This is a guest post by freelancer J.R. Pittman. Read below for author’s bio.

Many people have preconceived notions about what it means to be a freelancer, and just as many of those preconceptions are wrong. As a beginning freelancer, you’re going to make mistakes, no matter how much research you do before starting; that’s just the way it is. However, if you know about some of the big ones and avoid them, you’ll have a much better chance of being a successful freelancer.

Freelance Pricing
There’s no way around it; pricing your own work is difficult. Starting out, there are generally two classes of freelancers: the ones who under price and the ones who overprice. First, though, you need to figure out your flat rate. Your flat rate should include expenses, such as the cost of materials. Once your expenses are totaled, add a small percentage for your profit. Keep your flat rate in mind when you bid, but also have a low price – what’s the lowest amount you’ll take for a project?

Now, potential clients will sometimes want to negotiate; thus, the reason for the low cost rate. However, when setting individual project prices, think of the overall value of a project. Would it be a great piece to add to your portfolio? Is there a possibility of more work later? Does the potential client have contacts that might be beneficial to you? It may be worth taking a little lower amount for these benefits.

Time Management
Several starting freelancers have an issue with managing their time between work, home and play. Plan and simple, it’s harder for most without the time clock. As a freelancer, you’re your own boss, and you have to crack the proverbial whip. Set specific hours that you work – and then work them.

For those that love to play, it’s hard to keep the right frame of mind to be a freelancer. Part of keeping the work atmosphere is to treat freelancing just like a job, and part of that includes NOT working in your pajamas. Before you sit down at your computer, get dressed! It doesn’t have to be in a suit or fancy clothes, but working in your nightgown or pajamas isn’t the best way to keep a “business” frame of mind.

Over Commitment
Sometimes it’s hard to say “no” and many freelancers are afraid that turning down someone will ruin them in some way. However, you know if you have too many clients or ongoing projects. Accepting another one can put enough pressure or stress on you that the quality of your deliverables goes down. Don’t let this happen to you. If you don’t have the time, be honest and tell the potential client “no”. If you’re polite, explain that you’re booked for the time being and ask if you can set up another time, chances are they may come back at a later date.

Record Keeping
It’s important to keep records, even as a part time freelancer. One, because of the almighty IRS. Two, because that’s what makes the difference between a hobby and a business. Three, because keeping records gives you the ability to keep track of how you’re doing and growing as a business. You can look back three months and see if you’re making less or more, if your expenses are costing more than you’re making, etc. Record keeping is an important part of any business, especially when you’re self-employed.

Contractual Agreements
Many freelancers don’t bother with contracts, but they’re a part of keeping records. They help establish trust with your clients, as well as give you a little bit of a legal leg to stand on should something go wrong. Don’t skip over the contract; if you agree to do something, put it in writing!

Bio: J.R. Pittman is a freelance writer on YesFreelance, and has several years’ experience dealing with the ins and outs of freelancing and running her own business. Currently, she shares those experiences on the YesFreelance blog, along with other YF members.

This post is originally from Just Make Money Online. Please respect copyright.

The 5 Pitfalls of Freelancing

This is a guest post submitted to JMMO by lisafolder from the site Little Money Maker. The author’s email address is: lisafolder@gmail.com .

Freelancing refers to the process of offering your services for someone else on a per project basis. The best way to explain this is through an example.

Supposing you possess excellent writing skills. There are tons of webmasters and internet marketers out there who are in need of fresh content and new products on a daily basis. Their demand for digitally written works is so great that even if they are blessed with just as much writing prowess, they won’t have the time to come up with everything that they need. Hence, they resort to outsourcing.

And this is where you enter the picture.

As a freelancer offering your writing services for a fee, you could take in some projects they will give you. You will be paid per delivery. Once that’s done, you could take in more clients for consistent earnings.

But freelancing is not only limited to writing or ghostwriting. There are other services that you could offer, depending on the area of proficiency you possess. Here are more examples:

• graphic creation and design
• web creation and design
• software development
• data encoding
• translation to specific languages
• marketing consultancy
• strategic placement consultancy
• admin and accounting

If you want to dabble in freelancing, here are some places where you could advertise your services and solicit some clients:

• www.elance.com
• www.scriptlance.com
• www.guru.com

Creating an account on the above sites are free. You will need to fill in your personal and working information in your profile. The employers will review your profile to decide whether you are right for their jobs. So, make sure you update your profile well.

This post is originally from Just Make Money Online. Please respect copyright.

Freelancing For Cash

Since I’ve had a few requests from folks about submitting articles for publication here at JMMO, I decided to make the process more official. So, if you’re keen to submit submit an article for possible publication here at JMMO, please review our submission guidelines.

If you wish to suggest a regular column, I’m open to ideas too. For such suggestions, please contact me.

Thanks and I look forward to hearing from you!

This post is originally from Just Make Money Online. Please respect copyright.

Be a Guest Author!

This article is contributed by Heather Johnson.
Please see the end of this article for her bio.

There are many “power sellers” on eBay who make a full-time living from the online auction site. Surprisingly, this isn’t a hard market to get into. However, there are some helpful tricks that will help you to maximize your earning potential and compete with other sellers. Below are five tips for becoming a more effective eBay seller.

1. List Your Items at the Right Time – Many buyers wait to bid on eBay items until the very end of the auction. If your items end at a time of day when the site is very active, your buyers will be more likely to get into a bidding war. In other words, the auction will end at a higher price. Make sure you don’t list items at a time when the auctions end during odd hours.

2. Mistype Your Auction Title – In addition to correctly spelling your item’s name, you could also include a common misspelling of the item. That way, those who search eBay with the incorrect spelling will find your auction. There are even sites, such as Mistyped Auctions, that will help you to determine how items are commonly misspelled. For example: “Guitar Hero” is commonly mistyped as “Gutiar Hero.”

3. Offer Good Pictures – Not only are images essential when making eBay sales, you need to take quality, detailed pictures. The first picture is free to list, so you may want to consider typing your description in HTML to add more images for free. That way, you can host images on Photobucket or Flickr, and then put them into your description’s code.

4. Don’t Gouge Shipping Prices – Never overcharge for shipping and then cite that extra charge as a “handling fee.” If you really think you deserve a handling fee, then put it into the listing price and not the shipping. Buyers will often choose one listing over the other because it offers a more reasonable shipping fee.

5. Research an Item on eBay Before Listing – Research each item on eBay before you list it. If you are convinced a certain item is worth $10 and you find that same item readily selling on eBay for $2, then you may have to adjust your strategy accordingly.

eBay sales can be unpredictable at times, but you can really tip things in your favor by following the above advice. There are eBay power sellers who make millions each year and everyone needs to start somewhere. With some careful determination, you too could become the next eBay success story.

About the Contributor:
Heather Johnson is a freelance writer, as well as a regular commentator on the topic of airline miles cards. She invites your questions, comments and freelancing job inquiries at her email address heatherjohnson2323@gmail.com.

This post is originally from Just Make Money Online. Please respect copyright.

5 Tips for Effective eBay Selling