How freelancers can respond to crisis in a proactive way
by Robyn Roste
Freelancing at the best of times is a careful balance of optimism, drive and risk.
So when a crisis, like a global pandemic and looming economic recession, hits, this balance is upended, thrusting freelancers into limbo where everything is uncertain, leaving us desperate for stability.
At the outset of any traumatic event, common emotions are shock, denial, anger, depression, fear, anxiety and feelings of hopelessness.
And it makes sense. We’re facing a threat, which is causing great stress to every aspect of our lives.
In any crisis situation we have to make choices, which will impact our future freelance business—although we may not be sure how.
Many of us have seen contracts cancelled, clients bail and projects put on indefinite hold. So how should we respond?
Do we close up shop and wait for the storm to pass? Do we slash rates and take anything that comes up, grateful for the work we do have? Or do we hold firm to our pricing and risk bringing nothing in?
Here are three suggestions for how freelancers can respond to crisis in a proactive way.
Read the rest of this post »
Decoding Digital: A Freelancer’s Guide to Modern Marketing
Marketing your services has undergone a sea change since the turn of the century: it’s digital, it’s everywhere, and it’s changing almost daily. In January 2025, the Canadian Freelance Guild hosted a webinar on the topic of Digital Marketing Plans for Freelancers. A summary of this discussion is below. If you would like to watch the webinar, it can be accessed here.
In an era where online visibility can make or break a freelance career, two marketing experts reveal the strategies that actually work—and bust the myths that waste your time and money
The results were startling but perhaps unsurprising: when asked if they had a digital marketing plan, the overwhelming majority of freelancers attending the Canadian Freelance Guild’s expert panel answered with a resounding “no.” In fact, the collective response to whether they had any marketing plan at all—digital or otherwise—painted a picture of a talented community that knows how to deliver excellent work but seems allergic to promoting it.
“I’m not shocked,” quipped panelist Robyn Roste with a knowing laugh that carried the weight of a thousand consultations with marketing-averse creatives.
Her fellow expert Khaldip Gill was more surprised: “I expected—I got a bit, yeah. So we gotta roll up our sleeves here today.”
And roll up their sleeves they did. Over the next hour, these two digital marketing veterans from different corners of the industry shared practical advice that cut through the noise and demystified the often overwhelming world of digital marketing for freelancers who’d rather be doing literally anything else than promoting themselves.
Starting from Square One (Or: Help, I Have No Plan!)
For the majority of freelancers who have no marketing plan whatsoever, the path forward might seem as daunting as climbing Everest in flip-flops. Where do you even begin?
Gill, who brings over 20 years of experience in digital advertising and photography, emphasized the importance of starting with audience research—because shouting your message into the void rarely works.
“First of all, I would sit down with the client, figure out what’s the audience that they wanna go after,” he explained. “What kind of content are they creating? And when I say what’s the audience, I don’t just mean the type of audience, I mean geographically.”
From there, he recommends creating a content calendar and determining the platforms you’ll use to share that content, with a strong focus on local search—what he calls “the low-hanging fruit.” After all, why compete with the entire internet when you can dominate your local space?
“If you have a website, the architecture has to be audited, and SEO needs to be implemented, and then a month, month and a half into it, the content needs to be rolled out,” he explained, adding a reality check for those expecting overnight Instagram fame. “When it comes to net new, you’re looking at a long game, right? This isn’t something that’s gonna flick of a switch and turn on overnight.”
Roste, author of “Marketing for Freelance Writers” and the editor of the CFG’s publication The Storyboard, takes a complementary approach with her clients, focusing on foundational messaging before any advertising begins—like making sure you have a solid roof before inviting guests to your house.
“My work would be helping them get ready to run ads, because that will take all of their marketing strategies and amplify it,” she said. “How we would do that is really talk about their messaging and their branding and making sure that they know what they’re about, that they know who they’re going after, what their services are.”
This clarity about your services and ideal clients creates the foundation for everything that follows. “If we’re talking about a marketing plan, we need all those, the why, the how, the what, the who ahead of time,” Roste emphasized. Without them, you’re essentially throwing spaghetti at the wall and hoping something sticks—a strategy that wastes both pasta and potential.
Digital vs. Traditional: Understanding the Difference (Or: Welcome to the Matrix)
For many freelancers more comfortable with traditional networking and marketing approaches, the digital landscape can seem like a foreign country where everyone speaks in acronyms and measures success in metrics you’ve never heard of.
Gill, who witnessed the transition firsthand while working at AutoTrader, provided insight into the key distinctions: “Online is more strategic. It’s more quantifiable. You can see the metrics essentially immediately and how that campaign is affecting your bottom line and your results. Whereas traditional is more kind of a broader scope and more kind of a branding play versus acquisition when it comes to digital.”
This quantifiable nature of digital marketing is both its greatest strength and the source of much confusion for newcomers. When we talk about “acquisition” in digital marketing, it doesn’t just mean landing clients—though try telling that to your bank account.
“A lot of people focus on just that. It’s like landing a client and that’s the end goal,” Gill explained. “But acquisition can be several things… I would consider an acquisition, not just if somebody signed me up and hired me, but it would be how long did they spend on my website? How many page views did they look at? Was it a solid lead that’s going to that website?”
Translation: In digital marketing, even getting someone to stick around your website for more than 15 seconds can be considered a win—a concept that might be hard to explain to your mortgage lender, but is genuinely valuable in the long run.
Roste added that even without paid advertising, there are many ways to measure marketing effectiveness. She described how a marketing funnel works for someone selling a book: “The acquisition would be getting them on your email list in that example. And so what you’d measure is how many people saw your social media post…And then you’d measure how many people went to your website…And then how many people actually took the next step to sign up for your email list.”
It’s like tracking a romantic relationship: first date (they saw your post), second date (they visited your website), commitment (they signed up for your emails), and finally marriage (they bought something). Each step matters, and each can be measured.
The Power of Email Lists (Or: The Marketing Channel That Actually Works)
Speaking of email lists, Don Genova posed a question that many freelancers wonder about: “I’ve been hearing that emailing lists are very important and more useful than other channels in terms of reaching people, true or false?”
Roste didn’t hesitate: “I think it’s very true. This is someone volunteering to hear from you directly and you have their attention in a way that you don’t on social media or really any other channel that I can think of.”
In other words, while that Instagram post you slaved over is being shown to approximately 3% of your followers (thanks, algorithm!), your email newsletter is landing directly in the inboxes of people who actually want to hear from you. It’s the difference between shouting in a crowded stadium and having a conversation in someone’s living room.
Gill strongly agreed, explaining why email lists are becoming even more valuable in today’s digital landscape: “It’s essentially first party data and that’s incredibly valuable, right? And especially in this world where third party data is getting harder to access and use with data privacy regulations.”
However, he cautioned about the importance of obtaining emails legitimately: “If you’re harvesting emails in a correct way, again, that’s very important because if you’re just getting emails from non-legit data sources, then you’re gonna run into issues like CASL, and that’s the Canadian Anti-Spam Legislation, which there are severe penalties when it comes to that.”
