ProFreelancing » Freelancing

It’s that time of year again – college and university graduates are tossing their caps in their air and celebrating. But over the next few weeks, when the dust settles, many will be asking themselves “what next?”

I graduated last April and started out in a door-to-door sales job, then quit that job and relocated, then worked for a couple months as an Account Manager at a printer cartridge remanufacturing company, and eventually quit and decided it was time to take a chance. I couldn’t continue working in a job I didn’t like. I wanted to write, I wanted to chase my dreams, and I wanted to break free from the 9-5.

If you’re considering freelancing then you probably know what I mean. I hated asking for time off, I hated not being able to set my own schedule, and I hated knowing that I wasn’t following my passion – only a few months after graduation.

I had enough money in the bank to survive for three months…so I figured it was now or never. I would see if I could make money as a writer.

Tip #1: You really can make money as a writer…even as a fresh college graduate (or less)!

So there I was, stuck in my 600 square foot basement suite with no job, a laptop, and a lot of wishful thinking. I had this big idea for a couple months that I would create a website where companies could post writing jobs and writers could submit proposals…well, it was a great idea – but one that many others had thought of years earlier. When I discovered Elance I was amazed. It was everything I had imagined, but better!

So how did I get started? I bid…day in and day out. I bid on every job I could as long as I was confident that I could do it. I must have bid on 10 projects a day for the first week. But it was worth it.

Was I making a lot of money? No. But was I learning how to survive as a freelancer? Absolutely.

I remember writing product descriptions for a perfume website. I had to complete over 1000 product descriptions with 60-70 words each for a grand total of $450. It ended up around $10/hour…and you know what? I was happy.

Sure, the money wasn’t great…but at least I knew there was money!

Tip #2: Connections are more important than commissions.

You’ll meet a lot of people when you’re first starting out. Some people will only like you because of your rates, others will appreciate your style. In the end, it’s your job to make sure your clients like you.

It doesn’t matter what you charge, $10/hour or $500…if your clients don’t feel like you’re delivering value to them then you won’t earn any repeat business or future referrals. It’s that simple.

In everything you do, make sure you do your best. I’ve lost out on great opportunities with great businesses because I quietly scoffed at the rate I was getting paid and didn’t put in my best effort.

If I could go back in time then I would have spent more time in quality control. But I can’t go back in time, I can only go forward…and high quality work is something I am focussed on each and every day.

Tip #3: Make a Website/Blog

If I didn’t have a website then I wouldn’t have my largest repeat client.

One day, a successful small business owner was looking for a writer in Kelowna, British Columbia…so he searched Elance for Kelowna writers. It turned out there were four of us…but only one got a phone call that day, me.

Why? Not because I was more qualified, nor because I was cheaper. It was because I had a website. When my client saw my site (not this one…) he thought I was tech savvy and compatible with the vision he had for his company.

It’s now over eight months later and I’m still working 10 hours a week for him. It wasn’t a business card or referral that caught his attention, it was the simple fact that I had a website.

Tip #4: Relax

When I first started out as a freelance writer, I worked hard…but I didn’t work smart. I was running myself to the ground and doing everything I could to make money.

I was burning myself out.

One month in, I found myself confused when I left my suite and went for a drive – bright lights, other people, and a world that was running just fine without my perfume descriptions.

I soon realized that my lifestyle wasn’t sustainable. I was a much better worker when I gave myself time to exercise, time to travel, time to read, and time to do whatever I wanted to do. By getting more out of life you’ll also get more out of freelancing.

Tip #5: Productivity Rules

You’ll enjoy your freelancing career much more if you focus on productivity than if you allow yourself any freedom you desire. Believe me…sleeping in, working in pajamas, watching tv, playing video games, and browsing the internet do not improve your career.

It might be difficult to focus all day every day, but you should find a schedule that works for you. Personally, I like to wake up at a reasonable time (usually 7:30am) and get a couple hours of work out of the way before I shower, eat, and organize the rest of my day. After that, I outline my day so I can make enough money, secure future work, and play with some side-projects that will help my business.

