become a Los Angeles criminal defense lawyer, but actually what the lawyers did on a daily basis was more intriguing to me than being in a courtroom. I loved the research, the writing, the composing and fact-checking more than anything. Because of that initial “love”, today I am enjoying my time as a freelance writer and pursuing those things that empassion me.

My mother was however a little disappointed, only because writers don’t make nearly as much money as a criminal defense attorney Los Angeles based would make. I know that. I’m aware of that. Yes. But, if you only do what makes money and not do what you love and what motivates you every day, then are you really happy? Really?

I cherish the memories that I have from those couple of summers of being in Los Angeles, I really do. Those experiences helped to set the tone for my life today. I wonder sometimes what path would I have taken had it not been for that exposure.

Do what you love. Love what you do. While money is good, happiness is better, right

Filed Under: Careers Tagged With: ,

Customer Service the RIGHT Way!

October 3, 2011 By Leave a Comment

With as many service-oriented companies that are in business today, businesses must work extra hard to find and keep customers. You would think that this is a no-brainer for some businesses, but I am amazed just about every day as to how laissez-faire some companies are towards their customers. Granted I don’t have to purchase something everyday in every type of industry, but customer service is customer service, right? I mean, the description alone should be enough to assure customers that their business is both welcomed and appreciated. That’s what I think.

But, boy, am I WRONG!

Some businesses don’t treat customers extra special, as they should. Granted too that retail customers are vastly different than business-to-business customers, but the premise is still the same, and that is to provide customers with what they want and/or are looking for. I will say that I was quite refreshed the other day to find that there are still some companies that embrace this philosophy and do things to ensure that good service does happen.

My sink at home started a leak and my husband was out of town. Yes, things at home generally wait until he’s out of town to make a fast-break at their chances of breaking down!! Anyway, I decided to give my green plumbing skills a shot and figure out the problem. First glance showed me there was a loose seal on the pipe and a worn out o-ring on the faucet. I don’t know enough about those things, so I did what most unknowing homeowners do…I Googled it! But surprisingly, my Google search for o-rings took me to several sites, one of which caught my eye because it went into fabulous detail about their product offerings and services.

Now I am one individual, and certainly not a consumer of many things in this industry, but the list of things that they focus on for their industry did not leave much out. They included most everything like:

  • Oil Field Machinery
  • Military & Aerospace
  • Water Filtration
  • Motor Vehicles
  • Farm & Construction
  • Fuel-Dispensing

So why is this even important? Well, oftentimes, companies think that if they focus on one or two areas of specialty, they’re likely to get a large share of the market. Is this true? Depending on the industry of course, that can go either way. But, as a consumer, I’m of the opinion that if I can get 1+ service or product in one place, then I can eliminate time-wasters and have convenience in my life. Why, after all, do you think Super Wal-Mart’s and Super Target’s are so unbelievably popular? Because they provide exactly what the customer wants and needs in one place. They make it very, VERY hard for you to NOT do all of your one-stop-shopping with their establishments.

Parco Inc. specializes in manufacturing high performance seals, custom molded rubber products, o-ring kits and other products in the above-mentioned industries. They tell you on their site how long they’ve been in business, what they do, who they cater to, what they provide, what they offer, what you’ll gain, etc. Now, since this sounds like a very detailed and performance-driven industry, it loos like the customers who buy from them will likely be very satisfied with their product and level of service. Repeat customers? Highly probable, which is great for both sides in the long run.
Now if we could just get some of the fast-food places to embrace this idea, things would really look up, don’t you think?
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