Inu Etc's Blog, page 11

From Dream to Reality: My Digital Nomad Journey of Traveling the World While Working Online

As a 21-year-old digital nomad, I have been working remotely for five years now. I always wanted to travel. It is my dream to travel the entire world, and I will try my best to visit every country.

I always wanted to travel full-time, so I searched “how to travel the world” and I came across the term ‘digital nomad’ in 2015. I discovered that I could travel the world and work from anywhere in the world if I became a digital nomad. I started some free blogs, to learn about blogging, SEO, and digital marketing.

To make money while traveling the world, I started working online (freelancing) in 2018 and then created Inuidea.com in 2019.

I make money from Inuidea.com, Hostneur.com, sponsorship, freelancing, affiliate marketing, etc

Read this post to learn how I make money while traveling the world – How I Travel The World Working Online

In 2022, after traveling 5,558 kilometers and moving to two different cities within four months, finally I realized I couldn’t live without travel.

Finally, I can see that I can fulfill my dream. Traveling and working from different locations are now part of my life. I’m confident enough to travel frequently, I’ll definitely travel more from now on. 

I have traveled to several Indian states – Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Union Territories – Delhi and Chandigarh.

I always wanted to climb mountains, so in 2023, I completed the Basic Mountaineering Course at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports. As soon as I finish the Advance Mountaineering Course and the MOI course, I will trek to Everest Base Camp in Nepal.

How To Become a Digital Nomad?

The way of becoming a digital nomad isn’t the same for everyone. Everyone has different passions, skills, and professions. 

So, there isn’t one specific blueprint for everyone to follow.

But there are some steps you can follow to become a digital nomad if you are just passionate about becoming a digital nomad.

You need some high-paying skills, a remote job or an online business, a little bit of confidence, and a destination with a reliable internet connection.

Let’s break down the steps of becoming a digital nomad.

Learn Required Skills

Google and YouTube and relevant blogs are the best teachers out there.

However, it’s not easy for everyone to learn from these free resources because educational resources from those platforms are not organized and straightforward.

So, you can use online courses to learn the required skills.

Here are the best places to educate yourself and build skills:

YouTubeUdemySkillshareCourseraLyndaUdacity

By signing up for one of these resources, you can get access to thousands of online courses that will help you build skills fast.

Udemy and Skillshare are the best places to learn creative skills and the required skills to become a digital nomad, such as graphic design skills, photography skills, marketing skills, web design skills, etc.

If you want to learn to code, you can try FreeCodeCamp or CodeAcademy to get free coding lessons and tutorials.

How Digital Nomads Make Money While Traveling The World?

There are many ways you can make money while traveling the world as a digital nomad.

You can make money doing freelance jobs and remote jobs for companies.

Also, you can build a passive income generating business to make money while traveling or even sleeping too!

Here are three types of jobs and businesses digital nomads do while traveling the world.

1. Start Your Own Business

You can start a blog, podcast, or YouTube channel to document your nomadic life and share your experience.

The best part is,

By doing these, you can build a passive income-generating business that makes money while you travel.

Also, you can start other passive income-generating businesses to make your digital nomad life easier. Because having passive income streams means true financial freedom.

Check out this post to get some genuine passive income ideas and to learn more about passive income.

17 Genuine Ways to Make Passive Income While You Sleep

2. Freelancing

Freelancing isn’t a passive income-generating business, but it’s one of the best ways to make instant active income as a digital nomad.

In freelancing, you have to sell your services to earn money. If you have a high-paying skill, you can make massive money by doing freelance jobs.

For example,

If you are a graphic designer, you can sell your graphic design services. You can design logos, banners, flyers, illustrations, etc.

The best place to sell your graphic design service is 99Designs. It’s the only design-specific freelance marketplace available on the market.

You can be a freelance writer, photographer, virtual assistant, digital marketer, and the list goes on.

If you’re a beginner, I suggest you start your freelance career on Fiverr because it’s user-friendly and beginner-friendly.

Read more: Freelancing for Beginners – The Ultimate Guide to Freelancing in 2024

Also, you can use Upwork, Freelancer, Guru.com, Facebook groups, and other social media platforms to get more clients.

Are you a young hustler?

Join our facebook group – ‘Young Hustlers‘

3. Get a Remote Job

The difference between remote jobs and freelance jobs is remote jobs mean you’re a full-time or part-time employee at an organization or a company, while freelance jobs end once the project is over. In both cases, your presence isn’t required at the office.

Remote jobs are better than freelance jobs because sometimes it’s hard to get clients as a freelancer and remote jobs make your digital nomad life more secure.

If you have the required skills and degrees, you can quickly get a remote job and work from anywhere.

You can be a web developer, app developer, growth hacker, marketing specialist, graphic designer, software engineer, and the list goes on.

Some well-known companies offer flexible remote jobs for digital nomads. Some of them are:

MailerLiteZapierBufferDoistHubstaffAutomatticSafetyWing

Read more: The Ultimate Guide to Remote Job – 7 Remote Companies to Get a Remote Job and Travel the World

Online job boards such as We Work Remotely, RemoteOK, and Remote.co are some of the great places to find flexible part-time jobs or full-time remote jobs. Or, if you’re looking for something more specific, here’s a good site for remote SQL jobs.

Also, the power of networking is huge. LinkedIn is a great place to apply for jobs. Also, it’s a great platform where you can showcase your experience and skills and network with other professionals.

You can directly approach a company for a remote job. Choose a remote-friendly company, let them know who you are and how the company can benefit from your skills, and ask if they have any positions available.

Read more: Work smart, earn passively, and do what you love

Get Digital Nomad Insurance

It’s essential for remote workers and digital nomads to have international health insurance and travel insurance.

SafetyWing is a travel medical insurance that was created by nomads for nomads.

You’re covered in 185 countries, and you don’t need to let them know about your itinerary in advance.

It’s the perfect solution for people like me who are always on the move and never quite sure where we’ll be next month.  Check out their website at SafetyWing.com.

Thanks for reading this article.

If you loved what you read, would you be able to buy me a cup of coffee? It’s okay if you can’t right now.

If you have any questions or if you wanna work with me, feel free to contact me. I’m always available to help young hustlers like you @InuEtc on Instagram.

Keep traveling!

The post From Dream to Reality: My Digital Nomad Journey of Traveling the World While Working Online appeared first on Inuidea.com.

My Tale of Survival in the Himalayas – Lamadugh Natural Valley Trek, Manali

I was in Manali, Himachal Pradesh, India, for a month as a digital nomad in 2023.

One day, I went on a six-hour-long hike (Lamadugh Natural Valley Trek) with a Canadian guy I met at the hostel. He was a big, tall guy with regular hiking experience, while I was a complete beginner.

We started hiking at around 11 am, and after two hours of hiking, I was exhausted, I could hike, but I needed some rest in between. This guy was so fast, I wasn’t able to keep up with him, and he was forced to rest just because of me.

Since the hike is six hours long and we must return before sunset, he told me to hike faster. 

Since the altitude also began to rise, I said that if you hike with me, we would both go slowly, and this six-hour hike would take eight hours, so I think I should head back.

He told me to go back to the hostel and continue hiking.

After resting for a while, I started descending. On the way back, I got lost and Google Maps wasn’t working either. I was very scared as I was completely alone in the middle of a dense pine forest, but I continued to descend the eastern side of the mountain without trying to find the exact route since I was certain that the city of Manali was located on that side of the mountain.

I finally found the route after hiking for half an hour. I felt relieved, and while returning, I made a video about how I earn money while I travel. The video is in Hindi, if you don’t understand Hindi, you can read the blog post I wrote about how I make money while traveling the world.

That was my unique adventure experience while hiking in Manali.

How To Become a Digital Nomad?

The way of becoming a digital nomad isn’t the same for everyone. Everyone has different passions, skills, and professions. 

So, there isn’t one specific blueprint for everyone to follow.

But there are some steps you can follow to become a digital nomad if you are just passionate about becoming a digital nomad.

You need some high-paying skills, a remote job or an online business, a little bit of confidence, and a destination with a reliable internet connection.

Let’s break down the steps of becoming a digital nomad.

Learn Required Skills

Google and YouTube and relevant blogs are the best teachers out there.

However, it’s not easy for everyone to learn from these free resources because educational resources from those platforms are not organized and straightforward.

So, you can use online courses to learn the required skills.

Here are the best places to educate yourself and build skills:

YouTubeUdemySkillshareCourseraLyndaUdacity

By signing up for one of these resources, you can get access to thousands of online courses that will help you build skills fast.

Udemy and Skillshare are the best places to learn creative skills and the required skills to become a digital nomad, such as graphic design skills, photography skills, marketing skills, web design skills, etc.

If you want to learn to code, you can try FreeCodeCamp or CodeAcademy to get free coding lessons and tutorials.

How Digital Nomads Make Money While Traveling The World?

There are many ways you can make money while traveling the world as a digital nomad.

You can make money doing freelance jobs and remote jobs for companies.

Also, you can build a passive income generating business to make money while traveling or even sleeping too!

Here are three types of jobs and businesses digital nomads do while traveling the world.

1. Start Your Own Business

You can start a blog, podcast, or YouTube channel to document your nomadic life and share your experience.

The best part is,

By doing these, you can build a passive income-generating business that makes money while you travel.

Also, you can start other passive income-generating businesses to make your digital nomad life easier. Because having passive income streams means true financial freedom.

Check out this post to get some genuine passive income ideas and to learn more about passive income.

17 Genuine Ways to Make Passive Income While You Sleep

2. Freelancing

Freelancing isn’t a passive income-generating business, but it’s one of the best ways to make instant active income as a digital nomad.

In freelancing, you have to sell your services to earn money. If you have a high-paying skill, you can make massive money by doing freelance jobs.

For example,

If you are a graphic designer, you can sell your graphic design services. You can design logos, banners, flyers, illustrations, etc.

The best place to sell your graphic design service is 99Designs. It’s the only design-specific freelance marketplace available on the market.

You can be a freelance writer, photographer, virtual assistant, digital marketer, and the list goes on.

If you’re a beginner, I suggest you start your freelance career on Fiverr because it’s user-friendly and beginner-friendly.

Read more: Freelancing for Beginners – The Ultimate Guide to Freelancing in 2024

Also, you can use Upwork, Freelancer, Guru.com, Facebook groups, and other social media platforms to get more clients.

Are you a young hustler?

