Well… that’s it people. I think it’s pretty much case closed now.

Economists, academics, thought leaders, bestselling authors… it seems just about everyone has weighed in on the topic of the new economy and the fact that self-employed professionals are taking center stage.

But this month, freelancing or “working independently” or being a “solopreneur” (no one has quite settled on the catch-all phrase to describe us yet) was officially ordained as the way of the future by the mainest of mainstream media…

It’s right there in black and white, on page 42 of the July issue of O Magazine…

“Stop looking for a staff position…” “…package yourself as an independent contractor for hire on a project by project basis.” – Suze Orman O Magazine, July 2010

O My!
Let’s just pause for a second and appreciate the gravity of this… here you have Suze Orman, perhaps the most recognized personal finance expert in America, in one of the nation’s leading magazines, telling millions of readers to eschew the traditional J-O-B and go solo.

Um. That’s HUGE.

You can read the full article online for the proper context, but basically Orman’s advice came in response to a reader (someone with a master’s in HR) who was frustrated with job hunting after 40 applications turned up crickets .

With her advice to look for project-based contract work, Orman adds her voice to the chorus of people like Seth Godin, Dan Pink and countless others who’ve been telling us for years (many years, in Pink’s case) that freelancing, or whatever you want to call it, is increasingly how we roll in North America now. (Seth Godin even refers to himself a freelancer, in this recent video interview.)

Seeing advice like this in the pages of O, from a mega-high profile author like Orman will be a wake-up call for a lot of people. If you thought “going solo” was just a trend, watch what happens now, and in the next few years to come.

Who stands to profit from this? YOU!
If you’re reading this blog, odds are you’re already an indpendent professional, consultant, freelancer, solopreneur, whatever-you-call-yourself or you’re working toward that vision. So… if you’ve been hesitantly dipping your toe in the warm waters of freelancing, now is the time to take the plunge. FULLY. Get ahead of the wave, go all out, and build your solo business. NOW is the time.

*
Pete Savage is co-author of The Wealthy Freelancer and doesn’t quite know how to answer, “Why were you reading Oprah Magazine, anyway?” so don’t ask.

Editor’s Note: Today’s guest post is authored by Super-WAHM, Karri Flatla

When my first son was 10 months old I decided I wanted to start a home-based business. So of course, I did what any smart, modern mom does: I jumped on the Internet. Everything seemed possible through the lens of Google. Certainly I could make this work too!

Yet there is a vast psychological divide between researching business opportunities and becoming a living, breathing work-at-home entrepreneur. What looks good in theory (and on your computer screen) can be a recipe for disaster in “real” life. The key to being a successful work-at-home mom (WAHM) is not so much to find the perfect business idea (it doesn’t exist) but to instead manage your own expectations for the journey ahead.

So before you even think about writing that business plan, ask yourself the following questions:

1. How many hours a day can you spend on your business? When I started my marketing business in 2005, I was utterly, gloriously consumed by my new venture. If I wasn’t writing my dissertation of a business plan, I was networking on the forums with my new colleagues and friends. If I wasn’t networking on the forums, I was teaching myself how to build a website. My husband and 10-month-old son came to know the back of my head as “Karri” or “Mom.”

And when those first clients came rolling in? Well, let’s just say that I’ve learned the power of outsourcing and life has been a lot better since.

2. To what extent are you willing to multitask? Being a WAHM brings new meaning to the term. And I’m not just talking about folding underwear while yelling at your kids. I’m talking about 24-hour-a-day-problem-solving-while-you-sleep, psychological multitasking. If you think your brain is full now, consider how much more stuff will fill that pretty little head when you add clients to your to-do list, clients who don’t give a rat’s patootie about Johnny’s ear infection or the leaky dishwasher.

3. How will hubbie feel about a new love in your life? While it should go without saying that your beloved will happily support your endeavor to stretch personally and professionally as a woman, fact is your spouse already has a zillion other things on his mind. Figuring out how to procure some semblance of intimacy with a woman who lives for the glow of her computer screen is enough to get most husbands a little pissy if not downright disenchanted with the relationship.

Don’t deep dive into your new business until you’ve talked about the major lifestyle shift that working at home is going to require.

