Of course, the risks and difficulties become more pronounced when working with people from countries other than our own. All communication is done via email or instant messenger, though some might occasionally ask for Skype. There is no real legal recourse when things go wrong. All in all, you have to rely on clients’ integrity, and they face the same problem with having to count on yours.

But despite that, the risk usually pays off. Working with a client from another country – or even continent – can be a rewarding and positive experience that you won’t want to miss. To make things a little less choppy, try following these guidelines for working with international prospects.

Accept the Limitations of Freelancing

You have to go into things knowing that you have a certain set of limitations from the beginning. First, you have the issue of communication. While most clients will be good about emailing you back, and, of course, there is the instant-messaging option for one-on-one chats in real time, there will be a time zone difference. As a freelancer, it is your responsibility to work around that, which might mean a schedule change here and there, when necessary.

Second, you can’t rely on the law to help you when things fall through. Services like PayPal may offer you some protection, but the bias usually leans toward the buyer rather than the seller. That can be a problem, and you might get ripped off once or twice. There are ways around it, such as requiring a deposit up front and being clear about the terms of your project before starting.

Know the Requirements

You are the freelancer, so you should know what you need to have and why. The client will usually follow your procedure when it comes to things like payment, rate, schedule, communication and large orders. You have to have your own regulations in order before you can tell them, such as:

Payment Options – As I said before, PayPal is a popular option for freelancers. But there are others, like Xoom, Moneybookers, and, of course, wire or bank transfers. However, make sure you are careful about whom you accept payments from before you give them any checking account info.

Email and IM – You should have an email dedicated purely to business, which will make it easier to keep up with client or inquiry messages. Google, Hotmail, Yahoo, Lycos – those are all options. You can also use an account associated with your ISP, though keep in mind it is often easier to use the same email for your payment service to avoid confusion. As for instant messengers, having both Yahoo and MSN comes in handy, and Gchat if you have a Gmail account will be used a lot. Skype is also good for those who prefer a real chat before hiring.

Online Portfolio – Having a collection of links to samples to send is all right, but many clients prefer an actual portfolio to look at instead. A simple website or blog featuring your work or links to your work is a great idea and makes it easier to share at a moment’s notice. You never know when an opportunity for work might arise.

Have a Reasonable Going Rate

Have a price set and then stick with it. There will always be clients who will try to stiff you out of money, and they are not worth working with. Have an hourly or per-word/project rate and then quote them before starting the work. If they refuse that rate then direct them to another freelancer. If your work is high quality, they should be prepared to pay a good wage. However, be realistic and make sure you follow the market average.

Create a Communication Blueprint

Know how often you are going to update and communicate with your client and then stick with it. It is imperative that you keep a client up to date on what is happening on your end so he or she can remain a part of the process.

I try to write a few times a week with any comments and questions or to provide an estimated time of completion. It saves the client the stress of wondering if I am doing what I said I would.

Be Aware of the Time Zone

As we touched on before, it is important that you keep the time zone in mind, especially when your client is thousands of miles away.

If you are expecting a payment and it isn’t there when you wake up, keep in mind the client is in a different time zone. The same goes for any unanswered communication. You may also have to remind the client of this fact a few times.

Be Confident and Professional

Being a freelancer can be nerve wracking, because you are out there on your own without a safety net. But you should always appear calm, collected and professional as well as confident in your abilities.

You will occasionally have people who say your rates are too high or are unhappy with a piece of work. Keep in mind that you are running a business and don’t let it shake you.

Be Honest, No Matter What

To be trusted you have to earn it. So you have to dedicate yourself to being as open and clear as possible with everyone you work with. If you are struggling to maintain a deadline, tell them. If you have too much work and can’t take another project, tell them. If you received a double payment, tell them.

The only way to fight the mistrust by most working with international freelancers is by showing them they have nothing to worry about.

Remember That Cultural Differences Happen

Different countries have different customs, ideals and beliefs. You have to take this into account when working internationally, as it can be easy for misunderstandings to occur, especially when there is a language barrier. I once had a client make a comment I thought was highly sexist and offensive, but upon hashing it out I discovered it had been an unfortunate mistranslation. We have been working together for three years now. It is possible to work through it.

Know how to Protect Yourself

I, like all freelancers, have been ripped off a handful of times, and it is maddening. That is why I now require a 25 percent deposit that is only refundable if I find myself unable to fulfill the order, unless I have written enough to cover that amount already. If a client doesn’t pay me for work, I use it myself, sell it to someone else, or put it up so that it cannot be used without being flagged as stolen.

But I make sure that they are absolutely not paying before I do this, and if they put up work they haven’t paid for, I contact their website provider to have it taken down.

What About You?

What are your requirements for freelancing? Let us know in the comments.

Sonia Tracy is the content editor for PsPrint and editor of PsPrint Design Blog. PsPrint is an online commercial printing company specializing in brochure printing. You can follow PsPrint on Twitter @PsPrint.

The Heat.

There’s nothing like the heat of new blog post, new assignment or new magazine. The magazine represents an opportunity. The blog post or assignment represents a conquest. You’ve gotten in the door, now you want to hang a while so you make yourself useful. You caress every part of the piece lingering on the lede (foreplay), delving into and thoroughly exploring the depths of the piece’s body and bringing the whole thing to a fully satisfying conclusion. You send it off knowing you’ve done your best, you’re a bit cocky, but still attentive to the post comments or editor’s response.

The Saltines.