Join our facebook group – ‘Young Hustlers‘

3. Get a Remote Job

The difference between remote jobs and freelance jobs is remote jobs mean you’re a full-time or part-time employee at an organization or a company, while freelance jobs end once the project is over. In both cases, your presence isn’t required at the office.

Remote jobs are better than freelance jobs because sometimes it’s hard to get clients as a freelancer and remote jobs make your digital nomad life more secure.

If you have the required skills and degrees, you can quickly get a remote job and work from anywhere.

You can be a web developer, app developer, growth hacker, marketing specialist, graphic designer, software engineer, and the list goes on.

Some well-known companies offer flexible remote jobs for digital nomads. Some of them are:

MailerLiteZapierBufferDoistHubstaffAutomatticSafetyWing

Read more: The Ultimate Guide to Remote Job – 7 Remote Companies to Get a Remote Job and Travel the World

Online job boards such as We Work Remotely, RemoteOK, and Remote.co are some of the great places to find flexible part-time jobs or full-time remote jobs. Or, if you’re looking for something more specific, here’s a good site for remote SQL jobs.

Also, the power of networking is huge. LinkedIn is a great place to apply for jobs. Also, it’s a great platform where you can showcase your experience and skills and network with other professionals.

You can directly approach a company for a remote job. Choose a remote-friendly company, let them know who you are and how the company can benefit from your skills, and ask if they have any positions available.

Read more: Work smart, earn passively, and do what you love

Get Digital Nomad Insurance

It’s essential for remote workers and digital nomads to have international health insurance and travel insurance.

SafetyWing is a travel medical insurance that was created by nomads for nomads.

You’re covered in 185 countries, and you don’t need to let them know about your itinerary in advance.

It’s the perfect solution for people like me who are always on the move and never quite sure where we’ll be next month.  Check out their website at SafetyWing.com.

Thanks for reading this article.

If you loved what you read, would you be able to buy me a cup of coffee? It’s okay if you can’t right now.

If you have any questions or if you wanna work with me, feel free to contact me. I’m always available to help young hustlers like you @InuEtc on Instagram.

Keep traveling!

The post My Tale of Survival in the Himalayas – Lamadugh Natural Valley Trek, Manali appeared first on Inuidea.com.

Email Etiquette Rules to Supercharge Your Online Business

In the professional context, etiquette defines the laws that dictate what is considered appropriate. Email etiquette entails clear communication of your message using the right tone and word structure. It changes based on the current audience and the goal of your emails. The relationships you’ve built with clients determine the language you use when addressing them.

Whether you are running your own online business, are a freelancer, or a young hustler, getting it right empowers you significantly.

It can open doors and maintain a consistent flow of business. It is a powerful tool that supercharges your online business. 

Let your email address look professional

Many people ignore the importance of having a professional email address. You might argue that you don’t need a dedicated business email since you’re a freelancer and sole proprietor. Although you are starting small, create a professional email for business. It helps build trust with customers. 

Write attractive content

Professional etiquette in writing is useful if you want to win customers. The world of freelancers and microbusinesses is full of competition. Error-free writing ensures you send emails that your target audiences will love to read. It is one of the strategies for capturing their attention. Writing attractive emails goes hand in hand with proofreading. It ensures you identify errors and inconsistencies and correct them. Make it a habit to use content editing tools to achieve quality results.

It is crucial to observe email etiquette if you want to supercharge your freelancing career or small business. One of the rules to observe is to ensure you reply to emails in real-time. Mac email experiences technical issues sometimes. One of the issues can be Mac not showing recent emails.

The problem is mainly caused by challenges in internet connection or lack of space and file errors. Errors could lead to Mac Mail not syncing while poor server or internet connection could lead to Mac not showing recent emails. To solve the issue, check first how to refresh mail on Mac in the Apple Mail tool. Some basic information is more helpful than it seems.

Avoid delayed replies

In the hustler’s world, people inquire about something because they want to make decisions on the spot. It is unprofessional to delay replies. Even if the sender isn’t expecting a reply, at least acknowledge receipt. The sender will appreciate the gesture.

Add a signature

Freelancers often send cold emails when soliciting for remote jobs. Micro business owners might not have long list addresses. They might not be known by most online audiences. To avoid suspicion, add a signature at the bottom. It should capture important details such as:

      Your full name       Your work       Your company       Your contacts       Your logo and colors if possibleBe keen with greetings

Professional email greetings play an important role in winning leads and customers. Avoid using street-style greetings because the reader might take offense. Since your mail is formal, let the greetings be formal. You may use phrases such as:

      Greetings       Hello (name)       Good morning       Dear       I hope this email finds you wellSend short emails

Long emails can be boring and most people might ignore reading them. The right email protocols dictate that your mails should be precise and to the point. Ensure you communicate the message directly and allow the reader to take action.

Let the subject line show creativity

The subject line determines if the recipient will read the entire email or not. The reader makes the decision based on the attractiveness of the subject line. It should hook the reader to open it the moment they look at it. Let it be short and look human-written. Let it capture the goal of the message straight away.

Use humor sparingly

Regardless of your career level, it is critical to understand the importance of email etiquette. Its main goal is to help you impress your customers or generate leads. Humor is allowed in professional email communication. It is one of the strategies for creating stronger bonds between your freelancing career and small business. Regardless, humor should be used sparingly. This is especially important if you don’t know the recipient well. If you feel humor might deny you a business chance, it is better not to use it at all.

Do follow-ups

The target recipients may delay replying or taking action. One of the marketing strategies that work is to learn to do follow-ups. Use polite language but also show persistence. It might pay off soon and you get business.

Remain relevant

Irrelevant emails are messages that do not resonate with the goal of marketing or the target audience. Don’t include anything that won’t benefit the audience or your company. One of the explanations for this is that you should write brief and direct emails. It guarantees that you remain current at all times.

Final Thoughts – Email Etiquette Rules to Supercharge Your Online Business

Several strategies help you boost your online business through customer interactions. You need to develop mail communication skills and adhere to the email etiquette guidelines. It allows you to improve your online reputation and create enduring bonds with customers. Proper email communication can be the secret you need to supercharge your online business. 

Thanks for reading this article.

If you loved what you read, would you be able to buy me a cup of coffee? It’s okay if you can’t right now.

If you have any questions or if you wanna work with me, feel free to contact me. I’m always available to help young hustlers like you @InuEtc on Instagram.

Keep hustling!

The post Email Etiquette Rules to Supercharge Your Online Business appeared first on Inuidea.com.

How to Start a Podcast for Free in 2024 (Complete Guide)

Do you want to start a podcast for free in 2024?

The demand for the podcast is increasing, and now you have a great opportunity to start your own podcast, build a rich audience, and make money podcasting.

People start a podcast to share their knowledge, make money, influence people, and to market their business.

The best part is,

Now it’s possible to start a podcast for free.

In this step-by-step guide, I’m going to show you the best and the easiest way to start a podcast for free in 2024.

Let’s dive right in.

What is a podcast?

A podcast is a series of downloadable and streamable recorded audio content.

Isn’t it the simplest definition of the podcast?

Related Post: The Ultimate Guide on How to Start a Money Making Blog

Can you really start a podcast for free?

Obviously, you can start a podcast for free. If you have a smartphone, laptop, and internet connection, you can start now!

This post contains affiliate links . I may receive a commission for purchases made through these links. This commission comes at no extra cost to you. Also, I don’t recommend anything that I don’t believe in.

What do you need to start a podcast?

The only thing you really need to start a podcast is something to talk about. And we already talked about the equipment required to start a podcast.

You can start a podcast for free. But if you want to spend some money, then invest your money in a good microphone.

Because when it comes to podcasts, it’s all about audio. So, don’t compromise with the audio quality of your podcast.

One of the most popular podcasting microphones is the Audio-Technica ATR2100-USB.

Otherwise, you can use your earphones. They are good enough to start a podcast for free!
amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0";amzn_assoc_search_bar = "true";amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "inuetc-20";amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "manual";amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart";amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon";amzn_assoc_region = "US";amzn_assoc_title = "The best podcasting microphones";amzn_assoc_linkid = "fbc3e32428e932e755c771ea0f1f5a56";amzn_assoc_asins = "B00N1YPXW2,B08G7RG9ML,B08TLQW7P5,B07MSCRCVK";

Starting a podcast: define your niche.

So, what’s the topic you want to talk about?

Do you want to start a business podcast or an entertainment podcast?

Are you going to start a solo podcast or an interview podcast?

It’s up to you.

I suggest you talk about the topic which you are passionate about and which you have some knowledge about.

Choose a name for your podcast.

The ‘Your Name’ Show is the most common podcast naming style. But you can add your brand name or some keyword to optimize your podcast to rank on iTunes.

Look at Tim Ferriss podcast name:

‘The Tim Ferriss Show‘

Look at Pat Flynn’s Podcast name:

‘The Smart Passive Income Online Business and Blogging Podcast‘

Pat Flynn optimized his podcast using keywords like Online Business and Blogging Podcast.’

Write an amazing description of your podcast.

After your podcast name and cover art, the next thing potential listeners look at is your podcast description.

In iTunes, you can have up to 4,000 characters to describe your show. Your podcast description should be engaging, descriptive, and straightforward.

You should write about the benefits your listener will get after listening to your podcast. Also, don’t forget to add some keywords to SEO optimize your podcast and to rank well on iTunes.

Design your podcast cover art.

Your podcast cover art is the first impression your potential listener will see as they browse through their favorite podcast streaming app.

So, it’s obvious that you need a beautiful podcast cover art to impress and grab your potential listener.

Here are some tips for creating the best podcast cover art.

Your podcast cover art must be 3000 x  3000 pixel (Minimum size is 1400 x 1400 pixels) This image should be in .jpg or .png file format and the RGB colorspace.Use high-quality images. Get royalty-free images from these amazing photo downloading sites for free.Don’t use so much text. Some podcast player automatically shrinks the podcast cover art to fit smaller containers. So it will be nearly impossible to read more than three or four words.

You can easily create an awesome podcast cover art using Canva or Snappa for free.

If you have a little bit of a budget, I recommend Fiverr (Or you can contact me, I’m a designer too:) to create your podcast cover art. Also, if you have more money, you can check out 99design to create a professional podcast cover art.

Record your first podcast episode.

