You got started. Found a few clients.
Remember how it felt at first? The world was yours, the sky was blue, the good life was just around the corner…
Then what happened?
Well, kinda nothing. You’re still doing the same kind of work for the same kind of pay.
And let’s be honest, that fact makes you cringe a little. It’s downright embarrassing. Your family and friends already had doubts about your career choice — you don’t want to prove them right by admitting you’ve failed to make any progress.
So you keep running on that hamster wheel, going nowhere fast.
Problem with the hamster wheel tactic is, it doesn’t work. As long as you’re stuck in the wheel, you have to keep running just to stay upright. It’s exhausting. And you know sooner or later you’ll slip and fall.
What are you going to do?
Give up and cry?
Go back to a nice, safe job in a filing cabinet somewhere?
Hell, no.
Here’s how to break out of the hamster cycle and get your freelance blogging career in gear.
Step 1: Analyse your position
One reason you’re not going anywhere is that you’ve been stuck in your hamster wheel long enough to forget which way is up.
You don’t really know where you stand right now. It’s like trying to get directions from Google without entering a starting point — you can’t plan a route from A to B if you’re not sure where A is.
Look at what you’re working on for your current clients. Look at what marketing you do. Look at your writing habits. Then write out a short description of your current situation.
If you need a prompt to get you started, try filling in these statements:
I currently have ___ regular clients and work on roughly ___ one-off projects per month.
I write an average of ___ words per week for paying clients. The writing work takes me about ___ hours each week, plus I spend about ___ hours communicating with my clients and ___ hours looking for new gigs.
My income per month is ___ dollars and my expenses add up to about ___ dollars per month.
I typically get paid: in full in advance /a deposit in advance / on delivery / within 7 days / within 30 days / on publication / late / if I’m lucky. [Delete as appropriate.]
My best client is ____________. I write ____ words for them per week and they pay me ___ per word. Aside from the money, I like working with them because ______________________. I got this client by ___________________.
My worst client is __________. I write ____ words for them per week and they pay me ___ per word. Aside from the pay, I dislike working with them because ______________________. I got this client by ___________________.
The most lucrative topic I write on is _________________ and the topic I earn the least from is _______________.
The 3 things I do most regularly to look for new gigs are _________________, _______________ and _________________. Things I only do occasionally to look for new gigs include ____________, _____________ and _________________.
The thing that most often works to get me new gigs is ______________________________.
Things I’ve tried that never brought me any gigs at all include _______________, ________________ and _______________. I think the reason those tactics didn’t work is _________________, _________________ and __________________, respectively.
Done? Excellent. Let’s move forward.
Step 2: Figure out your goals
OK, you’re at A and you want to get to B. Where’s B, exactly?
No, I mean exactly.
“I want to make more money” isn’t precise enough to get you far.
Here’s what you need to do: plan out, in detail, where your freelance blogging career will stand 8 weeks from now.
Why 8 weeks? Because it’s long enough for big changes to happen, but not so long that you’ll think of it as some far-off imaginary goal. This is your real life and it’s happening in the next 56 days, so buckle up.
Let’s take another look at some of those statements, and complete them again — this time with your goals. Don’t choose goals you have zero chance of achieving in 8 weeks, but do set goals that are a bit of a stretch if you’re feeling energetic. Stretching is good for you. 😉
Fire away:
8 weeks from today, I have ___ regular clients and work on roughly ___ one-off projects per month.
I write an average of ___ words per week for paying clients. The writing work takes me about ___ hours each week, plus I spend about ___ hours communicating with my clients and ___ hours looking for new gigs.
My income per month is ___ dollars and my expenses add up to about ___ dollars per month.
I typically get paid: in full in advance /a deposit in advance / on delivery / within 7 days / within 30 days / on publication. [Delete as appropriate.]
My best client is a ____________. I write ____ words for them per week and they pay me ___ per word. Aside from the money, I like working with them because ______________________.
The 3 things I do regularly to look for new gigs are _________________, _______________ and _________________.
Did you notice that I skipped a few parts this time? Those things are all useful to note in Step 1, but we don’t need them in Step 2. We don’t want to make too many assumptions about where your clients will come from, and we don’t want to plan any negativity into your future. Your mind’s a powerful tool. Keep it focused on targets to hit, not fears to run from.
How far away is your target? Can you hit it from here?
Step 3: Know your delta
In math and science, the Greek letter delta is the difference between two measurements of the same thing. It’s a symbol for the amount of change.
Delta also happens to be the geographical term for the last part of a river you have to navigate before you reach open water. That’s the part where the river slows down and a lot of sediment builds up, almost blocking the river mouth.
Whichever meaning you prefer, delta is relevant to your situation. You want change, and you want to swim with the big fish.
That means you need to get through your delta.
Look back over the statements you’ve made about your current situation and your 8-week goals. [Haven’t made your statements yet? Scroll up and start from Step 1. I promise, it’s worth it.]
