Most freelancers are generalists. They’ll work with anyone, and don’t typically serve any particular niche.
We think you should put a lot of thought into your branding and the kind of clients you choose to work with. In this section, we’ll help you determine who you are, what you offer, and who you work with.
Whether through 4+ years of in-depth articles, premium courses, the conferences and events I host, or my podcast, my #1 goal is to help you become a more successful freelancer.
The other day I was listening to one of my favorite podcasters talk about some of the differences between podcasting and hosting a traditional radio show.
He was almost giddy at the fact that he was, as he put it, “un-cancelable”. No one, but his listeners, could put him off the (virtual) airwaves. And even they couldn’t do that.
But when he worked in radio, he was subject to the whims and wants of advertisers, producers, station owners, and the rest of the supply line that connection him with his audience.
On Monday, I did something I’ve never done before. I (virtually) spoke in front of 390 people.
Had you known me just a few years ago, you’d know just how big of a deal this was for me. I would have been terrified.
I’ve always struggled with self-confidence.
As a kid, my lack of confidence came across as insecurity. I was the quiet one at school, and the immature goofball at home. In high school, I became the “loner” who had a hard time making eye contact with girls. And as an adult, this insecurity spilled over into my professional life.
When I finally gained the willpower to quit the safety and routine of my job, I thought I was working for myself.
Ben writes in from the Philippines,
“My biggest problem in freelancing (mine is web development) is not having enough ”good“ portfolio to show prospective clients. Do I really need to have one? I want to start all over again as a freelancer. Do I need to have portfolio pieces before I can start making my freelancing as a real business?”
I remember when I first started out as a freelancer, I knew I had to have a portfolio on my site. Why? Well… everyone else had one — that’s why.
So I did what most of us end up doing: I grabbed screenshots of a few sites I had worked out, and laid them out in a nice little table and stuck it front and center on my shiny new sales website.
It can’t hurt to show that you’ve been hired and produced something in the past. But the way we do demonstrate the fact that we’re capable of Getting Stuff Done could be done a lot better. On top of this, it makes sense to try to figure out why clients might care about a portfolio, and to use that to our advantage.
So here’s a bit about why clients care about portfolios, and what that means to you.
I saw an interesting discussion in the Guild. Balint was incorporating his freelancing business and is looking for naming advice.
I’ve been asked this question at least a half dozen times in the last year, and struggled with this when I incorporated my company.
You see, in the US it’s tantalizingly easy to set up a new company. So when I went out on my own, I knew I wanted my clients paying a company and not an individual. So I sent $100 to the state capital and incorporated “We Are Titans, Inc.”
Have you ever thought about what you call yourself?
If you’ve been following my blog, there’s a high likelihood that you’re a “freelancer.” But if you’ve been around a while, you know I favor “consultant.”
Along the way, I’ve also heard “independent”, “contractor”, and “supertemp” thrown around. And development-centered teams are generally called “consultancies” and design teams “agencies.”
There’s really not one easy way to say: clients pay me (or us) to work on their projects.
