Leyla Bonilla's List: Vida profesional

• If you live in a studio apartment or some other one-room accommodation, this isn’t impossible. You just have to learn to firewall without actual walls: pick a corner, stick your desk there, and refuse to go near it when you’re not working.

   

  Similarly, you need to define areas where work can’t take place, such as the living room and the bedroom. Some people say they work best in the bedroom (no, your dirty buggers, I didn’t mean it like that), and that’s fine—just make sure there is somewhere in your home you can be work-free. Though I’m willing to bet people who say they work best in the bedroom have poor work-life balance!
• If you have been clever enough to separate your personal and professional communication lines, just turn the business phone and cell off. Sign out of business email. If they’re combined, you may just have to do some dodging and let the phone ring out. I use the same cell for everything, so it can be difficult to do.
• Be careful of falling into the trap of sacrificing your life for more money. If you want to make more than you’re making, find a way to do it without making that sacrifice or there’s just no point to having the extra cash to begin with.

• It’s really an individual thing and it comes down to a variety of factors. How much do you need to rest to become optimally productive for the week that follows? Personally, I need a day. Some need two. Some need a day every two weeks, but don’t ask me how they do it.

   

  There are other factors—how much time does you family need from you? Can you meld your personal relaxation time in with family time, or do you need to separate them? Do you have a choice anyway?

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• You want a relationship, do not ask for a job.  If the person asks what you do, be honest, say you just graduated, and you’re looking for something in (insert field here).
• Ask for advice.  People love it when you ask their advice.  It makes them feel respected and important, most importantly, they will want to help. 
• Have a personal elevator speech.  You have to be prepared for everything.  Be ready for the question of “why should a company hire you?”  You have to be able to perform this on the spot.
• Don’t turn down an opportunity.  Force yourself to be active and social.  You never know who someone knows, and you never know how an opportunity could arise.

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• It still takes ten years to become a success, web or no web. The frustrating part is that you see your tactics fail right away. The good news is that over time, you get the satisfaction of watching those tactics succeed right away.
• The trap: Show up at a new social network, invest two hours, be really aggressive with people, make some noise and then leave in disgust.
• The trap: Use all your money to build a fancy website and leave no money or patience for the hundred revisions you'll need to do.
• The trap: read the tech blogs and fall in love with the bleeding-edge hip sites and lose focus on the long-term players that deliver real value.
• The trap: sprint all day and run out of energy before the marathon even starts.

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• Many wealthy people chase money for so long that they forget about everything else. It’s a mistake. Never become so obsessed that you lose touch with the little things in life that you enjoy.
• Give customers the products they truly need, support your coworkers, and build a company that not only makes a profit but somehow changes the world for the better.
• the people that we call geniuses aren’t the ones with high IQs; they’re the people that make the right decisions over and over again

• When I got tired, I slept. When I got hungry, I ate. When I had to go… you know… I went.

   

  Only a fool goes without sleep, survives on fast food, and refuses to take breaks. You’ll burn out after a few years, where someone that takes care of themselves stays productive until they’re 90
• The point is you can’t figure it all out on your own, and you shouldn’t try. Look for people that explain things in just the right way for you to understand them, and then expose yourself to as much of their wisdom as possible.

• I gotta save Bubba!

   

  Don’t turn into another corporate coward that leaves people behind when things go bad.

• Jenny taught me how to climb. And I taught her how to dangle.

   

  No one gets rich alone. If someone shows you how to “climb” the ladder of success, then don’t forget about them when they’re “dangling” from it, about fall off.

• My Momma always said you’ve got to put the past behind you before you can move on.

   

  Sometimes, the smartest thing you can do in life is let go. If your company has been on the verge of bankruptcy for two years with no reasonable hope of recovering, then maybe it’s time to jump ship.
• Brag. Shamelessly. Of course, I’m not talking about writing a press release about how you got an A on your term paper, but if you’ve done something genuinely remarkable, then you owe it to people to tell them about it

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• Sleep at night, work during the day.
• It’s tempting to work long hours late into the night, but you can’t maintain a social life if everyone you know is sleeping while you’re awake
• Get out of the house at all costs.
• I made a list of the cafés in my area with free wi-fi. Every week I spend a couple of hours working from each of them.

