Do these 3 Things to Survive THE CHANGE!

Flickr, R/DV/RS

The other day my phone was BOMBARDED with new messages and emails regarding social media changes, to include Facebook, Periscope and Apple products. Whooptie do. I don’t mean to sound sarcastic but the same thing happens all the time if you ask me. Something new is introduced to the world, everyone goes haywire about to pee on themselves and then the hype dies down…sooner or later something newer and better comes along, making it easy to forget what all the hype was about in the first place.

Are you one of those entrepreneurs? Do you freak out every time something new is introduced to the world? Well let me tell you, you’re setting yourself up to tank. Fast.

Gather yourself together and do the following to stay consistent in the midst of all the changes because they will keep coming and the bandwagons will fill up over and over again. Take control and do these 3 things to be able to stand!

Remember your vision

When you first started out, you had a vision – a purpose. Right? What was it? Hopefully, you’re revisiting that every now and then. New changes to how people can see you in landscape mode shouldn’t change certain things about you. If you have a message for your audience to hear and it’s done properly, it doesn’t matter what mode your iOS device is in. If you’ve built a strong platform and established a good relationship with your customers, those new changes shouldn’t really matter.

It’s very important to be aware of tech changes when they take place, but they should not stir the direction of your vision.

Keep your voice!

Everyone has a voice of their own, including you. It can be very tempting to change your voice when new platforms are being introduced and others are succeeding at them. Even if a change in your platform is necessary, doesn’t mean your voice should change. It may be hard for your audience to recognize you and that could possibly lead to losing clients. We don’t want that!

Instead, make yourself aware of the changes and carefully incorporate them into your brand and voice. Will it suit your audience? How do they feel about the changes? Make sure you address these things before jumping into a new avenue of expression and selling.

Always do the research

What kind of business person isn’t aware of what’s going on around them? Make sure you are up to date with the latest activity, tactics and habits of your competitors. It helps you stay on top of your game and make any necessary changes for improvement. Always be vigilant in what your competitors are doing. You won’t be caught off guard if your clients start making sudden moves to your competitors, you’ll know exactly what to do to keep and maintain your clients – without losing your own identity in the process.

Like what you’re reading? Is it beneficial to you or anyone you know? Don’t hesitate to share!

Value Yourself, Value Your Business!

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I can’t believe how long it’s been since I posted here. I never imagined being this busy and caught up with trying to get other things done. But more on that later, right now I’d like to get to today’s topic!

I attended one of my networking meetings today. I’ve discussed the importance/necessity of networking groups in the past, so I’ll just reiterate briefly how they are VITAL in the world of solopreneurship. Being around people with similar goals and visions pays off immensely. I’ve been in this particular group for at least a year now and it’s consisted of the same group of people for the most part, so they’ve seen me from day one of hardly having an elevator pitch, to the more established business woman I am today. We asked ourselves and each other a very tough question – “what would you like to see me do more of, given how far I’ve come this past year?” I honestly wasn’t ready for the responses, but here they were in a nutshell (I’m giving you their titles instead of their names):

Social Media Strategist’s advice – formalize your packages more and charge more because that’s what you’re worth!

Health/Wellness Consultant – Show up to more meetings to use your voice more!

College coach/consultant – Put yourself out there more often because you have a rare magnetism that very few people carry!

Wow. I was floored – in a good way of course. I didn’t realize how much these colleagues were paying attention to me and my work. I’ve worked with some of them for client work in the past which caused for a closer relationship, but still – wow!

This made me take a closer look at myself and realize how my personal value has a direct impact on the success of my business. Starting, I naturally made mistakes that I eventually learned from and have applied new changes since then. For example, I had a habit of being empathetic towards potential clients when it came to pricing. I would actually price according to what I thought they could afford and the size of their business so that I wouldn’t lose them. Big mistake. I have flat fees now no matter what. There are people out there who will pay what I charge because they know the quality of my work and they will get what they pay for and be satisfied. So witht hat powerful feedback I received today, I plan on doing the following:

• Increase my social media presence. I’ve made excellent connections offline, but I know great connections await me online. In fact, I recently experimented with Periscope! It’s awesome! I will definitely post on that in the near future!
• Voice my opinion more in meetings and events. I’m so used to writing everything and observing, that I won’t actually say much for a while. Some people don’t get that part about me. I like to sit in the background and observe. Well as the clientele and vision continues to grow, I have to become more vocal. I realize people love listening to what I say. But that’s not the main reason. I also realize that what I have to say can help folks and make a difference for them.
• I will no longer be doing individual pricing, or charging a la carte. It is the one of the worst moves a freelance writer can make. I’ve seen the work of notably successful writers and know that my work is just as good or better! Why not charge accordingly? There will be packaged pricing from now on instead of charging for a blog article here and there.

Will these strategies help my business grow? Stay tuned and find out!

In the trenches…..

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Hello and Happy Tuesday to you all! I know, It’s been a HOT MINUTE since I’ve been around. Believe me, it’s not because I fell off…well in way, I did. From blogging at least. It’s because I’ve been heavily occupied with life, work and new clients. So it’s a good thing, right? Since I had a moment, I figured I should take advantage and give you all a shout!

