31 Days of Freelancing: Permission to Continue

What I’m listening to: Wild Thing by Tone Loc (Oh yes. I am.)

This is it — our last day of 2106.

I hope this year was good to you. Every year has its ups and downs, but we manage to come out of it relatively unscathed.

I hope in terms of your freelance writing business, you had a good year. Mine was better than expected. I started the year with clients contacting me (not the other way around), and that continued right up to the end. I didn’t have to market at all. I did during the first half of the year, but then I realized all that marketing finally created that idea situation.

In my industry (insurance), it was little surprise. It’s an industry in which change happens slowly. That I had name recognition was great, but it took something else to get them to actively seek me out. Thankfully, it was a pretty damn good economy, and an ideal insurance market for many lines of business.

How did you do?

Would you like to do better tomorrow? If so, read on.

December 31: Give Yourself Permission to Succeed

Who wouldn’t do that anyway? Well, you might not, dear freelance writer. Too often we come across freelancers who are upset with their circumstance, unsure of how to fix it, or who just think it’s too hard some days.

I get it. I was there once. And I won’t say there aren’t days like that still. They’re just much fewer in number.

Today, give yourself permission to succeed at this freelance writing stuff. It’s not tough. It requires a simple shift in perspective, one that takes you no time to make. Just do this:

[bctt tweet=”Stop thinking of yourself as a freelancer and start thinking of yourself as a business owner.” username=”LoriWidmer”]

Just words, right? But if one of you is already thinking about what that might mean, those words are working.

For those of you who need more of a nudge (most of us), here’s why that works. You’re now:

• Running a business. No more “I’m just a freelancer” talk (and if you’ve ever used the word “just” to describe what you do, you’ve been your own worst enemy). Now you’re talking from the position of “Jane Doe Writing & Editing” or “John Doe Copywriting.” You’re going to feel that subtle shift.
• Protecting business interests. This is where that shift really saves your bacon (or tofu, if you prefer). You now chase invoices in the name of a company, not as “just” a freelancer trying to get paid, or you negotiate from a business perspective.
• Seeing your own value. There’s something about taking yourself seriously that translates into a better attitude, which translates into valuing what you bring to the table.
• Projecting a more professional image. Clients want to work with professionals, not writers who cobble together a semblance of an existence. If you have an image and a confident attitude, you’re going to get more respect, and more work from clients who deserve you.

Today, start that shift in your head. Dream up ways that you, a small business owner, can protect and grow your business just through how you approach what you do.

Then tomorrow, go out and kick ass.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Writers, when did that shift occur for you?

How can you describe to other writers what that meant for you?