This month our Featured Freelancer is Wendy Hughes. I had the great pleasure to learn about what her life as a freelancer is like on a daily basis and some great tips for aspiring freelancers.

What originally peaked your interest in Freelance writing?

I’d been working in marketing and communications for many years, and once my children were born I wanted to find part-time work which I could fit around the family, but which also allowed me to use my skills and experience, as well as giving me a sense of fulfillment.

It was a bit of a big task! But the freelancing world has been great as it’s enabled me to build the right balance for me, my career, and my family.

I’ve been told that there is no such thing as a typical day for a freelancer. Would you agree with that and if not, what is a typical day for you? What different kinds of work have you done since you started as a freelancer?

One of the things I love about being a freelancer is the variety of work. It’s amazing to be working with so many different clients every week.

A typical day for me at the moment includes copywriting for a new website which I’m helping an Australian tourism business with, then a bit of maintenance and analysis for a client’s Google Adwords account, followed by some social media posts for a restaurant and a tour company who I regularly work with. I’m also working on developing a marketing plan for the launch of a new fashion outlet.

Do you currently look for new clients or do you have a solid base of work? If you are looking for new clients, what tools do you use to locate new clients?

Right now I have a solid base of work, but I always keep an eye and ear out for interesting projects as well. A lot of my new work comes from pre-existing business contacts and word of mouth, but I also use freelancing websites such as freelancer.com and Elance.

I’ve heard many freelancers talk about how hard it can be to find work. What are some other issues that you have encountered working as a freelance writer?

My specializations are marketing and writing, and I am very fortunate to have several long-term marketing contracts at the moment for clients who I really enjoy working with.

I know starting out as a freelancer can be pretty rough due to lack of work. Was there ever a point when work became sparse for you? If so, how did you make ends meet?

Starting out was quite difficult at times, but it definitely gets easier as time goes on and you start to build a reputation. Perseverance is a great virtue!

Having 14 years of solid industry experience before I started freelancing helped enormously, as did studying for professional marketing qualifications. This meant I had developed all the right skills to get me started.

What would you say your greatest success has been as a freelance writer?

I mentioned before that the reason I became interested in freelancing was my goal of balancing a fulfilling family and professional life. As my husband often tells me, I want to “have my cake and eat it too”! I feel very fortunate that I’ve been able to achieve this.

Do you have any tips for people who are looking to get into freelance writing, as well as people who have worked as a freelancer for years?

I’ve found that with any type of work, you get out what you put in.

I always choose which projects I bid on very carefully, so that I know my skills match what is needed and I make sure it’s a company or product which I will feel very passionate about and want to be involved in. If you target your projects carefully you’ll always do a great job for your clients – and you’ll always feel very fulfilled in your work.

Check out the links below to learn more about Wendy Hughes.

 
photo credit: Raoul Luoar

Our featured freelancer of the month is none other than Mr. Anthony Hewson. Anthony’s interest in writing started during childhood. He was always naturally talented when it came to English and any other writing based subjects. Although he did originally decide to study drama in college, he eventually came to the conclusion that this would be a rather unrealistic career path. With the world in recession at the time, he was forced to drop out of university. Anthony began working at his parents’ technical recruitment company and eventually got a step in the door of writing for a living by taking a job in PR and corporate communications at one of UK’s leading construction and engineering firms. He describes this as a stepping stone which taught him a lot about big business and gave him a wide and detailed understanding of all manner of employee communications, writing for and dealing with the media, and helping to structure his writing skills which until that point had only been exercised in a creative way.

Anthony first took the plunge into freelancing when two opportunities arose within a week of each other. The first was a two-month stint onsite at one of the UK’s leading electronic and electrical retailers, working on web and product copy, and the other was an approach from a creative design agency who wanted a copywriter to help them with a variety of writing projects. He did attempt cold calling people a couple of years ago, but did not care for this means of locating business. “Cold-calling, that other sales staple, is a pretty vile experience. You have to be remarkably resilient to do much of that. I don’t, as a consequence. I flirted with it for one day, about two years ago, and gave up after 8 calls or so.” Fortunately, one of those eight calls resulted in a long-term relationship with a design house; “I’d targeted local companies, but called this particular firm, which was a little further afield, just to point out a mistake on the front page of the company’s website. A few months later the chap I’d spoken to called me back to ask for heIp on a client project.”

