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Although Twitter and Facebook dominate the blogging and sharing spaces in our lives, there is something pretty special about blog memes.   A typical blog meme entails some kind of a list, then you “tag” your friends, ask them to make their own lists, tag more friends, and so on.  I fondly remember a few blog “meme tags” when I was a more frequent blogger (2004 to 2006).

I was thrilled when Julia Munroe Martin (“wordsxo” on Twitter) tagged me for the Lucky Seven Challenge, which has some pretty straightforward rules:

1. Go to page 77 of your WIP or latest book.

2. Count down seven lines.

3. Copy the 7 sentences that follow and post them.

4. Tag 7 other authors.

Julia chose to list the sentences on page 7 since page 77 had a huge plot turn, which makes me wonder what it is!  I thought about doing something similar because I wasn’t sure I even had 77 pages yet!

I’ve written about my novel’s progress here and at Natalia Sylvester’s blog, and I kick my behind every day about various aspects of the book (progress, plot, characters, setting … you name it).  But I saw that I had indeed written a total of 88 pages (on the actual document; there are hundreds of pages scattered in other files and in two Moleskine notebooks).

It turns out that The Lucky Seven tags a few sentences that I like:

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If you’re a small business owner, reaching your audience can be a challenge.  As a freelance writer, I’ve certainly encountered that dilemma.  I re-started my freelance writing career just over two years ago, in an economic environment that can be challenging.  I think many small business owners can relate.  The economy is improving (my business has certainly increased this year), but we obviously need to still reach new customers, and maintain relationships with our current ones.

So, if you’re an entrepreneur, or a small business owner, how do you reach your audience?  I think you need to find your voice, listen to your prospects, and then getting found (although not always in that order).

Finding Your Voice

Most of us can perfectly discuss what we stand for, what makes us different, and why we’re the perfect business for our clients … in our head.  Putting it into words takes a different set of skills.  I’ve written professionally for 17 years, and even I have a hard time with it!  But I believe that putting what you stand for in words (even on a cocktail napkin) helps you explain your value proposition better than any other form of communication.

 Listen To Your Prospective Clients

What do your potential customers need?  It’s an ever-evolving question, especially for me.  My clients are so busy that they can’t even think about website content, or a brochure, or their book.  If you market to specific clients though (like most tech companies), or a broad customer base (like a retail store), you likely know the needs of your prospects and existing customers.  It’s getting them to commit to an order, walk through the door, or clicking “submit” on their shopping cart that can be the challenge.  Surveys, questions, reaching out on social media, and promotions are some ways that can help you gauge the needs of your present and future customers or clients.

Get Found

Easier said than done, right?   There are many different ways to get noticed. My  fellow Portland freelance writers and I attend networking events in the metro area.  It’s a great way to meet other business owners and socialize.  The Internet is, of course, indispensable.  But Internet search engines are notoriously fickle, and achieving prominence in the “organic” (e.g. non-paid) search listings for certain keywords can be an arcane process.   I learned some Search Engine Optimization (SEO) techniques when Google was just one of many search engines, and the practice still keeps me on my toes.  Understanding how keywords, PageRank, website content, and SEO works can definitely help you get found.

My core skills are writing and editing, but these skills can also help you find your audience, discover your market needs, and help you get found.  Contact me for more information.

How do you reach your audience?

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I’m proud to be a prize donor for fellow freelance writer Emily Suess‘ “Brave Little Blogger” contest.   “What is this contest about, Mahesh?”  I’m glad you asked!

It’s a free contest for all bloggers.   As Emily says, “it doesn’t matter whether you blog for fun or money … through blogging, we are all given a place to speak our minds. Yes, even if our ideas are unpopular. The Brave Little Blogger contest celebrates that and encourages bloggers to be bold.”

Write a blog post (750 words or less) on the specified theme of CENSORSHIP.  You’ll need to link your entry to the contest page and display an official entry graphic on your post.  The contest runs from March 15th to March 31st.

Prizes include Amazon.com gift cards, as well as a slew of donations.  My donated prize is professional proofreading and copyediting – up to $200 worth, folks!  – and you’d get it for free.

Check it out!

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If your job title is “freelance writer,” then prospects, clients, friends, and strangers on the street understand your core competency and value.  But it also means you wear all the entrepreneurial hats.  (Some folks call this being a “solopreneur.”)

