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Branding yourself online
A personal brand takes time to develop and does not happen overnight. Develop your brand by creating a domain to display previous accomplishments and maybe even doing some free work to get your name and abilities out there. Once you have a consistent track record of delivering a specific service (e.g. website developer, programmer, social media marketer, blogger), it is much easier to promote yourself.
Many Druze professionals may already have previous projects that can be used to establish credibility. You can display previous works on a platform such as a personal website or UpWork and Behance for potential clients to view your capabilities. Once you begin to advertise and amplify your personal brand, the next step is to expand your outreach to as many prospects as possible. Social media is your best friend here, and the beauty of technology is that the barriers of geography are eliminated.
Leveraging digital platforms
Seek remote consulting or service jobs on digital freelance platforms like Fiverr, Upwork, and Behance. Creating your own platform can also act as a medium for attracting contracts. The best way to begin is to refer to the consultants that have been awarded over 10 projects and earned at least $10,000. Find out what technologies they’re using and get training on sites like Udemy.com or Udacity.com.
If you have products to sell online, platforms such as Shopify & Etsy are effective and easy to use. People have leveraged such platforms to sell t-shirts, bracelets, soaps, etc. One Druze person sold Druze star necklaces on Etsy! The key is to specialize in a niche service or industry to allow you to leverage knowledge as value.
Having several sources of revenue should be your long term goal. However, taking on too many projects at once can be detrimental to completing projects on time and ultimately negatively impacting a personal brand. It’s better to start slow and deliver high quality work to build your reputation as a competent service provider. With experience, you’ll better understand your workload capabilities.
Obtaining certifications
Use online courses and certifications to enhance your value by expanding on your specialties or creating new ones. Cisco now offers free online courses through their “Cisco Networking Academy” Platform. It is designed to develop and build IT Skills and careers. Learn new skills in the areas of networking, the Internet of Things, Programming, Security, OS & IT, & Packet Tracer to develop yourself as a cyber expert.
There are many online learning platforms offered by universities such as MIT and Harvard. You can pursue online accreditations in areas such as computer programming. However pursuing a professional certificate might be costly. Be sure to exercise due diligence in ensuring that you choose a trusted provider.
Capitalize on Tech Trends
Ultimately making money boils down to your ability to create value. One way is by innovating on a process or service to be more efficient, secure, or useful. Visualization is key in the process of developing new products or solutions.
Blockchain is a relatively new technology that is upending many industries such as banking and any market that requires a middleman to manage or record a transaction. Blockchain allows two parties to conduct a transaction and maintain record if it without an intermediary. Hanady Al-Ahmadieh, a Druze from Soufar in Lebanon, is a co-founder of a blockchain company named BlocRecs. The company automates degree verification using blockchain technology to increase efficiencies and eliminate fraud. Hanady and the BlocRecs team did an excellent job of finding an innovative use of blockchain technology.
Another new technology that will create major opportunity is 5G networks. Many people will find ways to use this faster speed — be one of them!
