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Self-Employed Freelancers & Home-Based Businesses: Ten ways to Sharpen your Small Business Edge

by BZ Riger-Hull

Write a Business Plan & Lay Out a Plan for your Freelance, Home-Based, or Small Business

When running a small business it is very important to lay out a plan of where your business is, what would you like to bring to the world through your business, where you want to take it and plan the best way to get there. This can be a formal business plan, which is an excellent strategizing tool to develop for your business and then you can update and refocus it from time to time.

Or Write an Informal Mission Statement for Your Small Business

Or you can start out with a more informal mission statement and assessment of your strengths and areas that need improvement. This second option is a lot less intimidating and will help you gain clarity and focus on what is really important to you and the best strategies for achieving it.
The most important key is to develop a complete marketing plan. This will cover your business philosophy and your strategies for adding value and client extras all the way through what advertising you might place and where to reach your target audience.

These ten tips will help you update your business planning and give you a fresh look at your freelance, home-based, or small business.

1. Pay attention to articles in newspapers, magazines and television shows about trends and changes in national and international demographics.

This information can be very helpful in finding new business opportunities for you, increasing profits and ideas for providing additional value and service for people who do business with you.

2. Go right to your most knowledgeable source, your clients.

Ask them for referrals. Explain to them how important this is to your business; give them an extra incentive for spreading the word about your products or services. Providing a small gift is a nice way to show them how much you appreciate their help in referring new business.

3. A marketing plan is only as good as the tracking system you put in place for your freelance or small business.

It will enable you to see where your marketing dollars are being the most beneficial to your business. You will need to track each client, or request for additional information. Get in the habit of asking your clients "How did you hear about us?" Then keep that information in your database along with there name, address, and any special request or preferences they may have. It is important to know how that client found you, through an ad, referral, your web site... You will see patterns begin to emerge allowing you to focus your marketing efforts where they are the most effective.

4. Joining your local chamber of commerce or other trade associations will help you to network and connect with other small business owners.

You will be able to share experiences and bounce new ideas off of these people, and share with other people experiences you have had providing possible solutions to problems they may be facing. More and more the small business world works best when businesses co-partner and act in a mutual interdependent way.

5. You are always marketing your small business and yourself.

Even if you don't think it is a "business setting" you are still conveying an impression of yourself and your business. Be helpful and listen to people. Helping people is very rewarding all by its self but you will find that other people notice and will think of your business first when they need the product or service you offer because they know you are committed to the community and helping others.

6. When advertising your freelance or small business don't think big, as in circulation and exposure.

Think targeted. Find out how your clients spend their time, what they read and what do they like to do for fun. Then take this information and use it to help you target your marketing efforts so your message will reach the specific group of people that are interested in your product or service.

7. Develop different ways for potential clients to get to know you & your home-based or small business.

Writing articles, doing workshops or speaking are great ways to interact with your potential customers. They will get to meet you and experience your style first hand. If you are uncomfortable doing these things, think of ways to start small and build your confidence. Maybe give a book presentation at your local book store or library on a book you found interesting that has some correlation to the services you provide. Perhaps you could partner with someone else and present together.

8. Keep everything consistent. What is most important to you & your small business?

What is the essence of what you would like to provide to your clients that is fulfilling to you. Narrowing your focus and determining what you want to share will help you define your business style. You can then have all of your marketing materials reflect that style. This will attract the best clients for you.

9. Give your clients several options for beginning to work with your freelance, home-based, or small business.

Think of ways you can develop and tailor your services so they can work with you on a small scale to begin with. Offer different services with different price points. People like to test things out, make sure they feel comfortable and pleased with the services you provide. If you are offering different ways for them to start using your services at graduated prices, they will experience first hand the value you provide and continue to do more business with you.

