Archives: Programs

41 minutes of video
41 minutes of audio
19 slides
13 pages of transcript

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Tying up our whole series on freelance business systems, we head to the top of the business totem pole with your role as the executive of your freelance firm.

In this webinar, we will first examine the most fundamental roles of the traditional executive–and these may be the most surprising of everything you learn in this series. We’ll then look at how the owner or named partner in other types of one- or very-few-man/woman bands (lawyers, architects, interior designers, etc.) work to manage their practice as a combination doer and owner-manager and what we can learn from the growth of those businesses.

We will cover:
– GED vs MBA
– Breaking down governance, executive functions, and strategic direction
– Three landmark frameworks of executive function, strategic direction, and management
– Tying it all together

55 minutes of video
55 minutes of audio
14 slides
19 pages of transcript

*****

Depending on your pre-travel-writing background, the term “research and development” may make you think of many things (I always think of pharma companies somehow), but I bet you would never think of it as something that relates to your travel writing. In this webinar, we will look at how this crucial area of your business is (a) something you’re no doubt already doing, (b) how doing it in a non-systematic way is the source of many problems you run into as a freelancer, and (c) what we can learn from highly functioning R&D departments to make this area of your business something that thrives and brings you closer to your most important goals each quarter and year.

We will cover:
– What do I mean when I talk about “research and development” for travel writers?
– What does R&D generally mean in corporate content?
– The “divisions” of R&D for travel writers as food for thought on what to do… and what not to do
– Next steps for getting clarity on where you’re investing this portion of your time

64 minutes of video
64 minutes of audio
22 slides
23 pages of transcript

*****

Customer service–whether behind the counter at you local ice cream shop as a summer job or temping in a phone bank somewhere–has long gotten the wrap as something we may be obliged to do when young and deal with when older (why is it again that Amazon has no way for me to get in touch with them when my package shows as arrived and did not, in fact, arrive?).

The complex nuances in this business area, however, will literally make or break those attractive, retainer-contract gigs everyone wants to get their hands on with companies or magazines. There is a lot of surprising science to how you interact with your editors to achieve the best outcome for everyone, no matter whether you aim to write for magazines or pursue content marketing gigs.

We will cover:
– How does the idea of a “customer service department” fit into the bigger picture for freelancers
– The missing link between classic customer service and the typical customer interaction for freelance writers
– The role of customer service defined
– A grab-bag of low-hanging-fruit next steps to get started

66 minutes of video
66 minutes of audio
21 slides
20 pages of transcript

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As we tease out the difference between sales, marketing, and PR, it’s time to turn our gaze to the public relations side–not the PRs we interact with trying to get information for a story or a spot on a press trip, but the external relations we must pursue for our own freelance businesses.

I often speak with travel writers who are going to networking events or even conferences without knowing exactly why, in terms of what they hope to get out of it. Ditto with spending time on LinkedIn or Facebook groups. There may be a sense that some business development (new gigs) may come as a result, but the general underpinning of getting one’s name out there (promotion) is always at heart.

This installment in our freelance business systems will break down the core goals and strategies of public relations professionals so that you can make confident, grounded, informed decisions about what will really get your name in front of the right people and spend your time where it will make a difference.

We will cover:
– What is PR really?
– How does PR work for companies (because it’s really not that simple)
– The marketing-sales-PR split revisited
– Case studies on specific PR actions you can take to promote your writing

50 minutes of video
50 minutes of audio
24 slides
16 pages of transcript

*****

Particularly with the advent of social media (marketing) and blogging (content marketing), or, really, the internet in general, there is a lot of “work” you can do these days that may feel like you are marketing your business that doesn’t seem to get a lot of traction no matter how much you put into it.

In this webinar, we start by pulling back significantly from the tactically to really exploring what marketing means conceptually and how it should work to pull you away from the feeling of an endless “should-do” list for your marketing and get grounded in what you should really focus on, why, and how to adjust it over time.