Right now, I outsource my accounting, but I do everything else … sales, project management, accounts receivable/payable, social media, basic web design, and of course writing and editing.   At the same time, my business is reaching a point where I need to start outsourcing some tasks (especially web design).

That’s why I love the Staples ad campaign that’s been running for a couple of months now.  “Dave” the small business owner is shown in an office full of doppelgangers all doing the various jobs involved with a small business.  It’s smart and funny, and it actually makes the point that while small business owners can be multi-tasking ninjas … they (we) definitely need some help.

If you haven’t seen the commercial, you can check it out here.

If you’re a small business owner, are you also a “Dave?”  Or do you outsource?

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photo by "jnyemb" (Flicker Name) under Creative Commons license

One of the perks of being a freelance writer (especially in a pedestrian/mass transit friendly place like Portland, Oregon) is the ability to work flexible hours.  At the present time, I work from a home office.   It can be an equitable arrangement, especially since my wife paints her pet portraits from home, too.  I keep regular office hours, which provides necessary structure, with the perk of lying on my bed when I need to take a writing/editing break.   But there are some down-sides, too.  Specifically … noise.

I have a complex relationship with noise.  On the one hand, I enjoy listening to loud rock or metal music and playing heavily distorted power chords on my guitar.  On the other hand, I enjoy absolute and pristine silence.  Like pin-drop silence.   I feel I can think much more clearly and with greater focus in silence, particularly when I’m editing.

It can be challenging to write and edit from home in my neighborhood.  My house was built during the housing boom feeding frenzy at the turn of the century (I love writing that), so there’s about six feet of space between my home and my neighbors.   Barking dogs, construction noise, and oblivious neighbors can be distracting during my working hours (and occasionally when I’m trying to sleep).

So if you work from home as I do, what are some solutions if you are a freelance warrior? (Aside from noise cancelling headphones, of course.)

1. Communicate.

I suspect that nine times out of ten, the person making noise doesn’t realize you’re working from home.  If you calmly and reasonably let them know that silence is a major component of your delivering quality service on-time, they will turn the noise down.  If the loud person is belligerent and disrespectful, I don’t advocate using half-remembered Tae Kwon Do moves on them.   But you’ll find that the law and your homeowners association is on your side.

2. Coworking.

My friend and freelance writer Princess Jones recently hosted a guest blog post (by David Sumner) about coworking.   When you cowork, you work in an offsite space populated by fellow freelancers or business owners.   I have not located a coworking environment in my immediate area (the Portland boondocks), and commuting  2.5 hours round-trip to a co-working space has as much appeal as working for The Man again.

3.   Commuting.

You can always rent your own office space and commute there.  There are often onsite perks (remote secretary, Wi-Fi, break room, fellow human beings). And yet, despite the downturn in the office space real estate market, it can be hard to find office space that has your desired square footage and budget.

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Unless I find a local coworking environment that appeals to me, I’ll likely be renting office space this year.  I’ve been meaning to have a separate space for awhile, but with more construction headed to my area soon, it will become difficult to stay focused.  I hope to occupy a space, part-time, by the summer.  Until then, I’ll remain a home office warrior.

Working from home means that I have to put up with the occasional irritating noises.  I am ultimately grateful, though, to be working for myself.

Are you a freelancer who works from home?  If you’re salaried, are you allowed to work from home?

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As a freelance writer near Portland, Oregon, I appreciate songs that are powerful and meaningful.   Portland is a music-loving city.  And, of all the content in the world, nothing brings people together or tears them apart more than a song.   Many of my friends, past and present, would happily classify themselves as music elitists.   I’m firmly in the “I like what I like” category, and that includes songs (or bands) my friends despise.

I grew up listening to The Beatles, and the first song I really listened to for its lyrics was Don McLean‘s “American Pie,” which is one of my Mom‘s favorite songs.   When I entered adolescence, I went through a long phase where I only listened to classical music and soundtracks.  The first CD I ever bought was Gustav Holst‘s The Planets.

