Find Freelance Gigs: 3 Great Freelance Resources

Being a professional freelancer is hard work. You might sign up for 20 different freelance job sites, looking for the perfect job. Half of the time the job opportunities don't even sound legitimate. It is more beneficial to focus your freelance career on quality freelance gig sites that offer quality, high paying opportunities, for professionals in the industry that you practice.

Here are 3 great Freelance Resources for the professional freelance writer, freelance web designer, freelance programmer or freelance graphic designer.

GURU.com
Exellent, high paying, legitimate opportunities for freelance writers, freelance graphic designers, freelance programmers, freelance web designers and freelance SEO experts or web marketers. This site offers a multitude of opportunities for the professional freelance web marketer or SEO expert. GURU.com is a high profile freelance talent marketer and networking site. This site is definitely worth your time to sign up and check out the job positions available. It's free for the basic account.

GetAFreelancer.com
Freelance job opportunities for freelance web designers, freelance graphic designers, freelance writers and freelance web marketing professionals. Similar to GURU.com and still has quality job positions available to the best bidder! Another site that is worth your time to sign up for if you are a freelance professional.

Freelancewriting/careercenter
The Best kept secret in the Freelance writing world! High paying freelance writing opportunities separated by budget, type of position and size of position. All freelance writing gigs. If you're a freelance writer, you owe it to yourself to check out some of these freelance opportunities.

Hope I could help! Freelance opportunities are everywhere, you just have to know where to look!


Bookmark my site to stay updated on Freelance oops! http://freelancefromhome.blogspot.com

Netflix Vs. Blockbuster Comparison Article

Mr. Lloyds Apple posted a really great comparis of the two companies: Netflix and Blockbuster.

You're probably curious as to why blockbuster and Netflix right? Blockbuster just recently started offering a new program very similar to netflix, some even claim better! Here's a piece of the article:

"Blockbuster Vs. Netflix: A win-win situation for consumers. Not as exciting as, say, Ali vs. Foreman, but money is now being saved. In retrospect we were simply getting ripped off by the rental companies in the 90's, just like the music industry, so let's not get too giddy.


Thankfully that the tide has turned in the movie rental business and it is now a buyers market. What does this mean? Simply, it is possible to rent multiple movies for cheap.

Here is a quick break down of the two services:"

Check it out at: Netflix Vs. Blockbuster Comparis and Advice

Advertisement-Plastic Surgery

Rodeo Drive houses a great little "boutique", right next to Chanel, Armani, Boss, and more high scale, high end stores. It's a medical center that treats all of their customers like rock stars, from beginning to end.

"Our medical center looks more like a boutique than a doctor’s office,” explains plastic surgeon Dr. Lloyd Krieger

He wanted to the medical center to ooze with luxury, sophistication, but also set his patients at ease and make them as comfortable as possible. Beyond his skill in performing the nips, tucks, and lifts his patients seek, Dr. Krieger encourages them to open up to a new lifestyle to further enhance and maintain their youthfulness for years to come.

His devotion to his clients goes beyond the medical room, he wants to enhance each patient's life with ways to improve their quality of life and prolong the length of their life! Whether you're planning a Los Angeles tummy tuck, breast augmentation or any other type of procedure, get the best possible job you can get. Its your life, and your body!

Work From Home: E-Book in Progress

Hello readers, I just wanted to let you know that I am currently working on an in depth guide to working from home in the year 2007. (date sensitive because it will need updates and revisions and time changes and so does the internet.)

I plan on making it as in depth as possible, with guides on money making opportunities online that are:

* Completely FREE
* Legitimate
* Offer real money, or mutually beneficial assistance in making money
* I have tried, I like, and am currently using
* SCAMS WILL BE REVEALED

I also will put my personal experience with these methods, how much I made at the beginning and how much I am currently earning. Also, I want to include my secret to self-promotion, and how to create a "Circle Marketing" campaign to build up your reputation and name online so that prospective clients can find you!

I am going to have chapters on Adsense and Affiliate programs, and how to integrate and make the most of these methods when earning an income online.

