We here at ConstantChatter don’t typically talk business strategies or career training, but we just felt that this particular teleseminar could help a lot a people. It’s free, but we think you’ll find the find the information priceless. We hope you’ll enjoy…
Does Your Business have a Remarkable Brand or Just an Ordinary Brand?
Do you sell extraordinary products and services or just the run-of-the mill kind? It does make a difference. See, remarkable brands mean that Orpah is calling, sales are through the roof and that customers are coming back for more. But, an average brand and average products deliver just that – average results.
Lynda Resnick is definitely not average. She’s the marketing genius behind three of the most successful brands in the world – POM Wonderful, FIJI Water and Teleflora. In fact, Oprah has raved about her pomegranate juice and her FIJI water sales increased over 300% since 2004.
The good news? You don’t have to be average either. In fact, you can learn how to uncover the hidden gems in your business and deliver the extraordinary value that customers most want.
This Thurs, Feb 19 at 2pm ET (11am PT), Elizabeth Marshall, host of AuthorTeleseminars.com,is hosting a call with Lynda Resnick, author of Rubies in the Orchard. On that call, you’ll not only learn about Lynda’s new book, but you will discover the secrets to creating the incredible value for your customers most want to buy.
In addition to Lynda and Elizabeth, you will also hear from:
-> Dave Lakhani, bestselling author of Persuasion and Subliminal Persuasion
-> Melanie Benson Strick, Million Dollar Success Coach and founder, The CEO Factor (I love her and have been following her for a few months now).
Go ahead and register for the call, even if you can’t make it live. Elizabeth, host and founder of AuthorTeleseminars.com, will send you a recording of the call after it is over.
I love how My So-Called Freelance Life took the freelance idea and actually goes deeper and teaches you the important things you need to know about, like how to get the jobs, how to charge for the jobs, how to handle your clients, where to find the space to call your office, etc. What made you decide to write about freelancing and alternative careers?
People have been asking me how I set my rates, deal with health insurance, and make sure I have enough money to pay my bills since I started working for myself as a freelance writer and editor 16 years ago. Those questions have only increased since The Anti 9-to-5Guide — which covers flex, temp, contract, overseas, outdoor, and self-employed work — came out last year.
People always want to know, How do you handle hell clients with grace? Negotiate copyrights without sounding like a greedy pig? Work at home without going insane? So I decided to write a “sequel” of sorts, in which I answer as many questions about freelancing as I could cram into 240 pages or so. Hence My So-Called Freelance Life.
Up until somewhat recently, I always thought of a freelancer as someone who was just plain and simply a writer. In your book, you address that many different jobs can be freelancing gigs. So what or who is a freelancer?
There are freelance designers, illustrators, photographers, publicists, translators, editors, indexers, bookkeepers, attorneys, accountants, web programmers, virtual assistants, marketing gurus, business coaches, dog walkers, actors, musicians, masseuses, and on and on and on.
Anyone who works for themselves as an independent professional is a freelancer. In the United States, 20.9 million people work independently. And whether we choose to call ourselves a freelancer, consultant, independent contractor, or small business owner, the work-related issues we face are generally the same. Regardless of whether we hire employees or incorporate, we’re all running our own business — meaning we all have to hunt for clients, ensure our checks arrive on time, and crack our own whip each week to get our work done.
Being a solopreneur and working from home can feel isolating and lonely, where can the average freelancer go to get support or mingle with other freelancers?
There are loads of digital and face-to-face social networks that can help:
Blogs are a great place to start.
Biznik.com is a wonderful online community for independent professionals. But it’s not just a Facebook knock-off. The site is loaded with tips, and many members host and attend free meetups on a regular basis.
Your friendly neighborhood coworking office space is sure to be frequented by other independent professionals. Maybe you can’t afford to rent a desk there. But surely you can drag yourself out to a free networking event they’re offering.
If you’re a writer or media professional, see mediabistro.com’s regional events and online forum.
You can even meet like-minded freelancers in freelance-specific groups on LinkedIn and Facebook (do a search and see what you find).
Finally, if you’ve never joined an industry-specific professional association, now might be a good time to do so. At the very least, check out their events or join their email discussion list.
Do you have any must haves for the work-from-home freelancer? What helps to keep you sane and organized?
