Five Easy Ways to Improve Yourself and Your Business
Posted April 21, 2010 in Business, Inspiration
As an established freelancer it might be easy to stay where and how you are. You’ve got plenty of work and clients, so why do you need to change right? Unfortunately, it’s this mindset that leads to slow downtimes and possibly failure.
The internet and the way we use it changes every day and if you don’t stay on top of this you can quickly become forgotten in this fast pace field. While this may seem like a downside, it isn’t. It forces you to continue to grow, learn and improve. No other industry can really match that!
So what are some things you can do to make sure you stay on top of things?
1. Don’t Discount the New Stuff
I’ll be honest with you. I thought Twitter was dumb a few years ago. Then, while I was at BarCamp, I noticed people were keeping in touch and giving quick previews of the sessions via Twitter. I signed up there and have been using it as my #1 social service since.
I also thought (think) that geolocation social media services are the stupidest things I’ve ever heard of. Why would anyone care if you’re in line at Wal-Mart or at the dentist? Then I realized that you could use these services to check in to business meetups, geek conventions and other places you’d think you could meet up with other professionals.
The point is, everything can be used the wrong way and everything can be used the right way (like geolocation). So don’t discount the “new thing” just because you haven’t figured out a use for it in a professional sense. Sign up for the service and try it out. This also allows you to get your user name of choice and ensures a “fake you” doesn’t sign up under your personal or business name.
2. Read, Read, Read!
I can’t stress the importance of reading enough. I probably spend close to $200-$300 in books every other month. Of course, reading is a huge hobby of mine and you don’t have to spend that much money. But, you should try to read something at least once a month. Try to read as many books on business, freelancing and whatever it is you do, but even fiction can help as well.
Reading can improve you and your business in several ways. Are you a freelance writer? Reading others’ works can improve your writing skills, grammar and give you ideas of different writing types. A freelance designer? Reading fiction and design books can improve your creativity and skills. Even developers can benefit by reading up on new code and learning organization and hierarchy from book layouts.
3. Organize Everything!
Stop wasting time searching for stuff or moving files from one computer to another. Use free services like Dropbox to sync your files over multiple computers, use built-in apps like iCal to monitor your to-dos and schedules and keep your folders and files organized by clients. Keep your desk clear of everything but your computer, mouse and keyboard. Stop printing things and keep digital copies instead.
This saves you so much time and sanity and allows you to find something quick and easy.
4. Is It Time to Think of “Next?”
If your business is already rolling along, you may be thinking of what to do next. Personally, I’ve been thinking about this for the past month and have decided that I want to eventually move away from being a client-oriented business and to build my own apps.
How cool would it be to not have to worry about pleasing a client, but to get to work on something you really love every day? While I’m only a front-end developer and am using a programmer for my first app, I’m looking forward to learning how to do my own iPhone and iPad apps.
So what is it you really want to do in business? How can you begin moving your business in that direction? You may have to work 14 hours a day for a few months, but it will be more than worth it when you’re finally able to do the work you really want to do.
5. Get Out and Meet People
I have a confession to make: I’m a hermit. I never leave my house. I mean, why should I go party when I have 100 emails, 600 RSS feeds and three client projects to finish by tomorrow? The problem with freelancing is that it can become a trap. You always feel like there’s work to be done, so you never really stop working. Even when I leave my office at five or six, I’m still working. I still check my emails, tweet, read business books and generally think about my business for the rest of the night. While this is kind of a hobby for me, it’s not healthy.
I realized as I attended PodCamp a month back, that I knew almost no one in the Nashville area. There are hundreds of freelancers, agencies and studios here, but I don’t have a relationship with any of them. I bet these places have run-off work, or even contain a few friends to have coffee with.
So get out of the house and work in a cafe a couple of times a day. I’ve been able to establish a good relationship with several of the people at Books-a-Million (where I’m writing this right now) and they feel like my friends. We chat, joke and I even get a few free samples (shh!). Meeting people are beneficial to both your business and your personal life, so don’t be like me and neglect that part of your life.
Your Turn
What are some of the things you’ve done to improve yourself and your business? Have you met any of your resolutions or goals yet?
Image by galego
Related posts:
- Five Useful Ways Dropbox Can Improve Your Business
- 6 Easy Ways Freelancers Can Save Money
- 12 Ways To Improve Your Websites Design
- Hit a Plateau? 4 Ways to Improve Your Skills
- 5 Easy Ways to Finish Your Day With A Bang
About the author: Amber is a freelancer with over 10 years of experience and specializes in clean, semantic and valid HTML5, CSS3 and Wordpress development. She also writes a web development blog at www.amberweinberg.com and just launched a web app for developers at www.codesnipp.it.
