Here are too many ways to turn your passion into a viable income. In this blog you will learn about how to make so much money online from lots of website and apps.By reading blog you will also find many good links which help you in making money online.
The pandemic left millions of Americans suddenly unemployed. Others saw their hours cut or income from their side hustles diminish. That left many looking for...
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Reading Time: 3 mins
Working from home is a wonderful privilege particularly during the coronavirus disease outbreak. It has many advantages but to execute everything off effectively takes commitment and smart management techniques. Owing to our diverse lifestyles and the nature of work, we may be facing various challenges. Many of those working from home have to balance out when to work and how to establish boundaries in personal and professional life. In this article, we are going to discuss this further and the important things you should know about working from home.
One of the most common devices you need to start working at home includes a laptop or desktop computer, either you purchase or provided by your company. If you are hired by a business that encourages your home-based setup, ask for the equipment you need as early as you start to work at home. Quickly setting guidelines is necessary for you to request what you need to do your job conveniently including the appropriate screen, keyboard, mouse, recliner, scanner, etc. Many companies that are accustomed to remote staff have a fund for home office equipment and furniture. You also need to have a high-speed internet fast enough to do your job. You will at some point attend meetings and make video calls so it is convenient to have a good headset with a mic and noise cancellation feature.
When adding important household items, do not underestimate the importance of having content insurance to cover those valuables. Instead of looking at multiple websites, you can visit Compare The Market to check a range of quotes from some of the best home and content products. If something unexpected happened like a fire or theft, it covers the financial cost of repairing or replacing those possessions in your household.
When you are working from home it is easy to get overwhelmed by personal kinds of stuff, since you are more available to people outside of your professional life. You have to explicitly allocate an area of your home for a job. This may be a vacant room or guest room you are converting to a home office, with all the essentials for doing work. Depending on the size of spare space you can also purchase office furniture, think about buying a desk and a nice comfortable office chair. Irrespective of room or place, set up an area in your house where you could work properly, and find a way to work daily in that area. Make sure your work area is peaceful so that you can concentrate on the job at hand.
Set a timetable, and stick to it as long as you can. Getting proper guidelines on when to work and to call it a day enables most employees to maintain a balance between work and life. It is terrible for anyone to perform an overnight shift and that even extends to remote employees. If you have to adjust to someone else’s time zone or starting earlier than usual, then make sure the next day you finish up earlier than normal to rest a little more. It is also beneficial to create a routine that will lead you through the whole day.
It can start by getting your breakfast and then go for a jog before you start working. You could also try to leave the house frequently, like to go out elsewhere to have your lunch. Taking breaks could lead to a high level of productivity and creativity. Everybody needs fresh air and greenery is going to do you good as well. There are critical components to success as you work through your career. It sounds easy but it is a vital skill to have the time managing and planning you need to do.
You get to be in charge of your time and your health whenever you work from home. You can rest afterward and you also do not spend time putting on cosmetics and picking an outfit in the morning. Working from home allows you to be more in control of your time and diet in a way that a workplace can not. As a natural outcome, your health and quality of life considerably improve.
The post What Everyone Should Know About Working From Home appeared first on MoneyMagpie.
Labels: News
Reading Time: 4 mins
All freelancers need a freelance portfolio. It’s important to have somewhere to point potential customers so they can see if your work is the right fit for their needs.
A well-presented portfolio convinces new clients of the value you can add to their business. It also makes you look like a reliable and trustworthy service provider. The best thing is, it doesn’t cost a lot – or take much time – to set up a freelance portfolio using one of these free websites!
Use your online freelance portfolio to showcase what you do. If you don’t have any client samples to show, make some up! Starting out with ‘spec’ samples is still a great way to show off your talents.
The project itself can look spectacular, yet the client wants to see how you solve problems. Hence, make sure that each piece of your displayed work gives a clear and thorough answer to the following questions:
Every great portfolio has a strong ‘about me’ section. This is where you introduce yourself, talk about what you do and how you can create value for the people that work with. This part is most likely the first thing the client will look at, thus the stronger impression you give, the more likely they are to start the browsing through your work with a positive attitude. Everybody loves authenticity, so don’t be afraid to show some personality!
What better way to show how great and easy it is to work with you than hearing it from someone else? If you can convince your current clients or previous colleagues to give you a written recommendation, definitely do it! Testimonials act almost like product reviews; they will create more trust and reassurance for your clients.
The average person waits less than 3 seconds for a page to load before they close the entire website altogether. Make sure you choose an effective platform that enables quick page loading!
Aside from loading speed, there are many things to take consider when deciding on your website creation package. There are multiple options you can choose from, depending on how much experience you have with websites and the type of freelance work you do.
WordPress is one of the major players in the content management sector. Although it’s not primarily focused on digital portfolios, you can create a robust website with a variety of themes, designs, and pages, for customisation to your liking. It is a terrific option if you want to be in complete control of your portfolio and design layouts. It’s also perfect for showcasing several skills, as it provides multiple pages. You can start a website for free, but for more upgraded offerings, they offer a personal plan at £3 per month as well as a premium, business, and eCommerce subscription with higher fees.
Wix is great if you want to drive traffic to your website. Similar to WordPress, Wix has great flexibility of customisation with over 500 available templates. The online pages are quick to load, with an optimised display for all devices.
It’s also perfect for beginner website builders, scoring high in customer scores and ease of use. Wix offers step-by-step guidelines for search engine optimisation and allows you to add meta tags to your images for better online visibility and increased traffic.
Another great free alternative is Jurno Portfolio. Unlike WordPress and Wix, customisation possibilities are limited to 6 themes. You can add links of your published work, write directly on the platform or upload offline content (e.g. PDF files). Other useful features include the construction of different webpages and built-in analytics.
Jurno Portfolio allows you to see how many visitors you’ve had, how long they spent on the platform, and where they came from. Aside from Google Analytics, it also includes Sumo Me which brings more advanced engagement tools, such as newsletter sign-ups.
