Being a freelancer takes a certain amount of balls. Men, you’ve got this in the bag.

Lord Almighty, did I just say that? Perfect pun, unintended. That rocks.

It’s true. In a general sense, men seem to have more cojones, not just of the physical kind, but the metaphorical kind as well. Men tend to be more brave, bold, and courageous when it comes to taking a risk, putting themselves out there, and asking for what they want when they want it. They’re pack leaders, hunters and gatherers by nature, and heads of corporations.

Lucky for us women, even though we don’t have our male counterparts’ family jewels driving our need to survive and thrive, we have our own similar attributes to draw from. We’ve got… melons. [That’s right. Now, go make some melon balls and put them to use.]

You want examples, you say? No problem. Observe, and I shall teach you the ways of the force, young writing Jedi.

No matter where your balls are located, here’s how to use them for freelance writing fun and profit.

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Have you ever felt like crying so badly, the tears won’t even flow?

OK, rewind: it was a Sunday morning and I stared in shock at my laptop screen. I had a funny feeling that my writing client was trying to skip out on paying my invoice.

He’d shown signs of bailing on me a few days earlier, but he claimed that he’d keep his word and pay me as we’d previously discussed.

Although my gut warned me that I probably had a rat on my hands, my memory reminded me that the fellow behaved like a reliable gentleman during our first transaction together. Still, I braced myself for the worst and sure enough, the worst took place. The client coldly and arrogantly informed me that my invoice would not be paid and that I should have no issue with finding other sources of work elsewhere.

I was now short hundreds of dollars and oh yeah, three of my bills, including my rent, were due within a few days!

Has anything like this ever happened to you? Maybe you’ve dealt with a client that left you feeling spent, dizzy, tired and shocked. If this has happened more than once, you might ask yourself why this keeps happening to you…again and again. You might ask yourself if you’ve missed signs, if you spelled everything out to the client in the beginning. You might question if you were naive in any way.

Don’t feel bad.

You’re not alone and the good news is, there is a way for you to keep these toxic client relationships from happening again. I’ll let you in on a secret: It’s my firm belief that the laws of business and the laws of love often overlap.

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There’s a crucial investment missing from your freelance blogging plans, despite the fact that it’s the most valuable and critical asset of your freelance business.

It’s something too many freelancers neglect and don’t account for… and end up paying for in the long run. Some pay with their lives.

What is this invaluable freelance asset?

You.

Without you, your business won’t happen. Now forgive me for stating the obvious, but here’s why I’m pointing this out:

If you don’t take care of this critical asset, you’re doing your business harm.

Statistically speaking, 1 out of every 6 small businesses fail because of personal reasons such as divorce or illness.

That’s a staggering statistic. But if you think about it, it makes sense. In fact it may be even more of an issue when you’re an itsy bitsy solopreneur freelance blogging business. When something comes up that keeps you from working, no one’s there to pick up the slack.

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Now, I’m no doctor… But if you’re a fellow writer, I’m willing to bet you suffer a certain syndrome.

Let’s start with a few questions:

• When a client accepts your terms and rates for a project, do you think, “I can’t believe they fell for it!”?
• Do you attribute most, if not all, of your blogging success to luck?
• Do you constantly fear being exposed as a fraud—even though you have the expertise to back up your claims?
• No matter how accomplished you become, do you feel you still need to “pay your dues” or that you don’t deserve the recognition (or pay!) you receive?

Uh-huh. Yep.

Looks like you have Impostor Syndrome.

“I Have What?”

Don’t worry. Impostor Syndrome isn’t fatal.

Well… Not in the physical sense anyway. It could be fatal to your career. 

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You’re all alone.

You haven’t showered in weeks.

You’re eating moldy bread.

You sleep with one eye open and carry a dagger with you.

Congrats! You’re in the middle of a zombie apocalypse.

Wait a minute. This is a blog about freelance blogging! What do zombies have to do with dreams of freelancing success?

Think about it. Both require a special set of skills in order to survive. Whether you’re fending off zombies or trying to rise above other bloggers competing for jobs, it’s important to be prepared.

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