When we started writing this blog, our purpose was clear. We were chronicling the process of starting a freelance business from home. From the very beginning, we’ve tried to be exceptionally transparent so that anyone wanting to do the same could learn from both our successes and our failures. Today I want to share how those two things (success and failure) are so intrinsically connected.

Writing Freelance Parent has had some major bonuses for us, too. For one thing, we had to research stuff to write about, which meant that we could use that knowledge to grow our own company. Secondly, we have been able to get so much inspiration and support from other freelancers out there in the blogging community. It’s truly been a win-win situation.

But, you may have noticed that our previously frenetic posting pace has slowed markedly in the last couple of months. Sure, I had a baby during that time and left poor Tamara to do all of the heavy lifting (and many of you contributed awesome guest posts in my absence), but it’s been three and a half months, and the blog feels a little like swimming in molasses.

What gives?

A couple of things have happened. I’m just going to gloss over the first one, or this post will get far too long. Basically, it’s that we’ve already sort of covered a lot of the stuff that we urgently needed to learn in order to not have to fold up shop before we’d even really gotten going. That’s not to say that we’ve shared (or even know) a fraction of what goes into building this kind of business, rather, it means that we have been fortunate enough to have gotten the basics.

In reality, I think the biggest “problem” is success. No, we’re not making $10,000 a month just yet, but we’re definitely busier than we’ve ever been before. We’re getting more clients, higher-paying clients, and a really interesting variety of clients. I’ve been up until two or four a.m. repeatedly in the last week so that I could find time to do the work that’s been coming in. I think Tamara is poised to make double the amount she’s yet made in a single month of freelancing.

It feels great. It is satisfying and vindicating and more than a little terrifying all at once. This whole freelancing thing has been a bit uncertain from the beginning, but I’m really at a point now where I know we are going to succeed. We are succeeding. It’s a lot of work, and it comes at a cost, but it is really, really cool.

Freelance Parent is so dear to us, and we really miss the days when we could post six times a week. Remember when I would do a weekly post on inspirational quotes? I loved that. It seems possible that those days are gone; and while there’s a twinge of regret (especially about not having enough time to read all the other blogs I enjoy), I’m not feeling too darn sorry for myself.

Don’t worry. Freelance Parent isn’t going anywhere. This blog has been such a big part of the founding and growth of the Berry-Brewer Freelance Agency, and we think it will continue to be. I just wanted to take the time to tell you all that you really can be successful in this business. We’re doing it day by day right here in our living rooms with our children at our sides.

Since the original goal of this whole blogging thing was to chronicle the creation of a freelance business, I wanted to be sure to share this part of it because I’m grateful, I’m inspired, and I’m hopeful that you are (or will be) feeling this way, too.

As writers, we’ve all heard the old saying, “write what you know.” This helpful bit of advice can be used for both fiction and nonfiction writers. In the former situation, it gives realism to your work and cuts back on research time. In the latter, it’s called a niche.

Lorna and I find ourselves complying with this adage fairly well. When we bid on jobs, they are ones with typically familiar subject matter: nonprofit related work, baby products, cooking, small businesses, etc. This blog is a great example; since we are in the midst of freelancing and being parents on a daily basis, we happen to know this stuff pretty well.

However, we don’t restrict ourselves to these topics. When well-paying work knocks at the door, we answer – regardless of the topic. This means that we have become masters of research and learning, which in my opinion, is what the life of a freelancer is all about.

Still, there is one more additional factor to consider: finding jobs that offer the chance to write what I want to know. We recently hit a bit of a blog writing stumbling block; our business was uneventful for a few weeks, so we felt we had nothing really to blog about. Lorna and I got together to brainstorm some topics and hit on what we considered an epiphany.

Why don’t we set up some blog topics about things we need to learn for ourselves?

I’m always lamenting my lack of knowledge about taxes and accounting. Lorna wants to know more about WordPress. I want to start considering my business’s options regarding exit strategires. These certainly make great topics. (Expect to a see a few of them in the coming weeks.)

But the great part is, this kind of mindset isn’t just restricted to blogs. You can:

• Place bids for jobs that sound like they involve something you’d like to know more about.

• Build your personal research into an ebook.

• Create some great samples for your website.

• Put your writing on low-paying online or print magazines that offer a great level of exposure.

• Find a well-paying magazine in the same genre and send them a query letter.

• Convince an existing client they want to pay you for a report on the topic at hand.