The takeaway? Build your email list like you’d build a friendship circle—genuinely, ethically, and without being that creepy person who steals contact info from other people’s phones when they’re not looking.
Beyond simply collecting emails, Gill explained the importance of segmentation: “That person who gave me that email looked at this article and this topic, and then you can put them into another bucket. So now when I’m writing another article regarding that specific topic, whether it’s heavy equipment or whether it’s nature walks or whatever, you can set them into a different bucket and send them a specific email on that.”
In other words, not everyone wants to hear about everything—a concept that might save a few family holiday dinners as well as your marketing strategy.
Breaking Through the Noise Without Breaking the Bank (Or: Marketing for the Rest of Us)
For most freelancers, budgetary constraints are a reality. How can you effectively market yourself when your marketing budget is roughly equivalent to a nice lunch?
“A very strategic approach when you don’t have much of a budget, you have to really dial in the content that you’re putting out there because it has to be for that specific audience,” Gill advised. “That goes to SEO and local search when it comes to pushing that content to social, pushing that content to your Google business page is huge.”
He emphasized consistency over splashy one-off campaigns: “These are things that you can essentially do for free, but you have to take the time and you have to do it in a continuous way. You can’t just do it and sit back, wait for the results. That’s not how search engine algorithms work.”
Think of it like exercise—one intense workout won’t transform your body, but consistent effort over time absolutely will. His recommendation? “I would suggest at least anywhere from five to 10 pieces of original content a month that you’re putting out there in order to be seen.”
Roste advocated for what she calls a “visibility campaign”—essentially putting yourself out there in spaces where potential clients might find you, rather than waiting for them to magically discover you while you work in obscurity.
“Running, putting yourself through a visibility campaign is a great way to become visible online without putting in a lot of money. It’s sweat equity, it’s time, but not maybe your dollars,” she explained. “That would be speaking at different things like a webinar such as this. It would be applying to speak up… I would apply to writing conferences to speak. I try and get on podcasts to get interviews, to do collaborations on social media.”
For those looking to reach new audiences, she emphasized one particular medium: “If I’m looking for a new audience, I’d be really leaning into video. So reels, short form video, and just doing it all.” Yes, that might mean conquering your fear of seeing yourself on camera—something many freelancers rank somewhere between public speaking and swimming with sharks on their personal terror scale.
Shattering Marketing Myths (Or: Stop Wasting Your Money)
When asked about common myths or misconceptions in digital marketing, Roste didn’t mince words: “You can’t run ads to a bad product. So if you don’t have your services worked out, or you don’t have your audience targeted properly, or you don’t have a great product that people are looking for, the ads don’t really work in my opinion.”
In other words, no amount of marketing can make people want something they fundamentally don’t need—a harsh reality check for anyone hoping advertising would magically transform their struggling services.
Gill agreed, explaining how the industry has fallen into problematic advertising patterns: “There’s actually a great stat that came out a couple of years ago that you’re more likely to survive an airplane crash than to click on a banner, right? And that shows you like that’s that spray and pray approach.”
Let that sink in: You’re more likely to walk away from a plane crash than click on a banner ad. If that doesn’t change how you think about digital advertising, nothing will.
He emphasized that strategic targeting, while more expensive, ultimately delivers better value: “But there’s also the other approach when you’re more strategic, when you’re going after certain data sets, that is a more accurate way to run campaigns. And that’ll cost you a little bit more, but in the long run, it’s gonna save you money because you’re actually going for that specific audience.”
It’s the difference between standing on a street corner handing flyers to everyone who passes by versus hosting a dinner party for people who are already interested in what you offer. The dinner costs more per person, but you’re not wasting resources on people who will immediately toss your flyer in the nearest bin.
Marketing for the Neurodivergent Freelancer (Or: When Traditional Advice Just Doesn’t Compute)
One of the more poignant questions came from an anonymous attendee who identified as a neurodivergent illustrator struggling with the business side of freelancing. How can someone who excels at their craft but finds marketing overwhelming approach this challenge?
Roste, offering compassionate insight, acknowledged that standard advice often doesn’t work for neurodivergent individuals: “I think you’re gonna hear a lot of advice that is for neurotypical people. So it doesn’t make sense and it won’t work. So I’ll let you off the hook.”
She went on to suggest finding approaches that work with, rather than against, one’s neurodivergent traits: “You have to figure out routines that work for you. So if being consistent, that’s not gonna work maybe because it’s overwhelming or your energy management, it doesn’t work as typical advice would come across, then you have to figure out systems that work for you.”
Some practical strategies she suggested included batching marketing tasks during high-energy periods, setting up automation systems, or working with someone as a “body double” to help maintain focus during marketing sessions.
Gill added his perspective: “I know a lot of creative people and I’m a creative person as well with my photography and I know some of the people that are the most creative people that I know, marketing themselves just crush them. It crushes their creativity as well.”
His advice was straightforward: “In those situations, I would say seek help. I mean, if you can’t do it on your own, don’t force yourself to do it because it’s gonna affect your core, what you do as far as your creativity and stuff.”
Both experts suggested leveraging AI tools judiciously as a potential aid, with Gill noting: “It’s not something to be afraid of, it’s something to kind of embrace and use it as a tool and that’ll simplify a lot of things when it comes to pushing content to push your message forward.”
The message was clear: Marketing doesn’t have to be a choose-your-own-misery adventure. There are ways to make it work with your brain, not against it.
The Social Media Landscape: Where to Focus Your Efforts (Or: No, You Don’t Need to Be on TikTok)
With new platforms emerging constantly and others fading in relevance, many freelancers feel overwhelmed by the social media landscape. Which platforms deserve their limited time and attention, and which can they blissfully ignore?
“It depends on what you’re promoting and what your product is,” Gill cautioned, before offering some specific advice: “LinkedIn is great for freelance writers. But I wouldn’t post what you’re writing, what your articles are necessarily on LinkedIn, but I would post like what it is to be a freelance writer, day-to-day kind of thing and become like that subject matter expert.”
He emphasized the importance of hashtag research and strategic keywords, sharing a personal anecdote: “My full-time job is digital advertising, digital marketing for the last 20 years. Photography is just something that’s like a passion of mine. And then every time somebody has used my photography, they found me through hashtags. I’ve never really promoted, I’ve never went out and pushed any of my photography, but National Geographic found it on Instagram.”
For content creators, he recommended: “I would stick with LinkedIn, I would stick with Instagram. Videos or short form videos are huge. I would limit those to five to seven seconds.” Yes, that’s shorter than it takes most of us to decide what to order for lunch.
Interestingly, Gill advised caution around some of the platforms many assume are essential: “I would stay away from platforms like TikTok, Meta… There’s a reason why some of these large brands like Procter & Gamble, McDonald’s in the US, they’re all pulling their budget out of Meta. Because it’s just, it’s not as effective as it used to be and it’s rampant with fraud.”
Insert massive sigh of relief from every freelancer who’s been anxiously feeling they should be dancing on TikTok to promote their B2B copywriting services.
Budgeting Reality Check: What Does Digital Marketing Actually Cost? (Or: Brace Yourself)
For freelancers ready to invest in digital marketing, the question of budget looms large. What kind of investment should they anticipate? The answers might make you want to sit down first.