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47 Comments
Katie Geoffrion - greenerResume
April 21st, 2010 at 9:09 amLoved the article this morning, so motivational. I rack my brain everyday trying to find files and I even find myself spending hours organizing files and folders just to forget the next day where I put something. Having a “Dropbox” may be just the solution I was looking for.
I try to pick a new place to work every week. I’ve made a list… it’s my “explore a new park or a coffee house with my laptop list”. So I pick a day and set up camp at a different location once a week and it’s a nice change of scenery and often it’s very inspirational.
Matt Pritchett
April 21st, 2010 at 9:12 amAmber,
Excellent article. Several useful tips in there that I need to work on. I am like you, freelancing not just my business, it’s a passion that I tend to roll over into my “non-working hours.” I, just like you, need to learn to meet other people in my area.
Jordan Walker
April 21st, 2010 at 9:22 amReading is paramount to furthering yourself from the competition and staying up to date with they latest information.
A very simple move that I did this morning that improved my business, was register online for an EIN number. No more do I have to give out my social security number to employers for a 1090 tax form.
Enough for today – off to read “Building a Web 2.0 Application” – PHP Zend Framework and blogging. woohoo :)
Lexi Rodrigo
April 21st, 2010 at 9:47 amHey Amber, glad to know I’m not the only hermit around here. But I hope that will change soon when the toddler goes to school.
I do love all the growth and learning that we’re forced to go through as freelancers. Just working on my clients’ web content teaches me a ton of stuff! I get hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars worth of free education. How cool is that?
And for the record, you spend more than I do on books (attention: Mason)!
Chris Mower
April 21st, 2010 at 10:00 amDang, #1 hit home. I’ve been resisting Twitter for years… (just signed up last week) because I just couldn’t figure out the use of it for me. I decided I’d learn to make use of it though and make it a good tool.
Then they announced GeoLocation… and I thought… now people will know when to rob my house (paranoid, yep). But now that you write about it I can totally see a huge use for it. Thank you for the insights.
As far as getting out and meeting new people, I can’t agree with you more. Networking is huge key to getting customers and establishing a professional network.
Thanks for the post. It was another eye opener.
dawnaurora
April 21st, 2010 at 10:26 amGreat post. I am also a hermit. Don’t get out much at all. I do notice when I do get out of the house I am able to work my business better. It is quite refreshing to get out from the norm.
Lena Tailor | DT
April 21st, 2010 at 10:52 amThank you for posting this article……..My favorite part of this article is think positive #4 and #5.
Really inspiring.
Tony Naccarato
April 21st, 2010 at 11:03 amGreat Article. Those are all very good points. #5 is the area that I need to work on. This has really hit home as I’ve been reading The Wealthy Freelancer book. I do freelancing at night since I have a full-time job as well, and I realized that I need to take a break and get out some times.
LEBOW
April 21st, 2010 at 11:36 am“The problem with freelancing is that it can become a trap. You always feel like there’s work to be done, so you never really stop working. Even when I leave my office at five or six, I’m still working. I still check my emails, tweet, read business books and generally think about my business for the rest of the night.”
This is the best paragraph I have read all year.
Cook
April 21st, 2010 at 11:37 amgreat topic…..nice article
Jesaka Long
April 21st, 2010 at 11:46 amYou offer some great tips and advice here, Amber. I found that my business changed for the better when I worked my way out of the hermit shell. Spending time in different locations and with people has energized me and my work. It’s also helped me make great connections and land some fantastic new copywriting projects. It wasn’t easy at first, but the results have encouraged me to keep at it.
Ryan
April 21st, 2010 at 12:22 pmExcellent tips Amber.
I make it a point to leave my house frequently. I’ve worked from the library for about the past month. Forces me to interact with people, not the “things” we work with each day.
I also am an avid reader. Leaders are readers so I follow suit.
I’d add that an entrepreneur should spend at least 30 minutes – 1 hour daily in personal development. Perform affirmations, meditate, or visualize. Or do all three. Maybe Bill Gates was born with the billionaire mindset but the rest of us have to work at it.
Mark Thompson
April 21st, 2010 at 12:49 pmI think picking the right clients is huge. Sometimes that is easier said than done, but if you can find clients who are passionate about what they do, have a competitive advantage in their industry, and actually have a strategy that doesn’t rely solely on you, it will make your life a lot easier.
As far as what you should charge for your services, I don’t you should necessarily discount your services just because someone can’t afford you. It may be that they are not a good fit for you. If you start discounting your hourly rate or services up front, they will think they can do that throughout the relationship. Stick to your guns.
Jonathan B
April 21st, 2010 at 12:54 pmWow i really need to start working with 5.
