Mike McRitchie | Resume and LinkedIn Profile Writer | Telecom Marketing Content Writer

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Should You Be A Freelancer?

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Freelancer, Freelancing, Freelance
Photo credit: tracilawson via Foter.com / CC BY

You’ve had that feeling.  You’re ready to chuck the corporate world and head off on your own business adventure.  You’re your own boss.  No one telling you what to do.  Making your own hours.  Setting your own priorities.

But are you ready for that?

How do you know?

First off, it is really easy when you’re upset, pissed off, and feel like your world is caving in around you, to think the grass is greener in the freelance life.

But is it really?

First you need to cool off.  Take a step back.  Give it 24-48 hours minimum to get your mind straight.  There is nothing more damaging to your career or life than making a bad decision because you were in a bad emotional state.

Okay.  So you got through that and you’re still thinking running your own business is where your life should be headed.  What next?

How financially prepared are you?

If you didn’t have income for six to 12 months, could you survive?  Do you have the savings?

How far can you scale back your fixed expenses to get you through the transition?  What is your rent or mortgage?  Could you downsize?  Do you have car loans or student loans you have to pay on each month?  Or credit card debt?  Better to pay that stuff down or off before backing yourself into a financial corner.

Beyond your current spending, will your plan give you room to save?  If you’re spending everything you earn you’re likely to be setting yourself up for the equivalent of a job with double the stress and risk.

Relationships are next.

How are you supported?  Does your spouse, friends, family support you with this decision?  When the going gets tough are they going to be in your  corner, helping you through the difficult times?  Or are they going to say, “I told you so.” and undermine you every chance they get.

Running your own business is hard enough as it is and entrepreneurship isn’t always as glamorous as the snake oil salesmen selling get rich quick schemes would have you believe.

Did I still not scare you off?

Then check this out and see if you have what it takes.

Is Freelancing For Me?

After checking it out if you think it is the lifestyle you want but you’re not fully prepared to make the jump yet, consider doing your new venture as a side hustle.  Especially if you can keep the up front costs at a minimum, you just might be able to get it rolling and then minimize the downside risk of a failure and better time the transition to full time freelancer.

Want to get a second opinion?  Contact me to schedule a call to discuss it.

How To Get Your First Paid Drone Gig [18 Brief Case Studies]

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A spectacular aerial view of the Golden Gate Bridge and the surrounding Coastline.  Or Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.  I was enraptured by the video footage as it livestreamed on Facebook.  The quality crystal clear.  The perspectives unlike what you get from the ground.

An incredible new world has opened up.

And as the Part 107 license process began the regulation of this brave new world, drones began to move both into the mainstream and nicely aligned with the side hustle culture that was evolving in parallel.

Drones took what was once a very challenging hobby (flying RC planes, boats, cars, and helicopters) and added the combination of relatively simple hover flight coupled with an onboard camera to literally take you into the drone’s driver’s seat.

As a guy, and electronics nut (and what guy isn’t), jumping into the fray and learning to fly a drone…and do it well, is a siren song tough for many to resist.

And so you find drone groups popping up all over.

So what about the paid side?

This is cool as well as there are now many opportunities to move your drone hobby into the paid zone (either as a side hustle or full time gig).

The side hustle option is especially cool as it can often help you get over the big hurdle (i.e. significant other who thinks spending big bucks “playing with toys” is a waste of money).  But you know better.  And if you can earn money to pay for your “hobby” away goes the guilt and justification.

No.  Not everyone moves into the paid zone this way.  There are many paths to get there.  And many insights that go with them.

So if you’re curious, read on as you delve into the real life stories of getting that first drone sale…the first money in their pocket.

I started off with this question,

“Tell your story…how did you move from drone hobbyist to getting your first paid gig?”

The response was amazing.  17 stories on how they  moved into paid drone gigs…and 2 at the starting gate who are excited to learn from the others.

Dave Horn of Dave Horn Unlimited Photography

I think all I had out was my photography Facebook page and I said I did drone work while I began shooting for fun and for free.

A local real estate photographer saw it and asked me to shoot some homes. We have worked together and he helped me figure out the best ways to shoot DSLR interiors too.

I’ve done a few on my own now, weddings, drone portraits and still a few free and fun things.

John Bendever of Sky Capture Media

I was watching drones for years, but never owned one. My brother-in-law traded some instruments for a P3 Pro and had tons of work offered. I jumped in head first and got my first gig by word of mouth.

Tim Kleinmeier

Raced drones for the past 3 years and decided I would like to get into the 107 side of things. Purchased my first DJI drone 6 months ago and now my company has taken off where I have more business than I can keep up with!