Some people are morning workers and others prefer the evenings…find a schedule that works for you and stick with it.

Tip #6: Choose a Niche

The reason I put this one so far down the list is that it’s difficult to do early on. When I first started out I wanted to be a sports writer. While I still do a sports article here and there, it’s hardly my niche.

I took on a wide variety of projects early on so I could find out what I enjoyed doing the best. Personally, I enjoy copywriting the most and have found some success with it. I plan on making this the focus of my writing career and intend to build my entire business around it.

By choosing a niche, you’ll build your skills in one area so you can service fewer clients for more money. You’ll become an expert in one area of writing instead of being a novice in several areas.

Tip #7: Read, Read, Read

If you’re anything like me, you’ll land on a niche that has absolutely nothing to do with your degree. A four year English degree does not prepare you for a copywriting career. Sure, I learned a lot in school…but I couldn’t consider myself anything but a beginner when it came to copywriting.

The only way I could chase my passion was to learn what made other copywriters successful. I usually read three books a month that directly relates to my career so I can stay on top of things. If you’re not doing this in your own business, then you can be sure that your competition is.

Don’t ever act as though you’re done with school. Instead, educate yourself every day through the many opportunities around you…books, eBooks, audio books, mp3’s, blogs, and more.

Click here for a list of recommended blogs.

Tip #8: Network Like Mad

While online business is a great place to start, I think every freelancer should strive to establish a few local clients. Local clients tend to be more loyal and I’ve also found they’re willing to pay a higher rate since they trust you more.

So how do you find local clients? Networking.

Go out and meet business owners wherever they’re at – Board of Trade or Chamber of Commerce, Business Networking International, Rotary Club, Kiwanis Club, or other social events. Just make sure you don’t push your services onto others. Networking shouldn’t be “work” at all. Just get to know people so they’ll get to know you, like you, and trust you…worry about everything else later.

Tip #9: Find out how to become more than a writer.

While being a freelance writer is significantly better than working the 9-5…you’re still exchanging time for money. To truly achieve success, you need to develop a passive income. There are a number of ways writers can achieve this – eBooks, joint ventures, affiliate programs, and more.

In the end, find something that works for you. There are hundreds of options out there…don’t feel pressured to do the same thing that’s worked for somebody else. Find a project that you want to work on that has potential for long-term income without long-term work…then get the wheels rolling on it.

Tip #10: [Insert Your Own]

The most important thing I’ve learned in freelancing is to learn from my mistakes. I’ve made tons of them, but I know that each of them has made me a better freelancer.

You’ll probably experience many of the same things I did, but you’ll also experience other things. Whatever happens – good or bad – learn from it and apply the lessons to your future. By finding out what works and how to improve what didn’t, you’ll gain the necessary skills to be very successful not only in freelancing, but also in life.

Forget the Elevator Speech!

Chad — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 08:00:51 +0000

How many times have you been sold by somebody’s pitch?

Personally, I’ve never had that kind of experience. When I ask somebody the big question – “what do you do?” – I don’t really care, I’m just trying to be polite. In fact, even if their career fits one of my specific needs, I’m not going to buy from them.

Why? Because elevator speeches are useless! They don’t tell me whether or not somebody is actually good at what they do, they don’t show me whether or not I can trust them, and they aren’t a proper foundation for a healthy relationship.

Bob Burg, the author of Endless Referrals, famously said: “All things being equal, people will do business with, and refer business to, those people they know, like and trust.”

If you want to be successful then you need to ditch the pitch and get real – hang out for the sake of hanging out and get to know others for the sake of getting to know others. Leave your prospecting glasses at home!

The only time time an elevator speech serves any purpose is when you’re attending one of those gimmicky networking events where everybody is jamming their business cards into each other’s pockets and putting on a face. But even then, how many long-term relationships have you made through those phony meetings?