While writing has many of the upsides of sex, it also has many of the downsides – boredom, familiarity. Eddie Murphy had a bit during a stand-up performance about dating and sex. He basically said when you’re waiting for the right moment you’re like a person who is starving and when it finally happens it’s like giving a starving person a cracker. It’s the best cracker they’ve ever had, however after a while it’s really just the same old crackers.*

Have you been around the writing block a few times?  Are you simply going through the motions with an occasional comment response? You have discovered that wonderful opportunity is still the same old crackers – it’s still work. The danger of the rut is you could lose the relationship, so…

• Revisit the past. Pull out your clips and re-read your work.
• Ask for what you want. Go to your editor or your audience and ask them about their interests, what new areas are they interested in exploring.
• Bring in another love. Open relationships are helpful in writing, it keeps things fresh. Explore other interests and bring back a fresh outlook on your main love.
• Take a class. If you have a particular niche, learn more about it,  read an alternative point of view, try handcuffs…wait. Oops.
• Take a break. Sometimes even the most storied relationships falter. Moving out, getting some air and seeing what the world has to offer will go a long way in helping you decide if it’s time to move on or if what you have is worth reinvesting.

Writing is a passion. It can be red-hot and all consuming. Just be mindful – passions wane; everyday life, billing and other interests can sometimes get in the way. Refocus on the fire that kept you typing through all hours of the night.

How do you keep your passion for writing alive?

*The Eddie Murphy clip was a little too raw for me to post here so if you’d like to have the link shoot me an email at Terreece@TerreeceClarke.com. It’s funny stuff or Google it.

You’re not alone.  I know that because I get emails asking, “How in the hell can I get decent clients?” on a regular basis.  I know that because I see folks quizzing discussion board participants with variations of the same question.

I decided I’d take a stab at answering the question.  Here’s my seven-step recommendation for those who want to find their own clients in the not-always thrilling but sometimes cool world of writing web content for dough.  I suppose you should consider this more of an outline than a definitive, detailed guide.  On the other hand, this really isn’t rocket science.  If you can write and you really want to write web content, you can secure a good client base.

If you follow these seven steps, you’ll soon find yourself sleeping on a mattress stuffed with C-notes.  At the very least, you’ll have more than enough work to keep you busy.*

Step One:  Buy a domain name. That’s right, my first step requires you to spend a few dollars on a .COM domain to call your very own.  If you have some super-clever business name, feel free to use it.  If you can get your own name or some variation thereof, that’s not a bad idea, either.

If you’re not willing to spend less than ten bucks to secure a domain name, I think it’s safe to say that you’re either too risk-aversive for the whole entrepreneurial scene or that you’re so dead broke that you should probably be more concerned with finding a way to generate some immediate cash instead of focusing on building a career.

Plunk down the money.  Yeah, you can make Blogger.com blogs look pretty these days, but it just isn’t the same.  You need a credible home base.

Step Two:  Spring for hosting. Yep, another expense.  Don’t worry, you can find cheap hosts.  A few bucks a month.  Stop griping and pry open your wallet.  It’s time to put that domain to use.

Step Three:  Put something decent together. Now, get a website up and running.  It doesn’t need to be the most awesome website of all time.  It does need to be credible and readable.  It should be something that doesn’t embarrass you.

I personally recommend building on a WordPress backbone.  Don’t think of WordPress as a mere blogging platform.  It’s actually a relatively strong content management system and it makes building attractive, structurally sound websites incredibly easy.  There are 384,429,083 good-looking free themes available and about 238,488,992 of those are customizable if you’re interested in doing a little extra work.

Your site needs to have a few things.  It needs to have enough information about you to convince people that you might be worth trusting.  It needs to have readily accessible contact information.  A contact form (easily created with one of many simple WordPress plugins) is a good idea.  You can take it from there.

If you want to build a massive site complete with a regularly-update blog, go for the gusto.  If you want to create a front page, an about page and a contact page and call it a day, that’s okay, too.  The critical thing is building a credible outpost for yourself.

Step Four:  Be easy to find. I’m not talking about dominating the search engines for “freelance writer” queries.  I’m not talking about paying for pay-per-click advertising, either.  Those are potentially smart moves, but they warrant several other long discussions.

I’m talking about getting yourself in front of people and spreading your good name around the ‘Net enough that when people try to find out more about you they can get some idea of who in the heck you are.

There are a billion ways to do that.  They include:

• Guest posting on other blogs
• Commenting on other blogs
• Utilizing Twitter
• Joining the ever-growing ranks of LinkedIn users
• Writing and submitting articles to directories for distribution/syndication
• Creating and publishing press releases
• Blah, blah, blah

At this point, you need to worry a little more about giving your name and presence some breadth.  You can concentrate more on depth as you refine your approach.

Oh, and don’t forget that you should be utilizing these opportunities in a way that allows you to share as much contact information as you can.  Your URL.  Your email address.  Your phone number.  Your address.  Your photo.  Your _______.

Did I say phone number?  Damn straight.  Many newer writers seem reluctant to hand out their numbers.  I can understand that.  However, I can also tell you that seeing a phone number tells people that there’s a real human being on the other end of things and they like that.  It’s a credibility builder, as well as a contact outlet.  It makes people feel better when they know they can pick up the phone and talk to you.  If you don’t want to give out your real number, use Google Voice to snag a free one and have it forward to your cell.  Or invest $30 a month in a cheap Cricket cell phone.  Get a cheap VOIP line.  Whatever.  Just get a number, okay?