Much of Anthony’s work now comes from ongoing partnerships with PR firms and creative/marketing agencies but he’s always keeping his ear to the ground for new clients. He’s even made some good business relationships just sipping coffee at his usual coffee house. “I am, however, terribly bad at face-to-face networking. Some people can work a room, introduce themselves to anybody, and feel no fear. That’s not me. I’ve tried it a couple of times, but I do think networking organizations such as BNI can be a slightly unnatural and, dare I say it, cliquey set-up.”

After freelancing for awhile and dealing with different clients and different types of work, Anthony says a big issue he’s had to deal with is the uncertainty. “You don’t KNOW you’ll get £x amount of work next month, you don’t KNOW you’ll be able to accept every job you do get, you don’t KNOW your client (particularly new clients) will pay on time…” But he says it’s all worth it just due to the fact that the work you’re doing doesn’t feel like work at all. “If I’m up early on a Sunday morning, I can do some admin, research, a bit of social media updating etc., but it doesn’t feel like so much of a chore as if I had to sit in an office and be paid to do it.” He has stated that although he has not changed the world, he believes his greatest success so far is when a client will refer him, without any prompting, to another client.

Anthony is among the many freelancers I’ve spoken with that agree there is no such thing as a typical day. Everyday can be entirely different from the last. And the work can vary greatly. “I’ve written web copy, articles, press releases and suchlike for a baby yoga specialist, careers and personal impact trainers, personal trainers and gyms, various software and technology firms, a helicopter chartering firm, estate agency (who hasn’t?), and all sorts of business services companies.” One thing Anthony does suggest is getting out of the house at least once a day. Whether it’s to meet a friend, take a stroll, or go out for coffee, it’s best to take some time for yourself.

To finish off, I asked Anthony if he had any tips for any aspiring or long time freelancers out there. “Face your fears (says the hypocrite who avoids networking meetings). You may make, in time, much more money than you did or would in full-time permanent employment, but there’s every chance it could take a long while to reach that stage. Really, in my view, your work-life balance, your quality of life, has to matter more than money if you’re to go freelance.”

photo credit: khelvan

Recently I had the pleasure of interviewing a very dedicated & ambitious freelancer, Jake Poinier. Some of you may have been to his website Dear Dr. Freelance or read one of his yearly Freelance Forecasts. According to Jake, his adventure in freelance writing began 12 years ago (or as Jake stated ‘back in the 1900’s) and business has been excellent ever since!

Jake’s first glance into the world of freelancing occurred while working at his previous job as a magazine editor. After working with several freelancers and seeing the perks (i.e. flexibility, good pay, etc.) and feeling fed up with the corporate world, he began to plot his escape. After 9 months of saving every penny he could, Jake handed in his letter of resignation and thus began his journey into the world of freelance writing.

“The main thing is to think of yourself as a business, and to position yourself as a businessperson.”

In the beginning, with his wife busy being a stay at home mom for their 3 and 4 year olds, it was a matter of taking any kind of work that would come his way. Being the breadwinner of the family, Jake was under an extreme amount of pressure. He found some of his earlier clients around 2001 by ‘cold-calling people like a madman’. He has several of his original clients from those days, but still adds new ones all the time. Once he began to establish himself as a freelancer, two things became clear for maintaining a profitable business: 1) You must price yourself correctly and 2) Take only jobs that make sense.

Unlike a lot of other writers, Jake doesn’t necessarily “love” writing. “It happens to be a skill, but it’s a skill many people have, and many of them are more talented than I am. But what I enjoy most about freelancing is the business side: solving communications problems. That takes more than writing.”

“Life is too short to work for pennies–leave those projects for others.”

When questioned about his greatest success so far, Jake was very optimistic in saying he feels that it hasn’t happened yet. Upon looking at his portfolio, he can hardly believe the amount of different projects he has completed over time. “I vividly remember my first video script, my first ghostwritten book. But, what’s funny to me is that then it’s just something you accomplished, and then I’m on to what’s next? I always joke that my Mom is the only one who cares anymore if my name appears in print.”

