Be Yourself (and other important lessons)

Welcome to Spark an Idea Thursday. Each week we’ll share some great ideas for a topic of interest to our readers. We invite you to grab our image and carry the tradition to your blog! If you do, please link back to this post so we know where you were inspired!

This week’s “Spark an Idea” theme is about sharing something you’ve learned (either directly or by example) from another blogger that you really respect and enjoy. There are so many great bloggers that it was hard to choose one to write about – which led me to think maybe I should write about other bloggers more often (so I think I will!). For today’s post, I decided to go with someone who has taught me a lot in a very short period of time: Scott Stratten, known on Twitter as @unmarketing.

Yesterday, Scott posted a new video entry on his blog, in which he writes about five people he thinks you should follow on Twitter (check it out if you have time). In that spirit, here are the top five things I think freelancers can learn from him:

1. Be yourself. Watch a couple of Scott’s videos and you’ll feel like you know him. That’s because he doesn’t seem afraid to be exactly who he is. I think a lot of freelancers get so caught up in appearing “professional” that they end up being totally bland and forgettable. Remember, there are a lot of freelancers out there. If you want prospective clients to think of you the next time they have a project, you have to stand out somehow. You have to be memorable. So try to inject a little bit more of who you really are into your public persona (note: if “who you really are” is someone no one in his right mind would hire, you should probably keep that to yourself).

2. Make the most of your strengths. Scott is a speaker, and he’s great on camera. So his blog posts are in video form (rather than the more traditional written format). Great idea. Are you making the most of your strengths, or are you trying to do what everyone else seems to be doing? Don’t be afraid to be a little bit unconventional if it means you’ll be better able to show off your talent.

3. Promote others generously. In yesterday’s post, Scott shares what he likes about five people he met through Twitter. The point of the post is not to say how great he is, but to say how great others are. This is not only a nice thing to do, it’s good business. When it comes to freelancing, although competition for work can be fierce, there will be times when you’re just not the right person for a particular job. When that happens, recommend someone else who would be a better fit. Both the client and the other freelancer will appreciate your referral. Maybe next time the other freelancer comes across a project that would be perfect for you, she’ll pass your name along.

4. Be passionate about your work. In everything Scott does, you can feel the passion and enthusiasm. Are you passionate about your work? Isn’t that the whole point of freelancing – getting to do what you love on your own terms? If you’re feeling less than enthusiastic about your freelance work, maybe it’s time to reconsider your career path (for your sake!).

5. Don’t be shy. This is perhaps the biggest lesson for me personally. As a writer, I’m most comfortable in front of my computer. But that doesn’t mean I should stay there. Freelancers have to find their own work, and that means putting ourselves out there. I’ve started to do this a little bit on Twitter and on my personal blog (The Breadwinner Mom), but I need to push myself a little harder to meet people in real life. When you’re a freelancer, you’ve got to market yourself, so you’ve got to push past the shyness. Maybe I’ll try to set an example by doing a video post at some point (oh my god that’s a really scary idea…maybe we’ll just pretend I didn’t say that).