Thursday, July 27, 2006

Why You Aren't Making The Money You Want To On The Internet And What To Do About It!

Publisher Note: From time to time, I find articles that nail a topic so thoroughly, I think them worth passing along. The following article expounds beautifully upon lesson #7 in my article, 10 Lessons I've Learned from 19+ Years as a Freelancer & Recruiter in the Editorial Industry.

Enjoy!
Y. Black, Publisher
InkwellEditorial.com
InkwellEditorial.blogspot.com
**************************

Copyright © 2006 Dan Lok
Quick Turn Marketing International, Ltd.
http://www.WebsiteConversionExpert.com

Many clients come to me with problems. . . The most common problem I hear from people is they aren't making the kind of money they want to make with their Internet business. They don't know what the problem is and they want me to help. I'll tell you what the problem is.

Most of these people are what I like to call "opportunity seekers." These are people who have too many sites and don't spend any time focusing on ONE business. They may have 20 or 30 websites, with each site only breaking even or making a few hundred dollars every month.

Most opportunity seekers are not making the money they want or achieving their financial goals. Why? They are making a common mistake. They have too many sites, too many interests. This prevents them from focusing their efforts and creating the six figure income they dream of.

Focus Is The Key To Long-Term Success


If you want to succeed on the Internet, you are much better off staying focused. This means starting off with one site or idea and perfecting it before moving on to the next Internet adventure. Far too many people have a "get-rich-quick"mindset. In fact, I'd say almost all opportunity seekers have this mindset. They jump from one program to another hoping one of them will lead to success.

Opportunity seekers are always the first to jump on the next "big" money-making bandwagon. It may be one thing one month, another the next month. They may try to concentrate on affiliate marketing, then switch dramatically to e-book marketing.

Whatever seems to be working for others, they jump into with wild abandon, without considering their true talents, abilities and interests. These people are looking for some easy way to make money. They think they can make money with Google AdSense or just a web page, or even with a multi-level marketing program.

This is NOT how an entrepreneur thinks!

However, this is exactly how an opportunist thinks. They always are looking for shortcuts, and then wonder why it isn't working. It isn't working because you have no focus. You must have focus. You must think like an entrepreneur. Focus is one of the most vital aspects of your success.

My advice to these newbies is shutdown 29 of your sites and focus on one site, the one that best represents your interests. Optimize it. Work on refining it. Refine your sales process and your back end on this single site and make it successful BEFORE you move on to the next site. Yes, I have many sites. But I am Dan Lok. You're not there yet. Perfect your one site. THEN you can think about moving on to other money-making ventures.

Horizontal Vs. Vertical Business

Many people have what I call a horizontal business. A horizontal business has many sites in many different niches, like hobby niches. People who own horizontal businesses have 20 or more separate business ventures.

I recommend having a vertical business instead. A vertical business is a business that has depth and focus. Having a vertical business means if you have a product in a particular niche, like stock trading, focus on selling products related to that and that only. Put all your eggs in one basket and create a funnel effect. This way you'll have one group of customers and you can become a big fish in a small pond.

You'll have all your eggs in one place yes . . . but, youll become an expert egg layer and watch all your eggs hatch with great success. Make sense?What is the problem with a horizontal business? You aren't specialized. It's almost impossible to make a six-figure income with this kind of business because you don't spend enough time on any ONE business.

When you have a vertical business, you have fine-tuned your business so well competitors have a hard time keeping up with you. People can't compete. You also build a strong client base with satisfied customers.

Think Like An Entrepreneur

So, the biggest problem people have is they are opportunity seekers. The key is thinking like a true Internet entrepreneur. Don't jump on the trend bandwagon. Don't ask what the shortcuts are. An entrepreneur has a long-term vision. You have to have a one-year, five year and ten year vision. Find out what you want your business to look like in the long-term. Ask yourself, "What do I want to accomplish ultimately?" Then decide whether your activities fit with your goals.

