Bernard Vukas

Customer Feedback: Microsoft Outlook add-in

Wed, 08 May 2013 02:15:49 +0800

“Pleasure to work with & very responsive to my needs.”

Client: Medical Imaging Resources, Inc., Ann Arbor, MI

Project Objective: implement role-based security policy to allow/prohibit attachments from certain locations.

Interview about Online Work in Croatian IT magazine "Mreza"

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 09:48:00 +0800

I recently got interviewed in Croatian IT magazine Mreza, in an issue about online work. The editorial feature covers Elance and oDesk.

You can zoom on the pages here:

Customer Review: Microsoft Office Add-ins (Windows & Mac)

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 09:37:00 +0800

“Straight A’s in every respect.”

Client: Erich Brandenberger, ITLA
Technology: Mac, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, VBA

Customer Feedback: In-house Microsoft Office Add-ins (Word, Outlook)

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 10:25:00 +0800

To view my profile page, or to hire me on oDesk, visit: https://www.odesk.com/users/~01d1873440ce054e2f

New Customer Feedback: Microsoft Excel Add-in “A delight to work...

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 01:32:00 +0800

New Customer Feedback: Microsoft Excel Add-in

“A delight to work with and an expert in his field, Bernard is professional, proactive, and highly competent. He also has excellent communication skills, which at that level is rare enough to be worth mentioning. The only downside is that he’s a bit expensive, but on Elance as in any aspect of our lives, we’ve all learned the hard way that you get what you pay for, and Bernard is definitely worth it.”

Client: Arnaud De Bruyn, PhD, ESSEC Business School, Department of Marketing
To view my profile or to hire me on Elance, visit http://bvukas.elance.com.

This is a preview of a new Outlook add-in I’m working on....

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 00:59:28 +0800

This is a preview of a new Outlook add-in I’m working on. Software used: Microsoft Visual Studio 2012, Add-in Express and Microsoft Outlook.

Customer Feedback: Microsoft Outlook 2013 Add-in”It was my...

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 16:22:00 +0800

Customer Feedback: Microsoft Outlook 2013 Add-in

”It was my great pleasure to work with Bernard. He is very skilled and professional Office Developer. Our company needed an Outlook 2013 add-in to streamline our CRM sales process and he delivered top quality product. We can recommend Bernand without hesitation and we are looking forward to work with him again.”

Client: Toni Frankola, Acceleratio, Ltd.
Technology: Outlook, Microsoft Visual Studio, Microsoft .NET Framework, Visual Studio Installer

Example of ribbon mock-up I’m working on. Shown here in...

Sun, 06 Jan 2013 18:15:00 +0800

Example of ribbon mock-up I’m working on. Shown here in Microsoft Office Excel 2013. Software used: Visual Studio 2012, Office Custom UI Editor, VBA, Add-in Express and Excel.

Profile Featured on oDesk BlogMy profile was recently published...

Fri, 14 Dec 2012 23:07:00 +0800

Profile Featured on oDesk Blog

My profile was recently published on the oDesk Blog, and I’m very excited to share the link to the piece:
https://www.odesk.com/blog/2012/12/location-independent-bernard-vukas-travel-work-experiment/

Customer Feedback: RibbonX in Word and Excel Add-ins

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 02:09:00 +0800

“We found Bernard to be professional throughout the duration of the project and he also possesses a strong technical skillset. We have seen lots of Office Suite developers over the years along with associated source code. Bernard is amongst the very best. We highly recommend him and plant to work with him again.”

Client: Todd Cook, Windows Software Engineer and Engineering Manager, Innovative Discovery
Technology: Word, Excel, VBA, RibbonX

To hire me on oDesk visit: https://www.odesk.com/users/~~5b7b944d9b23b62a

Customer Feedback: Word Add-in

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 10:23:00 +0800

“Excellent, very knowledgeable in Word 2007 and VBA. Extremely responsive. Went over and beyond to suggest additional enhancements. Will definitely work with him again.”

