At this time of year, most people will think about making New Year’s resolutions to lose weight or eat more veggies.
But freelancers should have more ambitious goals. We need to have goals that will build our business and let’s just say it… make more money.
You might think it is just a matter of getting more clients. But as a soloprenuer, you will be limited by time to how many clients you can handle. So what is the answer?
What will you do in the coming year to take your freelance business to the next level?
- Did you earn as much as you wanted?
- Did you add new clients?
- Raise your rates?
- Add a new skill?
What are Your Freelancer Goals?
- Freelancer Goal Setting Tips
- Set Bigger Goals –SeanWes Podcast
- Why You are Not Meeting Your Freelancer Goals – Michelle Rafter
- SMART Goals: How to Create Them for Your Freelance Writing Business – Jorden Roper YouTube
Increase Your Income by Raising Your Rates
When a loaf of bread costs $4.00 and the cost of living is rising by the minute, why haven’t you raised your rates in the last two or three years? Are you afraid you will lose your regular clients?
Often the problem is that we don’t know how to price our services. And even more often, our prices are too low, to begin with. When you understand the value you are offering, you shouldn’t be afraid to charge what you are worth.
Don’t hesitate to charge higher prices for your services. Only two things can happen.
1. The potential client will say the price is too high and you can then negotiate a slightly lower price.
2. They will accept the price you offered. And you automatically get a raise!
Either way, you will earn more money.
- The Easy Way to Earn More Money as a Freelance Writer (No Marketing Required!) — Make a Living Writing
- How to Raise your Freelance Rate — Bidsketch
Learn a New Skill or Improve Current Skills
Are you a website designer or developer? A photographer or videographer? Or a copywriter, like me? It seems as if a new social network or new technology comes out every month. Some of them will be time wasters, but others might help you grow your freelance business.
Could you improve your current skills to gain more clients and command higher fees? There are tons of free online courses to try. The best one for writers (and content marketers) is the Copyblogger 20-part Internet Marketing course. It includes 16 informative ebooks. Did I mention it is FREE?
For a more intensive study, try lyndia.com or Udemy. Both offer courses on a variety of subjects. For $25 per month, Lydia.com gives you unlimited access to more than 5,810 video courses on everything from 3D animation to the latest version of Photoshop. Other online courses you might like:
- Udemy: Seth Godin’s Freelancer Course: Become Remarkable, Find Better Clients, and Do Work That Matters
- Men With Pens offers the fantastic course for business copywriters, Damn Fine Words.
- HubSpot offers several in-depth online courses, such as Inbound Marketing, Email Marketing, and Growth-Driven Design. After completion, you receive a certification, which can be displayed on your website. More FREE education!
Add a New Project or Client to Your Portfolio
If you do not already have your own website, that is something you should definitely add to the top of your To Do list. Problogger, Darren Rowse has a fantastic course that walks you step by step through the process of building your own blog. Problogger’s Ultimate Guide to Starting a Blog
In addition to your freelance business website, you can create an online portfolio that will give you more visibility. Try these online portfolios:
Build Your Email List or Start an Email Newsletter
Not sure why you should build an email marketing list? Take a look a this:
Find an active networking group or online community
- meetup.com
- Authority
- SeanWes Community
- Facebook or Linkedin Groups
And last, but certainly not least…
NEVER, no matter what, never, ever work without a contract or written agreement.
Seriously. No matter how small the job. Always have a written agreement, signed by both you and the client.
Freelance Union Contract Builder is a good place to start.