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Many are the freelancers who keep a foot in the employment world by serving as a part-time instructor at a community college or university.

This is a great way to have an income platform while building one’s freelance business. And, for those who don’t care for being alone with just a computer for company, it’s motivation to get out of the house for some high-quality human interaction.

One of my close friends is a public relations consultant who also holds the title of lecturer in a university department of communication. She’s been a lecturer before, and the university invited her back at the beginning of this semester.

Being the diligent social networker that she is, she updated her online profile to include the lecturer position. And from somewhere deep in the recesses of this social networking site came an e-mail announcing her new job.

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Are you looking for potential customers? What freelancer isn’t on the hunt for the next sale? Looking for sales leads is a necessary part of our business. If you need to expand your potential pool of customers quickly, then tapping into lead lists could be a game changer for you. This article will tell you how and where to find such lists. Time to don your Sherlock Holmes detective hat and do some sleuthing.

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In my away-from-the computer life, I’m an avid bicyclist. Talk about a gadget-centric activity. It seems as though there’s always another nifty, lightweight bike to buy. Or, if you already have a bike or two, there’s some must-have accessory that you just can’t live without.

Which means that an affordable form of transportation – or recreation – can get pretty expensive. Same goes for photography. If it isn’t a new camera to buy, it’s one of those gizmos that will improve your shooting.

Enter Steve Johnson. An Englishman who now lives near Chicago. Johnson is the creator of the popular Minimalist Photography 101 blog. It’s the sort of place that frugal creatives will feel very comfortable visiting because Johnson’s into getting the highest level of results at the lowest cost. He’s just written an eBook that presents his minimalist photographic philosophy in a very readable format.

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When people tell me that their freelancing business has been slow, I suggest that they pick up the phone and start making calls. Reason: Since cold calls have worked well for me, I encourage others to try them as well.

Talk about kicking the proverbial hornet’s nest. I’m often treated to a diatribe on how much the person hates being cold called.

And I can’t help but agreeing. Why? Because cold calling has a much-deserved bad reputation.

You’ve probably had a family dinner interrupted by those telemarketers who call households between 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. They know you’ll be home. And that you’re probably trying to enjoy a meal with your family. The fact that they’re calling at a bad time just doesn’t seem to register. Continue Reading

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Sorry if you’re a lovestruck freelancer, but this isn’t an article about proposing marriage.

Instead, it’s about handling requests for bids, proposals, quotes, or whatever you’d like to call them. Specifically, the ones that come your way by chance. Continue Reading

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I recently attended a University of Arizona business school seminar on corporate entrepreneurship. Which had a whole lot more to do with freelancers than one might think.

Now, I know that the word “corporate” gets strong reactions from many freelancers. After all, quite a few of us escaped from stultifying corporate environments. And now we’re enjoying a life that’s filled with Freelance Freedom.

But here’s where we and the corporate world have something in common: We want our businesses to succeed. And this seminar started off with three things that every business must do:

1. Solve customer problems. What might this three-word sentence mean to a freelancer? If you’re a copywriter, you might be replacing a client’s ineffective website copy with words that sell. Or maybe you’re a logo designer. You target startup companies, many of which have amateurish-looking logos. And you’re able to convince these companies of the worth of a polished, professional look that will serve them well as they seek customers and investors. Continue Reading

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Okay, admit it. You can’t even carry a tune in a bucket. Or perhaps the happiest day of your childhood was when your parents stopped making you take piano lessons.

So, what could you possibly learn from a book written for musicians? Quite a lot!

My own encounter with David Cutler’s new book, The Savvy Musician, happened by chance. I was browsing the library’s new books shelf, and there it was. The Savvy Musician includes vignettes of 165 working musicians who enjoy meaningful and prosperous careers. I’ll admit that I’ve only heard of Anonymous 4 and the Kronos Quartet. Maybe that means that my ears need to get out more.

One thing that these musicians have in common is a high level of skill. And luck. Continue Reading

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Photography blogs can be great ways to funnel new visitors and potential clients to your photography work. I’ve been photoblogging for almost three years. Here are seven things that I’ve learned: Continue Reading

You’ve no doubt heard that expression, “Don’t burn your bridges.” And, yes, it is a good idea to stay on good terms with former employers. After all, they could become clients.

Well, I’m here to tell you that burning bridges does not deal a fatal blow to one’s freelance career. Here are two stories from the Martha File: Continue Reading

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One of the joys of having your own business is that you get to set the standards. And if you’re interested in getting paid, I’d advise you to start setting them as soon as possible.

Why? Because there are a lot of people who are constantly thinking of new ways to take advantage of freelancers. Here are six recommended standards for your freelance business:

1. Speculative work. Requests for you to do speculative projects seem to be as old as freelancing itself. Simply put, this is being asked to work for free in hopes of landing paying work down the road. Unfortunately, that paying work seldom materializes. So, it’s best to avoid falling into the spec work trap in the first place. Learn how at the NO!SPEC website. Continue Reading

Why bother with a regular newsletter? Because it’s a fabulous way to build relationships with the people who are – or could become – your clients.

Now, you’re probably thinking that, in these days of text messaging and connecting via social networking sites, email has become stodgy and boring. And that no one uses it anymore. Well, it turns out that there’s quite a bit of life left in the old email dog. According to a recent Pew Research Center survey, 89% of American users send or read email. That’s the highest percentage reported in this study. Continue Reading

In Janet Martin’s August 4 FreelanceSwitch article on creative activities, we read about the importance of building new creative muscles.

The end of this article included a list of five suggestions for expanding one’s creativity:

1. Try photography
2. Make something by sewing it or employing another craft
3. Learn stop-motion animation
4. Take a writing class
5. Take a drawing class

These are very good suggestions, but, to me, they don’t go far enough. All too often, we creatives are criticized for not understanding how non-artists work. So, it’s time to break out of our artistic bubbles and explore the rest of the world. And, not to worry, there are plenty of friendly tour guides out there. Continue Reading