Ty, great article :)
Jim Lochner
April 21st, 2010 at 1:15 pmAh, getting out and meeting people…the hardest part for me. I’m always thinking/working on the business and writing, even when I’m not actually in front of the computer. I’ve been known to pause DVDs or TV shows in the middle of “relaxing” just so I can check my email. Sad. I’ve always thought that trying to write in the real world (outside of a library) would be next to impossible for me. Guess I should give it a try.
Thanks for a great post that reminds of things that should be doing, not just thinking about. Thankfully, the reading part I have down pat. :)
Michal Kozak
April 21st, 2010 at 3:34 pmGreat article, Amber.
I especially agree with “don’t discount the new stuff”. I too thought Twitter is crap and didn’t really know how I can benefit from it, how I can use it, how can it help me.
I finally came to understand that. Although, I’m still little sceptical about geolocation services, but I will probably figure that out, too.
Anything Graphic
April 21st, 2010 at 8:56 pmGreat tips! One day, I hope I can write and communicate as good as you. Always gotta stay on top of new technology and ways of doing things. Always have to be persistant in bettering yourself and your services… right on!
peter demaria
April 22nd, 2010 at 12:09 amGreat article Amber! I’m a freelance graphic designer, and so much of this applies to the way the business of design is constantly adjusting. I recently discovered shoeboxed.com and outright.com, after realizing I had a huge need to not spend all of my time messing with financial stuff.
Looks like I might need to check out dropbox too…
Dino Digital
April 23rd, 2010 at 10:42 amWell done on the great article I do like reading the articles that are posted on this site they do provide helpful and rich information.
I went to a networking breakfast the other week and found it a huge benefit to the business and meeting new people. It is important to talk to other businesses on the same level as it really does help in sharing issues and finding out what to do in situations that people have got experiences in.
I liked the whats next section of your article as well. I am always trying to think of new ways to better business and improve to make new work and things come up in time.
Great article, was a real joy to read.
NK
April 24th, 2010 at 7:28 pmnice information
Khalid Janjua
April 24th, 2010 at 7:29 pmWell done on the great article
Isaiah Frazier
April 26th, 2010 at 8:34 pmLearning how to effectively communicate my ideas has substantially helped me in my freelance business as well as my personal life; Also waking up early to read has helped me a lot when it comes to reading books because your mind is fresh. I hoped this helps someone
Lee
April 27th, 2010 at 6:25 am[...] So get out of the house and work in a cafe a couple of times a day. I’ve been able to establish a good relationship with several of the people at Books-a-Million (where I’m writing this right now) and they feel like my friends. We chat, joke and I even get a few free samples (shh!). Meeting people are beneficial to both your business and your personal life, so don’t be like me and neglect that part of your life. via freelancefolder.com [...]
Rob
April 27th, 2010 at 4:13 pm[...] Five Easy Ways to Improve Yourself and Your Business – A great little tips post on how to improve yourself and in turn improve your business. [...]
Liz
April 30th, 2010 at 2:40 amI’ve recently started using Google Docs to store all my files (I use up to 5 laptops at times) – didn’t use the conversion feature. Not sure about others, but I used to email myself back and forth the files and it was a headache trying to keep up with the most recent version. Same with bookmarks – finally started using Delicious.
Other time savers for me is using the free online invoicing manager Billing Boss. For any invoices I create or payments I have, my accountant/bookkeeper instantly has access to it so I don’t need to reconcile the data with her each month. I can better manage my cash flow as I can easily track payments. It used to take me a long while trying to track who paid for what. http://www.billingboss.com.
Please note: This author has been compensated by Sage.
Cory
April 30th, 2010 at 2:14 pmGetting out and connecting with people (and new people) is vital!
For me, it jazzes me up when I go to a meetup or something and talk to other developers in my area. I hear about their projects and it motivates me to work on my stuff when I’m tired or burnt out.
It also helps to network with others because often new project work comes from it. I try to really network with people that do not do the exact same things I do. So hopefully, we can trade services and collaborate on projects which is usually always pretty fun.
jon
May 25th, 2011 at 4:22 pmThe problem i always face with free lancing is that I can’t interact with the people I hire. So I send them a video in which I explain things to them and motivate a little bit. Also by rewarding them. Since I hire a lot of freelancers, it is worth it.
Shandi Mohar
May 26th, 2011 at 5:01 pmTop-notch story indeed. We have been seeking for this tips.
Sol Hoversten
June 8th, 2011 at 10:19 amSuper article it is without doubt. My mother has been searching for this information.
Damian
August 18th, 2011 at 12:48 amHello Amber,
Thanks for those great thoughts. I especially agree with your comment on reading “Reading can improve you and your business in several ways”.
I need to expose myself to new ideas so that I don’t stagnate and yeah getting out and about is essential.
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