If your freelance business isn’t where you want it to be, then it’s time to own up to your choices and make a change.

Here are 10 reasons your freelance career is failing. If you want to turn it around, then it’s up to you.

Consider this your “tough love” article of the week.

1. You know your craft, but not your business.

Sure, you’re an excellent artist or a skilled tradesman. You understand your task and you can do it well.

But you don’t understand marketing or sales or any of that other business stuff.

Guess what? It’s on you to figure it out. Learning new skills and adapting to the environment is part of the job. Continue Reading

Freelancing can be fun and exciting, especially when you’re first getting started.

You have a new income stream, a new amount of freedom and control, and if feels like you’re taking charge of your skills and talents.

Of course, those are just a pipe dreams if you can’t find a client.

So how do you get started? How do you actually go about finding that first client? I don’t have all the answers, but here are a few ideas for kick-starting your freelance career. Continue Reading

If you work online, and most of us do in some capacity, it’s likely that you’ll have to transfer big files from time to time.

Usually, the quickest way to transfer big files or share your work with someone is to email it to them, which means you just attach it to the email … right?

Not so fast my friend.

The problem, of course, is that most email clients have an attachment limit of 25MB. I’ve had Powerpoint presentations that are well over that limit. If you find yourself in a similar predicament, check out some of the following tools.

Whether it’s a presentation, a movie, or anything else, these tools will help you get the job done quickly.

1. Dropbox

Without a doubt, Dropbox is my favorite of this bunch. I integrate it with my daily work in many ways and it acts as a dual-backup system for everything I write. But if you’re looking to transfer big files, then Dropbox can play that role too.

Dropbox offers a free account of 2GB and, presumably, you could upload a 2GB file to your account and share it quickly with someone else.

All you need to do is click the “Share a Folder” button within your Dropbox account and then enter the email address of the person you want to share it with. Easy peasy.

Website: Dropbox Continue Reading

There are ten simple words that can make you a wealthy freelancer.

That is, if you take them seriously.

Before I share them with you, there is something you need to know about freelancing.

The Problem with Freelancing

Life can be tough as a freelancer, especially when you’re first starting out.

Building your credibility and reputation can be difficult and it often seems like businesses won’t give new freelancers the time of day.

But there is a reason for that. Continue Reading

If you want to be a successful freelancer, then there is one thing that you need to get down pat.

Let me share a personal story that illustrates my point.

“That’s What I’m Looking For…”

I used to do some web design work as a freelancer. One time, I was working with a client that ran a small business.

We spent some time talking through the options and looking at his current site. Things were going fine, but it wasn’t like we were really hitting it off and I didn’t get the impression that I was blowing him away with what I was saying.

Then I looked at a particular section of the site and said,

Now, I don’t want to say you’re wasting the web pages that you’re using here, but you’re definitely not using them to their full potential.

He jumped up and said, “Now, that’s what I’m looking for out of you!”

From that moment on, everything I said was like gold and we struck up a nice little deal. Continue Reading

Having a strong brand can be a game-changer for your freelance business.

Good brands command respect and establish a reputation. They establish your presence in the marketplace. When questions arise like “where can I find a good freelance writer” or “where do I go to get my website redesigned” … strong brands immediately come to mind.

So how do you build your brand? What rules of branding should you follow?

It takes time and effort, of course, but here are 5 often overlooked rules to remember when branding your freelance business… Continue Reading

Freelancers wear many hats. In fact, you might find yourself acting more like a janitor than a CEO most of the time.

In some ways, this variety can be fun … but it can also be draining and impact our freelance health. The result is that many freelancers drown in their many duties and burn the candle at both ends. In the struggle to make business work, we run ourselves down and our physical health often suffers.

The great paradox of all of this is that when your energy and physical health suffer, your work does as well. In other words: the more you work, the worse you work.

With that in mind, here are 5 easy ways to stay on top of your game, keep your energy levels high, and remain productive and healthy as a freelancer. Continue Reading

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Are you getting paid what you’re worth as a freelancer?

You might think so, but it’s more likely that you — like many freelancers — are charging much less than what your clients are willing to pay. This is especially true if you do excellent work (and I’m guessing that you do).

The primary reason freelancers are undercharging is simple — we’re scared to do it. We worry that the work that we are doing isn’t good enough or that we aren’t experienced enough to charge more. We worry that if we raise our rates, then all of our clients will run away.

Fear is normal … but it should be ignored

It’s natural to have these fears and worries as a freelancer. After all, getting the next paying client is what keeps us in business. However, while having fear is fine, letting it hold you and your business back is not. To help you overcome freelancing fear and self-doubt — and grow your business — here are three strategies for overcoming fear and raising your rates.

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Any experienced business person can tell you that the best way to generate better leads and make more sales is to get more referrals.

Referral leads are more likely to be interested in your services. They are more likely to believe in what you are selling. And they are more likely to stick with you — even if you botch the sales pitch. In short, referral leads are ready to buy.

Oh, and one more thing — referral business is often free. And that’s a big deal for freelancers like yourself (I’m guessing you don’t have a marketing budget like Apple).

So if referral business is the Holy Grail for freelancers, why do so few freelancer know how to get more referrals? How do you ask for referrals? When do you ask for them? Are there actions you can take to make it easier to get them?

I’ve searched the Internet high and low and discovered 12 brilliant articles that answer those questions and much more. Browse the selection below and start learning how to get more referrals.

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