View engaging conference lectures, interesting how to discussions, and high quality freelance advice via video here on FreelanceSwitch.

This week we look at Startups on the Side with Toni Gemayel by FreelanceJam. In this inspiring video the FreelanceJam duo interview Toni Gemayel who has loads of experience as a freelancer and with launching successful ventures. He’s a full-time “startup scout” for Coloma Ventures which involves regular travel. He’s also someone who launches a lot of startups on the side, including ventures such as Fonadu. Continue Reading

When I saw this blog post on Gawker.com, I just shook my head. What else can you do?

Here’s the gist: a guy who is looking for a job created a profile on Monster.com saying he’s looking for a job in the Columbus, Ohio area. He’s contacted by a recruiter looking for an employee in northern Arkansas. One snippy comment made by the job seeker (who is called “Robert” in the post) sets off a barrage of crazy emails.

Since you got my resume off of Monster, I’m sure you saw in my profile that I’m only interested in jobs in Columbus, Ohio, because you surely check these things before firing off e-mails. —Robert

I’m no geography guru, but thanks to mapquest.com, I deduced that there are about 760 miles between northwest Arkansas and Columbus, Ohio. It’s far. Twelve-plus hours in a car far. So sure, perhaps the recruiter was stretching a little bit when he contacted Robert.

And clearly, Robert was annoyed. But the entire chain of emails between these two guys are totally rude and unprofessional. Sounds like they both had a bad day.

It is so easy to misunderstand and misinterpret people when it comes to email. It happened to me just last week. Continue Reading

In this issue of Ask FreelanceSwitch, we look at a case of nerves and a question of file ownership. 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.

Question 1

I am newish to freelancing (have done small freelance gigs, but mostly work full time for corporations) and I have an opportunity that is coming through for a contract to hire job. I am a Front End Web Developer and confident in my abilities but not having worked contract before, I get nervous. I have a wife and young son that I need to provide for and having insurance is important, as is job security.

Should I be nervous? What can I do to calm my nerves? How can I leave the corporate rat race and push myself to the promised land of freelance/contract?

It’s normal to be nervous when you’re making major changes to how you earn your living. There is more risk associated with freelancing or working on a contractual basis, matched by an increase in opportunities. Nervousness is just a reminder that you need to take steps to address that risk. Continue Reading

CareerCast.com just published a list of 200 jobs ranking them from best to worst based on the following criteria: physical demands, work environment, income, stress, and hiring outlook. They used info from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (along with other government agencies) to create this list.

I did a search for some words that describe my job(s) and here’s what I came up with:

• Publication Editor: Ranked 118
• Photojournalist: Ranked 166. I actually typed in “journalist” and this is the only thing that comes close.
• Technical Writer: Ranked 37. Again, I typed in “writer” and this is what I got.
• Reporter (newspaper): Ranked 196 (yikes!).

The top 10 jobs are as follows:

• Software Engineer
• Actuary
• Human Resources Manager
• Dental Hygienist
• Financial Planner
• Audiologist
• Occupational Therapist
• Online Advertising Manager
• Mathematician
• Speech Pathologist

The worst 10 jobs are as follows:

• Broadcaster
• Butcher
• Dishwasher
• Meter Reader
• Waiter/Waitress
• Reporter (Newspaper)
• Oil Rig Worker
• Enlisted Military Soldier
• Dairy Farmer
• Lumberjack

Unfortunately for me, my skills have a lot more in common with the worst jobs than the best. And I have to say; I spent many years through college (and even for a while after) being a waitress at a restaurant outside of Fenway Park in Boston, and I LOVED that job! It was the fastest and easiest money I have ever made.

When I looked up “freelancer” in this list of 200, nothing came up. Not surprisingly, as that word can mean so many things. However, I’d like to put “freelancer” through the five criteria above anyway, for discussion sake. Continue Reading

As a solo freelancer, you probably don’t have the budget to conduct big market research studies like the big guys to learn how to improve your business – things like how to improve your sales process, or where your customers are coming from, or a million other market research questions.

I’m here to tell you that you have a little tool (well maybe not so little) to give you the answers to many of these questions, which provides insights into how to grow your freelance business. That tool is Google Analytics.

Let’s get started with DIY market research in this lesson. Continue Reading

I require my undergraduate journalism students to buy two books to keep by their sides at all times. One of them is the AP Style Book; the other is called When Words Collide: A Media Writer’s Guide to Grammar and Style.

I can’t tell you how much I love my When Words Collide book; I use it all the time. I’d like to share some information with you about one of my favorite chapters in this book. It’s called 10 Little Secrets, 10 Big Mistakes—and the information is useful if you aim to be a better writer.

Secret 1: Read

If you don’t like to read, you can’t possibly love to write. The two go hand in hand. I have always been a voracious reader. I love fiction as well as nonfiction and I’ve been lucky enough to study a handful of classics in literature in both high school and college.

Language is an amazing thing—and you can’t really work on building your own voice without listening to others. Other writers are the best examples of how to do things well—and not so well. Read widely and often. Continue Reading

Surprise, surprise! On 11^th April Google+ made a new announcement. Google+ now has more than 170 million users!

