Freelance Help, 100+ Tips on Creating an Effective Online Portfolio
Online portfolios are one of a freelancer’s greatest marketing tools. You can reference it in your business cards, promotional campaigns, email signatures, and clients can find you on their own through search engines – generating you new business.
Your portfolio is the face of your business and needs to communicate well on its own online. Your business goals with a portfolio are clear: you want to convert those visitors into customers.
We all have to start somewhere with displaying our work. Whether you’re building your portfolio for the first time, or looking to improve your existing portfolio, some professional tips can save you loads of time and get you building in the right direction – upwards.
Often the difference between a successful portfolio and one that falls flat is implementing some simple strategies, while not overdoing it, or loosing a targeted focus.
Take a close look at 12 advice-filled articles for freelancers that will help you create an effective online portfolio, and assist you in making it the best it can be.
Proven Solutions to Freelance Income Fluctuation
Credit: SimpleFoto on Photodune
If you’re a freelancer, you probably know the Lumpy Income Blues by heart. You know how it goes: One month, your income is $10,000. That’s a five-figure income! In just one month! Wow! At last you’re one of those people profiled in The Wealthy Freelancer!
Then, in the next month, where did all those lucrative clients go? Your income slinks in the door and the monthly total is all of…
…$783.
That’s the Lumpy Income Blues. And, sorry to say, it’s one of the occupational hazards of freelancing.
Five Years of Envato
It’s kinda crazy to think, but our little internet startup, Envato, has been on the air now for five years. We started back in 2006 as four very enthusiastic and totally green entrepreneurs with a shoestring budget and a love of the web. Fast forward five years and while we’re hopefully a little less green, we’re still incredibly passionate about Education, Marketplaces and the web! It’s been an amazing time and we’d like to share a look inside our Melbourne HQ offices, some stats about Envato and a big thank you to the community.
Are Your Spending Habits Stunting Your Freelance Business Growth?
Credit: Elenathewise on Photodune
Would you spend $100 on your freelance business?
No, don’t think about it – what does your gut tell you?
When looking at purchases to grow your business, it’s an important question: would you spend $100?
Depending on your answer, you might find yourself throwing good money after bad chasing the next new approach for improving your freelance business. Or trying to grow a blog that will never get anywhere.
We all face this question. I do, and so do you.
The trouble is that the “right answer” might not be what you think it is. Three freelancers looking to grow their blogs faced the same question – let’s call them Charlie, Sam, and Will. Only one of them ended up being successful, and they had very different answers…
Top Freelance Jobs from Job Board – Week 5, August
Looking for a new client? The FreelanceSwitch job board is a great resource of freelance gigs and opportunities. These opportunities are in various fields, from development to writing to design, and come from a wide range of potential clients. The job board is hand-moderated by dedicated staff and volunteers from the freelance community.
Each week, we’ll feature a selection of the best job opportunities posted for the week. This week, we’re featuring jobs in Web Development, Animation, SEO Copywriter and more!
To apply for any of these jobs, simply pick up a FreelanceSwitch membership for an affordable $7 a month. See something you like? Join now!
Linkswitch #83, Partnership Guide, Traffic Conversion, Risk Genius
The Ultimate Partnership Guide for Freelancers
There are some compelling reasons to find a partner: a complimentary skill-set, and an extra pair of eyes and hands, not to mention that it isn’t nearly as much fun to work alone. On the other hand, there are some fairly compelling reasons NOT to find a partner: they get half of your business, you won’t always see eye to eye, and let’s face it, things can get messy.
7 Free Tools By Google To Increase Your Traffic And Conversion
Google is an amazing company. If you were to ask me my favorite company in terms of products, it would be Google. The interesting thing is that Google is a tech company, and most of its products are free. Some products offered by Google are so amazing and useful that other companies charge for products that deliver the same result. In this post I will highlight all products by Google that are designed specifically for Webmasters or Online Entrepreneurs.
10 Steps to the Perfect Client Meeting
You’ve scheduled your very first client meeting and now you’re nervous. Will the meeting go well? Of course, there’s no way to know for sure if your meeting will succeed, but there are some steps you can take to stack the odds in your favor. In this post, I share ten (fairly) easy steps to help you prepare for the perfect client (or prospective client) meeting.
Video: Clay Shirky on institutions vs. collaboration
View engaging conference lectures, interesting how to discussions, and high quality freelance advice via video here on FreelanceSwitch.
This week we look at Clay Shirky on institutions vs. collaboration by Clay Shirky. In this prescient 2005 talk, Clay shows how closed groups and companies will give way to looser networks where small contributors have big roles and fluid cooperation replaces rigid planning.
Review of Firepole Marketing’s Online Marketing Course
Firepole Marketing Course
Online courses make me nervous. There, I’ve said it. They make me nervous because they are hard to do well, and, as a freelancer, I don’t like to waste my time (or my money) on information that doesn’t really help me.
But this marketing course by Firepole Marketing is different.
Their Audio Coaching Program is specifically designed for small businesses (which means freelancers) and entrepreneurs. Founders Danny Iny and Peter Vogopoulous speak the language of successful entrepreneurs, and have the credentials to back up their advice.
Ask FreelanceSwitch: Development Work and Domain Names
In this issue of Ask FreelanceSwitch, we look at development work and domain names. Ask FreelanceSwitch is a 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.
Question 1
Am starting out as an Indie PHP/RoR web developer, but really struggling to get work and now thinking twice about it
. What are some of the known ways to get freelance work from a dev who is just starting out? I do have significant experience of about 3-4 years with pet projects/job experience and making websites for relatives and friends, e.t.c.
Because a lot of clients prefer to work with developers who have already built up a portfolio working for other clients, it can seem difficult to break in and get work without a good reputation of your own. There are a few strategies that can help you land some work and start building up a client base, though.
The Monster Collection of Moleskine Tips, Tricks and Hacks
A few times a month we revisit some of our reader’s favorite posts from throughout the history of FreelanceSwitch. This article by Skellie was first published July 9th, 2008, yet is just as relevant and full of interesting information today.
Freelancers are more likely than most people to love Moleskine notebooks. We need to keep and manage our own schedules and to-dos. We’re creative, so we need a place to store and expand ideas. We need to take notes at meetings with clients–or at least look like we are. We need to appear productive and busy in coffee-shops–even when we aren’t.
Moleskine notebooks rank alongside the MacBook Pro, money and caffiene on our fictional list of ‘Most Beloved Freelancing Tools’. It’s a shame, then, that many Moleskine owners don’t realize the full potential of their little black book… much like many brain-owners don’t realize the full potential of their squishy salmon-colored companion.
Don’t be one of those people!
Inside this post you’ll find a goldmine of mini-hacks, recommendations, visual modifications, organizational systems, uncommon uses and creative tomfoolery, all for your Moleskine(s)! Continue Reading
Tackling Stress with the “Breathe and Reboot” Method
Credit: Elenathewise on Photodune.
“Breathe and reboot.”
I say this to myself a lot; heck, today it was my status message on Facebook. It’s one of my mantras…when something has me really irritated, frustrated, stressed, or angry. I know better than to let those emotions overcome me. Okay, sometimes they win out–I’m an Italian from New Jersey–whaddaya want?
Most of the time, I know to breathe and reboot. Why? Because I don’t want to let one pesky letdown ruin my entire day–or my perspective on life.
When I thought about it, this concept is greatly useful for freelancers. We’re juggling a multitude of tasks and dealing with all sorts of people, so it’s likely that something (maybe more somethings) will disrupt your happiness during the day. What to do? Breathe and reboot.