In closing, Jake gave out the following advice for becoming a successful freelancer if you’re just entering the business or a seasoned freelancer who’s been at it for years: “If you’re just getting into the business, you need to be mentally prepared that it’s not just about being a good writer. If you just want to write or edit, and the idea of going out and hustling for business gives you hives, you honestly might be better off taking a regular job. And there’s nothing wrong with that! There are several good freelancing sites listed in my blogroll, and I’m a huge fan of Peter Bowerman’s “The Well-Fed Writer,” which was instrumental in getting me out of an early rut.”

“For those who’ve been in the industry for a while, I think it’s a matter of taking an occasional 30,000-foot view of what you’re doing. Do you like the work you’re doing? Are you happy with your clients? Are there any that are more hassle than they’re worth? It’s not easy to let someone go, and you need to do it as nicely as possible, but if a client is absorbing too much of your time and energy, you have to recognize that your efforts could be spent better elsewhere. That can feel a little like jumping off a cliff, because who in their right mind would turn down paying work? But the fact is, freelancers don’t have anyone to dictate to them what they’re supposed to do. You have to take action–which can be a little daunting, but it’s also the ultimate freedom.”

Jake Poinier also has an eBook coming out around mid-December. The book will focus on pricing and estimating for freelancers. He will be keeping us updated on a name and release date. You can find more written by Jake Poinier by clicking these links:

Blog: http://DearDrFreelance.com

Twitter: @DrFreelance

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DearDrFreelance

Linked In: http://www.linkedin.com/in/jakepoinier

Portfolio: http://BoomvangCreative.com
photo credit: derrickcollins

I would like to share a talk I recently had with one of our freelancer colleagues, Fletcher Martin. Fletcher is a freelance copywriter who struck out on his own last year.

What Kind of Freelance Writer are you? I am fairly eclectic, I write almost anything. I currently write mostly for blogs and website content.

How long have you been a freelancer? Since August of last year I have been full time.

How did you get started? I was home on break between classes. I wrote something for my parents, and my Mom who is a Virtual Assistant suggested I become a freelancer. My prior sales experience helped me really get started. I was able to quit my retail job after one month of writing.

How do you market yourself? I submit proposals and samples based on ads on guru, and I usually win jobs off of that. I now have enough samples to show people that are similar to what they want.

Did you go to school to learn writing? I was originally going to school for Chemical Engineering, but I fell in love with freelancing and writing in general. I switched to English, and my goal is to earn a Master’s in Creative Writing.

What challenges have you had as a Freelancer? Things have gone fairly smoothly since the beginning. My friends thought I should keep my retail job for a few months, but I did not need it. Honestly the hardest thing has been keeping up with my own blog, as I am constantly writing for school and for clients.

Do you have any wisdom or advice for prospective freelancers? Real sales experience helps to land projects. You must be dedicated and stick with it, be self disciplined and get projects done by the deadline. As I complete one article in a list, I send it to the client so they can make sure it is what they want before I write the rest, which saves me from rewriting and lets the client know I am working.

Fletcher Martin’s blog can be found at http://www.unbelievablywritten.com/.  He can also be found on Guru and occasionally on Twitter. He is currently writing a satirical piece for L. Ron Hubbard’s Writers of the Future Contest. His goal is to one day write for the video gaming industry, since gaming is one of his hobbies.

photo credit: caseywest

Today I am going to take a break from some of the news to share an interview I recently did with Ivan Novak, a freelance web developer from sunny California.

So what exactly do you do? I’m technically a Front-End Engineer.  I work with HTML, Javascript, CSS, Ajax, php, and ruby.  I like using jQuery with javascript, CodeIgniter with PHP, and Rails with Ruby.

What kind of services do you provide? I work with talented graphic designers who do the visual design and I execute the vision provided in the visual design and make the program fun and easy to use.  I develop custom web applications and WordPress themes. Graphic Designers use artistic programs to design (like photoshop, illustrator and the like) and I use code to design.

So how much of your training is from school, and how much is self taught? None of my training is from school.  I went to Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA to earn a Bachelors in Economics.  While there I was introduced to Photoshop for photo re-touching and DreamWeaver *very* rudimentary web work. That was 6 years ago. I’ve been working full-time as a freelancer for the better part of two years now.

