I think a lot of us get caught up and confused trying to start out our freelance careers where what we really nee, is to start with simple questions.

This week, we’re going to cover one that’s particularly effective and one I’ve used to launch my most profitable service hands down.

If there’s one magic secret about freelancing that keeps some people out of the best projects and others building strong earning careers that fuel their lives, it’s this…

I don’t care how big they are, how professional they look, or how long they’ve bene around, there’s something they’re not good at. My income took a serious turn when I realized what that was in my niche.

I’d read a few case studies in my work and realized they were drier than toast. I could just see sad, bored businesspeople passing out at their desks from the stilted sentences, dull graphics, and lack of storytelling (because case studies are nothing but business stories).

I knew that I could use the interview skills I’d developed as a blogger to make them better. I also knew that finding the right graphic artists to work with could help make them even more interesting.

Bonus, I knew these projects could sell at $500 and up per page, so I invested in a course (this one) and started selling them. To this day, just one can make an enormous difference in my monthly earnings.

The thing about “badly” is that it varies, but you’ll probably be able to point it out easily if you’re spending time reading news and paying attention to companies in your niche.

Every niche has standards that most players want to keep up with, and if you can find the people lagging behind? The ones using logos, blogs, photography, and website design that just doesn’t keep up with the competition? That’s where your “badly” lies. (And that’s also a good way to motivate them to work with you…jealousy can be really effective marketing.)

As you’re going into 2018, keep an eye out for businesses that are doing some things right, but not the things that you do well. As always, if you’ve got any questions about what this might look like for your skillset, shoot me an email or pop into the Skype group and we can talk about it in real time. Have a great week!

Megan