“You should have the confidence to charge what you’re worth.” When I see advice like that, I wince. I have been there, been stung. “You should know your worth as a designer.” “Your fees should reflect your worth to the project.” Oh boy. That’s the wrong way to think about it. Get that word ‘worth’ […]
General
No more self-inflicted discounts
I catch myself doing this from time to time. And I always want to slap myself. It’s what Mike Monteiro of Mule Design calls ‘negotiating on behalf of the client.’ Which means, when wrestling with an estimate or a quote or a proposal, we end up finding all sorts of reasons to lower the fee. I was […]
Freelancing Rules of Thumb
1. You should lose at least one out of four assignments because you’re too expensive. If you land every job, you’re not charging enough, or, you are irresistibly charming. Either way, you should charge more. 2. Time from first contact with a client, to seeing any money from them: minimum 30 days. Yes, even if […]
Moving up the fee scale: From nuisance to indispensable
The worst place to be is where your work is something the client doesn’t much care about. Maybe it’s some nuisance item to be checked off a to-do list. Or maybe it’s something they need, kind of, but it doesn’t matter how good it is, or who does it. You are auto insurance. Gutter cleaning. […]
Young freelancer, veteran freelancer
When I first started, I was a newbie without a clue. I had no writing credentials, no body of work. My track record was about as long as my thumb. Also, most of my clients were much older than me. They saw me as some slightly amusing kid. The only way to get around my […]
Staying lean, staying minimal
Things always get better when I start throwing things away. When I make myself get rid of junk that doesn’t work, doesn’t matter, doesn’t contribute. My head clears and the money flows. That’s because the freelance business model is inherently simple. Elegantly simple. The simpler you keep it, the more profitable it is. You’ll be happier when […]
How to tell if you’re a pro
Do you feel like a pro yet? It matters. Feeling like a pro helps you get through the day. And when you’re a pro, clients sense it. I thought I became a ‘professional’ the first time I wrote some stuff and got paid for it. I hung out my sign. I landed an assignment. They […]
Should you be a company? Or just you?
If you are just you, be you. Your name. If you get famous at your craft, it will be under your name. Not under something like The Write Stuff. If you are truly a company, meaning you have nine or eleven or three people working for you, then bill yourself as a company if you wish. But […]
Landing the dream project: How much eager beaver?
A juicy-looking project arrives on your doorstep. Maybe a client who could change everything. Or at least get the mortgage paid for the next few months. How do you play it? How eager should you sound? The answer is: About 74% eager. And be eager about the right thing. I have gotten this wrong about eleven […]
How to have a damn good year: Advice from the renegade roundtable Part II
You want to have a good year freelancing? Don’t we all? But how do you do that? I’ve been asking questions, swapping stories, and debating with my fellow bandits and independents. They include grizzled pros, as well as some annoyingly successful upstarts All of us have racked up good years, galactically stellar years, and not-so-good […]