Step Five:  Perfect your pitch. This article isn’t about how to run your business in general terms.  It’s about landing regular web content clients.  Eventually, you should be in a position to have clients find you.  When you start, you’ll be finding them.  That means scouring leads like the ones here at Freelance Writing Jobs and elsewhere and following upon the ones that look like a fit.

When you contact those people, you need to have a nice little pitch ready to go.

I’ve hired writers on several occasions.  Most of the come-ons fall into two categories:  Crappy ones and really crappy ones.  Very few are good.  The good ones exude confidence.  They’re short and to the point.  They’re specific to the ad to which the writer is responding.  They prove the writer knows his or her way around the keyboard without forcing the hiring party to wade through too much material.  They include handy links back to the writer’s website (see how it’s all coming together?) that provide necessary biographical information and or sample materials.

When you build your little ad response pitches, keep one thing in mind.  Most of the folks who are hiring content writers aren’t the Executive Vice Presidents of Fortune 500 companies.  They’re not shining the buttons on their Brooks Brothers suits from behind glossy black desks in high-floor corner offices overlooking the city.  They’re more likely to be geeky people in T-shirts who value good ideas, talent and quick thinking over formality and standard-issue resume filler.

Make use of your website in these pitches.  Put the link in the email.  Put it under your name at the bottom of the email (along with your phone number).

Step Six:  Pitch, Pitch, Pitch, Pitch and Pitch. A significant percentage of those you approach will never answer you.  Some will answer you, revealing that they really want someone to do a helluva load of work for very little coin.  Some will be cool with you but will opt to go with someone else.  In other words, you won’t be thick with private clients if you’re answering one call for writers per week. Go for the gusto.  Answer every ad that looks potentially appealing.  If you end up not liking what the advertiser is cooking, you can also politely decline.

Step Seven:  Kick rump. Do a good job.  Meet specifications and exceed expectations.  If you do good work, they’ll come back for more.  And they’ll tell their friends.  They’ll vouch for you when someone else needs a reference before hiring you.  Before you know it, you’ll have business coming to you and you won’t be spending as much time digging through the ads for writers.

There you have it.  You, too, can stay busy writing web content for individual clients.

*The success of this process is wholly dependent upon your ability to actually do the job.  If you’re a miserable writer, you’re doomed.  If you can’t bring yourself to sell your skills, you’re doomed.  If you don’t have the ability or knowledge base necessary to implement these steps, you need to figure things out and/or find someone who knows what they’re doing to help you.  Otherwise, you’re doomed.  The good news is that it’s all relatively easy.  At least it’s easier than many initially intimidated people think it will be.

I spent a few minutes with him discussing how freelance writers can build their own personal brands in order to build their businesses.  Dan’s insightful answers to my questions are included below.  Be sure to read the Building Your Freelance Writing Brand series here on Freelance Writing Jobs for more information about how you can start developing your own brand to boost your writing business.

Susan Gunelius: How can freelance writers benefit from personal branding?  What can they learn in your book that can help them get started?

Dan Schawbel: Over 30% of the US population is freelancers, and in my opinion, everyone should have a freelancer’s mentality. You should always be looking for work and new opportunities, even if you have a full-time job.

Being a freelancer makes it easy and critical to build a personal brand. Freelancers can benefit from personal branding because they need to differentiate themselves, be found online through searches, and build portfolios to display their work. A freelance web designer will be judged based off of the website they create for themselves, and writers will be judged based on online clips from published sources. Me 2.0 helps freelancers discover, create, communicate, and maintain their brand over the course of their lives. It’s imperative to take advantage of your brand now, so that you can attract the right opportunities.

Susan Gunelius: What is your response to someone who says they don’t need a website or an online presence for their freelance writing business?

Dan Schawbel: I would probably look at them like they were crazy, to be honest. It’s hard to imagine a freelancer that doesn’t have a web presence. For freelancers, I recommend that you have your own website (yourfullname.com), as well as your full name as a vanity URL on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. It’s also important to have your full name as an email address (first.last@gmail.com is what I recommend). If you don’t have an online presence, you won’t be found which is a major competitive disadvantage. I haven’t made one sales pitch in three years. I get new clients and opportunities based on being found, and it works.

Susan Gunelius: You’ve achieved a lot of success at a young age and even have an internationally best selling book to your credit.  Could you share some of the story of how you got to this point and specifically share the story of how you got your first book published?

Dan Schawbel: I wrote the entire story on my blog in length, but will summarize it for you! I had eight internships, seven leadership positions, and a consulting company during college. I got each internship by showcasing my “personal branding toolkit,” which was composed of my business card, a website, resume, cover letter, references document, and a CD portfolio of my work. This impressed employers and I considered it to be “marketing myself” back then before I knew the term “personal branding.” Despite all of this hard work, I was afraid to network, so it took me eight months, meeting fifteen people, and getting rejected twice, to get a job at EMC corporation.

I started the Personal Branding Blog on March 14th 2007, and then created a video series, wrote articles for magazines, started the Personal Brand Awards, and launching Personal Branding Magazine on August 1st with an interview between Donald Trump and Guy Kawasaki. Fast Company wrote about my six month journey, and my life changed at rapid speed. I was asked to speak at Google and was recruited internally by a VP to lead the social media efforts in communications at EMC. I had the idea to write Me 2.0, once I flipped the recruitment process over, and was given a job based on my personal brand outside of work. I went through seventy agents, and three publishers, before I received my publishing deal with Kaplan in January of 2008. I started my company in January of this year.

