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7 best ways to be a professional freelancer in India

freelancer

Freelance economy –

As per investopedia the freelance economy, also known as the gig economy, is a labor market consisting of a growing number of short-term contracts. Companies hire self-employed workers to undertake specific jobs in return for an agreed-upon payment, rather than offering them permanent positions.

With startup economy booming in India, and #Entrepreneurship ecosystem shaping for good, we see a surge in #freelancers in India. The demand is only growing. Market is also responding to the increasing demand of freelance, they are: Co-working space boom, startup boom, outsource of consulting work, cost / labor arbitrage within local markets, fast changing technology, innovation and ideation process, etc. Hence it is imperative to respond to the changing demand in freelance market.

So here is 7 best ways to be a professional freelancer in India:

  1. Be an Expert in Your Field – skill skill skill, remember you are only because of your skills. So, know your expert area and charge.
  2. Adaptability – As a freelance professional, always be on top of your right attitude and action. Do what you know, know what you can do as per the demand, client demand. Since you are not bound to any corporate process, understand the market and change
  3. Commitment is key – Do what you promise you will do. Responding to people promptly and following through on promises as per the timeline. As a professional, you will be counted by your client only if you are agile and deliver as expected.
  4. Communication is cing! – Never shy away from making the first effort to reach to the client. Give them the big picture. Help them to understand the total perspective. Email, have a written communication, keep everyone in loop. Do not underestimate the power of communication.
  5. Be Structured and Organized – You are your brand. In an unorganized market of freelancing, make a mark by being organized. It is a no brain formula, often missed by freelancers. Keep files ready, note everything, use pen and paper 🙂
  6. Accountability – Own up your mistakes. Professionals are accountable for the work they are given. It is fine to fail but don’t blame others in times of crisis. Manage the crisis by acting and fixing the problem. Client would appreciate if you make effort to find.
  7. Be Confident – Don’t be cocky, do not over do, dress for the occasions. Be polite and well-spoken while speaking to customers, superiors and co-workers. Work on body language. As a gig you are the boss so make the right decisions.
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Brand that is driven by extraordinary culture

Brand

Company to a brand

As per MCA, there were 11,89,826 active companies as on June 30, 2018.  Not all are brands that deliver experience along with product and services. Brand is a simplest form to identify a company and further it helps to differentiate from another company in same industry.  It is essential for companies or an organization to create a brand out of services and products they deliver. It is not simple as it sounds to be. And it is not impossible to become a brand and recognized by consumers in the market.  However, the stakeholders of the company need to walk the journey to become a brand.

The first step to the endless journey to stay as a brand

Recently I was asked in a client meeting, “what is the single factor that makes a company or brand successful ?  With no hesitation or thoughts, I pointed out “culture” as the single factor that could make a company successful and hence makes it a brand. Though culture is not a visible factor, but it is the only function that determines the growth curve. Culture forms the single platform where marketing, HR, operations, sales resides. Without the concrete culture a company is not a brand and not a company that could pull itself for long run in the market (we are not challenging the exceptions as we deal with best practices).  The good news is 70% of the company stakeholders / business leaders we surveyed know the importance of organizational culture, 90% of them struggle to use culture as a key driver of performance. Business stakeholders acknowledge that they should create culture enabled brand rather than a brand which only markets product and services.

expandnext.com research shows Customer Relationship, Innovation and Accountability are the top priorities among the other parameters that brands are looking to invest and are investing. Fortunately, these are also part of culture management system. Example – Innovation is a culture which can be put into a business process or say a company can implement Innovation Process as part of culture.

Thinking extraordinary – as a part of culture

Brands need to institutionalized culture which could inspire the next generation of managers and employee at all levels. Company should groom people from being ordinary to extra ordinary for growth and innovation.

Challenges

Yes, there are challenges, specially when brands are part of the long value chain. B2B functions challenges are comparatively less than brands dealing in B2C markets. Retail brands which take the franchise route should re-think and re imagine the process and should explore culture as a key parameter. As in culture of training and development (and not business development ), culture of constant auditing, culture auditing. Brands should stop thinking their partners in business as another distribution channel, and should align them more to the culture that the brand promise.

For more such business discoveries please email us at [email protected]