Dave Cole

So this post is a follow-up to my article yesterday – My (Simple) tips for Freelancing. I wanted to go collect some more ideas to share that I think can amplify the conversation beyond just my basic ideas. There are so many people freelancing and calling their own shots these days that there’s plenty of interesting insight to be found.

… The Couch is Calling …

@lauraabbey Ish. Feel better than yesterday but still weak. So lucky to be freelancing – have been working laid out on sofa all day.

— Michelle Buckeridge (@MichelleBuckers) December 14, 2011

One of the best / worst parts about freelancing definitely has to be when you’re not running at 100%… The upside is exactly what Michelle mentioned here – you can just post on the couch and tinker. The downside? You’re responsible for your own healthcare. Definitely a mixed bag – but believe it or not self-coverage isn’t that expensive. Gets a lot more pricey if you’re covering kids / family – but it’s still pretty reasonable.

The downside of Freelancing is that if you’re not focused on projects – it can be really easy to get distracted by things at home. Of course – anyone who’s been in a corporate environment knows that an office is full of distractions too!

And ‘freelancing’ is considered kind of a blasphemy by parents who think we earn ‘fake money’ online that way

— Salman Latif (@SalmanLateef) December 14, 2011

Dude – I love this. That’s so true. Freelancing is definitely a legitimate enterprise, but older generations sometimes look at the online business world as a bunch of smoke & mirrors (and spammers). Sometimes it takes a good conversation with the family to really show & share what you’re up to. Great point Salman.

Mailing client gifts is expensive but gotta do it. #makeup #freelancing

— Makeup to Go! (@makeuptogo) December 14, 2011

That’s another thing often overlooked in freelancing… You really have to do everything by hand. There’s no “mail room” no shipping supplies, and you gotta foot the bill for all the postage. Direct mail (especially like pointed out here) is so effective if you’ve got an engaged client / prospect base, but it can add up really quickly. Look for deals on shipping products when you can – Staples or Office Depot usually have clearance racks for shipping supplies that can save you a ton of money on envelopes, packing material, and even weird-sized shipping boxes. If you’re sending more than a dozen pieces of mail a week, I definitely recommend checking out Stamps.com or similar print-stamps-from-home solutions.

Nothing’s more risky and rewarding than working on your own products. Freelancing is like working as an employee, just different.

— Rafael Bugajewski (@chiefsucker) December 14, 2011

There’s definitely some truth to this. Freelancing IS very similar to being an employee, since your clients will often place similar demands on you as they would an internal employee. Though if you prove your expertise, I think you can often establish more of a peer-to-peer relationship, rather than a client-vendor one. It’s tricky, but quite possible – especially if you’re providing skills that truly support the clients’ business that they don’t have internally.

@chiefsucker You must have taken on the wrong freelancing jobs

— Alexander Repty (@arepty) December 14, 2011

Had to include Alexanders’ response, because it’s absolutely part of the reality too. Like I’d written before – the project & the client selection process is so crucial! If you find clients who are looking for skilled service providers to help amplify their business and meet their goals – it feels much less like an employee relationship and much more like a pair of business professionals working together towards a common goal.

Freelancing is fun, but not as much fun as a full-time job would be. #hireme

— Brian Gerwig (@GerwigBrian) December 14, 2011

And finally, I think Brian has conveyed what many freelancers feel after a period of time. There are two worlds when it comes to freelancing: People who freelance because they want the freedom, independence, and ability to call their own shots. They typically leave stagnant work environments to strike out on their own. Then there are also freelancers who are doing it because the job market is rough.

Thanks for reading! Again – if you want to check out the original post check out My Tips for Freelancers.

Tags: freelancing

A friend wrote this question, and I just felt like it was good blog-fodder…

When dealing with clients, whats the best way to set time restrictions for yourself so you can have a social life or be able to hangout with your kids? Are stating you have a hardstop later in the day the wrong way to go about it? What if something comes up? I’m conflicted going from a 9-5 office gig to working for multiple clients from home.

Dude. I have so many opinions on this.

Freelance Clients aren’t Corporate Clients

Freelance clients come in every variety – so be forewarned. Even the most stable-sounding client could turn in to a nightmare headcase if you’re not paying attention.

For starters, I’d suggest you pick clients who share your value system. If you believe that a work day should start and stop at certain times, make that part of your client onboarding process. Ask them when they expect deliverables from you – morning, afternoon, evenings, weekends?

Secondly, make sure your clients understand your circumstances (to a degree). If you set aside 4-8pm each evening as “playing with the kids time” make sure your client understands that ahead of time.

Also, especially in this economy – cashflow is king. If a client is asking for payment terms or flexibility in paying for services, either decline them or make them one of your “when I’ve got the time” clients. You should have 2 classes of clients: Those who are paying the full run rate – so you better get running! … and those paying the “jog” rate – where you just have to get to the end eventually, no sprinting required.

Just remember – there’s a reason why your client will consider you rather than a corporate alternative. What would inspire your confidence if you were in their shoes? What would you be willing to accept? Typically, they want a freelancer because they can get more for less, and often (in creative industries) a much more dynamic set of ideas. But just realize part of that proposition is that they expect to be able to demand your time under certain circumstances. Just be clear up front what you think is fair. Keep reading…

Tags: business advice, freelancing

With the launch of my product Dashter, I wanted to share a little bit about how the company / product / solution came to be. One part of that story is how my attendance and participation in two great Meetup groups here in Orange County helped spark, nurture, and evolve the product & the business – and ultimately myself.