I would like some input, and I would also like you to let me know if there's anything in particular you want instructions on and/or information about ways to make money online...Please comment so that I can make this the best E-Book Ever!

Thank you!

-ME :)

Freelance Web Design and SEO Job Opportunities

About one year ago, I joined multiple online freelance networking sites. Some of them did not work out, either because I was tricked into thinking they were legitimate freelance sites, when in reality they were just interested in spamming my e-mail!! It happens, everyone knows that.

But, one company I've kind of grown with from the ground up is Guru.com. When I first joined, I would browse through the site, and there were just a few jobs I qualified for. All legitimate of course, but some were for serious web programmers, corporations willing to build E-Commerce sites, things of that nature. It wasn't a bad idea posting my resume there, its always great to network, but it wasn't really producing results job wise.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW AD


About 2 months ago I started getting project notifications every 2 days. This means, they found job postings that matched my skill set, and they would send me, via e-mail full descriptions of these jobs. They've really extended their database of opportunities, and I am thrilled that I found out about this site!

I get freelance jobs e-mailed to every day, here is an example of my latest e-mail:

Profile ID: 719003 matches...
Title: Website Re-Design with CSS
Project ID: 269057

Category: Website Design / Website Marketing
Description:
I need a website re-designed for 2 or 3 column css coding. I will also need an admin panel (or php admin page) so I can make necessary changes and updates, or complete "how to" instructions help files.

I'm not really familiar with css other than hearing that it's better than html because of the "tables" vs "div" tags.

It should also be designed with search engine traffic in mind and be cross browser compliant.

I want the site to look similar to the existing style unless you can show me a better look. I'll give you the URL via PM.

Please only bid on this if you are extremely qualified with css and seo.

Thanks,

Mike

------------------------------

---------------------

---------------------------------------------------
Profile ID: 719003 matches...
Title: SEO Expert
Project ID: 269072

Category: Website Design / Website Marketing
Description:
i am in need of anindividual to keep my website high on the natural listings scene with google and yahoo.

experience necessary with proven track record
Title: SEO Expert
Project ID: 269072

Category: Website Design / Website Marketing
Description:
i am in need of anindividual to keep my website high on the natural listings scene with google and yahoo.

experience necessary with proven track record

---------------------------------------------------

_______________________________________________________

This Project Notification will be deleted from your account in two weeks. Avoid deletion, and save a copy to your Watch List.

In just two days I have two projects that I can bid on, and that I qualify for! If you are a freelancer and have room, time or the experience to add some projects to your schedule, you will really find some great opportunities here. They list the highest profile, legitimate and various opportunities out there, for all kinds of freelancers.

try it out, its www.guru.com if you're interested!!

Good Luck!

All Inclusive Vacations Rock!--Need a Vacation?

January 8, 2007 VACATIONS.NET LAUNCHES NEW CUTTING EDGE WEBSITE WITH SAVINGS UP TO 50%

Vacations.net is a great new website with all inclusive vacation packages, killer deals on all new vacations, ways to help you plan your next vacation and more! Their new website is absolutely the best out there for vacation sites, and I'm sure you're sick of sifting through poorly designed vacation sites trying to find pricing, info and packages.

Their site offers customized booking engine and intuitive functionality that sets it above its competitors. They have images to help you really picture how your vacation will be, virtual tours of all their packages, and in depth descriptions of every aspect of your vacation package!

Are you looking for an all inclusive Bahamas Vacation?

Vacations.net has over 50% the regular price and value of their packages, and the options are endless. You make the decisions, you make the plans you decide what is best for your vacation by watching the tours, reading through their extensive review and description system and watching the images bring your potential vacation to life!!

Top Ten USB Flash Drives Atleast 1GB of Memory Under $20!

USB drives are extremely helpful, and necessary. For backing up your hard drive, transferring files and applications to different computers, or simply to use instead of wasting money and time with discs or the old school floppy disks!

For $20 or less you can get a USB flash drive, with at least 1GB of memory (that can hold waaaay more than a disk) and you don't have to keep purchasing CDs, or wasting your time copying information onto your disks. It will save you a lot of money in the long run, and also make your life far easier. Also, for all you e-bay sellers and online store owners, these are great things to stock up on and sell later for double or triple the price you paid! Grab them while they're hot.