Behance is one of the most widely-used portfolio websites, with millions of UX designers and artists. It’s a user-friendly platform and also provides access to a network of like-minded individuals. Once you created a project or a list of upcoming projects, your followers can give you feedback and support your work.
You can also link the portfolio to your social media accounts as well as track the number of people who viewed and liked your work. Behance is part of the Adobe Creative Cloud which has a premium monthly subscription, yet a free version is available with more limited options.
If your focus is writing and design skills are not particularly your forte, Muck Rack excels in ease-of-use and it’s exactly what you need. This platform automatically compiles all your work and creates the layout for you.
You can customise your bio and choose to remove or spotlight particular pieces. Muck Rack is also a free media database for journalists and PR professionals, who can see, share, comment, or tweet your work. This will enable you to gain more exposure and network with industry professionals.
A freelance portfolio is just one of many parts of a successful career. Check out these articles for more tips about making it as a freelancer!
The post Best Free Websites for a Freelance Portfolio appeared first on MoneyMagpie.
Labels: News
Reading Time: 5 mins
Have you ever wanted to start up your own business? Want to make a profitable living, but also have a desire to make the world a better place? If so, a social enterprise might be exactly what you’re looking for.
Whilst the term ‘social enterprise’ is unknown to many, this fairly new business model is ever-increasing in popularity. If you’ve bought the Big Issue, visited the Eden Project, or dined at Jamie Oliver’s ‘Fifteen’ restaurant before, then you’ve contributed to a social enterprise. These are just a few examples amongst over 70,000 others operating in the UK today!
However, before you go about setting one up yourself, there are a few key points you’ll need to understand.
The defining characteristic of a social enterprise is that its aims must relate to social and/or environmental objectives. To give a few examples, these objectives can range from sustainable energy, to health improvement, to providing employment or training for those disadvantaged in the labour market.
This objective needs to be clearly outlined in the social enterprise’s governing documents – and all the organisation’s activities must be focused on achieving this objective. Social enterprises also have to reinvest the majority of their profits into achieving their objective.
On the other hand, if you’re a Limited Company or a Sole Trader, and you’re not a Social Enterprise, your objective can be purely commercial. There is no obligation to relate your goal to social or environmental issues, and you’re allowed to do what you please with your profits. If it’s just money you’re after, this could be the better option for you!
Having read this information, you may now be thinking that a social enterprise seems just like a charity. Truth being told, they are fairly similar! However, the two shouldn’t be confused. Here are some significant differences to note.
Crucially, a charitable organisation has to comply to Charity Law. Amongst many other things, this means that the organisation must not operate for the benefit of trustees – that is to say, the charity cannot make a private profit.
This is not true of a social enterprise. Whilst it is expected that a social enterprise should reinvest the majority of its profits back into its objective, this still leaves potential for substantial private profit. According to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, a social enterprise can pay up to 50% of its profit to owners and shareholders.
The other key difference is that a charity tends to rely on grants and donations to raise money for its operations. A social enterprise, on the other hand, primarily sells services or products to generate its income. This is why charities often switch to a social enterprise business model if they encounter financial hardship, or if funding dries up. It can be a much more efficient way to generate income!
So, you’re interested in starting your altruistic business venture, and are ready to set up a social enterprise! What are the next steps?
As is to be expected, there are a few formalities you’ll need to undergo to get the ball rolling. However, this is nothing to fret about. Just follow the instructions we’ve laid out below!
There are a number of reasons why this is an important step to get right. The legal structure which you choose should be the one which best fits your business and its social purpose.
This decision could be influenced by the type of activities you plan to engage in or the stakeholders you plan to work with. Equally, making the right decision on your legal structure can enhance your credibility and protect your employees from personal liability.
You can set up as a community interest company (CIC), a charitable incorporated organisation (CIO), a co-operative, a sole trader, business partnership and limited company amongst many other options. This decision is likely to require some research, and it’s often a good idea to seek legal advice. Have a read of UnLtd’s website, which offers comprehensive support on how to make this choice.
This process will differ depending on which legal structure you choose.
As an example, here’s how to set up a CIC: one of the most popular legal structures for social enterprises.
Firstly, you’ll need a ‘community interest statement’. This will outline the way in which your business plan relates to your social/environmental objective.
You’ll also need an ‘asset lock’: this is a legal promise that your company’s assets can only be used for your objective. It also limits the amount of money you’re allowed to pay to shareholders.
Once you have both of these, you’ll then need a constitution (you can use the CIC regulator’s model constitutions for this) and your company will need to be approved by the community interest company regulator.
All the information you need is on the GOV.UK website!
Once you’re all set up, you might be wondering how to get your business off the ground financially. It’s no secret that starting a business doesn’t come cheap! Thankfully, there are plenty of schemes in place to financially kickstart your social enterprise.
As with any business, it’s a good idea to look into sources of investment, such as angel investors, seed funding firms, and venture capital funds.
However, as a social enterprise, you’ll have access to more specific support. Impact investing is specifically tailored towards organisations with social and environmental objectives, with Root Capital being a great example.
Similarly, look into social impact bonds. These are outcome-based financial support schemes for organisations which look to solve problems which the government struggles to address (such as homelessness and youth unemployment). See Social Finance and the Young Foundation for more.
Finally, for organisations which are already up and running, the Social Enterprise Support Fund are providing essential financial support for social enterprises during COVID-19. Thanks to the National Lottery, grants of between £10,000 and £300,000 are available, and the next round of applications opens on 13th August.
There’s a whole lot that goes into running a social enterprise! Check out these articles next for more business tips.
The post How to Set Up a Social Enterprise appeared first on MoneyMagpie.
Labels: News
Reading Time: 6 mins
If you’ve had a taste of remote working during lockdown and liked it, you might like to become a digital nomad.
Travel the world and work remotely to earn money while you live in gorgeous locations!
