Will You Be Reaching Higher In 2010?

Sample planning calendar to help you succeed in 2010

Forgive me if I appear to be blowing past Christmas with this article. That’s certainly not my intention.

Instead, I thought I’d stimulate your thinking by having you consider your course of action for 2010. I’ve been writing a series of business articles for SayEducate lately, focusing on the coming year purely from a business owner’s angle, therefore I’m taking stock in how I manage my own affairs too.

But now I want to look at things from a more personalized vantage point – your own work. What plans do you have for the coming year?

Freelancing, 2010 Style

I fully understand that it can be hard to say in detail where you’ll be this time next year – only God knows – but I do think that each one of us wants to see some changes in 2010, not least being an improvement in the way that we live.

Living in a market based society, the kind of work we do and the rate of pay we desire will go far in determining whether we reach higher or not. That sage maxim – if you fail to prepare, prepare to fail – is so true. How well we do depends a lot on our personal attitude and desire for self improvement.

The Self-Employed Depression

Last week, I read several articles where certain freelancers thought that it was within their right to judge other freelancers for working for a so-called content mill. I won’t link to those articles nor will I give those conversations much credence. Everyone has a right to work for whom they want and under what conditions suit them. Perhaps reading about the plight of other freelancers can bring clarity to this sort of thinking (The New York Times: The Self-Employed Depression).

But, if you’re seeking to better yourself in 2010, there are some steps you can take to increase the odds that the year turns out to be more profitable for you then this year. These are fairly simple, disciplined steps that can be taken gradually as the months unfold.

A Sample Calendar

Not everyone can hold to an ambitious schedule, so with that in mind I’ve come up with a calendar that you can follow, so adjust it to fit your goals and schedule:

January – You’ll be paying quarterly taxes on January 15th and again on April 15th, so make sure that you have enough funds in place to tackle that project. Use this month to review 2009 including asking clients for 1099-MISC forms. Get your receipts and other paperwork together for the tax man.

February – If all of your tax data is in place, then complete your return or make an appointment with your accountant. Hopefully, you’ll get a refund. If not, file after you have enough money to pay what you owe your state and the IRS.

Spring – With tax season behind you, use the month of March and early April to query editors. Send out letters to magazines, newspapers, and journals; cold call companies; touch base with your Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn associates. Over the ensuing weeks follow up with everyone; negotiate deals, sign contracts, begin new assignments from mid-April through May.

Summer – From June through August you’ll be busy working with new customers while keeping current clients happy. You’ll also take a much needed break with your family. Make sure that everyone is on the same page as to when you’ll be unavailable and how they can reach you in an absolute emergency.

September – With Labor Day past, you’ll have the strange feeling that the year is fast drawing to a close. I like to use this month to review current client contracts and reassess my relationships with them. That includes whether I’ll be continuing with a particular client or not, if I’ll be asking for more money, or whether we’ll be changing the terms of our agreement.

Early Fall – October and November can be good months to query for new work. At this stage of the year, plenty of companies are fast at work cutting costs for the year to clean up their balance sheets. Staff will be let go which means that some of their work will be outsourced. Be sensitive to corporate turmoil, but also consider that there may be an opportunity for you.

Holiday Season – The holiday season stretching from Thanksgiving to Christmas and through New Year’s Day seems like a positively awful time to take on a new client, right? Only if you’re super busy balancing family, church, social, and other functions. Use this season to enjoy time with loved ones; you’ll be busy enough come January.

Make More Money

So, what will following this calendar yield? Better opportunities, more money, and a balanced lifestyle, if you hold to a disciplined plan. No, I won’t put a figure or percentage on your gains, but if you develop a sensible schedule then you should see good results over time.

Photo Credit: Bartek Ambrozik

Recession Or Not, Keep Your Savings On Track In 2009

For 2009, will you find yourself breaking into your savings or do you have a plan in place to save no matter how bad the economy tumbles?

Some of the talk on cable news lately has been down right gloomy. For sure, the federal government’s $700 billion bail out program has gripped the news these last few months of the year as has the realization that our country, even in the entire world, has slipped into a recession. Quite easily, we can pull back on our plans and think about writing off 2009, hoping that 2010 will bring sunnier days our way.

Life Goes On

I don’t know about you, but I can’t afford to put off some things for a full year, as life goes on. Certainly, as someone who is both a small business operator and a family man I’ve been reviewing expenses, cutting back on unnecessary expenditures, delaying business trips, and putting off a project or two, but there is one area where I won’t cut back on and that is our personal and business savings.

