Staffing for Success on a Limited Budget
Are you struggling to staff your small business? Do your job descriptions combine two or three roles to try to meet many needs with one hire?
If you're tired of searching for purple unicorns (ideal candidates with a rare combination of skills), there is another way to meet staffing needs on a limited budget: Hire employees for core tasks and supplement by freelance specialists.
Leveraging Freelance Talent
Tired of doing it all alone in your startup? Feel the need to sprint instead of crawl? Discover the potential of turbo-charging your business with freelancers. In this workshop, explore the advantages and tackle the challenges of leveraging freelance talent.
Tame your Freelancer Finances
Are you stressed about managing your freelance finances? Suzie Diamond from Diamond Bookkeeping joins us to answer your questions about invoicing, tracking finances, and taxes as a freelancer in Canada. No question is too basic or too challenging. There is still time to sail into tax time without stress.
REGISTER for free on Zoom
💡Member Mindshare
Share your successes and challenges. Let's build our freelance businesses together. CoPro members only.
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✅Get it Done, Co-Working Session!
Come to this Get It Done session to knock something off your to-do list. You know that thing you've been procrastinating about? This is your chance to make progress. It could be organizing your finances, working on a website, or gathering your portfolio. Show up on Zoom. Tell us what you're going to do. Work on it. Then tell us what you did so we can celebrate together!
Freelancer Meet-Up
Meet other Canadian Marketing and Communication Freelancers. Talk to people who understand the awesome and awful of freelancing! Find people you could collaborate with on projects. RSVP on Zoom.
3 Ways to Shift Your Freelance Project Pitch from Hohum to Hired- Workshop
Let’s face it. It’s hard to talk about yourself and your freelance services! You start writing about your services, and then all this insecurity floats up. All you can think of is why you’re not qualified to take on this project. This workshop will help you create a clear, confident pitch to help you will win more projects and earn more income. $54 CAD + Tax.
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Freelancer Meet-Up
Meet other Canadian freelancers as you introduce yourself and your business. Get fresh ideas and discover people you can collaborate with.
RSVP on Zoom
In-Person Freelancer Meet-Up
Meet new and familiar CoLabourNation members at an in-person event. Dish about your freelance successes and struggles with people who get you.
Williams Fresh Cafe is in downtown Kitchener, Ontario at City Hall. There is on-street parking, and it's accessible by transit.
In-Person Freelancer Meet-Up
Meet new and familiar CoLabourNation members at an in-person event. Dish about your freelance successes and struggles with people who get you.
Smile Tiger is a coffee shop on Victoria St in Kitchener, Ontario, that is easily accessible from the highway. 100 Ahrens St W, Kitchener, ON N2H 4C3
Idea Swap
Stuck on improving your online presence? Need to solve a creative problem related to your business? During the session, share a link to your website, social media channel, portfolio, or another item you want input on. Get feedback from other members to help you get unstuck. Give feedback to invest in others' success and demonstrate your expertise. Experience the synergy of swapping ideas! CoLabourNation Pro Members only.
Freelancer Hunting Party
Meet freelancers you can "hunt" for work with. Introduce yourself, your skills and services, and your ideal clients. Join breakout rooms with other freelancers focused on the same target market. This event is ideal for emerging freelancers looking for work, established freelancers who want to refer projects to trusted partners, and experienced professionals who want to build a team of subcontractor.
Learn with Pros: Freelance Panel on CoLabourNation website
Curious about what it takes to succeed as a freelancer? Listen to a facilitated discussion with experienced freelancers Christine Lieu and Carl Friesen. Christine is a graphic designer and branding professional who has been freelancing for more than 8 years. Carl is a writer and thought leadership expert with 20 years of freelance experience. Ask your burning questions and contribute your own wisdom. RSVP on Zoom!
Freelancer MatchUp
Experience the expertise of other Canadian freelancers as you do a quick project together for a sample client. Introduce yourself and your core skills then get matched with another member. Create a deliverable related to your skills and show your work to the group. It’ll be fast and fun!
Idea Swap
Experience the synergy of swapping ideas with other creative professionals. Show us your website, your new e-book or your portfolio. Bounce a new idea around to strengthen it. Give feedback to invest in others' success and reveal your expertise. JOIN CoLabourNation for this member only event.
Learn with pros: Freelance Panel
Curious about what it takes to succeed as a freelancer? Learn with a panel of experienced freelancers who have overcome business and personal challenges. Panelists include CoLabourNation members Janet McLeod Wortel (writer and graphic designer) and Carl Friesen (writer and thought leadership expert). Hear a facilitated discussion and ask your own burning questions. SIGN UP for free on Zoom
Freelancer MatchUp
Experience the expertise of other Canadian freelancers as you do a quick project together for a sample client. Introduce yourself and your core skills then get matched with another member. Create a deliverable related to your skills and show your work to the group. It’ll be fast and fun!
Create a purpose fueled freelance business
Join this interactive workshop to create a purpose fueled freelance business. When you know your purpose, you can build a business doing work you love with clients and partners you believe in. Clarifying your purpose helps you communicate with conviction. Passion attracts liked-minded freelance partners and niche clients who need your services. REGISTER free on Zoom
Communicate like a pro
Freelancers discover your communication style to communicate with freelance colleagues and clients like a pro. In this interactive workshop, get a high-level understanding of the DISC Model of Human Behaviour. Receive insight into your unique communication style and tips on how to interact with people with different styles. REGISTER for free on Zoom.
Leading a team of peers
One way to grow a freelance business is to hire and lead a team of subcontractors. Leading a team of freelance peers takes emotional intelligence, understanding, and negotiation skills to form a mutually beneficial working relationship. Learn new skills during the Leading a team of peers interactive workshop.
Build Your Freelance Skills: Writing Winning Proposals
Securing grants and winning competitive Request for Proposal (RFP) bids can be an excellent source of well-paid contract work for experienced freelance professionals. To write a winning proposal you need to know your skills are a good fit for the opportunity and think like a proposal reviewer. Ask questions and interact with other Canadian freelance marketing and communication professionals during this engaging virtual workshop. Presenter Barbara Robinson will share some pro tips on how to write compelling grant proposals. REGISTER ON ZOOM
Building Your Freelance Skills: Networking Naturally
Word-of-mouth reigns supreme as a source of freelance clients and projects. But networking can be stressful and awkward. Fortunately, there are ways to build your network that feel natural. After a long career in marketing in the publishing industry, Tim Underwood began consulting as a marketing and social media strategist through his business ProblemSolved Marketing. With a strong professional network and a stellar reputation, Tim has no trouble attracting clients. In conversation with CoLaborNation founder Sandra Reimer, Tim will share tips about how to network naturally. After the interview, practice your skills as you connect with other Canadian freelancers. REGISTER ON ZOOM