Client: Jackie Kiadii, Phoenix Computer Consultants, LLC
Location: Atlanta, GA
Technology: Word, VBA

To hire me on oDesk visit: https://www.odesk.com/users/~~5b7b944d9b23b62a

Insights from the oDesk Contractor Appreciation Day in Manila

Fri, 09 Nov 2012 23:27:00 +0800

oDesk staffers recently traveled to the Philippines, to host the second Contractor Appreciation Day in Manila. They met with some 1,000 enthusiastic visitors, and shared tips and best practices for contractors. Here are the ten most important insights, taken from the sessions with oDesk staffers Matt Cooper, Mollie Carter, Ally Basak Russell, and Mike Shwe from Google:

Be selective of the skills listed in your profile and tagline.
Don’t list every single skill that you’re familiar with, says Matt Cooper. If you’re a programmer, list only the skills related to programming. Listing everything else under the sky that you’ve ever encountered is a mistake many contractors make. He gave a case example of a person’s profile that says they’re a master PHP programmer, SEO expert, and graphics design guru. Although this may be true in some cases, most of the time such claims don’t live up to expectations.
First three sentences in profile description show up in search.
Mollie Carter tipped contractors on how they can use the first three sentences in their profile descriptions to their advantage. When writing profile descriptions, be mindful of how your profile appears in oDesk search.
Simplify project management with the 80/20 rule.
When choosing what to do each day, Mollie recommends contractors to narrow the work to most critical 20% tasks that have 80% impact.
Use the “Getting Things Done” system by David Allen.
Matt Cooper recommends one of my favorite books, the GTD system for project management. The book includes diagrams to manage your ‘stuff’ and assign them into proper ‘buckets,’ which helps you being more productive.
Tips on raising the rates.
Mollie explained a few scenarios that contractors encounter when trying to transition their clients to higher rates. She outlined the typical complaints that clients sometimes have against raising rates, and gave a few one-liners to use as reply.
One that she didn’t mention though, and one that is really easy to use: announce the rate increase in advance. Consider announcing the increase 4-6 months ahead of time, or once every year, no particular reason required.
All work and no play? No way!
Ally Bassak Russell danced in the “oDesk Oppa Style” video, and we were all happy to see Gary Swart thank all the contractors at the end.
Update your contractor profile periodically.
Contractors are encouraged to periodically review and update their profiles, including descriptions, skills, tests, and portfolio.
Upload a professional photo to gain client’s trust.
Mollie explained how a smiling face helps clients get a more positive first impression.
Include your full name, or full name and initial.
Mollie advises against using fake names, or names that are not your own.
When hiring, consider benefits of less-experienced contractors.
Mike Shwe from Google explained the benefits of hiring less experienced contractors, then growing their skills. “It’s cheaper than hiring expensive, more experienced contractors,” he said.

Overall, I had a great time meeting with the oDesk staffers and contractors, and getting a firsthand look at the Pinoy community of freelancers. In particular, members of the Pinoy Freelancer Ako Facebook group, and the contractors that were recognized at the event for their achievement.

I was extremely gratified to being awarded outside of my home country, and am looking forward to more similar events in the future!

Customer Feedback: Excel Add-in and Installer

Wed, 01 Aug 2012 10:25:00 +0800

“Bernard is very good VBA developer, he is very cooperative and easy to communicate with, I enjoyed working with him and will hire him again for additional project.”

Client: Ziv Markovich, Owner, Sy-Bright
Location: Israel
Technology: VBA, Excel, Visual Studio Installer

To hire me on oDesk visit: https://www.odesk.com/users/~~5b7b944d9b23b62a

Customer Feedback: Word and Outlook Add-ins

Fri, 01 Jun 2012 10:26:00 +0800

“Bernard Vukas is a very talented and knowledgeable programmer. There is nothing he hasn’t been to do. We are very impressed with his abilities. Thanks, Bernard!”

Client: Thomas Shrader, Marketing Director, Medical Imaging Resources, Inc.
Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Technology: VSTO, Outlook, Word, VBA, Visual Studio Installer

To hire me on oDesk visit: https://www.odesk.com/users/~~5b7b944d9b23b62a

"The $100 Startup" by Chris Guillebeau is here!

Tue, 08 May 2012 18:09:00 +0800

Roughly two years ago while I was working on oDesk from Thailand, I had an incredible opportunity to get introduced to @ChrisGuillebeau through Twitter. Chris is the author of the book “The Art of Non-Conformity,” whose I was a big fan of. This book and oDesk were two biggest factors that inspired me to start living the digital nomad lifestyle.

At that time when I was in Thailand, I was fortunate enough to contribute as a case study his new book “The $100 Startup.” I’m glad I made it to the print edition, and I’m very happy to announce that the book is officially out today. The book’s website is 100startup.com and it’s available in hardcover, Kindle and Audio-book editions.

