Today, we’re going to do our best to answer some questions left by Susan Payton from Sparkplugging’s own Marketing Eggspert blog. She is interested to know how we use Guru.com, as she can tell from our monthly freelance income reports that we get a fair amount of business through that bidding site.
Here’s what Susan [...]

Thanks to our “open door” policy here at Freelance Parent, Lorna and I get quite a few queries from folks getting started freelancing. These curious individuals pose questions on just about everything: “Do I need an English degree to be a writer?” “Where is the best place to start getting writing jobs?”
Because I enjoy feeling [...]

Admittedly, Lorna and I didn’t get into the freelance business knowing a whole lot about marketing. In fact, most of the things we know we learned thanks to the marketing gurus we’ve hired from time to time.
At the same time, we know how hard it can be for new freelancers to lay out the cash [...]

Unlike death, taxes, and computer malfunctions right before a deadline, not everything in this world is reliable. Here are just a few of the things I’ve learned to plan for as a professional freelancer.
1. Don’t rely on a single revenue source (or even two or three). Not only can a big-time client dry up and [...]

I was orginally planning to get all mushy and wax poetic about marking the one-year milestone for our company. Instead, I spent three days making a video about it. Why do I do these things to myself?

As far as home-based businesses go, freelance writing has been a dream come true for us. [...]

It’s a special week here at Freelance Parent.  One year ago, Tamara Berry and Lorna Doone Brewer officially launched our freelance writing business.  We had big aspirations and a lot of fears, so it is amazing to be here at the anniversary point.
Please join us this week as we celebrate by looking back at the [...]

We noticed that a lot of new folks are stopping by the blog via Digg and StumbleUpon.  Welcome!  Please feel free to poke around some of our older posts, add your own Digg/Stumble, or even subscribe to Freelance Parent via RSS using that orange box up in the top right corner.  If you’re interested in [...]

Before Tamara and I started the Berry-Brewer Freelance Agency, we both worked for the same company. She was a full-time employee, and I was a contracted freelance writer. For a short time, in fact, she was my supervisor. I wonder if she’s ever sorry that part’s over.
Anyway, when I was hired on by [...]

It’s a great feeling to be writing for Freelance Parent, mostly because one of my past home businesses was as a freelance graphic designer & illustrator. I remember being so proud to answer the question “What do you do for a living?” and being able to nonchalantly reply, “Oh, I’m a Freelancer”.
There seemed something so [...]

1. Are you a self-starter?
Most people like the idea of being a freelancer because it means they get to be their own bosses. This is a noble pursuit; the joys of setting your own hours, making your own money, and directly communicating with your own clients are manifold. Unfortunately, being your own boss also includes the [...]