Over the weekend I was taking a quick look at my expenses.  Being a freelancer has made me hyperaware of where money is coming in, and where it’s going out.

On my Mastercard statement, I found that I am paying for two different hosting plans, for two different websites.  Since I don’t own the domain to one of them anymore, it was an unnecessary expense.  Sure, it was only $5 per month, but that’s $60 a year that could go towards my most important expense–me! Continue Reading

I haven’t punched a clock in more than 10 years. And even when I did, I never cared much for the idea.

I guess I didn’t like the message it sent out: that I was being paid for my time — not for my ideas, creativity, excellent customer service and added revenue for my employer.

I still feel that way as a freelancer. I believe my clients hire me for my insights, ideas, creativity, results delivered and commitment to their success, not for my time.

If time is what you’re after, you can buy time anywhere (and for much less!).

That’s a big reason why I don’t price most projects by the hour. Instead, I quote flat fees 95% of the time. I want to keep the focus on the project deliverables, not on the time I’ll spend doing the work. Plus, I want to take on some of the risk and not create a scenario in which the invoiced amount is a big surprise to the client.

However, I still track time. Even when doing flat-fee work, I find that there’s tremendous value in knowing how much time I actually spend on every project. Specifically, a good time tracking system provides me with: Continue Reading

For four years the Envato Marketplaces have helped authors around the world earn an income selling their digital wares. Along the way we’ve grown from one marketplace to seven, with more on the way. We’ve gone from hundreds of members to hundreds of thousands. Items from our marketplaces have appeared in projects for companies big and small, all around the world. And most importantly of all, we’ve had thousands of authors cash out earnings, ranging from a bit of money for a big weekend to sums in the tens of thousands of dollars a month!

It’s been an amazing ride, and here at Envato along with our commitment to growing Tuts+ and FreelanceSwitch, we are completely committed to making our marketplaces the best around. That’s why I’m very excited today to announce that as of the end of September we are rolling out some dramatically improved rates for all our exclusive authors! Continue Reading

As you all know, the Freelance Radio podcast has come to an end.  If you didn’t get to listen to them all, you can find the archive on iTunes here.

To fill the void left by the team, I’ve found a few options that can’t replace Freelance Radio, but they will probably give you some decent tips and tricks to help you become the best freelancer you can be.

The Freelance Life – Good information on a variety of topics primarily focused on writing/editing.  Hosted by Janice Campbell.

Freelance Advisor – Hosted by Darren Fell and Andy White.  Quite good, updated frequently, and seems to be good for all freelancers.  Content covers debt collection, personal branding, drumming up business, and much more. Continue Reading

One of the great things that I have found about freelancing is the thrill of finding new clients.  One of the roughest parts of being a freelancer is waiting to see if your new client is going to pay you for the services you provided.

Here are a few ways that might be useful for you prevent bad debt and maintain your freelance paycheck: Continue Reading

I know it’s not summer for everyone reading FreelanceSwitch right now, but up here in Canada it still is.  And one of my favourite things to do in the summer is to camp, but this year it was a little bit different, since this was my first summer as a fulltime freelancer.

Sure, I could have gotten way ahead of my projects, but where’s the fun in that?  Instead, I figured it might be possible to tether my iPhone to the laptop, and keep connected while everyone else was making smores.  We’re back home now, and other than a slight campfire smell coming from the laptop, it’s pretty hard to tell that I was not at my office all week.  The clients were communicated with, the articles were uploaded, and the invoices were sent – all while enjoying way too much junk food, liquid refreshments, and beautiful hikes through an amazing forest.

Funny, I think I showered as frequently at the camp as I have been at the home office.  Might need to fix that for the future…

Sitting at a picnic table and putting the final touches on a new website helps your spouse realize the possibilities that freelancing can provide.  We’re already thinking about finding a trailer and cruising through the US.  I promise to shower before we stop in for a visit.

Where is the best place that you’ve been able to freelance from?  Any tips and tricks to make it seamless to your clients? Continue Reading

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How to Stay Productive When the Internet Is Down

The Internet went down this morning at the home office. If I were in a deadline situation, I would have packed the laptop into the car and headed for the nearest caffeinated wifi hot spot. But I was under no pressure this morning and had hope the Internet downtime would be brief.

How to Write an Elevator Speech

Step into an elevator (or lift as the English like to call them) and chances are you’ll hear piped-in music designed to soothe and relax, though repeated renditions of Fur Elise can prove to do just the opposite. Continue Reading

A few weeks ago I asked you to send me some pictures of your office, the response was even more amazing than what we got for our last showcase of home offices. There was such great response, that unfortunately I’m unable to showcase everyone’s photo. I picked out some of the best pictures you, our fantastic readers, sent in. Here are the top 15 home office solutions. In case I didn’t include yours, don’t worry – I loved to see them all, they were all great in one way or another. Let’s check ‘em out! Continue Reading

If you don’t have a client tracking system in place to measure how long it takes to convert a prospect – your potential customer – into a client – a paying customer – you probably will have a hard time predicting what your monthly income will be.

I am not an Excel guru, but I have created a quick spreadsheet that you can use to track how long the process takes.  If you are diligent about filling in the data, you will soon be able to analyze where your new customers are coming from and what the fastest method of converting them is.  I know, not all customers are the same, but with more data you should find more consistency.

I hope you find this useful – and I already know that it’s not pretty, I’m a writer, not a designer, but it should be a good tool to help you start to predict your revenue for the coming months.

Client Tracking Spreadsheet

Kudos to you if you recognize any of the clients. Continue Reading

I’ve noticed a rash of design professionals leaving their jobs lately to pursue creative freedom. Designer Frank Chimero, Helen Walters of BusinessWeek, Andrio Abero of Wieden+Kenndey, and Alex Bogusky of MDC Partners have all written high-profile accounts or made announcements about going on hiatus or quitting. There are countless others leaving both high-ranking positions as well as quieter corners. Is this an industry that is constantly in flux, or is there something to be said about all the ship-jumping? While each “adventurer” (a less patronizing title than “dreamer”) will have their own personal reasons, I can offer some insight into my own recent experience of striking out on my own. Continue Reading

The last survey was quite fun, and seemed to generate some great discussion and results. This time, I’d like to suggest that we share where the majority of our clients are coming from.  If you have any tips or tricks on ways that you convert  a prospective client into a paying client – we’d love to hear that in the comments.