Does anyone else try to utilize local businesses or magazines when things slow down a bit?

I figured it is a good way to supplement the holiday-months income as businesses are still trying to gear up for the big shopping days.

@Wendy – I'm sorry to hear about your dad. I wish I could have been in the same position as you are now, to take some time off to be with my dad. Relish the moments and make sure you tie up any loose ends in your relationship if there are any. You will be in my thoughts.

@Georganna – we all need friends like you! I've been trying to network more for referrals and it *is* slowly working. How nice of you to offer that up to Lori. 🙂

@Wendy – so sorry to hear about your dad. You'll be in my thoughts.

My dad's health has taken a turn for the worse and it looks like he won't be hanging around with us much longer, so I contacted my current clients to let them know the basics of what's going on (not every personal detail though) and that I won't be available for a bit.

Since I want to spend some time with him in case he does go, I worked hard at getting ahead of the regular projects, so those clients are not hanging high and dry and I can be with my dad as much as possible and not have to worry about my business as much.

No one has a problem with it and they say they plan to contact me later on to see if I'm up for more projects. Being open, honest and communicating with them keeps a bond going, so that they're kept in the loop. In some cases, they stick by you and that's one of the things I love about my freelancing experience.

I won't be around much, but I plan to come back later on. In the meantime, I hope work picks up for you and you gain more clients.

Great point, Jake. Diversifying keeps the damage to a minimum. And dark rum heals deep scars. 🙂

Paula, it's odd, but it gets less scary as time passes. Maybe because we've learned how to be resourceful? I feel now that I'll never be unemployed. There's always work to be had somewhere. Mind you, I have to look for it and ask for it, but it's there if I do the legwork.

Definitely interested, Georganna. 🙂

Would you consider one-off literary manuscripts to edit? Or a collection of short stories headed to be a book. Or laying out a book for self-publishing? Or ghostwriting yet another book about domestic violence (this one in the military)? Actually it is a proposal that's needed for that project.

These are only the latest I've talked the clients out of hiring me to work on. If you're game, I'll start sending them your way!

Hey! I just remembered you're a writer — slow time? Write something valuable and if no one buys it, publish it yourself! Although I have enough work, I'm taking time to prepare my first book for Amazon's DTP (Kindle format). If it sells as well as the reviews and articles are, I'll be able to retire some day!

Good luck. I know you are a versatile and resilient woman with a lovely tweet side!

The thing is freelancers are very resourceful. I've had friends say how scary it would be not to have a regular paycheck. Well, yeah. It can be. But getting loads of irregular checks isn't bad, either, when you consider we never have to worry about being laid off. We win clients, we lose clients, but we never lose our ability to win new clients. At least not when we follow your lead and market-market-market.

(I've never really thought of it till just now, but it's what my dad dealt with all the time as an independent sales rep: If he started to do really well, they'd cut his territory in half.)

How to recover? Dark rum, mourn, move on.

You're right that prevention is the only satisfactory strategy. The overarching message for me has always been to diversify: different types of media (i.e., web, print, video, audio) and industries as well as a variety of clients. I've always believed the saying on Wall Street holds true on Freelance Street: "There's always a bull market somewhere."

Earlier in the year, ongoing projects from one of my 1st clients completely dried up. And along came a new, better-paying one. I have Pollyanna tendencies, but it never ceases to amaze me when one window closes, another opens up. But, that didn't happen by itself. You are so right about the marketing. And marketing includes the soft marketing aspect of social media. It took me a while to get more strategic about it and narrow my focus to just a few venues. For me, that's LinkedIn. I get a lot of business from LinkedIn. The other "soft marketing" is having a site that showcases your work. Your next great client may be lurking around there so put your best words forward. 🙂

Have a great weekend everyone!