credit: David Reber's Hammer Photography on Flickr

With 2011 just around the corner, you’re probably thinking about closing out the books on this year. You might be considering what you need to get your taxes done and generally start the year off right. But 2010 isn’t quite over and there are still a few things that you can do to improve your tax situation right now.

I talked to Travis Raml, a CPA working with clients in Maryland and Virginia, to get some tips on how to end 2010 right — at least in terms of taxes. Continue Reading

Though the holiday season reminds us of many wonderful things, peace on Earth and good will seems shattered for most the minute family walks through the door. If not a visit, the annual phone call to grandmother is stressed by the repeat attempt to explain to her what it is you do for a living. At least you can tell her your phone battery is dying and you need to hang up, but even that brings an explanation as to why a phone needs a battery.

It’s based on love and concern. Keep saying that so you don’t unwrap a shotgun at the dinner table and scream, “JUST WHAT I WANTED!” Ho-BLAM-ho-BLAM-ho-BLAM!

You all know the problem; non-creatives who don’t understand how you can make a living creating, designing, developing web sites, coding or designing logos and such. Sure, old drunken Uncle “touchy” has always wanted you to do logos for his friend who owns Microsoft as a “favor to him” or to paint his company logo, consisting of a slug dressed as a sewer cleaner on the side of his panel truck, but does family understand what we do and why we love it? If they did, I wouldn’t be writing this therapeutic article and pounding on my keyboard as if I wanted to give the keys concussions. Continue Reading

credit: anonymouscollective on Flickr

When the CEO of a large corporation motivates employees with a company-wide presentation, some of the impact derives directly from the CEO’s personal style. Recognizing the CEO’s usual themes, turns of phrase, and favorite examples convinces the employees that their corporate leader truly cares about the subject in question.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, the one-person coaching or design or writing or training business must sell the person as much as the product or service. When freelancers use articles and newsletters and white papers and other giveaways to enhance their visibility among prospects, to win their trust, getting their personal styles across to the prospect is just as important as any other element of those communications.

Neither CEOs of large companies nor freelancers running their own businesses always have either the time or skill to produce these communications themselves. So, if they are smart, they hire writing help.

When you can capture enough of their style to write in your client’s voice, you create opportunities for repeat business. Clients learn to love writers who can mimic the key features of how they express themselves. Continue Reading

Editor’s Note: That’s it from N.C. for the year! N.C. is taking a well-deserved holiday break and will be returning with more Freelance Freedom on Monday, January 3rd. Happy Holidays! Continue Reading

The Holiday Season Slow-Down: The Importance of “Making a List”

As the holiday season begins, your freelance business may seem like its ending.

There are two schools of thought about end of the year work: You either have a lot because the company is trying to use up its budget, or you don’t get much because most of your clients are out of money or too wrapped up in other things (including their personal shopping).

How to Quote Projects for Work You’ve Never Done

Even when we list out our services on our portfolios, you’ll always get quote requests for something you’ve never done before. You can always refuse to do the project or hand these requests off to another freelancer. But, what if you’re actually interested in doing the work? Continue Reading

Photo Credits: CBC

As freelancers we’re always on the lookout for some great advice. As for me, nothing beats the advice from a man known simply as Mr. Dressup.

Ernie Coombs, or Mr. Dressup as he was known to his closest friends, was an American turned Canadian who starred in a long running children’s show in Canada. During his 27 years on television he dispensed some valuable life lessons that I’ve incorporated throughout my freelance career.

Here are a few of them.
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In this issue of Ask FreelanceSwitch, we look at transitioning from student work to freelancing and blogging about your work. 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. Continue Reading

Credit: Cordey on Flickr

As the holiday season begins, your freelance business may seem like its ending.

There are two schools of thought about end of the year work: You either have a lot because the company is trying to use up its budget, or you don’t get much because most of your clients are out of money or too wrapped up in other things (including their personal shopping). This isn’t a feast or famine situation for many freelancers–but it sure can feel like it.

I always find the end of the year and the beginning of the year to be slower. Why? Well, maybe the people feeding us work aren’t so concerned about us because it’s a time to rest, go frantic shopping or take a vacation. They get a steady check coming in no matter what, so if they can kick back a little, many people will do so. So again, it can feel like being on the bottom of the totem pole.

Instead of focusing on the negative, I try to see the holiday slow-down as a time to focus on things I normally don’t make the time to do. That can include taking time for myself, or using the time to focus on things like marketing. (For me, I try to work on book and magazine writing.) By keeping yourself busy, you will stay in control of your business. Otherwise, one day without any work can feel like a week, and what feels like a week can turn into what feels like a month. My goal has always been to stay busy.

This year, I’ve noticed the slow-down coming on a little sooner than normal, but instead of freaking out, I’m making a list of all the things I can do during the slow-down. Why? Because it’s easy to get negative when you feel upset by it. Instead, you can turn to your handy-dandy list and always have something to do. (It also keeps me feeling busy, and I am the kind of person that needs that rhythm to feel good.)

Here are some ideas for what to put on your holiday slow-down to-do list: Continue Reading

Credit: *sean on Flickr

This is the third article in a series on resources for the traveling freelancer.  You may find the first article here and the second here.

This article is about exchanging work for room and board on the road, which is good for those who want to take it easy with their work or even for writers looking for new material.  There are farm owners, hostel and hotel owners, and home owners who are part of global networks offering room and board to “volunteer” workers (there are also country-specific sites and Australia and New Zealand seem to be very popular destinations).  Arrangements vary widely and the volunteer must do good research to find the right agreement and host. Continue Reading

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“Sometimes You Have To Work Through Pain To Get To Happiness.”

Through a group of great writers that I’ve gotten to know, I “met” (virtually) Theo Pauline Nestor. I immediately wanted to read her book, How to Sleep Alone in a King-Size Bed, because it’s a memoir of divorce — and one of my happiness-project resolutions is to Read memoirs of catastrophe.

14 Essential Utilities for Managing Your Freelance Design Business

While millions of people share the dream of working from home, very few understand its difficulties.

From online distractions to technical malfunctions, online entrepreneurs and freelancers face thousands of potential setbacks, each one threatening a decline in income or a pause in cash flow. We’re all familiar with this problem. Continue Reading

There’s something about skinny white men prancing about that just screams “business acumen.” And if there was any band more white or more prancy than WHAM!, I haven’t found it yet.

So here is why everything I’ve learnt about freelancing can be attributed to WHAM!
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