I want to tell you a story…

In 2008, I pitched an article to a magazine. It was immediately accepted.

• In January 2010, it continued to languish in the slush pile awaiting actual publication.
• In March 2010, I got an email saying the magazine was cutting down on its number of articles per issue…meaning I would wait even longer.
• In May 2010, I went to a training event and met a guy who knew the editor of that magazine.
• In December 2010, I edited an article for that guy I met — an assignment for the magazine.
• The next day I got a note that my article would get published in the next issue.
• In August 2010, I went to the same training event. The editor also attended and we had a chance to talk.
• Since then, I’ve gotten an average of an assignment a month from that editor.

Since 2009 I’ve been sending pitches to a regional travel magazine with not much in the way of responses. At a recent conference I sat with the editor and he asked me to pitch him some ideas we spitballed.

The moral of this story is events and conferences will jumpstart your freelancing career. You should go to them as often as your budget allows. 

I’ve identified four kinds of events that can help you advance your freelancing business:

Conferences

These are industry events where writers, editors and vendors get together for a few days to talk shop. Activities include lectures, panels, intensive trainings, and often chances for formal networking such as one-on-one pitch sessions. They tend to be pricey, but are probably the most effective career event.

Conventions

Get-togethers for fans of a specific activity, genre or hobby, these don’t focus on writers — but writers about a related topic can get some good attention and sell a few books. You’re also likely to meet editors and business owners who can buy your work after a good chat.

Trainings

Some hobbies (including martial arts — my other hobby) have a culture of getting together to learn more about the hobby. These are like conventions, only with a strong focus on learning rather than entertainment or socializing. They’re a great way to meet enthusiasts and professionals in a field where you have expertise.

Mixers

Never underestimate the power of a party. In your 20s, you went to meet members of the opposite gender (or whatever gender you prefer). As you begin your career, go to meet people who might want your services. Don’t be a jerk about it, but always keep your antennae up while you’re at these.

What are your experiences with conferences and events? 

Photo courtesy of Tobias Wolter

Part One of this series looked at professional appearance, both in person and online. Today, we’ll look at another facet of professionalism in freelancing.

HABIT TWO: PROFESSIONAL BEHAVIOR

This one is true of freelancers and entrepreneurs in other fields. It’s so common that Michael Gerber built a consulting empire out of teaching people how to fix this common problem.

Freelancers have only themselves to make sure they do their jobs. Unfortunately, most freelancers are pretty bad at doing that — if they were good at it, they’d be fine working a regular job with regular hours and solid benefits.

Result: a host of obstacles between you and the freelance income you deserve. Do any of these sound familiar?

• Turning in assignments late
• Working until 2 in the morning to turn in an assignment on time
• Having no clear budget
• Not sticking to the budget you set up
• Slow or frustrating communication with clients
• Constant worry about if you’re forgetting something
• Constant worry about money
• Disorganized time, finances and/or workspace

Don’t judge yourself too harshly if you resemble the above remarks. They’re epidemic among freelancers and consultants. Most of us are constitutionally challenged when it comes to professionalism and organization — which makes it all the more important that we use tools to stay on top of our work. Here are a few systems I use to keep it together.

Schedule your time and work — even if it’s just blocking out a few hours of uninterrupted work. This not only keeps your work on track. It also protects your “me time” by marking it as not time to go to work.

Have “meetings” with yourself. I spend ten minutes each morning going over my tasks for the day, and another ten each night laying out my plan. Once a week, I schedule major events and ongoing projects using a monthly calendar.

Find an accountability buddy: somebody who will ask you if you’re on schedule and give you a verbal spanking if you’re not. For some people, a spouse is the best candidate. For others, that would be a disaster.

Set a response timeline, meaning you promise yourself you’ll respond to all business communication within a certain window. I use 24 hours. Similarly, set another “hard limit” for letting clients know about problems. Setbacks are unavoidable, but letting people know well before it’s a problem will buy you plenty of grace.

These are just four of many tools that help me. What are some of your systems and tools?

photo credit: onomotomedia