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„Remember how a few months ago I complained about potential clients who reach out to me and immediately ask me for my rate? … Turns out I also kinda, mostly, only care about how much a freelancer is going to cost me,” writes Linda A. Thompson in a recent article titled Can you send me your rate? about how price inquiries are essential in real-life scenarios of dealing with freelancers.
She also recounts her experience with a passive-aggressive company representative whom she asked for a quote, and her touching gesture to an underpaid cleaner. A good and honest article.
Of course, in business you have to be prepared to talk about prices.
A new BBC article written by Ellen Nguyen asks why side-hustlers are sharing their incomes.
She points out that freelancers in the creator economy are much more likely to be transparent about their income than full-time employees. Even more curiously, those who are both employed and freelancing share their freelance income, not their salary.
“There’s no guidance set by HR or clear career paths laid out in the world of side hustles; instead, people have to turn to each other for information about the steps they take and how much they make, which is often encouraged on social media.”
This part also rings true:
“Side-hustles release the ‘inner entrepreneur’ in individuals – so talking about their earnings is one way to demonstrate their success.”
May 9th marks the 3rd anniversary of Freelancing.eu as well as Europe Day, celebrating peace and unity in Europe 🕊
If you're new to this project, here's a quick summary of what we do and stand for:
An American library has purchased “work and play” desk stations where parents can work while their baby or toddler plays right next to them — and the photos published by BookRiot (or Curbed) are gorgeous.
“The stations are mostly used by mothers and their young children. What has been interesting is that the units were originally designed for babies and toddlers, but we have seen that even older children like using these. They enjoy having a comfortable place to read, and parents and caregivers appreciate knowing their child is nearby and comfortably occupied with a great book.”
Wouldn’t you love to have a desk like this in your local library, coworking space, or at home?
Freelance platforms like Fiverr or Upwork, once hailed as prophets of the so-called freelance revolution, are taking an extraordinary beating in the markets:
Fiverr’s stock has plunged to below $27, down 92% from its all-time high, while Upwork’s stock has lost 87%.
The crash is due in part to poor financial results and to the growing use of ChatGPT for repetitive, low-skill work brokered by these and similar freelance marketplaces.
The decline is even more notable given that the overall freelance economy is growing, at least in the U.S. — a reminder that freelancing and online freelance platforms are two different things.
Impostor syndrome defined as “psychological occurrence in which people doubt their skills, talents, or accomplishments and have a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as frauds” is quite common among freelancers.
That’s why Kim Hobson published a practical Guide to Imposter Syndrome For Freelancers about how to deal with it.
First, she rightly associates the syndrome with freelancers being walked over by clients and not raising their rates because they feel insecure.
She also notes that most freelance knowledge workers live in an Internet bubble, comparing themselves with online influencers and people at the very top of their field or outside of it.
She also offers a remedy: A tool for gradually changing one’s internal dialogue to shift habitual thought pathways toward a more confident freelance self, reminding readers: “You don’t know how much you know.”
Renowned NYC copywriter Laura Belgray asked freelancers in her mastermind community a simple question:
How’d you know it was time to charge as a copywriter, and how’d you get your first paying client?
She has published the most intriguing answers in a blog post, tellingly titled No experience? No problem.
Yet another solid explainer How to invoice as a freelancer from The Freelance Hustle deals with the boring-but-necessary topic of freelance invoicing: 11 things to remember for freelance beginners.
The Freelance Hustle’s article titled How to Get Clients as a Freelancer outlines some elementary strategies for beginning freelancers. It can be especially useful in markets where freelancers tend to advertise and respond to requests for work, rather than using more active strategies to drive sales. Although the article doesn’t break any new ground, it’s a good summary for those just starting out.
Freelance copywriter and creative coach Julie Cortés is a proponent of what she calls “freelance badassery”, which she describes in a recent article titled Embrace Your Badassery:
“For some reason, some clients—and prospective clients—will try to dictate the rules. Here’s the secret: Don’t let them. It all starts with you. You’ve got to be your own little badass. You’ve got to stop accepting this disrespectful behavior. So often we let fear and anxiety take over. We accept poor treatment because we don’t know any better … or we’re desperate for money. And we get in our own way when we don’t have good policies (read: boundaries) in place. Understand that being self-employed does NOT give others the right to walk all over you. As a freelance business owner, you are well within your right to determine your own policies, what’s negotiable, and what’s a dealbreaker.”
The bold and insightful article goes on to explain basic strategies for dealing with clients who try to impose their will on independent professionals, disrespecting the equal standing of both business parties.