Freelance work is inherently cyclical. Colleagues in corporate jobs often ask if the cycles make me crazy. The answer is no, but that answer has come with time and experience. Rather than fight the cycles and worry about when they will start or end, I’ve learned to relax and ride it out.
January is a mad [...]
Clarifying Complex Ideas
Tag Archive: freelance
All or Nothing
My HARO Experience: Part 2
On September 25, 2009, I ran my second HARO sponsorship ad. Information on my first sponsorship (January 20, 2009) can be found here.
Did it generate traffic?
Yes. Website traffic increased more than tenfold on the day of my sponsorship, and has been cruising along at about 2-3x my pre-sponsorship levels for the past two weeks. I [...]
The Business of Being Creative
I was planning on writing about the 2009 Creative Freelancer Conference, but I can’t seem to separate my 2009 experience from what I learned in 2008. So many of 2009’s ideas are still percolating in my head, whereas the lessons learned in 2008 have already been turned into measurable actions.
Last year, the conference (a.k.a. [...]
Creative Freelancer Conference 2009
I’m departing for San Diego this morning to attend the 2009 Creative Freelancer Conference. Last year’s conference was great, and I’m hoping for an equally good experience this year. I’ll have a comprehensive recap posted by the end of the weekend.
My HARO Experience
For as many people who have called and emailed to ask about my experience with sponsoring the HARO email blast on January 20, I’m guessing that there’s an equal number who wondered, but didn’t call. Here are the answers to the most common questions.
How many clicks?Three days later, my web counter tells me that [...]
Financial Markets and Freelance Strategy
The recent turmoil in financial markets has left everyone panicked. It’s hard not to look at your IRA statement, or your child’s dwindling 529 account, without freaking out just a bit. Jobs are less secure and freelance work will likely be harder to come by as we head into 2009.
The lessons [...]
A Shocking Revelation
After much talk about it, much internal debate and much worry that the world was going to fall apart, I’ve done what was previously unthinkable: I said no.
Then I waited for the fallout.
In the first few days after the big event, I was in a panic. What if the only thing keeping my freelance [...]
Creative Freelancer Conference 2008
Last week, I attended the first-ever Creative Freelancer Conference in Chicago. I tend to be a little bit skeptical about conferences in general because they require a pretty significant financial investment in travel and conference fees, take you away from three days of billable project hours, and you never really know how much you’re [...]
Being Discovered
I am endlessly fascinated by two things: my web stats and my “Who’s viewed my profile?” area on LinkedIn.
I don’t have a paid LinkedIn account, so I only get teasers like, “Someone in the Executive Leadership function in the Marketing and Advertising industry from Greater Philadelphia Area.” Clicking through, I can usually figure [...]
Finding Balance
The hardest thing about freelance, for me, is work-life balance. I’ve got the work part nailed. I’m having a bit more challenge with the “balance” part.
It seems that any time not devoted to working is given to my son, and probably rightly so. As the household toddler, his needs reign supreme. [...]