Susan Gunelius: For a freelance writer who does not yet have a website, blog or other branded online destinations, what are the first steps they should take to begin developing their personal brand?

Dan Schawbel: The easiest part is crafting your online presence, and the hardest part is to figure out what you’re passionate about, what your current writing skills are and what you need to improve, as well as your short and long-term goals. Ask yourself “where do I want to go with my career, and in twenty years, what do I want to do”? Then, craft your personal brand and your long-term positioning. It’s not about the job you’re doing now, but where it all leads you in the end. That’s what counts! What’s your mission, your values, and what lasting impact do you want to have on the world?

Susan Gunelius: Many freelance writers are confused about how to brand themselves online — their personal name, a business name, a pseudonym?  What do you recommend from a brand-building/business-building standpoint?

Dan Schawbel: If you’re a freelancer, than you are your business, so you have to brand yourself, and not some random corporate name. You don’t have a team, which means if people hire you, they get YOU. I recommend that you use your name everywhere, and connect it to your expertise.

Susan Gunelius: What are your thoughts on writing for websites for free as a marketing effort to build your brand?  I’m a strong proponent of it but many freelance writers can’t make the shift in thinking from requiring payment for their writing to using it as a marketing/advertising/publicity tool.  Where do you stand on that debate?

Dan Schawbel: That is an extremely good question Susan. As an expert in my field, I look at freelancing as a loss leader and something that is used to just promote my book and other assets. I never set out to make a living off of writing for magazines or sources. For writers who depend on money to survive, you should charge based on your experience, talents, and supply/demand for what you cover. If you need to write a few articles for free to get a brand on your resume, it could be a good idea for you. The only problem is that you’re writing won’t be looked highly upon and it might hurt your chances of getting paid by that brand later.

Susan Gunelius: What’s next for Dan Schawbel?

Dan Schawbel: I’m working on a new book concept right now that I can’t reveal of course. I’m launching the 14th issue of Personal Branding Magazine on November 1st, which I’m very excited about. I’m also speaking at Harvard Business School this month, and receiving an award by the Massachusetts Governor. You won’t see me expand my platform by creating more websites and blogs anytime soon. My goal for the short-term is to build upon what I already have, and create a monetization funnel that can support me and my employees. I see live events as being a huge part of that, especially since that’s where TechCrunch and Mashable make all their money.

Susan Gunelius: Where can Freelance Writing Jobs readers go to learn more about you and your book?

Dan Schawbel: Personalbrandingbook.com and on Amazon.

About Dan Schawbel

I don’t live in the United States.  Can I apply for U.S.-based freelance writing jobs?

Since it’s such a common question, I want to provide an answer publicly.  Here goes…

Can you apply?  Yes.  The hiring manager will determine whether or not they’re willing to work with a writer outside of the United States.  You’ll never know if they’re willing to do so if you don’t apply.

When it comes to freelance writing, you’re not an employee.  You’ll either be paid as a contractor or a vendor and that means you’ll receive that payment as miscellaneous personal income or as earnings for your business.  Tax rules vary from one country to another, so what really matters is how the client is willing to pay you and how they want to report those payments to the Internal Revenue Service.

These days, many clients are happy to pay via PayPal, which offers an automatic currency conversion (which may or may not require you to pay fees depending on how both your account and your client’s accounts are set up).  That means they can simply send money to you via PayPal as they would any other vendor and PayPal takes care of the rest.  Banking-related issues that used to make it more difficult for clients to pay vendors outside of the United States are not as prevalent anymore thanks to tools like PayPal.

Keep in mind, I’m not an accountant, and this answer is based on my own experiences writing for clients outside of the United States and witnessing clients who pay multiple writers in various countries around the world without any problems.  However, the bottom-line answer to this common question is still yes.  There is no reason why you can’t apply for freelance writing jobs if you’re not from the United States unless the job description specifically restricts applicants to U.S. citizens.

A final suggestion: it is worth your time and effort however to consult with someone in your country who understands business, income, and tax-related issues so you set your freelance writing business up in the best way from the start.

Image: stock.xchng

There have been many would-be-bloggers who’ve thrown up a website with a handful of pages filled with pillar content and leave it at that. Then they move on to the next blog. That kind of blog model can work if you stay within micro niche topics where there is very little competition.

However, if you prefer to build a blog and keep adding content – you will want to consider your options for gathering and creating that content. I’m going to list several ways for you to consider. This isn’t a comprehensive list by any means – and is purely off the top of my head.

Write It Yourself

This is the hardest and most time consuming way to create content – but it is the way that is most rewarding. If you know your topic well, you should be able to write about it with authority and ease. The advantage of writing the article yourself is the article is unique and you control the quality. The disadvantage is it can be time consuming.

Hire Someone

If you can’t write yourself or you don’t have the time, you can always hire someone. How you pay them is up to you. Some sites hire full time salary writers while some pay per article. There are many sites that don’t pay at all but the writer gets name notoriety, a place to write without the technical backend concerns and sometimes they get perks and product for their writing. However you do it, make sure there is a contract between you and your writers stating whom the articles belong to should they leave. This can help avoid sticky situations later on.