How do you market your services? Anymore, I don’t.  I rely on the long-term clients that I have and my designer partners for my work. When I started I used Elance exclusively. I worked with around two dozen clients on Elance working up from below minimum wage (though I wasn’t full time at that point) up to where I am now.

How do you like being a freelancer? I love being a freelancer.  Mostly because the “real jobs” that I’ve had in the past, management was so attached to “this is how we do things” and completely against trying anything new or different.  I like being a freelancer because it allows me the freedom to explore new ways of doing things and frequently finding ways to do things 10 or 20 times faster than I could before.  It allows me to choose my own schedule. That’s not to say I’m totally against working full-time somewhere, which I’m totally open to.  I just need to be in an environment that allows, or even actively encourages that exploration. The act of discovery is rewarding.. and so much fun!

What are some of the challenges you face as a freelancer? That one’s easy.  The work/life balance is excruciatingly hard to maintain. My day typically consists of: 6am wake up, feed the new baby girl, try to sit and eat breakfast with the Wife, ‘help’ my 4 year old son wake up and get him going, head off to the gym around 7:45, head back home to shower and start work around 9, work until lunch at noon, back to work after lunch, break for dinner around 6… and hopefully relax and hang out with the family after that.  BUT that doesn’t always happen.  I have weeks where I have to put in 10 and 12 hour days to get all the work done.  Lately I’ve been able to keep that to a minimum in order to focus on the work that matters.

Do you have any best practices, or perhaps wisdom or advice for budding free lancers, who people yearning to break out of corporate and strike out on their own? Do not (!!) over value your time, especially when you’re first starting.  To me, my first clients paid me to learn how to to my job.  It’s a very different and powerful notion relative to how College works.  I felt like I was getting value, because I was being paid, and my clients felt like they were getting a good value because they paid, say, $50 (Elance minimum) for a few hours of work. I was willing to work for very, very little pay just so I could learn.  A lot of other people getting in to this have no portfolio and little work experience think they can get away with charging a ludicrous amount just because they can determine their own rate. I now have a thick portfolio and a fairly high profile client list so I can back up my rates with documented experience and great reviews.

When he is not furiously coding, Ivan also designs themes for WordPress, which you can check out at his Theme Garden store. You can also find him on Github, Twitter, and at Ivannovak.com. Ivan is also a dedicated husband and father of 2, and has a passion for Economics.

photo credit: yellowcloud

To sum everything up, we will conclude with Ali’s recommendations of the top three things to do and not to do when utilizing her provided knowledge.

As mentioned previously, a lot of visual action or wild patterns are not necessarily your friend when it comes to design and layout. A focal point to cement itself in someone’s memory is your goal. This is something that is very important to remember when working on a website also.

Finding your own individuality is the key to longevity of your brand.

A great example is the design of kid’s rooms; the latest fad of say, a particular cartoon character. The child absolutely MUST have that be the theme of their bedroom. Let’s look down the road a few years…
More often than not, that child has moved on to a different focus and is pestering the parents to redo the theme.

The same principal applies to catchy phrases or references to trends and fads. You need to think in the future tense of your business when designing branding logos, websites and identifying phrases.

Don’t outdate yourself or your business without realizing it. People are a fickle breed and our attention span is getting shorter every day.

Another thing that falls into the novelty and cliché category is background music on your website. You don’t want to ‘force’ the marketing experience on the recipient, and having music start to play when your site is opened does just that.

For someone working quietly at their desk, it can be a sure fire way to prompt them to quickly close the page, never to visit it again. When working with a client on website design, Ali often finds herself explaining this.

To recap, remember these important points:

• Do work with a professional. Design schools are in existence for a reason. The knowledge of a professional will greatly enhance your design and finished product.
• Do take advantage of the free online resources available. Some of Ali’s favorite design blogs to follow are: Just Creative Design and David Airey
• Do network with other creative types. Twitter is a great resource to find others with your same interests and allow you to corroborate. Be sure not to over–do, though. Getting carried away with several lines of input from others will soon get you an overload of information to work with.