• Take classes or attend conferences related to your work.

   

  There’s no better way to meet people that have similar interests to you. Sign up for one or two classes per week. Attend a local conference related to your field. Not only will you meet and talk to many interesting people, but you will also pick up valuable skills to help you differentiate yourself from the average freelancer. There is much to learn from people more skilled than you. Even better, speak at a conference on a topic of your expertise. You will find that people will want to talk and learn from you after the show is over.

• Make your clients your friends.

   

  Why not have fun with the people that you’re forced to interact with anyway? This idea can be somewhat controversial among freelancers, but I’ve had no problems with my client relationships. Often, instead of a boring meeting or a series of emails, I will invite my client to some kind of social event to discuss their project.

   

  You can try the basics like coffee or lunch, or you can invite your client to a round of golf or a sporting event

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• Believe in yourself.
• Self-confidence is what give you the courage to respond positively to rejection; it also gives you the ability to trust your own instincts, which Cameron says is crucial when running your own business.
• Believe in what you’re selling.
   It’s difficult to sell something if you don’t believe it has any value. Regardless of what you’re selling, you need to appreciate its worth.
• Treat others with respect
• When you treat each person you encounter with respect, your client base will grow as more and more individuals are attracted to both you and your services

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• I will be the guy to speak out with new ideas in meetings. If it's going to save money or increase revenues, I will never be out of line.
• I will lead others and show my strengths because someday I may want these people to work for me.
• • I will finish everything I start. I am not going to mentally bail on a project.
  
  
  • I will shut up and listen when I don't know 110%.
• I will study new trends so I am the guy with the good idea.
• If they ask for 132 TPS reports, I will do them. One day I may ask an employee of mine for similar reports (even though it's repulsive to think).
• I will speak my mind in the face of rejection when I am confident that my idea is a winner.
• I will know how competitors do things so I can suggest better solutions in meetings.
• I will not bend to process bureaucracy. If the customer needs it, we have to figure it out
• I will learn as much as possible about the roles people play in my company. One day I will have to fill those roles.

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• Goals. Make it simple and easy for your team to understand the mission and to understand their part in achieving it.
  
  • Concise Goals. Keep them simple and easy to understand.
    
  • Focus your team on as few goals as possible.
  • Communicate the team's goals Often and through Various Means (team meetings, individual meetings, emails, posters, slogans). And then do it some more.
    
  • Track progress on goals.
  • Involve team players in tracking the goals so that they own the results.
• . Motivating People. What you reward gets done. It's that simple.
  
  • Incent team players to do the tasks that are most critical for reaching the team's goals.
• Thank, and Recognize big and small contributions by individuals. Do this often and then do it some more.
• Set High Expectations. People will live UP to or DOWN to the expectations you set.
• • Empower people by delegating responsibility.
    
  • Celebrate team accomplishments often.
• Encourage Fun. Make the work place a fun place to be. Yes, work needs to get done but short fun breaks can make all the difference in the culture of your team.
• Model the Way by participating in the team's tasks as much as your position allows.
• Always be learning and keep on top of the latest skills, technology, and knowledge in your field.
• Inspire through a combination of
  
  • Unwavering Positive Future Vision
    
  • Commitment to Improve things along the way that will make that positive vision a reality.
• Establish Routines. Do this for the team and also work with each individual to come up with their own high productivity routines. These are routines that dictate what work is done when.
• Establish Processes for all the tasks that are done repeatedly. It takes time to set up at first, but after that it will pay off in saved time and less errors. Processes describe how work is done and might involve systems for doing the work.
• Task Assignment. As much as possible, assign tasks according to the strengths of each teammate.
• Take Risks. Don't be afraid of failure. No one ever reaches great heights without a few failures.
• Learn. Learn as a team from failures. "How can we improve it the next time?"
• Encourage team members to take smart risks too by making it safe to fail.
• Promote your team members. Make sure others outside your team know about the individual team members' successes
• Don't worry. If your team is great there will be plenty of others who will want to join!
• Promote your team.

