Growing to Fit the Global Market

This post brought to you by our Guest Blogger - Dana Petersen

As international commerce continues to grow, our global workforce becomes more integrated and some employees are getting an edge by learning a second (or third) language or seeking job assignments abroad. Likewise, your regular business contacts may include non-native English speakers or business partners overseas. Even if you have no time to learn another language, you can still do your part to be a good communicator.


Whether your medium is written or verbal, messages must be clearly stated. When communicating with a non-native English speaker, avoid idiomatic expressions such as, "it's like pulling teeth" or "getting my ducks in a row". Phrases like these may be unfamiliar even to fluent English speakers and they do not translate easily. Instead, say what you really mean: "it's extremely difficult" or "I need to organize things".


In addition to language barriers, be aware of conflicting time zones. When scheduling web meetings or phone calls, you may need to consider both international and U.S. time zones. Some countries observe daylight savings time, but others do not. When possible, confirm appointments by stating both times - your local time and their local time.


As instantaneous communication grows to reach new markets, transacting business is paradoxically more simple and more complex. Technology can overcome logistical issues and create opportunities for new partnerships but it does not guarantee our success. Like it or not, as the business world continues to grow smaller, our professional responsibilities grow ever larger. ¿Estamos preparados?

*Dana Petersen is a graduate of Iowa State University with degrees in Marketing and Ag Business. Her versatile writing background includes news articles, technical writing, and observational humor. She currently works with agricultural exchange students at the Foundation for Worldwide International Student Exchange in west Tennessee. Contact her here if you'd like to learn more.

This is Cute!

You'll want to check out our latest press on www.AgWired.com. We ran into Chuck Zimmerman and Laura McNamara at the Farm Progress show. Not only was there an interview - but a key opportunity for Norah's first photo opp!

http://agwired.com/2008/08/26/aggie-lance-makes-farm-progress/

Hurdles: Beijing and Beyond

This post brought to you by Dana Petersen - our August Guest Blogger


With all eyes on the Olympics, I can't help but envy how the athletes make things look so easy. The perfect routine? You got it. A new world record? No problem. Regardless of their seemingly effortless performances, all the competitors have developed their skills with years - and in some cases - decades of training.



Despite all the preparation, setbacks can happen. Injuries are especially frustrating for athletes because they impact their professional lives in a personal way. Hungarian weightlifter Janos Baranyai suffered a dislocated elbow. American sprinter Tyson Gay was favored to win the Olympic 100m event, but he lost his rhythm in the semifinal heat and didn't qualify for the final race. American gymnasts Paul and Morgan Hamm were sidelined by lingering injuries and couldn't even compete in Beijing.



Unlike these athletes, your on-the-job training doesn't require starting blocks, but that doesn't mean there aren't any hurdles in your path. You will undoubtedly encounter challenges in your career that test your skills and your patience. These issues may add tension to the work environment or they may be closer to home. Keep in mind, what defines people is not the height of their hurdles, but how they choose to overcome them.


Training day and night doesn't guarantee a world record, but overcoming obstacles does guarantee personal growth. Even if you don't take home the gold, clearing those hurdles one step at a time will lead you to the finish line and to the next chance to prove yourself.


*Dana Petersen is a graduate of Iowa State University with degrees in Marketing and Ag Business. Her versatile writing background includes news articles, technical writing, and observational humor. She currently works with agricultural exchange students at the Foundation for Worldwide International Student Exchange in west Tennessee. Contact her here if you'd like to learn more.

How To post an Aggie-Lance Short E

Follow this link to watch a short video on how to post a Short E on Aggie-Lance.com!

Aggie-LanceHowTov.1

Farmers absorb latest from new media

From Journal Gazette - Ft. Wayne, IN

Podcasts, YouTube discuss techniques for grazing, breeding

Think of it as moo media.

Cattle farmers anywhere in the world can pull up YouTube’s Web site and watch Purdue University’s videos on grazing and breeding techniques. The collection’s most popular video has been downloaded more than 2,200 times in eight months.

The YouTube channel is just one way agriculture companies and educators are using new media to reach farmers. Text messages, blogs and podcasts are opening new information channels within the agriculture industry.

Click here to read full article

Aggie-Lance now Supports Short Term Employment Opportunities!

They're called Short E's!

Short E's (Def. Short Term Employee Engagement lasting less than 1 year)

Consultants. Internships. Seasonal Work. Explosive Growth. Special Need Situations.

