“The ability to control my work and set my own goal motivates me.”

Hello everyone, I am “lidsoki” living in the capital district of New York state known as the hub of the Northeast. There are major cities nearby: Montreal, Boston, and New York City, which are all within 3 hours away by car. The state also has a technology corridor known as Tech Valley that offers rewarding job opportunities and new business startups equipped with research and educational facilities.

- What are some of the interesting places you have visited?

I grew up in an island culture close to beaches in Japan for the majority of life and moved to the U.S. almost 10 years ago. My adventurous husband and children love to travel and camp, which led us to go on cross-country road trips 4 times. At each stop, I truly enjoyed watching different landscapes such as the Grand Canyon, Mount Rushmore, and Yellowstone National Park that were incomparable to any place had had ever been to before. Now we are happily settled in the capital district area where we can be in the picturesque countryside but not too far away from dynamic city life.

- What is your long-term goal?

I am currently studying for a MBA degree and I hope to start a business someday! I gained translation and interpretation experience through my previous jobs. I believe skills such as leadership, problem solving/analytical skills, communication, and strategic thinking acquired in a business program are useful for entrepreneurship and for managing my own freelance projects.

- What do you like best about freelance work?

There are many benefits to being a freelancer. Time flexibility is one. The majority of my day is spent running errands for my family and doing research or studying. With limited spare time, having flexibility in my work schedule allows for family/work balance. Stress from working at a previous organization has decreased by taking on freelance jobs. Freelancing allows me to work around my social and family commitments.

The most rewarding part is having more control over my work methods. Since freelancing entails finding my own clients, marketing on my own, and negotiating a contract; I like to show strong initiative by meeting the client’s deadline. Being on top of everything is my main focus as a freelancer, otherwise I run into undesired consequences.

Another benefit of a freelancer is the freedom to choose my projects, and more than likely working with different clients. The unpredictability of the job makes me work harder and in effect, build a strong sense of business acumen.

- What has your experience been with Workshift?

The convenience of cloud-based technology has saved substantial time from real time updates and provided security for my working documents. The Workshift staff has been very professional. Communication with them is excellent. Fortunately, all inquiries and issues were swiftly addressed. I had a positive experience with someone from Workshift customer support. Even though it was late night/early morning in Japan, he took the time to explain thoroughly on email and was sincere with answers. I truly appreciate his professionalism (I am also sorry for keeping him awake late so many nights).

Workshift does a good job of verifying clients prior to job postings on the Workshift platform. This prescreening process alleviates my worries when searching for a new client whom I have not worked with before.

- Are there any features at Workshift that stand out with you?

Another aspect that I like is that Workshift will hold the freelancer's compensation in escrow until two conditions are met: 1) the job is completed, and 2) the client is satisfied with the final product. The escrow feature eliminates the possibility of non-payment and all parties will be in agreement with the final product. I have received payment from Workshift in the past and my experience has been good. Payment to my bank account was received as expected. Prior to the payment process, one sticking issue that arose was quickly resolved thanks to the attentive Workshift support staff.

Freelancing may not be for everyone but if you are a self-starter who likes Japanese culture and who has a vision of the future, freelancing with Workshift may fit your work style. I am looking forward to working on a project with like-minded people in the future.