Freelancing for me has been the fuel for beginning a new life. I walked away from a draining corporate career and the poor eating, spending, sleeping, social, and emotional habits that came along with it. The last five years for me have been an exercise in rebuilding — aside from a few, well-curated core relationships — pretty […]
The Problem with the Promise of “More Work”
I’ve come to believe that most employers are completely…utterly incompetent when it comes to dealing with workers whose lives (health insurance, vacation, work hours, compensation rates) they don’t control. It’s not completely their fault…the culture of work (at least in the U.S.), is, even with all the changes we’ve experienced in recent years, based around […]
5 Things That Are More Important Than Your Personal Brand (For Now…)
This post will help you with Phase 2 of the Black Freelance Foundations Workbook…if you haven’t started yours yet, download it now! I’ve got a freelance secret… 5 years into freelance writing, 2 years full-time…and I still don’t have a business card. I also don’t have a logo…or even official colors. Those are cardinal […]
Freelancing Without A Minimum Hourly Rate? Please Stop…
I’m going to bet that if I asked you your minimum hourly rate, you wouldn’t be able to tell me…if you can’t, that’s a problem, but by the end of this post, you’ll be on your way to having your starter rate and getting a measurable handle on your freelance income. What Is A […]
5 Quick Ways To Handle Freelancer Anxiety
If you follow me on Twitter, you might have seen me worrying-out-loud about a client who I’m concerned is about to drop me. It’s my biggest client, and while when I first started freelancing, I counted this kind of thing as part of the game, I’m at a point now where it sometimes can get […]
I’m Missing My Cousin’s Wedding Because I’m A Freelancer
Everyone knows that freelancing means an end to that predictable paycheck, but it’s easy to forget how many parts of your life really hinge on having a steady flow of income. My closest cousin is getting married soon and I’m not going to be attending her wedding. It was a decision I had to make […]
You Are Not Every Freelancer. It Is Not All In You.
*I ran across some beautiful pictures of Whitney Houston today and decided to try something…See if you can’t find all the Whitney Houston references in this post and leave them in the comments…there are 14…good luck! This post will help you with Phase 2 of the Black Freelance Foundations Workbook…if you haven’t started yours yet, download […]
Your Support Network Probably Won’t Look Much Like That White Guy’s You Follow…
This post will help you with Phase 1 of the Black Freelance Foundations Workbook…if you haven’t started yours yet, download it now! I ran into my youngest uncle yesterday. He stands a striking, but inviting 6’7″ and has always been nothing short of magical to me and my brother. He ordered suits from Japan and lived […]
Know Your Client Value…Preferably In Dollars (Free download!)
This post will help you with Phase 3 of the Black Freelance Foundations Workbook…if you haven’t started yours yet, download it now! If we’re going to be honest, some clients matter more than others. Some keep the lights on, others just add on a little extra spending money. Some keep you engaged and interested with […]
The Key To Your Clients’ Happiness? This Simple Framework
If you’ve never gotten an email from a dissatisfied client…well…you want to keep things that way. Freelancers with positive, productive, payful (that’s going to be a word, at least for this post) relationships with their clients didn’t get that way by accident. Some of us are just naturals when it comes to keep clients happy, […]