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• Public Speaking

   

  The ability to speak clearly, persuasively, and forcefully in front of an audience – whether an audience of 1 or of thousands – is one of the most important skills anyone can develop.

• Writing

   

  Writing well offers many of the same advantages that speaking well offers: good writers are better at selling products, ideas, and themselves than poor writers.
• Self-Management
• a strong sense of discipline are needed to keep yourself on track.
• Networking is not only for finding jobs or clients.
• he interactions those relationships make possible give rise to innovation
• Critical Thinking
• Being able to evaluate that information, sort the potentially valuable from the trivial, analyze its relevance and meaning, and relate it to other information is crucial –
• Decision-Making
• knowing what to do based on the information available
• Being able to take in the scene and respond quickly and effectively is what separates the doers from the wannabes.
• the ability to quickly work with figures in your head, to make rough but fairly accurate estimates, and to understand things like compound interest and basic statistics gives you a big lead on most people.
• Research
• You don’t have to know everything – but you should be able to quickly and painlessly find out what you need to know.

• Relaxation

   

  Stress will not only kill you, it leads to poor decision-making, poor thinking, and poor socialization.

• Basic Accounting

   

  It is a simple fact in our society that money is necessary.
• Knowing how to track and record your expenses and income is important just to survive, let alone to thrive.
• But more than that, the principles of accounting apply more widely to things like tracking the time you spend on a project or determining whether the value of an action outweighs the costs in money, time, and effort.

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• Passion

   

  This is the moving force that gets us take the leap and gets us out of bed with excitement every morning. You love what you do. So spending a lot of time doing it is actually a pleasure, not really a work.
• I heard that Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks, was passionate about building a business that treats its employees well more than he was passionate about coffee

• Self-Love

   

  We believe in ourselves to the point we take our ideas seriously and put them into business.
• This is where the strength comes from when the going gets tough.
• Sense of Service
• How can I do what I do for more people with less work and for a better price?
• Compassion
• everyone has the potential to help us in one way or the other, but for that to happen, we must first care for them so that they know us and care for us
• Learn your business from your customers. Understand their minds, their hearts, and their lives. Do what you do to make their lives easier. When a problem comes, leave them a place to stand and stand tall beside them. . . . And remember, everyone is your customer, even your dad.
• Skills / Knowledge
• You can hire a pro for, say, bookkeeping, if you don’t like accounting, but at least you need to know the difference between gross profit and operational profit.

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• What am I really selling?
   Ask yourself why people buy your product, what they're getting from your business that they can't get elsewhere, and what wants and needs drive their decision to buy your product.
• How do I want my customers to think of my business?
   Ideally, what words or phrases would they use to describe your business to a friend? Are you reasonably differentiated? What's the key message customers should be getting?
• What am I really good at? What do I (my company) do better than anybody else? Am I correctly focused on that core competence?
• If you're a startup company, estimate startup costs. That includes expenses that occur before your first day of business, such as legal expenses, fixing up a location, developing prototypes; and the assets you'll need to start, such as equipment, starting inventory, and--oh, yes--cash in the bank.

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• you shouldn’t talk about you bad clients to other clients.
• Know when to say enough is enough. Freelancers early into their career tend to have a problem telling clients no. Some clients will walk all over you asking for “extras” and “small changes” all day long unless you put your foot down. Create an invoice that shows everything that is included in your original price quote. If the client starts to ask for more than whats included, refer back to the invoice. Let them know that you will be happy to do it, but it will cost extra.
• Build a tight team of co-workers. Create a support team and build up a close relationship with them
• Don’t take on more than you can handle.
• Sometimes the cons of freelancing can outweigh the pros. Usually this is just a temporary thing, so keep your head up. When things get rough, just remember where you would be if you weren’t freelancing. You can go to work in your underwear if you want, drink beer while you work, and take a quick Wii break. Could you do that before you started freelancing?
• Be ready to commit to a project so that you can meet your deadline, even if it means pulling an all nighte

