Creative Business Advice
for Creative People
If I came to you and said, “I like the cut of your jib, kid, what say I give you $1000 and you let me take something, anything, out of your house? Whadayasay? It’s a good deal; you might not get such a good offer ever again. ”
Would you take me up on it? $1000 for any single personal possession of yours that I … Read More
Many a freelancer has slaved over a proposal trying to make it perfect. Figuring and guessing and measuring, trying to find the right balance of WOW and profit.
After hours of penciling out the budget six ways from Sunday, the freelancer presents her proposal. The client reviews it, smiles and says, “This looks great! How about a 20% discount?”
The freelancer is deflated; hurt. A … Read More
If you want to be a better negotiator, you need to train.
You need to exercise your negotiation muscles regularly, executing each exercise with proper form and control. When you first start you can improve very quickly, but you shouldn’t expect mind-blowing results overnight.
Here’s one exercise you can try at home to build muscle and fight the dreaded anxiety of conflict.… Read More
People waste a ridiculous amount of time worrying about power in negotiations.
They worry about having it, or getting it or stopping others from taking it. They invest precious time trying to figure out how best to prove their power, like where to sit in the room or who gets to talk first.
The problem with wasting your time like this is that you put … Read More
Your goal for this week: complain.
You must bitch and moan and highlight the injustice of your plight.
You must be sincere. You must be honest. You must provide details, including dates and names.
You must release this negativity into the world intentionally, preparing yourself for positive returns.
There’s just one catch.
You can’t complain about anyone else. You have to complain about yourself, and … Read More
You can’t control a number of things in a negotiation. You can’t control if a negotiation will happen. You can’t control what the other side will want from you. And you can’t control how you’ll feel about a negotiation.
But there is a lot you can control and influence in the negotiation.
If you only focus on what you can’t control you will have frustrating … Read More
It’s nice when you spot all the problems with a contract well before the job is supposed to start, but that doesn’t always happen.
What should you do when you spot issues with the contract right before you’re supposed to sign?… Read More
Boldly we charge ahead in our mission to deal with those that prove most difficult to our hero, The Freelancer!
This week: managing the Scope Creep, he who yearns for additional work without extra payment or adjustment of deadlines.
Hey, Scope Creep. I’ve got your number and I’m coming for you.… Read More
5 Things to Know Before You Sign Your Publishing Contract
The following is the first of five emails from a free e-course about understanding publishing contracts. You can sign up for the rest of the course here. In any publishing deal, you're in charge. That's because a publishing contract is you giving the publisher permission to use your work. They need permission and
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