Coworking is increasingly becoming a major issue. Therefore projektwerk has created a summary of coworking spaces in Germany. Soon there will be a more detailed representation of individual spaces, including specific offers for projektwerk users.

the list can be found here.

not surprisingly, the u.s. is still far ahead of germany and the rest of the world in terms of entrepreneurship. this interesting chart, produced by grasshopper, compares the u.s. portion of gdp (gross domestic product) that comes from entrepreneurship against that of major european countries.

entrepreneural activity in the u.s. (as a percentage of gdp) lies at 11.3%, compared to 6.3% in germany for example. also worth mentioning is how “would-be” entrepreneurs perceive starting a new business in the current economy: according to the data provided, entrepreneurs in the u.s. feel far more optimistic about starting a new business in the near future and foster much less fear of failure.

in addition, the graphic depicts the percentage of enterprises by size, native vs. foreign-born self-employed and the overall difficulty entrepreneurs face when starting a new business.

image by theeducatedentrepreneur.com

check out the full size infographic here.

as the nytimes reports, the workforce is becoming increasingly comfortable with the changing nature of work as it is…”becoming more temporary and project-based, with workers increasingly functioning as free agents and no longer being governed by traditional long-term employer-employee relationships…”. it’s a development that first began in the 90’s but recently gained some momentum.

a recent survey by the pew research center found that job satisfaction is highest among the self-employed. the center studies behaviors and attitudes of americans in key realms of their lives, including family, community, health, finance, work and leisure.

link:

image by fastcompany

this neat video by fastcompany provides a few helpful tipps and hints freelancers may use to make the challenges and difficulties that self-employment entails a little less troublesome. gina trapani (author) suggests time management, money, and expectations to be the biggest struggles. what do you think? what do you find demanding about freelancing?

video: freelance survival skills

…because of the competitive nature of the market, excellent salesmanship is becoming increasingly important for freelancers to win over project bids. proposable is an online tool that allows you to build highly customized, branded presentations. amongst other things, the service offers reporting features to analyze the performance of proposals, a variety of templates, an asset library, and a comment management system for real-time feedback.

wsj: with the increase of victims of the economic collapse, freelancing and consulting has taken on an entrepreneurial air. nearly 25 percent of US workers are either part time or full time freelancers, consultants, free agents or contractors.

to be successful in this self starting and competitive career there are rules that help create a successful freelancing occupation:

• freelancers can no longer think short term. to be prosperous, they have to be aggressive about staying up to date in their field.

• joining networks can also be an advantage in acquiring referrals and creating more opportunities.

• an air of professionalism is required to be accomplished in the freelancing world. one way of doing this is by having a private space (home office).

• freelancing can no longer be seen as a job but as a business. the mind-set of an entrepreneur is neccessary.

anybody can become a consultant or freelancer. but not everybody does it well. here’s what you need to know to thrive:

read full post on wsj: How to Succeed in the Age of Going Solo

for a creative mind that loves to reach for the sparks that come not from a controlled environment, but from the comfortable space of their living quarters, working from home is the perfect scenario. however, according to the author (lexi rodrigo), there are habits that develop as a result of working from home:

• working in your pajamas or underwear. this does not gear you up mentally for the job at hand.

• not setting working hours. knowing what time of the day that is most conducive for your creativity prevents you from working against yourself and helps you meet deadlines.

• sitting on your butt all day. if you are thinking of saving time and money in dealing with weight and exercise issues, working in 50-90 minutes intervals and resting for about 10 minutes is always a good idea.

• never going on vacation. because you don’t get paid vacation time for working from home does not mean you cannot take a little time off to re-energize mentally.

• working in a productive space. most times the environment you work in influences the quality of your work. find one for creative purposes.

5 bad work at home habits

Most freelancers would agree that freelancing itself is a great way to work.
Still there are some things that more or less every freelancer experiences which might be problematic.
Here are some commonly experienced points:

- bookkeeping
Some people are good at this, others are not: organising yourself and keeping record of all your bills, checks etc.
What might help: e.g. Google Docs

- difficult clients
A whole book could be written about the topic of difficult clients. If it is just the part of not getting along or problems like unwillingness to pay, there are all kinds of difficulties with clients.
What might help: staying calm and for cases like customers unwillingness to pay: signing contracts which mention all terms and conditions

- income inconsistencies
Everyone knows that there are periods when there are just not enough jobs and others when there are plentiful jobs.
What might help: in good times putting money to the side or diversifying your services

- motivation
Some people got problems with staying focused and motivated while working without a boss or coworkers to hurry.
What might help: a calendar that visually reminds you of deadlines

- costs of equipment updating
Always being up to date with your technical equipment, software etc. is expensive.
What might help: Buying only what is crucial to your work

These points were found on freelancereview.

What are other downsides of freelancing?
And how can you confront those?

Feel free to share your experiences!

the wsj reports that employers remain reluctant to hiring. many companies state meager consumer spending as the main cause for their despondence. according to a blue chip ceo, “hiring is a chicken and egg dilemma” indicating that new jobs have to be created to spur consumption and encourage companies to employ new staff. however, the announced us government’s assistance has provided a little spurt of hope. temporary staffing firms are continuously experiencing good growth in the us, suggesting that job hunters are increasingly considering alternatives.