Freelancefolder

What You Must Know to Survive in a Rapidly Changing Freelance Marketplace

Posted May 3, 2011 in How-To, Inspiration

Running a business is tough enough, but when you’re centered in an industry that seems to change almost every day, it can seem impossible. While there’s a ton of freelance work out there, there’s also plenty of competition and it becomes a daily fight to set yourself apart.

One of the best things about being a freelancer is that when you get the ball rolling with clients, you don’t have to go looking for work or advertise often. However, if you’re not careful to keep up with the industry, you can find your skills behind the curve, and your clients somewhere else.

So how do you survive in this competition heavy industry?
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10 Totally Imaginary Freelancing Tools We Wish Really Existed

Posted April 26, 2011 in Freelance Stories, Inspiration

You’ve been working hard all week at freelancing, and so have I. It’s time to have some fun!

If you’ve ever wished there was a tool to make freelancing easier, this post is for you.

We’ll take a humorous look at ten freelancing tools that don’t exist (as far as I know, LOL), but we wish did. At the end, I’ll also ask for your suggestions for new freelancing tools.

So, read on, and don’t forget to laugh.

Product developers, pay attention now! There could be a fortune in these ideas. ;)

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Freelance Lessons Learned–Make Your Own Music

Posted March 24, 2011 in Freelance Stories, Inspiration

Before I became a full-time freelancer, I’d imagine my future career and split it into two phases:

• Pre-freelance (when I lacked clarity and direction)
• Post-freelance (which would be full of purpose and perfection)

The reality was much different. Instead of leaving one life behind, I found that lessons from my previous career helped me in my new one. The most helpful lessons came from a surprising source–my job as a belly dancing teacher.

Before I was a writer (okay, I’ve always been a writer, but before I realized I could make a living off of it) I taught belly dance classes three days a week at my college. It wasn’t something I’d planned. I’d started out as a student and my teacher decided to mentor me to take over her role. For months I shadowed her classes, then worked up to teaching the warm up. The day I finally got my own class, I showed up with lesson plans, ready to take the class by storm…only to learn that I’d forgotten all my music.

In this post, I’ll explain how I handled this problem and explain what it has to do with freelancing.

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5 Freelance Lessons I Learned from Working in the Fast Food Industry

Posted March 20, 2011 in Freelance Stories, Inspiration

It’s funny where the little lessons on life stem from. I was surprised the other day to discover that many of the work habits I use daily were ingrained into me from my first job in fast food. I started working right after I turned 16, and by doing the same thing every day for the next two years, I developed a set of rules from my experience that still apply today.

Whether at the drive-thru, the front registers or cleaning up the lobby, I’ve taken those lessons and applied them to my freelance business. Although I don’t smell like burgers at the end of the day, using the customer service rules of the fast-food industry has helped make my freelance business successful.

Below are a few freelance lessons I learned from my stint in fast food that can be applied to almost any type of business.

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10 Top Tips to Combat Procrastination

Posted March 18, 2011 in Inspiration, Lifestyle

Procrastination can be dangerous for a freelancing business.

If you put critical tasks off for too long you may find yourself without enough time to get them done properly. This is important because rushed work tends to be sloppy and less desirable for clients.

Procrastinating may even cause you to lose a client, or worse, your business. Yet, many of us put off necessary tasks every day without even realizing it.

In this post, I’ll tackle some of the reasons why we procrastinate and provide practical steps that you can easily follow to overcome it.

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5 Ways to Always Be Highly Motivated

Posted March 10, 2011 in Inspiration, Productivity

Work for me is not work. Why? Because I love what I do. Sure, I expend effort. I’m up early, before the rest of my colleagues, creating, planning and strategizing.

Even as I prepare this article I am seated in one of a few of my favorite cafes at 7 a.m., as is my habit, writing.

I’ll be at my office around 8.30 a.m., and before I get there I will have already written yet another ‘winning’ article designed specifically to help others to reach their full potential.

How do I do it? In this post, I’ll share what motivates me. It may work for you too.

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Are Your Current Freelancing Practices Too Boxed In?

Posted February 25, 2011 in Inspiration

You’re doing a great job of following all the freelancing advice you can find─to the letter!

You’re managing your time very well. You’re charging the right rate for your services. You’ve even selected a freelancing specialty.

You’re doing everything right, but something is very wrong! What it could be?

I’ll tell you what it could be. You may have allowed yourself to become so boxed in with advice that you’re failing to enjoy the freedom that drew you to freelancing in the first place.

Advice is great, but enough is enough. In this post, we’ll discuss the importance of sometimes thinking and acting outside of the box.

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Are Freelancing Expectations Keeping You from Your Ultimate Success?

Posted February 17, 2011 in Inspiration, Lifestyle, News

No matter what your freelancing specialty is, I think it’s fair to say that we all entered freelancing with a certain set of expectations. Of course, your expectations were most likely different mine.

If you’ve been freelancing for any significant length of time, you probably already realize that there are some differences between your expectations before you were a freelancer and your actual experience as a freelancer. In the past, we’ve done a really good job at comparing common freelancing expectations with the reality of freelancing.

In this post, I’m going to do something different. I’m going to explain why your freelancing expectations may be keeping you from success and why you should let those old expectations go.

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5 Rules for Breaking Out of Self-Imposed Life Imprisonment

Posted January 30, 2011 in Inspiration

You and I are responsible for whether we live our lives in freedom and liberty, or whether we live a life constrained by the chains of self-imposed imprisonment.

We cannot blame our parents, our education, our country our politicians or anyone else for the state we are in.

We must stand up and fight like a full grown man or woman, by taking our life in both hands, and grabbing what it has to offer us with enthusiasm, passion and resourcefulness.

But some respond, ‘But I’m not talented. I don’t have enough money. I’m not sufficiently educated. I was born on the wrong side of the tracks. I wasn’t…’

Stop! Stop! Stop!

Here are five rules that, if you follow them, will equip you to break out of your current restrictive prison into a life that is free indeed.

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