Stop jumping from one program to another. Focus on one program, one site and one great idea. This is what you have to do if you want to make six figures. It has nothing to do with your knowledge, skill set, experience etc. It has to do more with your focus.

Sit down. Think about it. Stop jumping from one program to another and stop getting sucked into false money-making schemes. Find out what your goals are, what you want to accomplish. This is a far superior approach. Yes, it takes a lot of energy. But it's worth it. In the long-term it's much less tiring than diversifying your business. Once you are an expert in your industry or niche, THEN you can think about diversifying your business.
----------------------------------------------------------
About the Author: A former college dropout, Dan Lok transformed himself from a grocery bagger in a local supermarket to a multi-millionaire. Today, Dan is one of the most sought-after business mentors on the Web, as well as a best-selling author. His reputation includes his title as the World's #1 Website Conversion Expert. To find out what Dan is up to now, visit him at: http://www.WebsiteConversionExpert.com
***********************************************************************
INKWELLEDITORIAL.COM ANNOUNCEMENT
Coming in August (right before the start of the busy fall season)!

InkwellEditorial.com E-Course: 5-Step Jumpstart Your Freelance Career Marketing Workshop. At the end of this one week, five-step course, you will have a concrete business and marketing plan for your freelance business. Even if you've been a freelancer for years, this course will help you "laser focus" your efforts and exponentially increase your income.

Learn everything you need to know to work from home as a Freelance Writer, Editor, Proofreader, etc. How? Order an InkwellEditorial.com E-book. Receive 7 EBooks in All! Delivered right to your inbox immediately upon payment!***********************************************************************

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

3 Ways to Increase Your Freelance Income with Podcasting

One of the things I stated in the article, 10 Lessons I've Learned from 19+ Years as a Freelancer & Recruiter in the Editorial Industry, is that freelancers must stay abreast of technology to be successful.

Podcasting is the latest technological craze – and one that can add nicely to every freelancer’s bottom line. Click here to read the entire article on InkwellEditorial.com.

P.S.: Next Tuesday's Topic -- How to Develop a Niche with NO Experience (& Make it Profitable for You)
***********************************************************************
INKWELLEDITORIAL.COM ANNOUNCEMENT

Coming in August (right before the start of the busy fall season)!InkwellEditorial.com E-Course: 5-Step Jumpstart Your Freelance Career Marketing Workshop. At the end of this one week, five-step course, you will have a concrete business and marketing plan for your freelance business. Even if you've been a freelancer for years, this course will help you "laser focus" your efforts and exponentially increase your income.

Learn everything you need to know to work from home as a Freelance Writer, Editor, Proofreader, etc. How? Order an InkwellEditorial.com E-book. Receive 7 EBooks in All! Delivered right to your inbox immediately upon payment!***********************************************************************

Thursday, July 20, 2006

A Day in the Life of ...… a Ugandan Publications Editor

A new "Day in the Life of ..." story was posted yesterday on InkwellEditorial.com.

EXCERPT
As a Publications Editor, I am responsible for compiling the weekly e-newsletter circulated to stakeholders and lobby groups, compiling and editing a monthly 12-page Policy Review Newsletter, circulated as an insert in one of the country’s leading daily newspapers, and preparing other research and review reports for publication.
On the organizational organ gram, I am ranked among senior program staff, which entitles me to a monthly salary of about $1,300. This pay is not a reflection of the way editors would be generally paid here, but has more to do with the rating of the length of my experience in the field.
***********************************************************************
POST CONTINUED BELOW

INKWELLEDITORIAL.COM ANNOUNCEMENT
Coming in August (right before the start of the busy fall season)!

InkwellEditorial.com E-Course: 5-Step Jumpstart Your Freelance Career Marketing Workshop. At the end of this one week, five-step course, you will have a concrete business and marketing plan for your freelance business. Even if you've been a freelancer for years, this course will help you "laser focus" your efforts and exponentially increase your income.