All of these are times when you might need to hire an employee for just a short engagement. Whether it is four weeks, fourteen weeks, or forty weeks - an employee hired for a specific short term engagement is often the answer.Aggie-Lance offers a solution to help you attract great applicants for your short term employee engagements - it's called "Short E."

How does it work?Simple. When you post a "Short E." on our site, you empower your job posting to reach out to hundreds, maybe even thousands of people, through social media. Aggie-Lance has developed a social networking application that automatically communicates employment opportunities for facebook users to see. Keep in mind there are more than 90 million active facebook users to date!

Our XML feeds are posted on affiliate web sites throughout the internet. That means that not only is your job posted on Aggie-Lance.com, it is also being seen immediately on dozens of other sites and blogs as well.In addition, your posting will be communicated to current registered job seekers, linked in our newsletter, viewed by hundreds of passers by each week, and forwarded on by friends of friends. We empower word of mouth marketing for our job postings better than anyone else in the industry.

Influence through Social Media

Who in the agriculture industry is using social media as a mode of communication with their clients?
Social media is so new, growing so fast, and changing every day. The most advanced early adopters are light years ahead of most. But what can we do besides just reading about it?

Last week we hosted the first ever social media tele-seminar focusing on why we should use social media in the ag industry. You can download it here. As a result, we think there are more questions than answers at this point.

So we pose the question to you: Who in the ag industry is using social media, and doing it well? Feel free to post your responses to this blog, or email feedback@aggielance.com.

Look forward to hearing from you.

Anything Seem Funny to You?

This post from our freelance guest blogger - Dana Petersen:

Like me, I'm sure you have received your share of e-mail mistakes. These errors can grab your attention and obscure the author's intended message. A recent example from my inbox used the word "seam" instead of "seem". It's a harmless misspelling, but also one I haven't forgotten.

Nobody is perfect, but professionalism and proofreading are both marketable skills. While many typos are innocuous, others may be embarrassing or even offensive. One method for eliminating common mistakes is slowly reading the message aloud. Focusing on each sentence allows the reader to quickly identify problems a spell checker may overlook, such as missing words or punctuation.

Larger projects including specialized documents, presentations or lengthy e-mails may seem overwhelming. Take a break and refresh your inbox because help may be just a click away. Is there a colleague or supervisor that rarely makes an e-mail error? Not only is that person probably a good proofreader, but he or she may even enjoy proofreading. Don't be afraid to mention that you noticed your co-worker's exceptional e-mails when making your pitch for some proofreading assistance.

As business communication continues to develop, so do our writing tools. It may sound silly, even obvious, but proofreading is a skill that never goes out of style. In a perfect world, the messages we write would always be free of errors. In this imperfect modern age, proofreading skills are not easily duplicated by technology. Before you hit send, ask yourself one simple question: are my seams showing?

*Dana Petersen is a graduate of Iowa State University with degrees in Marketing and Ag Business. Her versatile writing background includes news articles, technical writing, and observational humor. She currently works with agricultural exchange students at the Foundation for Worldwide International Student Exchange in west Tennessee. Contact her here if you'd like to learn more.

Citizenship for Your Career

This post is submitted by our August Guest Blogger - Dana Petersen.

Citizenship for Your Career

Community organizations offer opportunities for leadership and philanthropy, not to mention a break from your workday routine. Weekly or monthly activities are a great way to meet other leaders in your community or your profession. Likewise, if you are looking to apply personal skills and talents that are under-utilized in the workplace, taking an active role with a local chapter may provide a channel for creativity.

Organizations come in all shapes and sizes. Professional groups such as the National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) or the American Business Women's Association (ABWA) provide opportunities for networking and professional development. From the American Red Cross to Heifer International, philanthropic organizations focus on service and outreach. You can make your mark as a new member by applying your skills to publicity or fundraising.

If you have children, community youth groups such as Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, 4-H and FFA stress the importance of personal goals and leadership. Many groups are in need of adult volunteers for special events or projects such as roadside clean-up or leadership camps.

If you are concerned about the cost of joining an organization, remember that your employer may grant flex time for community activities or help with travel expenses for workshops and conferences. Also, many employers will reimburse a portion of your membership fees. Don't wait - make the most of your summer by being active in your community!

*Dana Petersen is a graduate of Iowa State University with degrees in Marketing and Ag Business. Her versatile writing background includes news articles, technical writing, and observational humor. She currently works with agricultural exchange students at the Foundation for Worldwide International Student Exchange in west Tennessee. Contact her here if you'd like to learn more.