Your purpose should be to build relationships and then business…not the other way around!

When you’re meeting new people, get to know them! Forget about your memorized sales pitch and leave your business cards in your pocket. Ad libs make you look like a salesperson and business cards make you look like you’re begging for work. Unless they’re prodding for more information or specifically asking for a card, you shouldn’t pursue it.

Talking about business early on is wrong!

I’ve been to too many social events in the past where people have brought up business with strangers. In my opinion, it’s the same as bringing up religion or politics. They’re fine topics to discuss with friends, but they only push people away if you don’t know them.

You should be looking to develop relationships before ever thinking about business! If you like them and they like you, the business will come eventually. However, if you’re starting with business then you’ll only make a bad first impression. A bad impression can cut a connection before it starts. A good relationship, on the other hand, can create a business opportunity that lasts forever.

So what should you do?

When you go to networking events, you’re usually looking for business now. Unfortunately, I’m not going to give you any pointers for fast money. Instead, I’m showing you how to s.l.o.w.l.y build a successful business.

Instead of searching for 5 new projects each week, look for one or two long-term relationships each month. These clients will be people you work for long into the future and these relationships will be ones that develop referrals so you don’t need to search for work on your own.

By ditching the pitch and getting real with people, they’ll see you for who you really are. If you’re likable, you’ll be successful by doing things right.

Stop selling your services… start selling yourself!

Is Freelancing Unhealthy?

Chad — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 22:50:21 +0000

New York Times recently published an article about blogging entitled “In Web World of 24/7 Stress, Writers Blog Till They Drop.”

“They work long hours, often to exhaustion. Many are paid by the piece — not garments, but blog posts. This is the digital-era sweatshop. You may know it by a different name: home.”

Does this hit home for you? Perhaps you’re not a blogger, but you’re a freelance writer and an independent business owner. You’ve given up on the 9-5 for a career that is much more exhausting…

…but it doesn’t have to be this way.

As a rather new freelance writer with nine months full-time under my belt, I’ve struggled with many of the issues mentioned in the article. I’ve pulled all-nighters so I could meet a deadline, I’ve worked 70 hour weeks so I could stay on top of things, and I’ve spent three days straight without leaving the house.

It’s not healthy and it’s not sustainable…but it’s not the only way. In fact, it’s the wrong way!

Sometimes you’ll be writing away and all the world will escape you. You think you’re being productive when there are much better options right around the corner. You might be typing like mad for $15/hour, but passing up other opportunities for triple the pay without even realizing it. You don’t need to work harder to make it as a freelance writer. You need to work smarter.

The five main reasons why I am a freelance writer are:

I love writing
I enjoy being my own boss
I like setting my own schedule
I enjoy being at home
I like the feeling of running my own business

You might have other reasons, but they’ll all be based on the same ideas: doing what you want, when you want, where you want, how you want, and with whoever you want. You can choose your projects, arrange your own schedule, work anywhere, and be extremely selective with your clients…if you want.

The sad thing is, most freelancers end up getting pushed around instead of grabbing hold of the life they’ve been chasing.

If you aren’t getting the exercise you need, spending quality time with family members, or able to do the activities you like doing – then you’re not running your freelance business the right way.

The internet moves 500 miles per hour and there’s no way you can keep up with it, so stop trying! Stop bidding on 50 projects a day, stop reading every blog post in your reader, stop ordering more eBooks than you can handle, stop subscribing to every eZine that appeals to you… YOU CAN’T HANDLE IT ALL!

Instead, take a deep breath and relax. Of course you can learn from others in the business – but it doesn’t mean you have to immerse yourself into everything that’s available.

Instead, figure out the fundamental elements of your business (the things that make you successful) and cut the fat. You could refer back to the 80/20 rule if you want… or you could just take my word for it.

By finding out what you NEED to get done and then looking at everything you’re actually doing, you’ll understand how to cut the waste out of your everyday life.