Learn everything you need to know to work from home as a Freelance Writer, Editor, Proofreader, etc. How? Order an InkwellEditorial.com E-book. Receive 7 EBooks in All! Delivered right to your inbox immediately upon payment!***********************************************************************

Click here to read entire article.

Enjoy!
Y. Black, Publisher
InkwellEditorial.com
InkwellEditorial.blogspot.com
P.S.: Don't forget -- coming next Tuesday. Freelancers -- Learn How to Increase Your Income with Podcasting

Company Hiring Freelance Writers

Interesting article on PowerHomeBiz.com about Academia-Research.com, an educational company seeking freelance writers. Anyone have feedback on this company? If so, please provide.

I requested an interview with a rep from their organization. Stay tuned!

Sincerely,
Y. Black, Publisher
InkwellEditorial.com
InkwellEditorial.blogspot.com
P.S.: Don't forget -- coming next Tuesday. Freelancers -- Learn How to Increase Your Income with Podcasting
***********************************************************************
INKWELLEDITORIAL.COM E-COURSE ANNOUNCEMENT
Coming in August (right before the start of the busy fall season)!


InkwellEditorial.com E-Course: 5-Step Jumpstart Your Freelance Career Marketing Workshop. At the end of this one week, five-step course, you will have a concrete business and marketing plan for your freelance business. Even if you've been a freelancer for years, this course will help you "laser focus" your efforts and exponentially increase your income.

Learn everything you need to know to work from home as a Freelance Writer, Editor, Proofreader, etc. How? Order an InkwellEditorial.com E-book. Receive 7 EBooks in All! Delivered right to your inbox immediately upon payment!***********************************************************************

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

How to Use Teleseminars to Promote Your Business and Generate Quick Cash

Brain fart!

Yesterday, I was supposed to post the article, "Freelancers -- Learn How to Increase Your Income with Podcasting." To be honest, between working on the site and the upcoming e-course, 5-Step Jumpstart Your Freelance Career Marketing Workshop, I haven't fine tuned it yet.

BUT, here is a fabulous article on teleseminars that dovetails nicely with this article, which -- I PROMISE -- will be posted next Tuesday.

Enjoy!
Y. Black, Publisher
InkwellEditorial.com
InkwellEditorial.blogspot.com
***************************

Can I share a secret with you? Teleseminars are some of the easiest money I've ever made. Chances are you've attended a teleseminar lately. Why not produce them yourself? These seminars by phone are fun and easy to do.

Giving FREE teleseminars is a fabulous way to promote your business, help your prospects get to know you better, increase your e-zine subscribers, and jack-up sales. I offer a free monthly teleseminar that gives people an introduction to what I teach (how to get business via an e-zine).

These calls generate me tons of new e-zine subscribers and sales for my home study courses.
Giving PAID teleseminars promotes your business and generates revenues as well. I do one paid teleseminar at least every two months on a different marketing topic, and sometimes I invite a special guest. Each of these events grosses me between $5,000 and $10,000.

INKWELLEDITORIAL.COM ANNOUNCEMENTS: POST CONTINUED BELOW
***********************************************************************
INKWELLEDITORIAL.COM E-COURSE ANNOUNCEMENT
Coming in August (right before the start of the busy fall season)!

InkwellEditorial.com E-Course: 5-Step Jumpstart Your Freelance Career Marketing Workshop. At the end of this one week, five-step course, you will have a concrete business and marketing plan for your freelance business. Even if you've been a freelancer for years, this course will help you "laser focus" your efforts and exponentially increase your income.

Learn everything you need to know to work from home as a Freelance Writer, Editor, Proofreader, etc. How? Order an InkwellEditorial.com E-book. Receive 7 EBooks in All! Delivered right to your inbox immediately upon payment!***********************************************************************

You should also consider offering an "intensive" or "bootcamp" series of multi-week teleseminars. You can break up aspects of one topic or do a series on multiple, related topics. My former "4-Week E-zine Launch Telebootcamps" went for $497 and sold out every time.