Blending the best of Ferriss’s The 4-Hour Workweek with Fried and Hansson’s Rework, this book by a young visionary who is creating a social movement shows readers how to have it all—by creating a micro-business on the cheap that generates enough income to support a life of meaning and adventure.

Chapter 4:
”The Rise of the Roaming Entrepreneur”
(excerpt)

A description of Bernard Vukas’s work space is typical of roaming entrepreneurs: “I work from anywhere, anytime. Time zone and location are irrelevant. All my property fits in a single backpack, including the laptop,” he told me in an email from a beach in Koh Tao, Thailand, where he was living on an indefinite basis. Bernard is from Croatia, which has nice beaches on its own, but he wanted to see the world.

Bernard helps companies that use Microsoft Office applications to process large amounts of data, creating or modifying extensions that make the data easier to manage. Bernard started by pricing at a decent wage by Croatian standards but much lower than what North American companies were used to paying. That worked well in helping him establish a client base and a good reputation, but the best business decision came when he tripled his rates for new clients.

One day, Bernard made $720 on a big project. Reflecting on the amount’s significance, he wrote: “Many people on a minimum salary in Croatia are getting this amount in one month. People who get double that amount are considered well paid. To have it all come in on a single day is unheard of.” Bernard might return to his country of origin at some point, but it was hard to imagine him ever returning to another way of life.

Digital nomads and roaming entrepreneurs come in all packages, and it’s hard to get away from their infectious stories. As I interviewed business owners (of all kinds) and put the word out for more submissions, I kept hearing story after story that sounded like those of Brandon, Kyle and Bernard. I’d continue to cast the net for more traditional businesses, but kept thinking: This is a great business model. Why would you want to do anything else?

For more info about the book see 100startup.com and:

http://chrisguillebeau.com/3x5/the-100-startup-is-live/

My Annual Review: 2011I would like to thank oDesk C.E.O Gary...

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 21:14:00 +0800

My Annual Review: 2011

I would like to thank oDesk C.E.O Gary Swart for his endorsement on oDesk’s blog:

Full story is available in “Thanks For A Great Year, oDeskers!”

Last year was huge for me. I started the year 2011 in Bangkok in a wild way: I had just increased my oDesk hourly fees to $100/hr and left Croatia to see if it was possible to live the digital nomad lifestyle. I was influenced by two books: “The Art of Non-Conformity” by Chris Guillebeau, and “The Four Hour Workweek” by Tim Ferris. When I left Zagreb, I was already in my third year of being unemployed locally, and working full-time on oDesk. I am still not looking for work in Croatia, and I discourage anyone anytime from working locally. Freelancing is a vital component of being location independent and being able to travel, earning a good living and still having enough time to explore life and do what you love.

Greatest things that happened to me last year

I got to replace the cold Winter in Europe with Summer in Thailand, in duration of 6 months! Bangkok was unforgettable: the nightlife, great food, great CouchSurfing friends.
I got to travel to Bangladesh for the Freelancing Conference and eASiA ICT event, and I got to meet with a community of freelancers and I absolutely loved it!
I learned that I’ll be featured in an upcoming book by Chris Guillebeau as unconventional entrepreneur. The book is coming out in May on Random House.
Got to fly to Philippines and Bangladesh for free!

I am most proud of these accomplishments

Receiving recognition from the community of freelancers in Bangladesh for my work.
I was able to maintain my hourly rate on oDesk of $100/hr for one year, and keep customers happy.
I was able to keep up with my workout schedule consisting of Beachbody hybrids (P90X and Insanity).

Greatest lessons I learned last year

How to get awesome contracts and work remotely by using oDesk
How to get free airline tickets and travel anywhere
CouchSurfing!

Goals I want to achieve this year

Identify and hire key members for Officeworks, a start-up that I’m launching
Maximize sales on oDesk, and repeat my success on Elance
Automate my finances as advised by Ramit Sethi in “Building a Bullet-Proof Financial System”
Travel to Australia
Finish one round (90 days) of P90X2

Thanks to Chris Guillebeau for his motivation to write the annual review and thorough exposition in “How to Conduct an Annual Review.”

Thanks to Benny Hsu from “Get Busy Living” for providing the Annual Review worksheets.

Customer Feedback: Word Add-in

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 10:29:00 +0800

“Bernard was excellent, punctual, and clearly understood my needs. His followup was very thorough also, and I look forward to working with him again in the future.”