Now for some definite Don’ts

• Don’t get hung up on the latest fad or trend. Remember, fads and trends are both generally short lived and you can outdate yourself quickly. Take the best features of an idea and make it your own.
• Don’t feel ‘shiny and pretty’ are necessary. You want to convey your message with colors and design that best represents the tone and message of your business.
• Don’t use your first immediate idea. Take that first initial thought and set it aside. This will allow you to explore some more ideas, avoiding the chances of someone with the same business having a similar branding logo. Your first thought, while exciting, is probably the first thought your competition will have. Sometimes you end up coming back to your original idea; most times you come up with something phenomenal that has your original thought within it.

Ali Rowan is a freelance graphic designer in the time that fits around her being a student, writer, crafter, girlfriend, daughter, sister, Canadian, and the various other things that keep her busy—not that the Canadian bit entails a lot of effort on her part, Olympic spirit aside. To embrace cliché, art and design have been a part of her life since she was little—she was temporarily ambidextrous around the age of 3, just so that she could continue colouring when one hand grew tired. To this day, she deeply regrets not keeping up with that, because come to think of it, being fully ambidextrous would be quite awesome.
Brief tangents aside, it was only in 2009 that Ali embarked on her freelance career, and admittedly, she’s still got lots to learn, just as she always will—if there’s one piece of advice she’s got, it’s that there’s always something left to learn, so never stop.
For more on Ali, don’t hesitate to follow her on Twitter, or check out her website, Avian Function.

photo credit: bjornmeansbear

photo credit: opensourceway

Welcome back to part three of my interesting conversation with Ali Rowan, professional graphic designer.

Last week in part Two, I shared with you the importance of choosing the right colors for your brand. This week we will take a closer look at what Ali has to say about fine tuning your design.

The most important thing to watch out for when creating a specific design for your brand is copyright infringement. Avoid future problems by researching businesses that offer products or services similar to yours.

Being clever with a play of words is sometimes all it takes for another company with a recognizable brand to come after you for copyright infringement. Take the time to create your own unique version of something; don’t take your chances piggy-backing on the already established visibility of someone else.

An example would be perhaps using a likeness of the Jolly Green Giant as the spokesperson for your Landscaping business. Granted, it is two entirely different markets, but copyrights are in place to secure the Jolly Green Giant will represent the vegetables, not your lawn care business.

A play on words or even a slight variation on a recognized icon or design may seem like a brilliant idea and provide some humor to your personal branding, but can be very troublesome. I didn’t know this, but Ali told me that even some specific colors are copyrighted. It can be a very sticky situation.

Wise words of advice from Ali: “When in doubt about how far you are pushing your luck, don’t do it.” Better yet, seek the counsel of a professional to guide you.

You want to create a focal point within your design and layout. Too much ‘activity’ is distracting to the eye and fails to register as well as one simple powerful item for potential clients to remember.
This is a definite area to work with a professional. The elements and principals of design are their specialty.

How much of your personality should be evident?

When I proposed this question to Ali, her response was “It depends on the company or service”.
This is best explained by the comparison of two very different occupations:

• Legal Services
• Artist

A freelance legal representative probably wouldn’t gain much credibility if they had a fun, creative design on their business card. The business in general has a more serious tone; therefore the branding representation should reflect the tone of the business. That’s not to say a legal representative has to be all stoic and somber to be good at what they do, but first impression from the business card has to instill confidence in the client.

Breaking out of clichés, like “serious” branding for a law firm, while risky, can sometimes be a great way to stand out of the crowd. It’s okay to break the rules sometimes–just do it consciously, and know why you’re doing it.

A freelance artist, on the other hand, is marketing their uniqueness. Showing a more detailed ‘taste’ of their skills and talents would do well with potential clients. If their artwork is primarily bold strokes and abstract shapes, those features on a business card would be perfectly acceptable.

As with color choices, it all boils down to doing the research and knowing the demographics of your target market, your competition, and your product. Every little detail is vital to the impression your branding logo will create with its marketability.

Next week the conclusion of this series will end with Ali’s recommendation of the top Do’s and Don’ts when working on your brand. Be sure to check back and read about the tips she has for you.