#OCWP

About a year ago I started attending a group that I’d found on Meetup.com called Orange County WordPress (OCWP). I’d done numerous WordPress sites for myself and my clients in the past, so I figured it couldn’t hurt to attend and learn more about the platform beyond what I could gather off the web. I also suffered from what so many small business owners can attest to – which is when you’re running a small business you crave interacting with people. So I figured what the hell – I’d show up on a Monday night and see what it was all about.

Meetups – just like any new networking event – are always a little nerve-wracking. I walked in alone and didn’t know anyone there. The space at the old Zeek offices were cramped like you wouldn’t believe – there were 40 people fitting in to a room that was probably intended to hold 15 people comfortably. Lots of folks knew each other already, were sharing inside jokes, asking about friends & family, etc. It took a little while to get my bearings, but overall I could tell instantly I was in a good space with people I could definitely get along with. Keep reading…

Tags: meetup, OCWP, SMMOC, startup

This post was generated by Dashter

Forbes – @Forbes
The Price Isn’t Right: What New York Times, Apple and In-N-Out Could Teach Netflix http://t.co/P98xi0Q4

In this recent Forbes article, Netflix gets called out for not understanding pricing in the marketplace. But the argument falls flat (at best) and makes some pretty wacky assumptions (at its worst).

A little while ago, I wrote a post that stated that Netflix’s moves were anchored in a “startup” mentality – and I’m still sticking by that piece. For the Forbes article, author Trish Gorman starts off her piece with a rather ominous declaration:

What happened was more than a minor public-relations snafu. Netflix stumbled in its pricing—a minefield for any business and the last place you want to make a misstep.

So the premise is that Netflix has committed a cardinal business sin – the “last place” they can make a mistake. But like I argued in my previous piece, this really isn’t a pricing issue. Fundamentally, Netflix restored it’s original business – at a 20% discount (from $10 / month to $8 / month) of DVD-by-mail. They’re simply splitting their operations because the two businesses are different businesses that serve the same need. But that’s not what I want to focus on (just yet).

The Forbes article tells us that Netflix should learn from New York Times, Apple, and In-N-Out. 3 iconic brands, to be certain, with rabid fans and outwardly-successful business models that Netflix could use a case-study in pricing minefield avoidance. So what’s the takeaway? Uhm…

Her first example of how the New York Times has succeeded concludes with:

…the Times earned $83 million in the second quarter of this year, down from $93 million in the second quarter of 2010. But that the company managed the enormous price hike with just a few murmurs of complaint from its readers was extraordinary.

The only thing obvious from this example is that the NY Times is losing money. Hooray for their savvy pricing decision! Ultimately, the NY Times suffers much like Netflix: Premium content is blended in with commodity content, driving the price down to some sort of mean value that is averaged across the whole array. Would I need to read the New York Times for coverage of a national news story? Of course not – they’re likely getting their information from the same wire service that AP, Reuters, and every other news outlet is using. And in the case of the East Coast earthquake this past summer, I was getting news on the quake from people I follow on Twitter about 5 minutes before the Washington Post website. Keep reading…

Tags: netflix, NFLX

Update 10/10/2011: Ahh the joys of watching business do what it does best in today’s age: Change. Turns out that Netflix actually does give at least half a damn about it’s existing customers, and at least nixed the idea of spinning off the shiny plastic disc business that would’ve been Qwickster.

From Ars Technica:

The change seemed needlessly drastic and complicated for many users, forcing customers to be billed twice and to search for DVD and streaming content on separate websites. But now, Netflix customers will never have to hear the word Qwikster again.

For anyone who took a marketing or branding course in college, I think Qwickster will be a nice sidebar on the chapter that mentions the folly of New Coke. I admire Netflix’ gutsy move to try to shed & alter their core business, but obviously they were too severe in their actions. Internally, I’m sure there’s still a deep divide within Netflix between the DVD logistics folks & the streaming service folks, but for now NFLX customers can relax a little bit… and get back to venting frustrations over the price hike.

… and here’s the original post … 

I’m in the middle of reading Do More Faster – a book of short essays by the folks involved in the TechStars group – and I’m taking to heart lots of the worthwhile tidbits of startup advice. Especially on the verge of launching our new startup – Dashter – I want to make sure we’re building more than just a “startup” – we’re building a full-fledged scalable in-demand business. More on that later.

What caught my eye this week is Netflix, and how they’re acting so nimbly right now it’s like an awesome case study in watching a startup turn in to a big business only to remember it’s a startup again.

I just recently became a Netflix customer (streaming only) having come from Blockbuster’s DVD-by-mail program. But with the addition of a couple AppleTV’s in my house, streaming on-demand service was a no-brainer. So when I see an article like, “Who Stole Netflix’ Mojo?” on c|net (in addition to mountains of mainstream coverage from Yahoo! News to KNX1070 news radio mentions), my consumer-brain goes, “Oh no – did I buy a bad product?” Then my startup-brain fires back: “Go Netflix, Go! ”

Keep reading…

Tags: netflix, NFLX, qwickster