So you’re going to get your garden ready out in the yard but this year you want it to be larger than last year. But while you love to tend to your garden you hate tilling the soil. But your neighbor Chan Ho is a master with his tilling equipment. So you pay Chan Ho or give him a case of his favorite beer to do it for you. And then you take over from there.

Do you know that more and more factories and workplaces are hiring temp workers to fill positions of need? And you may or may not know this but companies like UPS and Wall-mart have maintained a nucleus of part-time staff? And then you have the glut of independent contractors.

Oh yeah, that has been big for years in the construction and services field for decades. In fact I just learned the other day that hospitals have a decent amount of positions they hire as independent contractors. I met a young man, actually he wasn’t that young, well compared to me he was, who is a specialist in radiology. He has been a man for hire for over 10 years. He is skilled at MRI, Cat-scan, and a couple other machines that I am not aware of. He is hired under a 6 month contractual period. I believe this is why.

The technology is ever growing and expanding so as a hospital updates or upgrades equipment it is much easier and more cost efficient to find someone who knows how to operate the machine, rather than pay to have people trained. By sub contracting these services you also are not locked in to people who turn out not to be that good at doing the job.

Also when you hire people for a service or as a contractor you are not responsible for many things such as their income and social security tax. Their workman’s compensation, their sick leave, vacation, and other employee related benefits. You also are not worried about keeping them busy, because you have hired them to perform a certain task and then go on their merry way.

This has opened up a wide door for independent contractors or what many call freelance jobs. There are any number of services provided by freelancing individuals. How do you cultivate a freelance business? After all just like the garden you plant in your yard, your Internet garden needs some caring attention.

For the purpose of our discussion you are looking to be Chan Ho in our opening illustration. You are someone who has a specialized skill that is an in and out service. When called upon you are there to step in do the work, leave an invoice for services rendered and on to the next satisfied customer.

So have you planted the seeds for your Internet freelancing business? What area of service or services in the Internet/computer related field are you qualified and prepared to fulfill? Since there are so many we will break it down some.

Let’s say you are an innovator or a builder. You have a knack for setting things up and designing programs. Perhaps you are not a programmer but you are a troubleshooter that can resolve software issues. There is a promising market for you.

The first order of business you have already taken care of is determining what it is that you do. You also have made a dedication to that area to continue to learn and train in the latest applications to whatever extent possible.

Remember Chan Ho? Well you knew about his skills because you observed his work and he took the initiative to approach you and discuss his passion for his garden and for what he does to keep it productive and healthy. So when you needed some tilling done, bingo, “let me get Chan over here” immediately popped into your head.

Well my friend you need a little initiative. You need to put together a professional marketing campaign that will alert others and give them examples of what you have done and what you can/will do for them. A nice brochure or ad package of some sort. Hey you can even hire an ad freelancer to put one together for you. Nevertheless you need to get one together and get it out to the businesses in your region.

You will also need an Internet presence. Naturally if you are into web design, this will be fairly easy. At that point you will use an on line marketing strategy. One thing you will do is seek out web pages that are related to industry and office programming and place ads referring to your site and your services. You can also take advantage of building a network that lends itself to trade relevant topics and conversations through forums for example.

You may also solicit the services of a project manager. Someone who is productive at finding the work or services that are needed and willing to connect you with those companies or individuals who need you.

In the beginning you may consider working for an established freelance contractor company. Learn the ropes and then branch out. Maybe join forces with other like minded entrepreneurs and form a co-operation team. Maybe you are the salesman and your partner is the hands on guy or gal.

As is often the case, your work and reputation will precede you in time. You will be building a clientele that will call upon you as new and upgraded services are needed in their programming and the like. And it is also likely that new technology or better options will come available and you will reach out to your previous clients that may benefit from such improvements. Maybe a program was previously unaffordable to them and now it is for instance. Or maybe a faster version has been released.

An innovator is also creative and unassuming. Be sure to offer services in a range of areas related to your skills. Don’t assume that because a task is so easy that a company will obviously do that themselves. No, perhaps they do not have the time or perhaps they don’t want to be bothered with that particular phase. Maybe they want a guy/gal to do it for them. It happens all the time.

Remember, even in economically difficult times the world is moving at a fast pace and people want or need things done so they can move on with their work. But they don’t need or want the hassle of an employee or the responsibility of one, especially in the world of technology. That is where the freelancer comes in.

Modern machinery or in house networks do not always need constant professional attention. They need to be designed and set up by a professional but after that the daily applications can be carried out by a present member of the staff.

So Mr or Mrs Program Designer/Software Professor, are you on call? Are you ready to get out there and set up that order tracking equipment? Do you have an idea for coordinating the warehouse with all the satellite distribution centers? Can you fix the member tracking system for a chain of gyms so that the data can be transferred on line and between gyms? Can you help the bank improve there on line service program?

The questions go on and on. But the answers are up to you.

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