Social Media Tele-Seminar August 6th!

Tune your phone lines to a special event this August 6th, as some of the ag industry’s brightest social media minds converge in one jam packed tele-seminar. Hosted by, Aggie-Lance.com, this seminar will feature Chuck Zimmerman from Agwired.com and Zimmcomm.biz, John Blue from Truffle Media, and Liza Markle from the National FFA Organization. The topic at hand: What is social media, and WHY do we need to be using it in the agriculture industry today? Expect to come away with a couple tangible ideas that you can apply straight away!


Social Media has grabbed hold of the marketing world – yet in traditional fashion, the Agriculture Industry is one of the last ones to catch on. It doesn’t have to be this way! Are you prepared to bridge the generation gap by facing the facebook crowd? Did you know your business can benefit by using this online social media tool? There are more than 72 Million blogs on the internet, does my company really need one…and can it help our marketing? Now wait a second, that YouTube thing is just for kids right? And pod casting is only for people with iPods, if I am not mistaken. “Don’t fool yourself; there is business value in just about every aspect of social media.” Says Mark Jewell of Aggie-Lance.com, “this tele-seminar will help people to better understand the world of social media.


Who should listen to this call?

Marketing Directors, Sales Professionals, CEO’s, VP’s, , IT people, Recruiters, Journalists, Ad Agencies, Anyone that communicates in your company!
Get on board and start learning how to use social media for your benefit! Join us for no cost, it will be worth your time! The event will be held at 11:00am Central Standard Time; all you’ll need to do is dial in. Simply register today at www.aggielance.com/teleSeminar.aspx


Can’t make the call? That’s okay. It will be available for download after the call. Go ahead and register anyway, and you will receive an email with the download link!

The Generation Gap Discussed

We recently read a GREAT article on the Business Pundit blog. They shared a panel from three people, each of different generations you find in the workplace today. Aggie-Lance is working to bridge the generation gap in the work place by advocating and empowering people to work from home, or telecommute in other ways. Thats why we're soon to addin in software that allows companies to collaborate on projects from across multiple locations - for free!
We thought this article would really shine some light on the generation situation! Please view it at:

http://www.businesspundit.com/generational-panel-tells-all/

Posted Recently on Fast Company.com

July 23, 2008

"Within five years, technology will obliterate the need for business travel." - Inspired by new videoconferencing technologies and rising fuel costs
Apart from becoming more and more unpleasant, recently business travel is also becoming far less necessary. With videoconferencing technologies improving and fuel prices rising, more businessmen and women seem to be choosing the option to stay put and use new technology to cut down on travel.

Companies too are making an active effort to limit employees’ air travel for the duel-pronged benefits of cutting costs and being environmentally friendly. AT&T has reportedly reduced employee air miles by 15% through video conferencing and Web meetings, while Accenture plans to have 22 video conferencing rooms installed around the world by the end of this year."

Visit http://www.fastcompany.com/big-idea/within-five-years-technology-will-obliterate-need-business-travel?partner=fasttake
to vote whether you agree or disagree!

The Renewed Allure of Telecommuting

A friend forwarded this outstanding article from InformationWeek.com. It is very telling of our times - in an environment where it makes sense to be doing work from home! While this article focuses on the IT industry, we are seeing a similar shift in the Ag Industry. Write us a comment if your company is shifting its policies to allow employees to work from home!

"The Renewed Allure Of Telecommuting"

Posted by Marianne Kolbasuk McGee, Jun 18, 2008 03:44 PM


"With gasoline prices rising above $4 a gallon, a recent survey found that 40% of tech workers would willingly take a pay cut to telecommute. Meanwhile, more employers are apparently offering IT pros the choice to work remotely as a perk to attract hard-to-find skills. Is telecommuting an option you offer your staff?


IT staffing firm Sapphire Technologies has found that clients these days are more frequently allowing tech consultants to forgo long commutes in their cars and expensive air travel to client locations and instead work from home or from Sapphire offices closer to home."


Click here for the whole article!

Do you buy your own technology for work?

Interesting article on the business section of USA Today for 6/16/2008:

Question to Aggie-Lance blog readers: Do you purchase your own technology that gets used for personal and business use? As a result, do you feel more inclined (perhaps justified) to do both freelance and full time work at overlapping times?

By Michelle Kessler, USA TODAY
"Many employees — frustrated that their companies are unwilling to pay for the laptops, cellphones and other electronic devices that they want on the road — are spending their own money to get them.

