As November comes to an end and we enter the last month of 2011, it is important that you begin to think about the new year. What goals have you set for yourself as a freelance writer? How are you going to achieve these goals?
Last year, I had a record number of students join my freelance writing course during the months of November and December. The reason for this was simple: these people wanted to get off on the right foot when the new year finally came around.
At this time, there are three available spots. If you want to join me, as well as 20+ other students in working towards your goals in early 2012, contact me as soon as possible. As always, I don’t expect these openings to last much longer than a day – if that.
Even if you don’t come onboard, remember to start planning for 2012 today. It will be here before you know it!
As a freelance writer, most of your life is built around deadlines. One project is due today, another is due tomorrow, and a third one isn’t due until next month. Keeping all of this straight can be a pretty big task in its own right.
Like every writer, I do my best to meet every deadline – no matter how tight it may be. However, there may come a time when you overlook a deadline for one reason or the next. If this happens, follow these three tips:
1. Contact the client as soon as possible, making them aware of your situation. Chances are that if you miss a deadline altogether that the client is going to follow-up with you. Regardless, it is important that you stay in touch with the client. You don’t want to give the impression that you are being lazy or putting them off.
2. Offer to get the work done as soon as possible. If you miss a deadline, you should push the project to the top of your to-do list.
3. Go above and beyond. For example, you may offer a discount on the completed piece. Or maybe you can offer to write another article for free. This is not something you want to do but it can go a long way in keeping the relationship in good standing.
No matter if you know you are going to miss a deadline or it has come and gone, the above tips can help you smooth things over.
Are you new to the world of freelancing? Congratulations! This is a big milestone in your professional career. No matter if you are freelancing part-time or full-time, your life is going to change – for the better, of course.
As a freelancer, you need to get serious about the financial aspect of your endeavor. Many people make the mistake of “working for the fun of it†and hoping that money never gets in the way. Unfortunately, this is not how things work. Not only do you need to set income goals, but you must deal with every dollar that comes into and out of your business.
Early in my freelancing career I made many finance related mistakes. Fortunately, I learned from these errors and have been able to avoid repeating them.
Here are three financial tips for all new freelancers:
1. Hire an experienced accountant. Even if you are only earning a few thousand dollars a year, it is important that you deal with this income accordingly. The last thing you want to do is get in trouble with the IRS.
Note: your freelance business may not stay small forever. When it blows up, you will be glad that you have an experienced, knowledgeable accountant on your side.
2. Religiously track all income and expenses. From day one, this is one area of my business that never faltered. I am obsessed with organization and realized early on just how important it was to track every dollar coming in and going out.
Although there are many software solutions, both free and paid, that can help you track income and expenses, you can setup basic Excel spreadsheets to do the same.
This may not be the most exciting aspect of your freelance career, but it is something that is essential to your long term success.
3. Open a separate bank account for business purposes only. When your business is small it is easy to overlook the importance of this detail. After all, you only have a few checks coming in from time to time. As noted above, this is not going to be the case forever.
When you begin to earn more money you will need a separate bank account. Not only does this help with the tracking of income and expenses (tip #2) but it will help with formalizing (such as an LLC or S-corporation) your operations down the line.
Don’t be intimidated by all these details. Instead, make sure you are well informed and organized from day one.
Final tip: if you face any financial issues, don’t put them off until a later date. Doing so is not going to make them go away. Instead, the situation will get worse and you will be faced with an even bigger problem in the future.
