My first project has gone live! Check it out here. I’m very happy with the results and the client loves it. Now on to my second project! Also, I will need to start looking for another 10 potential contacts to keep the ball rolling and the projects coming in. Thanks for dropping by.
Day 10 is here and I have good news. The reason for my lack of updates was due to getting my first freelance job. Besides my full time job, I have been busy communicating with a client over the past weekend and I have finally completed my first job on day 9. Things have been great so far and the client is happy is my work. So much so I now have a second job that I am about to begin. Both jobs involve creating Flash e-cards. I will share the results of my work after the official launch.
The potential lead I had yesterday went cold. The company I was in contact with suddenly stopped replying my emails without any explanations. However, I also identified 8 other companies and 3 individuals yesterday to send emails to. So far I have received replies from 3 companies… 2 had just got someone to do the job, and 1 looks like a very positive lead. So far so good. If things work out well, the income earned will be reinvested to set up a more professional website. It would be a good idea to separate my personal site from a professional site. I have also figured out some ways to add value to the services that I will be experimenting with. Things are getting really interesting now. More to come!
I have yet to receive any reply from the company I was negotiating with for over 24 hours. Worst case scenario, I won’t get the job but thats ok. A very strange thing happened as a result of pulling the trigger. My mind seems to have gone on overdrive as I find myself coming up with more ideas on how I could generate income and starting businesses. Weird how God made the human mind to work. I have identified a few other companies yesterday and I was thinking of offering my services to revamp their existing site to create a new Flash site. However after thinking things through, I realised what I really need is a long term strategy that will result in recurring business. So here are my next actionable steps:
Time to take some action!
To get started, here are the deliverables that I have come up with so far.
I drafted out an email to send to potential companies briefly explaining what I do. I separated my portfolio into 4 categories: Personal work, games, banner ads and websites. Initially I included a tonne of links but decided to reduce it to my top 3 projects in each category. Depending on the nature of the business, I added up to a maximum of 5 links for that particular category.
Next, I started off by identifying 2 companies and I just sent out a plain text email as suggested in Christine’s book. Less than 12 hours later, I received an email reply from 1 company. I did not expect to receive a response so soon. I’m not sure if my first contact will lead to closing a deal but it is very exciting to see things moving forward. I’m currently in the midst of negotiating my rates. Even if this doesn’t go through, thats perfectly fine, because suddenly my mind has been blown wide open to new ideas and possibilities. I’m feeling energised, excited and I can’t wait to close my first deal. Onward, to find a few more potential companies! Thank you Christine for your wonderful book!
After reading Christine O’Kelly’s ebook titled “How I Built a Profitable Freelance Business for Under $50 … And How You Can Too!” and reading Dave Navarro’s post ”
Christine O’Kelly, I’m Talking To You!” I was inspired to give it a shot too. I am currently working full time as a professional Flash developer / Actionscripter fore more than 5 years and I have been looking for means to earn a little extra on the side. My reason is simply this… I would like to have a little extra savings for my future and also to have extra cash to help clear my debts a little quicker. So over the next 30 days, I will attempt to follow Christine’s advice to see how well it goes.