So many jobs can be done entirely remotely these days that it’s possible to travel the world while holding down a full-time or part-time job. A digital nomad is someone who moves around – either month-to-month or longer-term – and does the same job wherever they are.
Website designers, for example, can work from anywhere in the world. All they require is a laptop and a good internet connection!
The huge advantage of being a digital nomad is that you don’t have to decide between taking a holiday or working. You get paid to BE on holiday! (Kind of). Yes, you still have to work – but you can do it from tropical beaches or on a cruise across the ocean – all you need is a good internet connection.
Anything that can be done entirely on a computer is ideal for the digital nomad lifestyle. Things like:
And that’s just the broad strokes of a list! If you can think of a way to do your job totally remotely, you can be a digital nomad.
Some nomads move every week or month, travelling the world as they work. Others prefer to take six months here and there to really explore a place.
It all depends on what you want from your digital nomad lifestyle. Do you want to dive deep into a new culture, or experience lots of different new things? If you’re happy with moving regularly, you could get a lot of world travel in while you work.
Being a nomad means you need to travel light, though. So, if you want to try out setting up a new life somewhere longer term, consider a six-month stint in your country of choice instead. You can ship some of your belongings out, if you need home comforts – rather than relying on what you can carry!
You’ll also need to look for certain things before you travel, including:
Find a place to stay for the duration of your trip that’s comfortable and, ideally, has somewhere you can work. If you’re going really cheap on the digital nomad lifestyle, hostels usually have common rooms you can use – including WiFi!
Some countries have very strict laws about whether you can work while you’re in the country. It often depends on the type of visa you have – though things can get a little blurry when it comes to being a digital nomad.
You’re working, but not paying taxes etc into the system of the country you’re living in at the time. So, does that count as working on a travel visa or not? Each country views it differently. The best thing to do is check the country’s official Government website – and if you have no luck finding the information, try the VisaHQ.com website.
Of course, visa status will change after Brexit kicks in, so always keep checking what you need to do. However, these countries welcome freelancers and digital nomads with open arms:
See? You can work in all sorts of places to get the best of both travelling AND a steady income!
The more you can save, the more you can travel! So, follow these tips for working on a bootstrap to make the most of your digital nomad lifestyle.
Unless you need specific software for your job – such as design tools – free stuff does it just as well! Use things like Open Office or Google Docs to manage your day-to-day ‘office’ tasks.
Don’t waste money on an expensive mobile phone contract! Make the most of Whatsapp, Zoom, and other video calling and internet phone calling software. It’ll save you a LOT of money, and your clients will enjoy having you ‘in the room’ rather than a faceless voice, too.
Short hops between places is a great way to see the world – but you’ll get more for your money by staying in one place longer. You can negotiate better room rates if you stay more than two weeks in the same place! Try to find self-catered accommodation where you can, as cooking for yourself will make living MUCH cheaper.
An even better way to save money is to register as an official housesitter! You don’t have to pay for the accommodation – just look after someone’s home while they’re away. You might also need to look after their pets, but if you’re allergic to animals you can choose to avoid housesitting for fur-filled homes.
Compare your next travel plans online before booking. Use comparison sites to make sure you’re getting the best deal possible on your travel tickets.
Try to avoid flying unless you have to. Bus and rail tickets are often FAR cheaper – and if you time it right, a sleeper berth on a train means a cheap night’s accommodation, too!
Go for premium insurance that covers a wide range of scenarios – including plenty of cover for your laptop, phone, and any other gadgets. It’s worth paying a little extra for peace of mind – and premium insurance can help you with things like replacement passports, legal aid, and other things on top of basic travel, accommodation, or accident costs.
Make sure you’ve got a credit card for spending emergencies, such as last-minute ticket changes. Find a credit card suited for travellers – such as one with cheap conversion fees.
Working as a digital nomad means you can work anywhere – for anyone. So, if you happen to pick up a local client while you’re travelling, it’s important to make sure they can pay you with ease.
Transferwise is free to set up, and it allows you to create a ‘local’ bank account in most countries. This saves you (and your client) on transfer fees – and you can hold the currency in your account until the exchange rate is in your favour to convert it to pound sterling (or whatever currency you need). You can also get a debit card so you can spend straight from the account.
It’s a good idea to have a separate bank account for your travels, too. Regularly transfer smaller amounts into this account, rather than use your main current account. It helps protect you from fraud if your identity or bank cards are stolen or lost on the trip.
Instead of buying lots of takeaway food or eating in restaurants all the time, eat like a local. Some places sell amazing street food that costs hardly anything! Others have fantastic markets where you can buy cheap local produce – cooking for yourself saves a lot of money when you’re travelling.
You’re travelling to see the world, as well as work, so find cheap tourist activities ideal for those on a budget. Most cities offer free walking tours, for example, showing you the area without breaking your budget.
Lots of cafes and even town plazas have free wifi anyone can access. Make sure you don’t do any secure activity – such as online banking – while on these networks, though. However, for the price of a cup of coffee you can sit in comfort and use the free wifi to get your work done!
Setting up as a digital nomad is more than picking where to travel to next. Make sure your freelance business is solid before you start seeing the world – check out these helpful articles next!
The post How to Make Money as a Digital Nomad appeared first on MoneyMagpie.
Labels: News
Reading Time: 4 mins
With the rise of online ESL platforms, many teachers have made the move from brick and mortar classrooms to a virtual space. As the English language learning world continues to expand and change, there is an ever-growing number of companies offering online work to ESL teachers. This means that there is an almost inexhaustible list of opportunities to make money teaching English online.
That poses the question: just how much money can you make teaching English online?
However, the answer isn’t cut and dry. In some cases, you can make a lot. In other cases, it’s a little.
I have been teaching English online for almost two years. The most money I’ve made in one month was £2,400 (€2,638). During that month, I hustled and worked more than I would normally, teaching classes in both the mornings and evenings during the weekend when most of my students were available.
