It’s a good idea to keep your business finances separate from your personal finances and you might do this by opening a business checking account. Having a separate account makes it easier to track your tax-deductible expenses and helps you manage your money better. But, business checking accounts are a little more complex than personal checking accounts. For some of us, they’re not the best
Are you the type of freelance writer who avoids others at all costs? Do you work, day after day, from the comfort of your home office without any client and/or colleague interaction? This is very common in the world of freelance writing. That being said, it does not make it right. Over the years, I have found that connecting with other freelance writers, even if
I’m split at times about how kids affect my working life. In many – okay most – cases I feel very limited by having kids underfoot or in the house when I’m working. But other times I wonder if I’d be as effective as I am if my children didn’t already have me so well trained. It takes a lot of dedication and discipline to
Some who use Paypal to receive freelance writing payments may have noticed them asking for your Tax ID number. That’s so they can meet the new the IRS rule that requires third party payment processors to send IRS notification if you receive more than $20,000 in gross payments and exceed 200 payments for goods or services in a calendar years. This goes for part-time and
A few weeks back, I showed everybody how to become more comfortable with cold calling. I strongly believe this to be an efficient and effective way to land new clients while introducing yourself to businesses on a more personal level. Cold calling is not for everybody. If you decide to give it a try, make sure you are doing everything right from the start. Here
I am so very not perfect. I would never claim to be the best writer around, the best mother around or the best teacher around. I do like to think I work hard at all of my various life choices, and I have some nice successes to show for that work. But even if you’re an amazingly awesome writer coming into this career or you’re
Having an accountant isn’t a requirement for running a successful freelance writing business. In fact, you can save money by doing your own accounting. But, there are certain situations where hiring an accountant makes more sense than doing it yourself. You’re too busy to focus on bookkeeping and other financial tasks. As your freelance business grows or your life outside of work changes, you may
This article is part of a follow-up series for Demand Media Studios writers interested in moving past the content mill to find higher paying freelance writing jobs. This series features freelance advice for five writers tailored to their individual needs and goals. First let me apologize for the delay in starting this series. My schedule is a bit wonky these days as we’ve been moving
At times, you may feel like your online marketing campaign is letting you down. Maybe you aren’t getting any inquiries through your website. Maybe you are sending out one email after the next, just to get shot down time and time again. Since this is a possibility, it is important to consider other methods of marketing your freelance writing services – such as cold calling.
This article is a part of a five post series for Demand Media Studios writers and others interested in leaving content mills and other low paying freelance writing jobs behind. We’ve already looked at why freelance job boards aren’t the best places to find gigs and how you can make it easier for clients to find you through your writer platform. But what can you do in between
This article is a part of a five post series for Demand Media Studios writers and others interested in leaving content mills and other low paying freelance writing jobs behind. In our last post we talked about marketing your freelance writing services and how you should focus on basic market research, specialty target markets, and creating a marketing plan instead of aimlessly trying new ways
If I were going to list some favorite movies, Princess Bride would be near the top. Forrest Gump would be up there, too. But the movie that really defined where I am now is Office Space. I spent my time in a cubicle with a boss who would peek in over our heads to see what we were up to. I even had a consultant
This week we’re running a five-post series for writers looking to leave content mills like Demand Media Studios behind them. Yesterday we took a look at three types of freelance writing jobs you can pursue, starting today. If you’re considering a change to grow your business, you should start there and narrow down your specialty area. Once you have a freelance writing specialty in mind,
Last week I reached out to Demand Media Studios (DMS) writers who are upset about the announcement that there will be fewer writing gigs available from the company. Some of these writers are panicked because they aren’t sure where to go from here. As promised, we’re running a five-post series this week for those writers (and any freelance writers looking for a fresh start). To kick things
As some of you might know, Demand Media recently emailed their DMS writers about pending changes. Here’s what it comes down to. This business model was hit hard by Google recently — a big source of both traffic and income for content mills, farms, networks, or whatever we’re calling them this month. Demand realized they have to change things. For example, you can’t have repeat
Writing for print isn’t just about writing for print. What? What I mean by that is this–you have to promote yourself and your work if you expect to make a dent in the print publication market. These days, a big part of this has to do with social media. Social media may seem like a strange thing to think of in terms of self-promotion–especially if
We’ve talked about setting freelance writing rates and figuring out when you need to charge more. But the amount you charge isn’t the only potential problem with your freelance writing rates. Your rate structure can be equally problematic. For example, are you charging per word when you should be charging per article? Are published hourly rates turning off prospects and sending them to the competition? Let’s
Can you believe it’s already October? That means the holiday season is just around the corner. And holidays can wreak havoc on our freelance work schedules (or at least they do for mine). Don’t let the holiday season get in the way of work, or let work stress keep you from enjoying the holidays. Let’s look at a few ways you can stay productive throughout
There is only one thing better than landing a new client – landing two new clients. Over the years, I have found several ways to turn one client into additional work in a relatively short period of time. While these tips are not full-proof and may not work for you every time with every client, they are worth a try. 1. Ask for a referral.
