As Duffy & Partners celebrates 30 years in the design business, founder Joe Duffy shares some of his secrets to finding success in this "crazy business."
Getting Started in Freelance Design
You can’t mess with policy
I think calling something a “policy” immediately makes it more official. A few of my unspoken policies include: I will not check my email before I make my bed. Ilise Benun is the only person I will agree to speak with before 9 AM. If you ignore our scheduled phone call twice, and don’t apologize,...
Your First Promotional Materials as a Freelancer
There’s so much you don’t know when you first start your own creative business, whether you dive in with a plan (or without) or are nudged by outside forces. Beyond the nuts and bolts of running a business, you don’t know whether you have hidden talents for managing others or whether dormant genes for...
Saying No to “Monkey Mind”
In Tai Chi practice, there’s a concept called "monkey mind." It’s the little voice in the back of your head that nags you about your every flaw. Learn how to conquer it.
Article/Podcast Round Up: Self Promotion & Pricing for Creative Pros
I can’t take credit for this idea but recently a neighbor of mine suggested I record some of the articles I’ve written over the years. So I created a podcast series I’m calling, Audio Articles, and I’ve started with some of the tried and true, feature articles I’ve written for HOW Magazine. Here are the...
How to Work Remotely and Reinvent Your Life (Part 2)
This is part 2 of a post by Jake Jorgovan on “how to work remotely and reinvent your life.” (In Part 1, he stated that the one thing you must have to do this is the ability to earn an income without being physically present….read on if that sounds good to you! Now this...
How to work remotely and reinvent your life
I’m working from the road this week so this guest post from Jake Jorgovan, who last wrote about how to get your freelance business started with a “freelance marketplace” like oDesk-Elance, is especially apt! We are in the emergence of a new age. The age of the remote worker. 10 years ago tools like...
The thrills and risks of freelancing — in the media again!
In honor of Labor Day, there are lots of articles about the new way people are working — although it’s not all that “new” to those of us who’ve been freelancing for YEARS, right? This insight I definitely see evidence of: ‘Many late-career freelancers are the most successful at it because they have years’ worth of...
4 Personality Traits of Successful Freelancers
Discover the top 4 traits that are inherent to successful freelancing.
Two visitors, two calls-to-action
Your website can have the world’s most awesome content. But if you’re not giving readers a next step—what’s the point? For a website to work (funnel ideal clients and projects, weed out tire-kickers, gather info and save you time)—it’s got to ask something of your visitors and encourage a next step. But not all...

