Now estimate the delta between each goal statement and today. That sounds difficult and maths-y, but it’s easy stuff:
- Call each of your 8-week goals “10 out of 10”.
- Call total failure “0 out of 10”.
- Rate each of your current situation statements somewhere on that scale of 0 to 10.
- Subtract the rating of each of your current situation statements from the corresponding goal rating (which is always 10, so this part isn’t too difficult).
- Your answer is a measurement of delta. This tells you how much of a change you’ll need to make to reach your goal. The higher the number, the bigger the change.
Need an example?
- From Step 1: “I mostly get paid late.”
- From Step 2: “I mostly get paid on delivery.”
- In Step 3: “I rate getting paid late as 2 out of 10. It’s better than not getting paid at all, but it’s a long way from getting paid the day I deliver.”
- So subtract 2 from 10, and the delta on your payment timing is 8. That’s a pretty big change, but it’s achievable. [If you like math, you’ve probably already figured out that a delta of 8 in this context means 80% of the journey to your goal is still ahead of you. If you don’t like math, ignore this side note and move on to the next paragraph.]
By now, you must be wondering why I’m making you do all this crap. You already decided your goals and you’re ready to shoot for them, so why bother with deltas and arithmetic?
Because knowledge is a tool.
Because comprehension is a driver.
Because human nature.
Everybody’s got goals. Some people are even working hard toward theirs. But many of them are failing because they never stopped to figure out how long the journey was before they set out.
Delta is the distance from “YOU ARE HERE” to your goal, even before you’ve planned your route. Knowing the size of the changes you set out to make, you’re better able to judge how realistic they are and what you’ll need to get to 10 out of 10.
If your delta is 10 for any of your 8-week goals, you’re either aiming too high or rating your current situation pessimistically low.
If delta is 8 or 9, it’ll be tough going — but you can make it in 8 weeks if you have all the resources and support you need.
If any of your deltas in this exercise are small, like 1 or 2, then reaching your goal will be so easy you’ll want to punch yourself for not doing it sooner.
Step 4: Plan your route
There are usually many ways you can get from A to B, but some routes are easier than others.
For example, all my experience as a freelance blogger and a mentor to other bloggers has taught me that achieving your goals often means finding better clients.
Changing the way you work with your existing clients is an option. You can raise your rates, amend your payment terms, or turn a one-off project into a regular gig.
But a crappy client will still be a crappy client even if they agree to pay you a few dollars more. And finding new clients who respect and appreciate you enough to pay a good rate, on time or in advance, is always a good thing.
So plan out the ways you’re going to find and win those ideal clients. This is a little different for every blogger, but the common landmarks include preparing yourself for evaluation, figuring out where to look, knowing what to say and negotiating a good deal.
If you want a detailed 8-week plan of action to get you there, I’ve got one for you.
Step 5: Go
This is it: your chance to step out of the wheel and onto the path to success.
8 weeks from now, where will you be?
Brilliant post Sophie!
Being a former Project Manager, I love this systematic and planned approach.
Shared!
Thanks, Jawad!
Dang, you throwing math in there? Wow. Tough but will do once I start the master class. (I know. I’m a slacker. 🙂 )
Can’t wait to see you in there, Willi – we’re gonna have a blast when you join in! 🙂
As a writer, how do you form connections with clients. Websites that require you did bid for jobs are quite useless
Clients are people. You can connect with them just as you would with a non-client, by reaching out via email, LinkedIn, Twitter or whatever and discussing something you have in common. But before you start trying to connect, you first have to figure out who your ideal client *is*. Otherwise you won’t know where to find them!
Hi Sophie,
Wow!
I started this exercise yesterday of creating a roadmap from hereabout to thereabouts but yours is mindblowing.
The devil is in the details.
Thanks, again.
You’re welcome, Rohi! I hope this post helps you work your route out more easily. 🙂
The most useful article I’ve read on freelance blogging. In fact, I’ve never felt compelled to comment on anyone’s post prior to this! Thanks for the great advice Sophie.
Well that IS an honour! 😀 Thanks for taking the time to speak up, Jackson.
Great advice! And I really appreciate the exercises. It really helps to actually “do” the exercises, not just read them. When I quit just reading everything and actually start putting things down on paper, it makes such a huge difference.
Jordan gets bonus points! Yep, completing the exercises is much more useful than skimming through them. 🙂
Very well put, and it’s like you pulled the questions from my mind. I love your blog, thank you for all the heart and soul (and honesty) you put into this!
You’re very welcome, Trish. 🙂
I LOVE this! I tripled my income this month from what it’s been since I started freelancing (YAY ME!), but I still have a looooong way to go till I get where I want to be in my income and my work. I can’t wait to do this exercise. After I finish that article that’s due on Monday. 😉
WOOHOO Lisa! That’s awesome news. 😀 I worked through this exercise myself before writing the post, and it made me realise that although I earn up to $300 per post, I still have some way to go before I meet *all* my goals. Now I’m plotting a way to keep my income the same while reducing my hours even further. 😉
Love this advice, Sophie! If there’s one thing I’ve learned in the past year, it’s that you’re not going to get anywhere without specific goals and a detailed plan in place. 🙂
Exactly, Kara — the sooner you see your path (or at least the first few steps of it) the sooner you can get to your goal.