This is driving me crazy. I just got an email with the subject, “Yeah a Birthday Baby is Born”. I’m not sure the sender (who is not known for her grammatical prowess) meant to sound as sarcastic as the teenagers we teach, but to someone who knows the difference between “yeah”, “yea” and “yay”, she did. And just what is the difference? If you don’t
Some freelancers are natural networkers. They have no problem introducing themselves to clients and colleagues, and they know how to build real relationships that benefit both parties. Other freelancers don’t have the same social skills. In general, that’s okay. I’d like to think we’re a fairly welcoming bunch overall. But every now and then someone takes networking or marketing too far, and they come across
As a freelance writer at networking events, it is easy to sit back and let potential clients ask all the questions. While there is nothing wrong with listening and answering questions, you should feel comfortable opening up and asking some questions of your own. Not only does this show more interest on your part, but it gives you a better idea of whether or not
For years I’ve been a total rock star. But I’m retiring as I approach the ripe old age of thirty-two – how very rock star of me. I’m still writing – don’t get me wrong – I’m just not going to be working toward superstar status any more. Some of the most interesting advice I ever had was from a professor in my library program.
Business writing gigs can be some of the most lucrative writing work you’ll ever take on. You can easily earn $100 per hour and more with this kind of work. You can take on projects for corporate clients. Or you can work for small businesses if you prefer (and contrary to popular belief, they often significant budgets to hire professional contractors). What are some examples of
Do you ever land bad freelance writing clients? Maybe they’re too needy. Maybe they don’t pay on time. Maybe they expect the world while paying next to nothing. These aren’t good clients to have. Yet many freelancers face these situations. You don’t have to. Here are three simple ways you can better insulate yourself from bad writing clients. 1. Be Choosy As a business owner,
I realized something kind of depressing today. I’m spending 30% more now than two years ago and the extra 30% isn’t being spent on new shoes. I was reviewing my budget earlier and it occurred to me that it’s taking a lot more money to pay for living expenses than it used to. I’m going over the numbers thinking there should be more leftover, but there’s
Writing for print has a lot in common with writing for the web, yet they are also quite different. Today I’d like to share some “tools of the trade” that have helped me navigate my writing career–especially when it comes to magazine writing. That said, many of these can also be used for freelance writing in general. Here goes: Desk Calendar There’s nothing quite like
To reach all your freelance writing goals, it is essential to market your services on a regular basis. From query letters to cold calls to cold emails and everything in between, the more time you spend on marketing the better off you are going to be. Year after year, I have found that my marketing success is an up and down affair. By this, I
Nobody’s perfect, but most of try to get as close as possible, at least in our writing. Over the years, I’ve developed a laidback approach to the grammar and spellings of others, probably because I’m bombarded with bad spelling mistakes and grammar choices on any given day. Unlike many other writers, I also feel there are markets for all sorts of writing – including the
Some expenses only happen a few times every year: car maintenance, certain insurance premiums, birthdays, holidays, etc. Because these expenses happen so infrequently, it’s hard to budget for them. You may not be able to add a budget line item in your January budget for $600 car maintenance or in July for the $2,000 property tax. You have to prepare for large, one-time expenses, preferably