Tag Archives: freelance

Don’t Let The Freelance Competition Get You Down

Unfortunately a lot of people new to freelancing or considering the leap feel the way this YouTube video poster does (see the clip below). Freelancing can be an intimidating thing indeed–the staggering amount of work it can take to find clients and establish new relationships makes people want to look for short cuts in the that process.

Unfortunately, there are no short cuts. Word of mouth business, for example–something this video poster brings up–only comes when you’ve taken the time and care with your existing clients to generate that word of mouth buzz. The person in this video expresses hope for a shortcut by using a third party service, but such hopes are misguided for more reasons than just the obvious ones.

That’s because the Youtube clip winds up being a shill for a seemingly defunct company called ManifestingInMotionNow.com. The website returns a 404 Not Found error when you try to see the site. But freelancers can still learn a great deal from this video–especially when it comes to how NOT to market yourself or your company.

Marketing should be clear, direct, and to the point, and after watching this video, please tell us–were those qualities present here?



Freelancing in 2012

Joe Wallace Vinyl Collector and authorby Joe Wallace

About 20 days ago, long before 11:59 PM on December 31, a lot of freelancing blogs made predictions about the freelance landscape in 2012.

And the same as every year, a lot of predictions basically read, “more people will start freelancing, more people will quit freelancing, and more companies will hire more freelancers than ever before.”

You don’t have to be Nostradamus, really, to issue predictions like these.

I ignored all that sort of thing this year in favor of looking at the freelance landscape from a completely different perspective, thanks to a blog post by Dave Allen at the Portland-based brand agency North.

Allen was talking about an experiment he started in early January to work with all-mobile tools, namely the iPad2 and the iPhone.

He writes, “Since January 2nd I have been attempting to live without my MacBook Pro to work exclusively on my iPad2. I can honestly say that for 90% of the time the iPad is the perfect tool for my daily work activities. As an added bonus it’s many pounds lighter than the MBP and the battery lasts hours longer. Yet, as to be expected, there are some shortcomings that are holding me back from becoming a 100% mobile user.”

If you want a prediction about the state of freelancing in 2012, you need look no further than mobile–for some of us, it really is going to be the future of the business in terms of the portable office, working from the road, and making the most of every given second when needed.

I was on the fence about the iPad2 as a freelancing tool until reading Dave Allen’s post, and while he points to a few shortcomings, I personally believe–and here’s my prediction for 2012–that these issues can and will be addressed by some savvy developers who know the need to do business on these lightweight, flexible, and highly desirable platforms.

Freelancers, writers and editors in particular, are often stuck in the previous decade when it comes to technology. But the business is evolving as fast as the new toys hit the market. Are you keeping up? Treading water? I’m trying to get out of the wading pool and into the deep end with this stuff…it seems like the best way to survive.

Joe Wallace is an author, professional blogger, and vinyl collector. He blogs about rare and strange vinyl records at Turntabling.net, sells vinyl records at horror and sci fi conventions across the USA and is currently photographing more than 100 record albums for his forthcoming book WTF Records: The Turntabling Guide To Weird And Wonderful Vinyl. He is very busy but does consider freelance writing and editing gigs on a per-project basis. Contact him at jwallace (at) turntabling (dot) net.

What Freelancers Can Learn From iPhone Apps

iPhone 4by Joe Wallace

Those who dispense advice about iPhone app creation often advise bloggers to ask an important set of questions before deciding to create an app for a blog or website. Some of those questions can also help inform your freelance business model and how you promote yourself in a very crowded marketplace.

1. What Problems Does Your App Solve?

If you’re creating an app for a website, what’s the thing your proposed app does that makes it better or more efficient than just looking at the web page? The answer varies in every case. How do you translate that question to your freelance business? What does YOUR business do that other freelancers don’t? Do you have a corner on the market with a particular skill, the way you work with your clients or what you can offer them? Define what it is you can do for your potential clients that other can’t do or won’t do as well.

2. What Do You Want Your App To Do?

In the same way that a blogger should give serious thought to the answer to that question, freelancers should ask themselves what they want to be doing for their clients. A great many freelancers (all right, I mean ME) cycle through too many gigs that turn out being unsatisfying because they aren’t really what the freelancer wants to be doing. Don’t take on ALL comers–decide what you’re best at and what you really want to be doing and commit do working THOSE skills.

