1. CAPTURE IDEAS QUICKLY
Ideas come rapidly, and anything you see, hear or do can instantly spark an idea for a blog post, article or even a book! I use MS Word on my iPhone to capture ideas quickly when I’m on the go. When using MS Word, I can also flesh out the bones of a piece regardless of where I happen to be - even in the doctor’s waiting room. Creating a log in Excel or other tracking system to categorize these great ideas is key.
2. DONE IS BETTER THAN PERFECT
Well, it depends on what you’re doing. I’m not sold on this idea for the writing world where typos can run rampant. Having a keen eye and the willingness to review that piece just one more time is an asset because some spell check/grammar programs don’t catch everything.
3. UPWORK
Nice work if you can get it and if you have flexible skills. Basically, it’s a hiring mill where both new and established freelancers bid on work. Well-paying job posts can often have responses from 50 or more applicants in less than an hour! Upwork does have a method to “boost your bid” to the top, but often the points needed to get to the top are too steep for new freelancers. I did manage to wrangle a couple of gigs on Upwork because in addition to writing, I can tackle editing, proofreading and beta reading jobs.
4. LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY (LLC)
Some friends suggested I set up one pronto! In a nutshell, LLC’s create a separation between your freelance business and personal finances. I followed this advice and set up mine fast, but I’m wondering what other freelancers think about LLC’s. Do you have one? If so, did you create it right away or only after you were established in the field? Please let me know in the comments below!