Recruit Guest Writers

A good source of content can come directly from your readers. Everyone wants their 15 minutes of frame and having an article on their favorite site is one way of doing it. The main problem with reader submitted articles is quality. If you accept guest articles you will want to make sure to specify ownership in your terms of service and in some sort of mutual agreement. It’s not always a good idea to “cross that bridge when you come to it.”

Trade Posts

I have been known to trade an article with another writer. We select older posts from each other’s collection. To our readers, the old article is new. The advantage of this option versus using free article services is you won’t likely encounter the issue of duplication penalty. Because the article is older, you can do a little minor tweaking to bring the article up-to-date, but that requires much less work.

Republish Old Articles

Republishing of older articles is a nice and easy way to create new content. Again, you may want to do some minor rewrites to bring the articles up-to-date.

Use RSS

There are tons of blogs that are developed using nothing but RSS feeds. This is the lazy way out and one method I would not personally recommend if you plan to make a valued name for yourself. Using RSS as filler content is not so bad if used minimally – but you certainly won’t want it being your main content.

Private Label Articles

Known as Private Label Rights, PLR articles are a new twist on content building. PLR articles allow users a quick way to get up a content site really quick and cheap. Private label articles are special type of right or license which you purchase where you are legally allowed to edit and publish the article as your own. In some cases you can even include your own name as the author and your own resource box at the end of each article. You can purchase these articles for pennies.

The real issue with PLR is quality. Most of the articles are garbage that will require a great deal of editing. Another problem is duplication, which I mentioned above. You aren’t the only person to use those articles. The more these articles are used, the more diluted they become. If you choose to use PLR, you really should rewrite them considerably to avoid this problem. However, if you’re going to invest that much time in editing, you might as well create your own to begin with.

Free Article Services

As you may have guessed, free articles are an option. However, when using these articles, you will most likely be required to keep the authors credentials in place and won’t be allowed to do any edits. This in essence will create an overused, highly diluted content system.

If you can avoid free articles, I would. NOT recommended at all.

What are some methods you use or recommend when creating content?

As I stated in my initial introduction post, this blog is all about you! If there’s something in particular you’d like us to focus on, please don’t hesitate to drop me an email or leave a suggestion in the comments section.

Thanks to the advancements of social media – most people know what a “blog” is. For the sake of discussion we’ll jump back to the very definition and move forward.

How does that sound?

What is a Blog?

Blog a slang term derived from the words web log. Blogs quickly became one of the most widespread, quick growing, trends on the internet. More and more websites are starting their own blogs or even converting their existing websites to blogs. Blogs are often used to deliver fresh content, promote products, or just about anything you can think of.

Since blogging began, there have been a handful of types that have emerged:

• Personal bloggers – Without doubt, personal blogs are the most popular. The writer posts journal-like entries on a variety of topics. Many cover politics, daily-life, sports, fashion, news events, etc. These blogs have no point really other than being a form of entertainment for the writer. This seems to be a great medium for “Mommy Bloggers” to feel as though they have a social life too!
• Business bloggers – With the explosion of social media, businesses have begun using blogs to promote their products or services. Businesses have learned to use blogs as informational resources that add value for their readers rather than using a blog to post in-your-face advertising. Overtly promotional blogs are of little interest to those reading. Strategic uses of a blog in your business can definitely increase sales and enhance the experience of your customers.
• Organizational bloggers – These bloggers use blogs to communicate with groups of people. Whether the group is a church, school, employees or charitable organization, this can be an excellent way to communicate.

Communication is the key to all human relations and a blog provides an excellent means to do just that. Whether it has to do with the latest news or trends, or just talking about the latest happenings of Hollywood celebrities, a blog is an excellent way to bring communication and information to everyone. And if you can educate and entertain, you’ll likely develop quite a following.

Now you want to know…

Should you blog?

Anyone can blog, but not everyone has what it takes to make it worth your time.

Standard guidelines that may help in determining whether have what it takes to blog:

• You have a strong interest in a particular topic and could easily speak on the topic regularly and with the public.
• You have the time and drive to update your blog regularly. Nobody wants to read a blog that is updated once a month.
• You run a site which promotes your business and desire a means to communicate with your clients.
• You can handle feedback – the good, the bad and the ugly. Rest assured, at some point, someone will disagree with you.

One of the biggest mistakes a blogger can make is not posting enough. This is something I’ve personally struggled with at times. It’s easy to fall in the trap. However, if you begin a blog I highly recommend you don’t begin posting 2 posts a day if you ultimately wish to post once a week. Whatever you begin with, stick to it.

I won’t lie — a truly successful blog takes a lot of work – and by a lot, I can honestly say there were days I’d invest as much as 10 – 12 hours into my blogging.

Enough preaching – just take special care to post well and post often. You want your readers to return, subscribe, and become engaged – posting regularly will help accomplish that.

Now, before you get too discouraged, let me point out an important difference between starting a freelance writing business and starting another business: in general, the start-up costs for a freelance writing business are lower than other types of small businesses.  That’s a good thing. For most of us, that 5-years-to-profitability rule can be greatly reduced.It’s likely to take more like 1 to 3 years.

That might still be discouraging, out of the gate. If you’ve just sort of discovered freelance writing, you may have visions of making thousands of dollars a month. If you’ve been laid off from another job, you might see freelance writing more of as a replacement job than a new business. I’ve talked before about the dangers of doing so, and how important it is that you try to see your business as a business.

