Freelancing can sometimes feel very lonely. You have left behind the finance department, the IT department and several layers of management. You have also left behind your colleagues – the friends you worked with, bounced ideas off, asked for tips, and borrowed inspiration from when you felt dry. There may be times that you miss all of those people – and all of that support.

Many of you are freelancers because you are good at one thing – your craft, your art, your trade. Now you spend each day doing what you love. Except that you have also taken on a bunch of jobs that you may not be good at – bookkeeper, manager, computer support person, marketer. You took on those jobs because they are part of the freelancing deal, not because you’re good at them. And sometimes you’re not good enough.

Where do you turn to for support? When things are not going well, when problems arise that are outside of your specialty, when you need professional advice, or when you’re just plain too busy, you need a support system. It’s better to start building one before you need it.

Financially, you are more secure if you have multiple income streams. In the same way it is important to build diversity into your support network. You don’t want to put all of your eggs in one basket. Here are some great places to find support. Continue Reading

Your fingers hover above the keyboard as you stare blankly at your empty document. You have an assignment, a topic, a project that you need to work on.

And you have no idea where to go from where you are.

It isn’t burnout. You aren’t exhausted, or sick of writing and wishing everyone who wants you to write something would just go away for a week

What you are is stuck. You know what you want to do, but you just can’t seem to get anything out to work on. Continue Reading

Most freelancers automatically set up business as sole proprietors. In most countries, running a sole proprietorship is as simple as hanging out your shingle — the government only cares whether you pay your taxes on time. Just because operating as a sole proprietor — also known as a sole trader in some parts of the world — is the easiest option, however, doesn’t mean that it’s the best. For some freelancers, making the switch to a corporation or another business structure can offer some benefits.

If you just automatically moved into running your freelance business as a sole proprietor, there are a couple of questions worth asking yourself. Depending on the answers you may find that incorporation makes sense for your business.

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Imagine all of your hard work being ripped off by someone half way around the world. My first thought was always, “Ah, that’ll never happen to me. What are the chances?” Imagine my surprise when I found out my freelance website (HTML, CSS, graphics, design-down-to-the-last-detail) was hijacked by an Indonesian company.

I found out about this hijack through my Google Analytics results. I saw that I’d been getting about 28 hits a day from an Indonesian website as well as Google Search hits from keyword phrases such as “Terminal” and “Terminal Pulsa.” Thankfully, I’m curious by nature and investigated this odd behavior.

My first thought was, “How dare them! I worked hard on this site! Why would someone think this is okay to do?!” Quickly followed by, “Oh great, this place is overseas and surely they do not hold to the same legal standards as the United States. What do I do now?”

Please note that I am NOT a lawyer (thank God), but the following information should really help you out if you ever have this happen to you! Continue Reading

Photo by aymlis.

You’ve got to ask! Asking is, in my opinion, the world’s most powerful – and neglected – secret to success and happiness. – Percy Ross

We work. We work hard! Yet, sometimes we forget to do the simplest of things to advance our business and earning ability. Personally, I’m terrible at networking (quite possibly the single most important act!). Needless to say, I’m awful at making small talk in elevators as well. Typically, I’m that guy who acts as if he’s on the phone – all for the sake of avoiding the awkward silence while waiting to arrive at my chosen floor (Another good trick is to act as if you’re in a hurry and don’t have time to chat. Repeatedly looking at your watch helps.) However, I have learned one extremely important task for any business situation. I ASK.

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Photo by Vincent®.

I know everyone hates the term “pay your dues,” but sometimes that’s exactly what you’ve got to do.

Case in point: I got a cold-call from an aspiring copywriter a few days back, asking for advice. I put it on my list of people to respond to, but not very high. After all, I’ve got to cover my own butt, first, and I’ve been positively swamped with work. I planned to give her a buzz back within a few days. But later that night as I am cooking dinner, she calls back. Twice in the same day. (Not to mention, after hours.)

I’ll say it before, and I’ll say it again: I’m not a good mentor. Not because I don’t have the expertise, but I don’t have the patience to offer one-on-one support to others. I do better writing about it for the masses. I’ve learned not to feel bad about this, because everyone has their talents and mine will probably never be mentoring. I help in other ways, by offering you witty posts with some valuable advice. And my incessant blabbing on Freelance Radio, which I am told is useful to many.

That said, I don’t mind giving advice to new freelancers. I think it helps all freelancers as part of this great big circle we’re in. Take advice from others, give back… that sort of thing. But I do think there’s a difference between getting pointed in the right direction, and just being lazy while expecting others to do the legwork for you.

Here are some ways you can get advice — without pushing the bar.

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