If you consult, freelance, do work for hire or otherwise provide services, you should be using a contract. Why use a contract There are many reasons for two parties to enter into a professional services contract. The main reason would be to establish rules and parameters. Without a professional services contract, a venture might descend […]
What you need to know about contracts Read More »
I usually post a top five list on Fridays. Well, I’ve been very busy with a hard drive crash that took place last weekend. My poor Acer laptop finally kicked it. The hard drive died. And it took a little piece of me with it! Well, it’s not so bad. I back up my hard
Five reasons to back up your hard drive Read More »
How often do you check your email? A lot? Stop checking your email every time a message comes in. Start scheduling time to read and respond to email. Frittering away 15 or 30 minutes several times a day can put you behind schedule. And, most of the time, reading and writing email is non-billable work.
Check your email less often Read More »
Becoming a freelance writer — I’m sharing this guest post by Laura-Jane Koers, who previously wrote about leaping out of your comfort zone. In addition to leaving the West Coast to remodel a house on Prince Edward Island, Laura-Jane has decided to become a consultant and freelance writer. Here’s part one of her story about
Becoming a freelance writer Read More »
Have you ever stopped to think about how your consulting fees affect your earnings? A while ago, I asked "How often do you increase your rates?" I mentioned that, if you increased your fees by 5% a year for 10 years, you could go from $50 an hour to $81. How does that affect your annual
How increasing your rates affects earnings Read More »
Via Lifehack, here’s a list of reasons you’re procrastinating. I spent some time thinking about this one: The inability to make decisions also contributes to procrastination.I don’t have trouble making decisions. (Although, if you’ve ever seen me order from a menu at a restaurant, you might think otherwise.) But I do sometimes have trouble trying
Friday 5: reasons you’re procrastinating Read More »
Several times a day, I chat with friends, family and partners via instant messenger services. I sometimes even chat with clients. But, as a general rule, I don’t give my IM account info to clients. Instant messaging makes you seem within a client’s arm reach. Whereas they have no idea what you’re doing when you
Should you give clients your IM account info? Read More »
By request, I’ve created a Consultant Journal store at Cafepress. I’ve started off with a simple consulting joke and the Consultant Journal logo. If you have other ideas, let me know. I try to respond to readers whenever possible. (That’s where the idea for the store came from.)
New Consultant Journal store at Cafepress Read More »
As much as you enjoy the business of your regular clients you still need to pick up new clients in order for your business to grow and remain stable. But, acquiring new customers can sometimes prove difficult. This is why a few deliberate steps need to be taken in order to boost new clientele. Use
More ways to find new clients Read More »
The new website for Consultant Journal is *almost* here. We’re still tweaking the design. I wasn’t happy with what we had. Once I realized the design was a sunk cost, it was easier to let it go. So I’ll be keeping some elements of the original mock up, but also bringing in some of the
Categories – take ’em or leave ’em? Read More »