Are you working for 12 hours a day but only billing for four? That’s a problem.
Are you checking email every other hour? That’s a problem.
Do you get distracted by phone calls, internet surfing, and other off-topic tasks? That’s a problem.

By cutting out your problems and un-gluing yourself from the never ending buzz of the internet you’ll realize that you don’t have to work so hard, you don’t need to be so stressed… you just need to focus and be more efficient.

Everything You Need to Be Free

Chad — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 06:29:37 +0000

“Free? You call this free?” -Cypher, The Matrix

You consider yourself a freelancer, yet you’re tied down to your office desk 10 hours a day and find yourself working on Easter break. In fact, you hardly ever take a break.

If you truly want to find what you were searching for when you left your 9-5 and began freelancing then you need some help. If you really want to discover how you can take long weekends whenever you desire then you need to focus. You can’t accomplish something until you make it a plan – a goal.

Here are the tips, tricks, and resources that will take you where you want to be…

Productivity

The more efficient you become with your time, the more time freedom you will have.

Tips

Million Dollar Leverage: How to Stay Focused – Some distractions are very important, but they are still distractions. By focusing on one thing at a time, you’ll finish more than ever before.

Anywired: 3 Steps to Productivity – The necessities: priorities, goals, and action.

Men With Pens: How to Finish a Project in 10 Minutes – Can’t get something done? Promise yourself 10 minutes of quality effort and you’ll be set.

Tim Ferriss: The Not-To-Do List: 9 Habits to Stop Now – The four-hour workweek guru brings delivers a list of bad habits that you need to cut in order to grow.

Freelance Folder: 3 Uncomfortable Ways to Make More Money as a Freelancer – Push your comfort zone to get more done.

Freelance Folder: How to Avoid Procrastination as a Freelancer – Don’t let the luxury of a freelance career turn into a curse.

InkThinker: Beating Procrastination – Find your root cause to bypass your distractions.

Tools

RescueTime – Ridiculously easy time management software for freelancers.

Harvest – Time tracking for teams.

Michael Masterson’s Personal Productivity Secrets – An eBook that will help you get more out of each day.

Organization

You won’t be free unless you plan to be.

Tips

Freelance Zone: Organize Your Office Space – Win the war against clutter.

Jarkko Laine: Dream Big, Set Goals and Make Things Happen – Goal-setting and dreaming big can help you get through each day and build for success.

Bootstrapper: 50 Ways to Create a Motivational Workspace – Your workspace has a profound effect on your level of motivation.

Tools

FreshBooks – Invoicing made easy.

SidejobTrack – Job tracking, invoicing, reporting, and project management for part-time independent contractors.

Mozilla Lightning – A calendar that sycronizes with Mozilla Thunderbird, a popular email client.

Google Calendar – There are many options, but this one is great for the Google maniacs out there…such as me!

Remember the Milk – Works with anything Google as well as other applications to send email, SMS, or IM notifications to remind you of your to-do list.

MyStickies – Goodbye bookmarks?

Mobility

The easier it is to access your work, the more you can travel without feeling out of the loop.

Tips

Freelance Folder: What To Do Before You Take Your Business On The Road – Worry less while you’re on the go.

Anywired: Taking Your Show on the Road – 10 tips to help you escape the office.

Anywired: How to Build a Mobile Office and Work From Anywhere – Mobile everything.

Tools

Campfire – Password protected chat rooms for discussing projects with clients.

Meebo – Bringing all the instant messenger programs together under one roof.

Paypal – Send and receive money online.

Zoho – Everything you need to work online.

Windows Live SkyDrive – 5 gigs of online storage with the option to share your files with others.

Google Pack – Great tools for your computer including Skype.

Google Docs – A free alternative to Microsoft Office.

XE – Currency converter for when you’re traveling.

Passive Income

You don’t need it to start developing freedom, but the more of it you have the closer you’ll be to complete freedom.

Tips

GeniusTypes: Passive Income – Brian Lee discusses passive income and the need to eliminate passive expenses.

