Freedom from the Tyranny of Office Life
I thought it was time for an update on my new life of freedom from the tyranny of office life. I can still tell you this is heaven compared to my past life. I am working hard on various projects for clients and trying to fit in my own work for my food blog, Strands of My Life. I have a 2nd cookbook which is ready to be released but it and its promotional video need a little polishing. Then you will all be informed when the big day comes.
Freelance tips from Penelope Trunk
Meanwhile I did a webinar course with Penelope Trunk about freelancing. She has the knack of cutting out all the distractions and getting to the nitty gritty of things. She gave lots of great advice about how to choose which of our skills is the one to pursue. It has to be one that you can nail down in a sentence so people understand immediately what you do without needing any clarification. So, virtual assistant doesn’t cut it. “Converting books to Kindle files”, which by the way is one of the things I do, does cut it.
Next you have to make sure your skill isn’t something like social media which is either done by those with PHDs for a fortune or by school children for peanuts. There is no room for anyone in the middle.
Go where the Money is
Then she said to go where the money is. Seems obvious but actually is smarter than you think because usually we go where the work is and then grumble that we aren’t getting paid well enough. Choose a network of people who you already have contact with that earn enough to afford to pay you well. And it is all about your networks – those you have been building for other reasons. Use them now to get work.
It’s Okay to Fail
Failing and worrying are part and parcel of freelancing, she said, and that it is okay. We have to fail in order to eventually arrive at what is right for us and what provides an income. Freelancing is 80% marketing yourself, 20% actually doing the work. And I think she is right. I have been super busy until now, and the work has kept arriving but, even though I have projects for maybe another week, I am wondering where the next job after that is coming from. And so the marketing begins again.
My freelancing Skills
I am now doing three distinct jobs for clients.
1) I do blog critiques for people and then follow up work, if needed. You can read about them here.
2) I turn clients’ books into Kindle files to put on Amazon. I have them down to a fine art now.
3) I take photos of recipes for food bloggers. They supply me with the recipes, I make the dish, take the photos and edit them and then eat the food. You can see my photos on Strands of My Life.
What I did Today
Today I went to a movie (Non Stop) in the middle of the day. That’s what you can do when you are freelancing. I had worked through the weekend and needed a break, so I looked up the movies, chose one and got in the car. No sooner thought than done. I came back refreshed and ready to start again.
I have been paying my usual wage into the joint account each month but I can see that I am not quite keeping up though I still have about three months of funds left so I have time to work this out.
Selling My Clothes
Oh, and as for the minimalism thing I am vaguely following, I am still clearing out my wardrobe via selling at auction online. The clothes are selling well and I keep topping them up as they sell. That’s easy money for little effort. I will start on the house furniture soon. Or maybe not.
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