So you finally got a call back and that client is ready to move forward with working with you! Great! Now it’s time to get down to business.

How do you make sure you get paid for the work you do? We all hate this part, but the nuts and bolts of a business relationship are the foundation for freelance success. It’s time to make a contract.

This is a part of the freelance gig that most of us all hate with a passion. Let’s face it – not too many people enjoy having to go through the process of reviewing and signing a contract. Unfortunately, it’s a necessary part of doing business.

In the context of a “safer” client contract, the temptation is to automatically jump to the idea of an “airtight” contract that covers every possible situation or scenario. For the most part, that’s just not the case.

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I really liked this article on Mashable.com’s business page about giving yourself a raise in 2012. With the economy being what it is (and has been), the thought of raising your freelancing rates might make your heart rate increase and sweat collect on your forehead. Before you go ballistic, ask yourself this question: when was the last time you adjusted your rates? If it was a decade ago—it’s time to give yourself a raise.

Whether you are a writer, photographer, or graphic designer, you need to make sure your current freelancing rates match your abilities.

With the rise of the Freelance or Gig Economy, more professionals are shifting from full-time positions to self-employed, freelance or contract roles. And often, for company employees accustomed to regular raises and pre-determined fee hikes, the notion of being in charge of one’s own prices is challenging. —Nellie Akalp for Mashable

How long have you been in business? If you are still charging the same low rates you started out with to get your foot in the door, you are shooting yourself in that same foot.

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My mom was chief nurse in an exclusive spa in Brazil and her 3-month stint for quick cash in the United States turned into a very profitable 11-year housecleaning career in that country.  I learned a lot from my mom about being an independent worker but trained through higher education, I perceived freelancing as an option for those who couldn’t handle the challenges of full-time, “serious” work.  I know better now of course and since becoming a freelancer last year, I’m constantly referring to my mother’s strategies and ethics, which won her some very satisfied clients.  I figured I’d share a few lessons, especially with those who are just starting out. Continue Reading

For over a year now I’ve been working with a well-known producer/writer/director as his Internet marketing manager on two movies; one in development and the other now in pre-production. It is an interesting experience that has taught me loads about what not to do as a freelancer as well as educated me about finances, the business of freelancing, and how Hollywood really works. It is exciting, exasperating, engaging, frustrating, upsetting, and rewarding. But I have no clue what my job actually encompasses.

I thought I would share the wisdom I’ve acquired along the way.

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Setting your rates as a freelancer can be a tough decision. You have to determine what amount you have to earn each hour in order to not only pay your bills but have a little extra left over. You have to decide what your work is worth. You have to decide what clients will be willing to pay. And once you’ve spent all that time and energy figuring out your rates, a client will come along and want to negotiate an entirely different rate.

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If you’ve tried cold-calling to get clients, you know it’s the most painful, soul-sucking way to advertise yourself. But it doesn’t have to be.

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Copyright is as old as printing and as new as today. As freelancers, whether writing, designing for print or the Internet, broadcasting, filming, or creating music, you should be aware of your rights of ownership of your work as well as when you actually can’t retain full ownership — the down side of selling your work for a living.

Note: You cannot copyright an idea or name, only an actual creation; and the item does not have to be published to hold a copyright. The minute you create it and even if you don’t mark it with a copyright symbol, it still is fully owned by you.

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What we got here is… failure to communicate.

“Cool-Hand Luke” — 1967

Firing a client is an emotionally anguishing action, but one that sometimes is the best strategy in a situation where you can’t see eye-to-eye on the scope of a project and its requirements. How you get to this situation is often a confusing mess of poor contract writing on your part, poor communication of requirements on the client’s part, and a muddle of clarifications, expectations, and sometimes a total lack of understanding by the client of underlying technologies and the possibility that you acted without full understanding of their project needs; all of which leads to their disappointment and your frustration.

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Photo by h9k.

I signed a contract with a new client last week. I read the contract closely and in general, I’m very comfortable with it. There’s only one clause I’m uncomfortable with — and, honestly, I worry about in most of the contracts I sign.

It’s the clause related to the governing law under which the contract can be disputed. These clauses can also be referred to as ‘choice of law’ or even be incorporated into dispute resolution.

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Outsourcing has been on my mind a lot: I’ve had to turn down a couple of projects lately that I just didn’t have time to do. I keep thinking that if I could have outsourced at least part of those projects, I could have gotten them done — and gotten the paychecks that went along with them.

The idea of outsourcing is pretty attractive on the surface. If you work with another freelancer in your field — perhaps one with a little less experience — you can take on at least a few more projects than you might manage to otherwise. If you work with freelancers in other fields, you can take on bigger projects: a web designer, for instance, might take on the whole development of a website (including the content) and subcontract the writing to a freelancer who specializes in web copy.

As long as you’re the freelancer who went out looking for the project and arranged to bring in other freelancers, you get paid. Even if you only get a small slice of the pie on a project where someone else does the lion’s share of the work, you still get paid.

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Photo by h9k.

When I started my own design business, one of the first things I put in place was a well-written contract. Before I spoke to an attorney about drafting an official document for me, I made sure I had my design process established. I also did a lot of research as to what other design firms and freelancers were including in their agreements. With something as subjective as design, there are lots of gray areas that need to be clarified as much as possible on paper.

If you’re in the process of drafting a client contract, or if you are considering revising one that already exists, I would recommend including the following list of items:

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Confidentiality sounds like it really ought to be more of an issues for doctors or lawyers, rather than freelancers. But sooner or later, most freelancers wind up with a client who wants them to sign a non-disclosure agreement or otherwise guarantee confidentiality for a project.

For certain companies, the number of projects they require NDAs on are growing: when every web designer, copywriter and other freelancer has the ability to broadcast current projects and clients on personal blogs and social networks, a little concern is understandable.

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