Freelance: Can I REALLY Make It?

If you wish to advertise your business on my podcast, please contact me at ahmed@arobersonphoto.com to discuss your ad, and rates.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Asking freelancers that use this as our only source of income hurts us so bad.  The same amount of time is required to do the job, but now you want it at a lower rate.  That is both a loss of time and income for us, and it can be debilitating and discouraging, because now we have sellers remorse.  We're sad that we had to do this job for you for a lower rate than normal, and we are the only one's who will suffer.Please do not do it.  One time, maybe...but every time...you will lose me as a service provider.Support the show

Never give up on your dreams! If what usually works stops working, take what you know and reinvent it... make it better... make it different so those who love and support what you do will continue to do so, with the same enthusiasm they had from day 1!Support the show

If you wish to advertise your business on my podcast, please contact me at ahmed@arobersonphoto.com to discuss your ad, and rates.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Have you ever heard the saying "It's Business, Nothing Personal".If so, and if you believe that, you have been LIED TO!!It's ALWAYS Personal!Why...because it's YOUR business, and YOUR business is always personal....yours and personal are one in the same.How can your business not be personal to you?So, when people say that, they're just using that as an excuse to cover up something that will likely hurt or even destroy your business.Even if you do follow that belief, when some business action damages your business, aren't YOU hurt by it?If so, then it's Personal!Support the show

If you wish to advertise your business on my podcast, please contact me at ahmed@arobersonphoto.com to discuss your ad, and rates.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Me being good at what I do is why you came to me, or hired me after I reached out to you.Don't penalize me for giving you what you wanted, if I exceeded your expectations, or beat your deadline.My end product is not always based on time, but instead is based on my abilities, which again, is what you hired me for.The time it takes me, and what I charge is not always directly correlated.If anything, I should be rewarded for finishing your project before the deadline.  That gives you so much of your time back....your life back!Me being fast is a win for the both of us.  It's not a negative.Support the show

If you wish to advertise your business on my podcast, please contact me at ahmed@arobersonphoto.com to discuss your ad, and rates.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Contracts protect your intellectual property...your creations, and it protects you from people stealing your work, and making it theirs.Whatever profits they make off your work, without your permission is theft, and that money belongs to YOU!Support the show

If you wish to advertise your business on my podcast, please contact me at ahmed@arobersonphoto.com to discuss your ad, and rates.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The Good Fast Cheap Triangle....clients want, but cannot have all 3....only 2.If they want something Good, and Fast, it will NOT be Cheap!If they want something Fast, and Cheap, it will NOT be Good (or as good as it can be).If they want something Good, and Cheap, it will NOT be Fast.  Fast comes with an extra "rush service" charge, and you cannot get that for cheap, with along with the good work, at the same price point.Pick 2, or pay extra for all 3!Support the show

If you wish to advertise your business on my podcast, please contact me at ahmed@arobersonphoto.com to discuss your ad, and rates.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I HATE when a client wants to talk on the phone....because they ALWAYS want to negotiate for a better..."Low-Ball" deal.  SUCKS!  It's never because they want to pay your rate...they want to compare your rate to someone else's work that isn't as good as yours.  You would think 1+1 ='s 2....my rate is higher because my work is BETTER...that is NOT a deal for ME...only for you!I work to make money, not lose money....period!Support the show

If you wish to advertise your business on my podcast, please contact me at ahmed@arobersonphoto.com to discuss your ad, and rates.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------A.I NEEDS us!  It absolutely does!Why?Because it cannot create without us teaching it how to create!  We show A.I what to do, and it follows suit....it goes off what we show it. Yes, it can build from that, but it does not have that human element...that human touch, and that's how we stay relevant.  Instead of fearing A.I and viewing it as a career ender, consider using it as another tool, just like all the available tools in Photoshop.  Work WITH A.I,...don't fight it!Support the show

If you wish to advertise your business on my podcast, please contact me at ahmed@arobersonphoto.com to discuss your ad, and rates.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Managing client expectations are KEY to your success as a freelancer.You have to know exactly what a client is seeking, in order for you to deliver successfully, avoiding repeat revisions.Often times, we will have clients that are unfamiliar with the terminology we use in our given professions, and when they cannot express that to us clearly, it can lead to you working for hours in the wrong direction, costing you money and possibly a return client.Managing their expectations also means educating them on the process of getting them to their goals, without days and back and forth changes to said project(s).This is your key to success...Support the show

