I just splurged on some new business cards. My friend Randa Clay designed them and I paid for quality printing. I didn’t use one of those free except for shipping places as I had in the past, because I wanted a unique design. When I first began freelancing I didn’t really think much of business cards. My work was mostly web based and I had a website and some blogs, so why did I need a business card? Once I began face to face networking, I realized the importance of sending folks home with my number and email address. Let [Read more…]

When it comes to making money, we’re only as good as our paying clients. Whether we’re providing content for websites or copy for a brochure, we rely on these projects to keep us from going into debt. What happens when the projects dry up or we’re between clients? How do we work when there is no work? By finding more work, of course! Troll the job boards: If your existing clients don’t have work for you, it’s time to find some new clients. Go back to your favorite job boards to find new people to work for, or one off [Read more…]

Are you a fast writer? Can you slam out a page in no time at all? Do you book tons of work and get it all done in a day so that you can lark away the rest of the week? Or maybe you book yourself solid and procrastinate until the day before it’s all due. Then you ride the high of deadline pressure and knock it out victoriously. Or, maybe you’re slow. Maybe you have to do a little every day and chip away at it. Maybe you struggle a bit on long projects or need to take breaks [Read more…]

Nothing in life is free, they say, but I beg to differ. Every day around the Internet, savvy people barter goods and services or grab a valuable report that only costs an email address. Free alive and thriving. Business is booming, folks. Free goods and services are great if you’re on the receiving end. Amass your treasures and collect a wealth of stuff – no charge! What’s it like to be on the other side, though? Creating free downloads, reports, products and blog posts takes time and energy. Free doesn’t give you any money and it often takes time away [Read more…]

Have you ever thought about ways you could expand your writing business? There are all sorts of little jobs you could do and services to offer clients that you probably didn’t think about.

I recently wrote a post challenging writers to ask themselves if they’re scared of spending money. If you read that post and the ensuing debate in the comment section, you’ll have noticed that Jennifer Mattern of AllFreelanceWriting was quite the champion and had strong opinions on the subject. While well written (though a touch assumptive of my personal views) and also off topic from my original post (which was to spend on self- and business improvement, such as advertising or courses), Jennifer’s post discusses some dangerous presumptions that could be damaging to writers enjoying a better life. I’d like to [Read more…]

Many blogs write about the benefits that go hand in hand with freelancing, such as enjoying a flexible schedule, total freedom, the ability to wear what you feel like to work and doing what you love every day. There are many other important advantages, though, and they’re often overlooked or simply forgotten. These freelancing advantages can help you increase your client base, enjoy greater success and build up a stunning resume if you decide to become a company employee. Let’s revisit some of the reasons why freelance writing is a fantastic, interesting and adventurous career to pursue, and some of [Read more…]

The world’s in trouble right now – you hear it on the news every day. High debt, low sales, and everyone’s scrambling to prevent the economical recession from getting worse. Then there’s you. Your job security may not be good or your partner was recently laid off. You have worries and fears. Maybe it’s not the best time to start freelancing, you think, but then again, you need the money. I’ll tell you something. You can start freelancing now. You’re going to have to work harder and be more careful about the risks you take. But you’re also going to [Read more…]

Whether you’re new to the world of freelance writing or you’re a seasoned expert in the field, there’s three things that you generally always want: better clients, high-paying clients and repeat clients. So how do you get them?

Writers generally aren’t the sort to implement much technology or cutting-edge applications in their life. Some do; most don’t. We get a nice computer, we make sure our word processor runs well, and that’s that. Our software budget for 2009? It probably has a big fat zero next to it. Other freelancers, like designers and coders, have an edge on writers. These software wizards aren’t afraid of technology, and they benefit all the time from applications they integrate into their business. They’re enjoying a better workflow, more profits and streamlined collaboration. What the heck are writers waiting for?

Scope creep. It’s the dreaded bane of every freelancer. If you’ve never had the scope of a project start to creep on you, though, you may not be aware of it happening because of its subtle foot-in-the-door manner of sneaking in. Worse, you may not realize how much scope creep can affect your life. Before you know it, you’ve spent more hours on a project than you should, there seems to be no end to the work in sight, and the client comes back with yet another request. It’s almost enough to make you want to cry.

How well do you schedule real life into your workflow? If you’re like me, you may not be the best at it. I start every day planning what I’m going to do, when I’m going to do it and how much time I’ll spend. Invariably, each day goes to hell in a handbasket about an hour after I get into my schedule.