This post hit me because it made me realize that I need to constantly and accurately evaluate (know my delta) in order to be able to set more direct goals that take me where I’m aiming. This demonstrates an awesome way to accurately analyze where you’re at, and where you want to be…AND how to get there. I’ve been sitting where I’m at for about 2 months not pushing much, or in the right direction to attain more. I got complacent…oopsy. Thanks for making me realize I’m not even close to ‘complacent’ yet. : )
This is why I like 8 weeks as a goal-setting period. It’s not quite long enough for you to sit back and say, “Yeah, I have those goals but I’ll work on them later.” When you only have 56 days, complacency isn’t an option! 🙂
Always loved your writing style Sophie. Keep it up!
Rob
🙂 Thanks, Rob!
Excellent post! I love the step-by-step guide, and you always seem to nail the intro.
Thanks, Alicia, glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
I feel like this post is speaking directly to me. I’ve been really struggling with my freelance blogging business lately. It’s morphed into something I never wanted. I quit my job so I could enjoy freedom and it’s not giving me that. I printed out your prompts and filled them in. Two hours later I’m shocked and can’t believe some of my statistics. Thanks to you I have a clear plan of where I’ve been (which was SUPER cloudy until now) and goal of where I want to be in 8 weeks. Thank you for breaking this down! It’s likely you’ve saved my writing career. I you’ve renewed my hope in the choice to become a blogger…thank you!
…and my work here is DONE! I’m so glad it helped you, Carrie.
P.S. I have every faith in your ability to kick ass as a freelance blogger. If you get stuck, email me.
You are totally right. We had a safe but boring job. We quit so that we can trap ourselves on our own wheel. If you were brave enough to break out of work cycle you will now have to figure out how to make online. It is the case of always trying and testing and never giving up. Remember the competition online is much harder and you have to try harder. Everyone and his/her dog has a blog now. But are you everyone?
Hey Sophie,
Great article.
I think precise goals are a great not only as you then have a specific goal to achieve, but they allow you to accurately measure your progress.
I’ve recently started a writing log where I’m recording how many words I write, time taken and money earned. I’m going to couple this with your templates above and perform a self audit every 8 weeks.
Hopefully this will help me recognise the areas in which I need to focus on and improve as well as giving me a recorded history of my progress (which will hopefully be a great motivational boost!).
Thanks again for the great info!
Pete
Hey everyone, Pete’s spreadsheet is here: http://have-a-word.com/plans-self-audit/ and it’s incredibly helpful! I strongly recommend you fill in a copy at the start and end of your 8 weeks so you can see where you stand and what’s changed.
Thanks Sophie,
Hopefully the spreadsheet will prove helpful for a few people at the very least!
What a fantastic plan of attack to look objectively at what we’re doing, how, why, and figure out ways to make it pay off greater (financially and with better clients) in the long run. You never disappoint in your advice, Sophie.
Not to mention the timeliness of this for my personal situation is uncanny. Over the past couple weeks I started analyzing what I do, how I do it and who I’d like to be writing for. Just yesterday I created my pitch, follow up email and final email and started approaching potential new clients. As I keep at it over the next few weeks this can act as a loose road map to getting what I really want out of any potential jobs.
I might pitch somewhat differently once I get things down on paper. Thanks for this!
Glad you liked it, Jenn! Let us know how it goes for you. 🙂
Great post Sophie! I am just getting started with free-lancing but just wrote down a timeline of goals for myself in my journal yesterday. For me, putting my goals on paper was helpful in organizing my thoughts, and was also like an affirmation to the universe! I will keep this post handy so I can refer back to it later on!
Putting down my goals on paper helps me, too, Ivy!
Glad you enjoyed the post. Let us know about your progress!
The Hamster wheel is a great analogy of what it’s like to only Dream and not have your goals written down! I’m an MBA and we learned when developing a marketing plan that you also need to be specific by quantifying your goals so you have a benchmark. Same principle applies towards your personal goals.
I now carry a personal notebook with me everywhere I go and write down what I am doing to help make sure I focus on doing what I need to. This has given me tremendous success.
Love the Post Sophie and Keep them coming!
Glad you enjoyed it, Jear! You’re going to fill up that notebook in no time! 😉
What a wonderful kick start Sophie! Thank you! I am super pumped to get going on improving my career. I’m new (and I hope that’s OK) – but very ready and willing to get my fingers moving to bring in some more $ doing what I love whilst being able to work around homeschooling my four kiddies…… thanks heaps!
You’re welcome, Quigley! Have fun in the Masterclass. 🙂
Thank you for this post! Writing down goals does make them more tangible and realistic. 🙂