Posts from — February 2010
Today’s Writing Tip – How To Become A Better Writer
As a freelance writer, you should always be looking for ways to improve your writing skills. After all, if your writing sucks, you won’t be able to make any money. Watch the following video for ideas on how to improve your writing…
February 24, 2010 0
Social Networking In Plain English – Video
Every freelancer needs to be on some social networking site in order to get more clients. Period. It’s not an option anymore, it’s more of a requirement these days. At minimum you need to be on twitter and facebook. This video explains social networking in a plain and simple way that anyone can understand. Enjoy…
February 22, 2010 0
Today’s Marketing Tip-Pay attention to promotional opportunities
Promotional opportunities are everywhere. They pop up at the strangest places. As a freelancer, it is your job to pay attention and be ready when these opportunities appear. For example, since it’s black history month, I’m featuring one black entrepreneur per week in this blog. You can read more about that in the featured black history month entrepreneur post. Now the savvy freelancer would contact me right away and ask how to be featured so they can get that free press.
Another place to find promotional opportunities is through social networking. I found one such opportunity on facebook when I was just reading the news feed. One of the pages I am a fan of, WE magazine for Women (just type in We Magazine for Women in Facebook, you’ll find them) posted that they were looking for women under 35 that have their own businesses or are coming up in their careers to feature on their site. Once again, a great opportunity for an entrepreneur that fits this profile. You’ve got to keep your eyes open.
I had another opportunity to market myself open up because I was helping out a friend of mine. Let me explain…
One of my facebook friends, Terri Levine, sent me a message about an event she was trying to promote to help someone with RSD (a very debilitating disease). Now I’m quite familiar with RSD since my husband suffers from it in both of his arms. I was unable to attend the event due to it being in another state, but what I could do was help Terri promote the event. I posted a note in facebook and I’m posting the rest of the message in this blog post so you can see what she sent me…
(start message)
If you’ve been following my work, you know I have an intense
interest in Reflexive Sympathetic Dystrophy, or RSD for
short. It’s a mysterious disease that causes acute chronic
pain, sometimes over your entire body.
I have RSD. For a whole year I could not walk. But what was
worse was that it felt like somebody had put lighter fluid
in my veins and lit me on fire from the inside out.
It was burning, screaming pain. And that’s an
understatement!
As you can imagine, I was desperate. I had multiple spinal
treatments with no success. Finally, after being treated by
a healer, the pain disappeared and I was able to walk again.
(Thank God!)
Which brings me to Tabitha.
Tabitha is a young girl who suffers from RSD. In fact, you
may even remember some of the special promotions I’ve done
to raise money for Tabitha.
Here’s the thing:
Tabitha still needs help. She has been in a coma. And the
doctors say it’s now time to try to get her to come out.
Bringing here out of the coma could literally save her life.
To do this, they will need more money. And so I’ve decided
to do a special 1-day workshop in Philadelphia to benefit
Tabitha. The cost is only $50.
A small portion of your $50 registration fee will help
defray the cost of the room… and the rest will go to pay
for Tabitha’s medical bills.
======================
TIME, DATE & LOCATION
======================
The workshop happens Thursday, March 11, 2010 from 9 a.m. in
the morning to 5 p.m. in the afternoon. It will be held at:
Talamore Country Club
723 Talamore Drive
Ambler, PA 19002
Talamore Country Club is about 40 minutes north of downtown
Philadelphia. If you live in Philadelphia, Trenton, NJ,
Allentown, PA, or Wilmington, NJ, you should be within easy
driving distance.
======================
WHAT YOU’LL GET
======================
When you join me at Talamore Country Club on Thursday, March
11, you’ll get a full day of training with me. I’ll teach
you things like:
* How to quickly and easily attract prospects into your
business — no matter if you’re brand new to your
industry or a 20-year veteran!
* The daily success habits you MUST master. (The secret
to success lies in your daily routine. Here are the
things you need to be doing every… single… day.)
* Make money with free gifts? Absolutely. And I’ll show
you an easy formula for creating free gifts that attract
clients who can afford to hire you.
* How to use leverage to turn one new client into three
more — without breaking a sweat. (Master this and
you’ll never want for clients again!)
* How to keep clients longer… so you can profit from
every new business relationship for years instead of
weeks.