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• Monthly Hosting Fees
• Annual Domain Costs
• Internet access fees
• Design or word processing software - this includes Photoshop, Illustrator, Word and similar programs for business use
• Keyboards, mice and other periphery
• Web cameras
• Digital cameras - and memory cards
• Costs paid to use or reproduce images
• Business cards
• Web advertising - text and banner ads
• SEO services
• Prizes for giveaways and contests
• Transportation - this includes mileage for car transportation, train and bus fare for public transit, cab fare, airline tickets
• Dining while away on business
• Hotel charges for overnight conventions and business travel
• Professional advice (from lawyers, accountants and tax preparers)
• Tax software
• Accounting software
• Office supplies - pens, folders and post-its can add up!
• Books, magazines and subscriptions
• Paid research sites (like LEXIS/NEXIS)
• Conference fees - such as for BlogHer and BlogExpo

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• 1. It is not so much about your weaknesses, but rather what you are doing about them
• Anyway, whilst the interviewer will pay attention to what you claim is your greatest weakness, they are generally more interested in knowing what you are doing about it.

• You have to sell yourself

   

  Interviews are about convincing the interviewer(s) that you are the best person for the job. To successfully do this, you must sell yourself as a person. Your skills and experience are important, but so is the ability to clearly show that you are someone who can be trusted, is positive, and presents well.
• the best way to prepare for behavioral questions is to keep a career journal of your successes and achievements as they happen.
• “Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?” is another classic interview question. Employers want to see that you have goals, direction, and ambition. And for good reason as these things are important ingredients for career success.

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• Ultimately, YOU - and nobody else - decide when you’re an expert and are worthy of a hefty fee.
• I was discussing a project with my very first client.

• “Do you think you can handle this website”, she asked me? I, being young and way out of my league, was probably focusing more on the sweat running down my face than the client’s question. “Yes!”, I responded with an overzealous tone that makes my current self nautious.

   

  Was I qualified for this job? Absolutely not; but, after a few books and two hundred hours, I managed to present the client with something along the lines of what she asked for. She was happy enough with the product that I received a nice letter in the mail a few weeks later. Heck yes, I knew that I was a hack! But, to the client, I was the EXPERT and worth every penny. So what is more important here: the way we personally classify ourselves, or the manner in which we are presented to the world?
• Personally, I love it when a client makes a request that requires a program that I’m unfamilar with. What great motivation! We can be paid to learn! The next time you are offered a job that you aren’t quite qualified for, accept the job and BECOME QUALIFIED.
• These clients don’t want to hear, “I’m sorry. I’m not qualified to do this project.” They want you, their contact, to get it done - period. If you have developed a relationship with them, they know that they can rely on you.
• there is absolutely nothing wrong with “learning as you go” as long as you ultimately present the client with a professional product.

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• Deadly Freelancing Sin #1: Underestimating the job
• Because there are so many people out there who want you to believe you can make six figures in a year working two or three hours a day. Most often, those folks are trying to sell you their program that teaches you how to do s
• there are so many people out there who want you to believe you can make six figures in a year working two or three hours a day. Most often, those folks are trying to sell you their program that teaches you how to do so.
• The fact of the matter is that no freelancer makes that much with that little amount of work
• Freelancers need business skills
• Freelancers have to be excellent businesspeople. You have to be able to do some basic accounting. You have to learn sales and marketing. You have to know how to negotiate, and how to figure your income taxes, or at least be willing to hire someone who can.

• Freelancers need people skills

   

  As a freelancer, you’ve got to be able to not only get clients but keep them. A good portion of your income relies on repeat business. Small clients become big ones, and big clients become bigger as long as you prove yourself. Part of this equation is just doing quality work; the other part of it is doing it on time and being nice about it.
• Freelancing takes time
• Writing or design is just a part of your job; you’ve got plenty of other things, from bookkeeping to sales, to keep you busy

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• Ask for too much too soon and you could label yourself as greedy. Ask for too little and risk selling yourself short of what you deserve and earning less than what you're worth.

• The trap: You get the title, compensation and responsibilities on paper, but you've been living in denial about what the job really entails and the situation the company is really in.

  The truth: At first, the job seems like a dream come true. You soon realize that you're overworked, underpaid and the company can't afford to pay you more. How could you have avoided this?

