Freelancers
Image by Jeremy Lim
Last weekend Dave Seeram and I attended Freelance Camp Vancouver – an un-conference for indie workers. I’m really glad I went. It’s a volunteer-run event run by The Network Hub – I can’t say enough about how great those folks are. Of course there’s some marketing spin by them as they hope for new clients for their co-working space but they’re subtle about it; which is cool. Spaces like theirs are a vital resource to those trying to make their own rain and I support them wholeheartedly.
I was involved in a couple ad-hoc presentations:
1) What Client’s Love – with CREATIVEMIX alumnist Mark Shieh (Take Root). I represented consultants and Mark was “insert client here”. After a couple minutes of role-play gone wrong we bantered back and fourth about things we love/hate about the way in which the other does business (hypothetical of course as he’s never hired me). The goal was to spark ideas on how a freelancer can better communicate and serve the client and how a client can better understand a consultants pain points. Mark floated the idea to me about co-leading this session the day before and so with a couple email exchanges we pulled it together as best we could. It was well received for sure. Mark is the real deal; not only is he the visionary behind the new River Market at the Westminster Quay (it’s where the Freelance Camp was held this year) he’s an inspirational leader and I’m convinced he’s Vancouver’s best kept secret on a number of different fronts. I wouldn’t be surprised if Mark develops this session into something more as he’s got some killer insights that small business owners would be smart to put into practice.
2) How to Market your Services through a Collaborative Project – with my clamorate! partner Dave Seeram (PhotographyBB). We’ve got projects like CREATIVEMIX, clamorate!, OnGray and PhotographyBB in our back pocket and so we felt compelled to share a few insights on how our individual freelancing business have grown as a result of contributing to a collaborative “personal” projects. We shared a couple examples and then scratched the surface re: finding collaborators, managing a project, and promoting it. The session was very well attended (about 100ppl) and everyone was attentive but there was something amiss, there was a disconnect, I had a strange feeling as we spoke. I was pretty sure I knew what was going on within the first 60-seconds of the session and that was: Nobody Gets It!
Now, I realize that’s not a fair statement to make – the room was very diverse in business types, personality types, and experience but I couldn’t help but feel the crickets were about to start chirping at any moment. In our defense, Dave and I were speaking candidly and unrehearsed so maybe our delivery was rough around the edges, but, still. I guess I was hoping to find more like-minded people but instead I felt like a global warming activist in 1965.
Entrepreneurs understand networking, they understand partnerships – but I’m convinced now, more than ever, that the idea of a collaborative project as a marketing endevour is a seriously untapped strategy for eliciting curiosity in one’s work and ultimately generating NEW demand for one’s services. I guess I have my work cut out for me.
Over the past year as I wrote Your Creative Mix for C&V I discovered that photographers rarely collaborate (and no, donating services to a charity or doing a favour for a friend doesn’t count). Last weekend I realized more fully that small business owners of all kinds are holding tight to traditional forms of advertising and are putting to much hope in networking events. Those tactics work to some degree but they’re dependent on self-promotion and push-marketing. A collaborative project is about being a fan/follower of your co-collaborators and spreading the word about something bigger than yourself.
I have been a sole proprietor for 6 years. In that time I have NEVER directly marketed my services or done any advertising. I haven’t handed out a business card in two years. My business is healthy and thriving and I have to turn down work.
I’m not crazy. I have full resolve that this idea can radically change the way entrepreneurs grow their businesses. I’m dedicated to finding the right way in which to inspire, educate, and support those who want to lead, or contribute to, a collaborative project.
The biggest mistake a freelancer can make is to be a lone ranger. The second worst mistake is to keep doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Stop networking and start collaborating.
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I, also, haven’t done any conventional marketing for myself. For one: I don’t even know how to. All I know about business is how to make friends. They’re really the same thing for me: Meet people who have shared interests – in my case they either are photographers or potential clients of photography – have some fun shooting pictures or talking “the biz.” And a few months later I get a call from them, or their friend, or someone they know because maybe “they” can’t do the job, but they know a guy (me!) who can.
Again, I’m not doing great right now, it’s my first year of business, but I’m sustaining, my business is growing exponentially, and I haven’t spent $1 on marketing – though a few on beers.