Iredelllivingaug15

IREDELL LIVING • AUGUST 2015 1

ComplimentaryA

ugust 2015

Reputation, Trust and Accountability

IREDELL COUNTY

2 IREDELL LIVING • AUGUST 2015


August 2015

Iredell Living the Good Life


LIVNG

I from the publisher

Myron T. GoughPublisher, Iredell Living

Welcome to the August issue. This month marks the start of another school year in our area. Buses will roll, classes will start, and the sights and sounds of a fresh season are all around us as new friends will be made and old acquaintances renewed.

For most students, I'm sure it seems like summer vacation has passed too quickly. That trip to the beach or week visiting relatives out-of-state is a distant memory now. The relaxed routine that you may have become accustomed to over the last couple of months will change as you settle into a new routine of studying, learning, and making choices that will determine the next step in your life.

And for parents, this can be an anxious time as you watch your offspring grow and mature physically and mentally, transforming from children into young adults preparing for a bright future ahead. Good luck and best wishes to all students and parents for a safe, happy, healthy, and successful year filled with much learning and accomplishment!

Thank you for reading the August issue of Iredell Living Magazine!

Follow us on facebook–IredellLivingMagazinehttp://twitter.com/IredellLiving

W W W . I R E D E L L L I V I N G M A G A Z I N E . C O M

Mailing Address - 1670 E. Broad Street, Suite #195 Statesville, NC 28625 704-873-7307E-mail - [email protected]

CONTRIBUTING WRITERSKristie Darling • Kirk Ballard • David Bradley

Meredith Collins • Kathy Wheeler • Sandy Bates

COVER PHOTOGRAPHYElements Photography by Tabitha Goforth

COVER STORYIredell County Farm Bureau

Editorial stock photography, unless otherwise noted, is from ThinkStock.com

Iredell Living reserves the right to deny any advertisement or listing. Submissions are welcome, but unsolicited materials are not guaranteed to be returned. Iredell Living assumes no responsibility for information, products, services or statements made by advertisers or editorial contributors. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher is prohibited.

Myron T. GoughPublisher/[email protected](704) 873-7307

Kathy WheelerArt Director/[email protected](828) 238-3224

Bob [email protected](336) 686-7271

Linda B. [email protected](704) 657-0237

Heather [email protected](704) 962-8080

For information on receiving a cover story for your businessor to advertise, please contact

one of our sales representatives.

Iredell

Follow us on facebook–IredellLivingMagazinehttp://twitter.com/IredellLiving



LIVNG

I content

August 2015

23

18

8 •Back To School

12 • Iredell County Farm Bureau Reputation, Trust And Accountability

18 • Statesville Children’s Clinic And Statesville Family Dentistry

23 •What's Cooking?! Healthy Breakfast Smoothies

24 • Upgrade Your Phone Sooner With New Plans

26 • A Word From The Statesville Chamber Carolina BalloonFest 2015

28 • A Word From The Mooresville- South Iredell Chamber Freelancing–Start A Business Based On Your Own Skills

8family | food | local business



August ushers in the hustle and bustle of preparing children and young adults for back-to-school. It can be a difficult transition from the lazy days of summer break back to the early, regimented schedules of the school year. Some children are excited, while others dread the change. How can you make the transition easier for your children?

Turn those sleep schedules around. It isn’t practical to think they will be able to go to sleep several hours earlier the night before school starts if they have been used to going to bed late. Move their bedtime and wake-up time back incrementally each night to get them on their desired school schedule.

Enough sleep and a good breakfast Students need the proper sleep and nutrition to function at their best. Ac-cording to the National Sleep Founda-tion, preschoolers need 11 to 13 hours of sleep, children ages six to 13 need nine to 11 hours, and teens need at least nine hours each night. Get them into a

routine of no electronics about an hour before bedtime. They can use that time to lay out their clothes and prepare their book bags for the next day, take a shower, or read a book. In general, they need that time to wind down. Keep their bedroom cool, dark and quiet.

After fasting all night, it is proven that children who eat a protein rich breakfast with good whole grain carbohydrates mentally function better than those who skip breakfast or eat a breakfast high in sugar. Avoid sugary cereals for breakfast. However, eggs and whole grain toast, oatmeal with fruit and honey, toast with peanut butter, a fruit smoothie with oatmeal or peanut butter, yogurt with fruit and nuts, or even a grilled cheese provide protein and fiber to give their brains the boost they need.