The bottom line is that we’ve all got work to do anyway. You might as well take advantage of the things you need or want to learn by incorporating them into something that pays or will provide other value to your business.

I generally tend to stay pretty positive here on the blog, but I’m just really ticked off about something, and I have a feeling some of you will be able to commiserate. Yes, this is one of those posts that weighs more heavily on the “parent” side than the “freelance” side. Basically, I just need to rant/whine/complain for a few minutes, and you all are my somewhat captive audience.

As most of you know, I recently had my first baby. It’s been a crazy roller coaster of an experience, for sure. Thank goodness we’re past the point where I cry (multiple times) every day. That was just exhausting. In fact, I’ve probably only cried once in the past three weeks. Unfortunately, it was today; but I’m not going to get into it here . . .

Anyway! I’ve been trying to get back into the mode of “freelance writer” for far too long without the results I’ve been looking for. The fact of the matter is that I just have not been able to find the time to do as much work as I would like. I know I chose the work-at-home lifestyle so that I could spend time with my child, but I didn’t realize that I was going to be devoting every single waking (and sleeping, come to think of it) moment to her. It turns out that I’m not so good at typing, researching, etc. while holding a baby.

So, I got smart and lined up some help. I was inspired by Tamara’s post on hiring a mother’s helper. Not only did I hire a cousin of mine to help out a couple of hours two days a week, but I also lined up two other family members for one or two more days. I felt pretty darn pleased with myself. I’d freed up several hours a week to devote to our business, and I wouldn’t have to leave home or put my baby in daycare to do it. Sweet.

As Wayne Campbell would say, “Not!” (Ooh, my age is showing.)

It turns out that family is a lot more comfortable calling in sick or just not showing up than other people are. I am still dumbfounded by that fact. I kept holding onto the hope that someone was going to say, “Just kidding!” but it didn’t happen.

I was back to spending all day carrying Baby Dot around with me. Don’t get me wrong, I love my baby with all my heart, and I don’t mind snuggling with her in the slightest. On the other hand, I have bills to pay and a business partner to keep happy and all that other real-life stuff to deal with. It was time to try something new. I put up an ad for a nanny on Craigslist.

You’d think the rant was going to end here, wouldn’t you? It doesn’t.

I am shocked and appalled by some of the responses I received. I left a short ad asking for a part-time nanny for about 12 hours a week and asking for the respondents to send me an email that included their experience and rates. I believe that of the responses I received, only two people actually sent me the information I requested.

Here’s one entire response: “what are your times?”
And another: “I would love to do this could you give me your number?I’m 18 And good with babies my friend could tell you she just had a lil one on march 5Th and i use to take care of her alot. 5 bucks a hour I’m not sure what to charge lol”

Seriously? This is how people apply for a job now? The writer in me could about curl up and die after reading the second response (which was sent to me three times, by the way). And the first one? That’s just . . . ridiculous. Oh, and when I did set up interviews with the most promising candidates, one didn’t even bother to show up! Have I used the word “flabbergasted” yet? Because that’s the best descriptor I can come up with for how I feel about all of this.

Lest I come across as too whiny, I would like to say that I found a wonderful nanny. She’s 19, has a really positive disposition, and is attending my and my husband’s alma mater. She’ll be starting on Tuesday, and I am more than thrilled about it.

Still, I’m just completely surprised by so many of the things that have transpired. The fact that people flaked out on me and stopped showing up was crazy. Some of the responses I got to my ad were insane.

Knowing that someone will be here next week so I can focus and get some work done? Well, that’s just awesome.

 A few weeks ago, Tamara and I chatted on the phone about our combined vision for our freelance writing company. We do this quite often, actually, and it helps keep us enthused about what we’re doing. We chat about our goals and whether or not we’ve reached them. We lay out our schedules for the upcoming couple of days so everyone is aware of what everyone else is doing. Heck, we usually devote a fair amount of these chats to gossiping about whatever’s going on in our little corner of the blogosphere.

During one such conversation, Tamara and I were talking about some folks we know online who have their own company. I said to her, “I’d sure like to hitch our star to that wagon!” A moment later I realized the error of what I’d said. “I’d like to hitch our wagon to that star!” I corrected myself, chuckling at the mistake. We talked a little more about how much we admired these business owners and how we would like to get on their radar and then said our goodbyes.

For the next couple of days, I just couldn’t get that phrase out of my head. Was the fact that I said it backward some sort of Freudian slip? Was I subconsciously trying to hold us back by letting someone else’s reality define how high we are able to soar? I certainly don’t want to tether our blazing star to someone’s earth-bound wagon! After agonizing over it for a while, these ruminations led me to determine that I’d simply gotten tongue-tied. 