GeniusTypes: Five Ways to Create Passive Income with Little or No Money – You don’t need to follow all of these methods (or any of them) to develop a passive income, but you need to understand the ideas behind them.

NorthxEast: Writing an eBook For Your Blog – A great way to add some income to your blog.

About.com: Passive Income – How to earn more and work less.

Tools

Microsoft Office Live Small Business – Free website and tools to start an online business today.

Bonus Resources

Education Portal: 7 Universities and Websites Offering Free Business Entrepreneurial Courses Online (found via Anywired)

Sun Microsystems: Open Office – Free software series for writing, photo editing, math, calculating, design, and more.

Zen Habits: Automate Your Income to Simplify Your Life – “No more long to-do lists, no more meetings and days full of calls and emails and co-workers. No more commutes. That’s the ultimate simplification.”

Men With Pens: 27 Secrets to Avoid Internet Burnout – If you find yourself online a lot, this will help you out.

13 Reasons Why You Should NOT Be A Freelance Writer

Chad — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 18:56:01 +0000

Freelancing has it’s ups and downs… you’ll meet a great contact, you’ll lose a great contact, you’ll get a high-paying job, you’ll have jobs that never pay, you’ll have $800 days, you’ll have $20 days, you’ll have freedom like you’ve never believed, you’ll have days where your computer is the only thing you see…

While I love my career and don’t foresee changing it in any time soon…there are a number of things I didn’t know when I got started. Here are 13 reasons why you should NOT become a freelance writer:

Poor People Skills: If you don’t like dealing with people, then hiding away in your home office won’t help. Freelancing is all about connections – you have to be approachable and confident in your communication.
Poor Organizer: Believe it or not, organization can make or break you freelance business. You need to keep track of numerous clients, projects, invoices, emails, and to-do lists. In my opinion, organization is more important to success than your ability to write.
Poor Motivation: As a freelancer, the only person you’ll have pushing you through every day is yourself. If you aren’t self-motivated, then you aren’t going to be successful.
Poor Listener: As a freelance writer you can’t just write whatever you feel like (in most cases), you need to meet other people’s specific needs. That means listening to what they have to say and applying it… while you might feel like your ideas are better, you’re not the one paying for the project to be completed.
Poor Typist: If you type less than 30 words per minute, that means you’re working 50-70% slower than other freelance writers. Sure, I don’t always type 90 words per minute – because I hardly ever think that fast…but when an idea hits your head you better know how to get it down fast or you’ll miss the next one that’s about to follow.
Poor Marketing: The #1 demand I’ve found for my writing has been sales copy for websites, sales letters, direct-mail, auto-responders, and opt-in pages. If you don’t have marketing skills then you’re missing out on a lot of money.
Poor Marketing 2: Not only do you need to apply your marketing skills to your client’s work, but you’ll also need to market your own services. If you know how to pull in prospects, you’ll spend less time on acquiring new clients and more time making money.
Internetaholic: If you’re addicted to browsing the internet and unable to overcome this habit, then you’ll never reach anywhere close to your potential as a freelance writer. Internet browsing, in my estimation, kills your productivity by at least 50%.
Soft Chin: As a freelancer, you need to roll with the punches. You’ll have tons of letdowns – the client that didn’t like your work, the high-rolling prospect that went elsewhere, the projects that never get paid – but you need to take the hit and move on. If you get depressed and start feeling bad for yourself, you might miss out on a great opportunity that is right in front of you.
Low Self-Esteem: If you aren’t confident in your ability to write, then you’ll have a hard time attracting clients and never get paid what you’re worth on an hourly basis.
Easily Distracted: You’ll always have things to work on besides work itself. But there comes a time when you need to stop blogging, stop marketing, stop answering emails, stop bidding for work, and START WORKING.
Need Security: If you need the security of knowing you’ll have work to do tomorrow and knowing you’ll get paid every two weeks, then stick with your 9-5… because freelancing won’t always give that to you.
Poor Goal-Setting: The only way I’ve been able to succeed as a freelancer is by setting daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly goals. If you don’t plan your future, then your future will never turn out the way you wanted…well, unless you win the lottery or something.