“It varies, right? I mean, you can spend 500 bucks a month, but you’re gonna get 500 bucks a month worth of service,” Gill explained candidly. “I would suggest for some of my friends that have small media businesses… start allocating $3,500 a month.”
Yes, you read that right. $3,500 per month—roughly the same as a mortgage payment in some parts of Canada.
He broke down what that investment might cover: “The first month would be an audit of their website, architectural audit, keyword analysis on their competition, and just really make sure that the website is sound, that web crawlers can go through and it’s a nice clean website. And then the SEO starts at the second month and content creation, seven to 10 pieces of content.”
Roste concurred with these figures: “The ads managers that I work closely with are usually recommending minimum $5,000 a month spend to get something worthwhile. So I totally agree with Khaldip.”
For those not yet ready for that level of investment (or who just had to pick their jaws up off the floor), she recommended focusing on building marketing foundations first: “What I would recommend to get them ready for this is to get all of their marketing foundations ready for running the ads. So building out their funnel is the first thing.”
This preparatory work involves its own costs: “You need automation software to do that. You need a content creation plan. You generally will need equipment for your, because video is what you’re gonna generally be doing. So a good camera, good lighting, good mic, that kind of thing.”
While acknowledging that these numbers might sound intimidating, she offered reassurance: “I know it sounds probably very intimidating if you’ve not really had much experience in this world, but you do learn it as you go. So don’t let that be a total complete turn off and you’re not gonna do it all at once. You’ll do one piece at a time and then you’ll be ready for the next step.”
In other words, you don’t have to mortgage your house tomorrow to start marketing yourself effectively—but you should be prepared for serious investment when you’re ready to take things to the next level.
Looking Ahead: Digital Marketing Trends for 2025 (Or: What’s Coming Whether We Like It or Not)
As the session wound down, the experts shared their insights on emerging trends freelancers should monitor—or perhaps brace themselves for.
“I think for 2025, we really have to take into account permission and consent with digital marketing,” Roste predicted. “There have been a lot of black hat type tactics where you’re buying email lists or you’re adding people to your email list without permission or you’re uploading lists to advertise to them that’s been scraped from somewhere. I think those are gonna be just getting harder and harder to do.”
She also emphasized the increasing importance of human connection in an AI-dominated landscape: “With AI, we want to be human. So appearing as human as possible is gonna be important too, I think this year. As it’s gonna improve and it’s gonna get harder and harder to tell the difference.”
The irony wasn’t lost on anyone—in a world of increasing automation, the most valuable marketing asset might just be your authentic humanity.
Gill agreed that AI would continue to dominate conversations, but encouraged embracing rather than fearing it: “AI definitely is gonna be at the forefront of everybody’s mind. And it is a scary topic. But I mean, you can’t fight technology, right? Like you have to embrace it and figure out a way to utilize it to best of your potential.”
He shared wisdom from a recent speaking engagement: “I spoke at an event earlier this year and it was about fear and anxiety in our industry. And that was how I closed the event was, fear and anxiety is a real thing. Like AI is scaring a lot of people, but not necessarily a bad thing. And you can use that fear to your advantage, right?”
His practical advice? “If you’re afraid of technology passing you by, sign up for some free tools. Use the free chat GPT, play around with it. Embrace it, get to know it, because it’s gonna be around, right? Use that fear to your advantage.”
In other words, the robots aren’t going away—you might as well make friends with them and put them to work for you.
The Long Game Worth Playing
If there was one consistent thread throughout the session, it was the reminder that effective digital marketing is a marathon, not a sprint—more like growing a garden than flipping a light switch. As Gill emphasized: “Net new, it’s gonna take a long time to roll that out and create that content and in order to see results. You’re not gonna see results when it comes to, say for example, driving traffic to your website you will see results for probably six months.”
This timeline often proves challenging for freelancers eager for immediate returns on their investment: “And that scares a lot of people when they think that, okay, I’ve hired somebody to do this, where are the results? I want the phone ringing, I want emails tomorrow. It is a long game when it comes to that.”
Yet as the panel concluded and attendees were asked if they planned to implement any of the digital marketing ideas they’d heard, a full 75% responded with “yes”—suggesting that perhaps the most valuable marketing insight of all is simply getting started, however imperfectly, and refining your approach along the way.
As Gill aptly summarized: “You can’t just do it and sit back, wait for the results. That’s not how search engine algorithms work.” The same might be said for digital marketing as a whole—it’s not about perfect execution from day one, but about consistent effort, strategic thinking, and the willingness to adapt as both technology and your freelance business evolve.
For the freelancer without a marketing plan, the message was clear: The best time to start was yesterday, but today will do just fine.
The Journey Beyond the Byline: Inside the Business of Travel Media
In January 2025, the Canadian Freelance Guild hosted an expert panel on The Business of Travel Writing. It’s not all fine dining and glamour. But if you like to write and you yearn to travel, why not turn travel media into your niche? Below is a summary of the conversation. If you would like to watch the webinar, you can access it here.
From hidden gems to unexpected career paths, three veteran travel writers share their adventures navigating the changing landscape of travel journalism
Picture it: You’re sipping a frothy cappuccino at a sun-dappled café in Rome, jotting elegant notes about the local architecture, all while getting paid for the privilege. It’s the dream that launches a thousand travel writing careers—but as three seasoned professionals revealed in a recent Canadian Freelance Guild panel, the reality involves equal parts glamour and grit, with a healthy splash of Newark airport tears thrown in for good measure.
Moderated by George Butters, the panel featuring Elle Andra-Warner, Vanessa Chiasson, and John Geary didn’t just pull back the curtain on travel journalism—they yanked it off the rod entirely, offering candid insights for anyone brave (or foolish) enough to pursue this enticing yet challenging career path.
Finding Your Entry Point (Or: How I Stumbled Into My Dream Job)
For most travel writers, the journey begins not with a grand master plan, but with what can only be called a happy accident.
“I was a sports editor at the time for a small-town daily newspaper in northern BC,” recalled John Geary, who found his calling during a slow news week. “I went on holiday, went to Belize actually, went kayaking and horseback riding and that kind of thing. And I came back…it was a slow week. So I did a couple of stories about my trip there. And I thought, you know, this is more fun than sitting in an arena freezing my butt off, writing about hockey, as much as I love hockey.”
Vanessa Chiasson’s path involved shedding some deeply ingrained misconceptions about writing careers. “I have always wanted to be a writer since I was five years old… But I assume the only way you could make it as a writer would be if you had the idea for like a blockbuster novel. Like you would have to be a John Grisham-type writer in order to have any kind of career.”
Instead, she started blogging about her frugal adventures as a creative outlet, eventually landing her first paid gig—at a rate that would make most writers wince.
“My first freelance piece I did for, it was 1500 words. It was $30, like big money, folks,” she laughed with the knowing tone of someone who’s come a long way since. “I thought, my God, like if all freelance work pays this crazy amount of cash, $30—like why wouldn’t I wanna be a part of this all the time? I’ve since learned that is the most abysmal rate that anyone’s ever heard of.”