Ali Rowan is a freelance graphic designer in the time that fits around her being a student, writer, crafter, girlfriend, daughter, sister, Canadian, and the various other things that keep her busy—not that the Canadian bit entails a lot of effort on her part, Olympic spirit aside. To embrace cliché, art and design have been a part of her life since she was little—she was temporarily ambidextrous around the age of 3, just so that she could continue colouring when one hand grew tired. To this day, she deeply regrets not keeping up with that, because come to think of it, being fully ambidextrous would be quite awesome.
Brief tangents aside, it was only in 2009 that Ali embarked on her freelance career, and admittedly, she’s still got lots to learn, just as she always will—if there’s one piece of advice she’s got, it’s that there’s always something left to learn, so never stop.
For more on Ali, don’t hesitate to follow her on Twitter, or check out her website, Avian Function.

photo credit: Team Dalog

Last week I gave you a little intro into the process of designing your personal visual mark. Your logo. Your brand. A unique tool for individualized marketing.

Now, as promised, I have the highlights of my conversation with a professional graphic designer, Ali Rowan. Ali stays up to date with the latest trends and market analysis pertaining to the graphic design field. The advice and insight she shared is invaluable information for anyone looking to make their mark in the freelancing world.

There are so many different factors to think of when creating your brand. A professional such as Ali, can guide you through the process, using your vision and their expertise to build a finished product that represents your services and your skills to their utmost potential.

The first question to ask yourself is: What is the immediate message I want my branding to convey?

Some of the things you may want to focus on include:

• trust
• friendliness
• speed
• uniqueness
• value

Each focus is individual to the person the branding represents. Some may want their affordability to be their edge, others their relentless attention to detail. A professional knows how to take that mission statement of your business and create a layout that leaves no question of what your mission is.

A secret tip from Ali: Never go with your first idea. Most of the time, your first idea is also the first idea of someone with a similar product. You want to be unique and stand out. Table your first idea and work on some different variations. Sometimes you will end up coming back to the first idea, but most of the time your finished product will knock your socks off; and the socks of your clients.

Once you have decided on your immediate message, next you have to create a “picture version” of that message. Ali recommends all preliminary graphics be done in black and white at first. This will allow an undistracted pure view of the brand. Then you add color to make it POP.

Color is very very important. Color symbolism is easily searched on Google. The response and values associated with colors are a key factor in how your brand is perceived by others. Notice how a lot of financial establishments use the color blue as a prominent feature in their logo. Blue represents trustworthy attributes. The Banks want you to feel confident placing your financial needs with them, and subconsciously, the color of their logo instills that confidence in you without you even realizing it.

Some examples of other color symbolism are:

• Red – All things intense and passionate
• Purple – Spirituality and wisdom
• Orange – Energy and enthusiasm
• Black – Power and wealth
• Brown – Reliability and simplicity
• Green – Nature and vigor
• Yellow – Imagination and joy

The color chart also gives you the emotions and representations that may not be your preferred message:

• Red – aggression and danger
• Purple – Cruelty and arrogance
• Orange – Flamboyant and demanding of attention
• Black – sadness and anger
• Brown – I didn’t see any negative adjectives for this one. Interesting…
• Green – inexperience and misfortune
• Yellow – cowardice and deceit

A professional knows which color combos will best convey your message. They know to focus on the target market you want to reach. Different cultures and branches of society have different perceptions of colors. Just because you think something looks good, it may be offensive or turn away others you are marketing to. Use a professional to avoid any misunderstandings.

Wow, as I go over my notes from my conversation with Ali, I’m realizing our 45 minute conversation generated A LOT of advice for me to share. Be sure to check back for part three for some more great advice from Ali, a professional graphic designer. At the end of this series, you will be well on your way to creating the next iconic brand to market yourself and your services with ease.

Ali Rowan is a freelance graphic designer in the time that fits around her being a student, writer, crafter, girlfriend, daughter, sister, Canadian, and the various other things that keep her busy—not that the Canadian bit entails a lot of effort on her part, Olympic spirit aside. To embrace cliché, art and design have been a part of her life since she was little—she was temporarily ambidextrous around the age of 3, just so that she could continue colouring when one hand grew tired. To this day, she deeply regrets not keeping up with that, because come to think of it, being fully ambidextrous would be quite awesome.