Here are the top 10 USB Flash Drives, with at least 1GB of memory, all under $20 bucks!

1. US Modular 1GB USB Flash Drive-1GB for $16.99!

2. A-Data 1GB Flash Drive- 1GB for $16.99!
3. Transcend 1GB JetFlash V10 USB Flash Drive-1GB for $16.99!
4. Transcend 1GB JETFLASH 110 USB 2.0 Drive-1GB for $17.99!
5. Memorex 1GB Flash Drive-1GB for $19.99!
6. Ultra FlyDrive 1GB USB 2.0 Portable Drive-SPECIAL SPECIAL 1GB for $4.99!!
7. Connect 3D 1GB USB Flash Drive-1 GB for $19.99!
8. Ultra FlyDrive 2GB USB 2.0 Portable Drive-2GB for only $19.99 after rebate
9. Emtec 1GB USB Flash Drive-1GB for $14.99
10. Ok, for FUN! :) But, still worth its weight--A-Data PD3 Mickey 1GB Flash Drive-1GB and Mickey Mouse for only $19.99!Aren't you glad you have me around to tell you about the cheapest, best top ten electronic deals out there? You're welcome! :)

Job seekers, Career Search Free Resources

Are you currently trying to get the word out about your skills, abilities and the fact that you are looking for a new job? There are lots of ways to market yourself online, it is probably the fastest, most comprehensive and effective way to find a new job in fact!

Technology has really laid out a great foundation for job seekers to find job opportunities that meet their specific skill sets. What used to require going on multiple interviews, realizing after the interview that the job is not right for you, now allows that job seekers to narrow their career search to opportunities perfect for them. The ball is in your court, you can browse hundreds of opportunities, know what the job requires, what you can offer the employer and whether or not its worth it.

It is strange, but one of my favorite ways to dork off online is to look at different types of jobs available online, and see what I'm qualified for. Stay on top of it, even if you're pretty satisfied with your current job status, its nice to know that you can be in the know of any new positions out there. Its about being in the right place at the right time, with the internet, and if you're as internet obsessed as me, you can always be there!

Here are some of the daily updates and free resources I use everyday to check out job opportunities.

Get your resume on each one these sites, they offer FREE resume posting. Its like having your own personal recruiter. Have employers contact you and know that you are out there. How else would they know? You can't afford not to stay up to date, all your competitors surely are.

1.Beyond.com offers Free Job Seeker Tools, a career network, open opportunities daily updated and e-mailed to you if you choose, and a great opportunity to post your e-mail online and have employers contact you! The Beyond.com Career Network is a great resource for anyone who aspires to find a great job in your field, by being a part of it you're putting yourself in the position to be in the right place at the right time 24/7.

2. Hot Jobs on Yahoo is an incredible resource for job seekers. Employers pay Yahoo to post their positions and really rely on this incredible directory of legitimate job opportunities and serious job seekers. Yahoo is trusted and world renowned, their Hot Jobs are also trusted, of course its free to browse and post your resume so its a win-win. Post your resume on HotJobs.com today!

3. Freelance Work Exchange is another option for posting your resume online and searching through job opportunities that meet your qualifications. The positions are freelance jobs, so if you're in the market for this, its not a bad site. Lots of freelance writing opportunities and lots of programming jobs. They offer their free service, which allows you to search through most opportunities, bid on opportunities, submit your uploaded resume and be seen by employers. They also offer an enhanced listing a search opportunity for $2.95, with a free trial if you want to test drive the site.Find thousands of freelance writing and editing jobs...fresh jobs daily. Kickstart your career . Click here

4. Craig's list is the greatest place to look for job opportunities for absolutely nothing. I check out the site daily just to browse the unique job listings, local opportunities and freelance gigs available. If you check out your local craig's list site, don't forget to look through the bottom section of "gigs" for freelance opportunities available. I have, personally, found more than a few freelance jobs this way!!

Well, I hope this list helps you, I would recommend subitting your resume and getting it out there through as many venues as possible! Have potential and enthusiastic employers contacting you for jobs!

