Ever wonder how those savvy though somewhat annoying know-it-all’s can always quote the latest statistics or tell you exactly which color converts a sale and why your email newsletter template simply won’t do?

Well I won’t tell you to join the ranks of the snobby-but-accurate, but I will share with you some business intelligence tools to get the inside scoop on what works when marketing your services, not to mention a great method for reverse engineering the competition and showing your client how what you do will help them dominate their industry. Continue Reading

You may not be a marketing consultant by trade. But each of us, once hired to handle work for our client, becomes part of the giant grinding wheel of marketing; and even a cursory knowledge of the marketing basics, along with some hot tips from the minds and sciences on the bleeding edge, will give you the sharper dueling blade you need to pull ahead of your competition (but no beheading please).

To get the most out of this list, here are a few tips: Continue Reading

I am utterly in love with the fantabulous readers of FreelanceSwitch! Your dozens of comments and additions to the original post were classic, creative and straight comedy!

Here’s the sequel post, inspired by and attributed to the brilliant and magnificent readers of FreelanceSwitch: Continue Reading

Why would a freelancer want to establish herself as a thought leader in her industry or client niche? Well even for the most bashful of us, the day often (and quickly!) arrives when pushing hours for dollars or pounds just doesn’t quite cut it anymore.

I’m not saying everyone will be interested in this path. But if you are, then this article may just become your road map!.Ask yourself:

What if you had an additional option for making money that steadily grew over time, reinforced your freelancing efforts, landed you more clients, and required less and less of your time?

Yeah, it sounded good to me too. That’s why my client projects now take up less than 50% of my time and I focus the rest of my efforts on my own business, which includes establishing myself as a thought leader in my two primary industries: freelancing and women’s empowerment.

This dual focus has given me the success and financial freedom to travel this past year full-time and without paid work. Here’s how I did it and how you can too. Continue Reading

Here’s a celebration of all the ways we are uniquely freelancers… set apart from our cubicle counterparts, yet aware that we are perhaps still not so different. Or are we? Enjoy!

You Know You’re a Freelancer When…

1. You’re starting to grumble about your 5-step commute from the bed to your computer.  The snooze button is soooo much closer…
2. The car stays parked in your garage for days at a time and somehow you continue to grow without sunlight.
3. You can vacation as often as you want now. Chained to your computer and phone, yeah, but hey: the ocean looks beautiful from here and yes honey, I’ll join you out there in a moment! Continue Reading

Social media is an excellent way to market yourself as a freelancer. It can also be, in my opinion, entirely overrated and often misused. Every day I see professionals tweeting and updating Facebook with spammy posts and self-important chatter that makes my skin crawl. I also see inspiring social champions who inform, empower and serve their audience.

Here’s a quick rundown of mistakes you want to avoid at all costs when using social media channels for finding work (whether in your marketing/branding or in your personal life), along with a few pointers to kick start your social marketing strategy. Continue Reading

Photo by JennyHuang.

This article won’t be for everyone. Not all of us care to grow a large business or automate our income. Many of us are perfectly satisfied to earn dollars per hours and that’s great!

However, I have a lot of freelancers ask me this question:

How can I scale my business? I can only take on so many clients before I lose my sanity, free time, and desire to work!

So for those who want to increase monthly income and perhaps even automate it, how is that possible for a freelancer–without simply raising prices?

Below are some ideas that I and others have used to scale and automate our freelance business.

Option 1. Productize Your Services

This isn’t nearly as difficult as it sounds and the only way to truly automate and scale your income beyond six figures.

Now don’t instantly balk at this. I understand that not all of us would want to offer products alongside our services. However I encounter many service providers who want to scale their business but don’t think it’s possible to offer products as a service provider.

Continue Reading

Photo by Clearly Ambiguous.

And How a Little Experiment Turned into a Multi-Million Dollar Enterprise

Sure, pushing papers for the Big Boss mortifies us. But every freelancer knows that calling our own shots isn’t pure bliss either. I don’t know about you, but on at least two occasions, I’ve nervously looked “bankruptcy” in the face and by pure luck or karma, bypassed it by mere centimeters.

In my more cautious years, I’ve learned to develop systems, test them, then expand them. Yes, this even applies to freelancing.

How? Because turning a prospect into a client is a process-based on a system. Identifying deliverables and executing campaigns for a client is a series of tasks based on a system.

Create the right system and you can almost flawlessly guarantee success and satisfaction every time.

It was in the spirit of such experimentation that I stumbled upon the singular system largely responsible for turning my struggling personal consultancy into a multi-million dollar venture that is scheduled to land and manage over 100 projects every month and has won clients like the NFL, BlogTalkRadio, and best selling authors like Christine Comaford-Lynch. Continue Reading

Photo by visualpanic.

With the coming recession, I get a lot of questions about whether it will be increasingly difficult for freelancers to get new clients and, more importantly, projects that pay appropriately.

Over the past eight months, the following industries have proved extremely lucrative for freelancers. I categorize them into Spheres.

The Extreme Sphere

The industries in the extreme sphere are those that are currently crashing or booming. Why would a crashing industry be a good industry to find clients in?

If you’re a freelancer, you’re less expensive and easier to handle for a struggling entrepreneur or business than an employee would be. Additionally, if you provide marketing services or can help them secure a presence online, they need you. Continue Reading

Photo by aussiegal.

Most new freelancers make one vital error: we catch ourselves acting like employees.

But even as we become more seasoned, even the best of us can fall into the ‘employee’ mindset trap that is at the foundation of virtually every major freelance mistake:

“As long as I do the specific job I was hired to do, and I do it well, everything will be fine.”

But unfortunately for us, when something goes wrong with any portion of a project we’re working on, somehow it’s always our butt on the line.

So how can you approach each client’s project in a way that protects you, protects their interests, and helps secure overall success and fuzzy feelings?

Well let’s look at common mistakes we make, and how to prevent them. Continue Reading