No, I’m not suddenly awash in cash, but I know that if I don’t continue to save, then I’ll end up having to pay more later. Saving money isn’t as painful for us as some people make it sound, but it does take discipline. Please read on for some tips on how you can save more money in 2009 without missing a beat:

Christmas Club — Few banks still offer this nifty savings vehicle, an excellent way to save holiday cash to buy what you need and want for the Christmas season. True, cutting back on gifts is one way to handle the holiday, but chances are you have an amount in mind that you want to have available each year. One terrific way to save is to have funds withdrawn automatically on a weekly or monthly basis from your checking account and depositing that money in a savings account. Save $5 to $20 or more weekly by transferring funds to an online account (easier to keep track of and pays higher interest). When the holiday season rolls around withdraw the full amount and start building up the account again for the next year.

Consolidate Communications — We still have a land telephone line, but it doesn’t cost us nearly as much as it did a few years ago when Bell Atlantic was our provider. Today, our cable company — Time Warner Cable — provides our phone service as well as television cable and internet connection. I need the upgraded plan for my work, but I still save at least $75 monthly which covers the cost of our cell phones.

Shop the Warehouses — In our area we have BJs, Costco, and Sam’s Club to provide warehouse savings for our family of four. Though we still visit the local supermarket for meats, milk, and other smaller items, our bulky paper products, snacks, condiments, juices, pet food, water and the like are all purchased at our local BJs. We allowed our membership to expire for a few months earlier this year, but when we signed up again we paid $45 for the membership which included two extra months free and a ten dollar off rebate on that day’s food purchases. Needless to say, we get our membership money back within two visits and continue to save all throughout the year.

Eating Out — We don’t eat out all that much, maybe two or three times per month, but when we do we eat well. Prix fixe (one price) is a favorite, but quality smorgasbord or cafeteria-style eating can be enjoyable too. In our area restaurants are always competing for diners, so specials are frequent and rarely require a coupon.  On occasion, we eat our big meal during the middle of the day as everyone knows that the lunch menu is priced lower than dinner while offering the same entrees.

Review Insurance — Our insurance policies come due in December and that is the time when I sit down to see if deductibles can be raised or other coverage options changed. Of course, you can save money by combining your homeowners and auto insurance, a move that is usually rewarded by insurance companies who appreciate your patronage. Consider switching providers too if you can get a better deal and better service. Likely, we pay more for our coverage, but we like our insurer so the little gecko won’t get our business any time soon!

Family Freebies — Do you live in a family friendly area? What I mean by that is do businesses, clubs, and local governments clamor to serve you? Where we live, families are big business but they are also the recipients of plenty of free and discounted events all throughout the year. We’ve learned that whenever a family event is being held, you go early. When prizes are being given away, you stand a better chance of winning something of value. BTW, you don’t have to be a “family” to reap the benefits — just learn to hang where families show up!

Vacation Planning — I’m not counting on regular gas being $1.79 next summer when we go ahead with a planned (and delayed) trip to see friends, family members, and to take in tourist spots. But, what I am counting on is big savings on wherever we go and wherever we stay. When I booked my trip to Los Angeles last month, I found hotel savings on Hotel.com and compared their best offers with Priceline, Travelocity and Expedia. All four had the same low rates, giving me the best deals for my three night stay. I’ll use these services again plus whip out my AAA or AARP (yes, I’m that age) to see which plan gives to us the best price. Of course, calling directly to the hotel can yield the best savings, so I’ll do that too.

Other Savings — We routinely save money by taking in the occasional movie matinee (my wife and I go when the kids are in school, therefore no babysitter fees) and we make good use of our local library. Our museums are free and we purchased an annual membership at a nearby children’s museum that our children like to visit. In addition, we bought the annual aquarium/zoo pass for our family which pays for itself in just three visits.

Giving Back to the Lord

Besides personal savings, one thing we won’t be doing this coming year is cutting back on our giving. As Christians, we trust that God will provide and we regularly return what we earn to the Lord via our local church, select Christians ministries and set aside some money to help out select secular non-profit organizations. This year, especially, many charitable groups will find it tough to make ends meet, therefore we want to do our part to help out in whatever way we are able to.

Yes, we’re still setting money aside for our retirement and our childrens’ college education in addition to remembering that the tax man will want his share. With a mind to save, we should be able to reach our goals in 2009 without cutting back to the bone. However, if additional cuts need to be made you can be certain that we’ll examine other areas to save and/or figure out ways to increase income.

Federal Hand Out? No Thanks!

And one more thing our family won’t be doing is waiting for the federal government to figure out how they will “help” us out. Resourceful people find a way to make things work out no matter how tough things are. Better days are ahead and we plan to ride over the speed bumps of life while maintaining our sanity and retaining our dignity. We’ll pray for our government, but mostly that they’d stay out of our way!

Have a happy holiday season to all. I hope these tips give you some ideas on how you can press forward in 2009; feel free to leave your tips or suggestions — I’m looking for fresh ideas!

Photo Credit: Steve Woods