Freelancers -- where do you find most of your work?

Hi Freelancers,

I am looking for someone to help me convert some educational courses I have using Articulate software.  I posted the project on guru.com; the pr0ject number is Project ID: 845569. 

guru.com is a good site for entrepeneurs and freelancers to bid on jobs that are posted there.  There are other sites like this out there- elance.com and odesk.com to name a couple.  Hope this helps you expand your business!

Ron

Wow - there is a lot of great ideas on this thread!  Thanks everybody for expanding my to do list exponentially!

Yeah, it's funny, I felt kind of stupid starting this discussion, but geez, given the feedback I've received from Bruce and Kevin (among others), I'm glad I did. There's work out there. No doubt.

Thanks for all your help. It won't be quickly forgotten. Three calls about new business this week. Funny how actually trying yields results. I'll be in touch.

My motto is: "Shoot for the moon. If you miss you'll still hit the barn. If you only shoot for the barn and miss, you'll end up in the mud hole out back!"

A follow up to Bruce's six points:

There are an infinite number of personal growth and success principles out there to read and study. One I read a long time ago from a young journalist who was given the only personal interview with Andrew Carnegie (early 20th century Steel Magnate considered the richest man in the world at the time).

In regard to achieving a goal there are three steps to success:

1. What is it that you want? - (define the goal, target, etc.)

2. When do you want it? - (define the exact time you intend on achieving it. Hold yourself accountable)

3. What are you willing to give up for it? - (There is always a sacrifice)

The first two are easy. "I want to travel the world." "I want a new car." "I want..." AND "I want it by next year." "I want it within two years." "I want it...."

The last one is the one that will test your perseverance in the wake of adversity and obstacles as well as your passion and commitment. You don't get anymore hours to a day so if you're going to define your goal that requires 20 hours a week, what current 20 hours are you willing to give up? 

Of all the books I've read on the subject, this one sorta turned up the fire for me - Crush It!

And to echo Bruce, no question is a stupid question. Unless of course you're asking to take a nap when the lawn needs mowing! 

The tricky part of being an e-learning developer is trying to figure out what you want to be:

A first-rate:

voice over specialist?

graphic designer?

instructional designer?

writer of learning scripts?

Can we do it all well? I think we can. Why just look at Bruce Graham and Kevin Thorn...

Great question Daniel and one that's very hard to answer especially when you're interested in them all.

I'll be the first to admit I can't do it all at one time. That's the hard part. I can do each but as an independent, clients need turn around faster than one person can do each of these layers of development. 

I'm a graphic designer and developer first. I tend to lean toward projects that have a solid ID on their end I can work with. If a client emerges that needs ID work but they have developers (assemblers) on their end, I pick those up as well. The tough part is "wanting" to do it all and seeing areas of design that I'd do something different when working with clients. But, they are the client and tend to get their way!

It's the projects that requires all of it that I partner with others who are true experts in one area over the other.

What part of the entire process are you the most comfortable? The area that doesn't take a lot of effort and you can whiz through it with minimal effort? Then prioritize the other skills based on your comfort level. From experience, I'd settle on three solid areas/services you advertise. When you speak with clients you can share other skills but if you're not willing to respond to the demand of a particular skill you're not 100% comfortable with delivering, keep that at bay until you skill-up.

You'll get there. Just be patient with yourself. And to echo Bruce again - have a plan.

Daniel - that's a great add-on (it's almost like we have created our own freelancer SIG organically here!)

True, you need to determine what your core value proposition is and really pin down what you think is your best niche. It's hard to do it all, so this would be a great opportunity for you to develop loose partnerships/alliances or identify reliable sources for you to outsource portions to. My advice is to own your customer relationship and be known for something unique.

Also, really be clear on your leads - what kind of work best suits you right now and pursue those - you may want to do 2 projects simultaneously or only one large one at a time. You may want to avoid government work, or find that's the best fit for you. Maybe you are looking to break into a new industry and would like to get a project in that field to establish credibility. Perhaps you are looking for something that will solidify your expertise in an area. Help yourself identify what the ideal for you is. 

I reject things that are too big for me, I don't want to end up project managing. I'd love to do more video, but that's not my area of expertise, so while I'd be good at the story part, I need to partner with someone who is great on the shooting/editing video part. I'm always on the look out for good graphic designers or artists and deep technical specialists who could complement my skills.

We can't all be Bruces and Kevins!

Thanks for this thread all, I hope my comments add something to the discussion.

Holly

Wise advice from THE Holly herself! 

And may I add not to be like me. Being like Bruce sounds more fun. He talks funny.