In this presentation about mastering the freelance mentality, I cover topics like finding your niche, defining your value (including rate-setting), handling admin, being a small business owner, operating as a pro, managing clients, dealing with requests for discounts and freebies, writing for social media, and shameless self-promotion using the 80:20 ratio. This is the full 75-slide version of my Keynote presentation at the Standard Bank Business Incubator on 18 July 2018.

1. FREELANCE MENTALITY
2018
TIFFANY MARKMAN’S
MASTERING THE

2. COPYWRITER & SPEAKER.
TRAINER. FREELANCER.
SMALL BUSINESS OWNER.
Tiffany Markman
WHO AM I?

3. 350+ clients
13 years
12+ countries
@tiffanymarkman
WHO AM I?

4. #freement
@tiffanymarkman
HASHTAG FOR THIS TALK?

5. WHY ARE WE HERE TODAY?

6. MAY YOU LIVE IN
INTERESTING TIMES.

13. OUR CLIENTS WANT MORE.
FOR LESS.
IN LESS TIME. PERFECTLY.

16. TOGETHER, WE NEED TO
‘TRADITIONAL’ FREELANCING, CONSULTING & CREATIVE…
Find our niche.
Define our value.
Operate as pros.
Collaborate.
Self-determine.
SELF-PROMOTE.
GO BEYOND

17. 1. FINDING
OUR NICHE

18. NICHE?
INDUSTRY NICHE.
MEDIUM NICHE.
DOUBLE NICHE.

19. IT’S AN INDUSTRY NICHE.
CORPORATE.
Tiffany Markman
P.S. SO, WHAT’S MY NICHE?

20. 2. DEFINING OUR
VALUE

21. LET’S TALK ABOUT THE
PLUMBER, SHALL WE?
Tiffany Markman

22. 2 METHODS
GO WITH THE INDUSTRY, OR
CALCULATE WHAT WE NEED.

23. GO WITH THE INDUSTRY.
Join industry associations.
Ask our colleagues.
Source generic rate cards.
Choose our ‘weight’.
Consider our niche.
Request client’s budget.
OR TRY SOMETHING ELSE.

24. CALCULATE WHAT WE NEED.
WHAT DO WE WANT?
What’s our
monthly number?
Call it R30k.
Times R30k by 12.
Divide by 10.
Are we full or part time?
Divide by 15 (or 21)
work days.
Divide by 6 (or 8)
work hours.
> BASE
> HOURLY
> RATE: R400 flat out

26. SOMETIMES WE NEED
TO CHARGE FOR ADMIN.

28. KNOW OUR ALLIES.

29. 3. BEING A
BUSINESS OWNER

30. BECAUSE YOU’RE A
BUSINESS OWNER.
FORGET THAT YOU’RE
A FREELANCER.

31. HOW TO…
BEHAVE LIKE A BUSINESS OWNER
Look like one.
Act like one.
Speak like one.
Learn to negotiate.
Learn to walk away.
MARKET LIKE MAD.

32. DEVELOP GOOD
HABITS.

33. GOOD HABITS ARE EVERYTHING.
GET RELIGIOUS ABOUT:
Time-keeping
Admin & notes
Ts & Cs
Tax
Technology
Dead time

34. 4. HANDLING
‘DISCOUNTS’

35. TO DISCOUNT OR
NOT TO DISCOUNT?
ARE WE IN?
ARE WE OUT?
OR, DOES IT DEPEND?

36. “GIVE A REASON:
VOLUME, REGULAR, NGO,
WHATEVER.”
Tiffany Markman
IF GIVING A DISCOUNT, ALWAYS

37. STRATEGY
(I.E. MY REASON)

38. 5. DECIDING ON
FREEBIES

39. REASONS TO SAY…
“NO.”
It’s the principle.
It’s a bottomless
pit.
It’s cheeky.
We can’t eat
‘exposure’.

40. REASONS TO SAY…
“YES.”
It can be strategic.
It’s a goodwill
gesture.
It can be useful
when starting out.
It builds reputations.
IT CAN BE FUN.

41. 6. MARKETING IN
A RECESSION

42. “I’M
JUST A…”
Tiffany Markman
TO START WITH, NEVER SAY…

43. LEVERAGE THE
VACUUM.

44. WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH
REMEMBER:
Market in every gap.
Pick up others’ slack.
Be wary of bullshit.
Never be too available.
Never smell desperate.
Never be a ‘schnorrah’.
HOU VAS TIL IT PASSES.

46. DIVERSIFY. USE SOCIAL. TRIM
THE SCOPE. CUT OUR COSTS.
Tiffany Markman
GENERAL MARKETING ADVICE

47. A FEW WORDS
ON WRITING

48. ADVERTISING
MARKETING
PUBLIC RELATIONS
DIGITAL
SOCIAL
TRADITIONAL
NEW MEDIA
FORGET
the labels

49. Talk to them in the
language they use
everyday.
FORGET
‘pretty’

50. REDUCE THE
BRAIN BURDEN

51. TL:DR

52. LENGTH
SHORT. SHORT. SHORT.
TIP #1

56. 79% OF VIEWERS SCAN A NEW
PAGE; 16% READ EVERY WORD.
Morkes & Nielsen, nngroup.com
DIGITAL READING STATISTIC

57. WE HAVE
15S

58. THAT’S
3 clicks.
THAT’S 3 CLICKS.

59. CONTENT
FORGET OUR AGENDA.
TIP #2

60. It’s about
adding
VALUE

62. STRIVE TO CREATE
TRUST

64. STYLE
LOOSEN UP.
TIP #3

65. STRONG
CALL TO ACTION

66. WHAT DO WE WANT THEM TO
FEEL?
THINK?
DO?

67. BEIMPRESSED?

68. BEINSPIRED?

69. BELIEVE?

70. BUY?

71. MAY YOU LIVE IN
INTERESTING TIMES.

74. THE
END.

75. QUESTIONS?