The Living Business Plan

As a small business, you probably feel overwhelmed by paperwork–the mountain of invoices, project proposals, streams of e-mails, and IRS forms that need attending. But the problem with wading through all of this administrative work is that we often forget the one most important document of all: your business plan. Yeah, that document you produced when you were first starting out. I’m sure it’s buried under a pile of papers on your desk somewhere…

When was the last time you updated your business plan? The truth is this: Your business plan is a living, breathing document. Keeping it up-to-date every business quarter or twice a year means you stay on top of your organization’s mission, the type of clients and projects you want to attract, and the “success factors” that enable you to reach your business goals.

Continue reading on going from business plan to business planning here.

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5 Ways to Strengthen Client Relations

Small businesses often look at their clients as one-time opportunities. But regular communication and interaction with them can be an integral part of your business. Find out five ways to strengthen your relationship with clients. Read more at FreelanceSwitch.

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5 Ways to Create PR Opportunities for Your Business

You don’t need a big PR firm to promote your business. Learn several do-it-yourself strategies you can implement to generate publicity for your small business, such as sending out targeted press releases, linking your services to current events, and presenting yourself as an expert in your field. Read more at FreelanceSwitch.

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5 Principles to Better Networking

Networking is a great way to find fellow collaborators, future business partners, prospective clients, and a tribe of fellow freelancers and other small businesses. Learn how to network and build relationships using five critical strategies, including focusing on quality not quantity in relationships, and attending key events, and reaching out beyond your immediate social circles. Read more at FreelanceSwitch.

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Build a Better Business with Strategic Branding

When we first started Night Owls Press, we thought branding merely referred to having a consistent “look and voice” for our business. But branding goes beyond putting together a website and being active on social media accounts. What small businesses need is a strategy. There are several functional elements to building a brand. Here’s what I learned. Read more at FreelanceSwitch.

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25+ Professional Resources for Getting Started as a Freelance Editor

Launching into a career as a freelance editor is relatively easy. Unlike our web and graphic design colleagues, editors can start working on their own without too much investment in expensive software or equipment.

There are the usual prerequisites of course: You need a staunch command of language and a natural grace with rational and creative discourse. A precision with words and an uncanny sense of good structure and narrative skills also helps.

Read how to get started as a freelance editor at FreelanceSwitch. Get advice on leveraging your experience, managing your clients, and promoting your editorial services. Also, add to your editor’s arsenal with a list of must-have tools and learn how to feed your creative muse.

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5 Ways to Strategically Price Your Rates

How you price your business services makes a big difference in how your business is viewed by prospective clients. For solopreneurs and small businesses, especially those just starting out, the tendency is to price work on the low end to generate client leads and interest. But what they end up doing is attracting the cutthroat bargain hunters— not a sustainable client base to have in the long run. Building your business brand starts with the price tag you put on your services. When you first begin working with clients, your rates send a message to prospective buyers: “This is what I’m worth.” If you price too low to undercut competition, you end up sending the message that you aren’t confident in your abilities, and that you’ll take any job at any price.

Image: Some rights reserved by alexskopje.

Learn how to read between the lines to understand what their end game is. You’ll be surprised at how amenable clients are to approaching the discussion and scoping process in a more deliberate and conscientious way. Clients that put pressure on you to speed things up are generally “problem clients” and should be avoided. Read more at FreelanceSwitch.

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6 Point Productivity Starter-Kit for the Novice Freelancer

Before I took the big entrepreneurial leap in 2010, I had always worked for a single employer. But you know how the story goes— suddenly the cubicle walls start to feel claustrophobic, the beck and call of the chain of bosses starts to grate, and you yearn for something, well, more inspired. You feel confident enough in your own skills and personal networks to leave the ‘system’ and start your own freelance business.

Ah, the sweet freedom of being an un-tethered freelancer… But there are downsides, too. At a job you don’t worry about the next paycheck if you slouch a little one week. But on your own, if you don’t produce, you don’t get paid. Every moment for a freelancer is precious.

So once you make the leap, what’s the best way to structure your new work life as a freelancer? Know that by “going indie” you’ll need to prepare yourself for the emotional roller coaster of running your own shop. The highs are higher— exhilarating and thrilling; and the lows are steep drops, where you battle self-doubt and worry about scoring the next project.

For a starter kit of essential productivity tips to get you grounded and organized as you make the transition to the exciting and unpredictable life of a freelancer, continue reading at FreelanceSwitch.

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