I realized this because it is so clear that Tamara and I are absolutely inspired by the success of those around us. Every time we hear about a colleague who has received an acceptance from a big-wig magazine, for example, it reminds us that we can do it, too. Watching partnerships grow into successful businesses fills us with confidence about our own potential. Little throw-away lines that someone adds to a blog post (”I’m so busy I’m turning down work!” “It was clearly time to increase my rates!”) perk us right up, as we realize that we’re working our way into the same position.

 We are inspired by the work that other entrepreneurs are doing. Sometimes we’re flat-out flabbergasted by it. The Shane & Peter Blog talks a lot about finding the right mentor, and I have to say that we recognize them every day in the words and deeds of the people we meet through our business. There are so many entrepreneurial ventures out there that we follow with much interest. Sometimes it’s because the business owner is sharing such amazing information, like Naomi with her Marketing School over at IttyBiz or Deb Ng’s work on Freelance Writing Jobs. Other times it’s because he or she has done something we aspire to do, like Allena Tapia with her About.com page. It’s also possible that we’re just ga-ga over a company because they are willing to publicly declare their million-dollar goal for 2008.

 We are more than ready to hitch our wagon to the myriad of brilliant stars we see shimmering around us. In fact, we’ve gone and hitched it to our very own star. We hope to be able to inspire others as much as they’ve inspired us.

 How about you? What entrepreneurs out there are inspiring you, and how are they doing it? When you get a moment to (metaphorically) look into the night sky, which stars twinkle the brightest?

I recently outed myself as a die-hard procrastinator. I make no apologies for my work habits and try to utilize my strengths and weaknesses to become the best freelancer I can be. It works for me – most of the time. I’ll be the first to admit that in the throes of a procrastination session, it isn’t uncommon for me to become, well, sloppy when it comes to doing that one final edit.

As a matter of course, I always do a final edit on my work. I like to get all my research and writing done in one fell swoop, and work best when I have a block of time to devote 100 percent to the article at hand. However, that doesn’t mean that I consider my article “finished” once my fingers leave the keyboard. “Finished” only occurs after the article has had time to rest, and I have time to return to it with fresh eyes.

The snowblind phenomenon is fairly common in writing. Once you have looked at an article or piece of work for long enough, you simply lose your objectivity. Things that make sense to your brain might be complete nonsense to someone who hasn’t spent the last two hours steeped in related research. Not to mention a tendency to miss important things like simple misspellings, punctuation, or grammar.

My college professors used to harp on this issue: never leave everything until the last minute so that you lose the chance to revisit your work with fresh eyes. I rarely listened to them then, but I listen now. Before you push that send button, double check your work. Here are a few tips I use to make it easier:

• As you get the email ready to send to the client, upload your articles/files one at a time. Read and approve each one before you attach it.

• Get a business partner who can perform a final once-over for you. (Okay, okay, this might not be the best solution for everyone. But you can find a writing buddy to perform a routine check every now and then in exchange for the same type of assistance.)

• Use the spelling and grammar check on your computer. While I don’t condone using word processors as the end all and be all of what good grammar constitutes, it never hurts to spend the thirty seconds to see what it has to say about your mistakes.

• Set your deadline one day ahead. That way, you can do a real final edit after you have had time to separate yourself from the article for an entire day.

• Use text reader software or even read the text aloud to yourself. Hearing the words often makes it easier to find mistakes or things that sound a little off.

• Ask a spouse or close friend to read it over. Even if your spouse is virtually useless in the word department (as mine is), he or she can offer a fresh perspective when it comes to things like content and quality.

• Hire someone to do a final read for you. Many freelancers (the Berry-Brewer Freelance Agency included!) offer a quick proofread for low cost.

A polished final product often means the difference between getting repeat work and having to dig up clients one at a time. Do it right the first time and edit!

So, for a couple of weeks now, Tamara and I have been talking about working with a marketing professional to redesign our web site and do some branding.  We are so excited to announce that the new site is up and running, and we’re thrilled to share it with all of you.  Please check it out at http://www.berrybrewer.com and let us know what you think. 

Speaking of new looks, have you all taken a look at the new Sparkplugging site?  That’s right, we’re no longer eMoms at Home.  If you want to follow the whole story, check out Wendy’s blog Sparkplug CEO for a blow-by-blow on the how and why of the big change.  If you have been gracious enough to link to Freelance Parent in the past, we would be ever so grateful if you’d be willing to update your links so that Google and Technorati take us seriously!