To get started, you'll need:

1. a bridge line. For less than 30 people, FreeConference.com has worked fine for me. (Yes, it's FREE.) For more people or for paid events, I use a paid line such as from Great Teleseminars, because they come with personal service and an operator if anything goes wrong.

2. an automated way for people to sign up. I use, LOVE, and wholeheartedly recommend AutoWebBusiness. It's an online shopping cart program that comes complete with e-mail autoresponders and link tracking. It also lets you do coupon offers for special groups, and you can automatically track commissions for affiliates.

3. a way to record your teleseminars. You'll want to provide the audio for people to listen to later online or you can make CDs. Record yourself with inexpensive software like Sonic Foundry's Sound Forge Studio, or hire someone to do it for you. I use AudioStrategies (http://www.AudioStrategies.com).

But there's a LOT more to it...

How do you get signups, especially if you have a small list?
Where can you advertise your teleseminars?
What days and times will get you more people?How much should you charge?
How can you get expert guests on your calls for free?
How should you prepare handouts and visuals?
Do people really want CDs, or are they happy with online audio?
WHERE do you start?

To learn MY step-by-step formula for producing teleseminars that REALLY make you money, see my program, "Insider Secrets to Making Money With TELESEMINARS."

About the author: Online entrepreneur Alexandria K. Brown, "The E-zine Queen," publishes the award-winning 'Straight Shooter Marketing' weekly ezine with 20,000+ subscribers. If you're ready to jump-start your marketing, make more money, and have more fun in your small business, get your FREE tips now at http://www.EzineQueen.com

Thursday, July 13, 2006

BUILD SKILLS for the PUBLISHING INDUSTRY

Graduate Publishing Certificate Program
July 19 Information Session at Emerson College

Are you an entry-level professional seeking to develop critical skills for the publishing industry? Emerson College offers training for the career-minded professional, in industry-relevant areas of publishing, through the two-semester Graduate Publishing Certificate Program.

INKWELLEDITORIAL.COM ANNOUNCEMENTS: POST CONTINUED BELOW
***********************************************************************
INKWELLEDITORIAL.COM E-COURSE ANNOUNCEMENT
Coming in August (right before the start of the busy fall season)!

InkwellEditorial.com E-Course: 5-Step Jumpstart Your Freelance Career Marketing Workshop. At the end of this one week, five-step course, you will have a concrete business and marketing plan for your freelance business. Even if you've been a freelancer for years, this course will help you "laser focus" your efforts and exponentially increase your income.

Learn everything you need to know to work from home as a Freelance Writer, Editor, Proofreader, etc. How? Order an InkwellEditorial.com E-book. Receive 7 EBooks in All! Delivered right to your inbox immediately upon payment!
***********************************************************************
Attend an information session at Emerson College on Wednesday, July 19 at 6 p.m. and learn about this distinctive program designed to help you strengthen your career options.

At the July 19 Information Session, students will meet faculty and hear about the publishing certificate program's career-oriented features:

**Separate book and magazine certificate tracks

**Courses extracted from Emerson College's graduate curriculum in publishing—designed to focus on skills needed in specific areas of publishing

**Built-in professional skill development components

**Strengthen your skills and increase your ability to navigate the publishing industry through the Graduate Publishing Certificate Program at Emerson College.

The final application deadline is August 18. The fall semester begins September 11.

RSVP for the July 19 Information Session: call the Department of Professional Studies at (617) 824-8280 or send email to certificates@emerson.edu. Visit www.emerson.edu/ce for program information.
***********************************************************************
Coming next Tuesday! Freelancers -- Learn How to Increase Your Income with Podcasting

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

The Oddest Freelance Job I Ever Had

A new selection from our Best, Worst, Most Lucrative Job Series was posted today. Click title read & enjoy!

Coming next Tuesday: Freelancers -- Learn How to Increase Your Income with Podcasting
****************************************************
INKWELLEDITORIAL.COM E-COURSE ANNOUNCEMENT
Coming in August (right before the start of the busy fall season)!