  The tip: Exhaustively ask questions and do your homework.

• The truth: You earn more in your current job than what HR tells you the maximum salary is for the position you want. Should you settle for less?

  The tip: Contact the hiring manager and tell her that HR told you the maximum salary for the job is Y and you are currently making more than that (if you are). Point out that you know some employers make occasional exceptions in circumstances like this and ask if that is possible at this company. By doing so, you are empowering the hiring manager to advocate on your behalf.
• The tip: If you want more money from your current employer, negotiate based on your value contribution, rather than using a threat.

• The trap: You tell your boss that you need to make more money because you bought a bigger house, you have two kids in college, you need a new car, etc.

  The truth: When we were young, our parents told us that if we wanted money, we had to earn it. So, we mowed the lawn, did house chores or watched younger siblings to earn a buck. Similarly, if you need more money per paycheck, ask your boss how you can contribute to earn a little extra.

  The tip: To get paid more, demonstrate the increased value that you can contribute or are already contributing.

• 5. When you don't ask, you usually don't get

  The trap: You don't ask for more benefits because you think the package can't be changed.

  The truth: You're offered a job at a new company. You'll earn more, but your vacation time is half of what you're allotted at your current company. If this is a deal breaker, tell the hiring manager your concern.

  The tip: Don't assume that benefits are cast in stone until you ask.
• The tip: Actively pursue multiple opportunities.

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• Las preguntas ilegales más comunes son las siguientes:
• • ¿Cuántos años tienes?
     
  • ¿Estás casado o casada?
     
  • ¿Eres homosexual?
     
  • ¿Cómo te cuidan a los niños?
     
  • ¿Tienes planes de iniciar una familia?
     
  • ¿Eres miembro de un sindicato?
     
  • ¿Qué partido político apoyas?

• Don’t Say: “My current boss is horrendous.”
  Why: It’s unprofessional. Your interviewer might wonder when you’d start bad-mouthing her. For all you know, she and your current boss are old pals.
  Instead Say: “I’m ready for a new challenge” or a similarly positive remark.
• Don’t Say: “What are the hours like?” or “What’s the vacation policy?”
  Why: You want to be seen as someone who focuses on getting the job done.
  Instead Say: “What’s the day-to-day like here?” Then, if you’ve really jumped through every hoop and time off still hasn’t been mentioned, say, “Can you tell me about the compensation and benefits package?”

• ¿Qué quiere?: Primero que nada, habla con el cliente y pregúntale lo qué quiere o necesita, deja que se explaye, que hable y que te haga alguna que otra pregunta, tu ve tomando notas y contestando sus preguntas sin concretar ninguna acción ni proporcionar ningún dato técnico o de coste
• El pago: deja claro cómo, cuando y a través de cuáles medios se efectuarán los pagos, así como las acciones a seguir en caso de no cumplirse los mismos.
• El precio: Aunque el precio debería ser uno sólo, yo particularmente realizo dos cotizaciones, una Standard y otra que llamo “Económica”, en caso de que el cliente solicite algún descuento o piense que la primera es muy cara, pero siempre dejo claras las razones por las que el precio puede ser reducido. Siempre dejo un apartado para descuentos en casos muy concretos como: el pronto pago, un segundo proyecto, publicidad compartida, etc.
• No fíes: Si no has recibido el pago completo no estás obligado a terminar el proyecto, usa tu derecho.
  
  Todo por escrito y firmando: Utiliza el correo electrónico, solicita firmas de aceptación y deja todo reflejado en papel
• Pide un adelanto siempre superior al 30% sin posibilidades de devolución. Por lo general un cliente pide varias cotizaciones, pero no debes ser responsable de su falta de decisión o de las mejores ofertas que pueda recibir luego de haber aceptado la tuya
• Si el cliente vuelve, dale ventajas como: descuentos, financiamiento, pagos aplazados o ante-proyectos de costo reducido
• Organiza y guarda bien todo lo que hagas pues es muy seguro que lo volverás a necesitar en el futuro
• Controla tu facturación y archiva todo lo relacionado a cada proyecto en una misma carpeta y un mismo lugar

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