Client: Damon C. Bidencope, Bidencope & Associates
Location: Charlotte, CA
Technology: VBA, Excel

To hire me on oDesk visit: https://www.odesk.com/users/~~5b7b944d9b23b62a

My Visit to Bangladesh Outsourcing Conference & eASiA 2011

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 19:20:00 +0800

Bangladesh Association of Software & Information Services (BASIS) invited me to Bangladesh Outsourcing Conference 2011 and eASiA 2011 as a speaker, to present to an audience of students and freelancers. I wasn’t prepared for the excitement that I would see there, or for the sheer number of freelancers that are working through oDesk in Bangladesh. The organizers have thoroughly prepared this event, including the awards ceremony and gala dinner. This could easily stand shoulder to shoulder with other ICT conferences anywhere else in the world.

I met with best freelancer of the year 2010, Alamin Chowdhury, who is doing SEO for clients such as Toyota. Matt Cooper, VP of Marketplace Operations at oDesk, was the keynote speaker for our session. He was cool to talk to, and I asked him for his oppinion on accessing high-end contracts that are available in the marketplace.

(Picture: Yeafesh Osman, Honorable State Minister, Ministry of Science and Information and Communication Technology, Government of Bangladesh presenting the award, and Fahim Mashroor, Senior Vice President of BASIS in the background.)

It was a privilege to meet with Fahim Mashroor and other distinguished members of BASIS, and hanging out at their office. I also enjoyed speaking with Marjanaul Hassan at Business Innovation & Incubation Centre and Academy of Management & Science, visiting their headquarters and eating with their employees.

I’m very excited to have met many freelancers that work on oDesk, most of whom are now friends on Facebook. I am especially grateful to Alamin Chowdhury, who went extra steps to make me feel at home introducing me to the leaders in the community, and his friends and customs.

Thanks To

Fahim Mashroor, Senior Vice President of BASIS
Erica Benton, MarComm Manager of oDesk
Alamin Chowdhury, Best Freelancer 2010
Matt Cooper, VP of oDesk Marketplace Operations
Hassan Tanvir Mansur, my first Bangladeshi friend
Anir Chowdhury, Policy Advisor, Prime Minister’s Office, Bangladesh
Roya & Nicole, ticket agents of Etihad Airways, Frankfurt desk

Featured as Case Study: Unconventional Entrepreneurs (Upcoming Book)

Fri, 25 Nov 2011 00:42:00 +0800

I have contributed as a case study in an upcoming book by Chris Guillebeau, the author of “The Art of Non-Conformit y: Set Your Own Rules, Live the Life You Want, and Change the World.” I was shortlisted from a list of 1,500 submissions to be used as case study in the book and online resources. In this book, I share my story of freelancing with oDesk, and reveal some of the techniques that set me apart from other freelancers, that make my individual business a success.

Chris is also the author of “The Unconventional Guide to Freelancing” and “The Unconventional Guide to Working for Yourself.” The upcoming book’s title is “The $100 Startup: Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future” (Crown / Random House, May 8, 2012).

In the strange new world of micro-entrepreneurship, roaming, independent publishers operate from Buenos Aires and Bangkok. Indian bloggers make $200,000 a year. Product launches from one-man or one-woman businesses bring in $100,000 in a single day, causing nervous bank managers to shut down the accounts when they don’t understand what’s happening. Oddly enough, many of these unusual businesses thrive by giving things away, recruiting a legion of fans and followers who support their paid work whenever it is finally offered. How is this possible? And how is this model different from all other Internet businesses?

I'll be speaking at Freelancing Conference eASiA 2011 in Dhaka, Bangladesh!

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 21:55:00 +0800

For those of you in Dhaka on December 3rd, please come out to see eASiA 2011! I’m completely humbled by the incredible lineup: 200 speakers, 100 exhibitors, 30 seminars, 5 workshops, 20 awards!

Conference day #3 is themed “Freelancing Conference,” and I’ll be talking about how to make an awesome career as a freelancer. The benefits of having a professional career as a freelancer are tremendous. I’ll share my story about how I began working on oDesk in 2008., and how I use oDesk today, as a highly-paid career contractor.

Time: 11.30am - 1pm
Date: 3 December 2011
Venue: Bangabandhu International Conference Centre

This is the 6th annual ICT event, with previous conferences having been held in India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Thailand. I’m excited to answer your Q&A following the session, and see you there!