In this issue of Ask FreelanceSwitch, Travis King and Thursday Bram look at how to charge and about becoming a freelance writer.

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.

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Inspiration is something that occasionally runs out for everyone, but there are ways to get it back in a snap. When I run out, I usually visit a lot of different sites – but occasionally I also take a walk in the wilderness. To level with you, I get inspiration from taking a shower, driving my car or even when I sit with my coffee in hand reading a magazine.

I guess we´re all aware of the many places to get it from, but my question to you is – Where do you go for an inspirational refill?

Share your perfect places to get inspiration from by leaving a comment, we all wait anxiously for your tip! Continue Reading

There’s a poem by Robert Frost that goes, “Good fences make good neighbors.” What he means is that if you see your 70-year-old neighbor climbing naked into his hot tub, you’ll probably find it more difficult to make small talk with him when you cross paths at the mailbox.

The same is true for freelancers. We sometimes don’t have very good fences between us and the people we work with – our clients, our colleagues, even our families. We often don’t have any fences, in fact.

Those unclear boundaries cause stress that you could do without. Here are some ways to create fences between you and your “neighbors” so you can get the work done. Continue Reading

As a freelancer, you’ll encounter two schools of thought: you should either specialize and make your name as an expert in your niche or you should diversify and land as many different gigs as you can. No matter which approach you feel is correct, though, developing new skills is critical.

If you’re an expert in your particular brand of freelancing, certain skills can help you support your position as an expert. If, for instance, you’re a website designer who specializes in e-commerce sites, being able to set up a Google AdWords campaign that will bring traffic to that new site you just designed can help you endear yourself to your client (and charge higher rates). In some cases, you may not even need to make use of your skills — simply being able to guide a client through the process of finding the right help or being able to tell that help exactly what needs to be done.

If you’re taking a more diversified approach, the benefit of new skills may be more obvious. The more types of projects you can take on, the more work is available to you. Either way, every freelancer should keep learning, whether that means taking classes, buying informational products or simply experimenting with new technology. Continue Reading

In this issue of Ask FreelanceSwitch, Travis King and Thursday Bram look at final payments and how to ask for a deposit.

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.

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A good collaboration is like a good marriage. You want someone you feel that you can trust, and you especially want someone who compliments your style. When a client picks you, they pick you for your style, techniques, portfolio, and value. Likewise, you want someone that can match the clients requests as well as your own. You want a professional to work with, and you can’t afford to mix different styles for a client. You might end up re-doing the entire design or even lose the client completely. So how do you pick out your freelance back-up, your designing duo….and not a dud? Continue Reading

In this issue of Ask FreelanceSwitch, Travis King and Thursday Bram look at what to do when one client wants all your time and how to ask the boss for time off to freelance.

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.

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If you’ve spent any time in the creative field, you’ve probably received quite a few calls for entries. Maybe you’ve even entered a few industry awards competitions. Or maybe you’re still thinking about it.

You might be wondering if taking the considerable amount of time to prepare an entry, in addition to paying what can sometimes be a hefty entry fee, is it feasible. Is it worth the effort?
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I have a confession to make: I work on the weekends. It’s actually pretty rare that a weekend goes by that I don’t work at least a couple of hours. For many freelancers, working on the weekends is a no-no (although I think more of us would say that we shouldn’t work on the weekends than would say that we actually don’t work on the weekends). For several years, I’ve tried to figure out how to keep my weekends clear, but recently, I’ve been embracing it.

I’ve come to the conclusion that there’s nothing wrong with doing some work every weekend. There are plenty of if’s, then’s and but’s that go with this decision, of course. I know I need a healthy work-life balance as much as the next freelancer. I certainly wouldn’t recommend my approach to every other freelancer out there. But if you find yourself doing a little work on the weekends and not minding it, it doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Continue Reading

In this issue of Ask FreelanceSwitch, Travis King and Thursday Bram look at how to clock your time and how to register your business.

Ask FreelanceSwitch is a new 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.

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Much of the talk about public relations focuses on how you can get the news media to cover your business. If it’s good coverage, then it may have a positive effect on your sales.

However, getting good coverage can burn up a lot of time and energy that might be put to better use. Instead of courting the media, you could be courting potential clients.

However, this is not to say that public relations is best left to big companies with deep rosters of established clients and the ample cash needed for hiring outside firms to manage PR campaigns. There are simple PR steps that your freelance business can take. Here are five: Continue Reading

Ever had someone find out that you’re a freelancer and say, “Can I just pick your brain?” If you agree, that person will probably ask you a whole stack of questions about how you work and how you would complete certain projects. More often than not, it’s someone who probably could use your services, although if he gets answers to all of his questions, you may never seem him again. If you’re lucky, the brain-picker in question may by you a cup of coffee in the process, but it’s not exactly easy to walk away from these situations with a new client. People who “just want to pick your brain” want to be able to replicate what you do, preferably without paying for the privilege.

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