My husband and I got into a rather heated discussion the other day over the marketing side of freelancing. He has a marketing background, and I despise anything sales-related, so the stage was already set for some dissension before we even started.

Background Story: I placed a bid for an editing job. The clients came back and asked if I would do a one-chapter sample edit. (And yes, I was paid for it. I don’t work for free.) I agreed, and discovered that they had asked the same thing of another freelancer. Basically, they were perusing their options to determine which editor was a better fit. I thought, “kudos for them,” and proceeded to do my best work. I turned it in, sent a nice email, and awaited a reply.

My husband feels that I lost a prime opportunity to sell myself. He wanted to know if I mentioned in the email what exactly I could bring to the project. He wanted to know if I added a plug or two for my incredible skills and the direction I would take their book.

Well, no.

I am of the school where the work should speak for itself. They got my resume and experience in my bid for the job. They got a first-hand look at what I could do for their book. They knew my rates and, to my mind, had everything they needed to make an informed decision. I hate it when salespeople try to push their services or wares on me. I can see right through them and don’t enjoy someone telling me what I should think. So I don’t do it in my own professional life, either.

Hence the heated discussion.

His points:

1. I am selling a service. Therefore, I need to actively sell that service.
2. Just because I can see the absolute semantic beauty of my editing skills doesn’t mean the client can. I need to point out what I’ve done, why I’ve done it, and why they need exactly that from me
3. The clients might be too lazy to look at details in the editing, but they are probably reading the emails. The emails were my opportunity to shine.
4. I needed to act like I really wanted the job.
5. The clients were male, and men tend to respond better to aggressive tactics. I need to tailor my tactics to the client.
6. I will probably never hear from them again, and it’s no one’s fault but my own.

My points:

1. I don’t want to have to continue selling myself as the project goes on. Either they want to work with me, or they don’t. Either way, I can adjust and move on.
2. Our business holds on to clients for a long time. Why? Because we simply do good work. That should be enough.
3. I hate selling. I gave the clients all the information they needed, and I am assuming they are intelligent enough to see through any sales tactics that might cover up shoddy workmanship or a lack of experience.
4. I use this approach all the time, and I get work that way.
5. We’ll wait and see how they respond before I assume he’s right. My way is just fine, thank you very much.

I didn’t get the job.

The husband may have been right.

 Happy Earth Day to all you freelancers out there. It hasn’t escaped me that the best way for me to observe the day would probably be by not doing my job . . . After all, I use a ton of electricity sitting at this computer, not to mention the natural gas to heat the room and the electricity to run the without-a-doubt, absolutely-necessary background music. There’s the paper that will be sacrificed to print out my day’s assignments and the water that I will use if I ever get a chance to make it into the shower today.

Hmm. Somewhere along the line, I think I’d convinced myself that working from home was better for the environment. I guess I’d better start talking myself back into that. Let’s see . . .

Five Reasons Every Day Is Earth Day When You Work From Home

1. No vehicle emissions from driving back and forth to the office.
2. We can actually keep the lights off until nightfall.
3. No one looks at us funny when we print on the back of previously-used paper.
4. No fast food wrappers to be disposed of after ducking out for lunch.
5. We know that the recycling doesn’t just get mixed in with the trash when everyone goes home for the night.

Yeah, I’m feeling a little better about things now.

I have recently undergone an incredible increase in productivity. I went from struggling to find enough time without my two-year-old daughter underfoot to having extra time on my computer to actually browse through unnecessary websites and play a game or two (this is in addition to my regular workload).

My secret to success?

I gave her a laptop.

Okay, perhaps it’s not as simple as that, but I have determined a daily pattern that suits both of our needs.

My daughter is at the age where she pretty much wants to do whatever mommy does. When I’m cooking dinner, she sits on the counter and stirs. When I’m doing laundry, she sits in the laundry basket and demands a ride. When I’m reading a book, she likes to plop down into my lap and watch television. When I go to the bathroom, she seats herself on the bathmat and waits. In short, she is attached to my hip and won’t let go.

Until recently, this has been a big problem. I spent most of my time trying to divert her attention for long enough to get a few stolen minutes on the computer. She resented every bit of it and was probably feeling really jealous of the computer as a whole. Her coping mechanisms cycled between clinging tighter to me, throwing fits, and monopolizing the computer for herself.

