Today, I wrote this response to a recent article on Medium : Yes! Setting boundaries is very important This got me thinking about how most of my opportunities started by helping someone else. For instance, yesterday, near the end of a codementor session , my mentee said: "I know your time is valuable, but..." The story of Beauty and the Beast comes to mind here. Btw, has anyone seen the remake? I wish all remakes honored the original with the same passion. What a cast! But, really, there is a huge lesson in there: The Road to True Wealth is Littered with Obfuscated Golden Opportunities "OK, but, where is this invisible Gold you speak and how do I sniff it out, my sweet Norah?" "Why, it is right under your nose, my good friend!" Here is the secret: Go-to the places where people are looking for your help. Seems too simple, right? Well, it really is! In marketing terms: find out where your target market hangs out. Here is an example: let's say that y...

I don't know about you, but I definitely get exhausted after a day filled with reactive vs proactive work.  There is no doubt that self-management is a challenge and I am always looking for new mental tricks to be as productive as possible.  If any of you are having similar issues, try some of these simple steps: 1. Write down requests (so they out of your head) Many people get caught up trying to use their email communications as a task tracking tool.  However, sooner than later, you will "loose" an email and spend the better part of an afternoon searching for it only to discover that the subject was unrelated to the request and/or expected keywords are missing.  I think everyone has run across one of these cryptic emails once or twice. Instead, try to pivot from reactive to proactive work style by logging requests into a PM tool.  Some awesome existing web tools are Trello , Teamwork , Asana and for the more daring, Podio . 2. Itemize major steps (as...

I never thought my first post on LinkedIn would be about a talent service. But, here I go. I have been a freelance software developer and project manager for almost 3 years. Yay?! My biggest challenge on this journey has been finding clients that can afford to keep me interested. People love to work with me, not because I am a yes person, but because I am patient, friendly and a realist. Unfortunately, this often results in clients that don't live up to my expectations. Often, these clients do not make essential decisions and/or do not provide essential information in order for me to provide the level of quality I have promised. So, I found myself transitioning from Independent Software Developer to Project Manager. Sufficient requirements gathering is hard. But, it also absolutely necessary for success. This is where I hope toptal will fill in the gaps. I myself have thought about starting my own talent agency and/or creating a project management tool the freelancer/small bu...

I never thought my first post on LinkedIn Pulse would be about a talent service. But, here I go. I have been a freelance software developer and project manager for almost 3 years. Yay?! My biggest challenge on this journey has been finding clients that can afford to keep me interested. People love to work with me, not because I am a yes person, but because I am patient, friendly and a realist. Unfortunately, this often results in clients that don't live up to my expectations. Often, these clients do not make essential decisions and/or do not provide essential information in order for me to provide the level of quality I have promised. So, I found myself transitioning from Independent Software Developer to Project Manager. Sufficient requirements gathering is hard. But, it also absolutely necessary for success. This is where I hope toptal will fill in the gaps. I myself have thought about starting my own talent agency and/or creating a project management tool the freelance...

Primary and Secondary market research are the two basic types of market research.   Secondary market research  is available, often at little to no cost through Trade Associations, Public and Government resources.  This type of research is often performed first because it gives you a general sense of viability and feasibility within a particular market sector or geographic location.  Detailed census data, for instance, can tell you about the consumer's attitude and tendencies. Primary market research's purpose is to provide specific feedback on consumer interest in an offering.  It is important to be careful to use a method that is appropriate for your target market. As mentioned by Karen Plesner in Part II of  her video , using online surveys are only useful if people are willing or able to fill out a survey. It is often difficult to determine how valuable a particular research activity will be to your bottom line.  However, it is often the assumption ...

Norah commented on  5 Reasons Why Receiving Is Harder Than Giving : Thank you for this soothing camaraderie.  Coming from an abusive childhood, I  have developed a deep disdain for narcissistic behavior.  So much, that at times, I have to fight hard against the association of guilt when receiving a gift.  Last year, I quit my Corporate job to restart my Freelance IT Firm, tekAura, and went back to school for a Master of Arts in Innovation & Entrepreneurship at Full Sail University.  These choices have forced me to face this amongst other fears and anxieties.   The biggest single lesson I have had to learn in this life is how to allow myself to love myself.  It's antagonist is the fear that I will have reached the climax of my life once I have mastered it.

Since leaving the corporate grind last year (haha! I can say that now!) and restarting my Software Development firm, tekAura , I have come across many articles in the start-up community that keep on selling our secrets upstream.  The only saving grace is that I don't believe the corporate goons are capable of comprehending the underlying message. Anyone that has been a part of a corporate innovation initiative or two, or three hundred... you know what I mean!  It takes a unique kind of person to recognize the fallacy in these efforts.  After all the paper prizes and shiny internal disposable marketing packages, some of start wonder.... where is the change they keep talking about?  And one day, you stop, take a moment to look around and find yourself in a sea of drones, a sea of vacant button pushers.  Then you realize why everyone thinks you are nuts!  You make them look bad, you make them work harder.  Those people don't want to help, they don't beli...