Honestly: I need to walk an hour a day. It clears my mind and relaxes me. I try to force myself to do something that isn’t writing-related (cooking? seeing a movie? gardening? play dress up with my little girl? something?) that will get me out of my head and inspire me the next time I’m in front of the computer screen. Also? A little social media detox goes a long way. I’m as guilty as the next person of having fits and starts on Twitter or Facebook. But I find that I’m better able to focus on what I need when I limit my exposure (yes, I still need my fix) to those platforms.

Thank you!

1. Make sure you see the contract before you agree to do the work. I agreed to a work for hire arrangement with a national luxury brand, and negotiated price based on volume. But, after submitting a large chunk of work plus my invoice and tax documents, they changed the rules. I found in order to get paid, I had to register with a temp agency and submit to drug testing. I found this insulting. Despite record open rates and returns for my call to action, benefits driven writing, I couldn’t even enter the work for awards as a direct effect of the way I was paid.
2. If you’re a conservative pricer, add 20-30% margins to what you already charge. Most freelancers undercharge, and feel guilty about asking for more. The truth is clients perceive the ability to charge more means you are better at what you do than the next guy. By the time you figure in 40% in taxes, and 35% in overhead, that leaves you about 25% to live. There’s a difference between $35 an hour and $65 or $100 an hour which determines not only if you can afford to eat, but how well.
3. Be willing to repackage what you do in order to diversify income sources. I noticed when working with new clients I was spending an inordinate amount of time teaching them what they needed to know in order to make decisions about what they wanted me to do. I changed my business model, narrowed my niche, did a lot of research, and branded a new aspect to my business, adding specialized business coaching to the mix. Now, I get to charge money for all that work I was giving away for free. My clients are prequalified, I get paid at least 50% in advance, and they’re a good fit for the work I offer.
Still loving what you do. Thanks for letting me weigh in, J.