My schedule is restricted to weekday evenings and weekends because my students are all school age. This limits my available hours which in turn, limits my pay. Luckily for me, I live and work in Southeast Asia and teach Chinese students so my time zone is only an hour behind theirs. The number of classes I taught each week might not be possible if you were living somewhere else in the world.
All of this is to say that there isn’t a fixed equation for how much money you can make teaching English online. It depends on the company you work for, the students you teach, and your qualifications.
I’m a native English speaker from Canada with a Bachelor’s Degree in English, a TEFL qualification, and two years of classroom experience. I make £17 (€19)/hour and the company I work for is one of the leading companies in China for school-age students.
That being said, you can make a lot less money than that or you can make a lot more. It depends on you.
There are a lot of online ESL companies that require native English speakers with degrees and for some, there will be passport restrictions. With these companies, like VIPKID, GogoKid, and SayABC, you will see wages at approximately £16 (€17.60)/hour and above. Some of these companies offer incentives to boost your pay and you can often get closer to £24 (€26)/hour.
On the other end of that are platforms like Cambly that do not require degrees that pay approximately £8(€8.80) a class. You will find plenty of companies in the £8-16 (€8.80-17.60) range with more flexible requirements. But with these companies, your schedule will likely be more flexible. Your students will be of all different ages and come from all over the world, allowing you to work any hour of the day, no matter where you are located. If you crush a lot of classes each week, you’ll also crush a hefty paycheque.
However, if you have specialized qualifications, there are online ESL opportunities where you can make a lot of money. For example, if you are qualified and experienced in teaching IELTS, you can find a niche for that. If you have experience teaching business ESL, you can find a niche for that. I’ve heard of people teaching specialized ESL to pilots and making outrageous amounts of money doing so.
If you have the experience and knowledge of specialized business ESL, research is your friend. Market your skills and experience and you should have no problem finding a high-paying gig.
The answer to the question of how much money you can make teaching English online isn’t as straight-forward as giving you an exact number. Take note of your experience and qualifications. Do you have any special skills that you can offer to an ESL student? Do you have a degree and in what field? Are you a native speaker and from which country? All of these things will factor into how much money you can make teaching ESL online.
But there is one thing you can do to help you make more money teaching English online: get a TEFL qualification.
If you work for a Chinese ESL company, having a TEFL qualification has recently been made a mandatory requirement by the Chinese government. A lot of ESL platforms will require TEFL certification and if they don’t, they’ll certainly appreciate you having one.
Before you start applying for ESL companies, complete a TEFL course, and become certified to teach English as a second language. Not only will it beef up your resume, but a TEFL course will prepare you for the classroom, both physical and virtual.
The needs of second-language learners are complex. As English speakers, we don’t always understand what our students need. Getting TEFL certified will teach you what those needs are and how to meet them. It will give you a better understanding of the technical side of a language a lot of us grew up speaking.
We recommend getting your qualification through The TEFL Org, a fantastic resource for aspiring ESL teachers. The TEFL Org is the most experienced TEFL course provider, operating in the UK, US, and Ireland. It is run by actual TEFL teachers and their knowledge and experience will be invaluable to you as you learn.
Without a doubt, there is money to be made teaching English online. After living and teaching ESL in Asia for several years, my pay online is higher than my pay in a classroom ever was.
And while the pay is a huge benefit, the flexibility in hours and having control of my schedule and in turn, my life is the biggest benefit. I would never trade the freedom of online work for a classroom.
One of my biggest concerns about leaving the classroom was that I would be forfeiting the connection I had with some of my students. I didn’t think it would be possible to have the same rapport and relationships that I had in a brick and mortar school in a virtual classroom, but I was quickly proven wrong.
I have made lasting and impactful connections with my students online. Getting to spend one-on-one time with students is an opportunity you don’t often get when teaching in person. I genuinely look forward to the twenty-five minutes I get to spend with some of my students each day and I feel rewarded when I witness them learning and speaking.
And well, that £2,400 (€2,640) paycheque I get sometimes doesn’t hurt either.
The post How Much Money can you Make Teaching English Online? appeared first on MoneyMagpie.
Labels: News
Reading Time: 3 mins
In uncertain times, nothing puts you at ease quite like solid income. That is exactly what matched betting is doing for thousands of individuals – giving some financial breathing room.
As with all things that describe themselves as a ‘second income’ or ‘online income’, there is always a bit of scepticism as to how much can actually be made. Matched betting, however, makes no false claims on how much can be made and that is what we are going to demonstrate in this article. Showing you how to simple it is to make £100 in one afternoon – and then much much more in the future.
Now, you might think that matched betting is a very complex concept. In reality, to learn the process takes less than an afternoon – and, on top of that, you get to earn while you learn.
So, let’s say you have around £200 left of your monthly pay cheque and you are debating putting that into your savings account – should you do it? Well, no, not while matched betting exists. Thanks largely to Covid-19, you’ll be lucky to get an interest rate of 1%. With inflation rates taken into account, any money saved at the moment is actively losing value. You need to be making this money work harder. So, what if we used this £200 for matched betting?
Matched betting is no more a risk to your £200 than sticking it in a savings account. Matched betting is risk free. So, let’s ‘invest’ this £200 in matched betting for an afternoon and see what happens. If any of the following is a little confusing, we highly recommend you check out MoneyMagpie’s Matched Betting Guide – which gives explanations for all the terms used below, some of which may be unfamiliar.
We start by putting £160 into a Betting Exchange (for this example we will go with Betfair). Now, this may seem a bit scary, but your money is completely safe in a betting exchange. The role of the Exchange organisations is that they allow us to bet against an outcome occurring. So, whereas a bookmaker would only allow you to bet on Chelsea to win, an exchange allows you to bet against Chelsea winning. We use this to remove any risk that comes from betting with a bookmaker – because the exchange can be used to offset the bet.
So, now we have our exchange sorted, which should take no more than 15 minutes to set up, it’s time to start doing bookmaker offers the matched betting way! This is what we are going to be using the remaining £40 of our £200 on. It will be used to open up the below bookmaker accounts so we can complete their welcome offers and make a guaranteed profit.
