By Ron Lum
Author’s Note: This is a re-post of a note that I wrote on Facebook on April 2012, shortly after I started working as a freelance web designer. If there’s one truth in economics that translates completely to life, it is the fact that something has value because it’s finite. Whether it’s air, fresh water, or… Read more Learn to Say “No” to Your Clients
I love Apple. I love the design of Apple’s retail stores, I love how they revolutionized handheld music players, and I especially love how my iMac G5 loads as fast today as it did when I first bought it. Apple, as a company, has performed remarkably in many areas. The one area that is most… Read more Why Apple Ads Look So Damn Good / A Lesson in Minimalism
One problem that I had when I first started doing web design was that I had no photos to use. This was a problem because photos are very important to a website. A well-designed website will look awful if it doesn’t have high-quality photos to supplement it. I looked at different websites and noticed that… Read more Where to Get Free Images for Your Website
Author’s Note: this is a response that I wrote for a question on Quora.com: How can I improve my public speaking skills? Being a freelance web designer means having to develop a lot of secondary skills. One of them is public speaking. When I was securing my very first client, I had to meet up… Read more Be A Better Public Speaker
Author’s Note: This is an entry that I wrote in response to a question on Quora.com: How do I keep track of my personal expenses simply? 2 ways: make an expense log or use your credit card statement. You don’t need software or an online service to track expenses. Here are 2 very practical ways for… Read more 2 Easy Ways to Track Your Personal Expenses
Author’s Note: This was an answer that I wrote on Quora.com in response to the question, What are some ways that I can save at least one hour of time at a cost of $20/hour or less? 1. Eat at your desk. Lunch is usually a time-killer because you spend so much time waiting for… Read more 4 Ideas to Add Extra Time to Your Day
Responsive design is great. I always felt that fixed-width websites were too rigid. I mean, if my browser is not expanded, then I can only see part of the website and I would have scroll horizontally to see it . With responsive design, I am able to make sure that the website will fit the… Read more How to Make A Responsive Site
There are several federal IRS tax forms that you’ll probably be handling as a self-employed person, a freelancer, an independent contractor, or whatever you want to call yourself. 1. W-9, “Request for Taxpayer Identification Number” When you perform work for someone as an independent contractor, the client is required to give you a W-9… Read more Important Tax Forms for Self-Employed, Independent Contractors
Do you understand copyright? Most people don’t. And in most cases, you don’t need to worry about most cases of copyright infringement like taking images off Google Image search. I mean, who’s going to go through the trouble of suing you? However, if you’re running a business, it’s absolutely critical that you follow the law,… Read more Copyright Law Made Easy
Review This is review for The Box Jelly that I wrote on Yelp. The Box Jelly is a coworking office. Think of it like a shared office that independent contractors and entrepreneurs work out of. I’ve been doing work here for 3 days only, but I have plenty of good things to say already: 1.… Read more Ron Recommends: The Box Jelly for a Coworking Office