Comments on: Freelance Folder Birthday Contest – Official Rules And Prizes

By: Jon Phillips

Jon Phillips — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 18:15:04 +0000

Hi Deborah! We haven’t published the post announcing the winners yet, that should be up a little later today or early tomorrow :)

By: Deborah

Deborah — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 18:13:20 +0000

Who were the lucky winners? Did I miss the post announcing the winners?

By: Jon Phillips

Jon Phillips — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 06:49:36 +0000

Hey everyone! Thanks a lot for all the comments, tips, tricks and advices! We’ll announce the winners on Monday :)

*note: comments made after this one will not count – you can still leave one and contribute, but you would not be entered in the contest.

By: Angie Bowen

Angie Bowen — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 06:03:15 +0000

I’ve found it very helpful to use a combination of Rescue Time and Toggl to keep track of exactly where my time is going. As a freelancer it’s very easy to lose track of time and either spend too much or not enough time working.

By: Dave McGahan

Dave McGahan — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 04:00:46 +0000

The web with services such as odesk.com can bring freelancers and clients together from across the world. – This can help ease the local quieter periods for freelancers.
However dealing with clients in other timezones can be tricky – especially with daylight saving times coming into effect at different times in different countries.
I use a world clock http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/ to help let me know when a suitable time to call or skype a client is likely to be. For those who use MacOS 10.4+, the dashboard features allows you to load multiple clocks in different time zones. I believe Vista has a similar feature.

By: Erica DeWolf

Erica DeWolf — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 03:04:10 +0000

This is a great contest! I hope I win!! Here is my entry!

http://ericadewolf.wordpress.com/2008/08/05/take-freelance-plunge/

By: Brian Groce

Brian Groce — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 01:42:22 +0000

I have two tips for freelancers:

1) Treat yourself as a professional. It is easy to initially get into the thought that your business isn’t “real” until your reach a certain point (until you have an office, until you’ve landed a huge client, until you have employees, etc.). Once you change your course of thought and start thinking of yourself and your business as “real”, and referring to your business as its own entity, others will take notice and treat you that way.

2) Take interest in your clients…don’t treat the work as “just a job”. If you take interest in your clients and their work, your clients will notice and will continue to come to you for work down the road. Also, they will become your biggest fan and refer others to you which is extremely valuable for any freelancer.

By: Anna Weber

Anna Weber — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 23:58:26 +0000

I think the biggest thing I have learned as a newbie is not to be shy about mentioning my latest freelancing endeavors. When I first decided to pursue this fully, I was nervous about mentioning it to friends, co-workers, past employers etc. in the event they might find the idea frivolous or far-fetched. Of course, this is really just my own overactive imagination at play.

Once I started talking about it (my website, my projects, my interviews: all of it) I found so many more opportunities right in my backyard. It seemed like every other friend had work at their company that needed to be done or was interested in passing my name on to others.

Talk yourself up! Bring up your freelancing casually into any conversation you can without being SUPER awkward!

Be proud!

By: Chris

Chris — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 23:40:30 +0000

I didn’t think of this myself– I read somewhere that it was Jerry Seinfeld’s technique for getting himself to write every day. But it works for every job that requires daily discipline.

Buy one of those huge wall calendar posters, one that shows every month on one side. Then get the fattest red marker you can find. Every day that you complete your task, put a big red X on that day. Pretty soon, that desire to keep your X streak going will be a great motivator.

Whether you’re Jerry Seinfeld trying to write new jokes every day, a freelance blogger trying to think up new posts every day, or a freelance designer trying to develop new leads every day, this technique will keep you motivated. It also works well if you’re just trying to stop smoking, start exercising, or motivate yourself to start/stop/keep any habit.

By: Hope

Hope — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 23:22:45 +0000

I’ve been freelancing for a little over 2 1/2 years now, one year as a full-timer and for me the process has been a gradual one with the build up of clients and contacts and learning the ropes. Here are my little tips for new and seasoned freelancers.

1. Keep a to-do list, heck, keep several to-do lists and have them prominently placed in your work area. I have so many little things to do from calling clients to emails to just writing that I’m always forgetting something. Faithfully keeping a to do list and looking at it daily can prevent those little tasks from getting swept under the rug.

2. Keep your receipts! I don’t know about you, but I was a little shocked at my income taxes after that first year of part time freelancing. We not only have income taxes, we also have to pay Self-employment taxes. Keep every single receipt you can for purchases related to your work or business because you’ll need them for deductions at the end of the year.

3. Take a little risk now and then. I never would have gotten started as a freelance writer if I hadn’t taken a risk and paid for a membership on one of those subscription job boards. Plus, some of my best jobs have been in areas or working with software, techniques or skills I was unfamiliar in. They paid well and I learned quickly and picked up a new skill set while I was at it. Don’t be afraid to bid on a job that seems a little outside your comfort zone. What’s the worst thing that could happen? You’ll get it, that’s what!