I just had an interesting Skype chat with Jodee Redmond. We were talking about how shy we were/are in the real world, but received a bravery boost when we began freelancing. Both Jodee and I brought up situations where we were hesitant to discuss payment options, raises, or asking contacts for work – when we shouldn’t have stressed. I’m surprised by how many people are receptive to my ideas and suggestions – when I finally get up the nerve to ask. I have never been turned down when asking for a client for a raise, and I’ve landed several projects [Read more…]

There’s a mistake many of us make in trying to drive traffic to our blogs and websites. We spam.  We’re not trying to. We may not even think we’re doing it, but it happens. If you’re someone who feels blog comments, Twitter, Facebook and other social networks are only for posting links, you’re guilty of spamming. Here’s the thing: Using social media tools absolutely works. You can build up some good traffic using Twitter and blogs if you do it right. Build up relationships first. Join in the conversation. Participate in other communities. This way, when you occasionally share a [Read more…]

You write about sewing. A lot. You blog about sewing. You have newspaper column about sewing. You write about sewing for a green living website. In fact, if there’s any outlet needing sewing content, you’re the one to call. You rock your niche. You’re no mere needle arts writer, you, my dear, are the sewing expert. You never thought your favorite hobby would turn into “expertise,” but it did. Now you’re in demand. Everyone wants you. You’re asked for a quote for magazine articles, picked for panels at sewing conferences and Martha Stewart herself invited you to come down to [Read more…]

This post is sponsored by Demand Studios. You talk with your friends about what you do, but how many of them send business your way? When you think about it, friends are perfect for referrals. Here’s something that happened to me recently: I go out to dinner once a month with a group of women. We talk about everything. We gossip about celebrities, we gripe about work and we talk about our families. At the last dinner, a friend who works for a national brand asked more about my job. We chatted about it and I gave her a card. [Read more…]

This is a sponsored post. I like to refer to myself as a “thought collector.” I write down everything. I have Post-It’s all over my office and years’ worth of notebooks in my file cabinet. Eventually the ideas on those bits of paper go into my calendar program or a notebook so I can refer to them later. Every few months I like to take out my old notebooks – some of them dating back to the late 80′s. The trip down memory lane is fun, but it’s also stimulating. I can’t tell you how many new ideas I get [Read more…]