I’m going to start off with a quote for you all:

“The fastest way to change your thoughts, develop a higher self-confidence, and feel valued is to develop relationships with people who will encourage you, raise the bar, and help you develop the skill sets you need to get where you want to go.”  ~ DeLores Pressley, Supercharge Success presentation

This carries tons of wisdom, it’s hard to pick where to start! I will tell you that who you choose to surround yourself with can make or break your destiny. Yes, it has that much of an effect on you and your life. I can definitely attest to that! My freelance business wouldn’t have gone in the direction it has gone in if I didn’t surround myself with people who are respectful and excited about my vision. People who understand the grind of balancing the 9-5 life and the side hustle, people who have made a decision to make it no matter what.

People who dare to be different.

If you aren’t around those kinds of people, trust me, you won’t make it very far. I previously wrote about surrounding yourself with people who are better than you. If you have a vision, it has to be protected. Don’t let it become trampled with self-doubt and naysayers. Remember, those things always come, but it’s up to you on whether or not they stick around.

I won’t make any promises on when I’ll be back! J I’ll just say you’ll be hearing from me more often than in the last few months. Have a splendid week!

Does Education Matter When it Comes to Writing?

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I will say upfront – you don’t need any type of degree to be a freelance writer. However, there are specific skills that come with this line of work and are required in order to have a significant impact. So the degree is not necessarily required, but education is a must. Here’s why…

The School of Life

Most writers I’ve come across didn’t graduate from ivy league schools and didn’t hold prestigious positions. They are simple, every day folks who had a plan and were able to be successful in implementing that plan. Over the years, they’ve acquired exceptional writing skills that makes their work stand out in a crowd. Some share their life lessons through blogging or write articles for magazines and are able to grab people’s attention that way (i.e. Carrie from Sex in the City). No one really asks about their education because no one really cares; they want to read what they have to say because they like what they write about.

They relate to the writer on some level.

From personal experience, I’m learning more and more of the importance of understanding my audience. I want to know who they are as I share who I am. The human factor is vital when it comes to writing and those who have mastered that are extremely successful. No degree required.

Expressing yourself through writing is a learned skill.

The Basics

If one chooses writing as their avenue of expression, it’s important that their writing skills are on point. It irks me when I see simple grammar errors or spelling mistakes not just in blogs, but periodicals too! Using “there” instead of “their” and accept vs. except are some of the most common ones I see. Then there are those who don’t even bother with spell check before they hit the publish button. My thing is, if you have pride in your work then you’ll take the time to look over it before putting it on a platform for everyone to see. But that’s another post for another day.

People, people and more people

To say that communication is important would be a vast understatement. Getting people’s attention to your work is definitely a challenge. Keeping them interested is a job and a half. But if you love what you do then its definitely worth it. It takes a lot of work (and time) to cultivate good, solid relationships with people that will help your audience grow. That’s beyond education, it’s about your walk in life and how you relate to people. All of that work and time requires patience too – something else you learn in life and not in the classroom. I don’t mean to stand on a soap box but it’s true. You don’t need to be a renowned scholar to grab people’s attention and make a difference through writing. You just need to be human.

What do you think? Should a degree be required for freelance writing? Sound off in the comments!

Chronicles of a Freelance Newbie: New Friendships Abound…

These past couple of months have been really fast-paced. When I first dove into writing, things were moving really slow (of course they were) and some days seemed as if my voice wasn’t getting to anyone. Even though I felt that way some days, I still kept posting and interested readers would trickle in. Well while that was going on I was doing traditional networking and so many doors have opened since then, which makes me extremely excited for the coming year!

Shout out to Kim of Abundant Life Initiative, who provided me an opportunity to share an experience of mine with her audience. I don’t quite remember how we connected, but at some point we were really impressed with each other’s blogs. Check out the post here. There will be many more to come in the near future. =)

There have also been pavement pounding sessions that caused new relationships to form. This is mainly because I’ve chosen one particular cause to cover through my writing. It’s a cause that is near and dear to me as a person and a writer and I intend to raise awareness about it. What’s the point in being a writer if you have no particular passion? When I write about this particular topic I don’t try to impress, I just write. Some folks have noticed this to my surprise and are interested in collaborating with me on different projects which brings an unique type of joy to me. I’ll be conducting interviews, creating new programs and attend specialized meetings because of this topic and the way I chose to go about addressing it with my writing. Check out my posts on Intimate Partner Violence here. I’m not sure if I will post on this particular site about the topic, because it was designed for my freelance experience and work portfolio, but we’ll see what happens.

Moving ahead for the new year…

I’ve continued to have new clients referred to me and more meetings with folks (most of them other bloggers) that are interested in working with me. The opportunities abound!

Of course, there was a lot of cultivation for these opportunities to happen. It’s a very exciting time. Since I’m a strong believer in face-to-face interactions, I recently started a meet up group specifically for career enhancement. In the past several months, I’ve helped quite a few individuals with their career by providing them guidance and sharing my own experience with them for encouragement. So if you’re in the DC area, stop by one of our meet ups! The experience will be a fulfilling one!

From the new relationships I’m forming, I expect more business opportunities to arise for my writing and consulting services. I have to be prepared for that so I’ve been touching up my skills on copy writing and pushing to stay on top of my reading.

Even though it’s been kind of slow around these parts, trust and believe other areas have been very busy! For instance, I still post useful articles on my Hub Pages site, including my first recipe! It doesn’t hurt to step out of the box every now and then, which I plan on doing from here on out!

Deciding to get back into writing and use it for an outward purpose has been a fulfilling experience. Whether it’s writing or blogging, new ideas, skills and confidence levels have definitely developed!

What have you been up to? I’d like to know your plans for the new year.