TOP FIVE FREELANCE WEBSITES FOR JOBS...

Upwork is a very popular site for freelancers as you choose your own clients and projects. They say that clients are now posting jobs in hundreds of skill categories, paying top price for great work. The greater the success you have on projects, the more likely you are to get hired by clients that use Upwork so create a great profile and start working. Companies Odesk and Elance merged to form Upwork.

Freelancer would be my second choice. It is very similar to Odesk where you can find just about any job you can imagine ranging from delivery to website development. Again, you simply fill in a profile with your skills and Freelancer will match you to the right jobs. Membership is free but you can only bid for a job 8 times a month.

My third choice would be Fiveer which is popular as you can sell gigs to others at the minimum price of £5. It’s different from the other two as you do not bid for proposals on those sites. Instead, you have to sell gigs and potential clients look through all the lists of gigs in their chosen category. However, Fiveer is a great place to start getting a few freelance jobs under your collar.

ProBlogger site is always full to the brim of blogging jobs but also a great site to access tips, courses and topics on everything to do with blogging. I’m sure most of us bloggers have heard of Darren Rowse founder of ProBlogger at some point or another.

My final choice would be Linkedin which they say is the biggest social networking site for professionals with jobs being posted daily. You can also develop a large following through Linkedin who know what sort of work you are looking for. If you find a position fitting right for your field, then you can always apply for it and it is completely free.

SOME TAX TIPS FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE SELF EMPLOYED...

Being self-employed is very rewarding but you must remember to keep the tax man informed of your business. Any sources of extra income have to be declared to the HM Revenue and Customs.

As soon as you become self-employed you should inform HMRC either through their website or by calling 0845 915 4515. If you don't let them know you could end up with a penalty.

You will also get a fine if you fail to meet the deadline for self assessment which is 31st October for paper forms, and 31st January for electronic submissions.

You can find out all the information on the HMRC's of how to register for self employment.

Make sure you make full use of your personal allowance, depending on what your other job status is and your age, again you will find details on this on the HMRC's website.

Finally, make sure you keep all your receipts for any purchases for your business as they are tax deductible. To see the full breakdown of what you are entitled to check the HMRC website.

HOW TO SUCCEED...

To succeed, you need to find something to hold on to, something to motivate you, something to inspire you...

Tony Dorsett