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Recently, the FreelanceSwitch community was asked what simple, one-line advice they would give newly minted freelancers. The result was a surprising and poignant mix of wisdom, humor, and insight on topics such as clients, money, marketing, and keeping one’s sanity. Read on for the best advice from the FreelanceSwitch community! Continue Reading

As a freelancer, it’s important to focus as much of your time as possible on the work you have or getting the work you need. And that means minimizing administrative tasks. Take bookkeeping, for example.

Bookkeeping is critical for maximizing tax deductions and monitoring the overall health of your business, but it’s a royal pain. In this post I’ll show you how to automate bookkeeping tasks so you can stay focused on existing jobs while marketing your talents.

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“The shoemaker’s children go barefoot.”

You’re not a shoemaker but the saying still fits. Between client projects, conferences, and social obligations (okay, okay, WOW clan meetings may count as social obligations), your site has been sorely neglected. A neglected website might not seem like a big deal if you’re flush with work. But what happens when, Zeus forbid, work slows? You’ll start pushing for new work, realize that your site is a mess, and spend time working on your site you should have spent landing new contracts.

As a reminder for the veterans and a guide for those just starting out, here are seven elements of a successful freelancer’s website:

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If you work with clients based in the U.S, you’ve probably received a Form 1099-MISC. That’s the form that a business uses to report money paid to contractors, as well as to report other income. You should receive a copy of the form from your clients by January 31 of each year. Your clients who issue Form 1099s also send a copy to the IRS, letting them know how much income you really ought to be reporting on your taxes.

But this system is notoriously full of problems. Maybe you didn’t actually receive your copy of the form. Or maybe your client reported a number to the IRS that had nothing to do with what they paid you this year. Or maybe your client went out of business before they could even get around to filing their taxes. Whatever the circumstances, if you’re a U.S. taxpayer, you need to get that paperwork straightened out so that the IRS doesn’t hassle you about incorrect numbers.
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The latest episode of Freelance Radio, the official FreelanceSwitch podcast, is now available! This episode, the panel (John Brougher, Dickie Adams, Kristen Fischer and Von Glitschka) talks about Dickie’s freelance dilemma. Subscriptions to the podcast are available via iTunes and an archive of all podcasts will appear in the podcast section. We hope you enjoy it!
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In this issue of Ask FreelanceSwitch, Travis King and Thursday Bram look at the pros and cons of higher learning and how to be young and successful.

Ask FreelanceSwitch is a new regular column here that allows us to help beginners get a grip on freelancing. If you have a question about freelancing that you want answered, send an email to askfreelanceswitch@gmail.com.

Lock and load!
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When I first heard that the Smashing Magazine was putting together a book, I naturally wondered what it could possibly contain. Pages filled with 100 Outstanding Websites that are Yellow? 50 Really Cool Wine Websites?

Perhaps they were putting together an inspiration picture book?

For those that have been following Smashing Magazine over the years you have probably noticed a subtle shift recently towards less Digg bait and more solid article writing. It is fortunately this style of writing that makes an appearance in the Smashing Book.
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In my previous post, I talked about pitfalls that await someone who leaves a crummy job for an ill-fated business venture.

For me, the crummy job was in the publications and publicity office of a fundraising organization. This organization lavished all sorts of loving kindness on its donors, but couldn’t extend the same courtesy to its staff. The ill-fated business was a bicycle book publishing venture.

During the summer before I left my job, I attended the Stanford Professional Publishing Course (SPPC), which was held on the campus of Stanford University. This was considered to be one of the most prestigious courses in the publishing industry, and I was thrilled when I got the acceptance letter.

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Setting your rates as a freelancer can be a tough decision. You have to determine what amount you have to earn each hour in order to not only pay your bills but have a little extra left over. You have to decide what your work is worth. You have to decide what clients will be willing to pay. And once you’ve spent all that time and energy figuring out your rates, a client will come along and want to negotiate an entirely different rate.

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