I’ve been holed up working on a batch of new material on winning the bigger-money clients. And this idea came bubbling up from the deep. I have never tried this, nor seen it done, so it comes without warranty of any kind. I am posting the recipe without having baked this particular soufflé. Here’s the [...]
Getting work
The MOO approach to freelancing
For me, business cards are about as useful as typewriter ribbons. In the past two years, I needed an actual, hand-outable business card maybe three times. But when I saw what MOO was doing with business cards, I simply had to buy 50 of them. Twice. With MOO, you design your cards with an ingenious [...]
Give away your best ideas. Win more work.
No, this isn’t about doing work for free. That is a dopey business model. (I speak from experience here.) And it’s not about doing work on spec. Which is mostly an exercise in jackoffery. Run away from that. I’m talking about giving away advice, expertise, game plans, ideas — even that BIG idea that can [...]
Playing hard to get
I’m beginning to suspect that it’s smart, at least sometimes, to turn down and beg off assignments from time to time (even if you really want them.) It seems to be, paradoxically, good for business. And no, this is not about hauteur. This is not about being a diva or a prima donna. It’s about [...]
Freelance rule: Always have a side project
When you’re not actively doing work for a client, be working on something of your own. Something you want to build just because you want to. Write some software, amass a collection, do a book, build some design templates, take pictures of ice crystals. Whatever you’re passionate about. Good example:
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