Why does it take so long to truly hit profitability? Well, in my experience, there are several things that have to happen before you can do more than just break even:

1. You have to truly understand the market.

There is a serious learning curve when it comes to understanding the freelance writing marketplace. Knowing the difference between web content and web copy, or mastering the query process, or understanding the difference between an article and a blog post is something that doesn’t necessarily come intuitively. Even if you have an education in the publishing or writing fields, chances are that it didn’t include much about new media markets.

2. It takes time to build a diverse repeat client base.

When I first started freelance writing, I had one client. When her work dried up, I had no work at all. Two years later, I had one large client providing about 60% of my businesses’ income, some smaller repeat clients that made up about 20%, and then 20% new business. Today, 70% of my freelance writing business is made up of 4 different repeat clients, 20% is made up of smaller come-and-go repeat clients, and 10% is new business.  As I developed more and more long-term clients, my bottom line went up as well.

3. You have to prove you can hack it.

Half of all small businesses close down within a year. Half again of those close their doors by the end of five years. If you’re going to make it in any small business, including freelance writing, you need to have stamina. You need to put in those 60+ hour weeks early on, you need to be able to study and adapt to your market, and you need to be able to hone your craft into something that’s truly in demand. Above all, you need to prove to yourself that you have both the motivation and desire to make it as a freelance writer.

The Good News

If you’re just starting out as a freelance writer, don’t get discouraged. There is hope. It takes years to get to profitability – that is, where your business can sustain itself, pay your salary, pay for its expenses and still have money left over to invest in growth. In the meantime, you can often still make enough to break even, or come awfully close.

On top of that, if you only need or want your freelance writing business to bring in, let’s say, $1,000 a month, it’s not going to take nearly as long to get where you want to be as it is if you want to have a full-time freelance writing business providing for you and your family.

Still, there are some stark realities you’re going to have to face, and fast. Here are some that tend to hit the hardest, and that you need to be ready to face:

If you don’t work, you don’t earn

That basic principle of sowing and reaping applies to your freelance writing business. If you don’t write, you don’t make any money. Some people start out with a client like Demand Studios or a blog network, and they do the math. They think they can make $40,000 or $50,000 a year. While that’s technically true, there still has to be enough work to do and you have to actually do it.

You don’t have a work-at-home job, you have a home business

A lot of folks start out in the freelance writing business with the “work-at-home” attitude. You need to disassociate yourself with that mindset. You don’t have an employer, you have clients. You don’t work at home, you have a home business. These distinctions are important on several levels, and I won’t get into all of that here. Suffice it to say that you’ll never grow your business if you don’t see it as a business in the first place.

Businesses have expenses

Every small business has expenses, including yours. You’re going to need to shell out some cash here and there. You’ll need a good computer, an Internet connection and some office supplies. You need to spend some money on marketing, or else you’ll never grow your client base. The old adage about spending money to make money is true. Even if you don’t have a lot of working capital to start with, as soon as gigs start coming in you need to be reinvesting some of your money.

Not only are you going to need to make some adjustments, so is your family. To make the transition easier on everyone, here are some basic things you can do:

Talk with your family

Let them know what kinds of changes are coming. If freelance writing is, initially, going to reduce your income, let them know that they’re going to have to tighten their belts a bit. If it means schedule changes or if it means that daddy spends Saturday mornings in his office, they need to know that. Let the conversation be a positive thing, and encourage your children to ask questions.

Coordinate your family schedule

My wife and I like to sit down on Sunday nights and go over the week. We have a pretty good idea of what each day entails already, but it’s important to factor in special events. For example, Monday is voice lessons, Tuesday is grocery shopping, etc. By taking 15 minutes on Sunday to project the weekly schedule, you can save all sorts of frustration later.

Be a partner with your spouse

Even if your spouse isn’t involved directly in your business, they’re still your partner. Don’t try to go it alone. Ask your spouse to help pick up the slack here and there, and be upfront about what kinds of things you’ll need from him or her. Listen to your spouse, too, so that you can hear your spouse’s needs.

Make family time sacred

Schedule in regular family time. While the phrase “quality time” is overused, the reason it’s overused is because it’s a darn good idea. Making specific times in your schedule for your family helps them feel valued.

Find ways for your children to help

Your six year-old isn’t going to be writing web copy. I get that. But you might find ways your kids can be involved in your business. For example, we hired my 15 year-old to upload articles to a client’s website. The main thing here is to always double-check their work and to make them feel valued at the same time.

It’s not only backgrounds that differ, though. The vision of the future that freelance writers have can vary greatly from one to the next, too. What I hope my freelance writing business looks like in five years may be vastly different from what you hope yours looks like.

I, for example, like the path I’m on. I relish in the entrepreneurial aspect of things. I like to find new areas of business and sell something truly valuable and unique to my customers. I also like the idea of growth, and as I contract more and more work out to others I realize that the structure of my business is changing into what i want it to become.

Five years from now, I imagine providing a substantial amount of work to half a dozen or so other writers. I envision a steady income from residual projects (from blogs that I run to affiliate sales to other streams of ongoing income).

My vision, though, isn’t everyone’s vision. One freelance business owner I know wanted to be the “McDonald’s of web writing,” meaning that she’d provide low-cost but quality writing to vast numbers of clients on a quick-serve basis. There’s nothing wrong with that particular vision, but it’s not mine.

I know some freelancers, though, who are just happy to be working. There’s nothing wrong with that, either. For a new freelance writer to sign up with Demand Studios or a similar company, and hope to spend the next two or three years earning a fair wage is a reasonable vision. It’s not the one I have, and it’s not the one I’d recommend, but it’s reasonable.