Nearly 40% of professionals recently surveyed by researcher In-Stat paid for a laptop that they regularly carried. Cellphone users often picked up their bill. And company-provided personal digital assistants (PDAs), cameras and Global Positioning Systems (GPS) are relatively rare, says the survey, released Monday."

Businesses say they must carefully choose which electronics to provide for employees because they're expensive. A BlackBerry e-mail device with one year of service costs around $1,400. "

Full article: http://www.usatoday.com/money/workplace/2008-06-15-electronic-devices-workplace_N.htm

Wisconsin FFA State Officer Training

This week I am pleased to have the opportunity to be working with the newly elected State FFA Officer team of the Wisconsin FFA Association! In addition to running Aggie-Lance, I get the opportunity to work with FFA students across the country as a leadership facilitator. Primarily, I work as a freelance leadership trainer, and seasonal employee of the National FFA Organization.

After just one day with the new Wisconsin officer team, I can tell they are a bright bunch, just chomping at the bit to make a positive difference in the lives of nearly 18,000 members in the Wisconsin FFA Association. This conference will challenge me as a trainer to make sure the content and delivery is at a high enough level, enabling them to gain all they can from our time together.

The conference we are currently in is called BLAST Off, or Building Leaders and Strong Teams of Officers. It is typically three and a half days long, and includes items such as building a personal mission statement, developing and delivering speeches, team building, conversation skills, communicating the FFA brand, and more! With the quality of leaders this association has elected, it is certain to be a great conference...and a great year for Wisconsin FFA!

Aggie-Lance eNews

In this issue…
What the heck is Aggie-Lance?
You Can Outsource That?
Great Resources!
Aggie-Lance Evolution – Aggie-Lance Affiliate Program
New Projects on Aggie-Lance

Not signed up to receive Aggie-Lance e-News Briefs? Click here


What the heck is Aggie-Lance?
Aggie-Lance is a web based service designed for agribusinesses around the world. The purpose is to provide a connecting place for those that have project needs, and those who provide them. The mission of Aggie-Lance LLC is to be the central hub for agribusinesses, freelance professionals, and small businesses. By utilizing the horsepower of the internet and social media, Aggie-Lance has the ability to communicate job and project needs to thousands of people in a very short period of time.
What does it do?
Aggie-Lance creates space on the internet that allows you to post projects you need to be done. Additionally, you can post the short term positions where an independent contractor or short term employee might come in handy (call 1-800-906-6924 for more info on posting short term employment positions). When jobs or projects are posted on the Aggie-Lance website, they are communicated to entire communities of freelance professionals and small businesses. As interested parties learn of your project or contracted work need, the will visit the website and place bids on the work.

You Can Outsource That...?
People are often very surprised by the unique types of things that can be outsourced. Week to week, we’ll provide a list of new ideas that people and businesses are choosing to outsource. In a world where more and more people are working from home, the talent pool is deepening. It is time for more companies to take advantage of the freelance talent that exists! Visit www.aggielance.com to post your project need!

New Ideas this week:
Ghost Writing, Copywriting, Web Design, Graphic Art, Podcasting, Ag Journalism, Photography, Personal Assistants, Market Research, Risk Management, Lead Generation, Blog Writing…more to come next week!


Great Resources: Duct Tape Marketing…
Each week we’ll choose a great internet resource that might be of interest. This week we’ve chosen the Duct Tape Marketing website. As the utilization of new media becomes more of a necessity, learning how to use it is ever more important! The Duct Tape Marketing site, and especially the blog are great resources to learn how to improve your internet based marketing! Feel free to visit their website at:
http://www.ducttapemarketing.com/
Want to be featured as a stellar resource for agribusinesses? Write: feedback@aggielance.com

Aggie-Lance Evolution…
As industry evolves, so must the companies that serve it. In order to better serve the agriculture industry, Aggie-Lance is developing an Affiliate Marketing program in order to reach a deeper sector of the market place.
Aggie-Lance Affiliates will be known as “Aggie-Lance Agents.” These Agents will receive a top secret code significant only to them. As they inform friends and colleagues of Aggie-Lance services, they are invited to share their secret code with them. When someone they know posts a project, that person will enter the secret code – and Aggie-Lance will track the project. Once a match is made for that project with an Aggie-Lance freelancer, the Agent will receive compensation! To learn more about becoming an “Aggie-Lance Agent” call 1-800-906-6924, or email: mark@aggielance.com.

New Projects this Week…
Week to week, we’ll advertise high profile projects that have been posted on Aggie-Lance. If you know someone interested in working on these, forward this message on to them!

