This is a heads up to all clients and potential clients, not-so-cleverly disguised as an informative blog post. I am raising my rates at the beginning of April by about 10%. This is both a cost-of-living raise and reflects my improving skill-set and specializations. If you are a current client – don’t fret, I’m not going to raise the price halfway through a project. Rates for future projects may be slightly higher, or not, depending on several factors. 

If you are a new potential client and would like to lock in a project at the current rates, then contact me now – I’ll be quoting based on current rates till the end of the month.

The rates charged for different freelance services vary drastically between individuals. What I charge $50 for, another writer might do for $10 and another for $120. While there are definitely market bands in freelancing, they are often more fluid than you realise, and it’s impossible to get a “standard rate” by which you can benchmark yourself.

That’s why it’s important for freelancers to consider raising their rates every year. You need to take a look at your business and figure out if you’re earning what you’re worth, whether your rate needs to go up, and by how much. The same goes from anyone in a non-freelance business – year-end time is coming up fast and it’s a good chance to assess your pricing and whether it’s time for a change.

Read On…

This article is a friendly warning about the perils of neglecting your marketing. It’s one of those things, like brushing your teeth, you really should do every day. And yet, when we get busy and stressed and run off our feet, our marketing calendar is usually the first thing we drop. And that would seem to be perfect sense. After all, if your business is doing so well, why do you need to hunt for MORE business?

I’ll tell you a little story, about a writer named … Suzie. Suzie had been copywriting for small business clients while working a full-time job at a local charity, as well as writing a few blogs, partaking in several hobbies, and leading a very active social life alongside her rather handsome husband (he was a drum- I mean, he played the tuba). Over the last couple of years, Suzie’s clients were asking her to take on more and more work, and she was at the stage where she could cut back at her office and make a real go at being a full-time freelancer. This would mean Suzie wouldn’t have to work so many evenings and weekends, and would have much more time for hanging out with her friends and headbanging to her husband’s band at the local … jazz club.

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Hi everyone! So, it’s been far too long since I updated this here blog. I know, I know, do as I say, not as I do. Trust me, it has been in my mind for weeks, and I’ve even got a couple or articles half-drafted, but between working away at client work, building a house, and starting a new business enterprise (I know, because who needs sleep, right?) the idea of adding any updates here has made my brain turn to jelly. Lime-flavoured jelly – that’s the best flavour.

But I thought I’d break radio silence to let you know about this exciting venture I’ve been involved in. Heidi Thompson is the awesome lady in charge of Evolve Your Wedding Business, an haven of advice for those marketing products and services to brides and grooms. She’s been an events and wedding professional in the UK and US for several years, most recently running The Alternative Wedding Fair events – which is just my kind of wedding show! Now she’s working on her own wedding marketing firm. Her first big undertaking is the Wedding Business Evolution Summit, which is essentially an online marketing conference for wedding professionals. It’s completely free to sign up an listen along to the seven informational webinars, and there is a truckload of useful tips and ideas for growing your wedding business within – including a webinar on guest blogging by yours truly!

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Christmas is Coming, if the Mayan Apocalypse doesn’t get us first.

What did you do on December 21, the day the Mayan calendar supposedly stopped? I officiated a gothic Victorian wedding – I can’t imagine a better way to celebrate the end of the world!

Although, I don’t really understand why everyone was so worried. I read recently on the Atlantic Wire that archaeologists found new astronomical tables in the city of Xultun. These new tables pre-date the previous codex, which mysteriously stopped on Dec 21, 2012, and span over 7,000 years into the future. So it seems we’re not doomed yet. It’s just that the Mayan writing down the codex got a sore hand and went down to the pub for a drink instead.

What Does The Mayan Apcoalypse Have to Do With MY Business?

Not much, actually, come to think of it. Except for the fact that since it didn’t happen, chances are high you’ll get to enjoy your Christmas turkey, go to the beach (or the ice skating rink) and sip vodka through a straw or whatever it is you get up to on New Years.

You’re out-of-commission. On Holiday. And that means your business is going to have to tick along without you.

Is YOUR business prepared for that responsibility?

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For any new business, pricing work can be a total guessing game. On the one hand, you want to undercut the competition, beucase you know everyone wants a bargain and you want to get your product out there. On the other hand, you want to eat. How to solve this quandary?

The pricing problem becomes further compounded with creative businesses, because the product you’re selling isn’t something people can easily place value on. Artwork doesn’t immediately solve a pressing problem, or offer some kind of stable market for which you can compare models and prices. The price a person pays for artwork is whatever they feel it is worth. If they don’t feel it’s worth the price asked, they won’t pay for it.

Read On…