Hugh, can I hire you as my cheerleader? 🙂 Thanks for the kind words, but I can't take all the credit. It's this active community here that makes this blog shine. Everyone who reads, comments, or comes back for more makes it all happen. Thank YOU for that.

Amie, I've fried some bridges in my day. I have to say the ones I burned were done so unintentionally, but were necessary. In my case, they were gunning for me. I gave them a reason and they leapt on it.

Kimberly, if you give even a minute amount of customer service, you're miles ahead of most people and businesses. You've hit on what we need to concentrate our efforts on – you and Devon. Deliver above and beyond.

If all I have are the same clients for eternity, I might as well be in an office.

Do I have steady clients? Yes, because people like my work and keep hiring me back.

But I also do a lot of one-offs, because I like the variety. I don't like putting too many eggs into one basket; I don't want to rely on a particular client for the bulk of my work.

There are a lot of great tips in the article that can be applied to all kinds of freelancing.

But again, I see too many freelancers simply re-creating the corporate environment, albeit ona smaller scale, that they claim didn't work for them.

I am a FREE — LANCE.

I follow whatever interests me in the moment and get paid so to do.

Sometimes, I get to be six people before breakfast.

I know I can make a living at it, but the details change day to day, and that's the way I like it.

How do I "hang on" to my jobs? Because I'm one of the best at the job that my employer has ever worked with, and the clients keep coming back. I keep work by being GOOD AT THE JOB, not dlvling into market-speak or playing the same games everyone else out there hustling does.

Many people can talk a good game. But if you can't deliver, they won't come back.

Looking for job!
freelance management is a comprehensive company that lists quality Job openings.

That post & The Great WAHM Debate of March 09 were the reasons that I knew Words on the Page was going to be a must-read for me.

Hot topics, addressed with passion, professionalism, & just the right amount of what Cosmo Kramer would term "unbridled enthusiasm"? Sign me up! 🙂

Bob makes an excellent point about keeping a constant professional image. You never know when or where you'll meet your next client.

While there are undoubtedly many individual points worth considering in this post (and in Mr. Calandra's article), I'm most taken by the prevalent & persistent reminders that we're never really "off the clock" when it comes to making positive impressions & creating new professional opportunities.

From dressing for success to cultivating a reputation for hard work to having a supply of business cards at the ready, achieving a state of consistent professionalism seems to be increasingly important.

Thanks for the reminder!