Dr. Freelance

  • HOME
  • BOOKS
  • WEBINARS
  • BLOG
  • PUBLISHING
  • ABOUT
    • CONSULTING
    • ABOUT DR. FREELANCE
    • ABOUT JAKE POINIER
    • CONTACT US
  • Get New Clients
  • Make More Money Freelancing
  • Manage Your Freelance Business
  • Videos
  • General
You are here: Home / Archives for freelance business

Freelance ebook: The Smooth-Sailing Freelancer

July 16, 2015 by Jake Poinier

Like this post? Please share it!

The Smooth-Sailing FreelancerI’m pleased to announce the launch of the newest Dr. Freelance Guide: The Smooth-Sailing Freelancer—How To Find, Sell, and Retain More Freelance Business. Rest assured, you don’t have to know a bow from a stern or port from starboard to understand the strategies inside. [Read more…]

Like this post? Please share it!

Filed Under: Make More Money Freelancing Tagged With: Dr. Freelance Guides, ebook, freelance business, prospective clients, sales strategies, smooth sailing, starting out

Fear of overcommitting

June 23, 2015 by Jake Poinier

Like this post? Please share it!

overcommitting freelanceDear Dr. Freelance: I have a freelance client that I’ll describe as a “phantom client”—I’d had some challenges with him, but he recently paid me for everything he owed. He’d been a steady source of work, so I was reluctant to just sever the relationship. While I was waiting, I was contacted about another project, but I had a fear of overcommitting: If the phantom client came back, I was going to be stuck without enough time to do either job right. I ended up sending the polished, customized resume and letter very late, and it was pretty much moot since the potential #2 client had already submitted a bid to the end user. How do I strike the balance between getting good projects, ensuring quality, and not driving myself crazy?—Rachel

Rachel, I look at occasionally being “too busy” as part of the reason I’ve succeeded in my freelance business—in fact, I have a chapter titled “Why I Love Emergency Clients” in The Science, Art and Voodoo of Freelance Pricing and Getting Paid.  [Read more…]

Like this post? Please share it!

Filed Under: Get New Freelance Clients Tagged With: fear, freelance, freelance business, overcommitting, sales

The best way to run a freelance business

October 9, 2014 by Jake Poinier

Like this post? Please share it!

jake poinier keynote speakerI was honored to be the keynote speaker at Communication Central in Rochester, N.Y., in late September, and I was struck, as I networked with the assembled writers, editors, designers, and publishing experts, by the myriad ways people successfully operate a freelance business.

So, yep, that headline is intentionally misleading, because the truth is: There’s no best way to run a freelance business. [Read more…]

Like this post? Please share it!

Filed Under: Manage Your Freelance Business Tagged With: freelance, freelance business, freelance conference, keynote speaker

WordPerfect and other blasts from the freelance past

August 4, 2014 by Jake Poinier

Like this post? Please share it!

WordPerfectI met up with my friend, Chuck, at a local watering hole the other night, and he sarcastically called me Mr. WordPerfect. (He’s a finance guy, so I wish I’d had the mental agility to have called him Mr. Lotus, but that’s how l’esprit de l’escalier works, doesn’t it?) As I’m notching my 15th anniversary in the freelance writing business this month, it made me think back on some of the software, hardware, and tech gadgets that have plugged in and out of my life over the years. Here’s my highlight list—please share some of your oldies-but-goodies in the comments! [Read more…]

Like this post? Please share it!

Filed Under: General Tagged With: blast from the past, business tools, freelance, freelance business, gadgets, WordPerfect

Freelance pricing guide from Dr. Freelance

September 23, 2013 by Jake Poinier

Like this post? Please share it!

Science Art Voodoo of Getting PaidOver the course of the years I’ve been writing this Dr. Freelance blog, I’ve received countless questions about freelance pricing for writing, editing, ghostwriting, and other freelance jobs. By its nature, the 300-400 word blog format isn’t ideal for dealing with such a complex and important part of your freelance business. So, I’m pleased to announce that I’ve just published The Science, Art and Voodoo of Freelance Pricing and Getting Paid. [Read more…]

Like this post? Please share it!

Filed Under: Make More Money Freelancing Tagged With: book reviews, freelance business, Freelance Pricing, freelance rates, freelancing, Freelancing Jobs, Strategic Approach

My first freelance work

May 17, 2013 by Jake Poinier

Like this post? Please share it!

A few weeks back during tax time, I was cleaning up some old files and came across the check stub from my first opportunity to do paid freelance work.

I was just a lowly assistant editor at a golf magazine when I received a call from someone at Boardroom Reports, publisher of the Bottom Line Personal newsletter, which I’m pleasantly surprised to see still exists 23 years later. The assignment was to put together a quick article about golf gadgets, and I remember being stunned that someone was willing to pay $0.50 a word for writing. (Yes, even way back in 1990, there was no need to take pennies a word — yet at the time, I was pumping out thousands of words a month for just over $18,000 a year. It was a revelation.) [Read more…]

Like this post? Please share it!

Filed Under: Get New Freelance Clients Tagged With: business, freelance business, freelance work, my first freelance job

  • 1
  • 2
  • Next Page »

Subscribe to Dr. Freelance

* indicates required

Books by Jake Poinier

Follow Dr. Freelance on Twitter!

Tweets by @DrFreelance

Categories

Recent Comments

  • Jake Poinier on A freelance pep talk and open-line Friday on 3-26
  • Joy Drohan on A freelance pep talk and open-line Friday on 3-26
  • Jake Poinier on What three business problems are keeping you up at night?
  • Jake Poinier on A freelance pep talk and open-line Friday on 3-26

Your Prescription for Success

Looking for better paying freelance jobs? Trying to improve your flow of referrals? Tired of marketing strategies that don't work? Join Dr. Freelance for one of his upcoming webinars! READ MORE.

Search

Book Better Freelance Business

Three Dr. Freelance Guides offer professional business advice for freelance writers, editors, designers, and other solo creative entrepreneurs. Whether you want more clients, better pay, more referrals, or all of the above, you've come to the right office. READ MORE.

Healthy Connections

Dr. Freelance enjoys talking shop on social media. Check him out on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, or LinkedIn to hear his latest diagnosis or ask a question about your business.
  • HOME
  • BOOKS
  • WEBINARS
  • BLOG
  • PUBLISHING
  • ABOUT

Dr. Freelance: Healthy Business Prescriptions for Freelance Creatives.
All contents Copyright © 2023 by Jake Poinier. All rights reserved. Privacy. Fair Use of Content.
Dr. Freelance® and More Cowbell® are trademarks of Boomvang® Creative Group, LLC, and More Cowbell Books, LLC, respectively.