InkwellEditorial.com E-Course: 5-Step Jumpstart Your Freelance Career Marketing Workshop. At the end of this one week, five-step course, you will have a concrete business and marketing plan for your freelance business. Even if you've been a freelancer for years, this course will help you "laser focus" your efforts and exponentially increase your income.

Learn everything you need to know to work from home as a Freelance Writer, Editor, Proofreader, etc. How? Order an InkwellEditorial.com E-book. Receive 7 EBooks in All! Delivered right to your inbox immediately upon payment!

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

10 Lessons I've Learned from 19+ Years as a Freelancer & Recruiter in the Editorial Industry

The full article was posted to InkwellEditorial.com today. Click title read.

Coming Tomorrow! A new selection from our Best, Worst, Most Lucrative Job Series.
****************************************************
INKWELLEDITORIAL.COM E-COURSE ANNOUNCEMENT
Coming in August (right before the start of the busy fall season)!

InkwellEditorial.com E-Course: 5-Step Jumpstart Your Freelance Career Marketing Workshop. At the end of this one week, five-step course, you will have a concrete business and marketing plan for your freelance business. Even if you've been a freelancer for years, this course will help you "laser focus" your efforts and exponentially increase your income. Stay tuned for full details later this month.

Learn everything you need to know to work from home as a Freelance Writer, Editor, Proofreader, etc. How? Order an InkwellEditorial.com E-book. Receive 7 EBooks in All! Delivered right to your inbox immediately upon payment!

Monday, July 10, 2006

10 Lessons I've Learned from 19+ Years as a Freelancer & Recruiter in the Editorial Industry

Lessons Straight From the Publisher of InkwellEditorial.com

If you’ve read any of my work before, you probably know that I've been in publishing since 1987, have been a freelancer since 1993 and ran an editorial staffing agency in New York City from 1996 through 2004.

Some lessons I’ve learned from this crazy journey are as follows:

1. Staying abreast of technology is crucial: I remember back in 1998, when I first started the process of getting a website for my company. I was pushed to because clients and candidates alike were asking questions like, “Can I apply online? Can I download the contract from your site? Can I post a job to your website?”

Well, as we didn’t even have a website, I would embarrassingly say no. The “loud silence,” especially from clients, on the other end of the phone line got to be too much. Going through the process of getting a website taught me the value of staying on top of technology. I learned that while I don’t need to be a hard-nosed techie, to stay competitive, I had to know enough to be able to stay competitive. This meant not only getting a site, but learning how to update it myself.

One of the wonderful things about technology is that new tools are constantly being developed for those of us who are NOT tech-savvy, eg, FrontPage software for building websites, autoresponder software, listserv software for building mailing lists, etc.

Stay tuned for the rest of this article tomorrow!

Coming Wednesday: A new selection from our Best, Worst, Most Lucrative Job Series.

Editorially yours,
Y. Black, Publisher
InkwellEditorial.com
InkwellEditorial.blogspot.com
****************************************************
INKWELLEDITORIAL.COM E-COURSE ANNOUNCEMENT
Coming in August (right before the start of the busy fall season)!

InkwellEditorial.com E-Course: 5-Step Jumpstart Your Freelance Career Marketing Workshop. At the end of this one week, five-step course, you will have a concrete business and marketing plan for your freelance business. Even if you've been a freelancer for years, this course will help you "laser focus" your efforts and exponentially increase your income. Stay tuned for full details later this month.

Learn everything you need to know to work from home as a Freelance Writer, Editor, Proofreader, etc. How? Order an InkwellEditorial.com E-book. Receive 7 EBooks in All! Delivered right to your inbox immediately upon payment!

Sunday, July 09, 2006

Travel Writing: Is it for You?

Check out this article in today's New York Times to find out what it's really like in this oft-glamourized profession.
****************************************************
INKWELLEDITORIAL.COM E-COURSE ANNOUNCEMENT
Coming in August (right before the start of the busy fall season)!