Speaking of lifestyle changes…

4. Who’s going to do the cooking? And cleaning? And child minding? And…and…and… Once you get this puppy off the ground, your domestic goddess (within?) will be taking an extended vacation. You will cling to the “old way” of doing things for a while to be sure, and your family will cling even harder. However, the day will come when dinner won’t be on the table at 5:30 each night, and the kids’ eyeballs will be glowing from all the TV radiation you’ve quite intentionally exposed them to.

So your once-high domestic standards will quickly subjugate to your even higher business standards. But can your loved ones live with it, and more importantly, what will you do to prepare them for the culture shock?

5. What of those rascally kids anyway? Most work-at-home moms will tell you they chose the WAHM life so they could be with their children more. Reality check: working at home changes how you care for your children; it does NOT guarantee you more quality time them.

Look, I’ve typed more emails to clients with a kid having breakfast at the boob than I care to count. (Can I say “boob” on this blog?) Pre-planned activities, naps and “educational” videos will only go so far to ensure your productivity. At some point you may have to consider alternative child care arrangements, or (gasp) hubby might have to give the kids a bath and read stories a few nights a week.

6. Where does your happiness come from? If you’re happiness hinges on pleasing others, you are not ready to be a work-at-home mom. When you launch your business you’ll naturally expect friends and extended family to unconditionally support you, to be excited for you even. WRONG. Many of them will question you. Some will tell you to “just get a real job.” And even more will just give you blank stares when you try to explain why you love being a WAHM despite the apparent craziness of it all.

There are all kinds of reasons for this including jealousy and the simple fact that practically no one but authors and feminists understand the complex, tangled mess that is modern motherhood in North America.

But I digress. Just know that you may stand alone some days, and you’ll need to be okay with that.

Speaking of being alone…

7. Can you handle social isolation? When you’re burning the midnight oil working on a client deadline, you’ll want to spend any extra time you have with your husband, kids and a locked bathroom. (For God’s sake woman, have a shower!) You’ll have to force yourself to dig some change out of those couch cushions and get out for drinks or coffee at least once or twice before the next full moon.

Transitioning to a work-at-home lifestyle is so much more than spending a few extra hours a day on the computer. Personally, I think the changes are positive and healthy. They push you and your family beyond stale comfort zones, forcing everyone to think of new ways to sustain trust, excitement and intimacy. Some days you’ll want to throw in the (dirty) towel, but most of the time you’ll wonder how you (and your family) survived and thrived before you were a WAHM. A delicious, hungry, passionate WAHM.

—

Author Bio: Karri Flatla is a web marketing strategist, copywriter and coach to entrepreneurs seeking clarity and truth in their business. She is also the author of Alpha WAHM: An Empowerment Guide for Work-at-Home Moms (http://alphawahmbook.com). You can read and subscribe to Karri’s business and marketing blog at http://snapwebmarketing.com.

Image by tinyfroglet via Flickr

One of our readers recently emailed me with a dilemma she was facing. At first, I thought it was a trick question. But after reading her note a couple of times, I saw the importance (and validity) of her question, why she was struggling with this issue and why this is relevant to ALL freelancers. Here’s what she wrote:

Where is the grass greener? In a corporation, with a stable income, or own one’s own? After 12 years of freelance writing for Fortune 500 corporations and loving it, I’m getting a little bored. In 2010 I’m pondering pursuing a full time, corporate career for the learning and growth opportunities it might offer. But not just any position; one with a progressive company that would incorporate Web and social media optimization and training into my weekly tasks. Of course, I could pursue this training on my own. But where? Anyway, I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on this topic in an upcoming article.

So here’s why I thought this was a trick question. Personally, I’d have to be in a really (and I mean REALLY) tight corner to reenter corporate America. Going back to working for someone else just because I’m bored or feel I need to learn more skills is not something I’d even consider.

I suspect many of you feel the same way — especially today, where job security is no longer a reality.

But here’s why this is such a great question. For Janet (not her real name), constantly learning new skills and working on a wide variety of interesting projects is important. Important enough, in fact, to consider going back to the corporate world as an employee.

