Agency: A company that provides outsourced services to businesses, often working with freelancers.
AI: Artificial Intelligence; technology used to automate tasks and improve efficiency in various industries.
B2B Freelancing: Focusing on providing services to other businesses rather than individual consumers. (BlackFreelance is focused on B2B freelancing.)
B2C: Business to Consumer; a model where businesses sell products or services directly to consumers. (BlackFreelance does not address B2C work for freelancers, but does cover working with clients who provide B2C services)
Branding: The process of creating a unique identity for a freelancer’s business, including visual elements and messaging.
Cash Flow: The total amount of money moving into and out of a business, crucial for maintaining operations.
Client: An individual or organization that hires a freelancer for a specific project or service.
Contract: A legal agreement between a freelancer and a client that outlines the terms of the work.
Contract Work: Work performed under a contract arrangement, often for a specific project or time period. Closer in nature to employment than true freelancing, contract work is generally longer, more comprehensive, and generally allows an employer to dictate the hours, nature, and often rate of work.
CRM: (Customer Relationship Management) system is software that helps freelancers manage and analyze interactions with prospects, leads, clients, partner freelancers, and other network members. They are useful in improving business results, customer service, retention, and sales growth.
Employer/Employment: An individual or organization that hires workers for specific tasks or projects. The employment relationship involves exchange of control over payment rates, hours, and location of work performed in exchange for organization of work into job/job description, sales and marketing teams, and other forms of reimbursement for work including partial coverage of health insurance costs, life insurance, etc.
Entrepreneurial Freelancing: BlackFreelance positions freelancing as a tool for life improvement, emphasizing a strategic, business-minded framework to enhance quality of life.
Feedback: Constructive criticism or suggestions provided by clients or peers to help improve a freelancer’s work.
Freelancer: An independent worker who offers services to clients and employers without giving up control of payment rates, work hours, or offering exclusivity. Freelancers determine the nature of their work, setting their own rates and hours. Freelancers approach relationships with companies as vendors or peers without a significant power difference.
GEO (Generative Engine Optimization): Overlaps with SEO but with a focus on getting noticed by AI-powered chatbots and generative search results
Geographic Arbitrage: Focusing on (remote) freelance clients in an area with higher average payment rates to optimize income in your chosen location.
Gig Economy: A labor market characterized by short-term contracts or freelance work as opposed to permanent jobs. (Black workers are often overrepresented in the highest-risk, highest-exploitation, and lowest return gigs within this economy.)
Hourly Work: Work billed by the hour, often used by freelancers to charge clients based on time spent on a project.
Industry: A category of businesses or organizations that share similar products or services.
Lifestyle Design: Integrating freelance work with personal goals and values to create a fulfilling lifestyle.
Marketing: The process of promoting and selling services, crucial for freelancers to attract clients.
Niche: A specialized segment of the market that a freelancer targets with their services.
Paid Advertising: Advertising that requires payment, including methods like pay-per-click.
Pipeline Funnel: A visual representation of the freelance sales process, often divided into:
Top of Funnel: Initial awareness and interest.
Mid Funnel: Consideration and evaluation.
Bottom Funnel: Decision and conversion.
Portfolio: A collection of work samples that showcase a freelancer’s results, skills, and experience.
Professional Development: Continually improving skills, knowledge, and abilities as a freelancer. Can include education, upskilling, networking, coaching, mentorship, and conferences.
Project Based Work: Work that is completed on a specific project basis rather than ongoing tasks.
Proposal: A document outlining a freelancer’s plan, pricing, and qualifications sent to a potential client.
Prospect: A potential client or customer who might hire a freelancer.
Prospecting: The process of identifying and reaching out to potential clients.
Payroll: The total amount of money a company pays to its employees or freelancers for their services. Freelancers can start their own company and put themselves on payroll if they see advantages in being employed (e.g. rental/mortgage agreements, loans, etc.)
Racialized Work Environment: Recognizing and addressing the specific challenges that Black workers might face due to racial bias in the workplace.
Remote Work: Work that can be done from anywhere, often facilitated by technology, as opposed to being location-bound.
SEO (Search Engine Optimization): The practice of optimizing a website to improve its visibility in search engine results.
Revenue: The income generated from services provided by a freelancer or business.
SaaS (Software as a Service): A software distribution model in which applications are hosted by a service provider and made available to customers over the internet.
Scope of Work: A detailed description of the work to be performed, including deliverables, timelines, and responsibilities.
S-corp (US): A type of corporation that meets specific Internal Revenue Code requirements, allowing income to be passed through to shareholders.
Strategy: A plan of action designed to achieve a long-term goal in freelancing.
Tactics: Specific actions or steps taken to implement a strategy.
Thought Leadership: A tactic of establishing trust and authority by sharing pertinent, valuable, innovative insights and expertise.
Trade Magazine: A publication that provides news, updates, and insights specific to a particular industry, niche, or profession.
Upskilling: The process of learning new skills or improving existing ones to enhance a freelancer’s marketability.
Virtual Assistant: A freelancer who provides administrative, technical, or creative assistance to clients remotely. Often used by other freelancers. Workflow: The sequence of processes through which a piece of work passes from initiation to completion.
