I’m a big believer in keeping tabs on other freelancers…not as competition, but for information.

 

Bigger businesses have the luxury (and budgets) for market research, but little micro-businesses like us? We have to get information where we can.

 

 

What’s Everybody Else Doing?

I’m not going to tell you to copy what you see the freelancer-next-door selling, but if you have a chance to look at their successes, services, and methods? Take note.

 

It might be confirmation of a hunch you’ve had around skill development or a lead on where your niche is headed. Either way, they can be a great source of information.

 

Here’s an example I’ve talked about quite a bit lately.

 

I’ve been hearing a lot of whispers about account based marketing in my niche…clients, marketing organizations, podcasts…it keeps coming up.

 

I wasn’t sure whether it would be worth my time, so I swung by a couple of agencies and boom. There it was. Most of them were all “ABM this” and “ABM that”.

 

That’s what cemented my decision to devote my first skills development of 2019 to some ABM materials.

 

Chances are, you’ve got some of the same whispers in your niche. Next time you’ve got a few minutes, swing by a search engine, look for people who do what you do and serve who you serve, and take a look at what they’re up to.

 

 

Megan

 

Community Discussion Update

We had some nice discussions this month with Skype group members sharing niche advice (cannabis), and how to feel ok with charging $100/hr or more.