We’re moving into July, which is Skill Development month, and that’s exactly what we’re gonna do!
First though, I want to call out an article that explains exactly why these challenges are so important to building your freelance career.
If you didn’t see it in our last news email (sorry for all the bumps…
Curate’s a weird app and still has some bugs) I’m talking about
this article from the Chicago Tribune that says the key to freelancing is a “methodical, disciplined approach.” Here’s one of the most important points from the article…
Whether you are just starting out or trying to make the leap to full-time freelancer, you need to treat the endeavor like a
going concern, not as a side business or a hobby.
So while you might just be getting started and only freelancing part time, it’s never too soon (or too late) to take things seriously and start applying more discipline to your freelance work.
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Challenge Week 1
This month, we’re focused on skills, and in the first week, you’re going to take some time to jot down all the skills you use as a
freelancer.
You can do this on a notepad, or even on your phone, but take a few minutes to acknowledge all the small tasks you take care of around your freelance business. Three to five in each category will be a good start. If you need some suggestions, here are some to get started…
General Skills
These are skills that any and every freelancer uses to build their business and grow as a freelancer. This includes sales, blogging, basic web
competence, social media, marketing, communication, etc.
Specific Skills
This is knowledge and skills that are specific to your freelance skillset. As a business writer, for me, it’s things such as content marketing, grammar and punctuation, and storytelling…if you’re a photographer it might be composition and photo editing.
Niche Skills
Your niche will have some skills or knowledge that are particular to it and the people who
work in it. In healthcare, that could be an understanding of patient privacy laws. In military, it might be an understanding of the government contracting process.
We’ll be using this list as we work through the month, so keep it somewhere safe, and if you want to look ahead,
here’s what you can expect throughout the month. As always, if you’ve got any questions or concerns, just let me know. Have a great Sunday!
Megan.