In April, my freelance writing income totaled $5,842.42. This was far from being my best month ever, but when compared to my goals, I was satisfied for the most part. Going into May, I was relatively confident that I would be able to exceed $7k thanks in large part to several new clients coming on board.
Despite concerns about a slow down early in 2008, May proved to be quite profitable. So how did I do last month?
Number of Completed Projects: 22
Payment by PayPal: 18
Payment by Check: 3
Payment by Bank Wire: 1
Total Income: $9,260.91
As you can see, I earned approximately $3,400 more in May than I did in April. What was the reason(s) for this jump in income? As mentioned above, I managed to land a couple new clients that offered a lot of high paying work. To go along with this, I completed 22 jobs in May compared to only 11 in April. In most cases, when I complete more jobs I earn more money. This is not the case for all freelance writers, but for me, it usually holds true.
Will I be able to earn more than this in June? Like always, this is a question that is hard to answer. While increasing my income from month to month is always a goal, as long as I stay steady above $4,500 I’ll be happy. Although it is hard to say what the future holds, I am confident that reaching $7k to $9k in June is more than possible.
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As of late, I have been receiving more checks as payment from freelance writing clients. Although PayPal is still how I receive the majority of payments, more and more clients are offering to send a check instead. Generally speaking, I do not have any problem with this. Every one of these clients has made good on their promise to send a check, and some of them even overnight the payment so I do not have to wait too long.
What is the reason for more checks? While it is hard to say for sure, I think this has a lot to do with the fact that I am securing more “corporate clients.†In other words, I am working with fewer individual webmasters and more companies and national publications. As you can imagine, the majority of bigger entities pay by check because they have an accounting department that takes care of payments once a week or so.
If you have clients that want to pay by check, by all means, let them do so. Even though you may have become quite comfortable receiving payment via PayPal, there is nothing wrong with getting a few checks from time to time. Sure, you have to head to the bank to cash them, but for most people this is not too big of an issue. Plus, you do not have to pay any fees when you are paid via check!Â
One of the biggest benefits of being a freelance writer is that you do not need to spend a lot of money on supplies, office space, and other items. Imagine the startup costs involved with leasing office space and filling it with all the necessary items. When compared to those of a freelance writer, you will see that there is a huge difference. With that being said, there are some freelance writing supplies that you need. If you know what they are and where to shop, you should be able to load up and forget about them for a few months.
Although it may not be considered a supply in a traditional sense, every freelance writer needs a quality computer. I started my career using a Compaq laptop but upgraded to an Acer desktop after a couple of years. Both of them have treated me well, and I still use the laptop when traveling. Remember, computers are not nearly as expensive as they once were. You should not have any problems finding a quality computer, laptop or desktop, for $500 or less.
Where can you shop for a good computer? I purchased both of my units at Circuit City. Of course, this is not your only option. There are many other electronics stores, such as Best Buy, to choose from. And of course, you can shop online as well. Additionally, if you are on a tight budget do not be afraid to shop for a pre-owned computer.
To go along with your computer, you will also want to purchase a printer. This does not have to be anything special because you will not be printing a lot of documents. That being said, you definitely want to get something that is high quality and reliable. With both computers that I purchased, a printer was included for free. Circuit City is always offering deals like this, so be sure to keep your eyes open if you are in the market.
Now for some less expensive freelance writing supplies that will be sitting on or near your desk. Here is a list of the items that are surrounding me right now: pens, pencils, rubber bands, paper clips, sticky notes, printer paper, stapler, and a calculator. Of course, I may be missing a few things, but these essentials help to keep me on track day in and day out. All of these supplies can be purchased at an office supply store, or a retail outlet such as Wal-Mart or Target.
With the above freelance writing supplies you will always have what you need to make the most of your career.
