Your Words Need Space to Grow
Dame Hilary Mantel published her first novel at the age of 33. Over the next three decades, she wrote twelve books of historical fiction, two collections of short stories, and a memoir. She was the first woman to twice win the Booker Prize for fiction. I'd say she...
Why Aren’t You Earning More?
In a national survey of self-employed professionals, almost 50% of the consultants, coaches, and other professionals declared that they were currently not earning enough to meet their expenses. This result isn't too surprising, since according to the U.S. Small...
What Do Your Online Readers Want from You?
"Being successful at writing can be defined by one parameter: How well we know and resonate with our audience." These are the words of freelance writer Christina M. Ward, one of the top earning writers on Medium, where earnings are determined by how much time readers...
Learn the Art and Skill of Follow-Up
If I had to name one thing that causes more self-employed professionals to fail at marketing than any other, it would be lack of follow-up. Every day, I see solopreneurs and service business owners do a fabulous job at filling their marketing pipeline with prospective...
What’s Your Writing Routine?
The late Maya Angelou kept a hotel room as her writing studio. She took all the art off the walls, and kept the phone unplugged. Arriving there at 6:30 a.m., she wrote until 12:30 or 1:30 p.m. with only a brief break. Every weekday. Sound a little too intense to you?...
You Can’t Move Your Boat by Pushing the River
They say that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over but expecting different results. I've noticed that we self-employed professionals indulge in this practice fairly often. For example, you have some potential business to discuss with Maria...
Your Blog Readers Want Consistency
Aaron Agius is the co-founder of Louder Online, helping business clients be more discoverable online and increase their website traffic. He came up with 27 reasons people aren't reading your blog posts. They're all worthwhile learning about, but here's one it's worth...
Can a Solopreneur Ever Take a Vacation?
When summertime arrives, it's typical that many of your clients and customers start going on holiday. But what about you, the solo self-employed professional? Do you ever get to take a vacation? Yes! You can and should. But it may take some careful planning. First,...
You Can’t Edit a Blank Page
Bestselling author Jodi Picoult says, "I don't believe in writer's block." Interesting, as writer's block is one of the most popular topics of conversation among writers online, and also among members of the non-writing world about writers. How many films have you...
Bartering Your Services with Other Professionals: Yes or No?
Bartering your services can be a useful strategy for self-employed professionals, especially when your business is young. By arranging trades for certain professional or personal services, you can obtain what you can't afford to buy, save money, and avoid incurring...