Freelance Assistance for Coaches and other Pros

Well, here I am, at it again.  I learned some things after my first attempt at starting this business up last year.  I feel like I could have been successful much earlier had our family not made the long move from North Carolina to Alaska.  Excuses, excuses.  Still, I’d like to share those tips with anyone interested in beginning a home-based business.

• Get organized
• Develop a schedule
• Stay motivated
• Set daily goals
• Don’t settle for the first offer that comes along
• Don’t spend a lot to get started
• Separate home from work

This last one is very important for me.  When I got started last year, I could not stay focused on the task at hand.  I saw the dirty laundry or dishes and felt like I had to attend to them right that minute.  These days, I keep my work area completely separate from anything that would remind me of the household tasks.  I also do not stay in my sweats or pajamas when I am working.  I get up at a regular time every day and dress as if I’m going to be working in a casual environment.  I have noticed that just this small effort motivates me and puts me in the “work” mindset.

When freelancing from home, you will find websites such as www.guru.com or www.elance.com where people will post projects that they need help with.  While these sites are very helpful, I would find one that I felt most comfortable with and choose it.  There is no need to sign up for every single one, as it can be fairly expensive, especially for someone just getting started.  I’ve found that employers will usually post their projects on both of these sites, so you are still exposed to the jobs that are being posted out there even if you’re only listed on one site.

As for marketing, I’ve still got a lot of learning to do in that respect.  I have been sending out e-mail after e-mail to people with websites that I find interesting.  Mind you, I only send them to people that I feel may be able to benefit from my services.  I am trying to move away from working for other contractors and instead try to build my own client base from the ground up.  This is very time consuming work, but it allows me to kind of pick and choose the fields that I enjoy working with more.  I used to take every offer that came my way.  It became quickly evident that this was a mistake.  Not everything can keep you motivated and though working at home sure beats commuting and all the other things that come with an outside job, work that you dread is not work that is going to keep you upbeat and optimistic about working from your home.  Boredom and apathy will soon set in.

 One more tip – turn off the television.  In fact, there had better not even be a television in the room you’re working in if at all possible.  It can be a horrible distraction and take away from your valuable time.  In my case, I have to hear what I’m working with, so it’s easy for me to turn off the TV.  Even when I don’t have the headphones on, I find it useful to make it as much like an office environment as possible.  I can say I’ve never worked in an office yet where we were allowed to watch television.

 I hope to keep blogging and networking through what I am told is a useful tool.  Thanks for reading!