I’m getting ready to attend MicroConf next week. If you’re going, let me know and we can try to chat.

– – – – – – – –

This Is Not The End Of Your Story (ittybiz.com)

Naomi Dunford drops a sizable dose of reality and perspective in this article. I have a personal thought pattern that I turn to when it feels like things are going sideways.

The biggest mistake you can make when creating a proposal (nusii.com)

I’m amazed by freelancers who spend 10+ hours on a proposal. This approach by Jake Jorgovan is exactly like how I do proposals now, though mine are actual contracts (Statements of Work actually). Maybe one hour of work if that.

Learn How To Start Freelancing, Find Clients, and Create a Successful Business (theadmin.org) SPONSOR

If you’re starting to freelance or need help finding the ideal clients for you, join my free newsletter for freelancers. With 76+ weekly lessons, you’re sure to learn something new every week.

Working 100 Hours Will NOT Grow Your Freelance Business (guerrillafreelancing.com)

Charles writes about how he ignores the hours worked metric as much as possible in favor of the tasks completed. I’ve recently written about my own system on my newsletter but to summarize it here:

• 3 daily tasks and 20 weekly tasks that support
• 3-5 larger weekly projects that contribute to
• 3 goals for the month that are part of
• 3 quarterly goals
• Everything else is just a backlog of great work (80% results) and busy work (20% results)

Writing Awesome Cold Emails (curtismchale.ca)

Cold emails can be scary, especially when you’re asking for something but they serve a vital role in your business. I’ve been using them to reach beyond my network recently and I’ve gotten some interesting results.

4 ways to deal with freelance panic (freelancersunion.org)

I’ve had a lot of panic situations that would put me into a tailspin, sometimes for days. If I knew and remembered this techniques I could have limited the impact and recovered much quicker.

The single best tip for finding inspiration on demand (freelancersunion.org)

I use the digital equivalent of this with by using apps to capture thoughts and ideas at anytime. In fact, the resources in this newsletter go through a similar capture process every week.

Overcoming The Fear Of "Choosing A Niche" (doubleyourfreelancing.com)

Brennan Dunn digs into the common fears about positioning yourself into a niche based on Philip Morgan’s The Positioning Manual for Technical Firms. I think everyone has run into one or all of these fears when it comes to niches, I know I have.

Freelance Freedom #372 (envato.com)

I don’t think I’ve been up for 42 hours straight but I have been in a few weekend programming contests with only a couple of hours of a sleep. Not something I’d do again without considering the total impact.

Quick Links

7 Useful Tips On Handling Difficult Clients (shopify.com)

Be a great freelancer and get continual work (curtismchale.ca)

How to find out what your competitors charge, the ethical way (guerrillafreelancing.com)

The Truth About Content Marketing : Why Bother? (bidsketch.com)

Should You Really Join A Mastermind Group? (A Potentially Contrarian Opinion) (ittybiz.com)

Are you a specialist, or a know it all? Here’s how to find out (guerrillafreelancing.com)

Getting Your First Freelance Clients (curtismchale.ca)

7 Secrets to Making Freelancing the Ideal Lifestyle for Parents (envato.com)

Writing techniques freelancers can learn from famous writers (guerrillafreelancing.com)

6 Ways That Being the Class Clown Can Improve Your Marketing (bidsketch.com)

Thanks, I’ll see you next week

Eric Davis (@edavis10)