Help your children get organized. You may be thinking, “Help me get or-ganized!” Creative people tend to work from piles, while structural people tend to work from well-organized files.

By Kathy Wheeler

Everyone has their own way of organiz-ing things and if you change it for them, instead of helping them develop their own skills, you may be disrupting their apple cart. For some people, being too organized makes them less productive. They need their projects in front of them always. For those people, you just have to help them get the finished projects out of the way so they can focus on the proj-ect at hand. Some skills are universally worth having. Anything that you spend too much time looking for needs its own specific location, or any decisions that take too much time to make–like what to wear every day–deserve some orga-nizational attention. For example, load book bags the night before and place by the door or organize clothes into outfits with all the accessories, so they can easily choose what to wear depending on the weather.

Take a break. When your students get home from school, let them take a break before they start on their homework– maybe a snack or playtime with friends, a little computer time, or a video game or TV show. For major homework as-signments, let them take a 10-minute break every hour to refresh. Create a place for them to study that is free from distractions.

Finally, even though school starts back in August, summer isn't over. Plan some fun things on the weekend to give them a breather from their studies. It will give you a much-needed break as well.

©Denphumi | iStock | Thinkstock





LIVNG

I cover story

By Kristie Darling

Most people equate Farm Bureau with the wide variety of quality insurance products

it provides to the residents of Iredell County. This is a big part of what Farm Bureau

does on a daily basis, but the organization is so much more.

“It’s amazing how this organization works,” Iredell County Farm Bureau President

Doug Holland said. “While the Iredell County Farm Bureau is primarily known for

our core products–auto and life insurance–most people don’t know that we’re part of

a statewide nonprofit organization, North Carolina Farm Bureau Federation, which

serves communities from the coast to the mountains in many important ways.”

Reputation, Trust and Accountability

IREDELL COUNTY

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Photos:On the cover–From left to right–Jeff Collins, Statesville

agency manager; Doug Holland, board president; Scott

Atwell, Mooresville agency manager; Richard Renegar, State

Board member (Photo by Tabitha Goforth)

Opposite page–Iredell County Farm Bureau board members

Above, top to bottom–Statesville Agency Manager Jeff

Collins helping one of his clients • Beverly Flinchum taking

a payment in the Statesville office • Customer Service

Representative Cassie Osborne in the Mooresville office

North Carolina Farm Bureau, in turn, is a member of the

American Farm Bureau Federation.

“It is through the work of our two local insurance agencies in

Statesville and Mooresville that we can support wide-ranging

programs and initiatives right here to help families, our farm-

ers, and our businesses,” Holland said.

The county board includes 20 farmer volunteer leaders who

oversee an impressive program of work that impacts our

county with Iredell’s considerable agricultural standing fore-

most on their agenda. In addition to Holland, Iredell County

Farm Bureau’s board of directors includes Vice-President

James Howard, Secretary/Treasurer Bobbie Williams, and

board members Daniel Allen, Leon Beaver, Charles Carter,

Scott Clontz, Gary Cornelius, James Dobson, Carroll Good-

man, Andrew Gray, Michael Howard, Tracy Jenkins, Dennis

Leamon, George McAuley, Michael Miller, Matthew Pence,

Richard Renegar, Jeffrey Sloan, and Sean Turner.

Jeff Collins is agency manager of Farm Bureau’s Statesville

office. “When Iredell County Farm Bureau was established

in 1955, many businesses and industries in North Carolina

were beginning to offer benefits to their employees, and

that’s why Iredell County Farm Bureau and North Carolina

Farm Bureau started developing member benefit programs,

including offering property and casualty insurance through

the North Carolina Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Com-

pany, which was incorporated in 1953,” Collins explained.

“While we have expanded our insurance products over the

past 25 years to cover much more than our original offerings,

the fee for membership in Iredell County Farm Bureau has

remained just $25 a year. Of course anyone, not just farmers,

is welcome to join and receive the benefits of Farm Bureau

membership.”

North Carolina Farm Bureau serves all 100 counties across

the state, providing insurance for farm and non-farm poli-

cyholders alike. With more than 500,000 member families,

North Carolina Farm Bureau has built a trusted reputation

of financial stability, corporate excellence, and community

stewardship, supporting its capacity to provide security and

service to its members.

MUCH MORE THAN INSURANCE

With $78 billion in annual cash receipts, the agriculture

and agribusiness industry is North Carolina’s largest. Iredell

County’s farmers consistently rank in the top 10 in cattle,

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© 2015 Tabitha Goforth

© 2015 Tabitha Goforth

© 2015 Addison Wemyss


dairy, hay, and layers. The local agricul-

ture and agribusiness industry brings

in more than $660 million to Iredell

County.

