Why You Need to Hire a Freelance Writer Today

We all hear the reports and media coverage about how the economy is not doing very well.  Additionally, last week, there were discussions that the unemployment rate has dipped down to 10.1%.  This is due to companies and organizations not being able to keep their in-house staff because of not business not running to the full speed that it had before the economy got worse.

Even though you have to unfortunately reduce your work staff, it doesn’t mean that you do not have to provide the same amount of work as before.  One of those areas are your documentation.  Documentation is usually vital in many industry-best practices processes, such as CMMI, ISO9001, and SDLC.  Therefore, you still have to ensure that you have the same quality of work that you had before you had to let go or your writing experts.

One way to resolve this is by hiring a Freelance Writer to handle this for you.  How do you do this? I’m in the middle of interviewing a few contractors for some home improvement projects, so I know how stressful and tedious it can be. You do not know their work, and you don’t get the chance to really know them, like you would someone who is working for you on a full-time basis. However, let me just say that usually, the good outweighs the bad.

Reasons for Hiring a Freelance Writer

1. Save money by saving time – If you have ever read “The 4-Hour Workweek,” one of the things that Tim Ferriss says is that people tend to think that what a consultant is charging is ridiculous. However, take a step back and really think about it. You are now free to handle tasks that are more up your alley, while a writer, who is an expert on that kind of service, can work on documentation.  Also, you aren’t paying this person benefits, so that is another way that you are saving.  Additionally, instead of it taking you twice as long, and not be the same quality, to write a document, you can hire someone who will save you time and money.  I can’t imagine trying to work some DYI projects.  It would take me double or even three times as long as a professional, and so I would actually have to spend more money and time than just outsourcing.
2. Good quality work that you could not have done yourself – Writers, who have been doing this for longer than five years, know what they are doing.They will provide you top-rated work that you would have probably done a shoddy job doing it yourself. I don’t know how to put tile down, so why even try?  To save money?  I will probably need to spend money on fixing the work that I did.  Therefore, I’d rather pay someone to do it right the first time.  Can you imagine trying to do something you are not an expert in perfectly the first time, and not have to keep redoing it? Hiring a freelance writer will the best bet for creating documentation that will aid your project and your team.
3. They want you to hire them when you have a next project, so usually they will do the job right – Freelancers will work twice as hard as in-house employees because they want your repeat business. If they are smart, and usually they are, they will do such an amazing job the first time that you will want to hire them again. Do not forget about how important Word-of-Mouth Marketing is. This is something that freelancers know.

If you have tons of proposals or technical documentation to write, and your in-house employees are already up to their noses with work, hire a Freelance Writer. If you just need someone to ensure that you are on the right track, there are writing consultants, like me, that will gladly help you in anything that you need.

Starting a Business Is About Taking Risks

Yesterday, I decided to update my writing goals. I made them more short-term than I usually do because I am thinking about January 2010. It’s the day that I go from being a part-time freelance writer to a full-time one. Last week, I told my boss that I had to follow my heart, be true to myself, so I was leaving at the end of January. He asked me to stay and told me that he will give me time to reconsider, but I don’t think that I will. I realize that money is great, but it isn’t everything. This job has practically taken over my life, and I don’t have time to do much of anything, except work, work, and work. I thought that it would only be a crazy time til the end of October, but I have no found out that when one crazy phase ends, another one commences.

In October, I didn’t get to enjoy my son’s birthday or mine because all I could think about was work. I didn’t even get to really enjoy my Halloween. When my daughter came up to me and said, “Mom, you missed my Pumpkin Day. I was so sad,” The more involved I get in this project, the more I realize that it isn’t for me.

One of the problems in DC is how career obsessed many people are. They work 80-hour a week, they take work home with them, and they are constantly taking clients out. If I am going to do this, I want it to be for my business. Not for someone else. I think it’s fear why I remained at this job. The first time I launched my business, it didn’t work out. The main reason was my co-founder. She wasn’t doing much of anything, and it caused the business to fail.

However, one thing you hear from many people is that in business, you have to fail and fail in order to succeed. Last week, was Startup School, and I decided to watch the videos that were created that day. The stories and advice given were very inspirational, and so I decided that I needed to take the leap. I feel this time is different (no co-founder helps), so I will do better.

Photo Detail: Edge of the Earth, originally uploaded by Zack Schnepf.

Getting to Know Your Clients is Always a Plus

How to Mix the Old With the New When Writing a Proposal

I have read many technical documents that are collages of past documentation. The worst is when it’s a proposal. Why? Proposals are vehicles for companies to get more business. If the proposal looks like a bad cut+paste job of past proposals, it could cost you the contract. I have seen proposals where writers even forgot to omit the last organization’s name, and the paragraphs had dissimilar phrases. Many businesses commit these mistakes, even Fortune 500 companies.

Here are three easy steps that can help you avoid such errors:

1. After carefully reading the proposal instructions, make sure to have a brainstorming session to discuss what the RFP is asking - One of the last companies that I worked for needed my assistance in writing the biggest proposal of their company’s history. I remember the first “brainstorming” session I had with them. Instead of focusing on the agency’s needs and the Request for Proposal (RFP) requirements, they were more focused on how they could use past proposals and technical documentation. That meant a lot of “cut and pasting”-a recipe for disaster! As I quietly took notes, I asked, “The proposal said they wanted innovative ideas they had not heard before. What are you doing to address this subject?” A pause. I asked a few more questions, and then it dawned on me. They overlooked many of the key components that the agency emphasized in the RFP. Pretend you are an outsider (if you are unable to do this, have someone from another department assist you). Read the entire RFP, or a similar document, in detail. While you’re reading it, write down the requirements of the RFP. Then come up with questions that you would want answered if you were the organization.

2. Do research on the organization - Identify past issues and criticisms on the contract they need assistance with. Another company needed my assistance in writing a proposal in response to a RFP. I read the government agency’s RFP and did research on the type of technology they needed built. I found reports from the Inspector General and even the General Accountability Office (GAO). When I spoke to the Proposal Manager, I asked him if he read those reports that could assist us in tailoring the proposal to fit their needs. He looked perplexed. “GAO has a report on the agency?” Do plenty of research. Check newspapers, government agencies’ sites, and the organization’s site. I guarantee that many times they have been saying for awhile that they need assistance with this.

3. Edit at least TWICE if you will be using old documentation in the proposal - After the proposal is complete, thoroughly edit the document at least twice to ensure that you do not have any past organizations’ names, the flow is superfluous, and you have satisfied all of the RFP’s requirements. Many people skip on this part, yet it is probably the most important in guaranteeing that a proposal won’t be kicked back or thrown away. If you can afford it, have someone outside the company edit the document for you. It is always better to have a fresh pair of eyes edit a document to eliminate bias. If you remember these three easy steps, you will avoid those issues when mixing past documentation into a new proposal. You can apply these three principles to any document (i.e. design document, white paper, grant). Laziness is frowned upon-just be sneaky and use these tips.

Photo description: generations., originally uploaded by LittleFear.