10. What types of projects or goals that people have would you enjoy working with most for your small business.

Are there clients in a particular industry, age group, personal philosophy, or with a greater level of challenge that you would like to work with? When you focus on what is important to you in the characteristics of the clients or the projects they bring you, you will attract clients that are the most rewarding to work with. You'll be excited by the work you do together and have a great person to refer you more potential clients who poses the qualities that are rewarding for you to work with.

~~~ Resource Box ©BZ Riger-Hull. Author of The Soul of Success http://www.in-spiros.com For valuable free articles, mailto:A1@smartautoresponder.com Certified as a Success Coach, “Four Agreements” Facilitator, & Tele-Course leader We help you communicate powerfully, reduce stress, Strategically Attract success, & increase your financial well-being. Our coaching programs and Tele-Courses give you the Tools you need to Succeed.


 

HOW TO SET YOUR FREELANCE RATES - A GUIDE FOR FREELANCERS & CONSULTANTSThere are many factors which business owners must consider on a daily basis as it relates to the running of their business. Things such as how to find good help, where to acquire supplies and how much to pay one’s employees are all pertinent matters which must be addressed. There are a few ways to go about figuring out your rates when it comes to how much to charge the customers.

Apr 01

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SPOTLIGHT CONSULTANTS FROM OUR FREELANCE COMMUNITY

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MARKETING PLANS : A Collection of Articles for How to Outline and Write a Marketing Plan for Freelancers Starting a Home Business or a Small BusinessA solid, well-prepared marketing strategy is the foundation of success in business. The freelancer or any type of business owner must become informed on the development of an effective marketing plan. The following links will focus on marketing plan articles for the freelancer to have a successful business.

Mar 20

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Category: Getting Started - Self Promotion - Marketing | Trackback | No Comments »

BUSINESS PLANS: Business Plan Examples, Samples, Templates, Software and ToolsIn any type of the business including those people that perform freelance work, the proper tools are necessary to become a success. The following links consist of selected online tools for the freelancer to develop an effective business plan.

Mar 18

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MAR 03

FREELANCING AND FINDING WORK AT HOME JOBSThe difficulty lies not in the fact that there aren’t plenty of work at home jobs available but rather in the fact that genuine, quality, money-earning work at home jobs are all mixed up with work at home scams. This makes finding a work at home job that’s legitimate a not-so-easy task for people who are just breaking in to the freelancing business. But don’t worry; once you learn the lingo and know the basics, finding a work at home job gets a lot easier!

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Mar 16

BUSINESS PLANS : A Collection of Articles for How to Outline and Write a Business Plan for Freelancers Starting a Small Business

Business plans are necessary in all types of businesses … and this also includes freelancers. Writing an effective business plan will help you plan out the success of your future business. Factors such as customer base, profit potential, as well as many other factors will be placed in this document. The business plan will help you, the freelancer, think through every aspect of your future successful business. We found the following business plan articles to be very helpful and we hope that you will find them to be useful too.

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FEB 25

HOW FREELANCER WRITERS CAN DEFEAT WRITER'S BLOCKHelpful hints and tips to overcome the dreaded White Page Syndrome - There is probably nothing more dreadful and problematic for a writer than not being able to get going, being stuck on a menacingly white page. Read on for more ideas on how freelance writers can overcome Writer's Block.

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FEB 19

WAYS TO GET MORE CUSTOMER REFERRALS FOR YOUR FREELANCE BUSINESSThe amount of customer referrals will often determine how successful one’s freelance business can really be. As word spreads quickly, having customers refer others to you and your services is a wonderful way of gaining new freelance business and making more money. There are a few distinct ways to get more client referrals for your business.

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FEB 18

FREELANCE HOME OFFICE DISTRACTIONS VS DISTRACTIONS WHEN WORKING IN AN OFFICEOf course, distractions are different depending on whether you are freelancing from home or working in an office. Both kinds have their pros and cons so let’s take a look at some of the basic ones so that you can start getting a grasp on good vs. bad distraction behaviors for freelancers.

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FEB 08

WORKING FULL TIME WHILE RUNNING YOUR FREELANCE BUSINESSThe key to being able to make the transition to full time freelancing is in setting goals that allow you to focus on moving away from working full time for someone else and towards putting more hours in to your freelance business.

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FEB 06

20 WAYS TO PROMOTE YOUR FREELANCE SERVICES USING ONLINE FORUMSThere are a few distinct ways in which freelancers can market their services through forum marketing techniques.

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JAN 24

