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Becoming An Unlimited Freelancer

Anything that James Chartrand is involved in has to be worth a look, so the minute I heard about The Unlimited Freelancer, which he co-authored with Mason Hipp of Freelance Folder, I asked if I could review it. I’ve finally got around to reading it – all 200 pages of it – and I have to say I like what I see.

I’ve been writing for a long time, and many of the ebooks I read about freelancing tell me stuff I already know. Not so with the Unlimited Freelancer. This is not so much a book about skills as about the art of freelancing, less about the mechanics of writing than about the choices freelancers face when creating a viable writing business. The examples and takeaways throughout the book help readers to focus on key issues.

Inside The Unlimited Freelancer

If you have been freelancing for a while, you may recognise yourself in Chapter 1 – you have achieved some success in your business, but have so much work that ironically you may be less efficient than before.  This chapter gives an overview of the benefits of becoming an unlimited freelancer and provides a preview of the issues covered in more detail in the following four chapters.

Chapter 2 covers systems, software and automation. It includes advice on four key areas you can automate, with suggestions on how to do this. One of the most useful things in this chapter – and the subsequent ones – is the list of resources that follow each suggestion. The authors say what they like, give some other well regarded options, as well as a list of alternatives so you can do your own research and find out what suits you best. I found myself wanting more detail on some of the key resources, because I definitely need help with accounting. That’s only a minor niggle, though.

Growing The Business With Outsourcing

Chapter 3 discusses outsourcing and cross-sourcing, or what to do when you have too much work to handle yourself.  What struck me about this section was that it was as if James and Mason had been sitting at my desk when I had these same thoughts. I have worked with a team of writers for some time but was intrigued to find some new options for getting rid of the tasks for which I have little inclination or aptitude. I would have liked to see a few more recommendations for using virtual assistants, but that may be a personal preference.

If you’re going to have a writing business, then you need assets that bring in revenue without depending on your fingers. That’s the point of chapter 4, which looks at a number of products which enhance your offering and generate revenue. The book also includes advice on planning the creation of these resources and places where you might market them. James and Mason don’t hold your hand in this section, but you may come away with some new ideas. I didn’t get new ideas, but finding some new product creation tools more than made up for that.

Putting It All Together

Finally, chapter 5 puts it all together. For me, the most useful part of this chapter was right at the start, where James and Mason give a list of questions you need to answer. These help to focus your mind on the issues you should address in becoming an unlimited freelancer. I thought this book was great and is worth paying for if you have started to freelance and are wondering how to improve your writing business.

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