Freelance goals for 2010

Hmmm...

This isn't for writing but for graphics design business, I hope I'm not OT'ing the thread here.

- Find 6 more contracts for the new year to add to the 2 paying contracts, 2 pro bono contracts and 1 possible new contract
- Get that business plan tweaked and get that loan from the local investors
- Get my business survey for local statistics (proving to be a pita) out to the local businesses for use in the business plan financial index
- Hope for the best! lol

Work on more of a firm business plan.
Finish parables book.
Find a way to get more regular with queries.

I'd like to write more queries and break into at least one new magazine.
I'd want to write more for the two magazines I've published in this year.
Set up a blog, just for the heck of it. And maybe to see if it would help my Examiner gig.
Write more for Suite to see if more articles really equals more money!

wyntermoon said:

How many of us have a business plan as freelancers? Most of my 2010 won't be freelancing but I'm eager to outline the upcoming year so I can keep myself on track (aside from posting here).

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You know it's funny you should ask this because most of my industry fellow creatives don't have one. It's the best thing a freelancer can do for themselves to get business loans, credentials and even government as well as private grants and investments (there are writer groups that sponsor writers with money to help them write full time here but you need a business plan for freelance writing to apply).

I'll be honest with you, a business plan is time consuming, hard to work at and is a job in itself. It's a brain cell sucker actually and the financial index isn't really the hardest part but is harder to deal with than most things I've done in my lifetime. You have to have industry research done, industry norms and statistics, graphs, flow charts, cash flows that are all estimates it's hard estimating when you really aren't sure what to estimate about.

There are businesses out there that do the work for you and ask for a nominal fee for it. Get yourself someone who's written one successfully and gotten funding from theirs to help you write a business plan and give you pointers if you are going to do one. A financial advisor can help you do the index as well, that's part of their job. Lucky for me my uncle back in the city does this stuff for free for family members.

It's been a long 6 months with this business plan (and yes it can take that long to write, tweak and rewrite and retweak a business plan - it's like novel writing).

For 2010:

Finish and Launch my Portfolio site (hopefully in January.)

Begin a Marketing campaign for my corporate writing services in the Pacific Northwest.

Find a good network of local writers/graphic designers/printers to team up on projects with.

Research companies for a Direct Mail campaign to launch when we move in August as an introduction/offering of services to the new area (DFW.)

Finish my English Lit. degree (set to graduate in December '10), and then raise my rates.

By January 2011, start talking to banks about getting pre-approved for a house.


So far, it's already shaping up to be a good year. There is A LOT of hard work ahead!!

Here are my 2010 goals:

1. Maintain my current writing projects including my portfolio and The Freshman Writer.
2. Break into both a regional and national glossy parenting magazine this year.
3. For the day job - To pay for and complete my application for licensure (LMHC) to be a licensed mental health counselor.

That's it from me. Any more goals and my brain will explode! lol

-Write 10 articles per day for Demand Studio (that one is subject to tweaking since I'm available for online counseling while I write so a busy counseling day will cut into the number of articles but it also brings in good income)

-Get another book contract. I did it in 2008, then totally slacked in 2009. I'm sure I'll be motivated when my first royalty check arrives next year.

-Get regular with my magazine queries.

-This one is just a possibility...I have a book that it might make sense to self-publish because I have a built-in niche audience and several ways to reach them directly. I did something similar with a CD a few years back and made a decent chunk of change. I'm generally not keen on self pubbing, but hubby is pushing on this particular project and he might be right.

-Continue toying lightly with Associated Content and doing regular Examiner stuff.

I am a newbie at freelance writing or anything freelance really.

But I do have some goals:

1. continue to write for my current client
2. get in with ds and write for them regularly (maybe 10 or 15 a week?)
3. get another, higher paying, long term gig like ghostwriting or a regular blog posting gig
4. get a handle on the tax implications
5. continue earning my degree

2010:

Earn $2000 from freelance writing.
Crank out ten queries a month, or one that gets accepted, whichever comes first.
Submit every accepted article on time, per specs, at highest quality.
Actually use my website and keep it current.
Write a book proposal.

Auto, is your goal $2k a month or $2k next year?

Hm, well, I've just finished college last week, so my 2010 plans include:
-- revamping a few NaNoWriMo wips
-- improve writer networking
-- write a lot of critiques for fellow writers
-- attempt to live off income as freelancer while finding FT work
-- save up $ to get my own place to live

-take lots more pictures and assemble an awesome photography file to illustrate my mag articles with
-have my book manuscript finished by the end of the year
- find a couple more mags to get published in

...just get more professional. I've been flying by the seat of my pants for the past 2 years and have been ridiculously lucky with getting published but I really need to come up with higher quality pictures and probably writing, too.

I have a couple more goals for 2010.

I have an idea for an adult book and also an idea for a children's book. I want to at least get the ideas down on paper or computer.

It's good to see so many people checking in with goals.

I am also working on time management goals; not just juggling my multiple jobs, but working in time for relaxation and exercise too. Working at home makes time management so much more challenging.

I never wrote a business plan, but I did write a mission statement when I first started freelancing. It mentioned carrot cake, as I recall. My main writing goal for 2010 is to spend more time at home so I can write, and set a small goal of Demand Studios, such as 10 per week so I can meet the min. requirements for health insurance with them. The rest of the time, I'm turning back to my regular queries: I've been jotting down quite a few ideas lately, and I want to get that feeling back of walking into the bookstore and seeing a magazine with my work in it!

The funny thing is, people say "It must be so great to work at home! You must have so much time," when I probably have less now than I did when I was a corporate drone. It's the workaholic in me, but I am going to curb that in the coming year. My brother nearly died from a ruptured aneurysm this summer, which was sort of a wake-up call for me. He's ten years older than me, but I'm only half a decade away from 50 so I want to instill good self-care patterns so I'm in reasonably good shape when I hit that point.

I set goals at the pagan new year, October 31st to October 31st 2010. I want to sell one piece of fiction and at least 15 articles, not including my regular assignments. I also have some new methods and a new organization that I would like to put in place. Hopefully it helps me meet and exceed my other goals.

2010 writing goals/resolutions

• Set up a workable schedule (I seem to accomplish more with one)
• Stick to schedule
• Make at least $100 a day writing
• Send out at least one query a week (maybe I’ll be able to up that before the end of the year but that’s a good start)
• Blog daily on my personal blog
• Blog at least once a week on my professional blog
• Finish my book
• Participate more in the forums and interact with my peers

Yep, I can meet all of these goals. I can do this. I will do this. Hello 2010!

I’m making an amendment to my list, instead of a query a week, I’m going to go for a query a month. That way, if I get more out, great and if I at least get one a month I’m doing good and will have met my goal.

SS

Happy New Year to all! My 2009 started out well, but fizzled due to some personal and financial issues. I need to get back into the swing of things for 2010. So here are my long term goals for the year:

- revamp Blood Sisters and send it out again
- work on two other novels
- write and send more short stories
- start writing again for the regional horse magazine I wrote for beginning of last year
- break into some new magazines (regional or national)
- do more at Demand Studios
- eek out a little more writing time
- finish up the house repairs
- get our foster license

-> Do some more writings
-> practice my creativity in writing
-> research some ideas in writing
-> improving my writing habits
-> find more writing jobs