Let’s say that our afternoon is going to be 5 hours long. So far, we have spent about 1 hour learning the basic concept of matched betting and 15 minutes setting up our betting exchange account. Now it is time for the matched betting offers:
| Bookmaker Offer | Deposit (£) | Time spent | Profit |
| Coral | £5 | 30 minutes | £15 |
| Betfred | £10 | 30 minutes | £23 |
| Sky Bet | £5 | 15 minutes | £15 |
| William Hill | £10 | 20 minutes | £25 |
| 888Sport | £10 | 20 minutes | £23 |
So, including our 1 hour and 15 minutes to learn the basics and set up an exchange account, in under 5 hours we’ve earned £101 with 1 hour and 50 minutes left to decide what you are going to spend it on. In terms of an hourly wage, that is over £20 per hour!
When you compare this to the amount you would have made from a 1% annual interest on £200 in a savings account (ie £2!), I think we can agree there is only one choice to be made here.
At this point you might be thinking. Ok, fine, that is a decent amount of money but surely, when you run out of bookmaker welcome offers to complete you can no longer make money, right? Well, luckily for matched bettors, the opposite is true.
You see, bookmakers give out offers to existing customers as well as new ones – these offers are called reload offers, and these are what sustain a matched bettor’s consistent income.
A recent example of a reload offer from Bet365 was them offering a ‘free in-play bet up to £50’. Amount of guaranteed profit for this one – £45. Total time to complete the offer – 5 minutes. This is just one example out of the hundreds that are available each week.
Matched betting is as close to free money as you could hope, and with the world being as messed up as it is right now, you need to be earning every penny possible.
You can get full access to a Premium matched betting service today for just £1 thanks to MoneyMagpie. Yes, just £1!! Use the discount code NEW01 at checkout on the Heads&Heads site.
The post Earn £100 in an afternoon! appeared first on MoneyMagpie.
Labels: News
Reading Time: 2 mins
All of us are entranced by the shine of gold and the gleam of diamonds. While jewelery is obviously beautiful to behold, we also need to remember that it can represent a powerful form of investment. During an uncertain economic climate or if you happen to come upon hard times, selling these precious items can often provide you with a much-needed sense of liquidity. However, there are still a few important variables to address. What are your options when selling jewelry? How are gold and other precious metals valued? What can you realistically expect to receive in terms of profit? Let us address each of these questions in a bit more detail.
It is first important to mention that in the majority of cases, it is best to sell any item such as a ring or a necklace to a jeweler as opposed to having it melted down for its precious metals. This arises from the fact that elements such as precious gemstones and craftsmanship will add to its value. Other variables which will contribute to the worth of a piece include:
Having said this, it could still be worth scrapping an extremely worn or generic item such as a simple gold necklace or an old class ring from university.
We need to remember that precious metals such as gold, silver and platinum are commodities traded on the open market. Thus, they are always in demand. This is why some jewelry will be melted down in order to extract these elements before refining them into solid ingots. The worth of the metals in question will always revolve around their purity. For instance, amalgams of gold (such as rose gold) and gold of a lesser carat are worth less pure gold (24 karat).
Knowing where to sell gold is likewise important, as it is always better to work with an authorized jeweler or a dedicated gold buyer. These individuals are able to offer a greater degree of transparency.
How much profit can you expect to make when selling your jewelry? Assuming a piece will be melted down for its precious metals, the market price will naturally be taken into account. As the dealer in question still needs to turn a profit, you should not expect to be paid its face value. It is also obvious that profit margins will vary between “quick cash” establishments such as pawn brokers and recognized traders (even if the piece in question may take slightly longer to sell).
It is nonetheless wise to speak with at least three dealers in order to obtain a realistic estimate of what you can expect to receive. After all, why let spare trinkets collect dust when they could be turning a profit?
The post Selling Your Jewelry for Extra Liquidity: What You Need to Know appeared first on MoneyMagpie.
Labels: News
Reading Time: < 1 min
MoneyMagpie is all about keeping up with financial trends that anyone can use to make money and save money.
We post new articles every week keeping you up-to-date on the latest ways to manage your money – but that’s not enough.
We want you to get to know what it really means to be a MoneyMagpie – and become one yourself! That’s why we’ve launched the MoneyMagpie podcast, “How to be a MoneyMagpie”: weekly shows with Jasmine and guests, talking about the hottest topics of the day.
More than that, you’ll be a part of it too. We’ll be sharing the Tweet of the Week – your hottest tips and personal finance stories! Reader questions will feature heavily, too – so make sure you post your burning questions on the Podcast Thread on our forum.
Check out the very first episode of the MoneyMagpie podcast here – and then click Follow on your chosen streaming service to make sure you’re always up-to-date with the latest episodes!
The post New! The MoneyMagpie Podcast appeared first on MoneyMagpie.
Labels: News
Reading Time: 5 mins
If you’re a freelancer, or creating a business, there’s no other way around it – you need a website. It’s such a crucial tool that although having to learn to set up a website and manage it can seem off-putting, it’s an invaluable tool and will be time well spent.
There are over 3.5 billion Google searches per day. Online searches are the primary way people find new services and products. Therefore, by not having a website you are unconsciously limiting your business opportunities. Having a website is the most efficient way for customers to find you.
Setting up a website doesn’t have to be something you dread, either. There are plenty of tools out there to make it easier for beginners, and keep the costs low.
Here are a few key reasons why a professional website is important:
To set up a website you need to choose a domain name and you want to put some thought into this. You want a domain name that’ll be easy to remember, ideally without any tricky spelling, unneeded numbers, or confusing punctuation.
Your domain name should be relevant to your brand and business in some way. As a domain name impacts SEO, incorporating keywords into it will also improve your SEO ranking.
As well as this, you ideally want to have the same name across your website and social media handles. It creates familiarity and makes it easier for people to find you online. You can check domain name availability and register on 123Reg or on GoDaddy. Then, use namecheckr to make sure you can get social media handles under the same name.
