Worthiness: Your Musts

Happy New Year! I’m still on hiatus, but I wasn’t going to leave without scheduling a few posts. Hopefully, this one and others will serve as a good start to 2012.

We’re about five and a half months out from Writers Worth Week, but it’s never too soon to build value and worth into our work practices. Let’s start with what we must do. You know me – I’m not one to believe in absolutes. Anyone who tells me I must do something is usually saying it from a personal perspective – you must outline your novel, you must call clients on the phone, you must have a blog…. nonsense. I can’t outline novels. For me, it kills the story. For others, it’s the greatest thing since sliced bread. Likewise calling clients. Some of us love it, some of us would rather be dipped in boiling water. And frankly, not everyone has something to say worth blogging about.

That said, there are some absolutes that belong in your business. Don’t worry – once you see them, you’ll understand:

You must market. In real estate training, I’d learned “If you don’t list, you don’t last.” Same thing with a freelance career in writing – you have to market. Just showing up at the computer every day isn’t enough. The clients have to know you’re there, and have to know what you have to offer.

You must understand your market value. Oh, you could run a business without knowing what your skills are worth, but you’re guaranteed to be taken advantage of if you do. If other writers are securing work for $100 an hour and you’re charging $25 an hour, you’ll get work, but you’ll attract clients who will expect gold for Kmart prices. Top-notch clients won’t take you seriously, and you’ll be stuck trying to wrestle payment from deadbeats.

You must stop apologizing for running a business. If the words “I’m sorry” have ever escaped your lips when communicating with a client – unless you’ve screwed something up and you’re apologizing for that – you need to grow a backbone. Never apologize for chasing payment, disagreeing with a client’s opinion, contacting a client, or for asserting your contract terms or business boundaries.

You must chase overdue invoices. Invoices get misplaced, forgotten, even ignored by clients wanting to avoid the bill. You have to be prepared to chase the payment down, accept no excuses, and put some legal muscle behind your collections process.

You must protect your rights. Contracts are essential – so is the ability to enforce and restate contract terms when clients push the boundaries. No one will look out for your business except you. Be your best guardian. Protect it like you would a member of your family.

You must challenge yourself. Twelve years ago I had no idea what risk management was, nor could I tell you with any coherency anything about workers compensation. Today those subjects are my biggest moneymakers. Take chances with your career. Learn new things. Invest in education. Study on your own. Expand what you already do and know and watch the possibilities open up.

What items are on your must list?