I wrote better to word-less music, and the music my peers listened to (alternative, hair metal, rap, and country) didn’t appeal to me at all.  There were certainly songs (particularly rock tunes) that I appreciated, but I definitely preferred Vivaldi to Vedder.  (Hmm, and that’s actually still the case …)

It wasn’t really until I discovered the band Garbage in the late ’90s that I found “my band.”  I saw them play a quick live set while I was in college, but when I heard their song, “I’m Only Happy When It Rains” on an episode of Homicide:  Life On the Street, I was hooked.   The intensity of Shirley Manson’s vocals, Steve Marker and Duke Erikson’s guitars/bass, and Butch Vig’s drums and technical wizardry creates music that speaks to me.  Their songs range from synth-pop to heavy metal, and the tone varies just as wildly, from love ballads to rock anthems.   I’m singling them out for this post because they’ve been on hiatus for seven years, but in 2012, they’re releasing a new album, on their own label, and they’ve set up several concert dates.

The wonderful thing about songs and lyrics is that you feel like the band or singer/songwriter is speaking about you and your experiences.  When you meet a fellow fan, then you feel an almost instant bond:  “s/he gets it, too.”  It is powerful stuff, and I speak from experience.  Garbage is also my wife Sara‘s favorite band, and when we both discovered this fact, it’s one of the reasons we eventually ended up together. :-)

 What is your favorite band or musician?  What makes you love them?

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I hope everyone had a great winter holiday, and that 2012 is treating you well so far.   As I mentioned last year, I prefer aspirations to resolutions.  My aspirations this year are basically an extension of last year’s …  grow, read more, and volunteer more.

I have one more entry in my “great writing” series:  songwriting.  Then I’ll be trying some new things here.

The main change you’ll notice is that I won’t preface each title with “freelance writer.”  It’s overkill!  You all know my occupation! ;-)

Other than that, thanks for reading, and I’ll hopefully have some topics of interest for you.  I’m always interested in your feedback.  :-)

Here’s to a great 2012!

What are your plans for the year?

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I’ve mentioned to friends and family that working as a freelance writer  makes me more understanding of service providers I use.  I have to be the recipient of truly rude and reprehensible customer service to get growly right back.

Brand loyalty is earned not just by consistently great service, but when things don’t always go as planned.

For example … I love coffee.   I look forward to every aspect:  grinding the beans every morning, hearing the coffeemaker brewing, and, of course, drinking it.  One of my favorite coffee companies is Clive Coffee, which is based in Portland, and was founded in 2009.  Mark Hellwegg, Clive Coffee’s owner, roasts coffee in small batches and sells coffee/espresso equipment specifically for home use.   I order coffee directly from Clive Coffee, and have it mailed to me.*

A couple of months ago, I placed my order, and I received a confirmation e-mail immediately, as usual.  Then I waited.  And waited some more.  Usually, the shipping confirmation comes within three days.  My coffee supply began to dwindle.

I left a voice mail, and Mark Hellwegg e-mailed right away.   A seriocomic set of events followed …  printing labels were printed, but shipping labels weren’t … I waited some more and began seriously running out of coffee.

In fact, I began drinking my “last resort” supply of hotel room coffee pods, ah, acquired for me by various relatives and in-laws.

“Help me, Mark Hellwegg, you’re my only hope!”  was how I ended another e-mail.

Sure, I could have gone to the store and bought another brand.  But then I’d be only a few days into that bag when the bag of Clive Coffee got to me.  Coffee is best enjoyed when it’s fresh!  And, really, I had my mind set on Clive Coffee.  Brand loyalty means that much to me.

It turns out that Mark’s business was going through some growing pains.  But my patience soon paid off.   I received not one, but two bags of coffee beans for the price of one, and free shipping.

I could have gotten angry or Mark could have gotten defensive.  Neither happened.  I gave him the benefit of the doubt, and he did everything in his power to make things right.  And make them right he did, and then some.

We’re used to blaming the other guy, and don’t consider what it must be like for the person on the receiving end.  We just focus on our own pain or, worse, our inconvenience.  But every service provider (or employee, for that matter) is entitled to a mistake or a bad day … and a chance to fix it.

So if you hire someone this holiday season or in the new year, and the product or service is not what you expected, take a deep breath, and give the person a chance to make it right.

P.S.  I placed another order with Clive Coffee just a couple of weeks ago.  Everything went as smoothly as the lovely Lovejoy Espresso Blend I’m currently enjoying, :-)

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*I could pick it up, but it would cost me about $5 in gas.  This is how I rationalize such acquisitions to myself!