Meanwhile, Elle Andra-Warner embraced an approach that would make any career coach proud—she set concrete goals and aimed straight for the stratosphere.
“Every January, set goals for myself. And one of them was I wanted to write for an international in-flight magazine,” she explained. After cutting her teeth on local papers, she shot for the stars. “So I picked Singapore Airlines, not knowing it was a huge one. And they’re Silver Chris. So I contacted him and says, hey, I got an article on Yellowknife or I can write an article on Yellowknife. And he says, great, we’ll get it.”
Though her first submission wasn’t published due to technical issues with her slides (ah, the pre-digital era!), the experience became a pivotal teaching moment. “It taught me a lesson. Do my own pictures,” she reflected. This early setback became the foundation for a career built on ambitious goal-setting and learning from stumbles—a pattern familiar to anyone who’s turned rejection into fuel for their next attempt.
Breaking Through: Cold Calls and Digital Footprints (Or: How to Get Editors to Actually Read Your Emails)
In the gladiatorial arena of pitching, getting an editor’s attention often feels like trying to flag down a speeding train with a pocket handkerchief. For many, the dreaded “cold call” is where dreams go to die.
“I cold email all the time,” Chiasson admitted with refreshing honesty. “I never pick up the phone to an editor because talking to a person, ah, too much. That’s where the email’s safe though, right?” Her confession drew knowing chuckles from writers all too familiar with the particular brand of anxiety that comes with direct contact.
Her secret weapon? The personalized introduction that screams “I’m a real human who’s done my homework!” “I often say now I’m a member of the Travel Media Association of Canada in case they have no idea who I am. It adds that little sense of like, I’m credible. And if there’s anything I can use to break the ice, I’ll say it.”
But what about when your carefully crafted emails disappear into the black hole of editorial inboxes? Chiasson suggests leveraging your network—tactfully. “If there’s a friend in the industry I can trust, I might say, could you like feel comfortable giving me an introduction to your editor?” She adds quickly, “I’m happy to do the same, but I know those contacts are quite precious.”
Geary, meanwhile, swears by the power of face-to-face connections in our increasingly digital world: “One of the reasons I just got so much work for Explorer was because I met the editor in a virtual webinar, something like this. And it just makes all the difference.”
For those wallowing in rejection—or worse, silence—Geary offered a sports metaphor that should be tattooed on every freelancer’s forearm: “If you’re got a 300 average, like 30%, if you’re getting 30% return on your pitches, that’s pretty good average.” In other words, even the stars strike out more often than they hit home runs.
Andra-Warner’s advice? Stack the deck in your favor before making those cold contacts. “If you belong to a professional association because you’ve written other things as well and you’ve qualified…and if you’ve got clips, community papers are great because at least it’s a clip and they pay you.” In the credibility game, even small wins count.
The Digital Portfolio Question (Or: Please Don’t Put All Your Clips on a Platform That Could Vanish Tomorrow)
In today’s digital-first environment, your portfolio isn’t just a collection of your best work—it’s your virtual handshake, your first impression, and potentially your foot in the door. When asked where to host clips, the panelists offered advice learned sometimes through painful experience.
“I have it on my own website,” said Chiasson, firmly planting her flag in the self-ownership camp. “I like it because it’s mine. I control it. It’s not living on another site that could go away, that could suddenly start charging me tons of money.”
She also shared a gem of advice that had many participants scrambling for notepads: “When you are sending in a pitch, in addition to linking to a couple of your most recent clips, also say like in bold letters, ‘And here’s my portfolio’ and link to it.” Simple? Yes. Overlooked by countless pitching writers? Also yes.
Andra-Warner, with a career spanning decades and thousands of published pieces, takes a more… shall we say, established approach. “I haven’t actually been asked to send clips for quite a while,” she noted with the quiet confidence of someone whose byline speaks for itself. “I can tell them I’m writing for so and so, Lake Superior magazine, I’m writing, I have a column for 20 years now.”
Geary, meanwhile, offered a cautionary tale about the dangers of free hosting platforms: “I used to keep all my published print clips on a place called issue.com,” he explained. “I went to post a clip there recently, and they say, ‘You can’t post anymore, because it’s not free anymore.'” Cue the collective groan from anyone who’s ever lost work to a platform change, an expired account, or the digital equivalent of a sinkhole.
The Money Question: Who Pays for What? (Or: How to Travel When You’re Broke and Publications Are Stingy)
Let’s face it—the elephant in every travel writer’s room is the awkward dance of finances. How exactly are you supposed to jet around the globe when most publications pay barely enough to cover a nice dinner, let alone airfare?
“From what I understand, travel publications are not typically covering the travel writer’s expenses,” one audience member diplomatically noted, while everyone silently translated this to “publications are notoriously cheap.”
Geary’s refreshingly practical response acknowledged the patchwork approach most successful writers adopt: “Yeah, it’s a mix for me. Like I’ve done lots of trips hosted. And the main reason I get a lot of hosted trips is because I belong to the Travel Media Association of Canada, which you have to re-qualify every two years with X number of pieces published.”
But he’s not above turning personal travel into professional opportunities either: “I do a lot of stuff self-financing too. I mean, I’ve turned a lot of family trips into really good travel pieces. Stuff where, now I do keep all my receipts when I’m traveling like that. My wife’s a CPA, so I just say, ‘Here, dear, look after these.'” The knowing laughter from the audience suggested many had similar arrangements with their accountant spouses.
Andra-Warner pulled back the curtain on the insider sorting system that tourism boards use—information that might explain why some writers seem to get all the plum assignments. “They have an A list and they have a B list. And if you’re on the A list, you get invitations. If you’re on the B list, you may get them, but not as many,” she explained, prompting mental calculations from everyone listening about which list they might be on.
She added a crucial tip that many writers overlook: “I’d encourage if you do get a travel trip, send the clip back to the tourism people to know that you have published from them.” It’s the professional equivalent of a thank-you note after a job interview—small effort, potentially big impact.
Chiasson cut straight to the heart of these arrangements: “It’s a value-based proposition. You are giving them something, and they are giving you something.” She painted a clear picture of how tourism boards think: “If you are someone who covers a lot of family stories, parenting, things like that, and a destination is really keen to emphasize how family friendly they are…you would represent a really good value to them.”
For those still building their portfolios, she recommended conferences like TBEX (Travel Bloggers Exchange) and the Women in Travel Summit—hunting grounds where even newer writers can connect with destinations eager for coverage.
The Reality Check: It’s Not All Glamour (Or: Sometimes You Cry in Airport Bathrooms)
While the Instagram version of travel writing involves infinity pools and sunset cocktails, the panel wasn’t shy about sharing the gritty underbelly of the profession—the parts that rarely make it into the glossy final product.
“I think all travel writers would preface this by saying, we know how incredibly fortunate we are to do a job like this,” Chiasson began, acknowledging the eye-rolling that often greets travel writer complaints. “What is a routine month for me might be someone else’s trip of a lifetime, that they’ve worked incredibly hard at important jobs that are rarely recognized to afford a week in France upon their retirement, and that might be the beginning of my September.”
