Comments on: 9 Ways to Commit Freelance Suicide

By: Angelo Beltran

Angelo Beltran — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 16:35:45 +0000

Merci! Your guide is very helpful.

By: Mortgage Rates Calculator

Mortgage Rates Calculator — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 23:23:37 +0000

Great info here, nice site I will be checking out the other articles you have and linking back to your site.

By: Raja Sandhu

Raja Sandhu — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 00:54:17 +0000

Where was this 5 years ago? haha – Great little write-up!

- Raja

By: CSS Brigit | 9 Ways to Commit Freelance Suicide

CSS Brigit | 9 Ways to Commit Freelance Suicide — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 22:32:04 +0000

9 Ways to Commit Freelance Suicide... In the world of freelancing there are several things which you can do which will ruin your freelancing career. Below are listed just nine of the many no-no's which a freelancer should never do. ...

By: The Golem

The Golem — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 18:05:03 +0000

@Daquan. At Freelance Apple we will be publishing an ebook on marketing, it should be out within the next week. It will cover the sort of excellent ideas which you raised.

I believe that communication is key also, that it definitely what keeps us freelancers going.

@ Nicole. Absolutely, I do believe that some freelancers need to start believing in themself.

By: Daquan Wright

Daquan Wright — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 10:29:27 +0000

Marketing and client relationships are the key to business (any business, not simply freelancing) so those are definitely pivotal elements. Even if you go to college and family to simply “get the word out” it should definitely get the attention of a few people. One thing to understand is that you don’t simply “not” get business because you suck, if you are invisible people cannot see you. How can anyone approach you if they don’t know you? I’d even go as far as to suggest a possibility of getting custom t-shirts made to promote your creativity and the fact that you like to design or develop, just a thought (still marketing :P).

If a client cannot be impressed by your portfolio, that’s supposed to be it. They shouldn’t be asking for samples and I definitely don’t take or would take all jobs. The types that I do step away from are those I feel are out of my scope or those that do not match my way of business, which is basically just good and honest business.

One thing to consider is to definitely think of every project you take on as your own. If you can build them a successful and usable application/website you’re very likely to get recommendations, testimonials are some of the best marketing you’ll get if not the “best.” Also known as word of mouth, think of it as fame for a minute. At the least you will get attention and catch people’s interest. Take every project on to succeed and be prepared to put in good quality work. Think about how good that project will look in your portfolio if you can give them a good setup and communicate clearly.

Also, always keep the client in the loop about details. Communication is key to relationships regardless of the type. :)

Nice post.

By: Ashish

Ashish — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 09:31:29 +0000

Hmm.. Interesting insight into possible pitfalls. The tips are really great.

By: Raj

Raj — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 04:25:09 +0000

I totally agree with all of them.

By: Nicole Foster

Nicole Foster — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 02:22:46 +0000

Pricing yourself low will kill you. You have to believe you are great at what you do, and charge for that.

By: Brian Yerkes

Brian Yerkes — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 20:00:06 +0000

Nice post. One of the biggest ones is “You Choose Any Client”. I worked in a design firm that even did this! It was suicide every time. I was the Art Director and Project Manager and I knew each time which clients we should have refused , yet the company was so desperate for the business, that they took on everyone, no matter how many red flags they threw up. It was awful.

I wrote a similar post a while ago “50 Reasons Why You Will Not Make It As A Freelancer” http://www.brianyerkes.com/50-reasons-why-you-will-not-make-it-as-a-freelancer/