As a freelancer, you may be constantly dealing with sales pitches, proposal writing and price negotiating for each and every job.

Unfortunately, if you don’t win the job, you’ve lost that time and energy with no pay to show for it.

And if you did win the job, chances are the price of your work and the scope of the project had been negotiated down to fit the client’s budget.

Not exactly a win-win.

Does this sound familiar? If you are a freelancer, then you can probably relate to this endless cycle.

It’s the life of a freelancer. And while it’s great being a freelancer and working for yourself, the extra work that can go into getting a client job and negotiating the fee can be exhausting.

The idea of productizing your service could solve this problem and completely transform how you run your freelance business.

So, what exactly is productizing?

Productizing is the concept of removing billable hours and systematizing your processes, all while charging...

The key to building a successful blog is consistency. The best way to have consistency is to formulate an editorial strategy that you can stick to.

Staying consistent is hard in the early stages of a blog when not many people are reading it yet, but it’s key to building the framework for blogging success.

Here are some tips to help you get your editorial strategy started!

Create a plan

Sit down and think about what your overall goals are for your blog. 

Whether you can write one blog post a week or four, schedule into your editorial calendar. Make sure you are being realistic with the amount of time you have to devote to your blog.

It’s better to commit to one article per week and stay consistent then it is to start off with four or five per week only to drop off the calendar completely for several weeks.

Once you determine how many articles you plan to post per week, choose your posting days and stick to it!

Grow your email list

Building an email list full of...

You're ready to get out of the corporate grind and start a business from home. You want to help people and have freedom and flexibility in the process.

You're ready to take the leap and make the dream a reality.

And it can be if you do it correctly. Here are three mistakes to avoid as your start your own business.

1. Find Clients, Not Jobs

When you decide to become a service provider, you need to think like a business-owner, not an employee.  

It’s tempting to take on part-time or freelance “gigs” where the client is dictating your pay and your working hours. By doing that, you have basically traded one job for another.

Whatever you do, set your rates, set your boundaries (aka work hours) and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. It’s okay to negotiate, just make sure you are not settling and always stay in control of your decisions.

As tempting as it may be when starting out, be selective about your clients. Only work with people who respect your...

If you’re just starting your blog or online business, then you are probably aware that one of the first things you want to do is build your email list. Your email list is extremely valuable, and you want to take very good care of it.

But first, you need to build it. And that takes consistent action, valuable content aimed at a particular group of people – or niche, and a compelling reason for people to join your list (your opt-in offers).

There are some creative things you can do to jumpstart your list-building efforts besides the typical regular blog post. Here are 10 ideas to help you get your list-building juices flowing.

1. Lead Magnets

Offering a lead magnet with every blog post is a great way to build your list. It requires a little extra work, but the payoff will be huge if your lead magnets are valuable to your readers.

A lead magnet is a giveaway that your readers will have to opt-in to your email list for in order to...

If you are starting a home-based business or trying to grow an existing service-based business, then having a quality website is going to be an important piece of your marketing plan.

These days, a quality website doesn’t have to cost you thousands of dollars. You can start by setting up a WordPress site and choosing a quality theme to showcase your brand.

Keep in mind that your website should be generating leads for you. Putting up a low-quality site with the wrong messaging could hurting your business more than helping it.

Here are the seven elements to help make your website appealing to potential customers.

1. Say what you do and who you do it for, in a clear, concise way

Make sure that what you do is clear on the homepage. For example, “Virtual Assistant Services for Busy Entrepreneurs” is a clear, concise tagline that states exactly what you do and who your ideal client is.

If you offer services to a specific niche, such as writers or real estate agents or...

Are you excited by the idea of starting a home-based business that will allow you to be your own boss, but you have no idea what business to start?

If you are feeling stuck because you’re not sure what kind of business to start, don’t fear.

You’ll find your idea if you keep an open mind, expose yourself to other and keep learning new things.

Here are some tips to help you find your ideal business idea:

1. Leverage your experience

Sometimes the best ideas are right under your nose.

Take an inventory of your skills. Could you leverage any of those skills and start a service-based business? This could be your shortest path to a successful home-based business.

2. Listen to podcasts

Podcasts are a great way to get new ideas. There are lots of great podcasts out there that feature entrepreneurs. Find a few that resonate with you to get your creative juices flowing.

You can listen to podcast episodes while commuting or working out. It’s a great way to get fresh...

Journaling can help you achieve your goals because it will force you to think about them, consider the why and how, and delve deeper into the situation so that you can examine all sides of it. Read on to find out how journaling can help.

* It Forces You to Write Down Your Goals – When you start a journal, it basically is a way to force yourself to document your goals. Whether you write them down on paper or you use technology to get it all down doesn’t matter. Once they’re written, they are ready to tackle.

* It Makes You Consider Why and How – As you enter data into your journal, you’ll be forced to face the why and how of your goal. This is especially true if you write down a goal and focus on it in your journal.

* It Enables You to Examine the Opportunities and Threats – When you are focused on goal making with your journal, you’ll also explore opportunities and threats coming your way due to your goals. It helps you...

Are you a detail-oriented person looking for home-based business, or freelancing ideas?

Here are five that could be a great fit for you if you are a detail-oriented person.

1. Freelance Bookkeeping

If you are a detail-oriented person and like working with numbers, then starting a bookkeeping business could be a fantastic option for you.

Small businesses all need good bookkeeping help, but most don't have the budget to hire a bookkeeper full-time, which leaves a huge opportunity for those who have bookkeeping skills.

Of course, to be good at bookkeeping you need to be meticulously detail-oriented and enjoy working with numbers. But the huge benefit of this type of business is it's a recurring service, which means recurring income.

Most bookkeeping is done on a monthly, on-going basis. This is good news because you can establish a relationship with clients and potentially work with them for years as I did with my diaper bag business client. That helps make your income much more...

Whether you are looking to start a career, work part-time, or just earn a little extra spending money, finding work-from-home jobs for moms is possible, but it’s important to find the right fit for you.

While some remote jobs are amazing for moms juggling kids at home with a work life, others can create more stress for you and your family.

Many remote jobs require you to be on the phone or on video calls. If you have younger children, you know how challenging it can be to keep your child occupied (and quiet!) in another room while you try to work.

If you crave a flexible schedule so you can go to the gym, take your kids to play dates, or just work when you are at your peak mentally, then you have to look for a career that is outside the normal 9-to-5.

Below is a list of 5 flexible work-at-home jobs for moms - or anyone craving that oh-so-precious flex time.

Most of the jobs below aren't really "jobs", but more "opportunities". Jobs typically involve having a boss, a set...

3 Signs You’re Ready to Start A Business

For many women, the spark to start a business comes from a life-changing event, like a divorce or becoming a mother and desiring a new path, or a burning desire to make a difference in the world. But not all great ideas are born from something so dramatic.

Some ideas are born simply from discovering a better way to do something, or a void in the market. And yet other ideas are born from discovering a life-purpose and wanting to live that purpose to the fullest.

So how do you know if you are ready to start a business? Here are three signs that might be signal to you that it’s time to start a business.

1. You live and breathe your idea

Do you fall asleep thinking about your business idea and wake up thinking about it? Does it consume your thoughts while at work, shopping or out with friends? If so, you’re ready.

This may sound extreme, but a good business idea will give you a big ol’ bear hug and not let go. It...