Freelancefolder

How to Really Use LinkedIn to Market Your Freelance Business

Posted November 2, 2010 in How-To

Should freelancers be using LinkedIn to promote their freelance business?

To answer that question, let’s take a closer look at LinkedIn:
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How to Get Ahead When There’s No Work

Posted November 1, 2010 in How-To

Every freelancer, no matter how awesome they are, goes through slow periods. They often only last a week or two–but when you’re used to getting a lot of checks in the mail, that week can go on for forever. Even though you should be used to it by now, it’s still stressful, but there’s hope yet!

If you’re like me, you probably have the tendency to sit around and stare at the computer screen or play on Twitter all day when there’s nothing to work on. However, if you make a plan for your next slow period, you can get ahead for your next work rush and come out better in the long run.

You’ll actually be looking forward to the slow periods!

Let’s take a look at some of the things you can do when there’s no client work to be found.

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The Definitive Guide to Creating Your Own Freelancing A-Team

Posted October 28, 2010 in How-To, Productivity

Do you remember the hit television series, “The A-Team”? Not the ridiculously over-the-top Hollywood movie. I’m referring to the original, campy TV show starring Mr. T. It was a great show about a team of elite military convicts who banded together to create an unstoppable force for good. Plus, they blew stuff up in every episode.

In my last post titled 5 Reasons Every Freelancer Needs an Accountability Group I discussed the “why” of creating your A-Team. (Note: I really wish I had thought of the “A-Team” reference before the article ran. But, so goes life.)

The feedback was awesome and there seemed to be a lot of interest in the “how to” part of creating your team.

Well, without further ado, I present to you “The Definitive Guide to Creating Your A-Team.” Explosives manual not included.

Our group has been running for six months now and, during that time, we’ve learned a lot about what makes our group work. Please remember that, unless specified below, these are guidelines and best practices. I would encourage you to make appropriate changes and share them in the comments below so that others can learn from both your successes and mistakes.

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How to Manage People Effectively

Posted October 26, 2010 in How-To

So, maybe you thought that when you became a freelancer you wouldn’t have to deal with people any more. After all, freelancing from home and being self-employed means that you’re the only person you’ll ever have to deal with.

Right?

Wrong!

If anything, the ability to deal with people is even more important to a freelancer than it is to a traditional employee.
Your freelancing business is actually all about people. If you think about it, dealing with the people who are your clients and prospective clients is vital to your freelancing success.

Later, when your business grows, you may also have to deal with people who work for you. Some of these people may be subcontractors that you outsource work to. Or, if your freelancing business is large enough, they may actually be your employees. In some cases, you may need to manage a team for a client’s project or for one of your own projects.

Here at Freelance Folder, we’ve already written quite a lot about managing clients. While managing clients continues to be a very important factor for freelancers, this post addresses the topic of how to manage others on projects or because they work for you.

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