When I travel to a new city, one of my favourite things to do is to wander. I often put the map and my phone away, walk out the door and just start to wander. I get lost. I turn around random corners, and I loop back on myself when I hit dead-ends. For me, […]
How Much ‘Free’ Are You Willing to Do to Win a Client?
Winning a new client seldom happens right away. From lead to signing a contract is often several small steps rather than one giant leap taken at once. The old marketing line of “know, like and trust” which is necessary before anyone buys doesn’t happen right away, so often there is a wooing period while a […]
10 Steps to Ensure You Get Paid for Freelance Work
Always do a small job for a new client first before agreeing to a large piece of work. You want to test that this is a good client to work for, including that they pay their invoices in full and on time, before you commit to a large piece of work with a new […]
When You Have TOO MUCH Work
For many freelancers there is a period where they are doing everything they can to find work and get their first few engagements, but with ongoing marketing and the development of a portfolio/good reputation you may find yourself in the enviable position of having more work than you can manage. Nice problem to have, but […]
Are we being upfront about the risk?
Today I paid a visit to the bank to sit with an advisor. My current work as a part-time Professor at a college does not have a pension scheme and I wanted to open up an investment vehicle in which I could stash a few dollars each month towards buying myself diapers and gin […]
Can We Ever Really Come Home?
I’ve been asking myself that question for much of the past year. If you don’t know my story, I grew up in Canada. In 2002, I moved to the UK. In 2018, I moved back to Canada. I was gone for 16 years. In that time, I built a new ‘home’. I became a citizen […]
It’s Time To Dissect Working for Free
Recent research published by IPSE, the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed found that 43% of their workers had worked for free. This rose to 86% of those in the creative industries. Now it doesn’t specify the timeline, i.e. is that 86% who have EVER worked for free or 86% who have recently […]
Being an Introvert in Business
I’m teaching an entrepreneurship class right now to University students on a performing arts degree course. There’s 19 of them in the class and they’re all in their early to mid-20’s. They’re bright, conscientious, and sparky. Some are goofy and loud and extroverted. Their personalities shine through, they love to talk up in class and […]
It’s OK to be small
I see advice all the time on ‘how to play big’ or ‘how to up your business game’ or how to ‘scale your business up to the next level.’ But what if that doesn’t interest you? What if you want a happy life instead of a busy life? What if you want ‘just enough’ instead […]
Can’t Pay! Won’t Pay!
How do you deal with customers who don’t pay? At some point in their careers most artists run into a customer who owes them money. So what do you do about it? An Ounce of Prevention First, let’s talk about what you should be doing to minimise your risk in the first place. Here’s some […]