Just last week I noticed it in a parking lot where I stop frequently. It was a spectacular sight - a bright red flower growing up through a tiny crack in the pavement. The fact that the plant had survived was amazing. The fact that the plant was actually in bloom was even more astonishing.

Now, before we go any further, let me clarify. I’m not talking about some scraggly weed with a half-dead flower. This was a healthy, flourishing bloom - worthy of the finest garden.

I examined the parking lot. Not even the smallest bit of topsoil was visible. There was nothing at all in the parking lot that looked like it could nourish a flower.

Yet, somehow this particular flower had managed, not only to survive, but also to actually thrive. Despite the odds, it was a healthy, growing organism.

The Lesson For Freelancers

The odds of success are against most freelancers, especially when they are starting out. The fact is that most business start-ups fail within a few years. [Click here to read more →]

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Yes, today is our birthday! I launched Freelance Folder on July 23rd 2007, exactly a year ago. Wow, a year already! Crazy huh?

A lot of things have changed since I launched this little side project! Well, it didn’t took me long to realize that was going to be more than just a side project! ‘Working on Freelance Folder” quickly climbed all the way to the top of my everyday to-do list. :)

What Happened In The Last Year?

In the last year Freelance Folder went through 4 (or was it 5?) redesigns, we published over 300 posts written by freelancers from all over the world, and have been featured on tons of websites and blogs from LifeHacker and LifeHack to FreelanceSwitch and even ABC News.

Needless to say that the last year has been awesome! So I thought we could celebrate this with a contest! I’m sure you won’t mind. Drinks are on me! [Click here to read more →]

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There are a number of ways that a freelancer can lose her business. Sometimes, the economy takes a dive and she can’t recover. Sometimes, she isn’t good at what she does. Sometimes, she falls prey to one of the first six deadly sins of freelancing. She doesn’t plan, she doesn’t market, she aims too high or too low.

There is something else, though, that can destroy a freelance business. Of the seven deadly sins of freelancing, this is probably the most serious, the most severe, and the one sin with implications far beyond the freelancing business.

Deadly Freelancing Sin #7: Sacrificing Integrity

The old cliché tells us how “nice guys finish last.” We see examples of corporate leaders who do horrible things to get where they are. We hear about people climbing the career ladder, all the while stepping on the fingers of those below them. On, and on, and on it goes. People everywhere sacrifice their integrity and their own moral compass in order to get ahead. [Click here to read more →]

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Unless you’re an extremely successful freelancer, you’ll most likely find yourself holding an umbrella at some point or another. One month, you’ll have more than enough money to pay the bills. The next, you’ll find yourself considering the possibility of throwing in the towel.

What do you do when paying the bills each month requires a garage sale? Have no fear, there is one key thing that you can do to weather this proverbial storm.

Create A Budget

I know. I know. Creating and following a budget doesn’t sound fun at all (unless you’re weird like me. I spend way too much time staring at my profile on Mint.com). But we must always remember: This is a business! [Click here to read more →]

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If you think that every Tom, Dick and Harry can publish content on the web then you know what - you are absolutely right. Publishing is easy when we have services like blogger and wordpress that allows you to create a blog and start publishing your thoughts within minutes.

It’s so easy, it’s not even funny. However, not everyone can create appealing content that captivates readers and that sometimes goes viral and gets traffic or attracts business.

Creating great web content is not always easy and needs extra efforts.

And if you are a writer who’s been struggling to strike a chord with your audience, here are some tips which I have collected from my personal experience writing web content in the past few months, some of which have become very popular. I hope these tips will help you to create better web content. [Click here to read more →]

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Do you doodle? Do you have to draw abstracts when you are talking on the phone on anything that’s handy? Does your mind work better when the idea takes form on that discarded napkin? Then take a moment with me to see how you can’t possibly live without thumb nailing.

Thumb nailing goes by many different names too. I prefer doodling, but scribbles, chicken scratches, roughs, epiphanies, or just plain thoughts come to mind. For better or worse, these instantaneous thoughts that fall onto the nearest scrap of paper can be the start of something great.

Thumb nailing is simply rough hand drawn sketches we draw out for our own amusement or the very first glimmer of a project idea. Most of us are truly embarrassed to show these to our friends much less a client, but they are the foundation to all well thought out projects. As some of you know, I wake up at all hours or just don’t go to bed when I am in the groove of a project, as I am sure a lot of you do too.

By writing these ideas down, I capture the essence of the thought I want to hone later. [Click here to read more →]

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