Finally, before purchasing a domain name and to avoid any legal issues down the line, make sure it isn’t trademarked. You can do this through the government search here.
The difference between a hosted and self-hosted website is often compared to the difference between renting and owning a home. Which I think is a really helpful way of imagining the difference.
If you rent, you have a home to house your belongings, but you don’t actually own the land or the building. You are limited in the sorts of improvements and customisations you can make. For example, you might be allowed to repaint but you definitely can’t knock a wall through and convert the space. However, when something breaks the landlord is responsible and will need to fix it for you.
A hosted site is one that’s built through Software as a Service platform (SAAS) such as WordPress.com, Wix, or Squarespace. They provide the hosting and software to build your website, but you’re limited to using their tools and templates to create it. However, a self-hosted website enables you to download the software and modify it as much as you like. It gives you more creative freedom and control over your website.
If you’re self-hosting, you create your website and then purchase space through a hosting company to store your site and make it available to the public. There are a variety of hosts providing different services all at different price points so carefully consider which option is best suited for you. Some of the most popular self-hosting platforms are SiteGround, BlueHost, GoDaddy.
Things to look out for:
CMS (Content Management System) is computer software that uses a database to manage all content in the building of a website. It allows you to create a website without having to build it from code, or even know anything about coding at all. Plus, most CMS platforms come with predesigned templates that make it easy for you to customise the design of your site.
There’s a variety of CMS platforms to choose from. Some of them are free, whilst others charge a monthly rate. It’s worth doing research into them first as both their prices and features vary. What you need will depend on your individual business and not all features will be relevant to you.
Some of the most popular CMS platforms are:
Photos and various forms of media are important when you set up a website – a solid chunk of text looks far too intimidating and puts people off. However, as soon as you’re thinking about using someone else’s photos online you need to find out whether you have a legal right to use an image. If you violate copyright there’s a maximum sentence of 6 months or a fine of up to £50,000. So it’s worth making sure you’re doing everything legally.
There are two options when you’re searching for images online – copyrighted and copyright-free. Copyright-free images can be downloaded without a charge on sites like Unsplash and Pixabay, while you can buy stock photos on iStock Photo and Getty Images. Paid-for stock photos generally tend to be of a much higher quality, have greater variance in images, and you know you’ll have followed the correct copyright regulations.
You can make your website as simple or detailed as you like. However, there are a few things you must include:
As this is a business website, you’ll want to include a basic price list for your products and services. This way potential clients can see what you offer and whether they can afford you without wasting either yours or their time unnecessarily.
Include a short and simple ‘about’ section to let the client know who you are, a little bit about your business and the services and products you can offer them. This can include some history, experience, and any previous projects or clients you’ve worked with as well.
Include your contact info, phone number, email address so that it’s easy for someone to reach out to you. If you don’t have one already, set up a separate business email so that you’re not receiving work-related emails into your personal account.
Finally, once your website is all set up and ready to go you want to promote it. Post it across your social media channels, on LinkedIn, and share with your already established network. The more people you can reach, the bigger boost it will give your new business.
We have plenty more useful articles for freelancers worth checking out below:
The post How to Set Up a Website for Your Freelance Business appeared first on MoneyMagpie.
Labels: News
Reading Time: 5 mins
The dream for any artist is to be able to make a living from their passion alone, but this isn’t always easy. The music industry is notoriously hard, plus a global pandemic certainly hasn’t helped either.
To make money as a musician you need to make sure you have a diversified stream of income. For most musicians, the amount earned through gigging isn’t enough alone. Combining a mixture of income sources helps. That way if one avenue dries up temporarily, you’ll have other streams of income to fall back on.
If you’re looking for some ideas, we’ve got you covered on how you can make money as a musician outside of live gigging and touring.
According to IFPI, “digital revenues – especially paid subscription audio streaming – now accounts for 58.9% of the global recorded music market.” Plus, in 2018 alone, total streaming revenues increased by 34%. This shows how quickly streaming has become the most popular way for people to find and listen to new music. As a musician, this provides a great opportunity to not only boost the number of people who have access to your music but also earn money from the royalties.
Spotify and Apple Music are the two leading music streaming services. Both of them allow artists to upload through either a label or distributor. A distributor allows you to share your music on streaming platforms independently, rather than through a record label. They’ll distribute your music across streaming platforms, collect your royalties and pay them into your account.
To upload to Apple Music, if you’re not signed, you need to use one of their partnered distributors. There’s plenty to choose from – you can find the whole list here.
Spotify has similar rules where you need to work with either a label or a distributor to upload. If you don’t currently have a distributor, Spotify works with companies who handle the licensing and distribution of your music. However, the charges and commission involved may be higher than other distributors so it’s worth looking around. You’ll find a lot of variance in what different distributors offer in terms of service and charges so it’s advisable to do some research to find the best one for you.
Teaching music can come in many forms and it doesn’t just have to be via traditional face-to-face lessons. Throughout the coronavirus pandemic online learning has become more popular than ever and there are plenty of places where you can teach online. LectureOwl is easy to apply for as a teacher. Their service connects students with instructors, allowing worldwide access and the ability to teach from home online. Musika is another useful platform for teaching. It offers the choice for you to teach online, from a studio, or in the student’s home.
Another way to make money as a musician is to spend time creating a one-off music course. These are a popular option for many people keen to learn new skills as they’re able to complete the course in their own time.
Some of the best sites to create your own teaching course are: Udemy, Future Learn, and Skillshare. Creating an online course will take a lot of initial work to get set up, but once it’s done it can create a steady source of income. You’re paid every time a student signs up and pays for your course, but you’ve already put the work in.
If you’re skilled in multiple areas of the music industry then branching out into other areas can increase your income massively. Although you might primarily be a performer, knowing how to edit, compose, write lyrics, produce, or mix music, means you can find work in these areas to boost your income.