Brief tangents aside, it was only in 2009 that Ali embarked on her freelance career, and admittedly, she’s still got lots to learn, just as she always will—if there’s one piece of advice she’s got, it’s that there’s always something left to learn, so never stop.

For more on Ali, don’t hesitate to follow her on Twitter, or check out her website,Avian Function.

Website(s):

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/karenlj

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/areaK

Guru: http://profile.guru.com/244165

Social Media Blog: http://www.imconnections.com

Social Media Vine: http://www.facebook.com/pages/SocialMediaVine/76533698835

Services provided: Primary focus is on Social Media Networking and Marketing to create and expand brand awareness and drive business. Also provide an array of other VA services including internet marketing assistance, administrative assistance, paralegal services, project and product management, basic video creations, light website maintenance, and blog setup and maintenance.

Getting started as a freelancer. I was a full-time paralegal for approximately six years, and office manager for 3, with preceding jobs varying from waitressing, working in a factory, and being an admin assistant. While I loved being a paralegal, I always had a desire to “do my own thing”. I wanted to work from home so that my life would be more flexible, I could spend more time with the kids and not have to ask for permission to take off work for their school events, to run personal errands, etc. And, most importantly, I hated having to get up by 6 a.m., fight traffic and be at the office by 8 a.m.; and wasting another hour or more in the evening fighting traffic to get home.

I had always been into the Internet, since before it was the Internet we know today, and I heard of providing services over the Internet. So I started looking! The thought of working from home made my mouth water! I found moonlighter.com (now known as Guru) and set up a profile. Just dabbled in it here and there for a while; working online wasn’t as easily available in so many forms then and moonlighter.com didn’t have nearly as many jobs as it does now. I started picking up projects here and there until I was doing it on a regular part-time basis, all the while planning to leave my day job once I got my feet wet enough.

I started off doing transcription work and started building my reputation as a reliable VA who delivered a great work product until I was soon picking up other legal and administrative projects. I eventually got into the online marketing world, which has turned very “social” over the past few years, and ended up working for a very successful Internet/Social Marketer who I’ve learned a ton from. Moreover, the experience positioned me to assist others with their Internet Marketing and Social Media goals as well as my own. I also dove into project and product management, and various other tasks that span the virtual world of work.

Marketing your services. I find clients in various places including Guru.com and Twitter as well as by word-of-mouth since I have established myself as a reputable, reliable VA and sometimes even on various forums. I scan Guru to see if there are projects I am interested in. And, if I really need to dig for work, I connect with people on Twitter or scan through forums that either focus on jobs or the Internet Marketing arena where I can find people to whom I will either pitch my services or see if there is something that they could use assistance with. Occasionally, I post some of my specific services on related forums. For instance, I might post that I offer creation of video tutorial services on an Internet Marketing forum because the people in Internet Marketing can often utilize these types of services to increase sales and product awareness.

I turn a lead into a paying client by clearly articulating what I can do for them. I’m detailed but to the point. I learn about their company or website (if possible, some clients don’t give their information up front) and I mention things I already know about their company so they know I’ve done my due diligence. I focus on what they need more than anything else and how I can help them. I point them to my many reviews on Guru which evidence my work skills and reliability before they even ask so that they can see my reputation for themselves.

Delivering successfully. Here are some best practices I’ve adopted over the years:

• I never commit to a deadline that I’m not sure I can meet.
• I sometimes do a bit of research on my own time to see if there’s something “extra” I can add to the project that will make it even better.
• If possible, I deliver the project before the deadline for the “impressive” effect.
• I offer suggestions and feedback so that clients see me as more of a partner in their project rather than a robot – which often leads to more work because they see that you really care and are eager to actively participate in their growth and success.
• Twitter is one of my favorite websites because it allows you to monitor and participate in conversations about absolutely anything. You can network with people who share whatever interests you have, find work, get help, find resources, and more.
• Guru is my favorite freelance job sites because you can find a variety of work in different arenas, it is reasonably priced and allows profile flexibility and creativity. I like their various systems and resources.

Challenges into Opportunities. Some of the challenges I face as a freelancer include:

• Discipline. It can be hard to be disciplined when you have so much freedom working from home. It’s easy to get sidetracked with interruptions or with the ease of simply being able to do what you want, when you want. And, sometimes it can be hard to stick to a project that you really don’t love.