My top must-haves:
A separate office space, even if it’s just a corner of the living room “walled off” with a curtain or screen. That way, you have a bit more separation between you work space and your living space.
A daily routine and schedule so that you, your roommates, and your clients have no question about when you’re at work each day — and when you’re not. This can help you stay on target with projects, even when you’d rather be watching TV.
Caller ID, so you never have to hear from a telemarketer or a friend who’s bored at work while you’re on a deadline.
A backup computer and technically inclined friend (or freelancer you hire) in case your laptop craps out. Not having a computer for an entire business day is not an option.
Project to-do lists, deadline and invoice spreadsheets, and online and offline folders galore. When you’re juggling multiple clients and projects each week, you can never be too anal. If you can’t locate a detail you need in 30 seconds or less, it’s time to take a Saturday off and create a better filing system for yourself.
Are freelancers still able to earn a livable income in this crazy job market?
Yes, most definitely. Freelancers are far cheaper to keep around than staffers, and the dozens of seasoned freelancers I know are doing just fine. We may have had a client or two drop off our radar, but that happens during any given year, not just during a recession. And if we lose work, it’s often because a company is folding, merging, or laying off 10+ percent of staff. A company doesn’t does slash its freelance workforce without slashing the projects those freelancers were working on.
The key is to be endlessly flexible and ultra-informed so you can quickly adapt to changes in the job market — and your industry. Pay attention to industry news so you’re not taken by surprise if a star client tanks or lowers their freelancing budget. Talk to other freelancers to see what they know about the companies you’re working for. Don’t let any one client dominate more than 30 percent of your schedule (if they go belly up, you still have 70 percent of your workload left).
If you predominantly work for the media, you absolutely should be reading GalleyCat so that you’re not the last to know if a beloved paper, magazine, or website slashes its budget. I suggest diversifying into other business sectors too so you’re not standing on such shaky ground (print media is suffering greatly these days). And if you’re only offering clients one skill — for example, writing, editing, designing, coding, bookkeeping, or business consulting — it’s time to broaden your horizons. Writers who also edit, design, consult, teach, or project manage are infinitely more employable than writers who only write.
With “only one in two Americans happy with their jobs” what tips or suggestions do you have for the person that is ready to break free of their current, corporate job?
Start freelancing on the side. It can take several months to a year or more to work up to having a full-time freelance workload. And unless you have six to 12 months’ living expenses saved, you need a paycheck of some sort while you get your freelance business off the ground.
Network you buns off. The idea is to meet as many people in your field as you can, preferably before you leave your day job. Learn from them. Trade ideas with them. Charm them. These may be future clients — or people who will refer you to future clients.
Create a killer online portfolio. Whether you’re an aspiring journalist, web designer, or project manager, start accumulating samples for your portfolio while you still have a day job — that is, while you have easy access to assignments and customers. A web portfolio not only shows you mean business as an independent professional, it saves you loads of time in that “So tell me about your experience” dance. WordPress makes creating a digital portfolio site simple.
Learn to run a business. Half of working for yourself is wooing clients, understanding contracts, managing projects, paying taxes, and making tricky judgment calls. So if you don’t know the first thing about running your own shop, now’s the time to learn. My So-Called Freelance Life can help with that.
Any closing advice for the current freelancer or freelancer-to-be?
I’m a big fan of surrounding yourself with other freelancers, both inside and outside your industry and vocation, both online and off. Not only will they be your biggest source of support and suggestions (say, for where you can get the best price on a new printer, or find an affordable contracts lawyer), they’re likely to be your best source of referrals for new work. I know a lot of people think that self-employed folks have no business “talking to the competition,” but I find that many freelancers are more than happy to share tips, and when a project isn’t right for them, connections.
Last week, before things started to get too book launch crazy for Mignon Fogarty (aka Grammar Girl), we were able to sit down for a brief chat about grammar, podcasting and so much more. We’re also giving away five copies of her new book Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing, so be sure to leave a comment below with your biggest grammar conundrum.
I’m really nervous here. It’s one thing to have a teacher or professor to look over your work, it’s yet another to send it off to a grammar specialist. What was your goal and how did you become involved in Grammar Girl?