60+ UNIQUE LOCAL & OFFLINE MARKETING IDEAS FOR YOUR CONSULTING BUSINESS Although online promotion is important for your freelance business, it’s crucial to remember to go back to your basics and do offline promoting as well locally, nationwide, and worldwide depending on who you are marketing to. Here are over 60 ideas to market your consulting services locally. Let Freelance work find you.

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JAN 22

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOUR CUSTOMERS ARE GOOGLING INFORMATION ON YOUThis can be an issue for freelancers whose customers google them and try to find out information relating to them and their business. The following is a list of what to do when your customers are googling information on you.

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JAN 19

26 THINGS TO DO WHEN BUSINESS IS SLOW AND IN DOWNTIME MODESome freelancers are anxious to work day in and day out which may present a problem for them when business is slow. However, there are many things which freelancers can do to bide their time while waiting for new freelance work to come in. Here are 26 ideas for staying productive during your consulting business downtime.

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JAN 15

ONLINE CUSTOMER SERVICE TIPS FOR FREELANCERS & THE SELF EMPLOYEDThere is a casual attitude about communication that takes place online and that creates an environment in which customers sometimes don’t take your work seriously, leading to problems with projects and payments. In order to avoid those problems, you need to make sure that you are conducting all of your online work in as professional a manner as possible. Here are some tips on how to do that.

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JAN 02

TOP 150 PLACES TO TRAVEL WITH YOUR FAMILY WHEN YOU STILL NEED TO GET WORK DONEWhen you are self-employed, there is no vacation time to save up, and there is no one to cover for you when you’re away. For many that mean giving up on vacations altogether, and this is what I have been doing for awhile. Most of These All-Inclusive Family Resorts Have Kids Clubs in Which Your Child can enjoy supervised and fun activities while you and your spouse can have fun or get freelance work done. Take a look below and enjoy!

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DEC 30

LIST OF ARTICLE SITES, BLOGS, AND INFORMATION DIRECTORIES FOR FREELANCERS, CONSULTANTS, AND THE SELF EMPLOYED Do you ever get frustrated when you can't find the information that you need about freelancing? Well, I've just compiled a list of the best article sites, blogs, and directories for freelancers, consultants, and the self employed.

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DEC 30

DECIDING WHETHER OR NOT TO FREELANCE OFFSITE OR ONSITE Deciding to work onsite or offsite sounds like a relatively simple decision, but it’s actually one which isn’t easy to make. Sure, when you’re lying in bed just after the alarm has gone off and you see that it’s raining outside and all you wish was that you could go back to bed for ten minutes and then do your freelance work from home, working offsite sounds ideal. But there are as many cons to the offsite work job as there are pros and you need to weigh them carefully when making the decision about whether to work onsite or offsite.

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DEC 21

IS FREELANCING RIGHT FOR YOU? Freelancing, a term introduced by Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832), is when you work without being committed to an employer. With development of internet and communication technology, there has been a dramatic rise in the number of people going their own way and leaving behind the cubicles. You are reading this book, so you must be contemplating becoming a freelancer, but before you make your move there are a few things to consider.

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DEC 20

FREELANCER'S GUIDE TO TIME MANAGEMENT The most common problem that freelancers face is figuring out the balance between work and the rest of life. While there are a few freelancers out there who don’t work as much as they need to in order to pay their bills and improve their business, most freelancers have the opposite problem – they work ALL the time. And that’s why there are a great number of freelancers who “burn out” after a short (or if they’re lucky, a long) time. In order to make sure that you aren’t one of those people who “used to freelance but got burned out”, you need to set limits on how much you work. Then you need to stick to those limits.

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DEC 16

SHOULD I TURN DOWN FREELANCE PROJECTS? As freelancers, we often feel as if we have to say ‘Yes’ to every single job out there. However, we as freelancers are in a position where we can choose to say ‘No’ if we want to. Believe it or not, there are certain projects that you probably shouldn’t accept. Turning down work is probably the hardest decision you will need to make when running your business, but sometimes turning down a gig is necessary. In this article I will explain to you the details that you need to consider when you aren’t sure which route to take. Consider the following:

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DEC 12

COOL IDEAS FOR YOUR BUSINESS CARDS As freelancers, we need to promote ourselves with business cards. How about putting yourself ahead of the rest of them by designing and printing completely unique business cards? You are about to take a look at the coolest and most innovative business cards that you have ever seen.

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DEC 10

LIST OF FREELANCE FORUMS & MESSAGE BOARDS Looking to get together with other freelancers? Want to network? Want to ask questions about freelancing that you can’t find the answer to anywhere else? Look no further than the freelance forums that we have listed below. Feel free to let us know about forums that we have missed.

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