3. How Hard Is Your App To Use?

In the same way a mobile app needs to be simple, user-friendly, and easy to understand, so should a freelancer’s resume page and list of services offered. Make everything readable at a glance. Sometimes that’s all the time the reader has to decide whether to add you to the “for further study” list rather than the “never mind” file.

Simple advice, to be sure, but it’s often the most simple things that trip up a freelancer in the struggle to slice out a piece of the freelance pie.

Just Walk Away

Joe Wallace freelance social media.jpgby Joe Wallace

I sprained my frontal lobes today. I spent a good long time writing about social media for retail banks, VA funding fee changes for veterans looking for a VA mortgage, and writing advice for people who need help managing professional Twitter and Facebook profiles.

You know that feeling you get when you can’t remember what 2 + 2 adds up to and the thought of writing another word fills you with the urge to run screaming down the hall? Yep, that’s what I’ve got.

I should have stopped half way through my marathon writing jag, walked down the street to my local coffee shop and given my poor battered brain a rest. Then I’d be capable of getting some additional work done today. But I didn’t, and chances are good that I won’t write another thing for the rest of the day.

Yuck.

Like the runner who trains too hard for a race, but instead of pulling an Achilles’ tendon, I’ve not got to put an ice pack on my skull. Someday, I will learn to stop, drink a cuppa and chill out before diving in again. But not today, apparently.

Sometimes, pacing yourself (even when you don’t think you need it) is a damn fine thing to do. What do you do when you need to stop and avoid overtaxing your most precious writing instrument?

Joe Wallace writes about finance, social media, retail banking, vinyl records, and foreign films. He runs Turntabling.net which discusses and sells vinyl records, and travels the USA in search of the coolest indie record shops in the land. When he’s not doing all, that he’s a freelance pop culture philosopher and roving food critic wannabe.

Why Freelance Writing Is Like Waterskiing

Catherine

by Catherine L. Tully

Goofy name for a post?

Not really, when you think about it.

Have you ever been waterskiing–or, if not, have you seen it? If so, you’ll be able to relate to the similarities once I’m made them plain here:

Similarity #1 – Getting up on the skis is not as easy as it looks.

Starting a freelance writing career usually takes time, practice and patience. You don’t get it right away, and more often than not, your mistakes are pretty big in the beginning. You crash a lot.

Similarity #2 – Staying up on the skis requires strength and technique.

Once you learn how to get work and avoid common pitfalls as a writer, it takes time to make a living at it. You need to perfect your voice, your technique and your approach. You have to build strong relationships that will help you stay in this career field for the long haul, rather than going back to a day job or waiting tables on the side. Continue reading Why Freelance Writing Is Like Waterskiing

More Time = More Money

dollarby Catherine L. Tully

Cash. Moohla. Money. Dollars. Bucks.

If you want to make more, you aren’t alone.

As a freelance writer, it’s up to you how much money you make. And it doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to work harder. Being smart about what you are doing, who your clients are and how you manage your time are all part of the deal.

Let’s concentrate on the time part here. I’d like to share some of my top tips for maximizing your income without spending every moment working:

+ Separate out your paying gigs from things you do that don’t directly make you money (such as blog posts, tweeting, posting on Facebook, networking, etc.). Then, dedicate one or two blocks of time per week to the non-paying tasks. If you want to do more on these, do some double-duty and dip into your TV time or your surfing for pleasure.

+ Schedule your paying gigs out for the week. Leave one large chunk of time open and use it to look for and research other paying gigs.

+ Get those receipts organized. Make sure you are taking all the deductions you are entitled to. Again, schedule in time to do this each week.

Here’s a sample schedule:

Monday morning – receipts, social media and answering e-mails.

Monday afternoon – work on paying gigs.

Tuesday morning – look for and research new paying gigs.

Tuesday afternoon – work on paying gigs.

Wednesday morning – write and schedule blog posts.

Wednesday afternoon – work on paying gigs.

Thursday – work on paying gigs.

Friday morning – open for whatever you need.

Friday afternoon – work on paying gigs.

It doesn’t really matter how you schedule things–do what is comfortable for you. The key is to make sure you have a plan. Managing time is crucial to being a successful freelance writer, and thinking through your week ahead of time can really help you make more money in the long run. Give it a try!