Credit: Yuri Arcurs on Photodune

One of the most powerful lessons I have learned is to cast a vision and stick to it. This lesson applies to freelance work, but it also applies to life in general. Casting a vision for your career is hard and can take years to fully develop, which requires sticktoitiveness. But, if you apply tenacity over time, you will find the end result is powerful and motivating in a way nothing else can be.

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Photo by borrowed time | demi-brooke.

I was a decent freelancer last year. I passed the two-year full-time mark, I had clients on retainer and new clients still coming in. Business had doubled since the year before and signs were pointing to nice growth for year three as well. All the bills got paid every month and our savings had actually grown compared to when I was employed full-time.

I was a decent freelancer. At least I thought I was.

In October of last year my title and role changed a little from husband to husband/father. Uh oh. My emotions ran the gamut from elation to ‘who in the world would trust me with a kid?’ And everywhere in between. I can still remember the day that we were being discharged to go home wondering if I could find some little defect on him just so they’d let us stay a few more days to get our feet wet before he was under our care 100% of the time. Sad, I know. We did get him home and we were able to adjust. I haven’t dropped him or broken any bones, and according to my wife I’m a decent dad.

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Photo by creo que soy yo.

As you probably know freelance workers do much more tasks than just designing, writing or whatever it is you do to pay your bills.

So why spend time and energy sharing your knowledge?

These days altruism is not very common. We’re so stressed with our work that there’s little free time left, and we want to spend it on anything else.

But moreover, sharing what you know is risky. Someone could steal your ideas or your techniques. It’s even a little unfair! Why share what you learned by yourself, with so much effort and without help from anyone else? And what do you get in exchange? Isn’t it a risk for your business? Is it worth the effort?

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Photo by Guylaine2007.

I was updating my LinkedIn profile the other day and couldn’t help but notice that under the “Independent Professional” heading was the time stamp: 2 years.

Has it really been that long? It sure doesn’t feel like it, but it gave me pause to sit back and think about my career so far and what lessons I’ve learned that can be passed on to others.

Like most people fresh out of college, I focused all my energy on finding the 9-5 staff job. Problem was, returning home from a unpaid newspaper internship in another city, I barely had enough money to put postage on resumes, let alone gas to drive to job interviews.

It was a few days after my return that I woke up to my phone ringing. It was my editor from the out-of-town paper. Something related to their coverage area was happening near me and… could I cover it? Continue Reading

Artwork by Freeparking.

Maintaining enthusiasm, productivity levels, a sense of humor and general sanity can sometimes be a challenge for career freelancers!

Here are ten lessons that every successful freelancer has learned: lessons that will help keep you on the right track in the world of going it alone.

Have you learned these lessons yet?

If you haven’t, start today! Continue Reading

Photo by Pasotraspaso.

The coffee break is a place for freelancers to share tips and lessons gleaned from experience, with a single question as our starting point. Feel free to address the question and each-other in the comments section.

Lively discussions have been a real characteristic of the FSw community — this is something we want to help create more of.

This week’s discussion point is:

What’s the single most important piece of advice you would share with anyone just embarking on a freelance career?

Image by foundphotoslj.

I’ve been creating websites for about half of my life now — nearly 14 years focused on creating comps, writing code, and, of course, making designs look right in Internet Explorer. I’ve spent many of those years moonlighting, creating websites for clients who didn’t mind me working only at night. But it was only eight months ago that I decided to quit my third job in four years (all of which were decent jobs by the way) and launch out on my own.

Although I’ve really enjoyed the last eight months, I will say that I’ve learned quite a bit about freelancing and myself. Many of these lessons are the more obvious ones like “Work Hard” or “Budget Well,” but there are a number of lessons that are probably not so apparent. Here are eight that I’ve learned:

1. Focus Your Offering
An easy trap to fall into as a freelancer is to accept any work that is offered, even if the skill necessary is not really related to your field. You quickly find yourself promising the finest work in not only web design, but also in print work, content writing, photography, and business consultation. I guarantee that no individual can be all these things, and potential clients that hear you say this will be equally skeptical. Though there may be times when wearing multiple hats is necessary, in general, try to keep your offered skills focused. If your talent and skillset are up to snuff, there will always be work in your niche.

2. Business Skills Are More Important Than Freelancing Skills
A talented businessperson with subpar freelance skills (in whatever field) can still make a pretty good living. But a talented freelancer with subpar business skills is often found working 80-hour weeks for much less than what he/she could earn in the 40-hour corporate world. When you’re freelancing, you’re running a business, and thus, you need to develop those business skills (or find someone who can help or do it for you). There’s no reason why a freelancer should not be able to make a good salary. Continue Reading