What’s my point here? I have two. First, don’t assume other freelancers want the same things you do. Even when you read the advice on this blog and elsewhere around FWJ, your goals might be very different than the writer’s. Keep that in mind, and adapt the advice to your own vision.

Second, don’t assume that your vision is, necessarily, better than someone else’s. Maybe you have no desire to pump out vast amounts of copy in a fast food type fashion, but that doesn’t mean McWriter has a bad idea. Same goes for looking down your nose at those folks content to work for $10 an article.

So, what does your dream business look like?

It isn’t that the folks that fail aren’t talented. Many of them are amazing writers. But it takes more than the ability to string words together in a pleasing way to stay in business. It takes things like desire, tenacity and business sense.

In short, it takes something special to succeed. While the details can differ from one case to the next, over and over again there are common characteristics you’ll find among successful freelance writing business owners:

A successful freelance writing business owner is motivated by personal and family concerns.

Many folks start out as freelance writers because they want the flexibility that running a small business affords. This, in part, explains the proliferation of work-at-home moms in the business.  The other side to this is a desire to work for yourself, to not be beholden to a corporation or to a boss.

This isn’t to say that someone motivated by other things won’t be successful as a freelancer, but it’s these personal issues that tend to make the difference, rather than a desire for profits.

A successful freelance writing business owner is dedicated to the business.

To make this whole thing work, you kind of need to eat, sleep and breathe freelance writing. Yes, you have the kind of flexibility you need or want. But to be successful in the long run, you’re probably going to work more hours in a given week than an employee somewhere else. Yes, you should do what you can do work smarter and not harder, but growth and success take elbow grease.

A successful freelance writing business owner plans.

I’ve harped on this before, but it’s worth repeating: you need to have a business plan if you’re going to be successful. You need to know where you’re going, and how to get there. Your business plan will change as time goes on, but if you don’t have one at all you’ll find yourself flailing around in the ocean, tossed about by every wind that comes along.

A successful freelance writing business owner reacts quickly to change.

You need to be able to think on your feet. Change, whether it’s the loss of a client or a new trend in web writing, affects the small business much quicker than it affects larger business. You need to react quickly to make the best of new opportunities and to guard against threats to your business.

A successful freelance writing business owner projects confidence and competence.

I had an experience just yesterday that illustrates this point. My wife and I visited a local dining establishment for lunch. I ordered the Tuna Melt, which is typically a toasted tuna salad sandwich on rye with a slice of cheese (melted, of course). When the server brought the sandwich, I saw it was missing the cheese. When I asked the server whether the sandwich should have had cheese, she wasn’t sure. Minutes later, she brought out a small plate with a single slice of cheese on it. She explained that the cook (who was also the owner) forgot the cheese, but here it was if I wanted it.

Now, this wasn’t a major setback for me, but I can tell you this: the server didn’t know the menu. The owner didn’t know how to make a common, basic sandwich. The server had no clue what kinds of food she was selling. I’m not especially confident in this business. I think the odds of getting the wrong order again are pretty high, unless I order the daily special. I won’t be back.

A successful freelance writing business owner sticks to it.

In many cases, lasting those first few years as a small business are just about tenacity. Being dedicated enough to do the job and do it well, and having enough financial security to handle those famous “famine” portions of the “feast or famine cycle” is essential.

The good news, which I can tell you from personal experience, is that as time goes on there is a lot more feasting and a lot less famine. As you build up a solid client base, you get to the point where your freelance writing business is relatively safe and there’s enough work to keep the doors open.

Contrary to what you read on the sales page, being a work-at-home freelancer isn’t a walk in the park. It is, however, extremely rewarding if you can be successful at it.

Think of this list as some of the most common mistakes that work-at-home freelancers make, and some ways that you can avoid them.

1. Thinking too big

If you listen to what the advertisements say, you can earn hundreds of thousands of dollars a year part-time as a work-at-home freelancer. The fact is, though, that the vast majority of part-time work-at-home freelancers don’t make one hundred thousand dollars in three years. If you want to get rich, find another profession. You’re not working at home because you want to be a millionaire; you’re working at home because you want to be there for your family when they need you.

2. Thinking too small

Just because you’re a work-at-home freelancer doesn’t mean you have to make pennies a day, either. It is possible to make living in freelancing. I’m living proof of that, and so are a lot of my readers.

The products or services you offer have value. There are people who want those products or services, and it’s just a matter of finding them, of opening those doors and walking through. Did you make $50,000 last year in your particular niche? Shoot for $75,000 this year. Don’t be afraid to set goals, even goals that seem unreachable at times.

3. Forgetting why you choose to work at home

When those orders are pouring in, when you have a huge project with a quick deadline, or when your editor has given you a drop-dead date, it’s easy to get consumed with your work. Even during a “normal” week, many work-at-home freelancers spend more time working than people who work outside of the house. Sometimes, though, you’ll have a snow day, or a sick child, or just a child that wants a grilled cheese sandwich. Sometimes, you’re going to have to set work aside to take care of life, and that’s all right. In fact, it’s probably why you work at home.

