Ding ding, your Freelance Chi issue is here. :)
Jokes aside, there’s been a lot of good stuff posted this week. I’m still researching how to build my own content marketing for clients but Brian Casel has really got be thinking about building standardized processes in more depth. Which made me think…
Freelance Chi will still focus on the latest new content, but would you be interested in a piece or two of great content I dig up from the past?
The kind of timeless stuff that is still useful now, even if it is older.
Reply and let me know.
Listen to the Freelance Chi podcast #6
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How to Move your Creative Business from ‘Time Poor’ to ‘Time Rich’, with One Daily Action (redlemonclub.com)
Preston D Lee writes about how even when you’re successfully filling your availability, your still limited by how much time you can bill in a day. Side products may be a way to get some of your time back.
“No Advice, Please” (ittybiz.com)
It’s hard enough to do everything you need and want to do, which makes receiving more advice difficult. Naomi Dunford gives some advice on taking advice, which I’m definitely going to take.
The Freelancer’s Guide to Long-Term Contracts (theadmin.org) SPONSOR
Long-term contracts have been the one technique that really made my freelance business a success. So successful in fact that I’m able to work one week each month, taking the rest of the month off, and still make enough to live off of. This training teaches you how.
Components of your initial prospect email contact (curtismchale.ca)
Having a strong initial email for leads requires balancing various factors. This means I’m always looking for improvements for mine and Curtis McHale has been writing about how he structures his initial client email.
8 Ways Your Agency Can Use Content to Reach the Next Level (bidsketch.com)
Over on the Bidsketch blog, Carrie Smith writes about using content marketing in your agency (though it should work for solos too). I’m starting to take a more disciplined approach to my content marketing after seeing some early successes with it.
I Feel Silly… (consultingsuccess.com)
No one is immune to problems. Even with all my experiences and knowledge marketing, I still have trouble finding client now and then. Michael Zipursky writes about one way to overcome this problem.
How to Find More Clients Without Using Job Boards (bidsketch.com)
Many freelancers find work from job boards but the competition can be killer. Relying on only them for work leaves you at their mercy, so it’s important to build additional marketing channels to find clients.
Use a productivity balance sheet for long-term efficiency (freelancersunion.org)
This article from Ashlee Christian about using a balance sheet to visualize systems and processes sounds like a better way to see what I still need to systematize.
Simple Consulting Solution to a Complicated Problem (consultingsuccess.com)
In contrast to the previous resource, sometimes a system makes a problem more complicated than it needs to. I think one key is to start with a system but refine it until it becomes as simple as possible.
Goals and Year Planning – Freelancers’ Show #138 (devchat.tv)
In this episode of The Freelancers’ Show we discuss goals and planning for 2015. And I go off on a tangent about building good habits (surprise, surprise).
The Business of Freelancing, Episode 20: Scott Yewell On His First $100k+ Project (doubleyourfreelancing.com)
Brennan interviews Scott Yewell of Blackfin Media about how he landed his first $100k project after working on much smaller projects.
Thanks, I’ll see you next week
Eric Davis (@edavis10)