EP 93 ALWAYS use a Contract

If you wish to advertise your business on my podcast, please contact me at [email protected] to discuss your ad, and rates.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Asking freelancers that use this as our only source of income hurts us so bad.  The same amount of time is required to do the job, but now you want it at a lower rate.  That is both a loss of time and income for us, and it can be debilitating and discouraging, because now we have sellers remorse.  We're sad that we had to do this job for you for a lower rate than normal, and we are the only one's who will suffer.Please do not do it.  One time, maybe...but every time...you will lose me as a service provider.Support the show

Never give up on your dreams! If what usually works stops working, take what you know and reinvent it... make it better... make it different so those who love and support what you do will continue to do so, with the same enthusiasm they had from day 1!Support the show

If you wish to advertise your business on my podcast, please contact me at [email protected] to discuss your ad, and rates.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Have you ever heard the saying "It's Business, Nothing Personal".If so, and if you believe that, you have been LIED TO!!It's ALWAYS Personal!Why...because it's YOUR business, and YOUR business is always personal....yours and personal are one in the same.How can your business not be personal to you?So, when people say that, they're just using that as an excuse to cover up something that will likely hurt or even destroy your business.Even if you do follow that belief, when some business action damages your business, aren't YOU hurt by it?If so, then it's Personal!Support the show

If you wish to advertise your business on my podcast, please contact me at [email protected] to discuss your ad, and rates.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Me being good at what I do is why you came to me, or hired me after I reached out to you.Don't penalize me for giving you what you wanted, if I exceeded your expectations, or beat your deadline.My end product is not always based on time, but instead is based on my abilities, which again, is what you hired me for.The time it takes me, and what I charge is not always directly correlated.If anything, I should be rewarded for finishing your project before the deadline.  That gives you so much of your time back....your life back!Me being fast is a win for the both of us.  It's not a negative.Support the show

If you wish to advertise your business on my podcast, please contact me at [email protected] to discuss your ad, and rates.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Contracts protect your intellectual property...your creations, and it protects you from people stealing your work, and making it theirs.Whatever profits they make off your work, without your permission is theft, and that money belongs to YOU!Support the show

If you wish to advertise your business on my podcast, please contact me at [email protected] to discuss your ad, and rates.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The Good Fast Cheap Triangle....clients want, but cannot have all 3....only 2.If they want something Good, and Fast, it will NOT be Cheap!If they want something Fast, and Cheap, it will NOT be Good (or as good as it can be).If they want something Good, and Cheap, it will NOT be Fast.  Fast comes with an extra "rush service" charge, and you cannot get that for cheap, with along with the good work, at the same price point.Pick 2, or pay extra for all 3!Support the show

If you wish to advertise your business on my podcast, please contact me at [email protected] to discuss your ad, and rates.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I HATE when a client wants to talk on the phone....because they ALWAYS want to negotiate for a better..."Low-Ball" deal.  SUCKS!  It's never because they want to pay your rate...they want to compare your rate to someone else's work that isn't as good as yours.  You would think 1+1 ='s 2....my rate is higher because my work is BETTER...that is NOT a deal for ME...only for you!I work to make money, not lose money....period!Support the show

If you wish to advertise your business on my podcast, please contact me at [email protected] to discuss your ad, and rates.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------A.I NEEDS us!  It absolutely does!Why?Because it cannot create without us teaching it how to create!  We show A.I what to do, and it follows suit....it goes off what we show it. Yes, it can build from that, but it does not have that human element...that human touch, and that's how we stay relevant.  Instead of fearing A.I and viewing it as a career ender, consider using it as another tool, just like all the available tools in Photoshop.  Work WITH A.I,...don't fight it!Support the show

If you wish to advertise your business on my podcast, please contact me at [email protected] to discuss your ad, and rates.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Managing client expectations are KEY to your success as a freelancer.You have to know exactly what a client is seeking, in order for you to deliver successfully, avoiding repeat revisions.Often times, we will have clients that are unfamiliar with the terminology we use in our given professions, and when they cannot express that to us clearly, it can lead to you working for hours in the wrong direction, costing you money and possibly a return client.Managing their expectations also means educating them on the process of getting them to their goals, without days and back and forth changes to said project(s).This is your key to success...Support the show

If you wish to advertise your business on my podcast, please contact me at [email protected] to discuss your ad, and rates.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------No matter what the situation, do NOT let someone undervalue your worth...your time, your work!Whatever you do, no matter if it takes you minutes or hours, you took time...often YEARS to learn how to do that, and there is nothing more valuable!Time cannot be replaced...once it's gone, it's gone, and in this world, our time is worth money, so charge accordingly.Support the show