God’s Man || Finance and Tech Journalist @Inc @TheStreet @investingcom @benzinga || Freelance Coach
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Joined July 2019
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My first story for @Inc is live today. Very excited to officially be contributing to Inc. and to be covering the intersection of technology, AI, startups and business.
I’ll be digging into the big tech bets, the decisions behind them and what they mean for the people and businesses building the future.
Just getting started. 🚀
Failures rarely come from picking a bad product. They come from picking without a clear reason. trib.al/ndNm39v
If you want to start freelancing, you need to understand that your income will not always be the same every month. Unlike a regular job where you receive a fixed salary at the end of the month, your earnings as a freelancer can change from month to month.
You might earn a lot of money one month and much less the next month. There might also be times when work is scarce and you struggle to find projects.
This is why you need to make saving money a habit as a freelancer. Make sure you have some money set aside to cover your expenses during months when you don't have any projects or when you don't earn much.
If you send a proposal to a client and don't get a response, you can send a follow-up message to find out if they have had a chance to review it. However, if they still don't respond, don't spend all your time chasing that one client when you could be looking for other opportunities.
You should also make sure your proposals are well-written and personalised to each client, whether you're pitching through a freelancing platform, by cold email, or through a cold DM. Make sure your proposal shows that you understand what the client needs. Don't just send the same proposal to every client.
Even if a client doesn't hire you or reply to you now, a well-written, personlised proposal can leave a positive impression. They may need your services in the future, but you shouldn't depend on that possibility or stop looking for other opportunities while waiting for them.
Also, if a client tells you they are not interested, respect their decision and move on. Not every client you pitch to will hire you, and that's part of freelancing.
Remember, not every client will respond to your proposal or be interested in your services. Keep pitching to other clients and stay open to new opportunities.
Hillary Remy retweeted
I stopped at a canteen to have some amala in Offa few days ago and a guy approached me.
I'm used to being approached everywhere and most times I even interject with "From social media abi?" once a stranger walks towards me in such manner.
"Sir, I know you? I was a student of the University of Offa and, last year, you came to our school to talk to us on career and encouraged us", the young man started.
He was wearing what appeared to be commercial okada rider jacket.
A few seconds of confusion. Do I have Twitter followers riding okada? This guy looks too polished to be an okada rider.
"I brought someone here", he added.
This looks like someone I need to have deeper discussion with so I gave him my Whatsapp number as I felt he was at the mercy of the passenger he brought.
Not in a hurry as I had thought as I still saw him after I settled at my table, so I asked him to grab a chair and let us talk the talk immediately rather than on Whatsapp later.
His story goes: He was an accounting student, and was encouraged by the career talk I had given last year and he had enrolled for ICAN ATS, passed stage 1 and expecting result of stage 2 he wrote recently. ICAN has 5-6 stages for ATS route (non-graduate route).
"So what happened? Were you rusticated?", I quipped, with each morsel of amala becoming heavier in my hand.
Then series of bombshells: He had lost both parents. He had been fending for himself almost all his life. He is in his mid 20s. He came to Offa from a nearby village five years ago, for NCE. He got admission into UniOffa as DE to 200L. He spent nights working at a poultry and days a student.
More bombshells: He dropped out in 300L when he could not afford school fees. He could not raise the school fees when he resumed 300L. The poultry work was stressful too. So he started doing okada.
More: His CGPA at the end of 200L was 4.0/5.0. A solid CGPA.
UniOffa school fee is less than N400k, one of the cheapest private universities in Nigeria.
ICAN is cheaper (less than N100k per diet?) but I told him immediately that that ICAN will be useless without a degree. He has to go back to school and complete the degree. Serious employer looks at your degree before your professional cert.
I'm on the Governing Council of the school (he didn't know - a surprise - and he probably thought I was just brought as an external speaker at that career event. And I didn't tell him.) I asked him to go back to the school and enquire whether he can resume the 300L that just started (his set are in 400L now but that shouldn't matter).
I have seen people struggle in life. Not the worst experience, but my mind kept flashing back. Someone is dropping out of school, from a brilliant 4-pointer accounting student to an okada rider because, all his life, he couldn't raise sub N400k. An amount some guys spend on a random night at a tier 3 club.
Touching.
Joe will finish that degree. In shaa Allah.
As a freelancer, client reviews can have an impact on your business. Positive reviews can help you attract new clients because they show that your past clients have had good experiences working with you.
When clients are happy with your work, they may leave positive reviews and want to work with you again. This can help you build a good reputation as a freelancer.
However, a negative review can make potential clients hesitate to hire you. Therefore, you need to make sure you take your work seriously and do your best to meet your clients expectations.
