The dream to run your own home office attracts millions and millions of people. But not every person fits for that kind of work as well as lifestyle. Take your time and run the below quiz to see if you are ready to go a hard freelance way.

I hope no one considers its results 100% true. The quiz should become one of many indicators on your decision making list.

In answering the questions, give yourself 2 points for a “Yes” answer, 1 point for a “Sometimes” answer, and 0 points for a “No” answer.

* Are you a results-oriented person? Yes/Sometimes/No
* Do you set goals and clear objectives? Yes/Sometimes/No
* Do you work well in isolation? Yes/Sometimes/No
* Is your home free of distractions (e.g. children, dependents)? Yes/Sometimes/No
* Can you quote the rules of time management? Yes/Sometimes/No
* Do you support the concept of marketing your school? Yes/Sometimes/No
* Do you see school parents as ‘customers’? Yes/Sometimes/No
* Do you have a room in your house to convert to a SOHO? Yes/Sometimes/No
* Are you a good writer? Yes/Sometimes/No
* Are you a good public speaker? Yes/Sometimes/No
* Do you have financial reserves to survive without a salary for one year, if necessary? Yes/No
* Do you have good computer skills (e.g. desktop publishing, database, spreadsheets)? Yes/Sometimes/No

How did you score?

0-14 Look for a job in the paid workforce.

15-19 You’re a potential consultant, but you may need to make some changes to become a successful consultant.

20-24 Go for it!

The quiz was originally posted on a popular freelance website: you can read the complete version and also find tons of other useful information for freelancers (articles, white papers, forums, blogs, training kits) – a great place to become a regular visitor.

[tag]Freelance work, freelance, freelance jobs, freelance employment, freelance writer[/tag]

Just to develop the issues covered in the previous post I can’t stand the temptation not to review another article from a popular blog on Personal Development for Smart People. Steve Pavlina is the owner of the blog that is quite popular among the Internet self employed entrepreneurs.

It is a fact that most new business fail, still a certain portion survives. How to find yourself among those who succeeded to outlive most of competition ventures? I guess the right start is to research the experience of other people who have made it and learn from those who succeeded.

Below is the list of top 10 mistakes (Steve calls them ‘stupid’) that self employed people are likely to make at the start of the business career:

1. Selling to the wrong people.
2. Spending too much money.
3. Spending too little money.
4. Putting on a fake front.
5. Assuming a signed contract will be honored.
6. Going against your intuition.
7. Being too formal.
8. Sacrificing your personality quirks.
9. Failing to focus on value creation.
10. Failing to optimize.

You can read the full text and get the extended description of every point from the top 10 list. I do not think that it is universal and works in all life situations. But it is a good place to start.

[tag]be your own boss, top 10 mistakes, top 10, self-employed, job seeker, job opportunity[/tag]

If you are going to start your own business it is a sound idea to get some expert advice where to start and what to expect. Keith Robinson, LifeHacker Editor, has shared his experience of starting his own company.

Below I list the key points of his article. The major conclusion is that once you run your company you should change the way of thinking: you should stop thinking and acting as an employee, you should take control of your career. It is a great responsibility. Here is the place for a good business plan before starting any business. And you should have a back up plan just in case your plan does not work out.

Well, I think you’d better read the original author and hope that you will find much valuable information to think over.

Here is a list of key statements you are likely to face once you become your own boss:

1. Choose to change
2. Work harder and smarter
3. Don’t make excuses
4. Master your time
5. Get out of your comfort zone
6. Communicate
7. Lead by example
8. Embrace risks
9. Be flexible
10. Own it!
11. Don’t settle for average
12. Stick up for your passions

[tag]be your own boss, start your own company, employee, employer[/tag]