[Tim’s tips for success] The biggest thing for me was being able to adapt to the needs of the client. When I first launched my small mom and pop company not too long ago we thought we had it all figured out… WRONG lol.

Most companies want a one stop shop so this means stepping out of your comfort zone and going the extra mile to set yourself apart from other pilots. If you go into it thinking you are just going to get to fly around and get paid… well it doesn’t exactly work like that lol.

Definitely stay away from web based companies. They will only slow you down from earning real clients that will pay your bills not just get you some extra gas money. Think long-term and grab this industry by the horns and don’t look back because in the next few years this industry is going to blow up and you definitely want your foot in the door!

 

Josh Cagle

Learned of a Photography Rental Company Lumiod in SF, decided to give drones a try, fell in love and bought my own before my rental period was up, joined a bunch of FB groups, learned of a few paying websites and have had 27 successful combined missions for residential & commercial with a grand total earned of $1,620 gross.

Tee Bee

Took a field trip to a remote site with a scientist friend and took the drone with me. Ended up taking over five and a half thousand pictures and mapping out around 200+ hectares.

Jake Morrill of MO 4D, LLC

Decided I needed a “side gig”. Thought I would start a little drafting company as it’s something I had strengths in. Started looking at drones to do mapping and capturing existing conditions for landscaping etc. My research started last year right about the time Part 107 came out so there was a wealth of info and excitement online. Research on drone led to purchase and passing of Part 107.  For me now drafting is the less often used part of the business.  It’s all about the drone.

Bought a quadcopter to learn how to fly and then bought a Phantom two for work while in solar sales back in 2013. Turned out i started selling more and my jobs were installing quicker and with more accuracy in estimating. The writing was on the wall.
107 Certified, but my drone business is in another country. Started flying back in January 2017, but first gig was for an Emergency Management Agency where we presented on search and rescue using drones and put together an aerial video for them during an island wide emergency drill that simulated a natural disaster.
First gig I got call for just video their site.  I drove from Lake Elsinore CA to Yuma AZ. [They] paid me sum of money just doing aerial of property site.
I worked in Architecture up until this spring. Decided I was tired of sitting at a desk all day so I quit and started taking architectural pictures around my town until I had enough to put together a portfolio. Started bidding jobs and quickly found myself busy working for commercial property management companies, home builders, and realtors.
Had a couple realtors ask if I offered drone pictures, and I told them yes and quoted a price. Finally got someone to bite, borrowed my brother-in-laws phantom 4 after a 5 minute tutorial.
First time I flew it on my own was for a paying job. Ha.  After that I bought a P4A and have started doing more and more drone work.
I just finished editing a video for an investment brokerage (first video clips I took with my drone). Somehow I keep convincing people to hire me for jobs I’ve never done before, and then I just figure it out as I go. I’d guess my story isn’t ‘the norm’. I’ve just happened to catch a number of lucky breaks.
I work for the Board of Real Estate in Buffalo and I wanted to know all I could about drones in Real Estate, so I became a Part 107 pilot, and teach classes and do many shoots for members. Its a great industry and I am in a unique position to help the members as well as educate them. Its been a lot of fun playing with some of the aircraft that are coming out.  Here’s his study guide blog post.
Well for me, I just made clear videos of different locations I’ve visited, posted them on FB page and Vimeo and someone just noticed over time and wanted my footage.
I skipped the hobbyist part. It was around this time last year that I fell in love with aerial pics & videos I kept coming across on various internet platforms. Living on a budget with two kids, I couldn’t justify to my family a semi-major purchase, on something I just REALLY WANT. I became obsessed. I started studying for my 107, and passed the test back in January. Then, with the support of my wife, I “invested” a few thousand dollars toward a business. And shortly after being 107 certified, I finally flew my first drone. I still have my day job in concrete & masonry supply sales – which lead to my first paid drone job. Still only part time, I do roof & asphalt inspection, local real estate work, and whatever else finds me.

Josh Boughner of Sold By Air

My wife bought me a drone for my birthday and about a month later a family member asks…

“Josh can you do some aerial shots for this realtor I know she’ll pay you $50 a house?”. I thought..wait, fly my drone and make money? HELL YEA. So I went and did the two houses at what I now realize is a crazy cheap rate.

The next day I went into work and told my team about it, to which they replied..
“You know you just broke the law right?”…”wtf, seriously?” I asked….
I looked it up, sure enough you needed at 333 back then.
But that was also about the time they announced the part 107 test. I started studying like crazy and was one of the first in my area to have passed it. Have been running around like a madman doing aerial photography since.