“On the national, statewide, and local

levels, the Farm Bureau is a strong

political advocate for farmers and rural

communities,” Holland said. “We are an

important, unified, and strong voice for

our members on issues such as property

taxes, environmental issues and regula-

tions, and water quality.”

In addition to agricultural advocacy,

Iredell County Farm Bureau’s programs

include local and statewide scholarships,

support of local FFA chapters, sponsor-

ing the local beekeepers association’s

training school, helping keep families

in farming, developing agritourism

destinations, and helping support young

farmers in the county through the Young

Farmers and Ranchers program. Iredell

County Farm Bureau has its hand in

many important community efforts, all

with the mission to improve our qual-

ity of life and serve the organization’s

membership–individuals, families and

businesses.

AUTO, HOME, LIFE, AND HEALTH

The local Farm Bureau insurance agen-

cies in Statesville and Mooresville are

part of North Carolina Farm Bureau

Mutual Insurance Company, the state’s

largest domestic property and casualty

insurance company. The local agents

who work here in Iredell are dedicated

to offering excellent insurance products

to help protect what is important to

their members. And, they are able to do

that with competitive rates, one-on-one,

face-to-face service, and “some of the

best adjusters around,” Holland said.

“We’re unlike some companies that do

online selling. Of course, you can get a

lot of information from our website, but

your agent is always available to answer

questions, make recommendations

and help review your insurance needs,

which can change over time.”

Ten professional agents serve Iredell

County Farm Bureau’s two locations.

“We believe clients deserve to talk with

a person instead of a recording and to

easily purchase products that fit their

needs,” Scott Atwell, manager of the

Mooresville office, shared. “Our offices

are staffed by top-quality customer

service representatives who provide

personal service–that’s what makes Farm

Bureau stand above the competition.”

Atwell gives credit for his office’s growth

and success over the last 25 years to his

great staff, all dedicated to serving their

members. “Helping you is what we do

best. We’ll come to your house, even

after work in the evenings, sit down

with you at the kitchen table, and find

out what’s important to you and your

family,” Atwell continued. “Together,

we can tailor a customized insurance

plan that might include home, auto, life,

and health insurance. One of our many

strengths is the relationship we create

with our policyholders.”

Farm Bureau insurance offers a full line

of exceptional products and services in

each of North Carolina’s 100 counties.

As an example, North Carolina Farm

Photos:Below–Customer Service Representa-tive Michelle Davis in Mooresville

Iredell County Farm Bureau board

members meeting

© 2015 Tabitha Goforth© 2015 Addison Wemyss


Photos:Pictured, left–The Mooresville team–

Pictured left to right–Seated: Melissa

Parrish, Joan Shamash, Christy Fletcher,

Vicki Klutz, Michelle Davis, Cassie

Osborne

Standing: Rebekah Sidden, Doug Teeter,

Agency Manager Scott Atwell, Eric

Wemyss, Jamie Watts, Richard Swartz

Below–The Statesville team–From left to right: Otley Veazey, Travis Elliott, David Sparks, Rye Fraley, Jason Lanning, Agency Manager Jeff Collins

Bureau Mutual Insurance Company is the largest BlueCross

BlueShield of North Carolina affiliate in the state. “Because

North Carolina is such a geographically diverse state, we have

to consider the health and hazard needs across the whole spec-

trum. We’ll never forget the impact Hurricane Hugo had in

North Carolina and in our community in 1989,” Atwell said.

“We have the products and services designed to fit the needs

of all North Carolina residents, from homeowners to health

insurance and everything in between.”

In addition, members are eligible to take advantage of financial

and estate planning services, as well as retirement investment

products. The value of Farm Bureau membership also results

in members saving on medical prescriptions, vision, dental

and hearing products and services, as well as LASIK surgery.

Farm Bureau members can benefit from the company’s com-

petitively priced auto insurance products. Members can also

benefit from special offers on new vehicles and ATVs through

the company’s partnerships. Farm Bureau Bank also offers low

rates for members on a wide variety of banking products. The

list of products and services is extensive, especially when you

remember that Farm Bureau membership is only $25 per year

for you and family members, including children through col-

lege age.

HELPING YOU IS WHAT WE DO BEST

Across our county, from Mooresville to Statesville, and in the

many diverse communities that make up this beautiful place

we call home, Iredell County Farm Bureau is there for its

members.

