Freelancefolder

25 Tips for Avoiding Communication Problems

Posted December 9, 2011 in How-To, Managing Clients

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Miscommunication is a huge obstacle to building a successful relationship. And, since freelancer/client trust is based on relationship–miscommunication can be a huge problem for freelancers.

Nearly every freelancer eventually faces a communication problem with a client. Even those of us who specialize in clear communication sometimes have problems.

In this post, I’ll describe some steps that every freelancer can take to avoid miscommunication.

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4 Essential Elements of Freelance Business Planning

Posted December 7, 2011 in Getting Started, How-To

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Some freelancers strongly advocate the use of business plans for freelancers. Other freelancers will tell you that you don’t really need a business plan at all.

So, which advice is right? Do freelancers need a business plan or don’t they? In my opinion, both opinions are correct.

While not all freelancers need to have a formal business plan like the kinds that you would take to the bank or to investors, all freelancers do need to engage in some sort of business planning. That’s just part of running a business. (However, do keep in mind that if you do plan on going to bank for a business loan, selling your business, or going public with business–then a formal business plan will most likely be needed.)

In this post we’ll go over the four essential elements of business planning that freelancers can’t ignore (even if they choose not to use a formal business plan). My goal is to streamline the process and make it easy for most freelancers.

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Holiday Sale Starts Now! Get The Client Machine for Only $39

Posted December 6, 2011 in News

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Happy Holidays from your friends at FreelanceFolder! This holiday season we are putting all of our great products on sale. The sale for today is The Client Machine for only $39.

Learn about The Client Machine

How You Can Simplify Your Freelancing Business

Posted December 5, 2011 in How-To

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Having a simple lifestyle is common to freelancers. For some, a simpler lifestyle is imposed upon them by the reduced and unpredictable nature of their freelance income.

But for others, downsizing is a choice.

A simple lifestyle, including a simple freelancing business, gives you more focus. Because simplifying tends to cut down on distractions, you may enjoy higher productivity. A simpler lifestyle also tends to be less stressful and more financially sustainable.

In short, simplifying your freelancing business and the rest of your life will give you more time and energy for what’s really important to you.

How can you simplify your freelancing business? Below, I go over several areas of your business that you can examine and simplify:

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Open Thread: Why Did You First Become a Freelancer?

Posted December 4, 2011 in Getting Started, Open Thread

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Everyone has a different story. Everyone starts freelancing for a different reason.

Some people want to increase their earning potential. Some people want to start an empire. Others are simply looking for a way to spend more time with friends and family. Still others may start freelancing for an entirely different reason.

Every freelancer has a set of goals that is unique to them. The beauty of freelancing is that with a little talent and a lot of hard work, it’s likely that you can achieve your goals as a freelancer.

That’s why today we’re asking you about your unique set of goals. We’d like to hear:

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What Hoops Will You Jump Through for Your Clients?

Posted December 2, 2011 in Freelance Stories, Managing Clients

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We freelancers go to great lengths to keep our clients happy. After all, we want to be known for providing excellent customer service. So we usually do our best to meet client requests–even that means jumping through some hoops to keep the client satisfied.

However, some customer requests are just plain unreasonable. This post describes some “hoops” that aren’t worth jumping through–even to make a client happy.

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First-Class Service: How to Spot What Clients Really Need

Posted December 1, 2011 in Managing Clients

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Miscommunication is a peril that we have to work to avoid in our daily lives not just as freelancers, but as people. Often you may think you’ve successfully communicated with someone and understood what it is that they want or expect and it is not until much later on that you realize what they said and what they really want are not one and the same.

Maybe you have experienced this with a client while setting up plans for a project or service. It’s possible that at the time you felt the communication about what you are going to do and provide went well and that the communication was very open and successful.

Because of this you were even more frustrated and surprised later on while touching base about the progress of the plans to find the client unsatisfied. What went wrong?

Often it is a problem with the client’s expression of what they want, his or her visualization of their idea, the client’s understanding of the logistics of what is possible and of your field of work, or maybe a combination of all three.

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Stuck in Your Tracks? How to Get Unstuck Today

Posted November 30, 2011 in Inspiration

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Freelancing can be a great lifestyle that offers many benefits. However, sometimes even the best freelancers get stuck.

There are many ways a freelancer can get stuck. They can get stuck in the rut of working for low pay. They can get stuck creatively where they find themselves doing the same unchallenging work over and over. Or, they can get stuck when they fall behind technology and current trends.

If this is you–if you’re a stuck freelancer right now, don’t worry. There are ways to become unstuck. In this post, I’ll provide some of those ways to help you get unstuck.

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5 Reasons Why I Prefer to Freelance for Others

Posted November 29, 2011 in Freelance Stories, Lifestyle

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Back when I first started as an SEO professional (and a part-time content writer) it was common among SEO professionals to get some hands-on experience and then quit their jobs to start their own online business. There were so many opportunities lingering around in the cyber world and everybody wanted to grab a piece of the pie. Back then there was a lot more earning potential in starting an online business than in working on freelance gigs for others.

Needless to say, internet marketing experts and other professionals associated with this industry used to frown upon the idea of doing freelance work for others. IMO, times have changed, and starting an online business is not as good an idea as it was a few years ago.

These days, I meet a lot of professionals (for example: SEO, writers, developers, designers, etc) who are fretting over the fact that they are doing all the work while the “company” gets all the riches and growth without doing anything. That viewpoint is not entirely wrong, but things are not easy on the client side of table either. Of course, experiences will turn out differently for different people.

However, I believe that starting an online venture is not the ultimate answer to success any more. In this post, I’ve listed some reasons why I think working as a freelancer for others can sometimes be a better choice than starting your own venture.

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