Freelancefolder

7 Tips to Set You Apart as a Freelancer

Posted September 30, 2010 in Getting Started, How-To

I’m not sure why I continue to be shocked every time I hear from clients about their horrific experiences with other freelancers. For some reason, I want to believe that the horror stories are the exception to the majority of quality, hard-working freelancers, but almost every client I have has shared at least one and usually several tales of terrible situations they have endured.

Over time I have come to learn that many of the qualities I used to think were standard elements of a successful freelance business are often overlooked or ignored by many, so in this post I will share what has helped me to stand out amongst others in the same field. I am not a massive success by any stretch of the imagination, but I have a steady stream of satisfied clients who continue to recommend me to others, so hopefully by sharing what I have learned you too can strengthen your offerings and set yourself apart from your peers.

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Branding Your Freelancing Business: Personal Name vs Business Name

Posted September 29, 2010 in Getting Started, How-To

When you build your freelancing business, at some point the question of branding will come up. What do you want to call your business, and what image do you want to project?

This is when you’ll want to think hard about your freelancing business’ name and identity.

You have two choices: either use your personal name or come up with a “formal” business name.

Either one has advantages and disadvantages, which you’ll see below.

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Version 1.1 of The Client Machine is Here!

Posted September 28, 2010 in News

It’s been less than a month since we released the first version of The Client Machine, but thanks to your help and suggestions we’ve already completed enough updates to release version 1.1.
 

We’ve got a bunch of cool new features, most of which come from your suggestions:

• New & improved client area (with file sharing!)
• Integrated proposal status (auto-updated on approval!)
• Easy currency changing! You can switch in less than 30 seconds.
• Improved admin panels — see your invoices, proposals, and portfolio right in the admin area!
• And many more fixes and improvements!

If you’re already a Client Machine owner, you should have the new update and instructions in your email as we speak (that’s right, we give free updates =D).

If you haven’t purchased yet…

Click Here to learn more and buy the theme →

Managing Your Client Schedule

Posted September 27, 2010 in Managing Clients, Productivity

Having lots of clients is the goal for any freelancer who’s serious about business. The money is always flowing, your clients are happy and you’re working hard to maintain your reputation. The problem though, is the fact you haven’t seen the outside of your office for weeks, you dream about the next email you’re going to send to your clients, and you’re constantly checking your phone for client replies when you’re supposed to be like, doing other things.

Being a busy freelancer is much better than being a bored freelancer, but like with everything, it comes with its own set of problems. How do you deal when you have several projects going on at one time, and several more potential projects in the works? Most importantly, how do you keep your sanity?

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Open Thread: Where Are Most of Your Clients Located?

Posted September 26, 2010 in Open Thread

Are your clients mostly local, are they mostly international, or both? How do you adjust your business practices to accommodate where your clients are?

From comments I’ve read on our forum, Facebook fan page, and blog posts it seems that many freelancers work mostly with people in their local area. Even though we all have an Internet presence, it seems like many prefer to work with clients who are located nearby.

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10 Essential Pages in Your Freelance Site

Posted September 24, 2010 in Getting Clients, Marketing

I saw something interesting on my Twitter stream the other day: “Your blog is the new resume.”

How true! Everyone is so web savvy nowadays that we know we can get the dish on anybody by Googling their name.

Even if your prospects don’t have online businesses, they know that they can easily find out more about you on the Internet.

And, what are they likely to find? Embarrassing photos in Facebook? Less than flattering remarks you make on Twitter? Or, posts in which you complain about clients on your blog?

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How to Get More Done and Have More Fun

Posted September 23, 2010 in How-To, Productivity

Have you ever thought that by simply rearranging your daily tasks you could increase your productivity, get more done and enjoy yourself more? The biggest asset of freelancers worldwide is that they usually do what they love, and love what they do. But, what happens when you get stressed with deadlines, long working hours and lots of clients and you don’t have any more time for yourself, your family or your personal projects?

Most of you are probably organized to some extent. Most of you probably have a to-do list where you add tasks that need to be done and tick them off once they’re completed. However, have you ever thought that by simply rearranging that to-do list you can rediscover that working is fun, pleasant and enjoyable? By simply rearranging to-dos you can give yourself daily boosts.

How? You may ask. In this post, I’ll answer that question and show you how to get more from your work and more time for yourself.

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Quitting Your Job to Become a Freelancer

Posted September 22, 2010 in Getting Started

The day you’ve been dreading has finally come–your alarm goes off at 5:30 to get you up for work and instead of jumping out of bed to greet the day you groan and through a pillow over your head. You no longer look forward to getting out of bed at the crack of dawn, fighting hour long traffic and going into work just to be stuck in pointless meetings all day.

It’s true, you’ve hit a job rut. So, what do you do? If you’re like most people, you start looking through job websites for another full-time job. A year later, you’re back at the same place. Now you know just going from job to job isn’t satisfying you. What do you do? Perhaps it’s time to start freelancing.

It’s important to know that freelancing isn’t for everyone, but perhaps it’s for you. I wanted to start freelancing because I was tired of never getting to work on what I really wanted to. I was forced into doing design work, when all I wanted to do was code. It was time for a revolution.

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Networking 101 (Plus 15 Great Freelance Networking Strategies)

Posted September 21, 2010 in Managing Clients, Marketing

Networking is essential to freelancers. Through networking, we build relationships with individuals and companies that may eventually become our clients.

Many freelancers have the wrong idea about networking, though. They want instant results.

In this post, we’ll define networking, correct any misperceptions that you may have about networking, and list 15 networking strategies that you might not be aware of.

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