If you are a well seasoned freelancer or a creative venturing into this work, you’ll know (or soon know) the important of retainer clients. I was fully unaware of this genius idea until a retainer client came along my path and wanted to work with me. Essentially all this means is that you are a clients go-to when they need help with any creative needs. In my case, my retainer client contracted me to work a certain amount of hours each week for them and each week’s deliverables would change a little bit. If you connect the dots, this means that the client likes you enough to have you on speed dial AND that you’ll have guaranteed work (and money) coming in the door.

Here’s what I’ve learned about retainer clients so far (always still learning)

( photo – Veda House )

I wanted to stop by and talk about something that has been popping up lately in my conversations with other creatives, specifically self-employed individuals. There is always this chatter about how to live a life with a career that you are passionate about. To me, that simply means that you need to turn your passions into your career or a supplemental component to your day job. Blurring the lines between jobs and passions is the key to “living the dream”.

During these conversations with friends, I’ve been asking “So what do you do for fun when you aren’t trying to get paid for surveys?”.  This questions usually evokes a long pause and then something like…”I like to be outdoors. I like to cook/bake. I love renovating my home…” These things are quickly followed by “but I don’t really have any time for those…” I like to turn the conversation around by suggesting a few ways to make a few dollars from those things they do for fun. For example: the friend that loves to cook had  ideas swirling about how to make a cookbook.

(photo for Clementine Daily)

What a whirlwind of a weekend. I just got back from a trip to Palm Springs where I attended a designer retreat with 50 other creative like-minded women. I’ll be honest and say that the trip was really exhausting, mostly mentally. For me, I felt like I had to constantly be networking to make use of the opportunity in front of me… this meant I was basically talking with new people for 4 days straight. Whew!

This trip was extremely helpful in making me realize something REALLY important. I found out through honest conversations that all of us ladies felt like we were faking it. We all had really no idea what we were doing with our creative careers and that we are all flying by the seat of our pants. After making this realization there was this wave of comfort that covered the entire room of participants.

Whether you are just starting out in the freelance world, creating a business from the ground up, or chugging through your day job…we’re all faking it. Knowing this equals the playing field and gave me a new sense of confidence to keep going…to keep figuring things out as I go and pursuing my dreams.

I’ll be back to talk about more tactical things I learned at the retreat, but the biggest and most comforting take away is that we are all faking it!

Today, I’m going to jabber on about the “power” of getting knocked down. There will inevitably be times in your personal life and career where you feel like all the forces of the universe are working against you. Everything tends to snowball into a confusing mess and a solution seems to be nowhere in sight. I think I just got through one of “those” periods of time (again), or at least I’m making my way out.

When you lose your job, a favorite client, or an exciting project, it can feel like a REALLY big deal. It can feel like you’ve failed big time and recovering might just be harder than wallowing forever.

Here’s the thing that I’ve learned and am still trying to grasp. Losing something that you have grown attached to and really comfortable with is one of the best things that can happen to you. You’ll be forced to step outside your little bubble and look at the bigger picture. You’ll be forced to sit down, breath and actually refocus your energy. And quite possibly…you’ll have a regained freedom that you never had before. Maybe losing that job, that client, that project is exactly what you needed to grow. It’s almost like you now have permission to keep exploring!

( sculpture photo )

The inevitable “Summer Lull”. As a freelancer I’ve learned it’s 100% unavoidable, and somewhat necessary. Once the warmer weather starts rolling in, people (ex: clients) push those “BIG” projects to the side and get outside (as they should). This means that less inquiries come strolling through your inbox and consequently…less money in your pocket during the summer months.

We’re just about to exit the whole “summer lull” time period and things will start picking up again. People will return to their computer, return to their weekly blogging schedules, and jump back on those projects they seek to accomplish. Get ready for it!

I thought I’d share a few tips I’ve kind of gathered over the past three months that might help anyone who may be experiencing slow business, or a lull.

If you are experiencing slow business:

Basically, what I’m trying to say is that once you work for yourself, take advantage of the slower periods and try not to stress about the lack of cash flow. Things will always shift back if you work hard, so I suggest playing hard too 😉

(photo)

With Freelancing, It’s super important that you have a document that keeps both you and your client accountable for your actions and process throughout the entire project. The “contract” is that guiding piece of paper that can do just that. When I first started out on this whole adventure, my contract was pretty weak. It included what I thought were the necessary things like timelines, payment and top line expectations. It wasn’t later that I realized you really have to get into the nitty gritty to save yourself.

Here are a few things I’ve learned along the way…
1. Late Fees: Within your contract, you need to state when the final payment is DUE and what happens if that payment is not received. I’ve found that the stricter your policy, the more likely your client will pay on time.
2. Rounds of Revisions: Your contract also needs to state how many rounds of revisions are allowed before a penalty is applied. Abiding by a certain amount of revisions helps guide your client in making thoughtful design decisions and prevents them from abusing their email correspondence with you.
3. Hourly Rate vs Flat Rate: I have learned to state that “any design element outside of the design brief/contract” will be billed at an hourly rate. This also keeps your clients honest to the original contract or agreement.
4. List of Deliverables (both parties): This may seem like over kill, but I’m telling ya…if you don’t say EXACTLY what you expect, clients tend to lose sight of what was in the original plan. I learned this the hard way and ended up doing a lot of work for free.

I’d love to hear if you’ve made any discoveries along the way. I’m always trying to improve my process and love hearing from you guys!