Smiling blond man in a brown jacket gives a thumbs-up while holding a Virgin bottle among a crowd

Welcome and Introduction

by Rikke Friis Dam • 3 min read

234 Shares
Save

The lofty heights of freedom and success have little to do with having your head in the clouds, let alone drinking champagne up there. However, they are reachable for those who follow some pretty commonsensical guidelines, such as you’re proving by having got this far in the course.

Heartiest congratulations on reaching this penultimate step on the climb to your newfound freedom as a Freelancer or Entrepreneur! While we’re surveying these lofty heights, it might be appropriate to bring some of the planet’s most influential people into focus and examine the characteristics that helped them hit high altitudes. Of course, Sir Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Group, springs to mind, especially when one thinks of altitude. However, when we look into what went into their success, we can find that it was far more down to their ways of seeing the world and what was possible for them to do in it than being in “the right place at the right time”.

Did you ever wonder why most people fail to reach the goals they set? Why, for instance, do most New Year’s resolutions start with full gyms in January, but, by March or so, it’s so much easier to find a free treadmill? The secret is here.

One secret we should hint at now is reminding you that the joys of freedom as a business owner come with some duties. However, don’t cringe yet, because part of handling all the paperwork and tax-time headache stuff will involve showing you a highly effective way to manage such tasks, and to show your clients how to as well. This lesson, dear readers, involves developing awesomely powerful habits.

Let’s not lose sight of the word ‘effectiveness’. We’ll show you how to fuel-inject your business and, in doing so, yourself. That’s right—as you and your enterprise are one and the same, what grows your business grows you, too. Everything from turning setbacks into victories, to expanding yourself as a business, to considering whether or when you should try some types of jobs, all the way to the shades-of-grey world of ethics and the law—it’s all here. We’re sure you’re ready for it—so enjoy.

References

Hero Image: Author/Copyright holder: VirginMoney. Copyright terms and licence: CC BY-ND 2.0

Learn More in This Course:

Learn Design and AI From the Best

Get one powerful email each week, like 315,445 others.

Next email in:

What You Should Read Next

  • Read full article
    What are the Stages of Creativity? - Article hero image

    What are the Stages of Creativity?

    Let’s explore the various stages of creativity so you can get a firmer idea of its true nature as such a powerful human resource. Graham Wallas was the first to create an overview of a creative process back in 1926. As you can imagine, lots of iterations have emerged since then. Some of these theori

    Social shares
    1.1k
    Published
    Read Article
  • Read full article
    Plug, Play, Persona: Your Free Template and Step-by-Step Guide - Article hero image

    Plug, Play, Persona: Your Free Template and Step-by-Step Guide

    You've searched for the perfect persona template, downloaded dozens, yet none quite hit the mark. Here's the problem: Most templates fail you because they focus on demographics, fancy sliders, and irrelevant details. None of these things help drive decisions or create solutions that improve lives. B

    Social shares
    103
    Published
    Read Article
  • Read full article
    Keyboard Navigation and Data Entry - Article hero image

    Keyboard Navigation and Data Entry

    Forms are an essential part of many interactions, but good form layout and clear labels are only part of the picture. Forms also need to work in all the ways users interact with them. Not everyone uses a mouse. Many users rely on keyboards, whether by preference, motor impairments, or because they u

    Social shares
    145
    Published
    Read Article
  • Read full article
    Expert Evaluation: Identify Problems Before You Recruit Users - Article hero image

    Expert Evaluation: Identify Problems Before You Recruit Users

    Before you have a single real user in a testing session, you can already find a significant proportion of the usability problems in a design. Expert evaluation, also known as heuristic evaluation, is one of the most cost-effective methods available to UX practitioners. It requires no recruitment, fa

    Social shares
    145
    Published
    Read Article
  • Read full article
    Perceptual Issues in Dynamic Interfaces - Article hero image

    Perceptual Issues in Dynamic Interfaces

    In this video, William Hudson, User Experience Strategist and Founder of Syntagm Ltd, explores the psychological phenomena that affect how users perceive changes in dynamic web interfaces. While the focus is on web pages, these principles apply to any interactive technology, from desktop application

    Social shares
    179
    Published
    Read Article
  • Read full article
    Legal Aspects of Accessibility - Article hero image

    Legal Aspects of Accessibility

    Understanding the legal requirements for accessibility is essential for anyone building digital products and services. Accessibility legislation exists worldwide, and failure to comply can result in costly lawsuits and reputational damage. This lesson explores the legal landscape, compliance standar

    Social shares
    151
    Published
    Read Article
  • Read full article
    Be Afraid! The Silent Role of Fear in Decision Making - Article hero image

    Be Afraid! The Silent Role of Fear in Decision Making

    Fear plays such a dominant role in our lives that several businesses and products have succeeded on the back of this single emotion. Here’s a look at some of the fears that affect our decision making, how businesses and products exploit these tendencies to their advantage, and how, as a designer, yo

    Social shares
    723
    Published
    Read Article
  • Read full article
    Why Smart Professionals Use Personas to Get Ahead (And You Should Too) - Article hero image

    Why Smart Professionals Use Personas to Get Ahead (And You Should Too)

    Imagine your next product launch soaring beyond expectations. Your customers raving about experiences crafted just for them. Your ideas finally connecting with the people who matter most. This isn't wishful thinking—it's what happens when you master personas, user experience (UX) design's secret wea

    Social shares
    351
    Published
    Read Article
  • Read full article
    AI for Persona Research and Creation: Build Better Profiles in Less Time - Article hero image

    AI for Persona Research and Creation: Build Better Profiles in Less Time

    Personas help you get inside your users’ heads—and build things they’ll actually value. Now imagine having a tool that makes it all click faster. That’s AI. Let it handle the grind while you do what only a human can: feel, connect, and create solutions people truly love. Here are seven ways to make

    Social shares
    639
    Published
    Read Article
  • Read full article
    Healthcare UX: Design that Saves Lives - Article hero image

    Healthcare UX: Design that Saves Lives

    UX (user experience) design has the potential to improve people’s everyday lives. The stakes are even higher if you work as a UX designer in the healthcare industry. The health-tech sector is among the fastest-growing in the world, with expected revenue of USD 1,305.1 billion in 2030, according to G

    Social shares
    842
    Published
    Read Article

Top Articles

Top Topic Definitions

39% of Today's Skills Will Change by 2030

The World Economic Forum expects 39% of today's skills to be transformed or become outdated by 2030.

The good news is that jobs in UX / UI design and AI are among the fastest-growing professions globally.

Build Skills That Keep You Relevant

Privacy Settings

By using this site, you accept our Cookie Policy and Terms of Use.
Customize
Accept all

Be the One Who Inspires

People remember who shares great ideas.

Share on:

Academic Credibility — On Autopilot

Don't waste time googling citation formats. Just copy, paste and look legit in seconds.

Learn Design and AI From the Best

Get one powerful email each week, like 315,445 others.

Next email in: