Freelancefolder

7 Warning Signs That You Are About to Lose a Client

Posted January 9, 2012 in Managing Clients

Tweet

Long-term clients are great for a freelancer’s bottom line. There’s nothing quite like knowing that you have a six-month or even a year contract for the foreseeable future.

It should come as no surprise, then, that losing a long-term client can be traumatic for a freelancer and devastating to a freelancing business. Losing a client that you were counting on for regular work can take many of us from feast to famine in no time.

In this post, I list some of the most common reasons why freelancers lose clients. You can use these reasons to help determine if you are about to lose a client. Also, I invite readers to share their own advice and experiences about losing (and retaining) clients.

[Click Here to Read More...]

Freelancing Un-resolutions to Make 2012 Your Best Freelancing Year Yet

Posted January 5, 2012 in Marketing

Tweet

Everyone will be writing posts about New Year’s resolutions, so how about one with un-resolutions? That is, instead of talking about what you should be doing, how about we talk about what you ought to stop doing instead?

As we ring out the old year, let’s sweep out some bad freelancing practices along with it, shall we? These practices and habits are things that undo freelancers, keeping them small and stopping them from succeeding. I sat down and thought of….

[Click Here to Read More...]

12 Must-Read Freelancing Predictions for 2012

Posted January 3, 2012 in Inspiration

Tweet

Don’t you wish you could see into the future of freelancing? If you could, you’d know what freelancing trends are coming up and what niches to concentrate on. You’d be ahead of the game on social media too.

But seeing into the future, like mind reading, is an imprecise art (at best). However, it is possible to make some educated guesses about the future of freelancing based on current trends.

So, that’s what I’m going to do for 2012. In this post I’ll share twelve predictions about areas that will impact freelancers in the coming year. At the end of the post, I’d like you to share your predictions too.

[Click Here to Read More...]

8 Metrics Every Freelancer Should Measure at the End of the Year

Posted December 30, 2011 in Business, Productivity

Tweet

It’s the end of the year, and you know what that means…end of year reporting! Now’s the time of the year to dig out the Excel sheets, budgets, expense reports and bank statements and start reconciling. A pain, yes…but incredibly valuable.

Freelancers and independent workers often skip this critical exercise. Moving from the end of one year to the next is approached with a somewhat oozing type of existence, only slightly punctuated by a couple weeks of either reduced or insane workloads (industry dependent, for sure).

One of the best things you can do for your business – whether you’re a solo shop or a multi-national concern, is to stop at the end of the year and take a look at how things went. For freelancers and independents, you should be looking at the following metrics:
[Click Here to Read More...]

What to Do About All that Stuff

Posted December 28, 2011 in How-To, Lifestyle

Tweet

You know the stuff I mean: ebooks, videos, books, training materials, blog posts you mean to read, and so on…

I have a small confession to make. I’m not new to freelancing, but I’m a repeat victim of the Shiny New Object Syndrome. Simply put, I love to try new things–whether they be ecourses, new social media tools, books, and so on.

You’ve probably guessed this about me already by reading some of my posts (especially those posts about trends).

The trouble with trying new things is that, if they aren’t managed properly, they can take clutter up your workspace and take all your available time.

In this post, I’ll discuss this problem and share a few simple tips that help me manage all that stuff.

[Click Here to Read More...]

35+ of Your Favorite Software Tools

Posted December 26, 2011 in Tools/Resources

Tweet

What software tools do freelancers love to use? Whether you’re a seasoned freelancer, or just getting started, there’s a tool that is right for you.

We’ve written plenty of posts about resources for freelancers. A few months ago, however, we asked you to share your favorite software tools. Many of you did just that.

In this post, we list those software tools that you said you loved in one convenient place–over 35 of them! We also invite those of you who may have missed the original open thread to once again share your favorite software with us. (Note: Some of these tools are open source or freeware although some do cost money. Where possible, I’ve identified the free tools.)
[Click Here to Read More...]

Two Weeks to More Client Leads

Posted December 22, 2011 in Marketing

Tweet

Have you ever gotten desperate for clients? Maybe you don’t know how you’re going to pay next month’s rent. Maybe your car broke down and repairs will cost more than you have right now. Maybe a tree fell into your house and your insurance won’t cover it (that’s a true story, by the way).

Whatever the reason, you need clients. Right now. What’s a freelancer to do?

It’s time to step up your marketing game! Fortunately, there are tried and tested marketing strategies that have proven to be effective for freelancers. No need to reinvent the wheel.

Read the list below and choose two you can implement in the next two weeks.

[Click Here to Read More...]

5 Easy Tips to Increase Your Bottom Line

Posted December 21, 2011 in How-To, Productivity

Tweet

Do you want a bigger bottom line?

As a freelancer business owner, you probably DO want bigger bottom line–you just may not know how to get one. In case you don’t know, in a nutshell your bottom line is the money left over after you meet your expenses. (Who wouldn’t want more of that?)

In this post I share five easy tips to help you increase your freelancing bottom line. Feel free to share your own tips for improving the freelancing bottom line in the comments.

[Click Here to Read More...]

It Will Happen to You

Posted December 19, 2011 in Lifestyle

Tweet

“That will never happen to me.”

Have you ever heard another freelancer say those words? Have you said them yourself?

Over the years, I’ve heard other freelancers use those words to describe situations ranging from family emergencies, to getting too busy, to getting sick, to missing a deadline. Regrettably, I’ve also heard some of those same freelancers take back words when the very thing that they never planned for happens.

It’s no secret that I’m a big advocate of having a Plan B (and maybe even a Plan C) for dealing with common setbacks.

The odds of lightening striking you are pretty slim. From what I’ve read, fewer than 500 people are injured by lightening each year in the U.S. It does happen, though. I once hired an attorney who actually had been struck by lightening.

Other setbacks are much more likely to happen. The truth is that no one is immune from life’s troubles. The very thing that you think will never happen to you may also be the thing that puts you out of business if you’re not ready for it.

In this post, I’ll share ten common problems that most freelancers eventually face and talk about how to deal with each of them.
[Click Here to Read More...]