You should also learn how to handle disagreements with clients. If a problem comes up, try to understand the client's concerns and find a reasonable way to resolve the issue.
Remember, your past clients experiences can influence how potential clients see you, so make sure you do your best to deliver quality work to your clients.
As a freelancer, you need to have a strong work ethic. Working for yourself requires discipline because there will not be anyone to tell you what to do or when to complete your tasks.
You need to learn how to manage your time and organise your work properly. Even when you don't feel motivated, you still need to make an effort to complete the tasks you have planned for the day.
You should learn to take responsibility for your work. If you agree to a deadline with a client, do your best to meet it. Don't wait until the last minute to start working on a project when you could have started earlier.
There will be days when you don't feel productive, and that is normal. You won't always have the same level of energy every day, but you should try to stay consistent with your work.
Having a strong work ethic is not just about working hard. It's also about managing your responsibilities and doing your best to deliver quality work to your clients.
As a freelancer, you need to learn how to actively listen to your clients. This helps you understand what they want and expect from you.
Don't just write down what your clients say. Pay close attention to what they are telling you and the problem they need you to solve. Try to understand what they need before you start working on the project.
Listen attentively when your client is explaining what they want. If you are not paying attention, you might miss important details that could affect your work.
If there is anything you don't understand, ask questions. Don't be afraid to let the client know if something about their needs is unclear before you start working on the project.
Remember, active listening helps you avoid missing important details and deliver work that meets your client's expectations. It also makes clients feel that you have listened to them.
As a freelancer, you need to know how to position yourself because it's not only about having the skill. Positioning also matters.
There are some freelancers who are very skilled but are bad at positioning themselves. They may start wondering why they are not getting clients.
Positioning yourself as a freelancer means presenting your skills and the value you offer in a way that stands out to clients and helps them understand why they should choose you over others.
Knowing how to position yourself can help you attract clients and improve your chances of getting hired.
How you position yourself as a freelancer can have a major impact on how clients see your services and the opportunities you attract.
Hillary Remy retweeted
Nigeria’s tech incubation agency returned from London with a $600 million investment pipeline. The numbers sound transformational.
But the NBTI director-general himself stressed that none of that figure has been received, disbursed, or deployed. Both deals are still proposals, not signed commitments.
In @HopeRemy's latest for @financetracked, he covers why Nigeria’s $600 million NBTI pipeline from London carries fine print that matters more than the headline.
#NigerianInnovation #SolarEnergy #NBTI #AfricaInvestment #News
My latest for @Inc
This is for founders 🔥
The steepest dilution is not at Series A. It's the stage before it. trib.al/7T6LBh5
As a freelancer, always meet the deadlines you agree on with your clients. This helps you build trust and shows that you take your work seriously.
You should also focus on delivering quality work that meets your clients expectations. Always do your best to deliver work that reflects your skills and abilities.
Along with delivering quality work, you also need to be confident in your skills. Don't be afraid to show clients what you can do.
You should also learn how to present yourself professionally. Show clients that you understand your work and can handle the projects you take on. This can help you build a good reputation with clients.
As a freelancer, there are some things you need to talk about during an interview with a client.
You may go through an interview before a client decides to hire you for a project. This is an opportunity to show the client what you can do and why you are suitable for the job.
First, talk about your experience and share examples of jobs or projects you have worked on. Explain what you did and mention any achievements that demonstrate your abilities.
You should also explain how your skills can help the client solve their problem. If you have any work samples related to what the client needs, you can share them with the client to show what you can do.
Another important thing is to let the client know that you take deadlines seriously. Explain how you organise your work to deliver projects on time. You should also be ready to discuss how you communicate with clients and handle feedback.
Finally, don't be afraid to ask questions about the project. Make sure you understand what the client expects, the deadline, and the work you are expected to deliver.
Remember, an interview is not just about answering questions. It's also an opportunity to show the client why you are the right person for the job.
If you are just starting as a freelancer, don't do free work.
You will spend hours working on a project without getting paid, and once that time is gone, you can't get it back.
Some people may say that working for free helps you learn, and that is true. However, you don't have to work for free to gain experience or build a portfolio.
If you're a beginner, you can charge beginner rates because your rates may be different from those of an experienced freelancer. You can start with reasonable rates while improving your skills and gaining experience.
You might want to do free work just to build your portfolio, but have you considered creating work samples instead?
For example, if you're a graphic designer, you can create sample designs to showcase your skills. If you're a content writer, you can write sample articles to show potential clients what you can do.
If you don't know how to create work samples, you can watch YouTube videos or research how to create them for your particular skill. You can then add your best work to your portfolio so potential clients can see what you are capable of doing.
You don't have to work for free to gain experience or build your portfolio. Create work samples that showcase your skills and add them to your portfolio for potential clients to see.