Freelancing

Monday Spark: The 8 Secrets of success in 3 minutes [VIDEO]

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richard st. john successI wonder how many hours, days, months and years you have devoted to your search for the secrets of success.

All those ebook, talks, programs, and more.

Well, here is some good news for you.

Now you can learn the secrets of success in 3 minutes, thanks to this TED talk by author, Richard St.John.

Inspired by a question from a high school student on a flight, he decided to roll up his sleeves and really find out what successful people had in common.

In fact, he spent 10 years on this project and interviewed 500 extraordinary people. He then distilled everything into a talk he could give at high schools. In other words, after 10 years he found himself able to answer the question he was asked on that flight.

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The more skills you have in your online copywriting toolbox, the greater your value to your clients.

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online copywriter toolboxWay back when I wrote copy offline, I was pretty much a one-trick pony.

I wrote direct mail. That was my thing. I have never written a radio spot. I have never written a TV commercial.

Back then, it was fine to focus on a single copywriting skill, because there was no connection between what I wrote for a client as a direct response writer, and what their agency copywriter wrote for TV.

Sure, we all worked to the same brief, keeping within the same campaign idea.

But the key point to understand is that the quality of my direct mail piece didn’t depend on my knowing anything about writing for TV, radio or any other medium. Why? Because each medium was separate from the other.

All that changed with the arrival of the web.

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Monday Spark: Don’t wait to be rescued.

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drowning freelancerAs freelancers we work alone, and sometimes we have bad days, weeks and even months.

When things aren’t going well, we sit at our desks, our heads in our hands, and wonder how we are going to make things better.

We are at a fork in the road here…we can lead our thoughts in one of two directions.

The first direction takes us to a place where we feel powerless and want someone to rescue us. Maybe an old client can give us a project to help fill the coffers this month. Maybe a mentor can miraculously introduce us to a new client. Maybe that new e-book by this month’s hot guru can instantly result in a flood of new prospects.

We are passive. We feel we are the victim of circumstances. We want to be rescued.

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Why you should invest $1,000 in launching your freelance business.

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cost of starting a businessIf you wanted to open a coffee shop it would likely cost you somewhere between $50,000 and $100,000.

If you wanted to buy into a franchise fast food chain, it would cost you six figures or more.

And if you want to begin a freelance copywriting business, and are aiming to make six figures a year…how much would you be willing to invest?

What, you thought starting your own business would be free?

It can be free, if you want to freelance as a hobby.

But it’s not free if you want to build a freelance business that will earn you a big, fat income.

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Monday Spark: The secret of success is to not give a damn.

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don't give a damn negotiationOddly – at least I think it’s odd – I’m pretty good at negotiating.

I’m at my best when sitting across the table from someone and figuring out a price for my services. (I’m not so good when I’m alone at home and putting together an estimate.)

In one memorable one-on-one negotiation I just sat there without saying a word, while the other guy kept raising the fee.

Another time, when interviewing for a job as an employee, I totally dug in my heels and refused to budge an inch on the salary I was asking for. What was surprising about that interview was that I really, really needed the job…and if I didn’t get it, I would probably have had to wait months and months for a similar position to become available. And yes, I got the salary I asked for, even although it was a lot higher than the figure they had in mind.

How did I pull this off?

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3 Ways in which Freelancing Rocks.

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freelancing rocks on waterI’m a big fan of the freelance life. I should be, because I have been freelancing for most of the last 32 years.

I have raised four sons. I am raising a daughter. I have lived in two different countries and, here in Canada, have lived in four different provinces. I have worked on the kinds of projects I choose and enjoy. I can’t be downsized. I can’t be fired. And I love what I do.

What’s not to like about being a freelancer?

Let’s look at 3 ways in which freelancing truly rocks.

As a freelancer, I can focus on what I do best.

This doesn’t often make the top 10 list of reasons to become a freelancer, but for me it’s huge.

Over the last couple of decades I have been an employee three times. Each time I lasted about 12 months before becoming a freelancer again. There was nothing wrong with those three companies, but in each case I ended up being asked to do work that was not central to my core skills.

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