From a friend in the UK: Q: I’m a freelance coder and developer. Twice, in the span of a month, I have accepted an assignment, taken a deposit, only to discover that the project is pure hell. One client turned out to be hopelessly clueless about the technology behind his own project. He couldn’t understand […]
I know. This should be obvious. It should also be as easy as sneezing. Working without a boss is, after all, what we signed up for. It’s why we went freelance in the first place. So we wouldn’t have someone leaning into our cubicle all day, telling us what to do. We wanted to call […]
You need to be good at your chosen trade, of course. The more skillful and knowledgable you are, the brighter your chances out there. (And besides, when we hang out our signs as writers, coders, illustrators, and designers, we have an obligation honor the craft, by being as good as we can be.) But, unfortunately, mastering your craft isn’t quite […]
Bear with me, because I’m about to get all sales and markety for a minute. But just for a minute. I’m talking about Way Smarter Freelancing, the first ebook from the editorial staff here at The Freelancery. (Me, mostly.) It’s 178 pages of real-world help that will make you a lot savvier about freelancing, right away. […]
What I love about freelancing is that I can run my little business however I want. There are a jillion options and possibilities open to me. What sucks about freelancing is that I can run my little business however I want. There are a jillion options and possibilities open to me. When I have too many choices and too many […]
Um. Yes. Of course. That’s practically a rule. I’m surprised when I hear this question from other freelancers. Some wonder if it is fair or ethical to charge one rate to client George, and a different rate to client Miranda. Others worry that this is vaguely illegal. (Maybe it is, if you’re a supermarket. Or if you live […]
This advice sounds a bit too clever, a bit too pat. And even worse, I think it comes from a lame movie from the 1980s.* But for us freelancers, it’s gold. When you talk with the CEO, or the Giant Creative Director, or the Division Manager Who Everyone Fears, you do it peer-to-peer, equal to equal. There is […]
You know all that talk about being ‘authentic’? About being genuine? About putting your real and true self out there? It’s an enviable ideal. But apparently I’m not doing that. Apparently, I have never done that. I always keep my authentic, genuine self right here, thank you. Out of harm’s way. Years back, I was on the […]
I had this wrong for a long time. Until Derek Sivers set me straight. Persistence is not about continuously hammering at a rock hoping to break it. That’s just repetition. Persistence, for us freelancers, is more about continually experimenting, exploring, perfecting. It’s about trying all sorts of different ways to get that rock to break. There was a […]
You may have to, if you want the work. The annoying thing is, you see most of this paperwork silliness with the larger, busier clients: big corporations, universities, big publishers, big agencies, tech firms. They have money, they have work, so they have paperwork. I am talking about NDAs (Non-Disclosure Agreements, or Confidentiality Agreements) and Vendor […]
