Lessons from 2014

Whoa, dang, 2014 was one heck of a year.

I’m not sure what 2014 was the year of, exactly, but I saw a lot of change in my business and the businesses of my clients. Here are the top 14 lessons I’m taking from 2014.… Read More

Why Clients Object To Your Totally Reasonable Contract Language

You’ve read all the Very Best internet articles about putting a contract together.

You collected five different copies of contracts and painstakingly stitched together a contract that does exactly what you need it to do: no more, no less.

You proudly send the contract off to a client, patting yourself on the back for being a professional with her own legal documents. You are confident … Read More

Shake: Create a Contract on Your Phone

Because of the limits of time and space, I can’t help all the freelancers who come to me needing a contract. But I hate turning people away without other options, so a while ago I started searching out low cost, quality alternatives for creating contracts for freelance work.

One of the resources I found and was impressed with is Shake, a contract drafting application … Read More

Two of My Favorite XOXO Talks Are on YouTube, Go Watch Them

As previously mentioned, I had a great time at XOXO this year. I’ve been thinking about the ideas that were discussed and the people I met pretty much every day since.

Two of the talks really stuck out for me and I’ve been thinking about them a lot. And because XOXO is good at sharing, now you can watch them, too.… Read More

What We Talk About When We Talk About Pricing

This past weekend I moderated a panel on pricing at the Creative Clubhouse. The event was a blast and the insights the panelists shared shed light on the often confounding algebra that is pricing creative work.

Here is some of the great advice they shared:… Read More

When Should You Start Worrying About Getting Paid?

A check was due two days ago, but the client’s really nice and has never been late before….

The invoice is due in three days and you haven’t heard from the client since it went out….

You can’t bill the client until they sign off on the last round of revisions but no one will respond to your emails…

…when should you start worrying about … Read More

Not All Contracts Are Created Equally

A contract is a contract is a contract.

Right?

Sort of.… Read More

On Being Vulnerable

I took my legal practice full-time in April. Almost every day since, somebody has asked me how I like running my own business. My usual response is a very enthusiastic, “Great! I love it and wish I’d been able to do it sooner.”

This is a true response. I have a very healthy number of clients, I love and am excited about the work I’m … Read More