It’s that last one that was causing problems, since I was hard put to find time to work. We have several toddler computer games, and my daughter is also a huge fan of the Disney and Nick Jr. websites. She is ridiculously good at using the laptop (she can out-touch-pad my parents any day of the week), and can go from the startup menu to her game of choice without batting an eye. Every time I tried to get on the computer to work, she pitched a fit and wanted to play with it herself.

My laptop is about three years old, and it’s a crappy store-brand model to begin with, so the technological capabilities are not exactly cutting-edge. I’ve been dying for a new laptop, and this seemed like the perfect time to get a new one. So I did.

It was nothing short of a miracle. My daughter is now the proud owner of the old laptop, and I have a shiny new model. She will gleefully inform visitors that it is “her ‘mputer” and refuse to let anyone touch it unless she needs help with something.

I no longer fight the attached-at-the-hip syndrome; I embrace it. We get up in the morning and do everything together. We eat together, play together, run errands together, create artwork together, do dishes together, and “work” on our computers together. For a few hours of every day, you can find us curled up on the couch next to one another, tapping away on our respective keyboards. Her games are educational enough to ease any bad-parent feelings I may have, and the amount of work I get done uninterrupted makes me positively giddy. When I feel like we’ve had enough computer time, we simply turn them off and move to a new project. Together.

I don’t know how long this will last, but it’s been a few weeks and things seem to be going really well. Obviously, going out and buying computers for everyone in the household isn’t a feasible solution for every work-at-home challenge, but for as long as my daughter wants to be exactly like mommy, I’m going to let her!

I’m a sucker for a guarantee. Back in the days when my pizza was promised to me in 30 minutes or less, I used to set the timer on my microwave the second I hung up the phone. Nowadays, when I download software that promises to meet all my expectations or I get my money back, I like to raise my expectations to a ridiculously high level to see if they can really make all my dreams come true.

However, it’s pretty rare that I ever take anyone up on their offer. If my pizza was a few minutes late, I smirked to myself and let it go. If I’m not happy with a purchase, I silently scold myself for falling prey to their clever marketing and try to learn from my mistake. Perhaps I’ve spent too many years on the other side of the service counter; I know that most of the time, guarantees are meant to encourage people in the door, not to get them to whine and complain about service.

So it is with mixed feelings that I approach the subject of having a guarantee for a freelance business. On the one hand, I know that potential clients like to see that there is some sort of guarantee in place. It makes them feel more secure in hiring you. It gives them an “out” if you drop the ball. Clients like that. Clients like to hire companies and freelancers who offer that.

On the other hand, few guarantees are meant to be taken at their word. Yes, I intend to honor the guarantee Lorna and I have established for our company. No, I don’t expect that anyone will up and demand that I do.

Therein lies the dilemma. Although most guarantees are made in good faith, no one making one really ever expects them to be necessary. Most of us intend to do a good job from the get-go.

Our company has a quality guarantee. Verbatim from our site, it says: “All of the Berry-Brewer Freelance Agency’s work is satisfaction guaranteed. If, for any reason, you are not completely happy with the outcome of your project, we will work with you to reach a positive outcome. Reasonable requests will always be completed free of charge.”

When Allena Tapia guest posted on Freelance Parent, she shared her own guarantee: “No Exceptions – No Excuses!” She promises to get the work in on time, no matter what.

As far as I’m concerned, these are a fantastic couple of promises. However, I assume that they are pretty standard fare for freelancers - most professionals I know always meet their deadlines and are willing to make changes free of charge up to a certain point. That’s just good, basic business sense.

So why the need for a guarantee at all?

I think it does two things: a) makes clients happy, and b) keeps personal ethics high.

It’s the second one of these that means the most to me. The one time our guarantee was really called into question was with the client who made me cry. She was obviously not happy with the outcome of my work. When this much became clear, Lorna and I actually discussed our guarantee and how it related to her demands. I was willing to redo the project, and would have done it without charging her more money. However, we were pretty sure that no matter how hard we worked, nothing with this woman would be “reasonable,” and she would never be happy with the outcome. So we let her go at a fraction of the cost. We felt that in the end, this remained true to our guarantee – which was the most important thing.

So, in a literal sense, we didn’t honor our guarantee. In reality, we did our best to remain respectful and keep our promise in mind. I wonder if that means guarantees are pretty much nothing but words left up to a complex matter of interpretation.

In the end, we kept our guarantee in place and intend to keep it there for awhile.

What about you? How has your guarantee helped or hurt your business?