Freelancing

Monday Spark: Stimulate your mind with a stream of fresh ideas.

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fresh ideas for freelancersA lot of freelance businesses are based on a single goal or focus.

For example, a freelancer might set up in business to write web content for companies in the travel industry.

There is nothing wrong with that, so long as you keep coming up with fresh ideas. New ways to market your business, new types of content to offer your clients, different types of clients to approach, new ideas on how to make your website or blog work harder. And so on.

At another level, I know a couple of freelancers who recently came up with a neat idea. Both are freelance writers and copywriters, and both have their own businesses and websites. But they got talking together and had a completely different idea.

Now they have launched a joint website offering a service to companies that want to have a blog, but don’t know how to get started or create compelling posts.

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Monday Spark: Get a boost from friends who know what it’s like to be a freelancer.

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freelance friendsYou know what it’s like to be a freelancer, and so do I.

But many people don’t.

Even within our own homes we can sometimes feel like strangers when it comes to why and how we follow the freelance life.

In fact, when you were starting out, you probably got a few weird looks and comments from family, friends or colleagues.

“Are you sure? Wouldn’t it be safer getting a real job?” (Ha! Like a “real” job is safe these days.)

I don’t know what it is exactly, but there is a clear and definite line that divides people who get and want the freelance life, and those who don’t. And if we are surrounded by too many people who don’t get it, we can begin to feel isolated. And if we feel isolated for too long, we can start having doubts about ourselves.

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Monday Spark: Build your marketing around the very best version of You.

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be your very bestOne of my frustrations as a coach is that many of my clients fail to present the very best versions of themselves to their clients.

I know freelancers who have exceptional talent, but create websites for their freelance businesses that make them look ordinary.

I know freelancers who suffer from “imposter syndrome” and constantly worry they aren’t good enough to work for large clients.

I know freelancers who start their business day with a snapshot of their very worst selves in their minds.

This is all about self-confidence and self-esteem.

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Monday Spark: If you haven’t found your true talent yet, dig deeper.

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ken robinson on talentIn the video below Sir Ken Robinson is talking mainly about education. That’s his thing.

For decades Sir Ken Robinson has challenged the way we’re educating our children. He champions a radical rethink of our school systems, to cultivate creativity and acknowledge multiple types of intelligence.

He applies a similar way of thinking to business, looking for ways to foster more creative thinking within companies.

There is much in what he says that also applies to us, as freelancers.

First, watch the video.

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How working with a coach can double your freelance income, and more.

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coach for freelancersAs freelancers we can get stuck in a rut.

We find a way to make a reasonable income, and then we stick with it.

But the longer we stick with it, the deeper the rut becomes, and the harder it is to break out into new and better directions.

In fact, we soon lose sight of the fact that there are other possibilities beyond the rim of the rut.

After a while we begin to lose heart. Yes, we are making a living. Yes, we have a routine that seems to work OK. But… wasn’t there a time when we thought we were capable of much more?

It’s at this point that we need the intervention of a coach.

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Monday Spark: Taking small risks makes you FEEL GOOD.

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freelancers taking risksAs freelancers we tend to be risk-averse. We feel that our future is scary enough as it is, without taking any unnecessary risks.

But…we are also entrepreneurs, building a small business from the ground up. And one of the hallmarks of successful entrepreneurs is that they do take risks.

I’m not talking about crazy risks that could lead to the loss of everything. I’m thinking more about the kinds of risks Seth Godin refers to in his book, Poke the Box
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He makes the point that doing nothing, starting nothing and risking nothing leads ultimately to stagnation and collapse. You need to challenge the status quo from time to time. You need to poke the box. (You know “the box” – it’s that thing you are meant to think outside of.)

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