If you are a solo podcaster, you can start recording your first podcast episode on Audacity, or you can directly record your podcast on apps such as Spotify for Podcasters ( formerly known as Anchor) and Spreaker, both available on iPhone and Android.

On the other hand, if you want to record remote interviews, you can use Skype, but Skype’s audio quality isn’t good enough, and you need a call recorder to record Skype calls.

If you need to record yourself and your guests on separate tracks, then Zencastr is the right tool to go with. Zencastr’s free plan allows you to record up to 8 hours per month (Which is enough) for up to 2 guests in MP3 format.

Read more: 7 Best Podcasts for Aspiring Entrepreneurs – Learn and Get Inspired

I recently knew about Spreaker Studio and it seems to be a great option as well to record, host, and distribute your podcast.

Spreaker Studio – available for smartphones (iOS and Android) and desktop (Mac, Windows, Chromebook), this free podcast creator app is a quick-and-easy tool to record, add sound effects, and crop & trim your audio. It also publishes and distributes your podcast to all the listening platforms out there. 

If you want to record remote interviews that don’t need complex editing, you can try Spreaker Studio desktop. It easily integrates with Skype and Google Meet. Once you’ve recorded, export the audio file directly to your computer.

You can also use RiversideFM to easily record podcasts and videos in studio quality from anywhere. RiversideFM is the only podcast-creating tool that allows you to record locally and with up to 4K video resolution. You can use RiversideFM from your browser or mobile app to edit and record high-quality audio & video remotely.

Edit your first podcast episode.

Audacity is a great free audio recording and editing software. After recording your first podcast episode you can remove background noise from your audio, you can add an intro and outro, and lots of other things you can do in Audacity to increase the audio quality of your podcast.

To export an mp3 file from Audacity, you’ll need to download and install the Lame MP3 encoder for Windows or Mac.

If you recorded your podcast on Anchor (Spotify for Podcasters) and didn’t want to edit your podcast there, you can easily export and download your recorded audio file from the web version of Anchor to edit it in Audacity.

Want to add some royalty-free music to your podcast episode?

Free Music Archive and Musopen are two great websites where you can get royalty-free music for free.

Related post: 11 Websites to Download Free and Copyright-Free Music for YouTube Videos

How to distribute a podcast for free?

Once you are ready to publish your podcast, you’ll need to upload it to a podcast hosting service and make it available for your listeners.

I’ve already mentioned Anchor (acquired by Spotify in 2019) is a good solution for hosting and distributing your podcast for free.

Anchor will help you distribute your podcast to the following platforms:

Apple PodcastsiTunesGoogle PodcastsSpotifyStitcherBreakerCastboxOvercastPocket CastsRadioPublic

If you want to publish your podcast on additional platforms not included in this list (This list is enough man!), you can just grab your RSS feed URL from your Anchor account settings and distribute it yourself!

If you are a hobbyist with no big ambitions towards your podcast, there is no harm in sticking with a free solution. However, if you consider starting for free and switching to a paying subscription after some time, in order to make your podcast more professional and easy to manage, then Spreaker is the best choice.

On Spreaker, with just one click, you can distribute your podcast to all the main listening apps.  

Spreaker is another great hosting solution if you consider starting for free and switching to a paying subscription after some time.

I recommend Spreaker because more than a hosting, it is a one-stop-shop where you can get the recording app, hosting, one-click distribution, advanced statistics, and monetization.

One of Spreaker’s main advantages in comparison with Spotify for Podcasters (formerly known as Anchor) is that you can have multiple podcasts under one account and fully monetize your podcast. Here are some of their main features: 

Multiple podcasts hostingOne-click distributionMonetization via dynamic ad insertion Full statistics Embedded player Limited access podcasts (to boost your membership program!) Live podcastingCustomizable RSS Feeds

Spreaker’s free plan includes 5 hours of audio storage, so depending on your episode’s length and frequency, that can get you going for a couple of months.

How to make money podcasting?

There are many ways to monetize a podcast and make passive and active income podcasting. Yasss! Podcasts can make passive income too!

Some podcast monetization methods work for established podcasters, and some work well for a new podcasters.

Here are some ways to monetize your podcast:

Sponsorship and Advertising – Many podcast hosting companies have their own ad network. Now Anchor’s monetization service is only available for US Podcasters. But if you have a big audience, you can directly get sponsored by companies.Affiliate Marketing – If you have a small targeted audience, you can make money through affiliate marketing.Online Courses – You can sell online courses on Teachable, Udemy, etc.Sell Services – If you are an expert, you can promote and sell your services too. For example, Neil Patel uses his podcast ‘Marketing School’ to promote his digital marketing service.Crowdfunding and Donations – Ask your listeners for donations to support you and your podcast. A common platform for accepting donations is Patreon, Podfan, and Buy Me a CoffeeDynamic ad insertion: Spreaker’s monetization program works worldwide, as long as there’s ad inventory available in the country where the listeners are based. All you have to do is add the specific cue points where you want the audio ad to be placed. You will earn money according to the CPM (cost per thousand impressions). Exclusive content: Share exclusive content with a private link to your paying listeners. This is a cool way to boost any membership program. Unfortunately, this modality requires a paying tool. At the moment, Spreaker users on the Broadcaster plan have the ability to create episodes or entire podcasts that are not public on the listening apps. Fortunately, we have Podfan, and this is exactly what Podfan does for free!Podfan helps creators monetize their podcasts via donations and premium subscriptions. You can create your podcast page for free and start receiving payments from your supporters. Podfan charges you only when you have any paying members.
You can design your podcast page, fill out your bio, and share new premium episodes easily. On top of that, your listeners can share feedback on each podcast episode and interact with you.

I have already written about 31+ proven online business ideas that work in 2024. Some also work to monetize a podcast. Check them out.

Now it’s your turn!

You’ve read about the way to start a podcast for free in 2024.

And you get some actionable tips for starting a podcast.

Now I’d like to hear from you:

Are you ready to start a podcast?

Let me know in the comment section below right now.

Also, share this post with your friends and young hustlers who want to start a podcast.

How to Start a #Podcast for Free in 2022 (Complete Guide)
Click To Tweet

If you loved what you read, would you be able to buy me a cup of coffee? It’s okay if you can’t right now.

If you have any questions or if you wanna work with me, feel free to contact me. I’m always available to help young hustlers like you!

Keep hustling.

Download Your Free Guide to Starting a Podcast (PDF) Here!

This post was proofread by Grammarly

The post How to Start a Podcast for Free in 2024 (Complete Guide) appeared first on Inuidea.com.

How to Become an Influencer Marketer in 2024 [My Experience – Infographic]

Wanna become an influencer marketer in 2024?

Today I’m gonna talk about influencer marketing, the rise of micro-influencers, how to get brand deals, and how to become an influencer marketer to make money online.

Let’s dive right in.

What Is Influencer Marketing?

Typically, influencer marketing is a type of social media marketing that utilizes endorsements and product mentions from influencers who have a large social media following and are viewed as experts in their industry/niche.

Influencer marketing is the use of an existing influencer who has built a strong brand reputation in a particular niche to spread awareness of your brand, endorse your product, or co-create content to increase sales and brand awareness.

In influencer marketing, influencers generate trust with their following, and recommendations from them can be regarded as social proof among potential customers of a brand.

Read more: Make $250 Per Sponsored Post – Top 10 Sponsored Post Networks You Must Join Now

The Rise of the Micro-Influencer

A micro-influencer is someone with around 1k to 100k followers across any social media platform.

Most micro-influencers are often considered industry experts because they mostly deal with a specific niche or area.

Brands want to collaborate with micro-influencers who can increase brand awesomeness to specific niches and market segments.

There is also no secret that the larger the influencer, the lower the engagement.

The sweet spot for maximum engagement is to find an influencer who has between 10k-100k followers.

Besides tracking follower numbers, consider watching the types of followers, their quality, and their level of engagement.

Infographic – Does Influencer Marketing Actually Work?

Source – Mediakix

My experience – How I make money as an influencer marketer in 2024

I started Inuidea.com in 2019 and after that, I’m trying to monetize my audience using a lot of monetization methods.

Right now, I use AdSense, affiliate marketing, sponsorship, and influencer marketing to monetize my traffic and influence.

Now, to get brand deals as an influencer marketer, I use Intellifluence, an influencer marketing platform where you can get free products or cash for your reviews!

At Intellifluence, all payments are backed by “The Intellifluence Promise,” which ensures you are securely paid for your work and you get sponsorship from real brands.

I also receive cold emails from brands for brand deals and sponsorship proposals. They want me to collaborate with them to talk about their products and services with my audience.

3 Steps to Becoming a Social Media and Blogger Influencer1. Select Your Niche

If you wanna build a group of a loyal audience, at first you have to define your niche and you should know who you’re trying to reach.

While any business could benefit from engaging with influencers, some niches are particularly suited to developing a strong influencer-customer-sale cycle.

Almost any visual product, such as beauty, fitness, fashion, and travel, is exceptionally effective with influencer marketing.

The influencer who promotes these products provides real-life personal reviews that lend credibility in the eyes of the consumer.

A lot of business services perform well when recommended by thought leaders. People tend to trust influencers who use the services they promote.

2. Create and Post Relevant Content and build a loyal audience

Optimize your blog and social media profiles, create and post relevant content and engage with your audience and build a group of loyal audiences.

Nowadays you have to go omnichannel with your content strategy because omnichannel strategy not only captures your current audience but can also reach a broader range of your audience.

Stay active on your blog, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, and as many platforms as you can to receive more brand deals.

You can make videos, blog posts, microcontent, social media graphics, etc.

Just make sure you’re creating a lot of engaging content consistently that provides value to your audience.

3. Let Brands Know You’re Open to Collaborations

Write a good ‘work with me‘ page or design a media kit for your business to let brands and potential clients know you’re available for collaborations and why they should collaborate with you.

Also, stay active on Intellifluence Influencer marketplace and apply for new collaboration opportunities.

You can send cold emails to your potential clients or as you grow your audience, you can expect cold emails from brands and collaborators out there.

Final Thoughts: How to Become an Influencer Marketer in 2024

If you wanna make money as an influencer marketer in 2024, you must have a loyal audience. After that, you can join influencer marketplaces such as Intellifluence, you can write cold emails to potential collaborators or you can wait for emails from brands.

Now it’s your turn

You’ve read about the ways to become an influencer marketer and how to get brand deals as an influencer marketer in 2024.

