1. Lance Armstrong: Be disciplined. No business will succeed without a lot of hard work and discipline. Commit to it. Stick with it. Eventually, you’ll reach your destination.
2. Paula Deen: Be yourself (and be bold about it). You will naturally succeed if you build a base of followers who are naturally attracted to your personality. Don’t worry about being liked by everybody. Just let your own unique personality shine through.
3. Mr. Rogers: Be positive. I can’t imagine making it in business without a whole lot of optimism.
4. Ellen Degeneres: Have fun. The daily grind, even when you work for yourself, can be dull at times. Doing something you love, surrounding yourself with clients and connections that energize you, and taking time to appreciate the good things in life make it all worthwhile, and who doesn’t enjoy a good laugh every once in a while?
5. Bill Cosby: Keep learning. I used to be so intimidated by what I didn’t know. But I’ve come to realize that such a list is endless, so I just continue to work at it, and I learn more and more each day about how to build a successful business.
6. Carol Burnett: Be creative. Sometimes you have to improvise. You figure it out, and you come to enjoy the journey.
7. Oprah: Build a platform. To succeed in business, you have to have a group of people who believe in you, who want to hear what you have to say, and who want to support you in everything you do.
8. Jim Carrey & Steve Carell: Don’t take it all so seriously. You’re going to mess up, and you will look silly on occasion. Learn to be OK with that.
9. Maya Angelou: Be resilient. Things will not always be easy, but if you refuse to give up and keep bouncing back, they manage to work themselves out.

Just like certain words bring to mind certain products or companies, certain celebrities make me think of lessons or traits I hope to apply within my business.

Do any lessons or traits come to mind when you think of certain celebrities?

Image from Flickr by j a r r o d

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Web work can be an unstable ride. Since we are all independent, we have varying ways of dealing with challenges and opportunities that arise in our work. I don’t think there’s one strategy that fits us all, but there are four aspects of our careers  —I think of them as pillars — that need to be established to create a sense of security. If you’re lacking any of these pillars, any unexpected event can be damaging.

So what are my four pillars of web working?

Productivity

The first thing we often have to grasp as web workers is the ability to manage our time and tasks well. Having the freedom to schedule your workday sounds like a dream to most people, but it’s actually a big responsibility. We need to find our time sinks and make them more manageable. Idle distractions are OK, but not when you spend five hours a day on them.

Conversely, be aware of “too much” productivity. While there are many of us web workers who truly love and enjoy our jobs, there might be some more important things that we sacrifice for it. These may include our health, relationships — even the necessary time to relax. Yes, it’s good to be productive, but the things we do are only as good as how we are when we do them.

Finance

One of the common impressions that people have about web working is that it’s financially unstable. This is often true. We all know that income from freelancing or contractual work fluctuates. Even if you’re a regular employee working from home, there are still those supervisors who judge employees on the basis of their presence rather than their performance. That’s why it’s essential for all web workers to keep their finances straight.

Another financial issue that many web workers face is the lack of separation between personal and professional expenses. While the line is more blurry with freelancers, even telecommuting employees may need to consider it, especially if there’s an overlap in their personal and work resources (such as equipment, subscriptions, etc.).

Also, do you have a web working expansion fund? This is meant to pay for any work related emergencies such as equipment repair and replacement. You could also use it to purchase books and tools that will help boost your career.

While you’re at it, set up ways to protect your income as well, in case you won’t be able to work. You can do this by saving up for an emergency fund that covers a few months of your living expenses. Don’t forget to make sure that you have adequate insurance coverage for medical emergencies as well. That type of emergency tends to eat up any savings you have tucked away.

Job Security

A pillar that is somewhat related to your finances is your job security. Apart from being a source of income, job security is also essential since it’s your track record. You need to be able to explain any large gaps in your resume to future prospects. Plus, if you’re passionate about your work you probably want to keep doing it.

For employees, do you feel like your company is stable enough to keep you for as long as you want to work there? According to Jonathan Fields, author of Career Renegade, you need to be a creator-operator to be indispensable at work. You need to have the ability to create new solutions and innovations, as well as have the stamina to execute them.

For freelancers, how can you ensure that you’ll have regular work? You can use some ideas from this long list from Freelance Switch. It might also make sense to review what promotion or sales techniques have worked for you in the past and try to replicate or refine them.

Passion and Purpose

Apart from the pragmatic side of things, there are other aspects of our work that need to be there even if they aren’t as measurable. We need to feel a sense of fulfillment to keep the engine running. This doesn’t necessarily have to come from every task you do. Even side projects and hobbies can be a good source. Without it, everything else will seem empty.

How are you doing with each of these pillars? Are you satisfied with what you’ve achieved in this areas or is there room for improvement?

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Take a moment to think about the blogs you regularly visit, the high-profile professionals that you consider your mentors, and the groups you interact with online. How have they shaped your work? What extraordinary ideas have you learned from them?

As I pondered this myself, I identified the most important ideas that have helped me as a web worker.

Inbox Zero. Email processing is an important skill for us to learn. Most of us deal with dozens, if not hundreds, of incoming email messages each day. This makes email processing a tedious task for most of us. But for me, what made this task simpler was the concept of Inbox Zero from Merlin Mann of 43 Folders.

The main idea is that you need to process your email inbox until there’s nothing in it. There are only five things you can do with each email you receive: Delete, Delegate, Respond, Defer or Do. If you know that each email is actionable, tackling a hyperactive inbox won’t feel as overwhelming.