This is not the only reason why you should consider using Google+ for your freelancing business. Another very important reason is that Google+ profiles and pages can make an impact on the SEO of your website, at least in the personalized search results of Google.

The announcement also declared that Google+ will now run on a whole new interface that is a more “functional and flexible version of Google+.” The most striking feature of this new interface is that all the apps have been cornered down into the left margin, which can be moved up and down as per the requirements of the user. This means that the apps are no longer static as before.

But this is just the beginning.

The senior vice president of Google, Vic Gundotra wrote on Google’s official blog that:

We’ve also built the ribbon with the future in mind, giving us an obvious (and clutter-free) space for The Next Big Feature, and The Feature After That. So stay tuned.

Google+ is surely onto something big. Only time will tell, what? In this article we’ll discuss some of the new features of Google+. Understanding the big changes to Google+ will allow you to take advantage of them to promote your freelance business.

The Banner Image

Google Plus’s home page now hosts a large banner image. Its dimensions are 940 by 180 pixels.

Compare this to the new Facebook Timeline banner that is 851 by 315 pixels. Since Facebook rolled out its Timeline first, it suggests that Google Plus’s banner is inspired from Facebook’s. Continue Reading

Irrespective of what niche you write in, there are major industry events that you need to be aware of. Reading about them is a terrific way to get ideas for new topics.

In addition, when you are well informed about your niche, you will be able to generate new ideas and base your writing on solid facts, as opposed to opinion alone. It is not just the major events that you should concern yourself with – it significantly helps to keep up to date on your niche in all aspects.

If you are able to blog about an event early in its life-cycle, you can gain several advantages as a blogger, which may not be as apparent at first. Continue Reading

Writing effective blog posts isn’t as easy as you might think. There are a ton of things to take into consideration, including creating a catchy headline, the length of your piece, even the words that you choose.

I’ve spent some time scanning the Internet to find some useful tips on how to craft a great blog post from several different sources. Read on to gain insights from professional bloggers.

Be Focused

Focusing on one topic or piece of information will keep your blog post succinct and easy to read.

It happens to me too at times. I start out with a single topic in mind – but then the post morphs into something else. By the time I’ve finished, I’ve added another five different bullet points, talked about related problems – and suddenly my post is long and, well, rambly. —Write to Done

Giving your readers many options and topics will make them feel overwhelmed. Plus, a blog post that has too much information is too long! No one wants to spend 20 minutes reading a blog post.

Tackling just one topic or point per blog post makes your job easier, too. If you find that you are coming up with other ideas while you’re writing, jot them down and use them to craft a whole different blog post. Many shorter blog posts are better for your search engine optimization than one incredibly long one. Continue Reading

Thinking of pursuing a career as a freelance writer? Congratulations. It’s a great lifestyle, where you control your own schedule, set your own rates, and work for a variety of clients.

That is, if you can figure out how to earn enough money from your writing to keep from starving.

Many new writers end up writing for content mills such as Demand Studios or Constant Content. In my experience mentoring hundreds of writers, this type of writing gig rarely works out to pay a living wage.

To earn a decent living as a freelance writer, you’ll need to proactively go out and find good-paying clients, whether they be print or online publications, or businesses.

Here is a primer on how to get your freelance writing business up and going, and bringing in real money. Continue Reading

Time is money for freelancers, but sometimes giving it away can benefit you in the long run. Providing free advice through social media channels, offering a free eBook, giving away a free newsletter, or offering free consultations, are all excellent strategies used to build upon your client list.

That is not to say that you want people to become accustomed to receiving your services for nothing, but providing some key information to potential clients for free will provide you with more exposure. This marketing method draws in new clients by allowing them to become familiar with you and your work.

Here are powerful, proven techniques to capitalize on these freebie marketing techniques. Continue Reading

In this economy, creating and sticking to a budget is more important than ever. Of course, not every freelancer has money problems, but my guess is that many of you out there are taking a very close look at your bottom line—especially with taxes due in just days.

Whether you are new to freelancing or are a seasoned pro, learning how to run your business on less money is always an appealing option.

I recently purchased a magazine title with two other business partners and we’re trying to stay as lean and mean as possible until ad revenue starts coming in. We’re lucky that we don’t have a lot of expenses—like office space—that we need to pay for, but we did take out a small business loan that must be paid every month. We also spend a fair amount of money on travel expenses, going to and from trade shows and bridal shows in our area, so we’re careful to count every penny.

I found this article on Inc.com listing three ways to grow your business on a budget, and I was intrigued. The author, Vanessa Merit Nornberg, has some great points, and I wanted to share them with you.

Seek Out Partnerships

This is something we do all the time at our magazine. We’re lucky that we have been able to trade some ad space to help pay for things we really need—like help with our public relations and web development.

We also work with our advertisers to make sure they have magazines to use for their needs. For example, there is a jeweler who has been giving out a gift bag to couples who have bought their engagement ring at their store. They asked us if we could provide them with magazines to put in these gift bags. Of course, we said! That’s target marketing for a wedding magazine, and we didn’t have to do any of the leg work.

We also trade web ads with some of our partners, which is a good way to get free advertising space online. If you can find partners who will promote you while you promote them, it’s a win-win situation. It’s also a great way to find new clients and revenue streams. Continue Reading