• • When I see that my productivity is slipping or when I feel like quitting because I’m bored with something, I try to picture my future – if I don’t produce, or if I quit, it will negatively affect client word-of-mouth marketing or at least not encourage positive word of mouth. If I quit, then I can’t put the current project as another accomplishment on my resume; or again, gain another good reference. If I quit, I’m losing money now and possibly later. Being self-employed means you only get paid for what you do; there is no 8 hours on the clock if you’re not producing so I imagine the bill I can’t pay if I don’t get the job done! I focus on my goals and where I want to be in another year and remind myself that this is another stepping stone and I can move forward, stand still, or fall backwards.

• • If you can’t set a specific timeframe to sit down and work, set a daily goal of how many hours you want to work and, whatever time you have, just do it. It feels good when you get those hours under your belt!

• Slow work. Sometimes work can be slow so you have to stay on top of ensuring you will have enough work, now and later. If you work for a client long-term, that’s always a good position but what if they just don’t need you anymore one day? That’s scary because you still have bills to pay. Or if you work short-term projects for the most part, what happens when you run out? Another scary situation when you depend on that income to support your family.

• • Although consistent work just simply isn’t guaranteed when you’re freelancing; things you can do to better position yourself are to stay disciplined to gain better marketing and a better reputation for yourself to ensure that when things are slow you have a better chance of landing work. Even while you have work, continue to market yourself – don’t overload yourself with so much work that you can’t deliver but just keep adding building blocks by doing things like staying connected in forums, or on Twitter, or wherever potential connections and clients might be. This will often make it easier when you do need work because people have become familiar with you and you may even make some friends who will recommend you to friends when you’re looking for work. Never get too comfortable.

• • If you can, pick up an extra small project here and there so you can add a few extra bucks to your bank account.

• • If possible, which sometimes it isn’t, try to set aside some money as you go so that you can build a padding to fall back on for slow periods.

• • Add new skills to your skillset by educating yourself in new areas so that you can offer a wider range of services, which will allow you a broader job base to choose from.

• • Be willing to take whatever you have to take sometimes and realize that these are the cons you accept when gaining the tremendous pros from working for yourself.

• Costs of insurance, retirement accounts, new hardware or software, self-employment tax. When you work for yourself, although there are exceptions, you often have to pay for your own health insurance, retirement funds and new equipment and software as well as basic overhead expenses like paper, ink, internet service, phone service, etc.

• • Find out if, and what, you can deduct on taxes for certain expenses.

• • Build on your skills so that you can charge more per hour or per project. Look for deals when it comes to office purchases, check around online to see if you can find what you need for a lower cost than in-store.

• • Research insurance companies that specialize in offering insurance for the self-employed.

• • Again, try to set aside some money from your work for these expenses and have a plan to donate to your retirement fund. Try to position yourself to obtain investment accounts so that your money grows.

Share Your Wisdom. It takes hard work, dedication and discipline. It can often be more work than a 9-5 because you may need to learn something new on your own time and you don’t have any benefits. Particularly starting out, it will often take persistence to land your first client and even your second and third one. Reputation matters and the Internet is a smaller place than you think so you need to work hard to maintain your reputation and expand your skills.

Dreaming the dream. What are your short, medium, and/or long-term goals for your freelancing business? Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

I also do some Internet/affiliate marketing on the side so I plan for that to factor in to my being able to reduce the amount of VA work that I do by creating various passive incomes.

I have recently started offering Social Media Coaching/Consulting/Management services for businesses, Virtual Assistants and individuals so I plan to provide more of those services and little to no actual VA services as time progresses.

Would you like to be featured in our Featured Freelancer Series? Just drop us an email.

While I was browsing Twitter one day, I saw that one of my favorite bloggers had posted a tweet and was looking for a virtual assistant. I’d been interested in the virtual assistant industry for some time, since I have a ton of administrative experience. I thought to myself, “Just any VA couldn’t possible understand all that goes into blogging and what he does. I kind of get it. I’ve done some of what he does.” So, I took a shot in the dark and sent him an email.

This seems to be an overwhelming trend lately, people finding someone that needs help in a sector that they love and extending a helping hand. Read the full story here.