* How to recession-proof your business by recession-
proofing your mind. (Hard times often call for an extra
dose of ingenuity… and I’m going to show you how to
kick your creativity into high gear!)
And this is just a taste. You’ll be with me for a full 9
hours. I’ll cover as much as I possibly can during our time
together.
Plus, as a courtesy to you, your lunch is included!
======================
WHY I’M DOING THIS…
======================
First and foremost: I want to help Tabitha and her family.
Since I’ve personally suffered from RSD, I know how bad it
is. And I want to help Tabitha get better.
Second: I want to help you grow your business income.
Whether you sell physical products, medical services,
coaching services, or even information products — I want to
give you a road map for how you can grow right now, no
matter what the economy is doing.
Third: I’m looking for a handful of business owners and
entrepreneurs I can work with more closely in 2010. This
workshop is an excellent way to get to know me better and
see if you’re one of the few people who will be working
closely with me this year.
======================
…ALL FOR ONLY $50
======================
This workshop is super affordable at just $50. And the bulk
of your registration fee is going to a good cause anyway.
Just recently, Dr. Dillard said this after attending one of
my events:
“I attended my first ever Terri Levine event, her Client
Appreciation Seminar in October 2009. Prior to that, I had
ordered a free DVD and had never spent a penny with Terri.
Wow, I got so much value in such a short time. Thank you so
much Terri, I think that event was for me to appreciate you,
even more.”
-Dr Kyla Dillard, London, Ontario, Canada
While I can’t promise you’ll be as thrilled as Dr. Dillard
was, I can promise that I’ll make your time with me well
worth it.
Go here to get registered – https://www.mcssl.com/SecureCart/Checkout.aspx?sctoken=02d3b400ffe94dd5b6c7d8b3fef2a244&mid=7EA1AA2F-DB20-44BB-805A-A087315DBDF5&bhcp=1
Hope to see you soon,
-Terri Levine
P.S. Please forward this email to any entrepreneurs and
business colleagues you know in the Philadelphia area.
Thanks!
https://www.mcssl.com/SecureCart/Checkout.aspx?sctoken=02d3b400ffe94dd5b6c7d8b3fef2a244&mid=7EA1AA2F-DB20-44BB-805A-A087315DBDF5&bhcp=1
(end message)
Now after I posted that message to my Facebook network, she asked me how she could help me. That’s another way to get promotional opportunities.
Now I’m not writing this to tell you to expect other people to promote you if you do a good deed for them. Not at all. What I am saying is that you have to keep your eyes open at all times or you might miss out on an opportunity to get some free, positive publicity.
More From dfreelanceguide
February 15, 2010 0
Black History Month Featured Entrepreneur — Beverly Mahone
This week’s featured entrepreneur for black history month is Beverly Mahone…
Take it away Beverly.
Beverly Mahone
1. Tell me about yourself and your business.
I actually have two businesses that kind of feed into each other. The first is BAM Media, which is a media consulting business. I help boomer women learn how to market themselves and their products/services to the mass media. The other component is Boomer Diva Nation. This is an organization that connects boomer women around the world. I use my media expertise to promote them in their various endeavors. But each one of us brings some unique experience and knowledge to the group.Through BDN, we have created Boomer Diva TV, which I am extremely proud of.
2. What made you decide to start this business?
After spending more than 25 years in radio and television news, I decided I could take all of that knowlege and work for myself. I have gained tremendous experience over the years and am happy to share it.
3. What advice would you give to someone who was starting a brand new business?
HAVE A PLAN. I wouldn’t recommend going into any business without doing some research. That means identifying your market, knowing your competitors and being able to sell yourself. I believe the key to having a successful business is knowing how to sell yourself.
4. What do you like the most about working for yourself?
I can call my own shots and work as long or as short as I want.
5. What do you like the least about working for yourself?
Sometimes I do put in a lot of hours—going above and beyond the call of duty. I also work weekends to make sure what needs to get done—gets done by the designated time.
6. What challenges have you faced because you are a minority entrepreneur?
I try not to focus on the “minority” aspect. I know there are some people who will be reluctant to work with me because I’m female or African-American, but my attitude is “I know my stuff and if you choose not to work with me, it’s your loss.”
