The scariest pricing idea ever. That works.

[This is adapted from "Talking Money,"  coming soon from The Freelancery.] Here’s a pricing technique that sounds, at first, like the dumbest newbie move of all time. Call it ‘fill-in-the-blank’ invoicing.  Or ‘pay what you want’ pricing. The notion is, you do the work first, then let the client decide how much to pay for [...]

No portfolio yet? Try this trick

What if you haven’t amassed a huge body of work to show clients? Or what if your portfolio is 82% skunk work that you’d rather keep under the bed? No problem. Dazzle them with makeovers.  Redesigns.  Rewrites. It’s actually a more interesting way to convey your skills, your voice, your sensibilities. Befores and afters Find [...]

Brains? Or brass? No contest.

What if you needed to ratchet up your income, by oh, 43% or so? And pretty soon. Or what if you’re tired of scratching around with pipsqueak projects for D-list clients. You want to do work that means something, for clients with actual budgets? What should you focus on? What do you ramp up? Your [...]

Busting out of the pack

I’m guessing, right about now, the traffic on the web site of photographer Brian Bloom is spiking, oh, about 1600% over normal.  And next week his phone will be ringing. It’s what you get for having the stones to be off-the-charts amazing.

Your first day freelance

Do you remember the first day on your own? The day you stepped onto that swaying, shaking rope bridge over the chasm, without a job, in charge of your own fate? Here’s what I remember. I had set up an office in the basement. My desk was a folding table.  I had a stack of [...]