Newsletter #31 Should you work for free?
Hi everyone
I’ve finally calmed down after 2 weeks of uneasy excitement and Mega Anxiety in the lead-up to my MicroConf Remote presentation last week.
I love to encourage other freelancers to push outside their comfort zone (and we all need to do this to break down those upper limit barriers that hold us back) but damn…it is NOT easy to do this in practice.
I’m a very quiet person, and I find it incredibly hard to talk at my laptop screen for 30 minutes straight.
Especially when I know that 300 invisible people (who could be potential clients) are out there watching me.
My voice got wobbly, I had about eleventy million sips of water on camera, and I got faster and faster because…well…public speaking is not my zone of genius 🙂
But I got ‘er done, I’m confident I gave out some helpful information, and it was cool to have been offered the opportunity to speak at such prominent SaaS event.
Anyway – now I can focus on fun stuff again!
I’m getting super excited about launching my micro-coaching community.
This will be a small, classroom-sized group of like-minded and highly motivated writers who are looking to kick their business into high gear for next year.
It’s been a loooooooooong time in the planning (like…6 months…), because I’m results-driven — so I tend to overthink literally every moving part for weeks.
ETA for launch is set for next Monday – so you’ll get a link to the landing page in next week’s newsletter to learn more if you’re interested.
Once that’s running smoothly, I’ll be launching a tiny, super-focused 1:1 coaching program for freelancers who are looking to double their income and overhaul their business, client, and project management systems to ensure continued, sustainable growth.
But again, I will definitely be overthinking this, because I’m not the kind of person that will take your money and immediately blow it all on artesanal pizzas, while not living up to your expectations 🙂
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I had some great feedback from last week’s newsletter about setting goals to build up momentum for your business next year.
And, interestingly, three of you asked the exact same burning question:
Should I write stuff for free to help me get ahead?
This question is always a h-u-g-e point of contention among the 6-figure bracket of freelance writers.
So be careful who you listen to before you decide whether or not to spend your valuable spare time working for free.
Some writers will tell you:
OMG YES U ALWAYS NEED TO DO FREE WORK AT THE START!
While others will be like:
WTF ARE U CRAZY? DON’T LISTEN TO THOSE GUYS! ALWAYS GET PAID!
I like to sit on the sidelines and watch these heated debates, because my answer to this question that has plagued a million freelancers since the dawn of time is:
“YES, BUT…”
I know, I know, I’m a genius at fence-sitting.
Absolutely write one or two things for free if you need to, BUT be super strategic about WHY you’re writing for free — don’t just let a client exploit you for free work.
If you need to kickstart your freelance career, or pivot your business into offering a new service, you might have to create a couple of new portfolio samples anyway – so why not spend this time writing a sample or two for an actual client that you can get a testimonial from as well?
Food for thought.
See you next Monday, and wishing you a fantastic week that smells of instantly-paid invoices with a hint of cinnamon.
Rachael
Memes Of The Week
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