InkwellEditorial.com E-Course: 5-Step Jumpstart Your Freelance Career Marketing Workshop. At the end of this one week, five-step course, you will have a concrete business and marketing plan for your freelance business. Even if you've been a freelancer for years, this course will help you "laser focus" your efforts and exponentially increase your income. Stay tuned for full details later this month.

Learn everything you need to know to work from home as a Freelance Writer, Editor, Proofreader, etc. How? Order an InkwellEditorial.com E-book. Receive 7 EBooks in All! Delivered right to your inbox immediately upon payment!****************************************************

Wednesday, July 05, 2006

The 7 Highly Effective & Profitable Habits of Successful Freelancers

Learn What Successful Freelancers Do -- & What You Can Too to Achieve Success

I’ve been in publishing since 1987, have been a freelancer since 1993 and ran an editorial staffing agency in New York City from 1996 through 2004.

Over the years, I’ve noticed that successful freelancers, eg, those who make their living entirely from freelancing (writing, editing, copywriting, web design, etc.), have the following seven traits in common.

1. Write/design every day: Many freelancers are drawn to their particular career because they love it. They love to write, design, draw – whatever it is, they would do it for free. Once they decide to freelance full time, most work at it every day. They write articles, design sites, doodle illustrations, etc. In other words, they don’t stop working on their craft just because there is no paying client.

Benefit to their career: These professionals always have a body of work to sell, show, update their portfolio with, etc. Beyond that, it keeps their skills fresh and allows them to work that much faster once they are being paid for a project.

As a personal example, when I first started to write articles to promote my business, it would take upwards of two hours to complete one. Now, I can knock one out in 30 minutes if I have to.

Side Note: I have run across more than a few freelancers who don’t exactly love what they do. BUT, because they like the life of freelancing, they discipline themselves to do what it takes, eg, (work at it steadily) to make a living at it.

****************************************************
INKWELLEDITORIAL.COM E-COURSE ANNOUNCEMENT
Coming in August (right before the start of the busy fall season)!

InkwellEditorial.com E-Course: 5-Step Jumpstart Your Freelance Career Marketing Workshop. At the end of this one week, five-step course, you will have a concrete business and marketing plan for your freelance business. Even if you've been a freelancer for years, this course will help you "laser focus" your efforts and exponentially increase your income. Stay tuned for full details later this month.

Learn everything you need to know to work from home as a Freelance Writer, Editor, Proofreader, etc. How? Order an InkwellEditorial.com E-book. Receive 7 EBooks in All!. Delivered right to your inbox immediately upon payment!****************************************************

2. Don’t wait for markets to come to them: Building on this first habit, when you are constantly churning out new material, you don’t have to wait for clients to come to you, you can pitch to them.

If you’ve written a great article on the benefits of yoga, why wait for a national exercise magazine to take months to get back to you. Pitch your local newspaper journalist who covers health. You’ll usually know within a week or two if they can use your story. Your neighborhood paper can’t use it? Pitch the neighboring county’s newspaper, a popular e-zine dedicated to women’s health, a new health website that needs fresh content, etc. Successful freelancers are this proactive.

When I was recruiting, I was constantly amazed at the type of assignments successful freelancers were able to ferret out for themselves. When I’d ask, “How did you get that assignment, come up with that idea?”, the comments ranged from, “I couldn’t sleep last night so I start doing some digging online because I just wrote this great article and wanted to get it published,” to “I was just doodling and came upon this great design; I knew it would make a great logo for this niche, so I put it on a t-shirt and pitched a few boutiques in my neighborhood …”

Successful freelancers are not only creative in their work, they’re creative in how they locate markets to sell their work.

3. Have more than one stream of income: By this, I do not mean that they have second jobs. Most successful freelancers do more than one thing. For example, a writer may design a line of themed t-shirts with their witticisms on them. Illustrators, in addition to creating logos, may sell paintings or drawings. Web designers may also create online games.