Have you noticed I didn’t mention anything about needing a formal education or knowing how to write. While I consider myself lucky to have those things, I don’t believe you need them to succeed. You can learn through books and blogs and practice your writing until it develops…but you can get started as a freelancer with hardly any ability in those areas at all.

What you will need is discipline, organization, and a positive attitude!

Rejecting Work Based on Ethics

Chad — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 20:23:25 +0000

Picture by [meme]

Today was the first day I have ever turned down a job because I felt it would be unethical to complete. I have been freelance writing for eight months now and have had to pass on some jobs because of time constraints, but never because I disagreed with the morals of it.

Today was different.

The crazy thing is, I was going out of my way to help somebody out. A young man posted a link to his sales letter on the Digital Point message board about two weeks ago asking for a critique. I looked over it and noticed spelling errors, poor structure, and overall lousy writing. So I sent him an email offering to re-write the letter for half my regular rate, since he mentioned he was low on money.

Well, we talked back and forth and I ended up agreeing to complete the letter for FREE with a payment plan set up once he was selling his eCourse. I had him fill out my 5 page questionnaire, send me loads of info, and even send me the eCourse itself.

The project was low on my list of priorities, so I never got around to it until this morning.

I sat down and started going through all the information. “Ugh,” I thought to myself, “I don’t know how he expects to sell this course – I could find this information for free on the internet.”

Click…the light switch in my head turned on.

I copied a sentence word for word from his course and typed it into Google. Sure enough, there was a match. He copied his entire product from a free website and was intending to sell the information for $49.95.

My heart sunk…

I sent him an email explaining that I was not willing to write sales copy for somebody who was not only plagiarizing material, but also intending to sell another person’s work for their own profit. The crazy thing is – on his current sales letter he explains how much trash there is on the internet these days.

Well…it’s people like him that make the internet trashy, it’s people like him that cause others to question online credibility, and it’s people like him that make it harder for great products to sell online.

Have you ever had to turn down a writing job based on ethics?

Building Credibility as a Freelancer

Chad — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 06:15:08 +0000

Photo by fabbio.

How many times have people given you weird looks when you said you’re a freelance writer? There are a number of reasons for this reaction:

People don’t know what that means.
People think it’s a fancy term for unemployed.
People didn’t realize that could be a full-time job.

So how do you turn the tables and teach people to treat you as a professional? You need to build credibility and establish professionalism. Here are 10 tips that I’ve used to build my reputation and earn people’s trust and respect:

Make it a Business: I’m not just a writer, I’m a business owner offering writing services.
Have a Schedule: I make sure to be working from 8 in the morning until 5 in the afternoon with the slight exception of playing an hour of basketball on Tuesday and Thursday each week.
Promote Your Website: I’ve found that a static website with a list of my services and a portfolio has done wonders for building credibility with local clients.
Create a Blog: My blog has helped me connect with fellow freelancers and attracted a number of jobs as well.
Smile: Yes…a simple smile can make people think the world of you. Use it!
Dress for Success: I don’t care what people say about wearing a suit and tie…I feel much more presentable when I’m dressed comfortably and believe others notice as well. I wear nice jeans and a good sweatshirt or button-up when I meet with clients or representing my business.
Say Cheese: Get your face out there! Don’t hide away in your office at all ties. Instead, try to take advantage of networking opportunities and social events.
Prioritize: Work comes before play. Friends, family members, and others will see that freelancing is a real job when you skip a movie to get things done.
Don’t Write for Free: Just because I’m a writer doesn’t mean I’ll help friends with their essays or web content for free. While I don’t mind being helpful here and there, it’s certainly not a habit that is worth developing.
More Than a Job: If you treat freelancing like a job, you’ll fail. It has to be a career and a business. If people can’t tell that your heart is in it, then you’ll always struggle to earn respect.

