One of the tenets of wealthy freelancing is getting more out of the work you do. Getting more out of it in the way of enjoyment, satisfaction…and income.
And one of the best ways to boost your income is to raise your fees until they’re truly aligned with the value you deliver. Once you reach that level of parity, you must continually work to add even greater value, which in turn allows you to raise your fees again and earn a better living.
(You can also boost your income by improving your productivity, but that’s another post.)
Of course, when your fees are higher than the average freelancer in your field, it won’t be long before a prospect balks at your quote. You’ll hear comments such as, “Wow! I usually pay 30 percent less with other freelancers.”
Or, “Are you kidding? This should only take you a couple of hours to complete. How can you justify charging $600?”
I love BlackBerries and iPhones. They’re wonderful tools for staying in touch and getting things done. They’re also very, very dangerous because they can commandeer your personal time.
“I’m looking for the least possible amount of responsibility.” What a great line from the movie American Beauty.
In this scene, Lester Burnham, a tired and overworked 14-year advertising executive (played by Kevin Spacey), has just quit his corporate job. He’s tired of his life at home and his dead-end career. And upon seeing a “Now Hiring” sign at the local fast-food joint, he decides to really simplify and start all over as a burger flipper.
This scene came to mind when I read an article in the Los Angeles Times about high-powered and highly educated single young professionals who have recently lost their jobs. The article talked about a trend called “funemployment,” where many young professionals are opting to stay unemployed indefinitely.
Well, summer’s officially here. In our area, most kids are out of school. The neighborhood pools are open. And is seems like everyone’s on vacation or mentally checked out.
For many freelancers, summers can be tough. With so many clients on vacation, projects often get put on hold. Tracking down prospects can be tough. And it seems like no one wants to make a decision because “Pam is out for two weeks, and once she gets back it will take her another 2 weeks to catch up!”
So, what’s a freelancer to do with the idle time? Here are 8 ideas to consider as we enter the dog days of summer.
Recently I had the pleasure of delivering a copywriting webinar with Steve Slaunwhite and Ed Gandia, co-Editors of this blog. Part of the seminar involved a contest where attendees could win several months of one-on-one coaching from the three of us.
As part of the contest, participants had to answer a series of questions, one of which asked them to briefly describe how they plan to build their business.
On Wednesday, I shared with you four “in the trenches” tips for making real money as a work-at-home mom (WAHM). In this post, I’ll give you tips five through eight.
5. Don’t underprice yourself.
This is the biggest mistake women make — and one I still struggle with.
Women often underprice themselves for various reasons: they don’t “need” the money, they believe they don’t have the experience to charge higher rates, or they’re afraid they will lose clients if they charge more.
Your prospective clients don’t know your household income and really don’t care how much your husband makes. By pricing yourself too low, you’re essentially saying you have no experience and that you’re not ready to play in the big leagues.
Generating an income as a freelance mom with younger children underfoot can be difficult. It can also take a while to learn the tricks for ensuring you make more than “pin” money.
Here, then, are my “in the trenches” tips for making real money as a work-at-home freelance mom.
1. Treat your business like it’s a real business. I purposely gave my business a name and incorporated early on because I wanted my clients — and my family — to view my business as a serious enterprise, even though when I started, I worked only 15 hours a week.
In addition, it’s important to set aside space for your business, whether you use the spare bedroom or a corner in the unused dining room. Make sure everyone in the family knows this is where you *work* and that they are not to touch your space on pain of death.
Movies and television shows often like to make fun of corny pick-up lines. One of my favourites is, “Do you believe in love at first sight, or should I walk past you again?”
It gets a laugh.
But what those funny nightclub scenes don’t reveal, however, is that there are some pick-up lines that actually work.
And if you use the right line — or “script” as I prefer to call it — at the right moment, you can get very good results.
Now, I don’t have a pick-up line for dating. (My wife doesn’t allow me to date.) But over the years, I have developed a repertoire of scripts and templates that have helped me build my business.
And in just a moment, I’m going to share one of my most effective scripts with you — one that you can use in your own freelance business. Click to continue reading »
Have you heard of Gary Vaynerchuk? He’s not a famous politician like Obama, or a mega-celebrity like Oprah. He’s not a famous athlete like Tiger Woods. He’s a wine retailer from New Jersey. A pretty normal, everyday guy, you might say. Except for the fact that 1) he has a following of about 345,000 people (at last count) who hang on his every word and 2) he was recently awarded a seven-figure book deal from publisher HarperStudio.
How did this wine retailer from New Jersey rise up from “nowhere” these great heights?
Whenever I came cross biographies or anecdotes about people who achieved great things, I was left with burning questions like, How did this person accomplish so much? And, How did he or she find the time?
One of the tenets of wealthy freelancing is getting more out of the work you do. Getting more out of it in the way of enjoyment, satisfaction…and income.