The E-myth. Just as I was starting my online freelancing career, I was lucky enough to read “The E-Myth Revisited” by Michael Gerber. Basically, the E-myth refers to the “entrepreneurial myth” that if you’re good at a certain skill, you can automatically run a business around that skill. If you’re a talented and original graphic designer, for example, it doesn’t always follow that you’ll be good at running your own design studio or practice. From budgeting business costs to marketing, entrepreneurs deal with several responsibilities that they have to learn on their own.

Although this might not be relevant to telecommuting employees, it’s essential for freelancers to understand. We may be very skilled in our line of work, but we also need to be smart business people if we want to succeed.

Stop when you’re going good. Two months ago, I came across a post by Nadia-Ballas Ruta for Write to Done. Included in the article was a quote from Ernest Hemingway about how to beat writer’s block:

“The best way is always to stop when you are going good and when you know what will happen next. If you do that every day…you will never be stuck.”

I still take advantage of bursts of creativity, but I follow Hemingway’s advice and always end a writing session mid-sentence. This means that I can avoid being stuck during the following session.

The Purple Cow. Seth Godin wrote a book called “Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable.” The gist of this book is that whatever it is you’re offering — whether it’s a product or a service — should be remarkable and original. For example, it’s not enough to just be a web designer. There must be a compelling reason why clients want to work with you and not the hundreds of thousands of other designers out there.

At this point in my career, I may not be a remarkable purple cow. But the idea gives me something to aspire to. At the very least, I no longer fear my own attempts at being remarkable. In his book, Seth Godin wrote something that I take comfort in when I’m in doubt:

“Another reason the Purple Cow is so rare is because people are so afraid. If you’re remarkable, then it’s likely that some people won’t like you. That’s part of the definition of remarkable. Nobody gets unanimous praise — ever.”

From my day-to-day habits to the big picture, it’s likely that I’ve overlooked dozens of other borrowed ideas that have helped me become a better online worker. Ten years from now, if I look back and feel proud of my career accomplishments, I know that I’ll have a vast digital village to thank for that.

What borrowed concepts have you followed and applied to your own work? Have you tried any of the ideas listed above?

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I believe it is, and here are seven simple things we can do to make it happen:

Add new skills and credentials. Adding more skills, projects, and credentials to your resume, usually means that you’ve gained more experience and will have more to offer your clients.  When this happens, it only makes sense to raise your rates because of the new and improved contributions you’ll be making.

Here are some simple ways you can lengthen your list of credentials:

• get additional certification,
• take a course in a relevant field,
• win an award,
• and participate in high-profile projects.

Don’t forget to highlight your additional credentials by posting about them in your blog, or by editing both your resume and your social networking profiles.

Qualify clients. Another way to earn more money this year is to qualify your new clients in such a way that you’ll only be working for those who understand the value of your work and are willing to pay a good price for it.  Do you advertise in places where these types of clients are likely to find you?

Upsell. It’s also important to ask yourself what extra products and services you can offer to your existing clients.  This works best if you bundle related services together.  For example, if one of my clients hired me to write an ebook, I’d also ask them if they want me to write the sales letter and the press release that goes with the ebook.  Usually, clients wouldn’t say no to something like that, unless they’ve already hired someone else before you made your offer.

Lower business expenses. How does this affect your earning power?  Well, if you lower your regular business expenses, then you can set aside more money for yourself.  You can look at how much you pay for web apps, rent for office space (if applicable), as well as expected equipment purchases for 2009.

Note that lowering business expenses isn’t just about indiscriminately crossing off these items.  It’s not about cutting costs per se, but about making sure that your costs have a good ROI (return of investment) attached to them.

Network. When there are evident connections between you and a prominent person in your potential client’s industry, this provides a more compelling reason to hire you.  If you know the mentors, “gurus”, and moguls of a certain industry, then why not target the people who are following their steps? While it doesn’t strictly follow that you work for these giants just because you know them, it does make a good impression that will be more lasting than the resume of someone they’ve never heard of before.

Beware of blatant name-dropping, though.  You can hint at your strong connections via social networks and your blog, but don’t write a roll call of famous entrepreneurs in your cover letters. Doing this doesn’t carry the same level of credibility.

Look more expensive. Although I’m not a big fan of judging people by their image, I know from experience that clients definitely judge you based on the way you package yourself.  Why?  Because that’s the first thing they see.  To them a professional look equals professionalism (even if this isn’t always the case).  Make sure that your website, business cards, online profiles, and other marketing tools look professionally done.  That way, it seems much easier for clients to justify your competitive rates, since they can see that your personal brand is polished.

Provide case studies. In a previous post here at WWD, Darrell Etherington talked about the importance of case studies to freelancers.  A case study proves to potential clients that you can deliver the results you promise.  This proof gives you the credibility and trustworthiness that merits even the slightest addition to your fees.  Why?  Because clients already have some guarantee that you’ll provide them with the solutions they need.  They would gladly pay a small premium on the safer bet rather than another freelancer who doesn’t have similar proof to show.

While raising your rates comes with some extra work, the additional effort is always worth it.  Apart from justifying better rates for yourself, clients will also feel secure knowing that you’re worth every penny they pay.

Do you plan to raise your rates in 2009?  How are you planning to do it?

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