And while this is not a good enough reason for me to jump ship (I would instead self-finance my training), there are other situations where I could be tempted — or at least tempted enough — to consider the opportunity.

For instance, a good friend, colleague or relative coming to me with an exciting and legitimate entrepreneurial opportunity. A situation where I would be an employee but would have a significant equity stake in the business… and a VERY attractive compensation package.

Basically, a combination of great pay, excellent upside potential and a feeling that I could really make a difference in the company’s growth and in people’s lives.

Now… I’m not saying I would take the opportunity. But such a situation would cause me to at least want to learn more. Maybe even ask myself Janet’s “Is the grass greener?” question.

OK, so what do you do when you’re presented with a situation that sounds very attractive? Or when you start thinking that there might be something better for you outside of freelancing?

Start with a decision tree. Draw a straight vertical line on a blank sheet of paper. On the left side write all the “pros.” On the right side list all the “cons.”

List as many items in each column as you can. Think about your family, your finances, your quality of life, free time, work time and all the other factors that will be affected should you go in a different direction.

Then, put the list away, close your eyes and try to imagine a day in this new position. How happy are you? Are you nervous, excited, energized? Whom do you interact with? Are you in a cubicle, office or home office? Does the day seem to fly by or drag on?

Do the same exercise with your current work. And with both of these visualizations, ask yourself: What does all this feel like? What does your gut tell you?

In most cases, the answer will come to you pretty quickly. Yet at first, you won’t believe your gut (why is that??). So you’ll sit on it for a few days. You’ll go back and forth on it.

But I suspect that in the end, you’ll trust your instincts.

I just ran through this exercise myself. Here’s what I found: even if offered a ridiculously attractive compensation package, I would turn it down and continue doing what I’m doing today.

For me, the thought of going back to an office, dealing with corporate politics, traveling all the time, being away from my family or having someone else chart my course…

All that feels like hell to me! So does the thought of having to rebuild my business from scratch should that opportunity not work out.

But that’s just me.

What about you? How would you advise Janet?

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Ed Gandia is the co-founder of TheWealthyFreelancer.com and co-author of The Wealthy Freelancer: 12 Secrets to a Great Income and an Enviable Lifestyle. Get 3 free chapters of the book and 4 bonus e-books and reports (worth $126) here.

After months of putting it off, I finally went 100% Mac in late August. I’m happy to report that I did, indeed, survive the “great migration,” and I’m loving the all-Mac experience.

In fact, I can honestly say that I’m now a Mac believer. And I’ll NEVER go back to PC again!

Here’s why I decided to make the switch, why I put it off for so long, and the lesson I learned about wealthy freelancing…

A few years ago, when I started to hear all the Mac hype out there, I just wasn’t buying it. I didn’t “get” all the Bill Gates hatred — the anti-Windows rants. My laptop ran fine (or so I thought). And software is a complex thing, so I could understand why Microsoft was so busy all the time trying to plug security holes.

Fast-forward a year or so. Suddenly I’m not as complacent. Trojans, viruses, the constant Blue Screen of Death, software hanging

These were now weekly occurrences.

Badly wounded by my ever-growing PC problems, I began to pay more attention to what the Apple crowd was saying. I even took a stroll to the local Apple store (something I never did because it felt too “cultish” for me). The shopping mall was nearly empty. But the Apple store was busting at the seams!

Even more surprising was that this fervent enthusiasm was happening at the height of a deep recession (Lehman Brothers had JUST collapsed!).

Considering the fact that a Mac costs two to three times more than a basic Windows laptop, that was a good enough reason to take a closer look.

Two months later, I finally gave in and bought a MacBook Pro. It took me a few months to work up the courage to migrate all my files over to the Mac. But I finally did it.

Yes, there were some hiccups. Yes, I bitched and moaned for a week. And yes, there are some things I still believe Windows does better than Mac (not many; just one or two).

But I can honestly say that I’m impressed with my Mac. I’m impressed with Apple and the simplicity of its software and user interface. I’m impressed with the quality of its products (I bought an iPhone a couple of months ago as well).

I love the fact that my Mac boots within 1 minute…and shuts down within 10 seconds. It runs fast. It’s efficient in every way. And I’m not having to install critical security updates 17 times a day.