“When you trust your home and health to someone, you don’t

want to work with strangers,” Collins said. “You want someone

who has sound financial knowledge of insurance and finance–

people who have your best interests in mind. Our agents treat

their customers like family and strive every day to do what’s

right.”

Consider calling any of the Farm Bureau's fine agents to find

out how they can serve your family and continue to support

our farmers and communities.

STATESVILLE Office719 Turnersburg Hwy • (704) 876-2373

MOORESVILLE Office768 North Broad Street • (704) 664-1927© 2015 Tabitha Goforth

© 2015 Addison Wemyss




way to make a difference by influenc-ing the adoption of positive health habits at an early age. She completed medical school at Wake Forest University and practiced for three years in Texas before returning to North Carolina. Dr. Harknett also went to medical school at Wake Forest University. She joined the practice after completing her residency at Levine Children’s Hospital. “I decided to do pediatrics because I want to grow with my patients, and I enjoy seeing them over a long period of time as they grow and develop,” Dr. Harknett said.

Dr. Deyon McCalla provides dental care to people of all ages, children and adults, at Statesville Family Dentistry. Dr. Mc-Calla was recently joined by a second dentist, Dr. Susan Sheffield. “Our new facility is much better,” Dr. McCalla said. “We have upgraded equipment in a more child-friendly environment. Everything here is new and fresh. We are also in a more convenient location. With medical and dental under one roof, our patients have a healthcare home.”

Statesville Family Dentistry provides pro-cedures like cleanings, dental education, fillings, simple and surgical extractions,

Statesville Children’s Clinic and States-ville Family Dentistry (formerly Open Door Dentistry) recently moved to a larger, combined location at 518 Brook-dale Drive. The staff at both practices, operated by Gaston Family Health Ser-vices, are excited about the newer, more kid-friendly facility and the convenience of medical and dental care under the same roof. Both practices are accepting new patients and accept private insur-ance and Medicaid. They also discount fees for those without insurance based on ability to pay.

Dr. Katie Harknett and Dr. Anita Kpodo of Statesville Children’s Clinic provide pediatric care for children from birth to age 19. Services include newborn care

and in-patient care at Iredell Memorial Hospital, well visits, sick visits, chronic illness management, routine vaccines, and flu vaccines. The practice recently received Patient-Centered Medical Home Recognition (PCMH) for using evidence-based, patient-centered pro-cesses to provide high quality care and foster ongoing partnerships between providers, patients, and parents.

A big focus is on education and preven-tive services. “We really emphasize that children need to come to their well visits and stay current with vaccinations,” Dr. Harknett said. “We encourage families to live healthy lifestyles.”

Dr. Kpodo felt that pediatrics was a great

By Meredith Collins | Photos by Tabitha Goforth

Photos:Pictured–Deyon McCalla, DMD, of Statesville Family Dentistry with Katie Harknett, MD, and Anita Kpodo, MD, pediatricians at Statesville Children’s Clinic.Opposite page, left to right–• Statesville Family Dentistry provides

affordable care to those without insurance. Dr. Deyon McCalla is shown talking with a patient.

• Anita Kpodo, MD, reviews a patient’s electronic medical record

while in the patient exam room.• Dr. Harknett selects educational

material for a young patient to help explain the importance of immunizations and well visits.

Statesville Children’s Clinic and Statesville Family Dentistry


stainless steel crowns, partial dentures, emergency dental pain visits, and procedures under general anesthesia at the hospital.

“I enjoy seeing all our patients and find tremendous gratification in helping children who may come in with low self-esteem or pain due to dental problems but leave with a new smile,” Dr. McCalla said. “Many of our patients would not be able to afford dental care if we weren’t here.” Dr. McCalla’s practice extends to Iredell Memorial Hospital where she performs operative oral restoration for children.

Statesville Children’s Clinic - 704-872-9595www.StatesvilleChildrensClinic.com

Statesville Family Dentistry - 704-838-1108www.StatesvilleFamilyDentistry.info





Smoothies are a great way to start the morning nutritiously and perfect for busy parents and children. With a combination of fruits and vegetables you can have a nutrient-packed meal in minutes.

Chocolate Berry Smoothie

Makes three, 8-ounce servings

1 cup frozen strawberries1 cup frozen blueberries1 banana½ cup oatmeal1 hand full of spinach1 ounce of dark chocolate1 individual pack of Stevia

½ teaspoon of vanilla extract1½ cups of water, or milk

DirectionsPlace all ingredients into a blender or Nutribullet and blend until smooth. Pour into 8-ounce glasses and serve.