I don’t know how many more brain cells creative types use than the rest of the population, but editorial and creative professionals usually dibble and dabble in more than one sector – and quite successfully I might add.

4. Have a niche: While this may seem to contradict the previous habit, it doesn’t. Most successful freelancers do one thing – and do it very well. Eg, they are a medical writer, a direct mail copywriter, a web designer. This is because successful freelancers usually have a professional background in the discipline in which they freelance. Usually, they have built up a reputation and client list based on their expertise/experience.

Benefit to their career: This works well because once clients are comfortable with you on one level, you can approach them about doing other types of projects. In some cases, they will even approach you.

For example, if you are a web designer, you can approach a client about doing some logo design work. Most web designers are familiar with other tools of the trade like logo design software, that makes it easy for them to offer peripheral services to clients.

In the retail trade, this is known as upselling. BUT, you can only upsell if you have established a level of trust and professionalism in your base (niche) skill.

5. Have a website: Without fail, all successful freelancers have at least a basic website. They realize the need to present a professional image to clients and have invested in an online presence.

Every once in a while, I am still asked by those just starting out if they need a website. Invariably, I ask, “Would you do business without a telephone?” I think websites have progressed to this point.Benefit to their career: Websites save freelancers time – which is at a premium if you are a successful freelancer. You can direct potential clients there to see samples of your work, get pricing info, your professional credentials, your client list, etc. Many times, this is how clients will find you to begin with.

So, is having a website a must to succeed as a freelancer? In my opinion, absolutely. And, it doesn’t have to be fancy and cost a fortune. Most web surfers are seeking information. A basic site will serve your purposes just fine. Just make sure it is professional looking, is easy to navigate, is free from grammatical errors and has your contact info on every page (or a “Contact Us” button on every page).

6. Are Savvy & Consistent Marketers: Revisiting habit three, successful freelancers are masters of marketing their services. They have to be.When you are a freelancer, you have to remain hungry – for the next assignment, the next gig. By being proactive and consistent marketers, successful freelancers don’t wait for one project to be done before looking for the next one.

To this end, these professionals use many marketing tools (free and paid) to get the word out about their business, eg, search engine optimization, article marketing, press releases, e-book giveaways, speaking engagements, seminars, workshops, etc. In other words, successful freelancers treat their careers like a start-up business – which is what freelancing really is.

7. Put in much more than 40 hours/week: Face it, you may be able to go to the grocery store at 2pm when everyone else is stuck in an office, but you probably didn’t log off until 2am, finishing up a project for a client who needed it at the last minute.

Freelancing is not a static career. Sometimes you will have weeks with nothing to do and then you will get slammed with three or four projects at one time. It’s some type of weird Murphy’s law at work. Projects never come when you want or need them too. They invariable come at the most inopportune time (eg, when your kid is sick, when YOU’RE sick, two days before vacation, on a Friday afternoon and needed by Monday).

So, while you may be able to work in your jammies – you may also not be able to go to the beach, hang out with your friends as much, take the afternoon off. Like anything it’s a trade-off (a worthwhile one in my opinion). Just know, while your time may be your own, it will be on an unconventional schedule.

NEXT BLOG TOPIC! From the Publisher's Desk – 10 Lessons I've Learned from 19+ Years as a Freelancer & Recruiter in the Editorial Industry (& How They Can Help You Succeed as a Freelancer)

Always editorially yours,
Y. Black, Publisher
InkwellEditorial.com
InkwellEditorial.blogpost.com
May be reprinted with inclusion of the following, in full: ©2000-2050, Yuwanda Black. Yuwanda Black is the publisher of InkwellEditorial.com: THE business portal for and about the editorial and creative industries. InkwellEditorial.com offers first-hand freelance success stories, resume tips, editorial e-courses, advice on the business of freelancing, job listings and much more!

Like what you read here? Bookmark us (subscribe to our feed) for first-hand success tips, freelance job alerts, editorial and creative e-courses -- and much more!