Dissecting the Logo Design Creation Process
There are times when creating a logo can seem overwhelming. But in an industry where efficiency is key, I’ve learned a few tricks that help me to create logos that are effective, meet my clients’ objectives, and are portfolio pieces that I feel proud of.
Today I’m going to walk you through my logo design creation process, and what better way to walk you through it than by using a client case study?
Meet The Modern Woman’s Divorce Guide, a web-based divorce how-to that also empowers women.
AppStorm – Mac Apps Blog Launched
Way back in 2007 we published a super popular article here on FreelanceSwitch titled 35 Absolutely Essential Mac Apps. It must have hit a chord because to this day it’s in the top 5 most viewed articles on the site every single month. It’s so popular … we decided to build an entire blog on the subject!
And so I’m happy to introduce you to Envato‘s newest member of the family – AppStorm – the Mac Apps Blog! The site runs daily reviews, roundups and how-tos for getting more out of your favourite Mac apps. Continue Reading
Four Excel Tools You Can Use
I recently concluded a series of articles on New Year’s Planning. And here we are, in the New Year, and I have it on good authority that some of you still haven’t created your 2009 client acquisition plan.
I’m also hearing that there are some freelancers who have yet to do an annual budget.
We’ll start with client acquisition. I’ve created a free Excel application that will allow you to track your efforts. Download the 10 Business-Building Tools Tracker file and open it in Excel. Since it’s in Read-Only format, save the file under a different filename so you can work with it.
How to Prevent Hijackers from Ripping Off Your Website
Imagine all of your hard work being ripped off by someone half way around the world. My first thought was always, “Ah, that’ll never happen to me. What are the chances?” Imagine my surprise when I found out my freelance website (HTML, CSS, graphics, design-down-to-the-last-detail) was hijacked by an Indonesian company.
I found out about this hijack through my Google Analytics results. I saw that I’d been getting about 28 hits a day from an Indonesian website as well as Google Search hits from keyword phrases such as “Terminal” and “Terminal Pulsa.” Thankfully, I’m curious by nature and investigated this odd behavior.
My first thought was, “How dare them! I worked hard on this site! Why would someone think this is okay to do?!” Quickly followed by, “Oh great, this place is overseas and surely they do not hold to the same legal standards as the United States. What do I do now?”
Please note that I am NOT a lawyer (thank God), but the following information should really help you out if you ever have this happen to you! Continue Reading
6 Ways to Follow-up With Prospects Without Being Creepy
Do you wait three days to call after a great meeting? A day? A week?
Establishing a client relationship is a lot like dating. You don’t want to seem too eager for the job, but you don’t want to be overly relaxed either.
As a freelancer, it’s essential we come across as professional and confident. If we look needy or over-eager, we’ll scare business away (and who needs that?). Following-up with prospects is an important tool we must utilize to our advantage, but it must be used in a wise and measured way. Here are a few tips for great client follow-up:
Making Side Projects Work for You
In his book, My Startup Life, Ben Casnocha offers a 30-day plan for becoming a better entrepreneur. I’m not going to rehash Ben’s plan – you’re better off reading the book than hearing about it from me. But I am going to elaborate on the task he assigns for Day 28:
Have multiple side projects going. Diversify your portfolio of interests and activities.
This begs the question: What is a side project?
I like to define them as projects that we usually aren’t paid for and are done in our non-work hours. Here are three examples:
How to Win Clients with Time-Tested Sales Techniques
I would never call myself a salesman. The word brings to mind a host of stereotypical, manipulative, sleazy jerks I’ve encountered who have very transparently tried to pad their wallets through coercive tricks. I have, however, worked some sales jobs over the years (reluctantly) and each provided lots of sales training, tips and tricks. Frankly I hated it, but when I left the world of sales to pursue a creative career I was surprised to find that my sales training comes into constant use when dealing with clients.
Freelance Radio, Episode 26: Goals for 2009
The twenty-sixth episode of Freelance Radio, the official FreelanceSwitch podcast, is now available! This episode, we talk about a number of topics, including long-term goals and dealing with billing for client communications. 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!
14 Golden Tips for Beating the Freelancer Blues
Freelancers, like their artist and writer predecessors, such as Vincent Van Gogh or Virginia Woolf, may be prone to depression, starving, and self-obsessing. To combat the freelancer blues, you need to schedule some sunshine into your calendar.
Here is a list to save your mind, body and soul from the snake pit.
50 Ways for Writers to Find Article Ideas
One of the joys (and frustrations) of being a freelance writer contributing to multiple magazines, newspapers, and websites is the need to come up with a constant flow of new ideas for articles.
This is not always an easy task by any means—often it seems downright impossible—so we’ve compiled a list of ways to find articles almost anywhere. Continue Reading
FreelanceFolder Releases ‘Unlimited Freelancer’ Book
FreelanceFolder‘s Mason Hipp and Men with Pens‘ James Chartrand have released The Unlimited Freelancer, a 200-page book in PDF format that delves into the business of starting a freelance business, growing it, and maintaining it.
With just the right combination of Hipp’s pragmatism and Chartrand’s shooting-from-the-hip flair, the book makes for an entertaining read—and that’s not to say it isn’t informative, because it most certainly is, and considering the success the authors have had in crafting and growing successful freelance businesses, that’s no surprise at all.
If you’re looking to start your own freelance business, this is a great resource for you. If you’ve built a freelance business already, but find that you’re working for it rather than the business working for you, this is also a great resource. Go and grab your copy at FreelanceFolder. Of course, it’ll look great on your PDF bookshelf next to our own How to be a Rockstar Freelancer.
