Can Freelancers REALLY Make 6 Figures a Year?
I won’t keep you in suspense. The answer is yes.
There’s a lot of hype about this, of course. And unfortunately, the hype has caused many would-be freelancers to be cynical about their earning potential.
Some years ago, while speaking to a roomful of writers at a local conference, I encountered one young man who kept rolling his eyes during my presentation. When I asked if he had a question or comment, he told me that he just didn’t believe that you could earn lots of money from writing. He said it all sounded like a scam.
I can’t blame him for thinking that. I see all those “get rich quick” ads on the Internet too, and they make me roll my eyes. Freelancing is not a quick way to riches. You have to have skill. You have to be willing to work at it and stick with it, often for several years before you start earning big money.
But you can make a lot of money at it. I used to earn little more than five dollars an hour. And now I earn more like $500 an hour. That’s no scam. It’s just the truth.
But it begs the question: Why is it that most people never seem to earn much money from writing or design? Read more
8 Time-Eating Client Species to Avoid
After a few years of freelancing experience, you will develop a sixth sense about the people who approach you with freelance work. Within about five minutes of meeting someone or picking up the phone, you’ll be able to tell if they’re worth your time or wasting your time.
However, this skill is hard-won. While I’ve tried from the beginning to be careful, I’ve been tricked, schemed, bamboozled, and taken advantage of a number of ways. Nothing serious in the way of money, but time lost cannot be regained.
To help save you time and aggravation, I’d like to introduce you to the eight dominant species of Time Eaters. These are some of the ne’er-do-wells who lie in wait in the dark and menacing freelance jungle to feed on your valuable time. Read more
7 Steps for Killer Freelance Sales Letters
Sales letters? Yes, sales letters.
If you’re in business as a freelancer, you need to use sales letters now and then. Why? Because your Web site isn’t enough. And while e-mail is efficient, it simply doesn’t have the impact of a printed letter.
A well-written letter, printed on your letterhead and accompanied by your business card, is a powerful and personal way to introduce your freelance services to clients or offer samples of your work. A prospective client might get several hundred e-mails a day, but only a couple of letters, if any. It’s a good way to stand out.
There is an art to writing great sales letters, so you can’t expect to become an expert after reading one article. But there are time-tested tactics that can dramatically improve your chances of success. Here are seven of the most important. Read more
Is Today the Right Time to Quit Your Job?
You’ve dreamed about. You’ve read about how others have done it. And now you’re feeling the itch to try it for yourself.
It’s time to go freelance! Or is it?
For me and many other professionals, there’s simply no better way to make a living and have a life than to set up shop as a freelancer. But making the transition can be a little tricky.
There’s a right time and a wrong time. If you quit at the wrong time for the wrong reasons, you’re likely to find yourself in a stressful and financially difficult situation. But if you quit at the right time and for the right reasons, you’re on your way to a rewarding career. Read more
Freelance Pros and Cons
I love freelance life so much, I would never consider working at a regular job again.
Never.
I occasionally get offers. But I always turn them down. It’s not that the offers fall short of my current income. That’s part of if for sure. It’s really that I’ve come to see all the pros of being an independent professional.
I get to work with a wide variety of clients (over 200 to date). I get to set my own hours and take time off whenever I choose. I like being my own boss. I like working in casual clothes. I save tons of time by not having to commute. I get far more respect than in any job I ever had. I can use a broader range of skills while working for myself. The list goes on and on.
But freelancing isn’t all positive. There are some negatives too. Read more
What Does “Freelance” Really Mean?
You’ve probably heard that the word “freelance” comes from the Middle Ages, when there were basically two types of knights. There were the knights who worked exclusively for one king. Then there were the “free lancers,” or knights who worked for anyone who would pay them.
The idea of freelancing is still with us, but kings have been replaced by businesses, while knights have been replaced by professionals of all kinds. Today there are more freelancers than ever before and more freelancing opportunities as well. But it’s important to have a firm understanding of what freelance really means today.
According to Wikipedia, here is the definition of a freelancer:
A freelancer or freelance worker is a person who pursues a profession without a long-term commitment to any one employer.
This describes freelancing pretty well. The part about having no long-term commitment to one employer is easy to understand. It is quite different from being a full-time employee. Read more
11 Tips for Becoming a Freelance Pro
Most of us are trained to think in terms of putting in our 40 hours a week and taking home a paycheck. But to succeed as a freelance pro, you must make a shift from the paycheck mentality to the professional mentality. How? Here are twelve tips:
1. Think like a professional. Whether you want to earn a little extra income on the side or go full-blown freelance pro, you should consider yourself in the same class as all other professionals, worthy of the same respect and income.
2. Ignore most of the advice from the freelance “industry.” Many magazines, books, and online sources give bad advice for those wanting to make money at freelancing. You must carefully weigh the advice you get, choosing to follow only what you know will further your business interests. Read more
The Top Freelancing Mistake of All Time
When you’re starting out on your freelance career, you’re going to make a lot of mistakes. That’s just a part of learning and growing. But there’s one big mistake you need to avoid from day one.
And it starts by asking yourself a simple but important question: Do you sell a service or produce a product?
If you answer that question wrong, you may certainly find work, but you’ll have a much harder time getting the sort of top-notch clients you want. And your paychecks may be limited in size as well. Read more
