Theresa: Here’s my problem: I’d like to hit my financial target doing mostly journalism, working just 9- or 10- hour days. But I’m working way too many hours for too little money. I’m too busy. I work all day and often into the evening and on weekends. I am efficient but sometimes so conscientious and(…)

I’m guessing that most of us (well, at least me and my circle of renegades), we practice what you’d call straight-up, head-first freelancing: Try to land as many clients as you can, while making as much money as possible, and try to have some fun in the process. A perfectly workable and respectable model, if(…)

On Tuesday, you get a call. It’s from someone new. Someone who was sent to you by one of your other clients. It’s a nice assignment. The work is a bit new for you. You handle it. Everything comes out well. The new client is pleased. Happy ending. But there’s more. You’re just starting. Right(…)

Sally: Q:  ”What’s the best way to turn down a client you don’t want?  Sometimes, when discussing a project with a new client, or looking at the background files, I just know it’s a disaster just waiting to happen.  What’s the best way to say ‘no’ to a project and client I don’t want, while(…)

Nicole, Sarah. (Many others.) Q:  When I come across a client that I might like to work for, how do I approach them when they don’t know me and I don’t know them? How do I make that first “cold” contact, without a referral, without an inside track? What works? And what doesn’t? A:  What works(…)