The Freelance Academy Blog

Ask Me Anything video series with Ivan Weiss, Portrait Photographer. Check out our recorded session where Ivan answers questions from how he lights his subjects to finding new clients. To connect with Ivan, enquire about mentoring or to admire his work, click here. Browse our full event program.

Freelancers who struggle with their business often suffer from a lack of perspective. This commonly manifests itself in a blame game aimed at anyone but themselves. Neglecting to look inwardly or addressing flaws within the business can be highly detrimental. If you are finding it difficult to land new clients or accepting that your business just isn't working the way you'd like it to, a good place to start is in the mirror. Stage 1: Acceptance. Here are a few easy techniques and mantras to help you on the road to self-success.

Freelancers in the creative sector rarely start their career with a business plan. The reason why is that most service providers in a creative sector don't consider themselves to be business owners. A creative freelancer will sooner tell you that they're "a photographer" rather than "a business owner".

'Start a freelance career with no experience' they said. 'Do it in less than 30 days' they said. Surely starting a freelance business takes months to get off the ground? Make no mistake running a freelance business is not easy nor is it an overnight success that a few gimmicks can solve but when you know the key areas to focus on, you can start a freelance career with no business experience whatsoever. Here's how to do it.

Freelancers generally head straight for social media in an effort to generate sales, promote their work and make contacts. It's free and you've been using it for years - easy! Or is it? Digital marketing is not something that comes naturally nor is it something that you 'just know' as you're an avid social media user in your personal life. Understand the system however and social media can be a major sales funnel for your freelance business.

Strong branding is often at the core of a successful business but how does branding affect freelancers? When it's the individual who is the face of the service, should one use one's own name or develop a company brand name?

Instagram followers are more than just bragging rights, they could be the sales funnel you're missing out on. Have you ever come across an account and thought how did they get so many Instagram followers so quickly? It's not by chance that's for sure.

Think of ‘freelancing’ and you may think of the freedom that it brings. No boss, no agenda, no problems. Should you approach your freelance career with this naivety expect to add no structure, no clients and no money to the list. Freelancing is also known by other names such as 'contracting' or 'being self employed'. Both of these titles conjure up a slightly different picture.