Start Off Your New Year With an Ideal Project Profile

As I plan my business activities for 2010, I’ve decided to create an ideal project profile. You may have heard of an ideal client profile – it helps you visualize the exact type of client you’d like to work with. The ideal project profile describes in detail the exact kind of work you’d like to do for your ideal client. This post will show you how to create an ideal project profile for next year and beyond.

Why You Need An Ideal Project Profile

Like many freelancers, I became a freelance UX designer and copywriter so I could stay home with my daughter and continue my chosen career. I absolutely love UX design and copywriting, but it’s equally important to have the flexibility to pickup my daughter from school, participate in after-school activities and host playdates. You know, basic mom stuff. It can be frustrating when projects get in the way of these activities, as they sometimes do. On the flipside, it’s not fair to my clients when they need stuff now and I’m not immediately available.

If this sounds like a situation you’ve been in, the solution is to find ideal projects that fit your chosen lifestyle without compromising your clients’ needs. But before you can find them you need to create a clear picture in your own mind of what these ideal projects are and how they will work best for you and your clients. And once you know what you want, you can focus your marketing efforts in the right direction.

Remember The “Why”

Freelancers often accept whatever work comes their way, especially in this economy. While it can be a nice surprise to get a call out of the blue for an unexpected assignment, it’s not so fun if it doesn’t fit the reasons why you chose freelancing in the first place.

Keeping the “why” top of mind will help you define your ideal project profile. For example, if you started freelancing so you could travel the world, your ideal project can likely get done as long as you have an internet connection. If you are a graphic designer with a baby at home and another on the way, you may need to work after hours when the house is quiet.

Think about all the things that impact the way you work as a freelancer. Besides scheduling issues, some other aspects to consider may include your monthly income requirements, how you want to communicate with clients, and payment policies.

A Sample Ideal Project Profile

My ideal project profile for 2010 is below. Thankfully it’s almost identical to most of the projects I worked on in 2009. The only differences are that next year I will look for shorter duration projects (one month or less) and attempt to totally eliminate face-to-face meetings.

My 2010 Ideal Project Profile:

• A web writing, speaking, consulting or UX design assignment at my current or higher fee
• The assignment takes less than 15 hours a week to produce and is completed within one month or less.
• The client is okay with a remote working arrangement – face-to-face meetings are not necessary.
• The client is okay with deliverables created in my choice of software.
• Almost all communication will take place via email, using my email account (no agency aliases). If conference calls are needed, they are a maximum of once a week and one hour or less in duration. No instant messenger required.
• Invoice is paid in full within 30 days.

Over To You

Creating your ideal project profile is a very personal exercise. Do you think it will help you reach your freelancing goals in 2010 and beyond? What would you do differently? Please leave your thoughts in the comments.