In particular, being able to work on corporate projects will help boost your income. They tend to provide a more steady source of income than the entertainment sector. Plus, if you do well the first time they’ll likely hire you freelance for repeat projects. Commercial businesses often need music and sound effects for internal projects and advertising and marketing campaigns.
If you’re considering going freelance, or using freelance work to supplement your income we’ve got an article full of useful resources for you here.
There are a whole host of royalty-free sites where you can submit your music to to make money as a musician. Some of the most popular ones are:
With these sites you’re allowing the company to buy the rights to individual tracks, and in return you receive a large, one-off fee.
Royalty-free music is used for projects across various creative industries including film and TV, podcasts, YouTube, and across social media platforms. Submitting work to these sites can be a good way to increase recognition and earn at the same time.
Merchandise can prove to be an easy additional source of income. If you’re a musician with a decent sized social media following it’s worthwhile asking your followers what kind of merchandise they would like to see. Having a bit of insight into the kind of products they would be interested in means you won’t waste money on products that aren’t going to sell.
Common merchandise includes CDs, vinyl, stickers, posters, signed photos, and clothing, but doesn’t have to be limited to these, and you can make pretty much whatever you want. Think carefully about the design though – do you already have an established logo or artwork? If not, choose carefully. Something that advertises yourself or your band is great, but opting for a more subtle design generally means that it will appeal to a larger audience.
Obviously you want to take your merchandise with you to a gig or on tour, but set up a shop online too. You can sell it through your own website or another hosting site designed for musicians such as bandcamp. There are many other ways you can run a shop online, too. Check out our article Setting Up an Online Shop for more help.
Digital merchandise is another option and reduces your production costs. Some ideas for digital merchandise that you could create are video lessons, sheet music, lyrics books, and band artwork and photobooks.
Undoubtedly, the pandemic has caused a great deal of struggle for the arts and entertainment industries. Although, the good news is that tentatively live performances are starting to resume with outdoor gigs and shows. Getting in there early and try to book as many future gigs as possible at least means that you’ll have live performances coming up in the future and be able to take deposits for them.
On the side of this though, whilst social distancing measures remain in place, online gigs have proved really popular. You can collaborate with other musicians to put on a longer event through YouTube or any other social media streams. Consider charging for your event but keep the cost low so people aren’t put off. Donating a proportion of the charge to a charity supporting the arts industry also helps. This way you can also work with the charity to get them to help promote the event. Plus, you can give your viewers the option to tip which is easily done through Venmo or PayPal.Me
If you’re looking for more ideas on how to make money in the arts, why not check out some of the articles below:
The post Six Ways to Make Money As a Musician (Even in a Pandemic) appeared first on MoneyMagpie.
Labels: News
Reading Time: 4 mins
If you have some free time and are looking for ways to earn a little more money, you can try completing surveys for money. With survey companies that pay millions of dollars to users each year, this is a legitimate way to earn income online. For starters, it is very easy to be duped into “fraudulent” survey pages, but there are many legitimate sites that have been around for several years and have built a pretty solid reputation. We have mentioned a few of these sites here, but you can also check a more detailed list in this article by Sparkous.
Top feature: Quick payment via PayPal
Typical earnings: Per survey earnings in the range of $ 1.00 to $ 3.00
Survey Junkie has been in existence since 2013 and awards user points for completing surveys, which are then converted into US dollars. Surveys are valued between 50 and 450 points, with 100 points equivalent to $ 1. Income can be paid through PayPal or in the form of electronic gift cards. Payments through PayPal are processed within 24 hours, which is very fast compared to many competitors.
Top feature: More ways to earn money.
Typical earnings: Per survey earning up to $ 1.00
SwagBucks has a big portfolio of services other than just polls to reward users. Some of these are online shopping, surfing the web, playing games, and more. Survey income can be very low, less than $ 1 a year, but there is no shortage of ways to earn money. Like Survey Junkie, SwagBucks users are compensated in cash through PayPal and gift cards.
Top feature: 10 LifePoints upon registration
Typical earnings: Per survey earnings in the range of $ 0.50 – $ 1.00
With LifePoints, you can convert PayPal cash points once you have paid at least $ 20. The downside is that the amount you earn per survey is quite low, usually less than $ 1. However, they claim to have paid more than $ 20 million to members last year alone. Survey invitations are sent by email. The number you receive each month depends on the type of data collected and your ability to complete the survey.
Top feature: Bonus of $ 5 after completing 5 surveys
Typical earnings: Per survey earnings in the range of $ 0.30 – $ 0.50
MyPoints is owned by Prodege, the same company as SwagBucks. They are similar in the sense that you can earn points in various ways, including online shopping, watching videos, and games. They offer many voting opportunities, but poll earnings are often very low. However, after completing your first 5 surveys, you will receive a $ 5 bonus. Payment options are PayPal cash and gift cards.
Top feature: Convert points into travel credit
Typical earnings: Per survey earnings in the range of $ 0.30 – $ 3.00
When you complete surveys with Opinion Outpost, you receive points that can be converted in various ways. In addition to receiving PayPal cash or gift cards, you can convert your earnings into travel credits by joining the MileagePlus program. As with most polling companies, you will need to complete a questionnaire when registering so that Opinion Outpost can collect your demographic information and ensure that it is legitimate. According to their website, the topics of the survey are diverse and include everything from electronics and medicine to sports and politics to their eating habits.
Top feature: Low minimum payment
Typical earnings: Per survey earnings up to $ 1.00
Ipsos iSay by Ipsos is similar to most other survey sites where points can be accumulated and then converted to PayPal cash or used to redeem gift cards. Pay per survey is very low, but Ipsos has a unique point multiplier that rewards users’ loyalty with bonus points after reaching a certain number of surveys. After completing 5 surveys, for example, you will receive 25 bonus points. You only need 500 points (worth $ 5) before you can redeem PayPal for cash. With iSay, 100 points are worth $ 1.