Now, if you’ve any thoughts, let me know in the comment section below right now.

Also, share this post with your friends and influencers who want to monetize their audience by doing influencer marketing.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me. I’m always available to help you.

This is a sponsored post by Intellifluence. I received compensation but this post reflects my personal opinion about the information provided by the sponsor. Read full disclosure here.

The post How to Become an Influencer Marketer in 2024 [My Experience – Infographic] appeared first on Inuidea.com.

11 Actionable Ways To Get Massive Traffic From Pinterest

I always tell people:

‘Don’t underestimate the power of Pinterest’

And here’s why many bloggers and I love Pinterest so much:

When it comes to traffic generation, SEO and other social media take time, but Pinterest reacts in just one day!It drives massive traffic to my blog. Over 65% of my total traffic comes from Pinterest.Pinterest is full of awesome images, and it’s full of content ideas.Pins can drive traffic to your blog regularly.Sometimes pins go viral and you can get massive traffic from a single viral pin.

So, If you’re a struggling beginner blogger, you can implement Pinterest to drive targeted traffic to your blog to easily convert your baby blog into a money-making blog.

In this post, I’m going to share 11 tactics that you can use to set up your Pinterest account and bring massive traffic to your blog.

Here is the summary of what I’m going to show you inside this in-depth guide.

Sign Up for a business account.Set up your profile to attract your target audience.Create relevant boards and save some pins.Create pin-worthy images.Create catchy titles.Write engaging and keyword-rich description.Join relevant group boards.Claim your website.Apply for Rich Pins.Display share buttons on your blog.Pin consistently.

Are you excited?

Let’s get started!

Setting up your Pinterest account to drive targeted traffic to your blog

It’s essential to set up your Pinterest profile properly. Here’s how you can set up your account, boards, and pins the right way.

Hire Team Inu Etc as your Pinterest virtual assistant to drive traffic and sales, or book a Pinterest 1:1 consultation to learn everything about Pinterest.

Contact Me  – hi@inuetc.com

1. Sign Up for a Business Account

If you really want to see an impact on your pinning effort, sign up for a free Pinterest business account, or if you have an existing personal account, turn it into a business account.

This will give you access to Pinterest analytics so you can see important insights about your pins, such as the number of impressions your pins are getting, the number of audiences you have, the number of link clicks, etc.

Also, you’ll be able to run ads, claim your websites and social media accounts, and apply for rich pins.

Read more: 11 Pinterest Experts Reveal How New Bloggers Can Grow on Pinterest

2. Set Up Your Profile to Attract Your Target Audience

Your profile is the first impression your potential followers will see.

Each month tons of targeted audiences will visit your Pinterest profile.

So, you want to set up your profile to attract and impress your potential followers, right?

Include a professional-looking or friendly profile photo, a catchy title, and a short bio that explains how you help and what you do.

Also, make sure you add some keywords to optimize your profile for Pinterest search.

For example,

Look at my profile.

My short bio explains what I do, and I’m using keywords such as online business, entrepreneurship, and blogging in my bio and title.

3. Create Relevant Boards and Save Some Pins.

Boards are where you save your and others’ pins.

You may have categories on your blog. Create different Pinterest boards for each category and save images from your blog to those boards.

Pinterest lets you create unlimited boards. So, create other relevant boards and fill them with cool and relevant pins.

Create a brand board where you only save your branded pins. When you want to repin a pin just head over to your branded board and easily find all your pins in one place and repin your pin to other relevant boards.

Also, add cover images to your boards to make them look professional.

For example,

Look at the cover image of my brand board and two other boards.

To add a cover image to your board, just add a square size pin to a board, and from the ‘edit your board’ section, select that image as the cover image for that board.

Quick Tips: Don’t forget to use keywords to optimize your boards titles and descriptions to get a targeted audience through Pinterest search.

This post contains affiliate links (I don’t recommend anything that I don’t believe in), meaning at no extra cost to you, I might receive a small commission for purchases made through these links.

Read more: 9 Proven Ways to Monetize Your Blog – Make Money Blogging

4. Create Pin-Worthy Images

Pinterest is full of millions of visuals. So, to stand out and grab the attention of a user, your pins need to be attractive, engaging, and valuable.

You can easily design an attractive pin using Canva, Snappa, Picmonkey, etc.

Get 58 fully customizable Canva Pinterest Templates t o create viral pins that bring traffic and sales

Here’s how you can create pin-worthy images:

1. Use High-Quality Images

High-quality images are essential to create an attractive and engaging pin.

Make sure to use images that are visually compelling and will stand out in people’s feeds.

Use high-quality stock images, create custom designs, or create custom illustrations, and design your unique pins to see better performance.

Read more: 17 Amazing Free Websites to Download Copyright Free Stock Images

2. Include Text In Your Image

If you want to make your pin more clickable to drive massive traffic to your blog, make sure you’re adding texts to your images.

When you properly add text, it looks more professional, it helps your targeted audience to know more about the valuable content behind the pins, and they end up clicking on your pins.

Use two different fonts, and don’t use multiple colors, stick to two or three colors; otherwise, it will look confusing and ugly.

To make your pins branded, use the same fonts and colors on all your pins. Also, make sure you add the logo or the site URL on your pins. It helps others to identify your pins.

3. Create Vertical Pins.

Since up to 80% of users use their smartphones to browse through their Pinterest feed, Pinterest prefers vertically oriented pins because it looks best on a mobile screen.

That’s why when you design images for Pinterest, think vertical. Pinterest recommends that you use a 2:3 aspect ratio for all of your pins. A 2:3 aspect ratio means that your image’s width is ⅔ its height.

Here are some image dimensions that represent a 2:3 ratio.

5. Create Catchy Titles

The headline or title is the most crucial part of your pin or your blog post.

An entertaining and eye-catching title can help your pin go viral on Pinterest and helps you drive tons of traffic to your blog.

If you’re a pro blogger, you already know how to write an engaging title for your blog post.

The process of writing a headline for a pin, blog post, or other writing is the same.

Here’s how you can write an engaging and catchy title for your pin.

1. Always Consider Your Target Audience First

Always know who you’re writing for and what problems they are having.

If your title can solve their problems, you’ll get a better engagement rate.

So, always keep your target audience in your mind when you write a title for a pin or a blog post.

2. Use Numbers and Data In Your Title.

Several studies have shown that headlines with numbers tend to generate 73% more social shares and engagement.

Look at successful bloggers and their viral blog posts. They are using numbers in the titles of their blog posts.

For example.

Here’s a blog post screenshot from the Backlinko blog.

Read more: 7 Best Blogs to Learn SEO, Marketing and Copywriting

3. Use Power Words

To make your titles more attractive and clickable, you can include power words.

Here are some power words you can use to write a great title.

AmazingFreeIncredibleEye-opening MythsMassiveBestAnd much more!

Also, use some relevant keywords to optimize your title if you want to rank higher on Pinterest.

And don’t forget to analyze your title using CoSchedule’s headline analyzer for free.

6. Write Engaging and Keyword Rich Description

Pinterest is not really a social media; It’s a visual search engine.

If you want Pinterest to rank your pins, you have to implement SEO strategies. The same way you optimize your blog post to rank higher on Google.

Optimize your boards and pins description by adding some relevant keywords.

Use two to three relevant hashtags, but don’t behave like a robot. In the end, you have to attract a human, not a robot.

Always try to write an engaging, descriptive, and friendly description.

7. Join Relevant Group Boards

If you want to increase your reach, repins, followers, and your blog traffic, you should definitely join relevant Pinterest group boards.

A group board is a collaborative board where the owner can invite collaborators to pin on their board.

Some group boards have a huge following, so when you save pins to those groups boards you get access to audiences beyond your followers.

Here are some ways you can find relevant group boards:

Search Pinterest for keywords relevant to your niche and filter the result to look at boards only. You’ll see some group boards.Search keywords on Pingroupie for group boards. Even though the website is not updated with the latest data, it’s still a good place to start.Also, look at other blogger’s Pinterest profiles in your niche to see the group boards your competitors are contributing to.

After you have discovered some relevant group boards, the next step is to join these boards.

Most group Boards have instructions for joining in the description of the Board. Follow the instructions and do what the owner of the group board wants you to do.

In most cases, you’ll need to follow the board and the owner of the board, then send a request on DM or an email with your username asking for an invite.

And here is a gift for you!

You can join my group board – Traffic Sphere. It’s a group board where you can save unlimited pins that are related to online business, blogging, entrepreneurship, marketing, and such other relevant topics.

The main motive of ‘Traffic Sphere’ is to drive more traffic to each contributor. So, try to engage with each contributor by repinning their pins.

To join ‘Traffic Sphere’, at first follow me on Pinterest and DM me on Instagram or request to join the board on Pinterest itself.

Check out 350+ Pinterest Group Boards to Join to Skyrocket Your Blog Traffic

8. Claim Your Website and Other Social Media Accounts

You should claim your website to get access to your website analytics. It lets people know where they can find more of your content.

Your profile picture and your name will show up next to any pin that comes from your site.

A small globe icon with a checkmark icon appears next to your site URL on your Pinterest profile.

To claim your site, go to the edit settings section and head over to the Claim section and then enter your site URL, and hit the Claim button.

Pinterest will display a popup with two methods that you can use to claim your website. (add HTML tag or Upload HTML file)

Choose the HTML tag option because it’s easier. Just copy the HTML tag and go to your WordPress dashboards.

If you have the Yoast SEO plugin installed on your site, then visit SEO » Social page on your WordPress dashboard.

On the Facebook tab, make sure that open graph settings are enabled.

Next, go to the Pinterest tab, in the Pinterest confirmation field, past the HTML tag that you copied previously, and click on the save changes button.

If you’re not using the Yoast SEO Plugin, you can use the Insert Headers and Footers plugin to insert the HTML tag to your site’s header section.

Once the HTML tag is added in your site’s header section, go back to the Pinterest popup screen and click on the Next button and then click the submit button.

Usually, the verification process takes 24 hours, and you’ll get an email from Pinterest about the verification of your website.

Once the verification process is done, you’ll see the confirmation on the Claim section on Pinterest.

Also, don’t forget to claim your Instagram, Etsy, and YouTube account.

9. Apply for Rich Pins

Rich pins provide more context about pins because they show extra information directly on a pin.

Pinterest has 4 types of Rich Pins: app, product, recipe, and article.