4. Entertaining your distractions

Anyone who’s been working at home for any amount of time knows that it’s nearly impossible to turn the television off during the work day, once you turn it on. But, distractions like that are the easy ones to avoid. On the other hand, it’s all too easy for a work-at-home freelancer to spend time on a message board (or a blog, like this one) with other freelancers talking about the issues they face. Activities like these can be beneficial to a work-at-home freelancer, and can be extremely motivating. They also don’t put any money into your checking account. Make time for these activities, but only a certain amount of time. Recognizing distractions for what they are and refusing to let them interfere with your work is key to your success.

5. Ignoring your options

Sometimes, you’ve got to be willing to change directions mid-stream. There are a huge number of opportunities for work-at-home freelancers out there if you’re willing to explore them. If I would have been content with my career in the IT field, I would never have gone back for my Master’s Degree. If I hadn’t gone back for my Master’s, I probably wouldn’t have started writing. Each of these choices has enhanced my career, in the long run. Not every change has been good, but every change has, at a minimum, taught me a lesson.

6. Dwelling on failure

Everyone fails sometimes. Clergy, politicians, doctors, business folk, and even work-at-home freelancers. You’re going to fail, too. Count on it. But, when you do, pick yourself up by the bootstraps, stare your failure in the face, and declare to yourself and the world, “I’m back, and no one, not even myself, is going to stop me.” Learn the lessons that your failure has to teach, but then leave it in the past where it belongs.

7. Going it alone

No one is an island, especially not the work-at-home freelancer. You need a support structure. You need to be able to count on your family for help and encouragement. Some folks are more blessed than others, in this regard. You might have to seek out that help and encouragement among your friends. You might have to go out and make new friends that will be helpful and supportive. But you can’t do it all by yourself. There hasn’t been a soul born yet who can.

8. Working smarter, not harder

Working smarter isn’t all it is cracked up to be. Alone, it won’t guarantee your success. Yes, efficiency is important. Yes, if you can delegate, you ought to. Yes, if you can accomplish a task in 10 minutes using a specific tool that would take you 30 without it, you should use the tool. But being a work-at-home freelancer still requires all of the hard work and dedication you can muster.

But freelancing also can be a bad move, in some circumstances. Many people get desperate and throw themselves into this line of career without thinking and planning. The result? You’re worse off than you were when you started.

So when is the right time to move to freelancing? Is it a good decision for you? Will it be everything you hoped for? Read on.

Are You Emotionally Ready?

Cons: Freelancers take some hard emotional knocks. Rejection is common, and so are revision requests. You might hear, “This isn’t what I want,” or, “I don’t like what you’ve written,” often. You’ll need to be able to distinguish and separate your work from your self-worth. You may feel like clients boss you around, and sometimes clients can be rude or blunt.

Pros: Moving towards self-employment and a freelancing career can make you feel better about the work you do and your contribution to the world. You might feel more valued, as if your writing makes a difference. Your self-esteem could rise substantially, and your confidence as well. You could even feel relieved, now that you’re away from employment you found oppressive.

Tip: Learn that rejection and revision requests are no reflection on who you are as a person. Writing is very subjective, and some people will like what you do. Some won’t. That’s okay – you’re still a great individual with plenty to offer the world.

Are You Financially Ready?

Cons: If there’s one thing that freelancing doesn’t offer, it’s a stable income. You may not get paid every week, and you may ride an income roller-coaster of great highs and terrible lows. You’ll need to invest money into improving your business or skills and have cash available for expenses. A cushion of savings to fall back on when times are tough is crucial.

Pros: Preparing to weather highs and lows means you have good plans in place to ride out tough times. A cushion provides financial security, so you’ll feel more comfortable. You’ll be able to adjust your rates and schedule to find the optimal income flow that meets your needs. Learning to budget effectively also tends to improve your financial situation overall.

Tip: A proper plan for marketing your services helps you keep income flow steady. Market steadily, whether you have plenty of work or none at all, to make sure that you never have an empty plate. It’s better to have a waiting list than have no work at all.

Are You Business Ready?

Cons: Freelancing often equals freedom, but that doesn’t mean freedom from paperwork, business plans, proper accounting systems and more. Launch yourself into your career, and you’ll discover you’re not set up to accept payments, keep track of income and expenses and show banks you have a serious business. The result? Improper business planning can cost you an organizational mess and extra expenses down the line – sometimes to the tune of thousands.

Pros: Plenty of online sites and offline organizations provide help and advice, checklists of ‘must haves’ and resources to set you up with your business needs. By preparing up your business properly before starting, you’ll reduce wasted time, eliminate headaches and have smooth operations all the way to success.

Tip: Don’t try to do it all yourself or take on tasks that require skills you don’t have. Accounting is for accountants. Web design is for designers. Technical support is for techies. Focus on what you do best, and invest in the right people to make your business more successful.

Are you Stability Ready?

Cons: Many people turn to freelancing when the situation is desperate. They want a way out, an escape or a rescue from current circumstances. They forget to consider that switching career paths sometimes just changes four quarters for a dollar and doesn’t solve anything at all.

Pros: Rushing into anything often creates more problems than it’s worth. Yes, sometimes desperate situations call for desperate measures, but see if you can’t hold on to what you have for stability’s sake while setting up your business. Preparing for a launch over a period of six months often produces better results than a rushed, save-me decision to freelance.

Can you think of any other situations you need to be prepared for before you start freelancing? What troubles have you run into? What did you learn from your own startup? What other situations do you feel you need to be ready for before taking the plunge?

Want to learn more ways to prepare yourself for a damned fine freelancing business? Get The Unlimited Freelancer and tap into secrets the successful freelancers use to get ahead.