Advertisement-Beyond Blossoms

Beyond Blossoms is an incredible website dedicated to providing unique flower arrangements through their website. There are many great things about this company that make it far above the competitors out there. First of all, their website is by far the most informative, decorative, easy to navigate layout, quotes page, gallery views of all the flowers and more!

They are also prided on providing the freshest flowers imported directly from flower farms around the world, while saving you money and giving their customers competitive prices. Beyond Blossoms feature European styles, that showcase a complementary mix of flowers and greens expertly designed colors. The look is sophisticated and far from the typical “garden” style bouquet filled with a wild mix of filler flowers.

Their sincere love of flower arrangements and pride in their work makes this company the best possible option for your next thoughtful gift of flowers.

Custom Printing Services Online

If you're a small business owner, freelancer or aspiring work from home professional, you have probably needed some kind of printing service for your business.

Whether you need printing services for ads, business cards, media kits, company policy worksheets, custom envelops, company folders and literature pieces, etc. Its never ending really!

Do not go to Kinkos to get these things printed! It is far overpriced, for a color ad piece on regular 8x11.5 paper, you could pay over $2.00 per sheet! this is ridiculous, especially when you are purchasing in bulk, where most printing companies offer significant discounts.

This is just my tip of the day, try out some online printing services, compare prices, before you commit to printing something. It can be far more convenient, efficient, and cheaper to do it this way. Some of the online printing services even allow you to submit artwork online, choose your size, paper type and quantity, order and receive by mail within days! And, I can assure you its cheaper than Kinkos.

Small Business Owner--Media Needs

If you are a small business owner, using different types of media as advertising and company identity is essential. You should be communicating to your customers professionalism, consistency and creativity so that they are comfortable as your client.

Some of the important media assets every small business should have, but might think is important are:

1. Business Cards
2. Business Envelops
3. Advertisements in local papers
4. Online Identity
5. Custom return address labels
6. Custom stamps

By taking that extra step to ensure that your media is either customized, or at least projects the type of identity you want to convey to potential customers, will go a long way in bringing in new clients. If your budget can't afford to do all of these things at once, focus on the type of media your customers are going to be most in contact with. Business cards are a must, so are envelops and return address labels. They are also very cheap to print, contrary to what you might think. Local and online printing services usually over 1,000+ business cards for a mere $50-$74, if you supply the art.

If you need artwork for your company, and can't afford to hire an entire graphic design firm, you might try contacting the local college for an intern, to see if they will do the work for school credit.

Marketing your company is just as important as building your company. In fact, it is an essential building block. If your marketing initiatives are sub-par, your company's identity will reflect that representation.

Acorn Value Management Software

Software solutions for large or small businesses can be highly beneficial, and profitable if sourced properly. Acorn Systems offers software solutions and proven consulting methodology software platform options that directly improve and sustain meaningful profits. They are a profit improvement company is geared towards enabling businesses and companies reach their performance management objectives. Their extensive knowledge, history and experience with profitability, supply chain efficiencies, cost allocation and cost reduction, make their solutions perfect for highly scalable solutions for any business.

Enterprise Profit System and next generation Activity Based Costing (ABC) solutions that provide the highest value at the lowest total cost of ownership. Their software solutions offer the benefits of on going opportunity to measure, optimize and predict costs, net operating profits, EVA, capacity and resources at any level of granularity such as by customer, supplier, product, facility, transaction and more.

They offer specific solutions, including their IT value management software, ensuring that every project is focused and they can deliver their mission of helping customers quickly and DRAMATICALLY improve their profitability.

Top 5 Best Gifts for Full-time Bloggers!

Are you a full-time blogger? Do you know someone who is? Do you aspire to make money online blogging? Here are great gifts, resources and tools for aspiring bloggers or anyone who works online full-time. Sympathy gifts for your hard working media professional...Check it out!

Working online, over the internet, on websites is not an easy task and it requires stamina, determination and most of all, caffeine!

#1 gift for bloggers, those who make money online: Starbucks coffee gift card!