Dave Zelm of Zelm Aerospace

Spent two years being a terrible security guard while researching precision ag, agronomy, and biology, and how to use drones to “fix” current farming practices. During that time I was building my network and reputation as a competent pilot, doing free photo and ag scouting jobs to build my portfolio. I’m incredibly lucky, and many dominoes are falling, almost daily it seems. Reputation and professionalism generates repeat business.

Patrick Bryant

I bought my P4 because my son, a wedding videographer, told me I could help him in his business. While learning to fly the drone and waiting for his first call, a real estate agent who happened to be the mother of one of my piano students found out I had a drone and immediately asked me to fly for some video footage of a farm she was listing. I didn’t know much of anything at that point, but I flew the mission anyway. She was stoked with the video, and if memory serves she paid me $50.

Allen Newland of A Shot Above

Started flying R/C planes in 74/75 and Heli in 90’s. Put cameras on them in 2000’s and then someone called them Drones and all of a sudden we needed a FSmAA medical, a pilot’ license and an FAA Section 333. We followed all rules/regs and got them all while making $$ and volunteering for Search n Rescue.

Now a Part 107, insurance and we are good to go.

We currently have thousands of hours flying and teaching UAS.

At The Starting Gate

And for those getting started, here’s some inspiration from others in the same boat…

Will Lane

Just finished my RePL and AROC today (Aus) so looking to make the step into Commercial work over the next couple of months.  I am going to a lot of free work to start off with to build a portfolio up and see where that takes me from there.. I’ll be preparing a SOP manual, job assessment form and risk assessment form to help prepare for each job, paid or unpaid, over the coming month.

Started flying in March this year I bought a Typhoon H Intel real sense drone. Passed my drone 107 about a month ago. Been doing some filming for friends and family. Haven’t landed any paid jobs yet. 

So what are you waiting for?

Now its your turn.  Have you been using your drone as a hobby?  How good are your skills?  Do you have the interest, enthusiasm, and business savvy to take your drone work to the next level?  Want to have it pay for itself?  Is there that next better drone you’ve been salivating over that a couple good paid gigs could help you justify the purchase to yourself and others?
If that sounds like you, you need to get started.  Planning and doing more practice with your drone (beyond a certain level of proficiency) will not move you closer to launching your drone business or side hustle.  At a certain point you just need to dive in (assuming your day job will cover your living expenses).  Use those stories here as your inspiration (and future reference).
The other thing you’ll find is there are a lot of really helpful people in the drone community who do love to help others.  You’ll find them in drone Facebook groups, drone clubs and meetups, etc.  So don’t be bashful.
Before you realize it you’ll be looking back wondering why you didn’t make the jump sooner.
Please share this post (on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn…help out those who are just getting started to learn from your stories).
And if you are struggling with figuring out what to do next to move your business to the next level (often it isn’t just working harder or spending more money), contact me (whether it is about website advice, how to grow your sales, or just figuring out what areas of focus might have the biggest impact on your success).

Now go take on your next great adventure!

Creating Career Paths for Young Workers

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Millennials WorkersPhoto credit: CommScope via Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND

According to research done by Gallup, six out of every 10 millennials are open to new job opportunities. The research further confirms that young workers are the least engaged generation in today’s workplace.  With people who belong to this generation known for being “job hoppers”, it is high time for organizations to adopt a different approach in order to retain young, talented staff members.

Yet another report from Gallup confirms that 21 percent of millennials change jobs every year. This is three times higher than the percentage of non-millennials who report the same. With this kind of employee turnover costing the USA economy a whopping $30 billion annually, the need for clear cut career paths is now more evident than ever.

But why do millennials seem to demand so much unlike other workers? For starters, millennials tend to focus not only on the present but also the future perspectives of their careers. Besides demanding good compensation, they also have an innate need to feel secure in their job roles. It is worth noting that this generation is particularly interested in personal growth. In other words, organizations that don’t offer them well planned career paths are bound to lose them.

According to PWC study titled “Managing tomorrow’s people – the future of work 2020”, most young workers expect to have 2 to 5 employers in their career.

This underscores the need for breaking with tradition and introducing innovative policies to keep this generation of workers engaged. Indeed, appreciating the role of career paths to young employees can significantly keep attrition under control.

Personal Growth

Career paths comprise many varying forms of career progression. These include (but not limited to) dual career ladders, vertical career ladders, encore careers and horizontal career lattices. Young employees tend to feel better engaged when they understand that the human resource department is genuinely concerned about their growth.

Implementing career paths also has a direct impact on staff morale, motivation, career satisfaction and responsiveness in meeting organizational goals. A new paradigm that has emerged is one where individuals want to be at least partly in control of their path.