As I write articles on my blog, I have enabled article rich pin on my Pinterest account.

Article Pins helps users know more about the pin by showing the article headline, author name, description, ‘read it’ button, published date, and site name.

For example,

Here’s a rich pin from my profile:

Setting up Rich Pins for your blog is one of the most important steps if you want to look more professional on Pinterest.

Rich pins attract more eyeballs and help you drive more traffic to your blog.

Once you have claimed your website, you can apply for Rich Pins.

Go to Pinterest Rich Pin Validator, enter one of your blog post URL, and hit validate.

Once you get the green check and ‘Your Pin’s have been validated! Apply to enable your Rich Pins’ message you can click apply.

Sometimes your blog will be approved instantly; other times, Pinterest will take some time to verify your blog.

It can take a few days for your pins to start showing up as rich pins. But if it’s not showing after a few days, contact the Pinterest help desk.

Read more: The Ultimate Guide on How to Start a Money Making Blog

10. Display Share Buttons on Your Blog

You should use social share buttons to help your readers share your valuable content on Pinterest or other social media platforms.

By adding social media buttons, you can build user engagement and bring new visitors to your blog.

I’m using Social Pug plugin to display social share buttons on my blog. You can use this free, lightweight social sharing plugin, or you can use other plugins such as Social Warfare, Addthis, etc.

Also, make sure you are using the image hover button to encourage pinning.

To do that,

Add this javascript at the bottom of all the posts or pages where you want to show the image hover button.

<span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"></span>

Also, Pinterest lets you create an optimized image hover button from their widget builder page.

11. Pin consistently.

Consistency is the key to success.

The line is so true!

If you want to get massive traffic from Pinterest to your blog, you have to save engaging, attractive, and valuable pins consistently.

You can manually save pins from your blog, or you can upload and save pins inside Pinterest.

Also, you can schedule your pin directly from Pinterest. When uploading a pin, just choose an upcoming date and save your pin to a relevant board. It’s free, but it’s a little manual way to schedule your pins.

If you want to automate your pinning strategy, you should definitely use Tailwind.

This excellent marketing tool comes with some advanced features such as Smart Schedule, Interval Scheduling, scheduling repins, SmartLoop, and much more.

SmartLoop functions let you automatically save your pins to multiple boards based on the interval of time.

They also offer a group board alike feature, Tailwind Tribes, made up of like-minded creators who support and collaborate and curate engaging Pinterest accounts by sharing each other content with Pinterest.

The best part is,

Anyone can start a Tailwind Tribe, and there are thousands of active Tailwind Tribes that you can join and start collaborating with like-minded bloggers to grow your Pinterest account.

Overall, Tailwind helps you stay consistently active on Pinterest with minimal effort.

You can schedule your first 100 pins for free using Tailwind!

Ultimate Pinterest 1:1 Consultation

Learn everything about Pinterest to grow on Pinterest and drive massive traffic to your blog.

I’m a Pinterest expert and I have a successful Pinterest account that helps me grow my online business. I can help you learn almost anything about Pinterest. I’ll share essential marketing tips, strategies, pin design tools, and more.

Learn:

Pinterest SEO.Pinterest growth strategies.How to optimize your profile.How to make viral pins.How to design engaging Pinterest pins. [Get Canva Pinterest Templates ($29) for FREE]

Wanna learn all these things to grow your Pinterest profile?

Contact Me  – hi@inuetc.com

Now It’s Your Turn!

Hey, I really hope you enjoyed reading this actionable guide to get massive traffic to your blog.

Now I would like to hear from you:

What is your experience with Pinterest?

Please let me know in the comment section below right now!

Also, share this post with your friends and struggling bloggers who want to use Pinterest to drive massive traffic to their blog.

11 Actionable Ways To Get Massive Traffic From #Pinterest To Your Blog. #BloggingTips #Marketing
Click To Tweet

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me. I’m always available to help young hustlers like you.

If you have any questions or if you wanna work with me in any way, feel free to contact me. I’m always available to help you.

Keep hustling!

The post 11 Actionable Ways To Get Massive Traffic From Pinterest appeared first on Inuidea.com.

Freelancing for Beginners – The Ultimate Guide to Freelancing in 2024

A lot of you guys often ask me how one can learn to freelance, start freelancing or make money doing freelance jobs.

Here’s a typical conversation between a random aspiring freelancer and me.

: Hey Inu, I wanna start freelancing!

: Say something about your skills, please?

: I wanna start freelancing, I wanna learn freelancing.

: Do you have any skills?

: Nope, I wanna learn freelancing, SEO, web development, copywriting, coding, and a lot of things.

: Man, shut the f*ck up! You just need to learn a skill, master it, and learn some sales and marketing skills, then sell your service and make money.

That’s it. This is what we call freelancing.

In this ultimate guide to freelancing in 2024, I’ll share everything about freelancing, what freelancing is, how to start freelancing, how to learn skills, how to get clients, how to get freelance jobs, and how much you should charge as a freelancer, and more.

This ultimate guide to freelancing is easy to understand for beginner freelancers, it’s full of actionable freelancing tips, and you can also download the “Freelancing for beginners’‘ PDF book at the end of this guide.

Whether you’re a beginner freelancer or a professional freelancer, this freelancing guide will definitely boost your freelancing career and add value to your life.

Let’s dive right in.

What is freelancing? – A brief introduction to freelancing

Freelancing is a full-time job that you do on your own time, without the support of a company.

In this case, you’re not paid by an employer but instead, receive money for your work from various clients and customers.

A freelancer can be anyone who works autonomously and independently – including entrepreneurs, consultants, independent artists, and writers, who want to make a living from their art.

Freelancing is a type of work in which an individual is hired by another person or company to perform a task that the employer would otherwise do itself.

While there are many different types of freelancers, they can be broadly categorized into two groups: contract and independent contractors.

Contract Freelancers are usually employed by firms that provide them with an hourly wage. They’re paid on a commission or project basis (the latter being more common). This means that you’re only paid when the project is completed.

Independent Contractors on the other hand are self-employed workers who rely on their own efforts to earn income for themselves through projects set up by clients/employers. 

Freelancing can be a good way to make money if your skills are in demand, as well as being flexible enough to work from home when needed.

The freedom of freelancing is great, but you must be careful about how much time you spend on each project. If you’re working for yourself, then it’s up to you to set your own hours and decide when the workday ends.

Freelancing can also be a great way to learn new skills.

If you’re just starting out, freelancing can be the perfect opportunity for you to learn how things work in the industry, as well as get your foot in the door.

If you’re already working for yourself but want more responsibility and autonomy, freelancing is also an excellent option because of its flexibility.

As a freelancer, you can make the most of your skills and experiences. You may already have a solid set of skills that allows you to live your dream job, but if not, freelancing can be a great way to build up those skills and finally get what you want out of life.

Benefits of freelancing

Freelancing is a good career choice.

Freelancing has some unique benefits over other career paths, including:

Flexible schedule. If you want to work from home and be your own boss, it’s possible to freelance. You can set your own hours, get paid for the time spent on each project, and set your own rates.Freelancing allows you to be your own boss. When you’re an entrepreneur who creates their own hours and does whatever they want with their life, there are no bosses breathing down your neck – or at least not for long!Freelancers are in high demand right now because there is a growing need for their kind of work. Also, there are many opportunities to work remotely or reduce your commute.You can make money while traveling, working from home, or getting out of town as often as you’d like—and do it all with flexible hours! You can become a digital nomad and travel the world while earning a living.Freelancers can start their own businesses without having employees or working from an office space. This means they’re able to work from wherever they choose!

There are other benefits of freelancing too. Some of these benefits include: 

You can work from anywhere in the world when you freelance.You can choose to work on projects that interest you the most. Freelancing can help you build a strong portfolio. Freelancing can be a great way to supplement your income. You can use freelancing to transition into a new career.Cons of freelancing

There are a few potential drawbacks to freelancing that should be considered before taking the plunge into self-employment.

Firstly, as a freelancer, you are responsible for finding your own work, which can be a challenge if you don’t have a strong network or aren’t good at marketing and self-promotion.

Secondly, you may have to sacrifice some stability and security, as freelance work can be unpredictable and you may not always have a steady stream of income.

Finally, you will likely have to manage your own taxes and finances, which can be daunting for those who are not used to handling such things.

In addition, you don’t receive health insurance or any other benefits.

Here is the summary of the cons of freelancing and a few more cons and issues of freelancing:

Irregular work hours.Inconsistent income.No paid vacation or sick days.Requires self-discipline and motivation.May require working long hours to meet deadlines.How to become a freelancer

There are many different ways to become a freelancer.

There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, as the best way to become a freelancer may vary depending on your individual skill set and experience.

However, some tips on how to become a freelancer may include building a strong online portfolio, networking with other freelancers, searching for online job boards, and bidding on online projects on freelance sites such as Fiverr, Upwork, Freelancer, Guru.com, 99designs, PeoplePerHour, etc.

Here are a few more things that will help you start your journey as a freelancer:

1. Figure out what services you can offer

The first step is to figure out what services you can offer that clients will be willing to pay for.

This will require some research on your part to figure out what skills and experience you have that others may need.

2. Create a portfolio

Once you know what services you can offer, you need to create a portfolio that you can show to potential clients.

This portfolio should showcase your skills and highlight some of your previous work.

3. Get your name out there

The next step is to start promoting yourself so that potential clients can find you.

There are a number of ways to do this, including creating a website or blog, using social media such as Facebook groups, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram, creating accounts on freelance marketplaces such as Fiverr, and Upwork, and attending networking events.

In case you have no idea how to build a website, I can help you get one built for you. Please don’t hesitate to contact me.

4. Set your rates

When you’re first starting out, it’s important to set your rates carefully. Make sure you know what the going rate is for your services and then price yourself accordingly.

This freelancing guide has more tips to help you get started as a freelancer. Check out the other sections especially “How to get started as a freelancer“, “How much should I charge as a freelancer?” and “How to find clients and freelance jobs“ sections of this ultimate guide to freelancing to learn more about freelancing.

This post contains affiliate links . I may receive a commission for purchases made through these links. This commission comes at no extra cost to you. Also, I don’t recommend anything that I don’t believe in.

Read more: Work smart, earn passively, and do what you love

How to learn and master a skill to start freelancing?

Learning and mastering a skill can be a difficult and time-consuming process, but it is necessary if you want to start freelancing.