But the most important lesson has been the shift in my attitude since making the switch.

I’ve realized that my computer is the most important physical asset in my business. So to constantly get the clients, projects, income and lifestyle I want — to be the wealthy freelancer I want to be — I need to invest in the best, most reliable equipment I can possibly afford.

Will it cost more upfront? You bet. But over a one- or two-year period, those extra dollars will save me an enormous amount of time and frustration. And that, my friends, I now realize is worth a LOT to me.

What about you? What’s your worst Windows horror story? If you went to Mac after years on PC, why did you do it?

And how has investing in better, more reliable equipment made you a more effective, productive and happier freelancer?

————

If you’ve been a freelancer for any length of time, you may have noticed there are a lot of job boards out there. From Craigslist to boards hosted by trade journals to bidding-style sites, there are clearly a lot of places for companies to post their need for freelancers.

Of course, if you’ve ever actually tried to find work on a job board, you’ve likely discovered:

1. Posters seem to only care about finding the lowest price.

2. Posts are disorganized, poorly written, and not thought through.

3. Posters demand experience that’s unnecessary for the job (like an MBA to write an article on the textile industry).

What if there was a way to skirt past all of these hassles and make the time you spend applying to jobs from job boards genuinely lucrative?

After all, when you need work quickly (say a job falls through at the last minute), there’s no better way to generate income than to “fish where the fish are.” Here are 5 tips to make job listings pay off:

1. Accept that it’s a numbers game. Landing work from job boards is (partly) a numbers game. That means applying to some jobs that might not be an absolutely perfect fit but that do sound interesting.

In other words, apply to those you’d rank as low as a “7 out of 10″ instead of focusing only on the cream of the crop. Expect to reply to at least 30 job postings to make the time worthwhile.

2. Don’t write like a robot. Use stories and the intrigue to *show* the client why they ought to hire you. Write each email individually for that spur-of-the-moment energy to come through. I know, it’s easier to copy and paste, but not only is that completely lame, it’s also a waste of your time.

Writing individual emails will only take about 15 minutes a piece, and will absolutely pay off in bigger and better jobs.

3. Pitch a bigger job right there in the email! This is part of the reason for writing each email personally. Most job posters are thinking too small. So, ratchet up what they’re looking for and show them a bigger vision of what they can have.

They want someone to write 3 blog postings a week? Offer to also map out a content strategy. They want a monthly newsletter? Offer to also hook them up with a designer.

4. Hint at your prices and process but don’t spell either out. Mention up front that you’re not the lowest-priced service provider. Something like, “I’m not the cheapest copywriter, but that’s not what you’re looking for anyway–you want someone who knows your industry and I’ve spent the last five years immersing myself in the latest news on telecom systems.”

When it comes to process, don’t go on at length about Step A and Step X. Just mention, “Clients often talk about how intuitive I am when we work together–they don’t have to give me gobs of information or stacks of corporate documents. Usually, a 15-minute phone call is all it takes for me to come up with 20 solid blog topics.”

5. Don’t obsess over any one “oar.” Building a bigger, more profitable business requires putting a bunch of oars in the water. Along the way, some of those oars will wind up at the bottom of the lake. Just keep your focus on adding oars, not on what any one oar is doing, because you just never know how any one contact opportunity will turn out. (I’ve had clients suddenly re-appear after a two-year hiatus and I’ve had clients hire me an hour after getting my email.)

Job boards can be a fantastic source of quality gigs (honest!). They’re a sign that a company is in the market for what you do and are often both a great way to get your foot in the door and also a way to score lucrative, engaging projects. It simply takes a systematic approach and a willingness to do more than read a few posts and bemoan that “no one’s paying anything on these job boards.” Get in there, get engaging, and start lining up work!

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Jessica Albon is a freelance copywriter and WordPress designer in North Carolina. She shares six other ways (complete with easy-to-follow scripts) to land more lucrative projects in her recent teleclass: Emergency Client Attraction.

Despite my 17 years as a freelancer, I receive calls and e-mails like the following at least once a month:

“We really love your work. And we have a great opportunity for you at our exciting new media venture.”

