Freelancefolder

35 Books All Freelance Web Developers Should Read

Posted July 30, 2010 in Tools/Resources 20 Comments »

If you follow me on Goodreads, you know that I absolutely love to read. I’ve always been a big reader, but since I’ve become a freelance I’ve made sure to read even more than usual, in the field of business, development and the web in general.

Reading is essential to any developer’s improvement. While blogs and magazines are great to read for a quick update, nothing replaces a good informative book. Even though web development isn’t the most interesting topic to read about, I’ve been able to find a lot of interesting and informative books over the years that have helped me to improve both my dev and business skills.

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Should Freelancers Upsell?

Posted July 29, 2010 in Freelance Stories, Marketing 16 Comments »

“Would you like a large fries with that?” The drive-thru clerk stared at me eagerly.

I looked him right in the eye, “No,” I replied. “A diet coke is all I want today.”

If you’ve ever purchased fast food through a drive-thru window, you’ve probably been on the receiving end of upselling. Simply put, upselling is the sales practice of trying to encourage the client to purchase more than he or she originally intended to buy.

Some people believe upselling is manipulative–for obvious reasons. If you’ve ever been on the receiving end of a pushy upselling salesperson, then you probably know what I mean. However, some freelancers successfully use upselling to bring additional work to their freelancing business on a regular basis. In this post, we’ll discuss responsible upselling.

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Five Personal Projects That Will Help You Find Clients

Posted July 28, 2010 in Marketing 29 Comments »

Are things slow in your freelancing business right now? Are you in the middle of a “famine” phase?

If so, resist the temptation to stay in bed all day. Or run around in a panic because you have few or no client projects to work on.

Rather, think of this as the time to get some of your own projects done. Consider this “free time” you can use to get better in your field and to make your portfolio and resume more impressive.

By staying busy with personal projects, you avoid stressing out over your lack of work (and income). Instead, you can focus on improving your skills and improving your chances of landing better clients.

How?

Here are five personal projects you can work on right now to make yourself more attractive to prospective clients.

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Is the Title “Freelancer” a Turn-Off?

Posted July 27, 2010 in Inspiration, Managing Clients 46 Comments »

I have read a number of articles, blog posts and even comments here at Freelance Folder that suggest anyone who works under the title “freelancer” may be short-changing themselves. The idea is that the title has negative or substandard connotations that go along with it, and opponents recommend using some other type of terminology to define oneself in an effort to avoid any negative stereotypes that might be associated with the moniker. In this post I will offer an alternative point of view that may encourage you to not only claim the title of freelancer, but to wear it with pride.

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How to Become a Successful Freelancer When You’re “Different”

Posted July 26, 2010 in Getting Started, How-To 29 Comments »

“Currently, I am a teacher, but want to make the gradual transition from the classroom to the freelance commercial writing arena,” an aspiring freelancer recently emailed me.

“However, because I lack a marketing background, I am concerned that clients may be hesitant to hire me. How can I transition from academia to this type of writing career?”

That’s a valid concern—one that some of you may also have if you’re exploring the freelance path. And while neither an email response nor a blog post will do the topic justice, I can at least provide you with some general direction and advice.

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Are You Really Bold Enough to Succeed as a Freelancer?

Posted July 25, 2010 in Inspiration 23 Comments »

How bold are you?

If you answered “not very,” it may be time to step outside of your comfort zone for the sake of your freelancing business. You see, it takes a certain amount of boldness to succeed as a freelancer. If you’re too shy, your freelancing business may suffer as a result of your shyness.

The good news is you can learn to be bold.

Being a freelancer is a bold move in and of itself. Being a freelancer means you’ve already had the courage to step outside of convention and take maximum control of how you earn a living. Not everyone can do this. There are many people who would like to enjoy the freelance lifestyle, but they just aren’t bold enough to take the very first step.

In this post, I’ll examine seven more bold moves that will help your freelancing business to get ahead.

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Thank-you to Our July Advertisers

Posted July 24, 2010 in News 3 Comments »

It’s July. The summer is winding down. Many people are planning vacations, others are planning to return to work and school.

July is also a great time to try something new for your freelancing business. Here at Freelance Folder we bring the best freelancing tips and advice. We also try to make you aware of good tools for freelancers–such as those offered by our advertisers.

At Freelance Folder we have the good fortune to have some extraordinary companies supporting the blog. Our advertisers provide services and products that are vital to freelancing success. Trust us, these companies know and understand freelancing. We would definitely recommend checking them out.

Here’s the complete list of our wonderful advertisers:

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The Difference between Fluff and Interesting Content

Posted July 23, 2010 in How-To, Writing 20 Comments »

Freelance writing sounds like a great way to improve your writing and make some money on the side. Many people who are truly interested in writing choose freelancing, because it allows them to write on a variety of subjects and get paid for it. Unfortunately, the reality is that freelancing rarely gives you the opportunity to write interesting content, or let you choose your own subjects.

Because of this, most freelancers end up developing a boring writing style. They can pump out tons of content in a short amount of time, but it all sounds the same, and nothing is gained from reading these articles. These writers excel at writing “fluff,” but have problems writing actual quality content. This trend towards fluff is unfortunate, because many high paying freelance jobs require an engaging writing style, so when the time comes for you to apply for these types of jobs, your writing style will be inadequate.

In this post, I’ll explain how to develop an engaging writing style and keep yourself from writing fluff.

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How to Find Your Freelance Specialty

Posted July 22, 2010 in Getting Started, How-To 38 Comments »

There have been several debates on whether or not you should specialize your services. It’s almost as heated as a debate as whether or not you should charge hourly or project rates.

However, I firmly believe that specializing my services and clientele was what really allowed my own business to take off and succeed.

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