LifeSciHub appreciates independent workforce advocates across the globe, and Robert Vlach, author of The Freelance Way, is one of those amazing fellow advocates!
From his newsletter this morning, 28 February 2022:
—————–
From: Freelancing.eu <hello@freelancing.eu>
Sent: Monday, February 28, 2022 1:50 PM
To: Sheila Mahoney <sheila@lifescihub.com>
Subject: Freeletter 💙💛 Independence. Liberty. Freedom + Why to have a tax advisor (for beginners)
🤗 DEAR FREELANCE FRIENDS
It goes without saying that here at Freelancing.eu — and as citizens of the free world — we all stand with Ukraine. The global response to Russia’s war on its neighbor has been overwhelming, and Nassim Taleb nailed it in these few words: “Most days, 99.9% of the news is noise. The last few days, it’s all signal.”
I was born in 1978 behind the Iron Curtain in Czechoslovakia, which was, at that time, under Russian/Soviet occupation. We were being brainwashed in schools from an early age. Free-thinking, independent and wealthy individuals were harassed and oppressed. Some were put in prisons, labor camps, tortured, even put to death. Small businesses were abolished, and the state demanded absolute obedience from its people.
There’s no doubt in my mind that a similar playbook would be used in Ukraine, were it to fall. Soon, other free people would face a similar fate. The Russian invasion thus represents a fundamental threat to the world order and to the values that are central for most of us independent professionals as well:
Independence. Liberty. Freedom.
The evil that we now face has grown slowly. That is why I would like to mention a few resources here that put the current situation in a broader context, and the latest developments only confirm their relevance:
1) All the Kremlin’s Men by Mikhail Zygar is a book that meticulously documents Putin’s rise to power and how he thinks and acts under pressure. The seminal book on Putin’s Russia indicates what to expect from him.
2) Red Notice by Bill Browder offers similar insights from an American perspective. Bill became one of the most successful Western investors in post-Soviet Russia, where his interests inevitably clashed with Putin’s over time. The result was the death of Bill’s close associate Sergei Magnitsky, under whose name he then pushed for tough Western sanctions against specific Russian officials. Now Browder favors seizing all Putin’s assets parked in the West, along with longtime critic of Putin and author of Winter Is Coming, Garry Kasparov.
3) In this context, I must mention Alexei Navalny’s famous video about Putin’s personal history and the opulent palace he has secretly built for billions of dollars in a well-kept and guarded location. He portrays Putin as a man obsessed with material wealth and Russia as a corrupt kleptocracy. The 2-hour video has already gathered 122 million views on YouTube and illustrates perfectly what Putin is all about.
4) I consider The Economist magazine to be the best and most balanced media outlet on current economic affairs. When it comes to global political events and their impact on business and markets, it always offers deep insight, intelligent analysis and knowledge of current and historical context. It is a good guide to any crisis, including the current one. Here’s how you can try The Economist subscription for free.
Glory to Ukraine! ✌
P.S. Today, we have donated to humanitarian aid for Ukraine on behalf of our family via the Czech non-profit organization People in Need. Similar efforts are being organized all over Europe as well as worldwide. Please consider joining us with some sort of donation, help or support. Thank you 💙💛
More excerpts from Robert @ freelancing.eu 28-2-2022 newsletter:
💶 SEPA euro payments
International payments in Europe used to be slow and expensive. Not anymore. SEPA euro payments are perhaps the cheapest and most reliable payment method for international money transfers in the world, supported by most European banks. To use it as a freelancer for sending and receiving euro payments, you just need a bank account in euros with an assigned IBAN number. We also use SEPA payments at Freelancing.eu to receive membership fees.
📖 The Freelance Way in India
This is huge: On March 2, HarperCollins India will publish The Freelance Way as THE business book for independent professionals — rooted in the best practices, tools and strategies used by American and European freelancers. If you happen to live in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, or Maldives, you can pre-order it on Amazon.
🎠 Behavior Gap
Behavior Gap is an excellent weekly newsletter by Carl Richards, who, through simple sketches, shares his insights about personal finance as well as other business tips. Curated, brief, and worth subscribing: “My goal is to give you a little shot of distilled wisdom that will only take you a few minutes to read, but if I do it right, it will leave you thinking all day.”
💌 35 Lessons from 35 Years of Newsletter Publishing
While many creators see social media as a failed promise, content newsletters keep booming, and they are vital for many freelancers too. Here, the 35 Lessons from 35 Years of Newsletter Publishing by CJ Chilvers really ring the bell — take these few examples:
- Email lasts. You will have a medium that best speaks to your style (maybe audio or video is what keeps you excited), but email is as universal as we’ve gotten online as a species, so far. It’s still the king.
- There is no competition for your personal voice.
- The best metric is replies.
- Keep track of what delights you about other newsletters — not what engages you (that’s too easy — A.I. can do that). Engagement is good for a few sentences. Delight builds anticipation for the next issue. You’re probably not producing enough delight. You probably should be.
💙 Interested in receiving Freelancing.eu’s newsletter?
Spread the word on social media and among your friends — they can subscribe at Freelancing.eu/news
We welcome suggestions! Just reply to this email if you know of any news that we have missed.