3-D Animation – Best Management Practices: http://www.aggielance.com/projectView.aspx?id=14
Program Outcomes Evaluation: http://www.aggielance.com/projectView.aspx?id=12

Facebook Application: http://www.aggielance.com/projectView.aspx?id=13

Replies to our last post on AgWeb have inspired us to talk more about the use of social networking in the agriculture world. We're interested in finding out how your company utilizes social media in order to stay connected with clients!

Last month's issue of Fast Company Magazine listed this astounding factoid about Facebook, one of the most popular social networking sites out there. At the time the issue was run, facebook had 67 million users, "And at its current 3% weekly expansion rate, it will have 200 million users by the end of the year, equal to the population of the fifth largest nation on earth." Anyone else have a company that is growing at 3% per week?

At Aggie-Lance, we've found that facebook has at least one utility that is proving very helpful. You can now create a facebook page to promote you group or business. Click here to see ours. Basically, you create a page containing any information you want people to know about your company or group. Then, you invite your facebook friends to check it out, and hopefully become fans. If they like it, they can in turn invite their friends to become fans, and so on.

So we pose the question, what are you doing to take advantage of social media in your ag business? The possibilities are endless. Feel free to shoot back some replies and let us know what you're doing. Have you found other sites that are proving useful?

John Blue from Truffle Media mentioned they are using Twitter to promote their pod casts such as SwineCast (www.swinecast.com). Aggie-Lance has also been using Twitter to promote new projects that get listed, and it is #2 on our list of referring sites (sites that direct traffic to your website).

We look forward to hearing from you!

Interested in blogging for Aggie-Lance or for our Ag Freelance blog on www.agweb.com? email: mark@aggielance.com

The Story

For years I have loved meeting new people, and finding ways to help them. Perhaps it is the nature of the farm boy in me - but I just can't help wanting to help others. In my case, likely the best help I can bring is by saying,

"Did you know so and so, does this? I bet she can help you out."
or, "Hey, that company has a job opening, you'd be a great fit."
and there is, "hey, let's all get together for drinks later."

I love working with people, I love finding out what makes them tick, I love knowing what they do, and eventually helping them put their talents to good use. This is why I created Aggie-Lance! To me, there is no greater satisfaction than watching others succeed after having helped them along the way.

Not long ago, I decided I wanted to use the power of the internet to help connect people. Additionally, when I created Aggie-Lance I kept our most sacred industry in mind - agriculture. I designed it to help connect agriculture based businesses with people that can help them out. That is why it is absolutely free to post your every day tasks, or contract work on our website. We also made it very affordable for those placing bids on that work. (Plus its free membership for a year to sign up before August 1, we'll only charge the base job fee when you win a bid)

This site is new, the idea isn't. There are dozens of websites that help connect freelancers with all kinds of jobs. But we're the only one that focuses specifically on the greatest industry on earth - Agriculture.


P.S. interested in blogging for Aggie-Lance? I'd love to hear your idea. email: mark@aggielance.com

Mind Warp

This morning, I received a regular email newsletter from AgCareers.com - always full of great info. Their newsletter leads us to a you tube video (pertinent to the topic of intergenerational work places). Watching the video will give you a total mind warp about the technological shifts we are going through, and why Web 2.0 sites like Aggie-Lance are so important.

Visit this video, its worth your time:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMcfrLYDm2U

Its time to get more work done more efficiently. Aggie-Lance can help.

World Pork Expo

Trade shows are a great way to meet new people, and reconnect with old friends. Coming up on June 5-7 you have the next big agriculture related trade show - The World Pork Expo. Thousands of exhibitors and other interested parties will be converging upon Iowa to celebrate an interest in the other white meat.
I will be attending (although not exhibiting this year) and looking forward to meeting many of you. If you are an industry professional serving or working with the pork industry, I'd love to meet up with you. I'll be carting around the event on Thursday June 5th, and possibly June 6th. Look forward to meeting you there!

Many of you consider it no problem when it comes to connecting with others. Some of us still need a little help. Here is some advice from Keith Ferrazzi, the networking guru that might help you out. Happy Networking at the the World Pork Expo!

http://www.accomplishlife.com/articles/1020/1/Getting-Face-Time/Page1.html

Aggie-Lance is for YOU

Aggie-Lance has been created with You in mind. When Aggie-Lance was just an idea, it began because we felt there needed to an easier way for agribusiness employers to bid out their extra or unwanted projects. Our true hope is that you find this utility will help you manage your projects in a timely and efficient manner - while hopefully reducing stress and cost.

