Some people dream of being self-employed. You can set your own hours, work from home and invest in your future. Unfortunately, the freelance lifestyle is far from rainbows and butterflies. It’s challenging to manage your own workload and be your own boss. You are responsible for your own business, and if something goes wrong – it’s on you.

There’s no office gossip, annual leave or any kind of employee benefits for that matter. You are on your own, and it’s time to get your head down. Follow this quick guide to prepare yourself for self-employment.

Make a plan

Organisation is the freelancer’s best friend. You need to sit down and plan what the next month will look like. You may have an ongoing project with one company and a few pieces of work from another. Make a list of tasks for each project and block out time in your calendar to complete them. Think about your deadlines and how long each task will take. You should leave a little wiggle room in case a project takes longer than expected. Make a rough plan for each day so you can meet all your deadlines on time.

The benefits

You can set your own working hours. You can work early in the morning or late at night. You can take a holiday midweek and work through the weekend to make up for it. You have a lot of flexibility as a freelancer, and you should utilise it.

You can decide what projects you want to work on. If you want to focus on one area more than another, go for it. Just remember that you have to make enough money to cover your bills and living expenses. Find a balance between work you love, and work that pays the bills. The best projects do both.

The cons

Many freelancers battle with the work-life balance. It’s difficult to switch off at the end of the day when you are working from home. It’s even harder to put down your work when you are responsible for the paycheck at the end of the month. You should get your equipment insured just in case there’s an accident and something breaks. You need to have a safety net.

You don’t get annual leave, bank holidays or sick pay as a freelancer. You can take unlimited time off, but your paycheck will be significantly smaller. It’s important to have an emergency fund on standby in case you can’t work for an extended period of time. A loved one might pass away, or you could come down with an illness. You never know what’s around the corner. 

Freelancers can feel lonely and isolated, without any colleagues to fall back on. You may miss the camaraderie of an office environment.

Freelancing is rewarding, challenging and incredibly fulfilling. You need to be prepared for the hurdles along the way. 

One of the most important aspects of any company is the leadership it has, says Mahmoud Khattab. That leadership is designed to propel the company forward, guide its decision-making, and ensure that it has the highest chance of success. That’s why strong leadership is so valuable, because it provides the employees of the company with a trusted individual they can rely on. Customers are also looking for that strong level of leadership, in order to ensure they’re working with a company they feel good about.

There are several great reasons why strong leadership is needed, and why companies can benefit from having that kind of leadership in place. Understanding those reasons, and working toward finding the right leader, can help companies go much further than they may have otherwise been able to in the past. For Mahmoud Khattab, CEO of Precision MD, the idea of strong leadership is one area where he places his focus. For companies looking for good leaders, there are five major benefits to consider.

Encouraging Values and Visions

Good leaders are those who care about others, and who work with employees to help move the company’s vision forward. The values of a company are often shaped by its leadership, according to Mahmoud Khattab. That means serious leaders who have strong values provide big benefits for businesses, by making the entire company stronger. When employees see that their leaders have strong values, and a good vision of where the company is headed, they’re more likely to follow along with that vision, as well.

Ensuring Effective Communication Levels

Another thing that strong leaders do, according to Mahmoud Khattab, is ensure that there are effective levels of communication in the company. That can include communication between employees, and interactions that extend to customers, as well. The ways employees talk to one another matter, but the ways those employees talk to customers is even more vital to the health and well-being of the business.

When leaders communicate well, and provide options and opportunities for good dialogue, they make it easier for employees and customers to all feel safe in interacting with one another. That not only gets more done, but it helps everyone involved feel heard, appreciated, and more secure.

Boosting Employee Morale

The morale of employees can be directly tied to the leadership of the company, in many cases. Employees who are treated well, and who trust the leadership they have, are often happier. Overall, happy employees are productive employees. Naturally, that’s good news for the overall health of the business.

When employees see their leader working hard, doing the right thing, and focusing on the value provided to customers, they generally want to do the same. They’ll be more focused on encouraging one another, helping customers, and giving their all to the company they work for.

Providing Helpful Resources

One of the areas of leadership that Mahmoud Khattab is especially concerned about is providing resources to help employees be their best. If there are employees at a company who are struggling, and leadership doesn’t help them, everyone can lose out. With strong leadership, though, those employees can get the support they need to be more productive and help more customers, too. Leadership is the first line of defense when it comes to ensuring that employees are getting everything they need to do well at the company, and handle their job duties the right way.

Motivating Employees for the Future

Mahmoud Khattab also understands that motivating employees is vital to the success of a business. Employees that want to stay with the company for the long term can help that company grow stronger and stay healthier. But those employees need to be motivated, or they’re more likely to leave. They may seek out a different company, or even change industries, so they can advance their own goals. When company and employee goals overlap, though, it’s much easier for those employees to keep their motivation high, and stay with a company they feel they can trust with their future. Good leadership is a big part of that trust.