I had been playing around with podcasting, and Grammar Girl was just my hobby. I came up with the idea when I was editing technical documents at a coffee shop on the beach. I realized I was seeing the same writing errors over and over again, and thought it would be fun to put out a short podcast that helped people brush up on their grammar and usage.
You were podcasting almost from the beginning, before many people even knew what podcasts were. You made the top ten list within your first year. With that world having been so new, what made you decide to go that route? How did your audience find you?
I have always been interested in technology. I worked at Internet start-ups during the dotcom craze, and although after that I was working as a technical writer, I kept up with all the new developments, so I heard about podcasting very early on. In fact, by the time I started my first podcast in 2006 I felt as if I had already missed the boat. It’s laughable when I look back on it.
Word-of-mouth seemed to be the way people found Grammar Girl. The show was featured at iTunes one week, and then it took off and never stopped. I could tell from the e-mails I got and blog posts I saw that people were really excited about the show and telling all their friends or co-workers about it.
A few months later the Wall Street Journal chose Grammar Girl as their Web pick of the day and I was invited to be on the Oprah Winfrey Show, and after that the business side of the podcast started coming together.
Where do you get most of your topics? Do viewers send them in because they’re stuck between affect and effect, lay or lie, or some similar challenge? Or do you see something during the week that might influence your topic?
Usually my topics come from listener questions. I have an e-mail address where people can send in questions (feedback@quickanddirtytips.com) and a voicemail line where they can leave questions (206-338-4475). Sometimes I play those voicemails to start the show, so if someone leaves a question, they might hear it played on the podcast.
Occasionally, something in the news will catch my eye and I’ll use that as an introduction to a topic. For example, when Nancy Pelosi was elected Speaker of the House, I did a show about the words “woman” versus “female” because people were referring to her as both the first female Speaker of the House and the first woman Speaker of the House. When Saddam Hussein was executed, I did a show about “hanged” versus “hung,” and on New Year’s Day I did a show about how to write dates.
I read in an article that you once said that you wish, “people would be less judgmental about poor grammar and rather that blatantly pointing out errors, give them the skills to correct themselves. My job isn’t to make people feel bad about having the courage to ask questions.” Do you find that your listeners are often apprehensive about contacting you for fear of grammatical errors? Does the same sort of thing happen when people meet you in person?
People regularly say they are nervous when they write to me, which makes me a little sad. The whole reason I do the Grammar Girl show and wrote the book is to help people who struggle with writing, so the last thing I’m going to do is criticize someone who took the time to write a question or a thank you note. People seem less nervous when they talk to me in person. Once people meet me they quickly realize I’m not the kind of person who relishes correcting people in public.
Is Grammar Girl something that you do full time? Do you work out of your house or do you have to go into a studio to record your sessions?
Grammar Girl and Quick and Dirty Tips are a full-time job for me. I’ve been working on the Grammar Girl book for almost a year, and in July I’ll be increasing the production schedule for the podcast to two shows per week. I’m also working on a handbook for first-year college students, and a writing book for teens, and occasionally do speaking engagements.
Besides working as Grammar Girl, I’m also the managing director of the entire Quick and Dirty Tips podcasting network. The network has nine shows that release a weekly podcast, and I work with all the news hosts and personally edit about half of the scripts. We have a pretty aggressive schedule for launching new podcasts this year, so it’s keeping me very busy.
You have a book coming out this week (today as a matter of fact), what made you decide to take the podcasts and turn them into a book?
Listeners were regularly asking for a book, and writing one seemed like a logical next step. I’m particularly excited about the cartoons in the book. I have a lot of fun memory tricks that use the characters Squiggly and Aardvark, and it’s been a blast to see them turned into cartoons.
What’s next for Grammar Girl? Daily grammar tips? A movie with Grammar Girl as the unlikely super hero? A clothing line?
Besides writing the other books (which won’t be out for at least a year or two), I already send out a newsletter with a weekly grammar tip, and I hope to make that daily within the next few months.
My publisher, Henry Holt & Company, just created a wonderful free Grammar Girl quiz widget that people can put on their Facebook page, MySpace page, or blog (see above). It has a quiz now, and once people put it on their pages, I can push out new quiz questions so there will always be new challenges.