There are many ways to learn and master a skill, but some methods may be more effective than others. The most important thing is to find a method that works for you and stick with it.

One way to learn and master a skill is to take online courses or classes. There are many websites that offer courses on a variety of topics, so you can find one that covers the skill you want to learn. 

Taking an online course can be a great way to learn at your own pace and in your own time.

Another way to learn and master a skill is to read books, blog posts, or articles on the topic. You can also watch YouTube videos.

I always learn new skills using this method and as long as you know how to educate yourself on your own, you can follow this method as well.

This can be a great way to learn the basics of skills and to get more information on advanced topics.

Reading can also be a great way to learn new techniques or to find out about new tools that can help you with your work.

Another great way to learn and master a skill is to practice. This can be done by finding someone who is already skilled in the area you want to learn and asking them to help you practice.

As soon as you understand the basics, you can start practicing on your own.

How to get started as a freelancer

Before you can start freelancing, there are some things that need to be done.

The first step is finding a niche for yourself. This will help set the tone of your work and give clients something to expect from you.

Establish a website with relevant information about who you are and what services you can offer.

For example:

You can check out my personal website – InuEtc.com, and my Work With Me page.

You should also include contact details on your website so people can get in touch with you if they have questions or want more information on whatever it is that interests them most!

If you wanna become a freelance writer, a blog is a must-have. You can use your blog as a writing portfolio to showcase your writing skills. Also, you can write on Medium and you can do guest blogging on other blogs in your niche.

I also accept guest posts on my blog. You can follow the guest post guidelines and submit your article.

Find clients who fit into this niche. If possible, use online tools like freelancers’ directories or social media sites like LinkedIn to find potential clients – this will save time when contacting them later because they’re already interested in working with someone in your line of work!

Take notes from other successful freelancers as well as mentors who’ve been through similar situations before – both will help guide you through those early days learning how everything works together properly.

How to find clients and freelance jobs

Talk to your network. If you are struggling to find work, consider reaching out to people in your network.

Ask them if they know of any opportunities or whether they’d be willing to help you with a referral.

If you’re not sure how to start, don’t worry – there’s plenty of information in this freelancing guide that will help you get started!

Also, you can contact me or you can ask other freelancers in your field for advice.

Here are some tips that will help you find clients and freelance jobs online.

1. Use freelancing sites to find freelance jobs.

You can use freelancing sites to find jobs. These sites allow you to search for relevant jobs and can help you connect with potential clients. There are a lot of freelancing sites available, but I recommend Fiverr and Upwork for finding freelance jobs.

The biggest advantage of using freelancing platforms like Fiverr, Upwork, or Freelancer is their large user base. Fiverr has 3.42 million active buyers.

These freelance marketplaces provide you with potential clients all the time. The only thing you have to do is to stay active and rank on these competitive freelance marketplaces. You will get regular clients once you establish yourself on these freelance sites.

Fiverr is a great place to make money as a freelancer. Based on my experience as a Fiverr freelancer, here are some tips to help you succeed on Fiverr: 

“Getting successful on Fiverr takes time, but you can do it if you’re skilled enough and if you optimize your profile properly. It takes just a little bit of SEO and engaging images to make a Fiverr Gig stand out. Create all 7 gigs, stay active and keep applying to buyer requests. (Update: the ‘buyer request’ feature is not available now.)” – Inu Etc

Read more: How to Create a Successful Fiverr Gig in 2024

Also, you should regularly send cold emails to potential clients and look for potential clients online.

2. Ask friends and family for referrals

Ask friends and family for referrals. If your friends have experience working as a freelancer, they may be willing to refer you when they’re looking for employees or contractors themselves.

They also might know of other companies who hire people like yourself.

You can also reach out to your network of contacts and see if they have any recommendations for you.

3. Use social media to find freelance jobs.

Go to social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn to post your work and keep tabs on what other people are doing in your field.

There is no better place to find freelance clients than Facebook groups. Clients always look for good freelancers on Facebook and LinkedIn, and Facebook has groups for every skill type.

So stay active on social media and try to engage with potential clients.

4. Ask existing clients for referrals

The simplest way to get new business is from your existing clients.

If you have a good relationship with your clients and you provide them with good service, they will be happy to refer you to their friends and business associates.

Make it easy for them by providing them with discount coupons or referral cards that they can hand out, and be sure to thank them when you get a new client from their referral.

5. Find a mentor

Find a mentor or coach who works in the industry that interests you most, then ask them how they got started doing what they do today – and why their business model works so well!

You may learn something valuable from this conversation that will help guide future decisions when it comes time to choose between different types of work options available today – and tomorrow too.

#. Bonus tips to find more clients and increase your chances of success as a freelancer

As a freelancer, you are responsible for finding your own work and executing it to the best of your ability. This can be a daunting task, especially if you’re just starting out, but there are a few things you can do to increase your chances of success.

First, make sure you have a strong online presence. Having a well-designed website and active social media accounts will help you attract potential clients.

Additionally, make sure your portfolio is up-to-date and includes your best work.

Next, reach out to your network of contacts and let them know you’re looking for freelance work.

Attend industry events and meetups, and introduce yourself to as many people as possible. The more people you know, the more likely you are to hear about potential opportunities.

Finally, don’t be afraid to market yourself. Let potential clients know what you’re good at and why they should hire you. Be confident in your abilities and be prepared to negotiate rates.

Remember, you’re in control of your own career, so make it happen!

How to Become a Successful Freelancer

If you want to become a successful freelancer, there are a few things that you need to do.

First and foremost, you need a strong portfolio.

This will show potential clients that your work is of high quality and helps them see what kind of projects they could hire you for.

Secondly, it’s important that when communicating with clients over email or phone calls (or even in person) they feel comfortable talking with someone who knows what they’re doing!

Thirdly: Managing time effectively is essential if success as a freelancer is going to happen on any level whatsoever!

You’ll have more control over your schedule with this type of arrangement than ever before because nobody else will tell you when exactly certain tasks should get done.

You are solely responsible for how much effort you put into each task in order to keep your focus and be on time within tight deadlines.

Fourthly: You need to have a strong work ethic so that people can trust you when they hire you.

This is especially important if you’re going to be working as a freelancer in fields such as accounting or law, where there are lots of rules and regulations that have to be followed very closely!

Keeping track of everything from expenses to receipts and making sure each client knows exactly what’s going on with their account at all times; is a necessary skill that will help you succeed in your career as a freelancer. 

Fifthly: It’s also very important to have good communication skills so that you can work well with other people who are often going to be your clients or customers.

You need to be able to be clear and concise when speaking with them over the phone or via email so as not to confuse anyone by mixing up details.

As a freelancer, you will have to learn how to manage your time and stay organized. This can be done by using tools like TopTracker, Trello, Slack, Todoist, etc.

These apps allow you to organize tasks, projects, and lists in an easy-to-understand format that helps keep everything organized so that it’s easy for you to get things done faster.

Read more: The Best Resources You Need to Make Your Online Entrepreneurial Journey Easier!

If there are certain things that need to be done more often than others (such as writing blog posts), it’s important that they are prioritized first so they get done first whenever possible!

This way there will always be something on the list at all times – even if it was just scribbled down on paper yesterday!

Should I freelance?

There is no one answer to this question, as it depends on your individual skills and goals.

However, if you are hoping to start your own business or become your own boss, freelancing may be a good option for you.

Additionally, if you have specific skills or talents that you want to share with others, freelancing may be a good way to do so.

I already wrote about the pros and cons of freelancing. In case you are confused now, you can read that section again.

Read more: How To Become a Digital Nomad and Travel The World

Set up a dedicated workspace in your home. Photo by Vlada Karpovich from Pexels

What should I do when I begin freelancing?

There are a few key things you should do when you start freelancing:

Set up a dedicated workspace in your home, so you can focus and be productive.Get organized and develop a system for tracking your projects, deadlines, and invoices.Join relevant online communities and forums, so you can network with other freelancers and learn from their experiences.Stay up to date on industry news and trends, so you can be a valuable resource for your clients.Invest in your professional development, so you can continue to grow your skills and expertise.

Create a portfolio website or social media accounts as well as freelance listings on sites like Fiverr, Upwork, Freelancer, Guru.com, 99designs, PeoplePerHour, etc.

The purpose of your portfolio is to show potential clients what kind of work you’ve done in the past. This way they know exactly what kind of projects you specialize in before meeting with them face-to-face!

Also, start building relationships with other freelancers who may have similar skill sets as yours. This will help open new doors when looking for new clients later down the line!

How much should I charge as a freelancer?

One of the most important things to do when charging for your services is to know what you’re worth.

If a client is willing to pay $1,000 for an hour’s work, then charge them $1,000 for an hour’s work.

If they’re not prepared to pay that much money but still want their project done quickly and efficiently, then don’t worry too much about it – just make sure that whatever amount of money you charge reflects how much experience and expertise goes into each project so that clients will be able to tell how much time and effort was put into it.

There’s also another reason why it can help us when we charge more than our competitors: It shows potential clients that we really care about our craft – that no matter how many other freelancers have tried before us or how many times someone else made similar mistakes in their projects before ours did (which sometimes happens), they won’t find any better quality elsewhere!

My advice to you is to start small, but don’t be afraid to aim high. You can always increase your rates later.

Executing the work

With your client, you’ll be working on a project for a set amount of time.

In order to make this happen, it’s important that you’re organized and keep track of time. You can use Google Calendar or another calendar tool like Trello or Asana to manage your projects so that they don’t get off track.

After your client and you have agreed on a price and timeline, it’s time to negotiate payment terms so that you can get started on the project without worrying about what will happen at the end.

It is possible to show your client that you are serious about the project by requesting a deposit, which will cover any upfront costs.

You can also request milestone payments, which can be tied to specific deadlines or deliverables.

In order to avoid confusion later on, get everything in writing once you have agreed on payment terms.

You can make a living freelancing

Freelancing is a viable career option.

You can make a living freelancing and be your own boss, which means you no longer need to rely on someone else or an employer.

Freelancers have flexibility and control over their work life, which allows them to take risks and develop new skills without worrying about losing their current job or finding another one if the business goes under.

Freelancers also earn higher salaries than other workers because there’s less overhead involved in running a freelance business compared to running a company full-time.

For example:

If you’re working 40 hours per week as an independent consultant for $50/hour, then this cost would include things like office space rent, phone bills, supplies like pens & paper, computer software licenses, etc.