3 Tricks That Are Guaranteed to Improve Your Productivity

Chad — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 17:33:20 +0000

Photo by NaOH

Freelancing is a wonderful life, isn’t it? You get to wake up when you want to wake up, wear what you want to wear, work the hours you want to work, and make the money you want to make. Total freedom…right?

Wrong.

While freelancing definitely has it’s benefits, you also need to be extremely disciplined if you want to make it a career. You shouldn’t wake up whenever you want to wake up, you can’t sit around in your PJ’s all day, and you need an organized work schedule if you intend on getting things done. By creating structure within your freedom, you’ll find you have much more freedom at the end of the day.

Here are three tips for staying on task during the day so that you don’t have to work long into the evening and night…

Minimize Email: Okay, I might sound a bit too much like Timothy Ferriss here…but seriously, you need to stop checking your email 20 times a day. I’ve done it, you’ve done it, and it hasn’t helped either of us with our productivity. Sure, there are exceptions when you’re expecting a certain message to come through the funnel, but for the most part you’re just wasting time. If you learn to check your email only a couple times each day instead of making it a constant distraction, you’ll be able to get much more done.
Stop Browsing the Internet: It happens all the time when I’m not paying attention. I’ll be writing an article or a sales letter and need to search for something in Google…I’ll find what I need and then wander over to check the sports pages to see if anything has happened, then I check out my blog’s statistics, then I say hello to my pal’s on FaceBook, and then I realize that I’ve wasted 45 minutes doing absolutely nothing! It takes discipline to avoid random internet browsing throughout the day, but it pays off in the end…when you’ve finished your work and can spend time with family and friends in the evening instead of acting like you need to put in another “12 hour day” at the office.
Ten Minute Rule: Harry from Men with Pens teaches a 10 minute approach to staying on task. It’s simple really, if you find yourself wandering and unable to finish an assignment, just promise yourself 10 minutes of hard work. Seriously, a mere 10 minutes can make a HUGE impact on your productivity. Why? Because if you focus for 10 and get into what you need to accomplish, you’re bound to spend much more time that what you expected. To get work done you need to be focussed on what you’re doing. It’s nearly impossible to schedule a 2 hour session where you’ll be completely focussed…it just won’t happen. But if you’re willing to put in 10 you’ll be surprised with the results.

Freelancing can be a lot of fun, but only if you know how to get things done. Without discipline you’ll find yourself working more hours for less pay. But if you can stay on task and get things done…

You’ll be able to complete more projects…which will in turn make you more money.
You’ll be able to quit work earlier than usual…which will allow you to enjoy some free time.
You’ll be able to improve the quality of your work…which will allow you to raise your rates.
And you’ll be able to overcome the guilt of wondering…what did I do today?

It’s all about mindset. You aren’t a freelancer unless you’re able to enjoy the freedom that you hoped for when you started your career.

By sleeping in every day you’ll eventually develop a lazy mindset, by wearing your pajamas you’ll feel like you can lounge instead of getting things done, and by wasting work time on the little things you considered to be perks (internet, TV, video games, etc) you’ll find that you are missing out on the time freedom that you had hoped for…

Investing in Your Career Pays Off!

Chad — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 18:00:37 +0000

It doesn’t matter whether you’re looking to build your business with $50 or $500, you’ve got to invest if you want to make it as a freelance writer.

It can be extremely difficult to get things going early on, but the amount of money you invest in your career is almost directly related to the amount of money that you will make.