In light of such facts, HR departments need to allow their employees to have a voice in creation of their career path. Gone are the days when drawing a plan for employees involved filling a spreadsheet with trajectories. Today’s workforce wants an active role in making crucial decisions about their future. This necessitates deeper involvement of HR practitioners particularly in adopting a customized approach to talent management. Ongoing training is yet another important facet of career pathing. Given that the majority of them grew up at a time of rapid technological advancement, millennials are used to change. Compounding this with the fact that the job market is equally fluctuating, it is quite clear why young workers are highly determined to remain on top of their game.

How are HR departments keeping up with these demands? Well, according to research by Deloitte, 63 percent of young workers feel their leadership skills are not being adequately honed. The research further alluded to the fact that organizations that train their youngest employees are more likely to retain them unlike those that don’t. There is therefore need for more investment in ongoing training among organizations that aim to keep their talent pool intact.

Beyond The Entry-Level Conundrum

Creating career paths for young workers involves more than just enhancing flexibility and ongoing training. Millennials thrive in new challenges. They don’t like to be stuck in an entry-level conundrum. As a matter of growth, they always look for ways to put their talents to better use. Lack of fresh challenges at the workplace can aggravate an already worse labor attrition problem across industries. Research by Man Power Group found out that two-thirds of young workers expected to be promoted in less than two years. This confirms their appetite for new challenges at the workplace.

Ultimately, there is a huge need to proactively reshape the workplace given the fact that young workers are expected to form 50 percent of the global workforce by 2020. With increased likelihood of job rotations and demand for more freedom, millennials are clearly looking for well thought-out career paths. Human resource departments therefore need to customize their approach to this sequence to boost staff acquisition and retention going forward.

Written by: Bryan Dough

Bryan Dough is a Social Media Strategist based in Melbourne, Australia. Bryan has worked with few of the leading consumer brands to build and deliver their social media campaigns. While being passionate about discovering the latest tactics and strategies in social media, Bryan enjoys spending his spare time going for a hike in the Mornington Peninsula. A beautiful area off from Bayside in Melbourne.

Satire In The Workplace [From Dilbert to Sarah Cooper]

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Sometimes you’ve got to laugh.

When you take a step back and realize how much this stuff really doesn’t matter.  We’ll be dead at the end anyway.  So why does  everyone have to get so wrapped up in things?  Why is everyone trying so hard to look good?  Does it really matter that much?

I think that is why you find Millennials (and retiring Boomers) checking out alternative work scenarios.  Recognizing that all work and no play (or dull work, stressful work, work with strings attached) really is a recipe for an early death (or you wish you were dead).

So lighten up a little.  Have a little fun. Share a little joy.  Don’t make things so unbearable by thinking that the only solution is perfection.  People are not and never will be perfect.  We don’t all get to hire only “A” players on our team.  So yes, things will go wrong.  Projects will not align with the perfect (this task takes 37 minutes to complete) timeline.  People get sick, get bogged down, get distracted by others’ fire drills.  You name it.

So recognize that and move on.

So that is what I was thinking as I came across this Medium post and video about Sarah  Cooper (I was thinking Sarah Silverman…is comedy a Sarah Thing???)  She worked at the Google God.  Part of the self-important crowd.  Where everyone is trying to outdo each other.

She took a slightly different approach.  She realized the absurdity of it all and found a way to have fun while letting others think she was incredibly important.  Check out both the video and post below.  I think you’ll get a good chuckle out of them and see plenty of parallels in your work life.

10 Tricks to Appear Smart During Meetings

Are you tired of running on the treadmill?  Before you chuck it all and buy a food truck, contact me.  Like Sarah  I can give you an outside view of your situation and help you separate fact from fiction…to get you on the right track.

 

Discover the Right Niche for Your Skill Set

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Discover Your Niche

If you’re an entrepreneur or working on developing a new product or service for your employer, you’re likely on the lookout for something new, or the next big thing. It’s something that can take many years to uncover – without the right tools.

But, by using market research and conducting your own purpose created survey, you can cut that time down a lot and get to work on the perfect niche market to suit your personal set of skills.

If you create a survey to discover a real consumer need that isn’t currently being met, questions you need to ask in your survey include:

  • What do consumers think is missing from an existing product or service.
  • Is an improvement or new product needed or would it just be ‘a nice-to-have’.
  • Would they be willing to spend money on a product add-on or new item?

Once you have the answers to these – and other key questions –  you’ll be better placed to make a decision on whether or not to push ahead with your new, niche ideas. Or, if you should go back to the drawing board.

Discover more about using surveys to discover market niches in this interesting post.

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