Frozen PopsMakes eight, 4-ounce pops

1½ cups milk12 ounces frozen fruit¼ cup honey

DirectionsBlend ingredients until smooth. Pour into pop molds and freeze overnight.

What's Cooking?!Healthy Breakfast Smoothies

©Baibaz | iStock | Thinkstock

©Merc67 | iStock | Thinkstock


About the author:

Sandy Bates is a Customer Sales and Service

Supervisor with Yadtel Telecom overseeing

wireless sales operations. For more

information call 336-463-5074 or visit

www.Yadtel.com.

For years, the standard model used by the nation’s largest wireless carriers has been the subsidized contract plan. For example, instead of charging the customer $649 up front for a new iPhone, these plans offer a more palatable $199. These large subsidies force providers to require a two-year contract to give them time to recover their investment. Both parties win by lowering the initial hit on the consumer while allowing the retailer to still make a profit.

Under the old subsidized plans the only option for those whodesire the latest and greatest was to wait or pay a hefty fee tobreak the contract. Fortunately, times are changing. The two-year, subsidized options remain, but now those have been joined by new equipment installment plans, which allow for faster upgrades.

T-Mobile and AT&T started the trend two years ago when they introduced their installment options. The other half of the big four, Verizon and Sprint, followed suit with their own plans. Customers now have options that never existed before.

The new monthly installment plans are attractive to many customers because there are no finance charges, activation or upgrade fees, and most importantly, no two-year contracts! There are also monthly discounts available on these new installment plans. They offer the customer the flexibility to purchase the phone in manageable installments or upgrade early with a trade-in. Though still relatively new, customers love the new plans.

AT&T’s CEO of mobile and business solutions, Ralph de la Vega, believes the two-year contract model with subsidies will eventually be a thing of the past. “They are slowly going

away,” he says. This is not because customers are being forced into the new plans; rather because they want to make the move. Most providers still allow customers to purchase, or at least keep their subsidized plans, but many (and a majority of AT&T’s customers) are opting for the installment option.

Although the plans vary slightly among providers, AT&T’s Next plans are good examples of the new agreements. Under their installment plans, the customer can upgrade every 12, 18, or 24 months with a trade-in of their current phone (pro-vided it is in good condition). Payments are divided into 20, 24, or 30 installments. There is also the option to make a 30% down payment on the Next 12 plan and pay for the phone in 28 installments.

The question now for wireless shoppers is to decide which plan is the best fit. Here is where the customer now has choices. Although there is no one-size-fits-all solution, each customer needs to talk with a representative and work through all the options.

Nevertheless, despite the fact that complexity in cell phone plans has not gone away, the introduction of new options while maintaining the old ones is still a very big win for wire-less customers.

Ra2studio | Bigstock.com

Upgrade YourPhone Sooner

With New PlansBy Sandy Bates

Let’s face it, cell phone plans can be complicated. And for some, a two-year commitment is not very friendly, especially to those always in need of the latest and greatest technology.



A W O R D F R O M

CarolinaBalloonFest

2015

David BradleyPresident and CEOGreater Statesville

Chamber of Commerce

Already? Are we already talking

about Carolina BalloonFest?

Really? In August? Isn’t Bal-

loonFest not until October 16-18? The

answer to all these questions is YES!

Thanks to the passion and hard work

of hundreds of folks over the last 42

years, Carolina BalloonFest will again

be the talk of everyone in North Caro-

lina when visitors from throughout

the Southeast converge on our grand

community this fall. In many respects,

and at the fear of placing a curse on

the much-anticipated festival, we may

have reached a tipping point. Obvi-

ously, the festival is weather dependent,

but if there is good weather, we can

expect a sell-out for tickets and entry

on at least one day. This has become

THE family event, a bucket list event

for many people. An economic impact

study conducted at last year’s Balloon-

Fest showcased some very interesting

points. Of the over 30,000 people who

attended:

• 85% traveled from outside Iredell

County

• 22% stayed overnight (14.5% in a

local lodging establishment)

• The direct impact to the Statesville

economy was over $700,000. That

does not include tickets for Balloon-

Fest, itself, or any on-site purchases.

Recognizing that every dollar spent

locally typically turns over five to

seven times, the total economic im-

pact is over $3 million.

• 52.6% of attendees were under 43

years old.

