Freelancer Accelerator

Are you looking to take a leap to being your own boss? Are you already self-employed and interested in building your practice? Are you struggling to sustain yourself as a self-employed person?

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Program Overview

In our Freelancer Accelerator, we guide you through a hands-on process of defining your service offering, developing client relationships and establishing the foundation to thrive as your own boss. This program is 6-weeks long and is well suited for individuals seeking self-employment in a personal or professional services industry, or as an artist or musician.

Enrollment Periods

Enrollment Period	Program Dates	Applications Due
February 2018	January 31 – March 7	Module Closed
April 2018	April 11 – May 16	Module Closed
July 2018	June 27 – August 8	Module Closed
September 2018	September 5 – October 10	Module Closed
November 2018	November 7 – December 19	October 26

Syllabus

Unit	Topics Covered
Introduction	Gain an entrepreneurial mindset Learn how to identify and leverage your strengths and core values in your development as a self-employed person Set goals for developing your self-employed practice
Business Model	Learn about different models for defining, delivering and capturing value as a self-employed person Learn how to use the Business Model You canvas to develop a business model for your self-employed practice Use the Business Model You canvas to develop your business model
Money Matters	Gain an understanding of the energy of money and your relationship with money Learn about budgeting, invoicing and managing income and expenses as a self-employed person Create your annual budget and set up systems for tracking your finances
Protect Yourself	Learn about legal structures, contracts, licenses and permits and insurance to reduce risk as a self-employed person Learn negotiation strategies for client and vendor contracts Undertake legal, regulatory and insurance activities needed to protect yourself as a self-employed person
Get Clients	Learn about different online and offline channels for marketing your services Learn how to tell your story to engage potential clients and differentiate yourself from other contractors Identify channels, craft your story and develop marketing and outreach materials to promote your services
Achieve Balance	Learn time and project management strategies to manage both short-term and long-term assignments Learn how to juggle contracted work with marketing, outreach and client development activities Develop a daily schedule and project management processes that work for you

Prerequisites

Must have at least 3 months of experience (either as an employee or through self-employment) providing the personal or professional service, art or music you seek to offer through your self-employed practice.

Program Format

Our Freelancer Accelerator combines the effectiveness of face-to-face learning with the convenience of distance learning. Our Freelancer Accelerator includes the following weekly activities:

Program Format	Weekly Activity	Weekly Commitment
Background Materials	Series of required background readings and videos on each unit to be completed prior to the weekly in-person workshop Describes concepts and their applications in developing a business All materials contained in our online learning environment	1-2 hours / week
Workshops	Weekly in-person workshops led by experts in each topic Lecture and discussion on background materials, group activities and reflection All workshops held at Impact HUB Oakland	3 hours / week
Business Development Activities	Weekly activities focused on your business development Apply concepts learned in background materials and workshops	2-10 hours / week
Peer Mentoring	Weekly phone meetings with peer group of 3 other individuals in your class Present weekly business development activity and receive constructive feedback from peers	1 hour / week
One-on-one Mentoring	Weekly one-on-one meetings with a mentor Discuss business wins and review weekly business development activity Work with mentor on connecting with resources to meet business needs	30 minutes / week

Costs

The cost of our Freelancer Accelerator consists of a one-time cash fee. We determine your cash fee using a sliding scale based on your current annual revenue as a self-employed person:

< $50,000  Annual Revenue	$50,000 – $100,000  Annual Revenue	> $100,000  Annual Revenue
$600 cash fee	$750 cash fee	$900 cash fee

We charge a $25 non-refundable deposit to reserve your space in the class. This deposit is credited against the first payment of your cash fee.

Because we believe cost should not be a barrier, we provide payment plan options upon request.

Cooperative Membership

By paying your cash fees, you become a cooperative member of the Freelancer Accelerator. As we achieve an annual profit, we share our profit by issuing an annual dividend to our cooperative members. Through this shared ownership, we foster a greater sense of community among our members.