We monitor countless quality sources on freelancing and choose only the best content to save your time.
Subscribe to our monthly Freeletter with a curated selection of world-class freelance news and subscribers-only content + get our free PDF guide How to become an international freelancer right now as a new subscriber:
Your privacy matters: We won’t share your email address with anyone else and you can cancel your subscription anytime. Also, we do not store anyone’s IP address nor do we track who opens and reads our newsletter.
Our new member Jan Onesork has published 3 spot-on tips for freelancers:
“It’s been exactly 15 years since I started freelancing and doing SEO. What advice can I give you after all these years?
For this anniversary, I got myself a profile on Freelancing.eu — check it out.”
Note: In 2020, Jan wrote an article on How to Become an International Freelancer.
Share or discuss: LinkedIn Facebook X (Twitter) Permalink
As explained in the talk European Freelancers & Where to Find Them, independent professionals don’t like to be called “gig workers”, and only few are engaged in the so-called creator economy.
What sets freelancing apart is also nicely explained in Benek Lisefski’s insightful article titled I'm not a “creator” or “gig-worker”—I’m a freelancer.
Benek first outlines the well-known flaws of the gig economy (Platform lock-in; Mirage of flexibility; Linear pay and limited growth; Not a passionate career choice). Then he does the same for the creator economy (You’re at the mercy of algorithms and virality; Hamster wheel burn-out; Inconsistent income; Great for extroverts, not so much for introverts).
He observes that “freelancing is way more than gig-working, and it doesn’t require content creation or growing an audience. I’ve been doing it for over 20 years, and it’s the best career in the world.”
Finally, he points out huge upsides of independent freelancing (Maximum flexibility; No reliance on platforms; Avoid the attention economy; Unlimited earning potential; Ultimate job security), and concludes:
“Being self-employed will never go out of style. No matter how many ’new economies’ they announce, we’ll keep doing our thing and making our money, not caring how much attention we get.”
Share or discuss: LinkedIn Facebook X (Twitter) Permalink
Barbora Baronova is an award-winning writer and independent publisher whose books have been acquired by well-known libraries, museums, and collectors worldwide. In this talk for Freelance Friends, Bara shares some hard-earned business lessons that brought her international success while keeping her artistic integrity.
Share or discuss: LinkedIn Facebook X (Twitter) Permalink
In many European countries, freelancers are not really used to asking clients for referrals to other people who may use their service. In the USA, however, it is way more common and we can easily get inspired. The article titled 3 Stress-Free Ways to Ask Clients for a Referral outlines the essential good practice:
Share or discuss: LinkedIn Facebook X (Twitter) Permalink
Some compensations for star independent professionals in the movie industry are quite jaw-dropping. For example, here are the highlights from Robert De Niro’s contract for the “Savage Salvation” movie, according to Los Angeles Times:
As the personal-finance writer Ramit Sethi commented on Twitter: “This is one of the most insane contracts I have ever seen.”
Share or discuss: LinkedIn Facebook X (Twitter) Permalink
Gradual improvements in freelance pricing and business negotiations usually beat price jumps and unmanaged sales. The basic recommendation is therefore simple: Avoid risky jumps, and keep improving by manageable steps every time you can.
Here’s a relevant tip from The Freelance Way, chapter Business Negotiations:
“So next time, try saying: For this job, I’ll try to do it differently and negotiate for a better price or terms.”
Share or discuss: LinkedIn Facebook X (Twitter) Permalink
Here’s our question of the week:
How would you describe the outlook of your freelance business for the next 6-12 months in just one word?
Drop your answer on our Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter.
Share or discuss: LinkedIn Facebook X (Twitter) Permalink
There’s a free online e-book entitled The Self-Improving Developer, written mainly for developers. However, one part in particular may be relevant for all freelancers:
The chapter You’re not building a career argues against the stereotype of career building, claiming that “Success is always a product of two things: luck and effort.” It then argues for embracing uncertainty and placing various small bets while also playing it safe — good advice.
Share or discuss: LinkedIn Facebook X (Twitter) Permalink
Few people realize that professional sports(wo)men are also independent professionals. As freelancers, we can learn a lot from them. One of the greatest sources of inspiration in sports is definitely Rafa Nadal, who is now competing for his third Grand Slam title of 2022 in Wimbledon. As CNN puts it in a recent article, Nadal is a world-class athlete who “talks like Aristotle and acts like Confucius.”
Note: Another tennis player who has been a huge role model is Andre Agassi. His autobiography Open even made it into our selection of the best books for freelancers.
Share or discuss: LinkedIn Facebook X (Twitter) Permalink
Adam Zbiejczuk is one of the best-connected social-media experts in Central Europe. His Czech-Polish roots and German peers have helped him search for clients, organize events, and connect people across neighboring but surprisingly different countries and cultures. Let’s hear about his experience with international work in a very localized industry of social media:
Share or discuss: LinkedIn Facebook X (Twitter) Permalink