Click here for this video explaining how Aggie-Lance can work for you.

Can I Freelance Too?

Can I Free Lance Too?
Yes You can! Many people dream about that supplemental income that helps send their family on a worry free vacation every summer. Lots of us have dreamed about working from a home office – just sharing our best talents with those who need them. My honest opinion is that God gave you a certain set of talents, and a purpose for being here to walk on this planet. So, if you’re one of these people that dreams of sharing in the dream of working from home, you’ve arrived at the perfect time in history to use those special talents.

Today, it is easier than ever to find supplemental or perhaps even full time work, just by logging on to the internet. If you’re reading this blog post, then you have already proven you’ve got the skills to utilize the web. Now why not use it to make money? Become a free lancer and market your talents to those that need them. There are many great websites that point you in the right direction such as www.guru.com, www.elance.com, www.ifreelance.com, and others. Soon to come will be www.aggielance.com which is industry specific to the agriculture...meaning you'll be able to market your talent more directly to ag based companies ( Starting Today!)
So what should you do? Well, what expertise or loves do you have? Perhaps you have a knack for writing. Maybe you’re an accomplished accountant. Do you have event planning skills? There is lots of opportunity for data entry personnel, blog writers, livestock specialists, telemarketers, email writers, direct mail managers, crop planning, tax consulting, legal advice,…I could list on and on. Last year, companies and individuals listed more than 150,000 projects on elance.com alone. Specialized people and businesses like you, bid those projects and profited from it.

My parents always told me, “Do what you love, and the rest will follow.” Are you doing what you love? Do you have a special expertise that could be put to good use through free lancing? It is not as tough as you might think. For more information about how to become a free lancer, log on to www.aggielance.com to sign up and receive pertinent information! Good luck to you!

Top 5 Projects to Farm Out

1. Graphic Design – There are literally thousands of qualified graphic designers out there waiting to make your logo, brochure, catalog, business card, or company sign look outstanding! When you don’t have a great big staff with talented graphic artists – bid the project out online. You’ll save time, and likely tons of money.

2. Web Design/Content – Content writers and web designers are more accessible than ever. More importantly, what your web site says and how it communicates are increasingly important if you want to get noticed.

3. Productivity Planning – You know how to produce it, but perhaps not the most efficient way. Contract a consultant to look at your data and potential to give you the best plan for success!

4. Business Planning – Lots of experienced business planning consultants are chomping at the bit to help your new enterprise start off on the right foot. Remember, “The will to win, is nothing without the will to prepare.”

5. IT Management – My personal experience in the agriculture industry tells me first hand that farmers, producers, controllers, mill managers, production specialists, and sales staffs are not always the best IT specialists. Why not contract a free lance IT person to consult your business and help prevent that down time when your hard or software fails.

When Should I Use Freelance Talent?

When should I use Freelance Talent?

The following four points are excerpted from writers-editors.com. While the specific examples are geared towards a writers perspective, the lessons to be learned are fully applicable to any industry. Let’s face it, any agriculturalist, no matter the job, is a busy person. Why not relieve some of the stress and still get high quality work?

From writers-editors.com:
"When To Consider Using Freelance Talent”
“1. When you want a diversity of writing styles that will keep your publication, your Web site, your agency, your business communications from going stale. Freelancers will give you a wider range of story, public relations or advertising ideas from which to draw.”
“2. When you want to save money. One editor likened the use of freelancers to buying a time-share vacation plan: "You pay for only the time you use." In one year his publication's payments to freelancers was almost $31,500. If they had chosen instead to hire the two additional staff writers it would have taken to turn out the same quality and quantity of work, he says their costs would have been about $46,600 including salary and benefits. With freelancers you don't have to pay for non-productive "working" hours, vacation days, holidays, unemployment insurance, social security, sick leave or other fringe benefits.”
“3. When you want to cut travel costs where research needs to be done in another city or state. Airline, car rental, meal and hotel expenses can be much less - if not eliminated altogether - by hiring a freelance writer who lives in that area.”
“4. When work has piled up, you're short on staff writers, or you've taken on a job that requires special expertise."

No matter the job, if it can be done outside of your location, you can save time and money using freelancers. Hire consultants, experts, worker bees, accountants, data entry people, web designers, graphic artists, agriculture professionals, someone to organize your life, just about anything! In the next post, we’ll talk more about how you can justify the cost of using a freelance professional – and how they might just help you make more money!