About Mahmoud Khattab

Mahmoud Khattab, the CEO of Precision MD, graduated from the University of Damascus in Syria, in 1993. He completed his internal medicine residency at Case Western Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio, in 2007. Case Western is one of the leading hospitals in the world, when it comes to a focus on quality in the healthcare industry. Mahmoud Khattab was pleased to be a part of the hospital’s staff, and sees the value of medicine as one of the tools people can use to improve lives and increase well-being.

As a part of the medical industry for almost 30 years, Mahmoud Khattab has a deep desire to make sure he is providing the best kind of help and support to the people who work for him, and the patients who seek care from Precision MD. The clinic helps people in the local community of Elk Grove, California, and the surrounding area, with surgical and non-surgical cosmetic options. But that’s not all Khattab offers to those who are in need.

He is also involved in charity work in the United States and Syria, and provides support and help to Syrian immigrants who are relocating to the US. One of the most important aspects for Mahmoud Khattab, in his role as CEO of Precision MD, is to make sure his staff and the clinic patients get what they want and need from their experience. When patients feel better about themselves, Khattab is confident that he has done his job in making the clinic successful.

As someone who understands the value of good leadership, and who works hard to be a strong leader for people who put their trust in him, Khattab shows his dedication to the task. The staff of Precision MD know they can come to him with questions or concerns, and can work toward making a stronger, better workplace for everyone, when there is good leadership available.

Social media can be a powerful tool for businesses looking to build a successful marketing strategy. In 2021, there are nearly 4 billion social media users worldwide alone – a five percent increase from the past year. Social media has become such an important part of people’s lives that it’s key to any successful marketing strategy. 

But not all social media platforms are created equally. Picking the right social media platform for your small business isn’t easy. Each platform has its own set of users, demographics, and quirks. To succeed on social media, it’s crucial to understand these nuances before investing in any platform. Here are some of our big tips for picking the right social media platform for your business. 

5 ways to pick the right social media platform for your business 

Picking the right social platform can be difficult, especially with limited resources. Here are our favorite tips 

1. Focus on your audience

Audience is the most important factor when picking the right social media platform for your business. When it comes to picking the right social media platform, nothing else matters if your audience isn’t active on that particular platform. Do you know where your audience is most active? A majority of Americans use Facebook and YouTube, research shows. But if your audience isn’t on Facebook, for example, then there’s no reason to put your valuable resources as a small business owner towards Facebook. 

2. Let your business guide your decisions

When you’re picking the right social media platform, your business should be at the forefront of the decision. Think about your products or services, your brand personality, and your business when picking your primary social media platform. 

For example, if your business has great visuals or strong video content, you might want to focus on Instagram or YouTube. If you run a B2B enterprise, you may want to shift your focus to LinkedIn. 

Don’t forget to think outside the box: sometimes, small business’ content will work for a number of different platforms if repurposed correctly. 

Your decision may not be as simple as just picking one platform. The average social media user has around 8.5 accounts, statistics show. You may need to weigh what makes sense for your business – and your audience. 

3. Audit your competitors

What are your competitors doing on social media? Consider conducting a competitive analysis of your competitors’ social media accounts to better understand what works for them – and what doesn’t. Look at the following factors:

• What platforms do they use? 
• What content works well for them? What doesn’t?
• Measure engagement by channel

The insights can help inform your own strategy. 

4. Align with your marketing goals

Why is your small business on social media? And what do you hope to get out of it? The answers to these questions will impact your decisions as well. If you want to build brand awareness for your small business, the social media platform you pick will differ from someone whose goal is click-through to their website. 

5. Find your target audience

Picking the right social media platform isn’t just about finding your current audience. It’s also about locating your ideal audience, too. Once you’ve identified your target customer, you need to be consistent to master your platform. 

6. Understand your resources

There’s no doubt about it: social media is time consuming, especially for a small business. Social media is a big commitment, and whichever platform you pick, you need to dedicate the time and resources to it. If you only have one person dedicated to social media for five hours a week, you may want to stick with one or two platforms. If you have a full-time social media manager, you can choose a number of social media platforms. Social media has a tendency to take up much more time than any small business owner expects, so before starting any new channel, make sure to understand your resource allocations. 

Wrap Up

Many small business owners feel that social media can be time consuming; no matter how much time they put in, social media always greedily asks for more. That’s why no matter what platform you pick, it’s important to dedicate the time to ensure your platform can flourish – and best serve your business. Sound overwhelming? Don’t worry, our marketing firm for small businesses in Massachusetts can help!