#2 gift for web designers, web design students, graphic design students--Total Training for Website Design

#3 gift for freelance online writers--Subscription to The Writer Magazine


#4 Gift for Freelance Writers--Subscription to Writer's Digest Magazine


#5 Gift for full-time freelance professionals and bloggers!!--iTunes Gifts, they're great for purchasing individual songs for only $0.99, videos, and more so that your blogger, freelance, full-time work from home professional can stay sane while on their computer all day!

Good luck, and be kind to your freelance professional special someone, they need it!

itunes Movies and Music--Get the latest itunes downloads!

itunes now has movies, music and multitudes of multi-media options for quick download right now. If you are looking to watch a new movie and aren't sure whats good right now, you should check out these latest itunes movies and itunes downloads, and watch to your heart's content!

They also have some great new itunes music out right now, and these are the latest music artists and bands on itunes for music downloads

Peter Belisi--The American Dream

Web Designers and Internet Enthusiasts are always trying to find a way to materialize their next big idea. We are born to work for ourselves, because of our understanding and close proximity to the internet moguls we admire and appreciate like Mark Zuckerberg and Tom Anderson.

Peter Belisi did just this, though in his own very different, creative way. He didn't invent the next big online community, search engine or innovative technology idea. He created a unique line of accessories that are a product of a novel concept to start his own company. He worked as a bartender in the elite area of Palm Beach, Fl. Observing his high-end clientele and their trendsetting fashion, he began to use his own creative by designing unique and luxurious ties. At first, co-workers started to notice his inspirational tie accessories. They started to request some of his fashions for themself. From this initial interest and admiration, Peter Belisi invested the very little money that he had in an accessory collection of his own.

Accessories are the finishing pieces to any well-heeled look—done the right way, you present a polished picture to the world. The Belisi Brand was founded to enhance luxury wardrobes, while making the world a little brighter for everyone. Belisi—a name already synonymous with beauty—has earned a loyal following for its high-end, quality ties, and most recently scarves and handbags. Visit Belisi.com to view his latest collection, and be part of a true American rags to luxurious richest story!

Graphic Design: Customize Your Printing Services

If you are a freelance graphic designer, or you work as a graphic designer for another company, a great addition to your services could be to offer custom printing on different types of media. Custom printing equipment can often be very expensive for a freelancer, or a small business for that matter! But, there are other options to print your designs on different types of media, such as business cards, flyers, brochures or folders.

Tip for Small Businesses and Freelancers--

If you have a media kit, that includes your prices some examples, some literature, etc. A great addition to the media kit is to keep it all inside a custom printed folder. You can find custom presentation folder printing options online that are reasonably priced, and well worth their professional appearance.

Website Colors That Turn Off Your Customers

By Christie Turley, www.NotSoDumbBlond.com

Using too many colors or the wrong combination of colors could
alienate or turn off customers completely. Out of any form of
non-verbal communication, color is the quickest way to
communicate a message and meaning. Many studies have been
done on the psychology of color and the subconscious emotions
that they create. Studies have shown that color can help
improve recall, comprehension, and understanding by 75%. In
fact, color accelerates the ability to learn by 20% by keeping
readers focused and improving retention.

Choose Colors with Care.

Marketers spend oodles of time and money determining the
colors to best market their product: the colors that will
prove the highest amount of return on investment. You may
want to hire a professional web designer to help you. Make
sure the web designer you hire is not just a programmer, but
also a graphic designer and/or marketer. After all, the
reason why 99% of all websites fail is because it was created
by a technician, rather than a marketing expert.

So, What Colors are Best for Your Website?

That is hard to say. Again, you may want to hire a
professional to help you. However, the following tips will
help you understand the underlying meaning behind color so you
may be guided to make the right choice. Keep in mind that
depending on its value or intensity, one color can give very
different emotions.

Red - Stimulating. Exciting. Energizing. Appetizing. When you
eye sees red, chemical responses in your body cause your blood
pressure, pulse rate, and adrenaline to increase. Fire engine
red is more energetic than a more traditional burgundy.

