See all those empty office chairs? Offices like these could get even more empty if freelancers take my new bright idea and run with it. Let me state for the record that I should NOT be telling you this right now, I SHOULD be developing it MYSELF and making a cottage industry out of it. But I’m obviously not as smart as I should be, since I’m going to spill it now…

Most days, we freelance writers spend our time trying to market our skills to editors, publishers, companies that need writing talent. But what if we took a portion of our day and concentrated on selling our respective skills to OTHER FREELANCERS? You freelance web designers out there know that writer sites are NOTORIOUSLY stuck in Web 1.0 territory. Freelance writers know that web designers aren’t necessarily the greatest wordsmiths out there. How can we help our fellow freelancers and turn a buck at the same time?

I hear the naysayers already. “Freelancers don’t make enough money to pay for professional services! We’d be silly to seek out clients who don’t have deep pockets!” Well, for starters, with a large number of sites claiming to be written by six-figure freelancers out there (sound familiar?) there would seem to be at least SOME market for this idea. When was the last time you found some freelance graphic design or web design guru on the web, their site rife with run-on sentences, ineffective writing and poorly-realized sales pitches?

Designers, I KNOW you cringe when seeing these hopelessly 1995-era writing sites. We all know who the guilty parties are, no need to rehash here. But many of these outdated sites are earning a decent sum, especially the most established, long-lived of the bunch. There IS a market for your services if you know where and how to approach.

But let’s get back to the “poor freelancer” market for a moment. There’s nothing at all in the world that says you have to charge money for your services when dealing with a fellow freelancer. Why not barter instead? You can find a mutually beneficial arrangement that accomplishes several goals at once. We’ve forgotten one of the tried-and-true ways to get things done…trade one service for another and everybody wins.

You won’t be able to quit your other gigs in favor of this full-time, but it’s a great addition to your current work. Find another freelancer who has something you need and see if you can work out a deal.