Freelancefolder

Freelance Overload: How To Deal With Too Much Work

Posted November 30, 2009 in Business, Managing Clients 33 Rockin' Comments »

As freelancers we often face the dilemma of “feast and famine,” alternating between having too little work and too much. Here at Freelance Folder we’ve even written articles on how to avoid the cycle as well as help with avoiding the famine completely, but there will also be times when you are overwhelmed with work and more projects just keep falling into your lap.

Having too much work is a better problem to have than too little, but it is still a problem many freelancers face. With too much work, you risk getting burned out while working very long hours and not sleeping enough. You may start missing deadlines or be less accessible than some of your clients would like or need you to be.

So what do you do when your schedule is full to the brim, but clients keep calling and requesting new projects, updates or proposals? There are some simple steps you can take when you inevitably find yourself in this position.

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Why Your Worst Clients Should Still Get Your Best Service

Posted November 27, 2009 in Business, Managing Clients 45 Rockin' Comments »

Recently I have been involved in a few different discussions with other freelance designers in which I have noticed an unsettling trend: at some point in the conversation the topic turns to client horror stories. It usually starts out with some type of question about how the others would handle a particular situation that one is facing, but then it digresses to complaints about clients and the awful things they put us freelancers through.

Yes, we’ve probably all had at least one “nightmare client” experience. In fact, we may have been that experience for someone else (when was the last time you yelled at someone on the phone or chewed out a salesperson?) But witnessing the common direction of these discussions caused me to pause and think about the change of attitude and resulting practice that must occur if a freelancer with previous client malfunctions is going to move forward successfully.

Rather than doing your best to get that nightmare client’s project completed as quickly as possible and off your desk in hopes of never having to deal with them again, allow me to suggest that those clients you consider your “worst” or most difficult should be the recipients of your very best service. Here’s why:

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Freelancing For Agencies: Pros and Cons

Posted November 23, 2009 in Business, Managing Clients 40 Rockin' Comments »

One of the reasons I started freelancing was because I hated the work I did for my job. I was forced to do work outside of my specialty of web development. I was also forced to work for clients I hated who demanded impossible deadlines and coding feats. When I started freelancing, I decided two things:

1. I would not have any clients.
2. I would only do the work I wanted to do.

In this post, I’ll explain how I met both of these goals.

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Ten Signs You Need To Refuse That Project

Posted November 18, 2009 in Business, Managing Clients 52 Rockin' Comments »

You’ve worked hard looking for a freelance project. Finally, it looks like all of your hard work is about to pay off. Someone offers you a freelancing gig. Now it’s time to breathe a huge sigh of relief and dig into the project. Right?

Well, maybe not… Unfortunately, not all freelance opportunities are created equal. It’s best to be cautious when accepting new work. Taking the wrong freelancing job can set you up for failure, or worse, damage your professional reputation.

In this post, we’ll show you what to do if you need more information about a freelancing project before deciding whether to take it. We’ll also identify some project types that you should avoid.

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Five Ways To Find Revenue Sharing Opportunities

Posted November 6, 2009 in Business, Marketing 13 Rockin' Comments »

A few weeks ago, we posted an article about how to maximize freelance income. In that post, I got an excellent question from one of our FreelanceFolder readers in the comments — they wanted to learn more about earning income through revenue sharing.

You may be asking yourself the same question.

In this post, we’ll explain all about revenue sharing and show you five methods that you can use to find and initiate revenue sharing opportunities. We’ll also help you recognize and avoid some possible revenue sharing traps.

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The Basics of Freelancing on the Go

Posted November 5, 2009 in Business, Lifestyle 39 Rockin' Comments »

Are you a mobile freelancer?

If you’re trying to live the freelance dream, chances are that you answered “yes” to the previous question, or are at least thinking about it.

The old stereotype of the freelancer who works alone in his or her home office is changing. The image is being replaced by a newer, more mobile freelancer.

In this post we examine the growing trend of “freelancing on the go” and the essential tools that make it possible. Read on to find out just how easy it is to become a mobile freelancer.

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How To Find, Save, and Create Your Own Good Ideas

Posted October 30, 2009 in Business, Inspiration 30 Rockin' Comments »

“Where do you get your ideas?”

It’s a common question. If you’ve ever struggled with writer’s block or been stuck on what to design next, then you know exactly what I mean. The right idea can make the difference between a successful freelancing project and a failure.

In this post we’ll show you a few places where you can find good ideas for your freelancing business, and we’ll also give you some tips on how to generate your own winning ideas.

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5 Steps to Winning Any Client Project

Posted October 26, 2009 in Business, Marketing 22 Rockin' Comments »

The ability to win new client projects is an essential skill to any freelancer. It’s something we freelancers practice from the day we get started, and it’s usually a skill that builds over time.

Aside from just practice, there are actually a lot of things you can do to become better at winning new client projects. Winning projects is not a confusing process, and it can actually be broken down very methodically.

In this article we’ve done just that, and divided the project-winning process into five steps. Read on for an explanation of each step, and a few tips for what you need to do to win at each stage of the game.

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Six Foundations of Freelance Success

Posted October 23, 2009 in Business, Inspiration 39 Rockin' Comments »

Are you sick of reading about other people’s success? Are you tired of seeing headlines like these?

• How I Made a Thousand Dollars In a Single Day
• I Earn a Full-time Income While I Sleep Without Even Lifting a Finger
• Retire Rich This Year
• Become a Millionaire Tomorrow

You could probably list similar headlines. The Internet is littered with these types of promises. You’re probably just about as tired of seeing these headlines as I am.

Real success doesn’t happen overnight, and it isn’t easy either. Most of these success headlines aren’t useful to freelancers — they may have worked for someone in a very specific situation, but most of them are just scams or useless information.

That being said, there is real success advice you can use that works practically 100% of the time. Best of all, following this freelancing advice won’t cost you a dime.

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