Final Thoughts: Freelancing for Beginners – The Ultimate Guide to Freelancing in 2024

It was my goal to cover everything you need to know about freelancing in this complete guide to freelancing!

I hope that this guide has given you all the tools and information you need to start your own freelance business.

It’s important to remember that the first step is to figure out what services you can offer that clients will be willing to pay for.

All in all, freelancing can be a lucrative and fulfilling career. It’s an opportunity to do what you love without having to answer anyone else. You can choose how much time you want to spend working on projects and make sure they meet the needs of your clients by managing their expectations.

Now it’s your turn!

I’m impressed. You’ve just read the ultimate guide to freelancing!

I hope you get some actionable and useful tips on how to get started as a freelancer after reading this detailed guide on freelancing!

Now I’d like to hear from you:

Are you ready to start your freelancing journey?

Let me know in the comment section below right now.

You can also tell me about your skills and share any tips you have for other freelancers.

Also, share this post with your friends, aspiring freelancers, beginner freelancers, and young hustlers who want to learn more about freelancing, start freelancing and make money online.

If you loved what you read, would you be able to buy me a cup of coffee? It’s okay if you can’t right now.

If you have any questions or if you wanna work with me, feel free to contact me. I’m always available to help young hustlers like you!

Keep hustling.

Download Your Free “Freelancing for beginners’‘ PDF book here!

The post Freelancing for Beginners – The Ultimate Guide to Freelancing in 2024 appeared first on Inuidea.com.

7 Best WordPress Themes for Blogs (2024)

Today I’m going to talk about some of the best WordPress themes for blogs that can help you start a professionally designed money making blog in less time.

The best part is,

All these WordPress themes are easy to customize, responsive, professional, elegant, beginner-friendly, SEO optimized and really, they are eye-catching!

Let’s dive right in.

My 7 Favorite WordPress themes for blogging.

There are thousands of WordPress themes available for your blog on the market.

But, it’s not easy to find the best WordPress themes for your baby blog when you are a beginner.

So, I’ve done my research and found the 7 best WordPress themes for blogs in 2024.

This guide is enough to help you pick the best theme for your blog.

Related Post: The Ultimate Guide on How to Start a Money Making Blog

If you have no idea about building a website, I can help you build a professional blog or website for your online business. Know More

This post contains affiliate links (I don’t recommend anything that I don’t believe in), meaning at no extra cost to you, I might receive a small commission for purchases made through these links.
[image error] [image error]

1. Divi

Divi is one of the most user-friendly, easy to understand, and powerful WordPress themes by Elegant Themes.

If you are a complete beginner and tired of finding the best theme for your blog then I suggest you go with Divi.

Divi offers detailed documentation and they offer awesome customer service to solve all your problems.

If you are just starting, you can use 129+ premade professional layout packs offered by Elegant Themes. Just install one of the layout packs and design your blog from scratch.

Also, if you start learning by following their documentation, you will be able to design an extremely unique blog using the Divi theme.

Read more: 7 Best Shopify Themes for Your Store

2. Avada

For Inuidea, I’m using Avada and I’m in love with this premium WordPress theme because it’s easy to customize, beginners friendly, SEO optimized and it comes with many more features and premium plugins.

It’s the #1 selling theme available on Themeforest, with over 530,426+ sales.

ThemeFusion team is the author of Avada. They offer easy to understand documentation for almost every setting of Avada.

Also, they offer an awesome support service to their customers.

And I’m here to help you for free! Let’s chat!

Avada comes with 49 ready to import pre-built websites. Import one of these pre-built sites to design and launch your blog fast.

Avada is a responsive and multipurpose WordPress theme that supports drag and drop page building. You can create a unique blog and any type of website using Avada.

Read more: 9 Proven Ways to Monetize Your Blog – Make Money Blogging

3. Soledad

Soledad is one of the best personal blog themes. But it’s a multipurpose theme too. You can use Soledad to design any type of blog.

Soledad is easy to customize, powerful, and flexible WordPress theme for blogging.

This multipurpose blog theme comes with a 100+ installable demo, which helps you create a professional and unique blog from scratch.

Soledad professional customer support and detailed documentation are available to help design your blog.

If you are a female blogger looking for a minimal and feminine blog theme, I recommend you Soledad.

Because, I have seen many beauty bloggers, fashion bloggers, travel bloggers, and female bloggers are using the Soledad theme for their WordPress blog.

4. Salient

Salient is one of the most popular and highly rated premium WordPress themes available on Themeforest, with over 94,000 sales. It’s created by an elite author ThemeNectar.

Salient is a highly customizable, responsive, multipurpose theme that comes with a large number of installable demos and lots of premium features.

ThemeNecter offers easy to understand video documentation to guide you while you design your new blog.

Also, the professional support team is available to solve your problems.

Salient has lots of settings to completely customize the look of your site. So, you can create a professional and completely unique blog using Salient.

Read more: 11 “Must Have” Free WordPress Plugins Every Blog Needs.

5. Newspaper

Authors of the Newspaper theme aren’t good at naming an excellent multipurpose theme.

Because this WordPress theme isn’t built only for the news sites. Newspaper theme is an extremely versatile theme that lets you design any kind of blog and site.

It comes with a large number of pre-built pages, premium widgets, plugins and lots of amazing features.

TagDiv team is the author of the Newspaper theme. They offer easy to understand documentation and professional customer support to help you design any kind of blog.

6. CheerUp

CheerUp is another premium and versatile WordPress blogging theme.

CheerUp comes with 12 unique design and 1000+ layout variations. It lets you install pre-made demos with one click and a large number of layout variations help you design a completely unique blog.

In-depth documentation and dedicated support are available to understand every customization settings that helps you design an error-free professional blog in less time.

7. Astra

Astra is a fast, multipurpose, flexible, and easy-to-use WordPress theme developed by Brainstorm Force.

Astra is made for speed. The size of the Astra theme is less than 50 KB! It is the most lightweight and fast-loading WordPress theme available on the market.

It comes with hundreds of pre-built demo sites. You can reduce your website design time by importing a ready-to-use demo on your blog.

For my clients, I use Astra and Elementor. The combination of Astra and Elementor allows you to design a completely custom website.

Brainstorm Force gives you professional support and easy-to-understand documentation to help you design your blog.

The best part is,

You can get started with Astra for free!

Read more: 17 Amazing Free Websites to Download Copyright Free Stock Images

Final Thoughts: 7 Best WordPress Themes for Blogs

All these themes are a good solution for a beginner or a pro blogger.

Because, all of these themes are beginners friendly, SEO optimized, multipurpose, retina-ready, elegant, professional, and lets you design a complete site without knowing how to code.

They are compatible with AMP, WooCommerce, and all other major third-party plugins, tools, and services.

Also, all of these are fast loading WordPress themes that increase your site page speed.

But, if you ask me to choose the best WordPress theme among them, I would like to choose Divi, Avada, and Salient. Sorry, I can’t choose only one of them, because really they are awesome and suitable for all kinds of blogs.

Now It’s Your Turn!

Hey, you’ve read about the 7 best WordPress themes for blogs.

And now you know which WordPress theme is suitable for your new blog.

Are you going to use Divi?

Maybe you are going to install Avada!

Either way, leave a quick comment below.

Are you going to install a different theme?

Maybe you have a blog! What is your favorite WordPress theme?

Let me know in the comment section below.

Also, share this post with your friends and bloggers who are looking for the best WordPress theme for their blogs.

7 best #WordPress Themes for Blogs (2024) #Blogging #BloggingTips
Click To Tweet

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me. I’m always available to help young hustlers like you.

[image error]

[image error]

The post 7 Best WordPress Themes for Blogs (2024) appeared first on Inuidea.com.

The Impact of Autocratic and Democratic Leadership in the Workplace

In leadership, the approach taken by those at the helm can significantly shape the culture and effectiveness of a workplace. Two prominent styles, autocratic and democratic leadership, stand as distinct pillars influencing organizational dynamics. As we explore the impact of these leadership styles, we delve into the nuances that define each and their implications on the professional landscape. In this blog, we’ll delve into the significance of Leadership Certification and Types of Leadership Styles in the workplace.

Leadership Certification: First Step to Effective Leadership Styles

It is essential to acknowledge the significance of leadership certification before analyzing authoritarian and democratic leadership styles. A leadership certification gives its holders a distinct advantage in a competitive job market where strong leadership is essential to an organization’s success. Certified leaders not only know their way around a variety of leadership styles, but they also know how to tailor their methods to fit the specific requirements of their team or company.

The intricacies of today’s workplace might be overwhelming, but leaders with certification can easily find their way. It delves into the many dimensions of leadership and promotes a sophisticated understanding of how various styles might influence the dynamics of an organization. Leaders who have earned this credential will be better able to assess their situations and adopt a leadership style that will work best.

Autocratic Leadership: The Power Play

In an autocratic leadership style, the leader takes charge and makes all the important decisions alone, with little to no involvement from subordinates. This approach has consequences, even if it may be effective in certain contexts.

Swift judgments and unambiguous orders are hallmarks of the authoritarian world. Situations requiring a rapid reaction, such as emergencies or hierarchical organizations with a rigid line of command, are common examples of settings where this approach is prevalent. But when team members believe their opinions don’t matter or aren’t respected, it may majorly affect morale.

Finding a happy medium between micromanaging and giving employees agency is difficult for leaders who lean towards autocracy. A key function of leadership certification is to make leaders aware of the significance of encouraging teamwork, even in authoritarian settings.

Democratic Leadership: Fostering Collaboration and Innovation

In contrast, democratic leadership is defined by teamwork and openness to new ideas. Decisions are made as a group under this approach, with leaders encouraging team members to share their thoughts and opinions. Despite its time commitment, increased employee happiness, engagement, and creativity are common results of this method.

Democratic leaders value their team members’ diverse perspectives and expertise, and they use this to their advantage to achieve greater results. Industries that rely on the dissemination of information, those that deal with creativity, and those that place a premium on flexibility and new ideas benefit greatly from this management approach.

The value of democratic leadership in creating a supportive work environment is often stressed in leadership development programs. Leaders may drive organizational success by fostering an atmosphere where team members feel heard and valued and enabling them to make a difference. 

Balancing Act: The Hybrid Approach

Good leaders often wind up straddling a middle ground, combining elements of authoritarian and democratic leadership approaches. A leader who has earned their leadership certification has shown their capacity to adapt and persevere in adversity by recognizing when each leadership style is most effective. 