Translation:

“We’re launching a new Web site/magazine/start-up and we’d love to have you do some consulting work for us. For free.”

My hopeful client will then explain that his or her company is poised to be the next Google. All this is meant to butter me up for their next line:

“It will be great exposure for you.”

No one ever bought groceries with exposure. The 20.9 million Americans working as consultants, freelancers, and small-business owners do not keep a roof overhead by getting paid in exposure, or “PIE,” as I call it.

But writers aren’t the only ones who routinely get asked to donate their time to clients lacking outsourcing budgets. Professional organizers, business consultants, life coaches, and all other manner of self-employed professionals get offered platefuls of PIE, too.

Sometimes you’ll convince yourself that a slice of PIE couldn’t possibly hurt your bottom line. But usually these gigs are as empty as the calories at your favorite bakery.

Before we discuss all the bogus PIE gigs out there, let’s consider when giving it up for free can work in your favor:

• You have no clients. If you have no client testimonials to speak of, you may have to do a short-term freebie or three to prove that you’re experienced. Freebies are also a great way for seasoned independents to test drive — and get feedback on — any new services they’d like to offer.
• Your dream gig has shallow pockets. Some low- or no-pay jobs really are worth their weight in PIE. For example, giving a talk at a highly publicized conference can land you new clients and paid speaking gigs.
• You’re donating your services to a worthy cause. Think high-profile auctions and fundraisers; the more PIE potential, the better. Although you’re doing the job gratis, send the client a short contract clearly stating what you will and won’t do.

On the other hand, if you’re offered any of the following payment schemes, I suggest you run for the nearest exit:

• Payment on spec. In the business world, it’s a bad idea to do work for any client who insists that you do the bulk of the project before they decide whether they like your work enough to pay for it. When it comes to spec work, just say no.
• Elaborate revenue models that would baffle even your C.P.A. While some attorneys, venture capitalists, and application developers have the means to work for revenue shares, getting paid if and when a company becomes profitable is not a financial option for most independent professionals.
• Credit for your work — and nothing more. Receiving credit for your work is hardly a substitute for getting paid. Besides, you should always get credit for a job well done.

When you agree to work free, you reinforce people’s misguided ideas that the self-employed are independently wealthy hobbyists. Don’t degrade your profession by letting a cheap client take advantage of you.

~

Michelle Goodman is author of My So-Called Freelance Life: How to Survive and Thrive as a Creative Professional for Hire and The Anti 9-to-5 Guide: Practical Career Advice for Women Who Think Outside the Cube, both published by Seal Press. Visit her blog at www.anti9to5guide.com. 

[Full Disclosure: The author launched his freelance business by working with agencies early on. But has since seen the light.]

Over the years I’ve read all kinds of articles aimed at us freelancers on “The Pros and Cons of Working with Agencies.” As freelancer, should you or shouldn’t you?

Much of the advice I see is the same, but, in my opinion, the debate can be boiled down to one simple truth that is rarely brought into the light:

Agencies don’t care about you.

There, I said it.

Now, does this mean I recommend you avoid working with agencies? Not at all. Over the years, I’ve worked with agencies of all kinds. From small two-person shops to big multi-nationals with thousands of employees. Why? Because there are some huge benefits to doing so. Here are a few:

Some Pros of Working with Agencies

• Access to lots of project work, with little effort. As a freelancer, you can scoop up lots of work from busy agencies who can’t handle a surge in workload internally. This is easier than going out and knocking on client doors and initiating new direct client relationships from scratch. 

• Opportunity to pack your portfolio with work samples from big name clients. Many large and small agencies out there work for Fortune 500 companies. You can end up working on a little job for a huge company that might otherwise take you years to crack. Having big names in your portfolio does wonders for your credibility with new clients.

• Less client management. The account manager or someone else at an agency looks after most or all of the client interaction, so you can focus just on your creative work.

And there are other pros too. If you’re new to freelancing, or if you’re in the business-building stage, working for agencies can be a very smart way to go. In fact, I began my own career working pretty much exclusively for agencies.