Here are the other places you can find Beverly online…
You can connect with me on Twitter @BAMMedia or @babyboomerbev We also have a Fan Page on Face Book. Just look for: Boomer Diva Nation
February 13, 2010 0
Today’s Featured Black History Month Entrepreneur-Lawrence McCutchen AKA The SideHustleCoach
As promised, here is this week’s featured black entrepreneur. Take it away Lawrence…
Let me take a moment to thank you for interviewing me for your blog this month for black history month. I’m overly excited.
1. Tell me about yourself and your business. Well my business is multi-faceted but the primary goal is about helping others create their world based on what their vision is. There are a wide range of entrepreneurs who are working towards living their dreams while working their 9-5. I look at my business as a resource to assist them in achieving their goals. I motivate and inspire through coaching and sharing information. Like that commercial for men’s hair club says I’m not just the president I’m also a client. I’m living the same life and I’m pushing to make my 9-5 extinct. I love the sidehustlepreneur because it takes a special person to work 9-5 then go home and work on their own biz 5-9.
2. What made you decide to start this business? For years I’ve given advice and assisted in pointing people in the right direction as far as their lives and business. I started out in the music biz managing artist and this really is just an extension of that. I now help people manage their business and life as I once did within the music industry. I took my passion for helping others and just applied it to a different industry.
3. What advice would you give to someone who was starting a brand new business? Persist, persist, persist, there is always going to be someone who tells you it can’t be done because they’ve never done it. You have to cut those voices out of your head and keep pushing no matter what. Success is not for the faint of heart and you have to really want it badly. For everyone that thinks they want to be a success someone is a success. Keep pushing don’t stop and be persistent. My mother always told me when I was a young man not to listen to crazy people. I apply that today. People who tell me it can’t be done I think of as crazy, and I don’t listen to crazy people.
4. What do you like the most about working for yourself? I love the fact that I get to help people achieve their dreams and reach their goals. There is nothing more exciting than seeing someone reach their full potential and live the life they’ve wanted to live. It’s really selfish of me because I realize that the more people I help, the more I help myself.
5. What do you like the least about working for yourself? There is really nothing I don’t like. I will say though that I have to stay focused and motivated at the goal at hand and sometimes that can be challenging. There’s always a shiny nickel (thanks Ralph Claxton) that I want to go after but I know I have to remain focused on my goals.
6. What challenges have you faced because you are a minority entrepreneur? I really don’t think my challenges are much different for anyone else’s. Whether you’re white or black you will find that the same rules apply. It’s all about just doing what you want to do in order to reach your full potential. I truly believe the sky’s the limit. As I was told in HS by my teacher Ms. Rosenberg, reach for the moon because even if you miss you’ll be amongst the stars.
Lawrence McCutchen, the SideHustleCoach
Thanks Lawrence for sharing those words of wisdom with us.
Here’s where you can find Lawrence online…
Email: Lawrence(at)MySideHustle.com
Friend Me On Face Book: www.facebook.com/SideHustleCoach
Follow Me On Twitter: www.twitter.com/SideHustleCoach
Become a fan: www.facebook.com/mysidehustle
Watch my videos at www.youtube.com/SideHustleCoach
February 6, 2010 0
Common problem-how to handle problem clients
Every once in a while it happens to all freelancers. We’ve busted our butts marketing to pull in some clients and our efforts start to pay off. Lo and behold we get a client that is less than ideal like the one mentioned in the following blog post…http://www.wellfedwriter.com/blog/what-would-you-do-about-a-client-like-this-one/trackback.
Here’s what I would do in that situation. I’d be firm but polite and let the client know that I have other clients that I’m doing work for and these rush jobs are preventing me from getting my best work done. I’d also raise my rates for rush jobs for this client. Those are my thoughts. What would you do?
February 4, 2010 0
How to get high paying freelance gigs
Let’s face it. We all want to know how to get the high paying gigs. The following blog post by Jennifer Mattern gives you some excellent tips on how to do just that. Take it away Jennifer!
How To Get High Paying Freelance Writing Jobs
I hope you enjoyed and learned something from that blog post! No one should have to write for less than what they are worth. Take the tips in the blog post and use them!
February 3, 2010 0
It’s black history month! If you’re a black entrepreneur, here’s your chance to be featured!
In honor of black history month I will profile one black entrepreneur on this blog every week until the end of the month. I will profile both famous entrepreneurs and everyday entrepreneurs. If you are a black freelancer, post your info in the comment section. I’ll contact you with interview questions so you can be featured here in this blog!
February 2, 2010 0
