Q: I thought that ‘freelance’ meant I could work when I wanted to. I get energized at night and crank out my best creative work from 10pm to 2am. My clients seem to think they can call me at any time, and who can blame them? They see that I email them at midnight! How […]
View PostSick but happy
It started 12 days ago when my husband sneezed. He spent a couple of days with the sniffles and a mild sore throat. Then my son caught it: sore throat, cough, fever. No school for four days, and a whole weekend to fully recover. Then I got it. Everything. Stuffy nose, sore throat, cough, fever, […]
View PostI got a raise!
Ok, so I gave myself a raise. And part of the way I did that is by raising the rates I charge to my clients. For me, there are three parts to raising my rates: First, having a pricing strategy. Second, math. Third, psychology. Pricing strategy: I put a lot of thought into the rates […]
View PostRaising my rates: notifying clients
I’ll be raising my hourly rate in February, 2012, and I needed to let some of my clients know. I did not notify clients if I only bill them by project price quote, since they don’t need to know my hourly rate. And I decided to only notify clients who I have worked with recently. […]
View PostDo I have to work all the time?
Q: I feel really lucky to have some great clients, but one is making me crazy. She calls me at 7 in the morning and 8 at night. She emails all the time, even on weekends. I’m always working on her projects. I want to give her great service, but I also need some time […]
View Post4 Reasons I Network with My Peers
I was listening to a podcast for freelancers the other day, and one of the speakers said something about how they don’t network with other designers, because of, “… you know, the competition thing.” The statement made me cringe. I don’t agree that avoiding other designers helps you compete at all, and I think that […]
View PostWhat should I charge? (Part 4: What value do I offer?)
This is part 4 of the “what do I charge” post. Value isn’t all about low prices. Why is it important to quantify the value you offer to clients? Think about two different designers. Designer Jane has 10 years experience in food packaging design, has created several packaging lines that sell well in supermarkets, and […]
View PostWhat should I charge? (Part 3: What are other people charging?)
This is part 3 of the “what do I charge” post. Knowledge is power! I’ve found it very empowering to have a good idea of what other people and agencies in my area charge, and to know what other people charge across the country. There are salary surveys and freelance surveys available online, which are […]
View PostWhat should I charge? (Part 2: How much time can I work?)
This is part 2 of the “what do I charge” post. It’s a big subject! In part 1, I talked about the expenses that freelancers have. Now let’s think about how much time you can work. You might do the math: As an employee I worked 40 hours a week, and I got paid for […]
View PostWhat should I charge? (Part 1: Employee vs Freelancer)
Q: I’m just getting started. How do I know what to charge? A: What to charge is the question I hear the most. I’ll take it a piece at a time. This is part 1 of the “what do I charge” post. Some people chose to bill by the hour; others bill by the project. […]
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