But the point is, eventually I moved on. Why? Because that truth that agencies don’t care about freelancers became abundantly clear. Agencies are simply not in the business of keeping your bank account balance in the black.

Perhaps you have built up some wonderful relationships with some wonderful agency owners or employees who like to give you work. If so, that’s great!

But remember that, no matter how much work they’ve sent your way in the past, no agency owner or employee goes to sleep at night thinking of ways to give freelancers more business. They’re in the business of looking after themselves. This is, of course, how it should be.

So should you be in the business of looking after yourself.

If you view your freelance income as bonus money at the end of each month, then picking up assignments here and there from agencies may be an ideal solution for you.

However, if freelancing is your main source of income, or if you want to reach the high end of the earnings potential is this industry, agencies alone won’t take you there. You must start building direct client relationships.

For some ideas on how to do this – ideas the REALLY work – check out the articles and comments in the Getting Clients category of this blog.

—

Pete Savage is co-Editor of this blog. As his wife will attest, he often goes to bed at night thinking of ways to give freelancers more business. (See http://www.savagemarketing.com/) Also, he is not on a one-man crusade to rid the world of agencies. He quite likes agency people and harbours no resentment that they don’t care about us. 

Niche marketing is about focusing your marketing efforts on a narrow, well-defined group of prospects, such as dental practices or software companies.

By focusing on a niche market, it’s easier to get potential clients to notice you, become interested in your services and — fingers crossed — hire you.

Have you found YOUR niche yet?

If not, here’s a 7-step strategy that will help.

1. Make a list of the types of companies your freelance services will help most.

Chances are, your education, experience and talents are better suited for some types of companies than for others.

For example, if you understand legal lingo then law firms would certainly benefit from your freelance services. So would legal publishers. (Both industries would value a writer or designer who, literally, speaks their language.)

2: From that list, select the top 6 niche markets based on “marketing activity”.

The best niche markets produce a lot of marketing/PR communications to promote their products and services — web pages, emails, newsletters, case studies, direct mail, advertising, press releases, brochures, the works.

The greater their marketing activity, the more likely they are to need freelance help.

For example, landscape companies may only produce a few flyers, ads and lawn signs each year. Travel companies, by contrast, are constantly pumping out marketing communications to promote their ever-changing travel packages and destinations.

3. Select the top 5 based on “desired projects”.

What do you enjoy working on most? Hard hitting direct mail packages? Inventive logos and business identity materials? Compelling press releases? Descriptive product brochures and websites?

Life is too short to slave away on projects you don’t like. Focus on those types of companies that have the projects you want.

4. Select the top 4 based on “reach-ability”.

A niche market may seem ideal, but if you can’t easily identify and reach prospects you’re going to have a tough time getting clients.

Do some internet research. Find out if there are directories, membership organizations, publications, online groups, and so forth, that will make it possible for you to reach contacts in a particular niche.

5. Select the top 3 based on your “credentials”.

Do you have professional experience, skills, education, or portfolio samples that would appeal to prospects in a given niche? If so, then your chances of attracting clients in that market improves dramatically.

Portfolio samples are ideal. However, companies are impressed by other credentials as well.

Say, for example, you have a magazine writing background. Companies that need well-researched case studies and white papers will be interested in your interviewing skills.

6. Select the top 2 based on “who you know”.

If you already have contacts in a given niche market, you have an important head start. You’re going to be able to get referrals and attract clients that much sooner.

“Who you know” can include potential clients, other freelancers and consultants, members of industry associations and groups, and publication editors.

7. Make your final selection based on “interest”.

Ask yourself: Which of these two types of companies interest me most?

Only you can answer that question.

Think about the people you like to work with, the projects you like to work on, and even your ethics. Be honest with yourself. Don’t select a niche simply because you’ve heard it’s “hot”. Pick a niche because it genuinely appeals to you on a personal and professional level.

Once you’ve made your choice, jump in with both feet. If the niche truly meets the above criteria, then there are great clients just waiting to learn more about a freelance professional like you.

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Steve Slaunwhite is the creator of the Secrets To Strategic Copywriting course, which helps writers master copywriting skills while building an enviable portfolio — in as little as 5 weeks. Learn more at www.forcopywritersonly.com/courses