The following articles were tagged: freelancer.

Who’s On Blellow? Mark Sherrick

Blellow is growing! New members are joining everyday, but after almost 3 months, there are a few members who have become friends. These folks have been Blellow evangelists since day one and we couldn’t have gotten to where we are with out them. We’d like to introduce you to one of those friends today; regular guest blogger and all around good guy, Mark Sherrick.

Mark SherrickName: Mark Sherrick

Location: Bristol, CT

SkillsMarketing: Sales, Creative Consulting

Current Status: Contrary to the image my blog posts and some other things I do present, I am unemployed at the moment. I am in the beginning stages of the setup of my freelance consulting stuff.

What are you currently working on?
I’m currently working towards officially being a freelancer.

Favorite part of freelancing/entrepreneurship?
Its hard to say, really. I enjoy being my own boss and making my own choices.

Biggest challenge you face as a freelancer/entrepreneur?
That first step off the cliff is a big challenge. In the past, I had huge issues with second guessing myself, but I am beyond that now.

What are some of your favorite tools that you are using to run your business as a freelancer?
My brain, for the most part. But for actual tools, Twitter has done great things for expanding my network and introducing me to some great folks. As for software, since most of what I do is conceptual, I don’t have to use too much beyond using the general Microsoft office stuff and GIMP for occasional graphical work.

As a freelancer have you found it hard to balance work and play time? What do you do to try to keep things balanced?
As a person in general, I have a hard time balancing work and play. It’s why up until launching my freelancing, most of my work has been in places where I’m not stuck behind a desk or anything like that. Working at home does make balancing things a bit easier for me, because everything is within reach.

Has Blellow been helpful to you? If so, please share how it has helped.
Blellow has been amazingly helpful. I have met some amazing people and gotten some great advice on what to do and what not to do. I really appreciate the social aspect of Blellow as well, because working at home, all I have is my dog and cat to keep me company, and they don’t talk much.

Where can you find Mark?

http://www.twitter.com/heythatguymark
http://themarketingmark.blogspot.com
http://blellow.com/marksherrick

Want to get in contact with Mark? Here’s how:
sherrickmark@gmail.com is really the best way to get ahold of me, I check my email much more than I use my phone or anything else.

Who’s On Blellow? Matt Harwood!

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An online community is only as good as its members, and thanks to all the great folks who have joined Blellow our community is shaping up spectacularly. Each month we want to highlight some of the best and brightest of our community members.

This month, we’d like to introduce you to Matt Harwood. Matt was not only one of the very first members of Blellow, but also participated in our focus group before the site even launched!

Matt HarwoodName: Matt Harwood

Location: Luton, quite a big town just North of London, England

Skills: XHTML/CSS, Interface Design, Caffeine Indulgence, Marketing (from a design and style perspective)

Current Status: Very happily freelancing with a comfortable client book, though am free for one or two more interesting projects!

What are you currently working on?
I’ve just completed a project for a market research company based in London, who needed a system for participants to record their experiences and opinions when using their kitchens. What made it exciting was the time scale - I was hired one week before launch! After dedicating over 110hrs in that week we finally had the system operational. After catching up on a few nights’ sleep, I now have a few site and blog designs in development, and of course my soon to be released project management tool for freelancers! (http://updatewith.me)

Favorite part of freelancing/entrepreneurship?
The freedom of freelancing is often shown as the biggest plus-side - and I would agree. Though it can be dangerous, as you do have total control, if you have your act together the flexibility can bring talents and skills out of you that would stay hidden in a 9-5. You don’t have to ask permission to flirt with ideas you’ve had for ages, and you can’t technically be “fired”!

Biggest challenge working as a freelancer/entrepreneur?
At the outset, it can be hard not to see a client as a boss. If you start off very passively, the client may naturally assume a managerial style, and you can begin to wonder what the difference really is when you freelance. The key is to keep a balance between exceptional customer service, and making sure you are in control of your own work (after all, once the project is over, it is a reflection of your talents - do you want it to be 100% directed by the client?).

Where can you find Matt?

You can find me at mattharwood.com (which, as with so many freelancers, has been sadly neglected due to the whole so little time thing). My newest venture can be found at http://updatewith.me!

Want to get in contact with Matt? Here’s how:

Website: http://updatewith.me
Blellow: http://blellow.com/matt
Email: matt@mattharwood.co.uk
Skype: mjharwood
Google Talk: matt@mattharwood.co.uk