Freelancing has taken the world by storm. Bringing with it flexible work schedules and a healthier work-life balance, it's no surprise that 60 million Americans are doing some form of freelance work. In fact, a Northeastern University study found that 42% of Gen Z want to work for themselves, explaining that they want to chart their own future and have plenty of entrepreneurial … [Read more...]

I have a very firm rule when it comes to purchasing things for your business… (And this probably traces back to when I started mine 15+ years ago and bought a phone I never used, a business line I never used, letterhead I never used, and a desk and chair that were so much less conducive to work than my sofa.) My rule is this: You should only spend money on things for your … [Read more...]

First, let me start by saying that you DO NOT have to invest in Facebook ads to build your business. If they don’t interest you at all, you’re off the hook. On the other hand, if they’re something that intrigue you, there are a few things you should know… The thing is, Facebook ads are really incredible in a lot of different ways. They offer an amazing level of targeting … [Read more...]

Last week, I wrote about some of the things I’ve learned from writing for multibillion-dollar companies including Hasbro, T.J.Maxx, Reebok, TripAdvisor, and more. This week, we’re going to look at the other end of the spectrum: The lessons I’ve learned from writing for one-person companies. One-person business owners, or solopreneurs, are fascinating clients to work with. … [Read more...]

Recently, Venngage (an infographic design company) released a report about how freelancers and contractor spend their energy (and money!) to market their services. Though they call it the "Best Marketing Strategies for Consultants and Freelancers in 2019" it's definitely more of an exploration of how people are focusing their efforts, versus the best ways to do so. Still, … [Read more...]

One of the keys to selling copywriting services—or selling anything, really—is to make it as easy as possible for a potential client to say yes. The more obvious you can make it that your solution is the best solution, the faster you’ll get them to hire you. The tricky thing is that many would-be clients aren’t entirely sure of exactly what they need. Or they may think they … [Read more...]

Starting a business relationship with a new client is exciting—there’s the excitement of starting a new project (and the forthcoming paycheck!), there’s the potential to build a relationship that can become long-term...and there’s also the potential to quickly and easily mess things up entirely. In a lot of ways, the first few interactions with a new client are some of the … [Read more...]

“Know thyself” isn’t just good advice from a self-help perspective; it’s also crucially important when it comes to building a successful freelance business. And a million different “gurus” can give you a million different pieces of advice about the “right” time to get up, the “right” way to organize your day, the “right” order to accomplish your tasks and all of that—but none … [Read more...]