Related Articles

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  Working Vacation: Do You Tell Your Clients?

  2630 readersI’ve been out of town for over a month. I spent some time in the Netherlands, Paris, Vienna, Prague, and London. It was an extremely memorable trip. But it wasn’t all vacation. For several weeks during the trip, I was staying in a single place, m...

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  Types of Beginnings

  1695 readersI was recently asked by a friend of mine how to get started in freelancing. This is such a common question--and, to be honest, frustrating to answer--because there are so many ways people get started. However, thinking about it, I realized that most people I know who are currently full-time freelancers got a start in

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  Types of Beginnings

  586 readersI was recently asked by a friend of mine how to get started in freelancing. This is such a common question--and, to be honest, frustrating to answer--because there are so many ways people get started. However, thinking about it, I realized that most people I know who are currently full-time freelancers got a start in

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  Prequalifying Prospects

  1758 readersNot everyone is the right fit for your business. It's important to make sure the people you're talking to--whether you're cold calling or networking or sending a postcard campaign--are the right people. Here are the questions I ask when trying to prequ...

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  Prequalifying Prospects

  1264 readersNot everyone is the right fit for your business. It's important to make sure the people you're talking to--whether you're cold calling or networking or sending a postcard campaign--are the right people. Here are the questions I ask when trying to prequ...

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  Do You Ask for the Gig? – Getting the Client to Make a Decision

  1363 readersYou’ve been talking to a prospective client about his or her writing needs. So far, everything sounds good. You know you can do the work and give the client what they want, but they haven’t made you an offer. Now what? In this situation, you do have some options. You can back off and focus

• In Freelancing, Can You Trust Anyone?

  1550 readersOnce, when I had been in business for only a little over a year, I had a client I had worked with several times hire me for a small writing assignment. “No need for a contract,” the client said before we started, “I’ll just send over a check right now.” Ordinarily, I’d never work with anyone

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  The Slow-Ball Client…And What You Can Do

  1190 readersRecently I've been thinking a lot about clients who take their time on revisions--slowing you down when it comes to invoicing for your remaining payment. I find this very frustrating, and lately it's led to a few cash flow problems--not to mention sche...

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  Finding Your Ideal Partner

  1643 readersOne of my goals for February is to broaden my network of partner companies--web designers, graphic designers, and other professionals who work with clients who need regular work. I've done this in the past and for the most part it's worked out well, bu...

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  Can Young America be Fixed?

  4665 readersDid you know that about 16% of America’s youth (aged 16-24) are unemployed? Compared with the national unemployment rate, which is at 8.3% according to the most recent data, that’s a high number. There’s no question that young people bear a disproportionate burden in a bad economy—as the least experienced, they’re often the last hired,