Top Feature: A variety of ways to earn
Typical earnings: Per survey earnings up to $ 5.00
Survey Club can earn you up to $ 5 per survey, although the vast majority will be much lower. They also offer users the opportunity to participate in focus groups, some of which pay up to $ 200 an hour. Survey Club does not host surveys but controls surveys on other websites. What sets the Survey Club apart from its competition is how it can earn. Not only can they be paid for in cash or with gift cards, but they can also donate to charities, receive a prepaid debit card, and participate in giveaways and giveaways. The minimum income required for disbursement is $ 25.
There you have it, the list of the highest-paid survey sites for 2020.
Survey sites are definitely not for everyone, but they are still very popular. If you stick to the most reputable, you have to earn money. So here are few tips that can help you earn more from online surveys
Sign in to other websites – It only makes sense, but if you sign up for more websites, you increase your potential revenue by increasing the number of surveys you qualify for.
Go for the highest-paid activities – In addition to participating in surveys, many of these websites reward you for other activities, such as: surfing the web, watching videos, or participating in focus groups which are more detailed tasks and pay more in comparison to surveys. Pay attention to the best-paid activities and stick to them.
Register for Competition – Many survey websites offer the option to use your points to register for competitions where prizes can be up to $ 500 or $ 1000. While there is no guarantee that you will win, you should take the opportunity to use some of your points to improve your chances of a better payment.
The post Best Survey Sites of 2020 appeared first on MoneyMagpie.
Labels: News
Reading Time: 5 mins
There are a lot of things that you have to deal with as a freelancer. From payment to lack of trust and misunderstanding of the work trust you do, there can be a lot of unexpected hurdles that freelancers find themselves having to jump through.
Of course, if you can crack these issues you’ll be rewarded with lots of extra freedom, increased creative fulfilment, and probably more money than you’d get in full-time employment too. It’s no wonder that more and more people are taking the leap into freelancing, whichever industry they’re in.
Still, there are questions we need answers to if we’re going to level-up in our freelance careers. So, why do freelancers face these hurdles? There can be a lot of reasons. Here, we’ll think about just five of them. Hopefully we’ll give you some wise advice on how you can get past them, too…
Many companies will understand that freelancers are more expensive than their employed staff, because of the need to pay their own taxes, pension contributions, business marketing costs, and so on. Unfortunately, there are also lots of employers (usually the more traditional ones) that don’t understand that.
To get over this, you need to position yourself as a business. Rather than making potential clients see you as a singular person looking to pick up freelance work whilst you look for a full-time job (yes, sadly some people still think this is what a freelancer is) you need to show them that you’re a professional with a clear service that costs a fixed amount.
If that’s not good enough, you should look at the market rate and use it as evidence for why you charge the day rate that you do. If potential clients don’t want to pay it, feel free to negotiate – but remember that the fee they do offer needs to be sensible and reasonable. Your time is worth an amount that you’ve decided on, and it’s down to your experience, skulls and the market rate. If they can’t see that, there will be lots of other clients that can.
Trust is something that’s hugely important when it comes to freelance work. If a potential client says that they can’t guarantee the level of work you’re going to do for them, it’s likely because they don’t have enough information about you.
It’s easier to gain trust if you can put a face to a name, rather than trying to negotiate or win work through email. If you can, try to meet the client (social distancing of course!) during the discussion process. If that’s not possible, pick up the phone! People are naturally inclined towards trust if they’ve heard your voice, and if there are hesitations from their end a quick phone call can put them at ease and show that you’re motivated and keen to work with them. Try to find out what their fears are. Talking through these fears on the phone is the best way to convince them that you’re the real deal.
You should also do your best to get a contract in place. Getting a contract in place, even for a small piece of work, protects you as well as the client. It means that things like fees, timescales and the amount of work expected from you can’t be unfairly altered later. This protects your time and money. If you want more advice on freelance contracts have a look at this article from Crunch.
One way that you can work through this most infuriating of objections is by walking the potential client through every stage of your working process. If they don’t understand why it might take you two or three weeks to complete a project, it might be because they don’t understand the level of work involved. If you can explain each stage to them succinctly, they’re more likely to understand, and ultimately value, the process.
This can really help you out further down the line too, when they ask for updates on the work you’re doing for them. If you can point out a stage of the project that you’ve already discussed, and let them know exactly where you are with it, transparency between you and the company will only be improved.
There’s an easy way to combat this: your portfolio! Make sure your best work is displayed in an attractive way online, and that it’s easy for potential clients to find. This could be on platforms like Contently or Behance, depending on your industry. Make sure you have your own website too, and that it’s up to date with your most recent work. Link out from your social profiles, making your work as accessible as possible.
You should include testimonials from previous clients, colleagues or employers, too. Ask them outright for a three or four sentence recommendation, and hand them over to potential clients if they throw this objection at you. Make sure they’re listed on your website, too.
If this is the case, try to work out what the client’s need actually is. Why did they get in contact with you in the first place? What is the problem that they need to solve? Finding out what the issue is is key here. Maybe they need a fresh perspective on something that they’ve been struggling with in-house. As a freelancer, you can bring life to a project with fresh eyes. Working with the client to establish need is the best thing that freelancers can do when faced with this objection.
Of course, you aren’t going to convince every potential client that employing your services as a freelancer is the best idea. Some companies will always try to underpay, or will expect you to create work more quickly than is possible. In these situations, you shouldn’t be afraid to walk away.
Remember, too, that working for free is very rarely a good idea. Unless you’re at the very beginning of your career and think the experience would teach you a lot, or you’re more established and are working pro bono for a charity, there is unlikely to be much value in giving away your services for free. Don’t fall for it, and don’t let yourself get taken advantage of. Be confident in walking away rather than taking a very low offer or agreeing to work for free.
How do you handle objections when you come across them as a freelancer? We’d love to hear your advice. Share your thoughts with us over on the forums…
The post 5 Common Objections Freelancers Hear (And How to Overcome Them) appeared first on MoneyMagpie.
Labels: News
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