Pink - Happy. Romantic. Spirited. Youthful. Best used for
less expensive and trendy products. Vibrant pinks are common
in the cosmetic industry. Bubble gum pink can be considered
immature, but fuchsia or magenta are considered more
sophisticated.

Orange - Friendly. Adventurous. Energizing. Inviting. Of all
the colors, orange is the hottest. Similar to red’s arousing
effect, orange is often associated with bright sunsets or fall
foliage. Orange contains the drama of red with the cheeriness
of yellow. Neon orange tends to be load and is the most
disliked color, but a more tempered vivid orange is highly
effective for point-of-purchase graphics and specials.

Yellow - Warm. Sunny. Cheerful. Vibrant. Yellow is equivalent
to enlightenment and imagination. This color is especially
effective for food service industries because of the –
association to bananas, custards and lemons. Pale yellow is
an excellent choice for point-of-purchase materials (materials
at the cash register or reception area) because the eye sees
the highly reflective yellow before it notices any other
color.

Brown - Rich. Sheltering. Durable. Sensible. Brown is an
earth tone and is related to the earth’s nurturing qualities
and stability. Generally speaking, brown provokes a positive
response, but the wrong shade could lead to customers relating
it to dirty, which could be detrimental for a product in the
fashion industry, for example. Brown works well with food
products since customers also relate it to root beer, coffee
and chocolate.

Blue - Cool. Trusting. Serene. Consistent. Similar to the
earthy color brown, blue is related to the sky and water, both
dependable constants in our lives. Blue is an ideal color for
websites, especially e-commerce websites. Many banks and
financial institutions use blue in their marketing because it
makes customers feel more trusting. Blue also can generate a
cold, distant, corporate feeling, the opposite of generating a
personal relationship with the customer.

Green - Refreshing. Healing. Fresh. Soothing. Green offers
the most variety of choices out of all the colors of the
rainbow. Green works well for personal hygiene or beauty
products because of its soothing and flattering tones. Most
people link green to nature; they think of foliage or grass.
Mint green is seen as fresh while bright greens are associated
with grass. Emerald greens are elegant and deep greens are
linked to money and prestige. Green is also combined nicely
with many other colors and can also work as a neutral.

Purple - Elegant. Sensual. Regal. Mysterious. Purple is seen
as sensual and spiritual as it combines the sexuality of red
and the sereneness of blue. It is best used with creative
products, new products, or cutting edge products. Deep purple
is associated with regal sophistication and lavender has a
more subtle nostalgic appeal.

Neutrals - Classic. Quality. Natural. Timeless. The neutral
tones of beige, gray and taupe emulate the psychological
message of dependability and timelessness. They are regarded
as safe and non-offensive and will not go out-of-date as they
are always in style.

White - Pure. Bright. Pristine. Simple. While white can
signify clean elegance, it can also be considered generic and
stark, unless you have stylish graphics to compliment the
white.

Black – Strong. Classic. Mysterious. Powerful. Black is most
closely associated with the night. Black is seen as powerful,
dramatic, elegant and expensive. In food packaging, a
customer will actually pay more for a gourmet image. Although
black is associated with mourning, its positive associations
far outweigh its negative. Warning: too much black can be
overkill.

In conclusion, choosing the right colors for your website is
an important decision. Use these tips and hire an expert if
you need help!

--------------------------

Christie Turley is a web marketing expert and author of the
Not-So-Dumb Blond Internet Guides. RATE YOUR WEBSITE with her
complimentary online Web Site Diagnostic tool and BOOST your
Web Profits: http://www.NotSoDumbBlond.com/web-diagnostic.htm

Advertisement-Gold

The only true universal monetary investment is gold, it is the standard by which our current money sytem based itself on. Ever wanted to purchase gold or any other precious metal for immediate personal delivery or arrange for convenient and safe storage at an independent bank or depository?

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Besides the obvious monetary value of Gold Bullion, it is also a beautiful and timeless investment, from the time of ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans to more modern times, man has had an affinity for gold bullion. Monex Precious Metals employs hard asset professionals committed to providing you with precious metals investment needs and being America's best dealer with a convenient market and competitive precious metals prices.