With that disclaimer in place, she didn’t hold back on the less glamorous realities: “The back of the economy section of Canadian Airlines gets real old real quick. Jet lag is always a concern. To be blunt, your stomach does not always adjust nicely to the cuisine and the jet lag where you’re going.”
Yet the show must go on, regardless of your internal clock or digestive rebellion: “Come 8 a.m. the next morning…you’re in the lobby to meet your tour guide with a big smile on your face, ready to work.” It’s the moment many aspiring travel writers realize they’ve signed up for a job, not an extended vacation.
The schedules would make most 9-to-5ers faint: “There’s nothing really vacationing about it. You’re always on. And to make the most of your time in these destinations, it is not at all unusual for a press trip day to be 12, 14, I’ve had 20 hour days, where it’s go, go, go, go, go, go, go.”
Geary highlighted the special flavor of frustration that comes when carefully laid plans implode: “If you go on a press trip and they’ve promised certain activities, and that’s what you’re gonna base your stories on, and then you get there and they change them.” Picture a writer who’s pre-sold a piece on whale watching suddenly being informed they’ll be touring a jam factory instead—career panic ensues.
He also shared the cautionary tale that haunts many freelancers’ nightmares: “I had a story pre-sold to American magazine, and I did the trip…I had the story written, I saw the proofs, it looked beautiful, and this was 2008, and it was right about then that all the economy just went kaboom, and the magazine folded like a week before it was to go to print.” The collective wince from the audience was practically audible.
Andra-Warner, ever the pragmatist, reframed these challenges: “The travel trips, when I was doing the travel trips for a number of years, usually took two or three, and that was all I would take during the year…it’s wonderful opportunity to see places…but the travel trip is tools of your trade. You’re working hard.”
Her no-nonsense assessment cut through the romance: “You’re not getting paid at that time, but it’s tools of the trade.” And when things go sideways? “If you have something that you don’t like, it’s a restaurant that’s, I don’t know, dirty, whatever, you just don’t write about them. You don’t slam them, but you don’t write about them.” Sometimes silence speaks volumes.
Write Where You Are (Or: Why Your Boring Hometown Might Be Your Ticket to Success)
In perhaps the most liberating revelation of the session, the panel challenged the notion that travel writing requires exotic stamps in your passport. The untapped gold mine might be right in your own backyard—a perspective that levels the playing field for writers without trust funds or flexible remote jobs.
“Often people say to me, like as a travel writer, they’re like, they’re always saying, are you going any place good this year?” Chiasson shared, mimicking the slightly condescending tone such questions often carry. “And so what is good in the eyes of the world? They mean a super swanky posh resort, someplace really warm and fancy when it’s cold in Canada, or they mean London, Paris, Rome.”
She acknowledged the allure of these destinations before dropping her bombshell: “Those are indeed very good places. The thing is, everyone’s written about them.” The secret, she suggested, lies in finding the extraordinary in the supposedly ordinary—and selling it with confidence.
“If you can tell an editor why, like hell yeah, the fashion scene here, rivals anything I’ve seen in Italy, that is gonna catch people’s attention. Or if you talk about say, like the way they’re making homemade cheese in this county is on par with anything I’ve seen in Europe, suddenly that gets people’s attention.”
This approach is not just creatively refreshing—it’s strategically smart in a saturated market. “Your expertise doesn’t matter so much as it does, hey, we really need an Australian story to balance out the coming issue and you have a quirky angle, no one’s covered, like you’re in.”
Geary nodded vigorously: “That reminds me of the old cliche, be a tourist in your own town. That applies to being a travel writer in your own town as well, your own area, because you know it, you live there, you have easy access to stuff.”
He added a perspective international publications are increasingly valuing: “A lot of US editors and other, like from outside Canada, they’re looking for Canadians who maybe live in an area, who are an expert in an area…they want someone who actually lives there, to write travel about it.” Your local expertise, it turns out, can be your superpower in a market flooded with generic takes on popular destinations.
Parting Wisdom (Or: Free Advice That’s Actually Worth Something)
As the session wound down, each panelist distilled decades of combined experience into bite-sized wisdom that should be etched into the notebooks of aspiring travel writers everywhere.
Andra-Warner cut straight to the essence of what distinguishes memorable travel writing: “One thing that was pivotal to getting my voice, and I think most important for travel writers or any writer…is to find your voice.” In a field where destinations are covered thousands of times, your unique perspective becomes your calling card. “That carries you, and that’s how other, the travel media, the tourism boards, that’s how they can see your articles and your voice that you have.”
She also casually dropped a rate that had many participants doing double-takes: “The most I’ve gotten to write was $2 a word for National Geographic. So there are opportunities out there.” A collective “cha-ching” echoed silently across the virtual room.
Chiasson recommended Eric Maisel’s “A Writer’s Paris” with the enthusiasm of someone sharing a cherished secret: “Even if you’re not interested in going to Paris, it’s a really beautiful book about developing your relationship with the destination and those quiet moments you have to write on a park bench.”
She also mounted a spirited defense of travel writing’s value in our current media landscape: “Travel writing is often dismissed as being kind of fluffy or kind of frivolous…But how often have you heard people say like, ‘Oh, media is so negative.’ Or, ‘Why can’t they have more positive stories?’ That’s us, that’s what we do. We’re telling these beautiful stories about incredible cultures and destinations and opportunities in our backyards and around the world. So I think it matters more now than ever.”
Geary, ever the practical voice, recommended Jerry Dennis’s “From a Wooden Canoe” for its storytelling craft, and offered perhaps the most essential advice of all: “Be persistent. Don’t be aggressively persistent, but be persistent.”
He illustrated this with a tale of editorial persistence that eventually paid off: “The reason I got published finally in ABA Birding Magazine, I contacted the editor, the guy I was supposed to contact, and we were doing this dance back and forth for months…and finally he said, ‘Well, you know, I should put you in touch with our travel editor.'” The moral? Sometimes the “no” is just the beginning of the conversation.
For those peering into the world of travel writing with equal parts longing and trepidation, the panel’s message rang clear: Behind every dreamy destination photo is a writer who’s likely sleep-deprived, battling digestive issues, and frantically taking notes while smiling through a 14-hour day—and yet, when the words finally flow and the story comes together, there are few more satisfying ways to make a living than by helping others see the world through fresh eyes, whether that world is halfway across the globe or just down the street.
5 financial resolutions freelancers should make for the New Year
This article about New Year’s resolutions for freelancers is written by Vanessa Chiasson, a freelance writer based in Ottawa who specializes in travel and human interest stories.
December is a quintessential time to ponder what New Year’s resolutions might make your shortlist. While it’s fun to commit to reading more books or trying new food, I think freelancers should commit to some additional resolutions, ones that focus on finances. Here are five to consider.
Five financial resolutions freelancers should make for the New Year
Seek free or frugal alternatives
As a new freelancer in 2012, I happily signed up for a monthly QuickBooks subscription to track my income and expenses. I had a juicy coupon code to make it a cost-conscious choice and I felt oh-so very grown up using the same program that many “big” businesses rely on. And so I stuck with it, with few complaints, for 11 years, while the monthly cost went up incrementally as my usage remained the same. I was happy with the service; I didn’t want the hassle of switching, but my monthly bill was closing in on $60.
