The Freelancer’s Union

The Freelancer’s Union, a national nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, represents the quickly rising numbers of independent business people in the United States from Cincinnati, Ohio to San Buenaventura, California. It addresses the needs of this diverse industry through advocacy, information and service. Approximately 30% of the entire workforce in America is made up of self-employed workers which include freelancers, temporary employees, contingent employees, independent contractors and other entrepreneurs. As the number of independent entrepreneurs increases, the Freelancer’s Union strives to give them a voice. Many occupations are eligible for membership including Accountant, Exterminator, Entertainer, Occupational therapist, Apiarist, Make-up artist, Mortgage broker, Fletcher and Toolmaker.

How it all Began

Former labor lawyer, Sara Horowitz, founded Working Today in 1995. This was one of the first small steps in the direction of supporting and meeting the needs of the independent workforce. Working Today introduced the Portable Benefits Network (PBN) in 2001. The goal of Portable Benefits Network was to provide benefits to individual entrepreneureal workers who were in New York City’s Silicon Alley. PBN became Freelancer’s Union in May 2003 in an effort to better convey the needs that steer freelancers as well as better reflect the multitude of services that the organization offers including benefits, resources and advocacy.

Benefits of Membership

The free membership to Freelancer’s Union provides impressive benefits to the independent worker. Insurance is one of the main goals of the organization and in some cases it is to be had. Coverage varies by insurance type and there may be eligibility rules. However, the Union is striving to bring insurance in every state. Members also are eligible for discounts from companies such as Barnes & Noble.com, In Good Company, National Advertising and Printing Corp., The Spacialist the YMCA of New York City as well as many others.

The Freelancer’s Union also organizes training on a variety of topics including legal, business and taxes. They also coordinate informational campaigns in an effort to promote [fair taxes, better options for insurance and increased visibility|better insurance, increased recognition and reasonable taxes|better options for insurance, reduced taxes and public relations} for independent workers.

Members can also build a profile in the Freelancer’s Union’s online community and even set up their own listing in the Freelancer’s Yellow Pages. They can also access the Gigs board to find contracts and communicate with other members, other entrepreneurs.

Union Sponsored Events The Freelancer’s Union sponsors many significant events that are planned to help independent workers network and learn more about protecting themselves and operating a more profitable business. One of the networking projects is through Meetup.com. Members from all over the United States can sign up and connect to each other on MeetUp. Other events that the Union hosts are classes on skill building on both a personal and professional level. Seminar topics can range from Understanding and Applying for Business Loans, Retirement - How to Choose Your Investments, Pricing Strategies to 7 Financial Steps Every Freelancer Must Know. There is a complete list on the Union’s website.

Advocacy

The Freelancer’s Union promotes awareness on policies that affect the growing number of home workers in America. Issues such as access to health insurance, saving for retirement, recourse for clients who don’t pay, unemployment benefits and employment laws are all on the front burner for the advocacy sector of the Freelancer’s Union.

The freelancer’s Union is strongly recommended for the independent worker. There are significant benefits to membership and the value is superb.

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Freelance Travel Agent

Most would think that going to fascinating travel destinations like Toscana, Italy, Sydney, Australia, Mount Rushmore National Memorial, South Dakota or the Annieopsquotch Mountains of Newfoundland you would be putting out a lot of cash. However, people today are getting their dream income not only guiding groups to places like Portugal, but also arranging travel plans for others. Now, you can even do that from a small office.

Becoming a freelance travel agent would not be hard for you as long as you have the correct resources and experience with the different aspects of the travel industry.

What you need to become a freelance travel agent

A travel agent is a person whos work is making travel arrangements on behalf of those who want to travel for holidays or business. Using a travel agent will help greatly in buying inexpensive tickets, possible resort packages and other unique travel benefits that the average person reading this wouldn't be able to find.

Benefits

Working as a freelance travel agent provides the ability for work at home travel agents to make a decent income either full time or even part time. If you are looking for a decent income, that is one thing, but being a travel agent will also let you travel at discount rates as well.

Many benefits are there for those who decide to become freelance travel agents for such things as upgrades to first class, free trips and learning how to decide whether certain travel agent discounts are just a scam or not.

Resources

One of the easiest ways to begin a freelance travel agent career is by using a home study course which can teach you what you need to really begin your home based travel career: understanding how to get your business started without outlaying a large quantity of cash, learning how to negotiate a host agency contract, learning how to earn the highest commissions possible, understanding your relationship with a host agency along with getting those travel discounts you are entitled to.

Getting started

Whatever the reason you decide to start your travel agent business, there is a huge amount of information out there that can easily bog you down; but, if you look to a respected training program which will give you a program you can easily get a head start.

Web Designer Freelancing

When you have driven past Gertrude Mckinney's house over on First St. the last few months, you may have noticed that the Plymouth Cambridge is usually in the driveway. That is because Gertrude now works at home. As Gertrude can tell you, working from home sure beats having to get up and leave the house at the same time every day to sit in an office.

Are you an impressive web designer? Perhaps you work at a company as a staff designer as the majority of other designers do. Have you ever thought about web designer freelancing? There is a growing, reliable need for these kinds of service providers today. With internet marketing growing exponentially these days, freelance web design is a lucrative industry. Many business men and women procure web designers on a freelance basis merely because they are can't do web design themselves, or to free up their time for more pressing needs.

Benefits of Web Designer Freelancing

For those who dream of not having to go to the typical 9 to 5, in the office job, freelancing as a web designer has many benefits. The first and possibly the most important is the legitimate chance of making as much money as you could possibly desire. You are not ever limited to a monthly income that your employer determines and you never have a set rate that you are limited to. In fact, you create your own pay by charging what you feel is fair. Naturally, you will need to set your pricing schedule so that they don't differ too much from others doing similar work, but it is all up to you.

An especially appealing perk for web designer freelancing is the hours. Once again, you are your own boss so you get to set the hours that you want to work. If you have kids at home, this is wonderful since you conveniently can set up your time around the children rather than scheduling one on one time with your children around your work. That's really the ideal schedule, isn't it? Obviously, it takes a person with self discipline and responsibility to have a business as a freelancer. However, there are some other great extra benefits that come with being a freelancer worth bringing up. One that is priceless is that morning when you feel like staying in bed for three extra hours or that week that you decide to go on a last minute trip to vacationdestination! But naturally, you're the big boss � you can do whatever you want.

Available Resources for Web Designer Freelancing

There are a plethora of different internet sites that freelance web designers hang out. Bidding sites are one of the best and they allow you the opportunity to contract with some truly terrific clients. Normally, a potential client who desires a website designer will write up a proposal on the website for a needed project, and the website designers then bid for the job proposal. Then, the client will pick the winning bidder, usually based on fair pricing, experience and examples. Just a few of these websites are getafreelancer dot com and elance dot com. Naturally, there are many others. You may also want to take the option of having your own web designer freelancing site. It's entirely your choice.

Freelancing is a great chance at an independent career that is full of benefits. As you have seen, with some skill and diligent effort, you can in fact bring in a great income and lifestyle. With the ability to determine your own hours, pay and of course the ability to pick and choose the projects you would like to do, freelancing is becoming a very desirable 'job'. With the skyrocketing need for website designers, the best time to start is now!