Money & Taxes
When is it okay to work for free?
“NEVER work for free” is a well-intentioned – but slightly misguided – common piece of freelance advice. I understand why it’s out there! It’s true that far too many freelancers…
Clients & Gigs
3 must-break freelance habits
Freelancers come in all shapes, sizes, and variations – but there are 3 bad habits that haunt freelancers of almost of every field. These are the top offenders – the nasty inclinations…
Fun
The bad freelancer's guide to standing out
Freelancing can feel like a real numbers game: if you’re not pitching one new client, you’re courting the next one… and all while networking as hard as you…
Clients & Gigs
How to defuse a tense email conversation
We’ve all received one; that hot, poisonous little message, dripping venom all over your inbox. ….And most of us are guilty of occasionally sending our own angry emails hissing…
Give 'em options: A simple trick to keep clients happy
I have a nephew who is now 5 years old. Recently, I watched my brother put him to bed - a process that often involves U.N.-Summit-style bargaining. But…
Clients & Gigs Latest
Not everybody will like you
Hey – I want you to do a little experiment for me. Close your eyes (well, okay, close your eyes after reading these next few paragraphs – otherwise this will get difficult)…
Clients & Gigs Latest
4 tips for dealing with discouragement
It happens. It does. You’re trucking along just fine when… boom. A bad piece of news. A perceived slight. An overstep, a little mix-up, a big mess-up, and… now…
Creativity Latest
3 tips for the chronically disorganized
There are people in the world who genuinely enjoy organizing: They get all hot and bothered at the sight of color-coordinated file cabinets, their #2 pencils are always sharpened and…
Clients & Gigs Latest
5 reasons NOT to stay in your current gig
The decision to leave a gig can be a hard one – should you stay? Should you go? If you clicked through to read this post, chances are you’re probably…
Health Latest
3 tips for freelancing through a crisis
Some Internet People may read the title of this post and say: “What? I have NEVER let a personal crisis affect my work, ever!” To which I will say, with…
Fun Latest
Freelance tax write-offs that should be legal
Dear The Government: I have been very good this year and want a new iPod, Wii Bowling, a pony … whoops, sorry, wrong benevolent fantasy figure. Dearest The Government: I have…
Fun Latest
Top 10 freelance snacks
Freelancers often have erratic schedules – and that leads to erratic meal-planning. Check out our top 10 delicious, supplementary freelance snacks below… and feel free to add your own! 1. Ramen…
Clients & Gigs Latest
How to handle a time crunch
You can buy lots of things in this wide world, but you can’t by time. Sometimes, despite all of your planning and preparation, you get caught in a time…
Clients & Gigs Latest
How to deal with conflict like Mr. Spock
Freelancers work with a wide range of people – from individual entrepreneurs to contacts at big corporations. And when you work with so many people, even the cheeriest freelancer will inevitably…
Clients & Gigs Latest
4 smart freelance investments
Freelancers often operate on a tight budget – and that means wrestling with money decisions. Sure, you should invest in your business’ success; but what’s a good investment, and what…
Creativity Latest
3 steps to making more time in your day
This is a very simple way to do something fairly magical: make more time. There are 3 steps and only one is hard! Ready….? 1.) Track Select the record-keeping medium…
Clients & Gigs Latest
Is this a scam?
Did you know that con artists often target job-seekers? Any job hunt automatically involves a level of inherent vulnerability. You put a certain amount of personal information in a potential…
Clients & Gigs Latest
Are you taking feedback too personally?
… well, are you, you total dummy? PS: I HATE your shirt. … just kidding! See, if that made you extremely irritated before you realized that a) I don’t know you,…
Clients & Gigs Latest
Make a good freelancing streak even better
That big client gave you a plum gig. Then, another client landed in your lap. Two huge checks arrived. Everybody loves your latest project. You don’t know how or…
Clients & Gigs Latest
Top 5 Freelance Pet Peeves
Recently, I reached out to a bunch of freelance friends, conducting an informal survey. Specifically, I asked them to tell me their most common career irritants: What poisons the well…