At the same time, my nine-year-old iPhone was beginning to show its age. Who are we kidding? It was ancient! A pricey new phone wasn’t in my budget, but when I costed things out, I noticed it was pretty much the same price as my bookkeeping program. Hmmmm. I heard friends mentioning a new alternative to QuickBooks called Wave, which was free. Could I switch and suddenly have a new iPhone without really shifting anything in my budget?
I could, and I did. I’m not advocating for anyone to use one particular kind of bookkeeping program or smartphone. But I am encouraging everyone to take a hard look at their budget and ask themselves if there are free or frugal alternatives to the systems, programs, and tools they use that would free up cash or make their lives easier. Do you really need a pro-level scheduling system for your social media posts? Are you justifying holding onto a paid app you loved in the past, but its costs have increased while your benefits have gone down? I try to find one thing I can cut, cull, or replace each year.
Shun “fun” events
When a PR firm invited me to listen to a presentation and have tea with them at a downtown hotel famous for its fancy high tea, I nearly tripped over myself in my eagerness to say yes. Who wouldn’t want all those fancy nibbles and silver service? Finally, in the middle of a dreary winter, I would enjoy one of the perks of the job!
In an effort to be as organized as possible and avoid traffic snarls, I arrived nice and early and found parking in a pricey hotel-adjacent lot. I set up my laptop at a nearby coffee shop, where I participated in a virtual Canadian Freelance Guild (CFG) meeting while biding my time. When the appointed tea time came, the hotel staff directed me not to the glitzy dining room but to the lobby beverage cart, which, yes, did indeed serve tea. This is what the PR firm meant. I could drink a cup of tea while they shared a PowerPoint presentation with their latest news. I spent half a day away from my desk, $25 on parking, and many dollars more while waiting at the coffee shop, only to enjoy a cup of chamomile. And, really, I had only myself to blame.
I’d like to think I learned from this lesson. Still, less than a month later, I eagerly walked into an embassy lobby wearing my freshly dry-cleaned suit after receiving a vaguely worded invitation to a reception. “At least this country is famous for its wine,” I thought. Surely this invitation would be worth it. Alas, the afternoon event served up… apple juice and a two-hour press conference in a language I didn’t speak.
Finally, the lesson had sunk in. Fun invitations are rarely fun, and the free event seemed to cost me a lot of money. Now I know to clarify expectations and suggest virtual coffee dates instead… or simply say thank you for thinking of me, but I won’t be attending.
Don’t leave your taxes to the last minute
When I’ve participated in CFG online events, I’m often introduced as someone who loves doing their taxes. Guilty as charged! I find something about the process curiously soothing, and I can’t help but feel a little burst of pride in every invoice and receipt. I did that. I made that money, one word at a time, and I made every single choice those receipts represent. Alas, I recognize that I’m in the minority, and few freelancers find tax time enjoyable.
However, whether you love ‘em or hate ‘em, I hope you’ll resolve to never leave your taxes to the last minute. I know that tax preparation often seems relatively straightforward. After all, it’s not like many of us have to worry about commercial rent or structuring payroll, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have complicated affairs. Starting early means you have the time, energy, and access to resources you need to figure out tricky formulas and hunt down every possible deduction–or research a really awesome accountant to do it all for you.
Negotiate, negotiate, negotiate
In 2022, I tried an interesting experiment. I vowed to negotiate my rate for every single assignment. Most people go their entire lives without asking for a raise, and I promised myself I’d do so pretty much every day. I didn’t want to give myself any possible “outs,” and thus, I vowed that I’d say, “Is there any wiggle room in your budget” for each project? Sure, there were many “no”s–but my editors were always respectful and even downright encouraging. And there were A LOT of “yes”s.
Negotiating your rates requires no special technique or even a sense of confidence. It’s just a part of freelancing, right along there with pitching ideas and hunting down sources. Why not start your own negotiation experiment and see how it goes for you?
Say “no” to free work
Like many of you, I care deeply about my community and know the power of volunteering. But that doesn’t mean I work for free–and neither should you. When clients and would-be clients try to twist your arm or your heartstrings and have you contribute to social media campaigns, add on free sidebars, or sit in on staff meetings because it might be “interesting” for you, they’re asking you to work for free. Pushing the scope of an agreement, offering exposure, and sucking you into office affairs are all ways your time and talents are utilized without monetary compensation. It’s time for that to stop! Get paid for the work you do and use the resulting financial stability to volunteer for the causes you care about in your time and in your own way.
Stay supported, stay motivated
New Year’s resolutions aren’t exactly known for being effective long-term, but I think these financial resolutions are different. Their payoff is, in many cases, an actual payment. You are saving money, earning money, and having a better relationship with money in every instance. As such, I think it’s easier to stay motivated when you know the benefit isn’t something theoretical in the future but rather something you can immediately measure.
Like so many other resolutions, your success odds greatly improve with a support system. Consider organizing a virtual challenge amongst your close colleagues, setting regular check-in times to share your success, or establishing a text chain for encouragement. May your coming year of freelancing be your most financially satisfying one yet!
You may also like these finance-related resources for freelancers
- CFG webinar: It’s Tax Time For Freelancers
- Freelance Finance: By the hour, or by the word? by Steven Threndyle
- The Born Freelancer on Clients Who Are Slow to Pay
Taking time off when you’re a freelancer
by Robyn Roste
As a freelancer, taking time off from work can be a scary thought.
What if an inquiry comes in while you’re away and you miss out on a great opportunity?
What if there’s a client emergency and you let them down?
And what if you go on vacation and then have no work to come back to because you stopped prospecting?
These fears are all possible scenarios so they’re important to think through. However, rest is necessary to fuel creativity and avoid burnout. So how does a freelancer take breaks without losing money, clients or opportunities? Here are a few ideas.
Calculate vacation time into your rate.
When you’re a traditional employee you receive either vacation time or vacation pay so you can take time off to rest and recuperate without the burden of financial loss. As a self-employed freelancer, you can plan for this as well.
Calculating for vacation time could be simple or complex but it all begins with the end in mind. Set your annual goal wage, add in your business and life expenses (including taxes) and add an amount for vacation.
Read the rest of this post »
8 strategic tips for taking time off as a solopreneur
This article about taking time off as a solopreneur is written by Julie Barlow and Jean Benoit Nadeau, authors of Going Solo: Everything You Need to Start Your Business and Succeed as Your Own Boss.
Solopreneurs: 8 tips for taking holidays
The holiday season can feel different when you’re self-employed. While friends with salaried jobs talk about their “time off,” self-employed workers often wonder if they can afford to take a good long break. But freelancers need to rest, relax and change gears as much as everyone else. Here are some tips on how to make sure you get all the “down time” you need.
Think of holidays as a necessity
North Americans tend to think of holidays as “perks.” Europeans know this is nonsense, but if you don’t believe them, then listen to the wisdom of public health experts. People live longer today than they did a century ago because eat better and have better health care, but also because we take holidays and weekend breaks. The bottom line is: if you want to last in your field, you need to rest.