• 62% of attendees had annual house-

hold income of $60,000 or greater.

Perhaps one of the most illustrious

statistics is that Carolina BalloonFest

has contributed back to local nonprofit

organizations over $275,000 in just the

last five years.

Those statistics are pretty powerful

indicators that Carolina BalloonFest

has, once again, become a very power-

ful tourism engine for Iredell County.

It has also become an extraordinary

vehicle to showcase our generous

sponsors. The primary sponsors for

the event to date include Wells Fargo

(main stage), Doosan Infracore (power

and lights), Energy United Propane

(propane), Black Automotive Group

(balloon glow), Wine Maestro of

Statesville (wine and beer tasting),

AlarmSouth (kids zone), Yadkin Bank

(community appreciation day), and

Piedmont HealthCare (military appre-

ciation Sunday). You can find details on

additional sponsors on our website at

www.carolinaballoonfest.com.

There are still plenty of opportunities

for business involvement:

• Additional sponsorship levels–rang-

ing from $150 and up. You, too, can

partner with this successful attrac-

tion that positively shapes visitors’

perceptions of Statesville and Iredell

County.

• Volunteer–Carolina BalloonFest re-

quires over 350 volunteers through-

out the weekend, each one helping to

create this amazing weekend.

• Set up a booth in the Marketplace,

an extensive shopping area that is

designated for commercial booths.

At the time of this writing, those are

limited, so contact us now to reserve

your space.

For more information on how you can

engage in Carolina BalloonFest, please

visit www.carolinaballoonfest.com or

call Robb Collier, 704-818-3307.




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apta

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Kirk BallardPresident and CEO

Mooresville - South IredellChamber of Commerce

Freelancing–Start a Business Based on Your Own Skills

A WORD FROM

Freelance employment has been around for years and now includes the areas of writing,

editing, translation, indexing, software development, website design, advertis-ing, open innovations, information tech-nology, and business process outsourc-ing. Freelance writers are in demand as content is needed for websites. Writers may find it easier to start their own or shared news blogs, with many growing into highly trafficked and competitive news sites capable of hiring dedicated staff and other talent.

Freelancers do not list one singular reason for freelancing; the perceived benefits differ by gender, industry, and lifestyle. For instance, the 2015 Free-lance Industry Report stated that men and women freelance for different rea-sons. Female survey respondents, who account for two out of three freelancers, indicated that they prefer scheduling freedom and flexibility and the ability to work from home, while male survey respondents indicated they freelance to follow or pursue personal passions. The top source of employees freelancing are university students and retirees who have great skills to offer and are looking for additional part-time activity. Students look for opportunities to work while studying and can build up a body of work and earn money. It can be tough, but it is also flexible, rewarding, and a great way to get your work out there. Freelancing is also taken up by workers who have been laid-off and cannot find full-time employment. A recent compre-hensive survey of the U.S. independent workforce was just completed, and here are a few of its main statistics from the report:

• There are 53 million people do-ing freelance work in the United States–34% of the national workforce.

• People who freelance contribute an estimated $715 billion in earnings to our economy.

• Twice as many freelancers have seen an increase in demand in the past year as have seen a decrease–32% expe-rienced an increase versus 15% who have seen a decrease.

• 80% of non-freelancers say they would be willing to do work outside their primary job to make more money.

• Earning extra money (but not a finan-cial necessity) and schedule flexibility are the top drivers of freelancing.

• Finding work and, correspondingly, income stability are the top barriers to doing more freelancing work.

• 69% of freelancers said technology has made it easier to find work.

• 77% of freelancers say the best days are yet ahead for freelancing.

• 65% said freelancing as a career path is more respected today than it was three years ago.

• 36% of moonlighters who have a pri-mary job have thought about quitting to work completely independently.

Today there are websites that help match needs to skills. Freelancer.com is a matchmaking service, like ebay for jobs, where freelancers bid on listed jobs. This website has 4,000 jobs posted weekly and over 11 million people have con-nected using their site.

In addition to having a more flexible work schedule, freelancers tend to be happy. According to the Freelance Industry Report, 90% of freelancers are happier now than they were before go-ing solo, and nearly half felt no impact from the economic downturn. Perhaps most tellingly, 77% of freelancers were optimistic about their business prospects for the 12 months ahead.

Are you ready to go freelance? Are you ready to hire a freelance employee? Small business owners can pick up great talent, and freelancers can grow to become full-time employees. This is a winning opportunity for both.






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