We will cover:
– What is the big marketing picture?
– What you have forgotten is a key part of the marketing puzzle
– The core functions of marketing departments… and how that applies to you
– A simple marketing action plan to get started with

60 minutes of video
60 minutes of audio
25 slides
20 pages of transcript

*****

Of all of the different areas of business and business systems we discuss as part of this serious, the topic that probably has the most written, researched, and optimized about it is sales. And yet it’s also the part that most writers more or less want nothing to do with (money, yes; selling, no), particularly the “icky”-sounding word “sales.”

As we enter the three-legged stool of sales, marketing, and public relations, we explore the differences between the three often co-located and conflated areas, so that you can make sure not to skimp on anything that will propel your business forward by accident.

We explore why and how salespeople in companies are compensated, so that you can get a handle on how this is truly one of your most fundamental jobs within your business, and we break down what lies at the heart of sales (because it’s really, really not what you think) that makes great salespeople in all industries grow their companies.

We will cover:
– Today’s sales talk is going to be different than our usual sales discussions
– What a sales team really does
– The nitty gritty of creating your own pipeline (graphically and numerically)
– Simple, succinct things to focus your sales time on now

50 minutes of video
50 minutes of audio
16 slides
17 pages of transcript

*****

As one-man or one-woman bands, freelancers suffer from two things that really affect you in the tech department: being the only one doing all the things, and having to be very judicious about where we spend our most precious resource, time.

When it comes to keeping your business operating as best it can in the tech department, that tends to mean that you’re either using sub-par equipment and resources in one area or another, or, if you just love the stuff, you spend way too much time fiddling with the latest apps and systems in a way that is more hobby that actually supporting your business.

In this webinar, we’ll walk through specific areas of your business that the right tech can help excel in ways you didn’t realize were possible, what you need to know about keeping yourself and your client’s data appropriately secure at home and on the road (don’t be scared if you’re not doing this now—we’ll cover it!), and how, most importantly, to implement systems to make sure that tech issues never slow your business down.

We will cover:
– Why IT might just be the most misunderstood business area
– What an IT department really does
– Focal points for getting your IT up to snuff
– Food for thought: Some on-going issues for freelancers to stay on top of

60 minutes of video
60 minutes of audio
23 slides
20 pages of transcript

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“Legal departments” are things that we tend to associate with big corporate entities that have in-house council and annoying folks who insist on seeing every tweet before it goes out (even though that defeats the entire purpose of Twitter!). But the legal considerations for your business cannot be ignored, and I’m not just talking about what kind of business you are or are not legally registered as.

There are countless situations that come up from freelance writers, from parsing rights to photos with a CVB or business that hosted you or knowing that the magazine you’ve sold a story to has also purchased the rights to any royalties if your story becomes a movie or book, and making decisions upfront and establishing standard practices for your business will help you know what to do when any of these situations arise and take them in stride.

Please note in appropriate legal fashion: I am not a legal professional, and the recommendations in these webinars are based on journalistic research, personal experience, and experiences of your peers. We absolutely recommend you consult and individual with the appropriate licensing or accreditation for your physical business location on all legal matters.

We will cover:
– The most important functions of a legal department… and how to consider them in your business
– Breaking down the big three legal roles
– Deep dive into contract language to watch out for
– Food for thought: Some on-going issues for freelancers to stay on top of

70 minutes of video
70 minutes of audio
18 slides
24 pages of transcript

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Even though I have been self-employed for ten years now, I have to tell you, there are things about the HR operations of large, established companies that I not only miss—pick-me-up happy hours and excursions, holiday parties, ergonomic chair and table options, and someone tasked with thinking about the healthiness of the menu options on offer, to name a few.

In part, because I have worked for big organizations myself in the past, and in part because so many people in my circle of friends through my big-brand-employeed husband, I’ve always had an eye on incorporating the most crucial and supportive HR practices in my own organization of one throughout my days as a freelance writer.

In this webinar, we talk about why HR people do what they do and how to apply it to a freelance setting to make sure that the most important resource in your freelance business—you—always has the support it needs to do its best work.]

We will cover:
– What human resources is exactly and what are all the different things the human resources do?
– What different things that HR people do and how does that translate for us as freelancers?