An effective leader knows when to take a hard line and get things done and when to let people work together democratically. Finding that sweet spot is an art form, and leaders may showcase their individuality via leadership certification.

Conclusion

Autocratic and democratic leadership styles continue to shape the dynamic nature of leadership and their effects on workplaces throughout the globe. The intricacies and subtleties of various leadership styles may be better navigated in the light of leadership certification. Leaders with a deep grasp of authoritarian and democratic leadership styles may guide their teams to greatness in today’s highly competitive business world. Certification in leadership symbolizes the integration of theoretical understanding, practical experience, and a dedication to lifelong learning that enables leaders to reach new levels of success and leaves a lasting impression on their respective fields.

The post The Impact of Autocratic and Democratic Leadership in the Workplace appeared first on Inuidea.com.

My Thrilling Experience of the Basic Mountaineering Course: Discovering Mountaineering and Myself

What motivated me to take the Basic Mountaineering Course?

There is a similarity between our lives and hills, mountains, and everything in nature because we are part of nature as well.

You should go on a trek at least once in your life if you want to understand life better.

The first time I went on a trek as a solo traveler, I was without electricity and network access for two days. For the first time, I learned hundreds of new things about life without Google and books.

I realized what my family meant to me. I learned the importance of nature, adjustment, fitness, discipline, routine, teamwork, collaboration, and the importance of the journey rather than the destination.

The journey, the process, is everything, there’s nothing after you achieve the goal, sure you feel the accomplishment, but then you crave that feeling again, and maybe that’s why I’ll never stop traveling, I will never stop living until my last breath.

During the trek, as I walked along the edge of the mountains and saw the downside, the adrenaline rush—ah, yes—it is still so alive and vibrant even now.

The moment I reached the peak, I realized that I had done something great, I had achieved something. I realized I had conquered my fear, learned new things, and discovered my new passion; trekking and mountaineering.

On 15 July 2023, I applied for the Basic Mountaineering Course at Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports, Manali. Until now, I have never been happier about spending my hard-earned money.

The condition of Himachal Pradesh, August 2023

31 August – Guwahati to New Delhi 

I took a flight from Guwahati Airport to New Delhi Airport. The condition of Himachal Pradesh was really bad after two months of floods and landslides, so my direct bus from Delhi to Manali was canceled and I had to book another bus to Mandi, Himachal Pradesh. 

1 September to 10 September – Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports, Manali.

I reached Mandi at 5 AM.

From Mandi I shared a taxi with a Russian Couple and a guy from Kerala and went to Bhuntar, from Bhuntar I took the bus to Kullu then another Bus to Manali, and then another taxi to the institute.

I reached the institute around 1 PM. After completing all the formalities, I got a bed at Beas Hostel room D4, and met some of my batchmates.

Inu Etc in Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports, Manali.

It was a really great campus and the lunch was good as well.

After lunch, I collected all the necessary clothing and equipment from the storeroom.

From the 2nd to the 10th of September, our day started at 5:30 AM with an extreme workout session involving running and exercises. Later in the morning, we had practical lessons on Rock Climbing in the rock climbing field, followed by a Mountaineering theory lecture in the afternoon. Our day concluded with an obstacle race and exercises to relax our muscles.

Inu Etc in the Rock Climbing Field, ABVIMAS.

We used to visit different local temples almost every day during our morning walks.

We learned all the important things about mountaineering in our daily theory lectures during the first 10 days that we were in the institute, and made ourselves prepared by increasing our stamina, and knowledge.

On September 6, we watched the Netflix documentary film ‘14 Peaks: Nothing is Impossible‘ in our institute auditorium. I think every aspiring mountaineer should watch this movie as it was so inspiring and entertaining at the same time. The movie is based on Nepali mountaineer Nirmal Purja’s (known as Nims or Nimsdai) ascent of all 14 of the world’s 8,000-meter peaks in a period of six months and six days.

On September 9, we learned about river crossing in the Beas River, near Mall Road in Manali.

Manali to Solang Valley – Inu Etc

11 September – Manali to Solang Valley

To reach Solang Valley, we walked 14 kilometers carrying a 25 kg (approximately) rucksack. Our institute’s skiing center was in Solang Valley, where we stayed and acclimatized before trekking to our base camp in the mountains.

Patalsu Trek — Himachal Pradesh, India. Photo by Inu Etc

12 September – Patalsu Trek

From Solang Valley, we went on a trek to ‘Patalsu Trek’ as a part of our acclimatization process. The trek was challenging even though we didn’t have rucksacks.

Batch 365, Patalsu Trek Group Photo,

We saw the beautiful Solang Valley and Patalsu during the trek. We learned about the flora and fauna found in the area, and we also learned about the mountains around Patalsu Peak.

Solang Valley to Bakarthach, ABVIMAS Base Camp. Photo by Inu Etc

13 September – Solang Valley to Bakarthach, ABVIMAS Base Camp

Once again, we began our journey in the morning with that 25 kg rucksack. Finally, we were going to learn ice and snow crafts and go on a height-gain trek as well.

After hiking for so long, we finally reached the base camp in the afternoon, and after lunch, we felt so relaxed.

In the evening, we learned about Bakarthach and about the mountains around it. The views from our base camp were spectacular, we were able to see a lot of beautiful peaks, such as the 7 Sister Peaks, Friendship Peak, and the Hanuman Tibba Peak. Our instructor told us about the peaks and their altitudes, as well as some discipline rules we must follow while we are in the mountains.

After dinner, we went to our tent. There were five of us in one tent, and all of them were my roommates in the institute as well. During the course, we had a lot of fun.

We used to trek for two hours to reach the practice field with our climbing gear in our rucksacks to practice ice and snow crafts for the next six days.

We were without electricity, internet, and network for 10 days. On those days, we didn’t take baths either. Well, how can you bathe in the ice-cold water of glaciers? Even washing our utensils was challenging; my palms and fingers became reddish immediately.

We were completely away from our friends, families, and work. Isolated from the rest of the world, we only focused on learning ice and snow crafts. It was like meditation therapy and a digital detox for me.

Inu Etc in the Ice Climbing Field, ABVIMAS, Bakarthach.

22 September – Height Gain.

With only dry fruits in our backpacks, we started our trek to Shiti Dhar Camp One, 15700 feet. Except for three, everyone in our batch completed the height gain. Though it was the most difficult trek for me, I still made it at my own pace.

Inu Etc in Shiti Dhar Camp One, 15700 feet

23 September – Bakarthach to Solang Valley

Our snow and ice craft and height gain went well, and we descended to Solang Valley.

The survival night was another important part of the course. An expedition in the mountains may require us to survive without food and shelter, so it was important to learn how to survive a night in the mountains.

In the evening, our instructors told us to bring our sleeping bags, torch lights, ropes, and warm clothes. We were divided into six teams, each of which received a tent outer, and our instructors told us to stay in the pine forest all night without having dinner

We were a group of 12 people, and I would like to highlight the diversity in our group.

I was the only person from Assam. One of the guys was Tarun, a National Cadet Corps member from Delhi, another was Amar, an aspiring mountaineer from Gujarat, and the third was Rahis, a trekking guide from Himachal Pradesh.

I remembered their names because they were my roommates.

Our group also included two individuals from Karnataka, two from Kerala, three from Chhattisgarh (gold medalists in national sports), and a senior member, Avinash Raipally, the Joint Director of the National Institute of Fashion Technology, Hyderabad.

We all went to the pine forest, we found the perfect spot to set up the tent and made it with our rope and tent outer.

The night went well for us in the forest, and we managed to survive until the morning. 

24 September – Solang Valley to Manali

We finally hiked to our institute in Manali after a successful survival night in Solang Valley. It was wonderful to sleep in bed after spending so many days inside sleeping bags in the mountains. We were finally able to bathe in warm water. LOL

25 September – Written Exam

During our written exam at the institute, all the questions were based on our theory classes and what we had learned so far. After the exam, everyone was free. It was the first time in our course that we had some free time. Some went to the market, while I sat on the badminton court and already started to miss the institute.

26 September – Ceremony Day

The day was memorable for us all, but it was even more special to me.

Well, a few days ago, Akhil sir asked me to make a short film about my Basic Mountaineering Course experience, using all the footage I took during the course, which will be shown on the big screen at the ceremony.

The tight schedule of the institute made it extremely difficult to select the best footage from three-hour-long videos. But within two days, I edited the film and showed it to Akhil sir, and he approved it right away.

Finally, on the day of the ceremony, almost 200 people watched my documentary film on the big screen of the auditorium hall. This was a dream come true moment for me, I had always dreamed of watching my work on the big screen. It was a joy to see people praising my work with a round of applause.

We then received badges from the institute director and the joint director. Then we enjoyed a cultural program where our batchmates from different cultures and states performed their dances.

After the ceremony, some of our instructors shared their feedback and praised my short film. They also asked if I could send them the movie so that they could watch it on their phones. I was overwhelmed by their response and grateful for it. 

That’s it, that was my experience and journey during the Basic Mountaineering Course at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports.

I was fortunate to experience hostel life again after 7 years and met awesome people from all over India and the best instructors at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports.

In the span of 26 days, I transformed into a mountaineer, embraced a soldier’s discipline, developed a profound love for nature, prioritized fitness, and honed my self-discipline.

As I really want to do the Advance Mountaineering Course, I’m eagerly waiting for my certificate.

It was a pleasure to be a part of batch 365 of the Basic Mountaineering Course at Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports, Manali, Himachal Pradesh, India.

Until September 29, I stayed at the Jungle by Sturmfrei Hostel in Manali. During my previous visit to Manali as a digital nomad, I stayed at the same hostel.

My bus journey from Manali to Delhi began on September 29, and I reached Delhi on September 30. I saw Shah Rukh Khan‘s Jawan Movie in Delhi and stayed in a hotel that night, as I had my flight to Guwahati the next day.

Thanks for reading this article.

If you loved what you read, would you be able to buy me a cup of coffee? It’s okay if you can’t right now.

If you have any questions or if you wanna work with me, feel free to contact me. I’m always available to help young hustlers like you @InuEtc on Instagram.

Keep traveling!

The post My Thrilling Experience of the Basic Mountaineering Course: Discovering Mountaineering and Myself appeared first on Inuidea.com.