If you wish to advertise your business on my podcast, please contact me at ahmed@arobersonphoto.com to discuss your ad, and rates.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------No matter what the situation, do NOT let someone undervalue your worth...your time, your work!Whatever you do, no matter if it takes you minutes or hours, you took time...often YEARS to learn how to do that, and there is nothing more valuable!Time cannot be replaced...once it's gone, it's gone, and in this world, our time is worth money, so charge accordingly.Support the show

If you wish to advertise your business on my podcast, please contact me at ahmed@arobersonphoto.com to discuss your ad, and rates.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------It's almost like the stages of Grief....Denial, acceptance, anger, etc, right....but we're not grieving, we may just be stressing....for NOW!!BUT, that always passes, and if you can simply Acknowledge and Embrace your current situation, you can then work on ways to get out of it!Let's create your WAS day!Support the show

If you wish to advertise your business on my podcast, please contact me at ahmed@arobersonphoto.com to discuss your ad, and rates.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------2023 is starting off pretty tight for many of us, but so have the previous years, and yet, WE ARE STILL HERE!No matter what you are dealing with right now, STAY IN THE FIGHT, because your call could be coming NEXT!!But if you leave, you'll never receive it.Support the show

Looking to support local small businesses....then you've come to the right place!  Here is the list!  All good people who need your support!Let's help make their 2023 GREAT!!Support the show

If you wish to advertise your business on my podcast, please contact me at ahmed@arobersonphoto.com to discuss your ad, and rates.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------No matter what your skillset is, no matter your level of natural talent, we ALL HAVE TO put in the Hours!!You have to stay consistent in your practice in order to become a master!  Nobody, not even the greats like Steph Curry or Kobe Bryant just wake up great...they put in the HOURS!!  When there are or aren't cameras around, they are putting in the work and they are GREATS!!  You cannot be Great, unless you put in the work just the same!STAY ready, so you don't hafta GET ready!Support the show

If you wish to advertise your business on my podcast, please contact me at ahmed@arobersonphoto.com to discuss your ad, and rates.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Don't make the mistake of setting your sight's too low.  Shoot for the moon.  If you miss, at least you'll be amongst the stars.NEVER limit yourself.  If you have a minimum goal, cool.  If you shoot to exceed your minimum and you miss, at least you'll reach said minimum.Support the show

If you wish to advertise your business on my podcast, please contact me at ahmed@arobersonphoto.com to discuss your ad, and rates.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Just because your work doesn't fit within a client's budget shouldn't mean you have to charge less.  Your client will just have to find another artist.And I'm not talking about within a few dollar...I'm talking about $100's or more.They simply can't afford you at the moment.Your time and talent is worth what you charge...don't let anyone tell you otherwise.Support the show

If you wish to advertise your business on my podcast, please contact me at ahmed@arobersonphoto.com to discuss your ad, and rates.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Have you ever noticed when you finally get to that Ah-ha moment...that moment of clarity...that moment of peace when it comes to your business dealings?Nothing makes you nervous anymore, because you've reached that point of confidence where you can negotiate a $100,000 contract, as stress free as you would a $10 contract?If so, let me know.  I'd love to hear about it.Support the show

If you wish to advertise your business on my podcast, please contact me at ahmed@arobersonphoto.com to discuss your ad, and rates.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------It hurts you more than it helps you....PLEASE BELIEVE ME!It hurts us all...it hurts the industry as a whole!By working for free, to establish yourself...to build a name, is a terrible way to get yourself out there.What that does is, let other businesses that wish to advertise on your platform know that you are willing to work for free...or for clothes, etc.  But free clothes don't pay your bills.And once the word gets around that you are willing to work for free, it is nearly IMPOSSIBLE to start charging for your services later.Please stop...you are destroying what we all have worked so hard to build.Support the show

If you wish to advertise your business on my podcast, please contact me at ahmed@arobersonphoto.com to discuss your ad, and rates.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The World LOVES and NEEDS media, but sometimes people think it's free, or that it magically appears!No, we have to put in HOURS to make it so....but because we've put in the hours and make it look easy, some tend to think we're just playing around on the computer, and shouldn't be paid.I think NOT, and I'm sure you'll agree after you hear my stories.Support the show

If you wish to advertise your business on my podcast, please contact me at ahmed@arobersonphoto.com to discuss your ad, and rates.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I don't know about y'all, but I HATE the Process!  I am TIRED of the Process.The Process can sometimes steal your joy.I am in the Process of trying to find a way to Retire....NOW...and it's Rough!!But, we tolerate the process to reach our goal....so, what do I do to keep from burning out while dealing with the process.Click the play button, and give it a listen.I appreciate you all!Support the show