Here are the most necessary purchases and investments for growing your business and improving your skills…

Less than $50

Books: Go to a local bookstore and purchase any book that you know will help you in your career. I use a number of books as references on a day-to-day basis. Since most of my work is copywriting, here are the books that I recommend the most:

The Adweek Copywriting Handbook – Joseph Sugarman
Neuromarketing – Patrick Renvoise & Christophe Morin
Unlimited Slling Power – Donald Moine & Kenneth Lloyd
Hypnotic Writing – Joe Vitale
The Ultimate Sales Letter – Dan Kennedy
The 4-Hour Work week – Timothy Ferriss
How to Win Friends & Influence People – Dale Carnegie

eBooks: There are hundreds of inexpensive eBooks out there that can help you get started as a freelancer, grow your business, and improve your writing. In fact, there are many helpful eBooks that you can find for free!

If you’re going to use eBooks to educate yourself, then you can’t just buy the book and expect the work to be done. Too many people fall short of completing the books and applying the tips to their careers. Set aside a specific amount of time each day to read your eBooks and take notes on them – this is the sure-shot way of making your investment pay off.

eBooks I recommend:

6 Figure Freelancer by David Drake
How to be a Rockstar Freelancer by Cyan and Collis Ta’eed (Freelance Switch)
Write for the Web by Men with Pens
Guide to Becoming an Advertising Copywriter by FabJob.com

Advertising: Believe it or not, a little bit of money can go a long, long way. Locally, I’ve found an online classifieds section that has a “services for hire” area. The advertising costs me 5 bucks a month (highlighted yellow, free otherwise) and has given me approximately 1 lead per week. Is it throwing prospects through my doors at an incredible rate? No, but I wouldn’t want that anyways.

Here are a few inexpensive ways you can advertise your services:

Use local classifieds – as explained above.
Start a blog – as described here and here.
Attend local networking events – Chamber of Commerce/Board of Trade meetings and other local business events.

Branding: If you’re going to look legit, then you should have business cards to hand people that are interested in working with you. A website is also a great tool for showing off your portfolio and explaining your services.

Internet: Obvious one here…high-speed wireless connection is recommended.

Cell Phone/Skype: Communication is a MUST in freelance writing. Regardless of whether or not your clients need to call you to discuss projects, it’s always nice for them to have the option of doing so. You could probably get away with a home number if you work out of your own house, but I prefer a cell phone for when I’m on the go.

Skype is a fantastic tool for working with non-local clients.

Organizer: An organizer will improve your productivity at least 200%. By planning out your goals for each day you are much more likely to accomplish them.

$50-$500

Printer: When I decided to become a full-time freelancer, this was my first big purchase. I already had a computer, Skype, internet, and a lot of books…but I was missing a printer. I prefer editing my work on paper instead of on the screen, so this was a necessary item for me.

Membership Sites: Depending on what you’re looking to accomplish in your freelancing career, there are a number of membership sites that can help you get there. The best ones are run by people that have successfully accomplished what you want to do.

You can learn a lot from others experiences – not only improving your writing ability but also avoiding costly mistakes that they’ve made in the past.

Here are a couple membership sites that I know provide incredible value for the cost:

Teaching Sells by Brian and Tony Clark – For anybody looking to build a membership site of their own.
Copy Doctor by Michel Fortin – For companies or copywriters looking to improve their conversion rates.

Writing Classes: Just because you’re out of school doesn’t mean there’s nothing left to learn. By attending writing classes at your local college or university you will not only stay on top of your game, but you’ll also have the opportunity to get out of the house a bit more than usual.

Aside from local classes, here are a few online writing classes that will improve your writing so you can raise your rates:

Writing Classes by Gotham Writers’ Workshop – Arguably the best writing classes on the internet.
Various Writing Classes by Paul Lima – He’s an instructor at the University of Toronto and really knows his stuff.

$500 or more:

Computer: If writing is going to be your career, then you better have a computer to do it on. A friends computer or library workspace isn’t good enough – you need your own!

Workshops: I have yet to invest this kind of money for a workshop, but realize that I probably will sometime down the road. If you’re going to put this kind of cash into your career, then you need to make sure that it’s going to deliver results.

Please let me know anything I may have missed and feel free to share your experiences of how investing in your career paid off.