Profileof a Freelancer - Midorie Villeneuve Chassé
<h3>Freelance Profile - Meet inspiring people who have chosen to earn a living by being self-employed. Through a very humanistic perspective, discover their story, unique lifestyle, and challenges. Today, we meet Midorie Villeneuve Chassé.</h3>
<p><img alt="Image blog Momenteo" class="aligncenter size-full" src="https://www.webself.net/file/app/7/blog/midorie-vc.png" /></p>
<h3><strong> 1- Tell us about yourself</strong></h3>
<p>My name is Midorie, I am a communication self-employed worker, and I live in Shawinigan in the Mauricie region. I offer a variety of services: writing, linguistic revision, web integration, photography, social media management, etc. I am a yoga teacher too. </p>
<h3><strong>2- Where does your immense passion for your profession and yoga come from?</strong></h3>
<p>After finding myself in an academic program I did not like, I came across a bachelor’s degree in communication marketing at Sherbrooke University. The courses were so diversified that I thought it would allow me to find a job! (I never really knew what I wanted to do!)</p>
<p>Then, I discovered yoga during my master’s degree. I was very stressed and I found a fantastic YouTube channel: Yoga with Adriene. I decided to become a yoga teacher two years later.</p>
<p>After a year and a half as a self-employed worker, I realized that I created my job. I am a “freelancer-yogi-communicator.” Strangely, I was not told it was a possibility during my orientation course in high school! </p>
<h3><strong> 3- How did you become self-employed?</strong></h3>
<p>In 2018, I left a job that was making me unhappy (too many extra hours, complex procedures, and unpredictable events). I then found myself looking for a new job in Shawinigan without finding anything interesting. </p>
<p>My boyfriend, who is an entrepreneur, made me understand (in an obvious way!) that I already had everything I needed to become my own boss and start my business. I did not know where to start so we made a game plan and I leaped. It has been 18 months now. </p>
<h3><strong>4- What is the most difficult part of self-employment?</strong></h3>
<p>I find hard to stand firm when I am asked to lower my prices or when I am being offered visibility or something else in exchange for my work. I do not believe that people want to harm me but we regularly need to explain that we deserve a salary when we are self-employed workers just as a waiter or a mechanic. I first hesitated to talk about that but I believe most freelancers in the world live this issue. We need to address this more.</p>
<h3><strong>5- Which part of being self-employed do you like the most?</strong></h3>
<p>My freedom, without any hesitation.</p>
<p>I love to be in charge of my schedule, taking a day off in the middle of the week, working a Sunday if I want to, do an unplanned trip, go to the grocery store a Monday morning. </p>
<p>But mostly, I find very precious to balance my obligations and plan a schedule that makes sense and does not make me run from a place to another. I do not want a life where I am continuously snowed under work. </p>
<h3><strong>6- Tell us about your work routine</strong></h3>
<p>I plan my weekly schedule on Sunday. I look in Trello and Google Calendar what my most urgent tasks are and what yoga courses I have in the upcoming days (I teach between 3 and 5 courses each week). </p>
<p>Then, I start my day by training at the cross-fit gym that is located close to my home. I always dedicate some time for physical activity in the morning. This allows me to evacuate stress before working on my clients’ files. In other terms, I take care of myself before taking care of my emails!</p>
<p>Apart from training, I do not have a very rigid routine. I answer emails when I receive them and I set aside my mornings for more serious tasks. My Fridays are often filled with tasks that need less thinking: invoice management, email and document sorting, office cleaning, etc. I also take the opportunity to prepare the upcoming yoga courses. I like to end my week with my favorite tasks. ;)</p>
<h3><strong>7- What are the online tools you could not live without</strong></h3>
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<p>For time planning and management: Google Calendar, Trello, and Toggl</p>
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<p>For photography: Lightroom, Photoshop, and WeTransfer</p>
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<p>For communications: Gmail (of course), Facebook, and Instagram</p>
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<p>For writing and linguistic revision: Antidote</p>
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<p>For regular work: The Google Suite (Google Drive, Google Sheets, Google Docs, Google Slides, etc.) </p>
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<p>For my finances: Momenteo (duh!)</p>
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<p>For teamwork (when it happens): Slack</p>
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<p>For yoga: Apple Music (for a good beat!)</p>
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<h3><strong> 8. How did you learn about Momenteo and how long have you been using it?</strong></h3>
<p>When I decided to become a self-employed worker, I looked for efficient and simple software to help me manage my invoices and my customers. I was added to an awesome group of freelancers and I asked for their favorite tools. They quickly recommended Momenteo.</p>
<p>I joined immediately and in only a few weeks I choose the Plus package since I already had a lot of clients. Yeah!</p>
<h3><strong>9- What makes Momenteo different from other accounting programs?</strong></h3>
<p>I did not like the other software because I could not add all the information in French. Since I offer linguistic revision services, I found problematic to send an invoice with some sections in English. I am a fan of local products and I choose Momenteo because it helps me with everything I need (taxes, incomes, expenses, travels, payment tracking, etc.).</p>
<h3><strong>10- How do you find your new customers?</strong></h3>
<p>I sincerely have very good customers! Many are good friends that trust me. I work with people that want to move forward and who cares about our region. I am happy to contribute in my own way to their respective missions.</p>
<h3><strong>11. What are your tips for someone who would like to get into freelance?</strong></h3>
<p>I have many!</p>
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<p>Go for it!</p>
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<p>Take the time to read books about self-employed workers.</p>
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<p>Closely monitor your finances and find a good accountant.</p>
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<p>Have fun, start new projects, and celebrate everything.</p>
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<h3><strong>12. Which projects are you most proud of?</strong></h3>
<p>It is a cliché but my whole new life is a real source of pride for me. It is incredible how much I have learned in the last year. I learned to be a manager, to do tax reports, make contracts, prepare service offerings, negotiate, promoting myself… I have come a long way!</p>
<h3><strong>13. Do you have any big plans for this fall/end of the year?</strong></h3>
<p>Many!</p>
<p>I work with Shawinigan’s Startup Weekend, an awesome event that takes place in Shawinigan for some years. It is in November and many participants are expected. It should be very stimulating.</p>
<p>I also have in mind to concretize a big yoga project but it is still a secret for now!</p>
<h3><strong>14. How Can We Contact You?</strong></h3>
<p>You can find all the contact info on my website: <a href="http://www.midorievilleneuve.com" target="_blank">www.midorievilleneuve.com</a>. </p>
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