Take your holidays seriously
It’s tempting for the self-employed to take bits of time off here and there, whenever they can, which usually means whenever work is slow. The result is that you won’t actually end up taking holidays at all. It takes a while to truly forget about work and recharge our batteries. Self-employed workers are no exception. How much down time do you need? Psychologists have never agreed on how much down time is necessary, but two weeks is probably the minimum.
Open a holidays savings account
How can you afford to take holidays when they aren’t “paid for”? There’s an easy solution: build up a surplus of money to pay yourself to take time off. Saving money becomes simpler when it’s a habit. Every time you get paid, take 10% off your check. It has to be automatic. You need to remove the money immediately and systematically for each payment. If 10% hurts, start with 5%. If you end up with more money than you need for your next holiday, hold on to it for future breaks.
Put your holiday money out of reach
Your holidays savings won’t do any good if you use them to pay for a new kitchen floor. Holiday savings should be stored somewhere that’s hard to reach, like in a TSFA, to prevent “impulse” withdrawals. Another idea is to open a mutual fund where you place savings above a certain threshold, say $3,000. The return will be better, but, more importantly, again, the funds will be harder to withdraw. Whatever you do, make up your mind not to touch the amount set aside except to pay for holidays (or to cover emergencies).
Clean up the office before you go
Self-employed workers have to prepare for their holidays. When you leave, your accountant, president, sales team and credit manager leave too. There will be no one left to collect accounts receivable, call new prospects or cash cheques. So think ahead. Make sure bills are paid and appointments are set up for after your holidays. If you can’t finish up projects before your departure, leave yourself a note about what needs to be done when you get back. It sounds like a lot of prep work for a holiday, but it pays off in peace of mind while you are away.
Automate your office as much as possible
To make preparation easier, it’s a good idea to automate as much as possible. You can schedule social media postings and email send outs while you are away. Most bills can now be paid with automatic payments. Just make sure you have the funds available to cover payments while you are away. Having an overdraft on your bank account is a good backup in case funds run short. One less thing to worry about when you are away.
Give your clients notice
It’s hard for self-employed workers to resist the temptation of being “available” all the time, even when they are away. The fear of missing a sale or leaving a client hanging nags us all. But you can’t be “available” and be on holidays at the same time. Every email application has an out of office notice, so make sure you use yours. To regular clients, write a friendly email with your departure and return dates and whom to contact in case of an emergency, telling them you look forward to seeing them when you get back. The note prevents misunderstandings with clients who wonder why you aren’t answering their emails, but also reminds you to ignore emails while you’re away.
Be confident: your clients will understand
Clients are more understanding than self-employed workers tend to think (or fear). They take holidays, too! If you’re good at what you do and if your product is top quality, clients won’t pass you over for a future contract because you went away for two weeks. The fact that you are willing to take holidays shows you are organized and confident and sends the message that your business is doing well. Your clients will be happy to find you relaxed, refreshed and ready to work when you get back to the office.
You may also like
Ways freelancers can diversify their income
Many people are drawn to freelancing because of the lifestyle and career freedom it affords. However, the lack of stability can be stressful.
During the pandemic and following economic uncertainty, some freelancers have watched their work shift or outright disappear, prompting an urgent need to find new ways to earn an income.
Even those who haven’t noticed a significant impact on their workload are facing an unclear future, unsure if the work will continue.
Seasoned freelancers have been preaching income stream diversification for many years. Having several revenue streams creates space for dry spells, losing anchor clients and even vacations.
In times of plenty, it’s easy to fall into the trap of coasting, pulling back on our marketing or delaying income diversification. Preparing for rainy days seems unthinkable when the sun is shining and there’s not a cloud in the sky.
But now that the storm is here, it’s time to get creative.
Freelancer Checklist: 6 Tips to End the Year in Style
This article overviewing this year-end freelance checklist is written by Vanessa Chiasson, a freelance writer based in Ottawa who specializes in travel and human interest stories.
A freelancer’s work is never done, but towards the end of December, it sure does slow down.
Check off these 6 year-end freelancer checklist items before signing out on 2024
Year-end is an opportunity to rest, relax and reconnect with friends and family, and we usually have plenty of time to do this as most of our clients are also on holiday. But before you pop the cork on your New Year’s Eve champagne, ensure you’ve taken care of these small but essential year-end tasks.
Corral your receipts
If you’re like me, you probably have little stashes of business-related receipts hidden around your office, your house, and even your vehicle. Before they risk accidental elimination in a January deep clean, gather them up now and save them for tax time. Don’t forget to check the pockets of coats, crevices of backpacks, and little storage cubbies in your car.
Send e-cards to clients and collaborators
Isn’t it funny how some of our biggest and best clients are people we’ve never met, perhaps haven’t even spoken to on the phone? Yet freelancing success is heavily reliant on relationships! Consider sending your clients, collaborators, and other VIPs a simple, sincere, non-denominational seasonal card to express your appreciation. You might feel a bit funny about sending holiday-themed cards when you don’t know the recipients very well but a well-timed card is fun, festive, and appreciated by all.
Prepare a “how to work with me” post
Everyone’s aware that you offer photography classes on the side, right? And surely everyone knows that you edit resumes in addition to magazines? Maybe not. While you might feel that you’re constantly going on about your various business ventures and offerings, chances are that your social media audience is much less aware of this than you think. Consider drafting a “how to work with me in the New Year” post for LinkedIn and your most popular social networks to let people know you’re eager for connections and have much to offer.
Cancel auto-subscriptions you no longer need
Many programs and subscriptions auto-renew on January 1. Now’s the time to take stock. What is genuinely helpful in your personal and professional life, and what are you keeping out of a sense of guilt or obligation (or have forgotten about)? Would your pocketbook be happier if you finally axed that social media scheduler you never use? Would your work be easier if you stopped paying for a pro design program and instead invested in some new editing software?
Don’t forget about promotional rates that are about to expire on various subscriptions. I’ve found a simple message on the respective company’s online chat feature helps me save. I explain that I’m a freelancer and I want to know if there’s anything they can do to help me with their rates. There are often unpromoted coupon codes they can apply to your account.
Update privacy policies
Do you have a blog, a shop or anything else with some fine print at the bottom of your website? Chances are there’s a line buried there that alludes to the years your privacy policy is valid. It’s a little update but a good one to take care of before the calendar changes.
Take photos of your car’s odometer
What’s the last thing you should do this year? Snap a photo of your car’s odometer. A portion of all your vehicle-related expenses can be claimed on your taxes, but you have to document things carefully. Are 5% of your car kilometres related to your work? 25%? More? You’ll need to know how far you’ve driven in a given year to calculate that percentage, and this calculation begins and ends with your odometer reading.
You may also like
Webinar: The Freelancer Starter Kit
This is the Canadian Freelance Guild’s biggest event ever with six panelists and a moderator with a broad range of freelance skills, expertise, and experience: writers, authors, teachers, journalists, marketers, a magazine editor, a publisher, and an audio-video producer.
They’re gathering for a weekend workshop to show you what’s in the Freelancer Starter Kit: the basics you need to get a freelance career underway and keep it going.