Through Monex Deposit Company (MDC) you can purchase gold or other precious metals for immediate personal delivery or arrange for convenient and safe storage at an independent bank or depository. For over 30 years, the Monex companies have been America's gold and precious metals investment leader. As an investment product, gold, is available in coin or ingot form. Ingots are generally gold ingots of pure bullion cast in a convenient size and shape. Coins have a currency value or they are actually defined as ingots. Buying gold has been recognized for centuries as one of the best ways to preserve one's wealth and purchasing power. Gold bullion is a unique investment. From the time of ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans to more modern times, man has had an affinity for gold bullion. In all ages, man has been fascinated with the beauty and magic of gold, and with its power to change men's lives. Today, the beauty of a gold bar lies in its proven ability to diversify investments, protect wealth and preserve one's purchasing power. Monex Precious Metals is home to a large and dedicated staff of hard asset professionals committed to serving your precious metals investment needs and being America's best dealer with a convenient market and competitive precious metals prices.

Freelance Web Designer: Find Your Niche

Freelance web design can be a very lucrative career if planned and executed properly. Hopefully, before quitting one's day job and moving to Aspen, an aspiring web designer will research the freelance market and have some sort of a business plan. One of the first things to consider when beginning a freelance career as a web designer and/or graphic designer, is your target audience.

Many young, aspiring freelance web designers and graphic designers are very passionate about their work, they have to be! In essence, they are ready to tackle any new obstacle or client that comes to them, whether it is an E-Commerce website, Brochure Designs, CSS/HTML websites, Community based websites, websites using CMS software, or anything else. Most web designers also consider themselves renaissance designers, meaning that they can design for any industry website: A Local business website, artist's website, musician's website, professional website of many others. But, this is one of the main problems that freelance web designers face when starting out their freelance career and attempting to make a name for themselves.

While a great design is universal, and anyone from any industry can recognize that, if you mainly designed musician's, artists and E-Commerce websites, and you are outsourced by a Lawyer who would like a nice professional representation online, what kind of example are you going to show him? He might appreciate your quality design, but if there's another web designer who specializes in his industry and has examples to prove it, he will most likely feel more comfortable choosing the specialist. This is just one example of the downfalls of not focusing in on a niche industry, there are many more including lack of knowledge in particular industries, quality of work due to experience with specific designs, longer schedule because you're less familiar with the type of web design it is.

Most web designers think they will gain more clients by advertising their skills to everyone in any industry. While you should be capable of designing for every industry, developing a professional niche industry will ensure you survival and success as a freelance web designer.

Here's how to choose a niche industry for your freelance web design business:

1. Research your location, and what industries flourish, what industries there are a lot of, what industries do well, what industries don't do so well. If you're in Aspen, Colorado let's say, don't focus in on the Bathing Suit store industry. Also, don't jump head first into thinking you will conquer the Ski resort industry either. Choose another niche industry that makes sense for your area and has potential to keep you busy for a while.

2. Once you've decided on your freelalance web design niche, you should dive head first into this industry learning as much as you can and meeting as many professionals as possible. Go to conferences, get to know the type of people who might need your services, their personalities, their knowledge when it comes to technology and web design.

3. Contact professionals in these industries. Say there are a lot of Lawyers in your area, small law firms and large firms. Send them all a nice introduction letter and a business card. Have an online portfolio prepared and make sure the link is on your card. If you have time, it might even be beneficial to simply give them a free written website consultation. Discussing what you think would be great for their firm, your ideas to improve the current look of their site (if they have one,) etc. Another way to get your foot in the door is to find smaller but thriving businesses within your niche, that either don't have a website or have an awful website and design one for them. Show them your work and tell them about your services.

Once you've worked hard making a name for yourself as a freelance web designer in a particular niche, the job opportunities will come rolling in! Plus, the website design opportunities will slowly become easier and be finished quicker as you will accumulate templates and ideas and be able to mentally plan your site more efficiently.

If you make an incredible website for so-and-so Lawyer, his other lawyer friend compliments it, he gives him your number. This is the benefit of focusing on a particular industry as a freelance web designer. You will be the head honcho of your niche!

Good Luck!