We’ll also be putting the Squiggly and Aardvark cartoons on T-shirt and other products, and I’m working on a grammar song. Surprisingly, people seem excited about the Grammar Girl temporary tattoos we’re giving away on the book tour (which starts July 14; the whole schedule is here), so we may do more little things like that.
I have a lot of other plans for next year, but I like your movie idea. If anyone wants to make a Grammar Girl cartoon (or video game), drop me a line!
Any suggestions or helpful tips for our readers?
The best advice I can give you is to admit when you don’t know something and then look it up.
If someone wanted to send you in a question for your show, what’s the best way that they could reach you?
Questions should go to feedback@quickanddirtytips.com. If people want to know what I’m up to, they can follow me at Twitter or Facebook.
How to Enter:
Leave a comment with comment with your grammar stumper, one that gets you every time. No purchase is necessary. One comment per person, please.
You must supply us with a valid email address.
The contest starts now and entries must be date stamped by our server no later than Sunday, July 14th, 2008 at 11:59 PM Pacific Time to be eligible.
The winner will be selected during a random drawing using random.org and will be notified via e-mail to receive the prize.
No prize substitutions.
You must be 18 years old or older to enter and a resident of the USA.
A few weeks back, I was lucky enough to spend some time with Emira Mears and Lauren Bacon, the women behind The Boss of You: Everything A Woman Needs to Know to Start, Run, and Maintain Her Own Business. If you have ever considered starting up your own business, they’ve got some great information and advice for you. And if you’ve been in business for years, but feel a little stuck or ready to grow, they’ve still got some great information and advice for you. They were also kind enough to offer up two books to be given away to our readers (see the rules below).
We recently had the opportunity to sit down with The Toddler Cafe cookbook author, Jennifer Carden. She shared with us some great tips for getting your toddler to eat a variety of foods, dealing with some of those opinion-filled, no moments at the table, as well as a recipe for some Toddler Truffles. To win your own copy of the cookbook, just leave us a comment about your child’s favorite food.
What made you decide to write a cookbook specifically for the toddler?
My husband and I decided on our honeymoon that we wanted to make books. He is a photographer and I was working as a chef and food stylist at the time. That was seven years ago. Our opportunity and idea came when we had our daughter, it seemed like the perfect project for us to explore feeding our child and helping other people to get creative with kids food. read more from "Toddler Cafe: An Interview & Giveaway"
Did you know that roughly 69% of parents have not documented who would raise and care for their children if they weren’t able? It’s not the most cheerful topic to talk about, some might even consider it depressing, but it’s a conversation we should all have with our spouses, our siblings and our parents. And if you have children, it’s definitely a necessary topic and one that should be considered from all possibilities and well thought out. This book will walk you through the process and leave you with many valuable plans and tools to help both your children and your family should something go wrong. read more from "Giveaway: Wear Clean Underwear!"
Doesn’t everyone wish from time to time that they knew the ins and outs of the beauty world? Maybe knew what high end products were worth the splurge and which drugstore brands would work just as well? Well Nadine Haobsh knows those secrets and isn’t afraid to dish.
I’m working on a book called The Happiness Project (forthcoming HarperCollins 2009) an account of the year I spent test-driving every conceivable principle about how to be happy, from Aristotle to Ben Franklin to Oprah to Martin Seligman. On my blog, The Happiness Project, I report on my daily adventures on my way to becoming happier.
But the Happiness Project is more than my book and blog! It’s a whole movement! I’m trying to convince EVERYONE to have a happiness project. I’ve discovered that it’s true – if you actually do all the things you know you should do (go to bed on time, exercise, stop nagging, stop gossiping, take time for fun, take photographs, etc.), you really can make yourself happier. read more from "Gretchen Rubin Talks About The Happiness Project"
How to Enter:
1. Reply to this post in the comments section below and be sure to include why you’d like to win. One comment per person, please.
2. You must supply us with a valid email address.
3. The contest starts now and entries must be date stamped by our server no later than Friday, March 21st, 2008 at 11:59 PM Pacific Time to be eligible.
4. Ten winners will be selected during a random drawing using random.org and will be notified via e-mail to receive the prize.
5. No prize substitutions.
6. You must be 18 years old or older to enter and a resident of the USA.
