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Why Generalists Are The Most Successful Freelancers

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I've always held the belief that finding a specific niche is one of the best things you can do for your business, so when Erin came along and pitched this blog post idea, I was intrigued. I had never even considered the benefits of being a generalist, or why this might be a better fit for some freelancers. 

If you're in two minds about whether or not to specialize in one thing or be a jack of all trades, read Erin's post below on the benefits of being a generalist! I'll be posting my thoughts on being a specialist soon so stick around! :)

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Today’s popular opinion is that you need to be a specialist. You should invest your time into mastering your niche and becoming an expert. But what if your interests are varied and you consider yourself a multipotentialite? Can you succeed as a freelancer with a vast knowledge and many skills or do you need to hone in on one thing and perfect it?

Good news for those with many feathers in their caps. Being a generalist is a great thing. You should take pride in your varied interests and start promoting yourself as a jack or jill of all trades.

Here are some reasons why the odds are in the generalist’s favor.

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How To Do Affiliate Marketing Right To Boost Your Freelance Income

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How To Do Affiliate Marketing Right To Boost Your Freelance Income

Freelancing is all about exchanging time for money. But what if you need more money and have no more time to give? That's when you need to start making passive income, and the easiest way to do that is with affiliate marketing. 

My friend and affiliate expert Justine Grey is here today to teach you- my lovely community of freelancers and designers- how to do affiliate marketing right so you can boost your freelance income. Justine has even listed 31 affiliate programs you can join!

Read on for all the deets on how to make affiliate marketing work for you. 

Nearly 6 years ago, as my newborn baby slept in her father’s arms, I sat up in my hospital bed and flipped open my laptop.

23 unread emails

15 project notifications

4 urgent requests

All this since going into labor less than 15 hours before.

At the time, I had been running my freelance business for several years and most of my income sources - including paid writing and client work - required me to trade my time in order to get paid.

This meant I could not take any time off before, during or after giving birth to my second child. The realization that I would not get another paid maternity leave, like I did with my first child as a company employee, hit me like a ton of bricks.

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Building a portfolio that wins you the work you want

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Building a portfolio that wins you the work you want

Does your portfolio attract the right kind of clients? Is your portfolio reflective of your current skill set, or is it outdated? These are questions I want you to consider as you read today's guest post by Hannah.

Hannah is part of Ditto, a creative design and branding agency based here in the UK, and her and the Ditto team have pah-lenty of experience in building a portfolio that attracts the right clients with the right budget. Read on to learn how they created such a successful, money-making, client-getting portfolio!

Nesha xo

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If there’s one thing that’s made winning business immeasurably easier for our branding agency, it’s been developing a portfolio that plays to our strengths and showcases our signature style.

People come to us at Ditto knowing exactly what to expect, and are much, much easier to convert into paying clients since they’ve seen a portfolio full of work that they already love. It gets them excited to work with us and fills them with confidence, overcoming much of the decision-halting anxiety that often plays a part when shopping for a designer (will they understand me? What if they show me something that I don’t like?).

It wasn’t always this way.

Around three years ago, we were a fairly generic design agency that undertook pretty much any work from anybody. We did branding projects, sure – but we’d also do plenty of one-off projects with tiny profit margins. Most of our clients were super-local; we’d design business cards, flyers – even bus timetables. We made money, but business was frustrating and getting clients on board felt like wading through treacle. Uphill. In a snowstorm.

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How to offer web design when you don't know how to code

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How to offer web design when you don't know how to code

Nesha here! I'm so excited that I finally get to share this blog post with you guys because it's soooooo good! Krista Rae, a strategic Wordpress developer, is here today to show you how to offer web design services when you don't know how to code.

I would have died for a blog post like this when I first started my design business. (Okay, I probably wouldn't have died. But I would have paid a shed load for this kind of information, for sure.)

When I decided I wanted to be a freelance designer, I knew a bit about HTML and CSS, but not enough to start offering web design services. The thought of screwing up someone's website because I couldn't code properly put me off from actually offering web design for a long time. But there are things you can do if you don't know how to code and still want to design websites for a living. Read on to hear Krista's awesome tips!

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Web design is a great complement to a branding or graphic design business. With that combination, you can find the perfect clients and keep them, rather than offering branding and then referring them elsewhere for a website.

Luckily, if web design is something you’re looking to add to your business there are several options for how you can do it, both with and without coding on your end. In this post, we’ll cover 3 of the best options for doing just that, the pros and cons of each option, and the details of the option that will give you the most freedom. Let’s dive in!

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5 Legal Tips Every Freelancer Needs To Know

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5 Legal Tips Every Freelancer Needs To Know

Today, my friend (and awesome attorney) Jackie is here to teach you five legal tips all freelancers should know. Legally protecting your business is important- we all know that- but doing it right can seem hard and intimidating. 

Jackie is here to take that confusion away.

Look out for her tips on copyrights- they're golden! 

Nesha xo

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There’s so much involved in being a freelancer – you want to concentrate on your amazing work but you also need to worry about the business side too. Things like all the legal mumbo-jumbo tend to get pushed to the back burner.

As a lawyer, freelance social media manager and part-time blogger, I get it. But I also know the importance of understanding the legal basics to make sure that you and your business are covered. Today, I’m sharing 5 legal tips every freelancer needs to know.

(Before we go too much further, it’s time for a quick legal disclaimer: I am an attorney, but I am not your attorney. The information in this article is for general informational purposes only and is not legal advice. This article does not create an attorney-client relationship. I am a US licensed attorney and the info presented here is based on US laws and regulations. If you need specific legal advice, consult with an attorney who specializes in your subject matter and jurisdiction.)

Ok now let’s jump into it!

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