Whether you’re thinking about a slow rollout or jumping in with both feet, someone here has been there, done that, and has either the T-shirt or the scars to prove it.
Our Presenters
- Mark Kearney, Author and Academic
- Jaclyn Law, Writer and Editor
- Caroline Topperman, Writer and Publisher
- Julie Barlow, Author and Journalist
- Robyn Roste, Author and Marketer
- Mihika Agarwal, Freelance Journalist
CFG Experts Workshop – The Freelancer Starter Kit
- Online: Saturday, November 30, 2024
- 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern Time
- Free for CFG members; $5 for CMG, PMWG, TNG-CWA, CWA Canada Associates, and CBC Pensioners Association Members, $10 for FBCW, PMWG, SATW Canada, SCWES, TMAC, WFNB, WFNS, CFWF, CCFC members, and $20 for members of the general public
You can register for this webinar right here.
Learn more about the cost and benefits of membership in the CFG on this webpage.
The link to the Zoom webinar will be sent to you via email about half an hour before the start time.
Please check your spam or junk folders if you can’t find the email, and contact organizer@canadianfreelanceguild.ca if you haven’t received the link 10 minutes before the scheduled start time. This webinar will be recorded and posted to the CFG Video-On-Demand site. Once posted, all paid registrants will receive a link and instructions on how to view.
Beyond the Employee Mindset: Julie Barlow on the Art of Going Solo
In November 2024, Crystal Fletcher, president of All About Canadian Books (AACB) spoke with Julie Barlow, author of Going Solo: Everything You Need to Start Your Business and Succeed as Your Own Boss about being a self-employed writer. Below is a summary of their discussion.
From negotiating with difficult clients to crafting a marketing strategy, this veteran freelancer shares hard-won wisdom from three decades in the trenches of self-employment.
For many writers and creative professionals, the leap from traditional employment to freelancing feels like jumping off a cliff with a parachute you’ve never tested. Will it open? Will you soar—or crash spectacularly?
In a recent CFG Books author interview, host Crystal Fletcher sat down with Julie Barlow, co-author of “Going Solo: Everything You Need to Start Your Business and Succeed as Your Own Boss,” to unpack the psychological, practical, and financial realities of self-employment. With eight books to her name, including the international bestseller “60 Million Frenchmen Can’t Be Wrong,” and a three-decade career spanning magazine writing, translation, and documentary work, Barlow brings a wealth of experience to those navigating the treacherous but rewarding waters of freelance life.
Finding Your Way to Self-Employment
Unlike entrepreneurs who’ve been launching lemonade stands since age seven, Barlow didn’t grow up with self-employment on her radar. Coming from a middle-class, working-class family, the path to freelancing was less about following a childhood dream and more about adapting to economic realities.
“The truthful answer is, it wasn’t really on my ideas either,” Barlow admitted. “I came of age and finished my university studies at a time where the unemployment rate was very, very high. I wanted to work in writing, and I really didn’t have any other options.”
This pragmatic origin story might comfort those who didn’t grow up with entrepreneurial aspirations yet find themselves considering the freelance path. Sometimes circumstances, rather than burning passion, guide us toward self-employment—and that’s perfectly fine.
“I learned later that my father indeed had sort of spotted me as somebody who would probably run her own business someday,” she shared. “As time went on, I realized that I definitely had the stuff for it. The people who last as self-employed workers, it’s because they’ve got the stuff, but sometimes you don’t really discover that until you’re in the process of it.”
Her journey from reluctant freelancer to successful author and entrepreneur led to creating “Going Solo,” which began as a translation of her husband Jean-Benoît Nadeau’s French-language guide for self-employed workers. Originally published decades ago, the book has become something of a classic in Quebec, and Barlow saw an opportunity to bring these time-tested principles to English-speaking audiences.
“The pandemic project. I realized that I was sitting on some valuable material… that had sold very well for decades. And we were just sitting on it,” she explained. “I had some time on my hands. And so I just started translating it.”
Think Like the Boss (Because You Are)
At the heart of “Going Solo” is one fundamental mindset shift that many freelancers struggle to make: seeing yourself as the boss, not as an employee who happens to work from home.
“The philosophy of the book…is teaching you not to think like an employee,” Barlow emphasized. “It’s very hard for everybody starting out, no matter what business they are. Even from kids who really have a fiber for entrepreneurial stuff—they tend to not see themselves as the boss.”
This employee mindset manifests in countless ways: undervaluing your work, failing to negotiate properly, letting clients dictate unreasonable terms, and feeling guilty about saying “no” to projects that don’t serve your business interests.
The book addresses this psychological barrier while providing practical guidance on everything from creating a business plan to handling taxes and client management—always with the underlying message that you must “be in the driver’s seat.”
The Art of Negotiation (Or How to Never Be Flattered Into Bad Deals)
Perhaps nowhere is the “boss mindset” more crucial than in negotiations. Barlow shared her four golden rules for successful negotiation, starting with the most fundamental: “Everything is negotiable.”
“You have to go into a contract keeping that in mind,” she explained. “You need to take your time. We all hurry too much. We all say yes, too quickly.”
Another critical negotiation principle—particularly relevant for creative professionals—is resisting the siren call of flattery.
“One of the big things to do as a freelancer when you’re negotiating is not listen to people who flatter you,” she warned. “People want to believe as a negotiating tactic that telling you you’re good will make you drop your defenses a little bit. That happens, surprisingly often, part of the whole system of getting people to write because they get exposure.”
Beyond these rules, Barlow emphasized the importance of understanding your client’s actual needs—not just what they initially claim to want.
“I always, always have to know what they expect. And you can spend a lot of time… I think going too quickly in negotiations is really a problem. You need to spend a fair bit of time digging with people and figuring out what it is that they really expect.”
This research phase puts you in a stronger position to adjust your offering to meet their true requirements while commanding appropriate compensation.
Learning to Say No (A Freelancer’s Superpower)
One of the most challenging aspects of freelancing—especially when starting out—is turning down work when every instinct screams that you need income. Yet saying “no” to the wrong clients or projects may be the most important skill for long-term success and sanity.
“It is very hard to say no when you’re starting out,” Barlow acknowledged. “And again, I’m back to the idea that you’re that you feel a bit like an employee, you feel like you’re a little bit have to go along with what people are saying.”
To help reluctant freelancers develop this crucial skill, Barlow shared her list of “ways to say no”—a collection that host Crystal Fletcher called “the list I need!”
Among the more straightforward rejections: “I don’t have time,” “This is not my specialty,” “I don’t do this type of work,” and “The project is not interesting enough.” Others address common freelance pain points: “The deadline is too short,” “The job doesn’t pay enough,” or “The job involves more work than I’m being paid for.”
But the final and most powerful reason to decline work? What Barlow calls “the bomb”: “I don’t like the way you are treating me.”
She revealed that she recently walked away from a potentially lucrative ghostwriting contract for exactly this reason. “I truly didn’t like the way I was being treated. And I walked out on it.”
While acknowledging the difficulty of turning down work, especially early in your career, Barlow emphasized that it becomes easier with experience: “It’s harder when you’re younger, but I think it’s good to learn it when you’re starting out. I think it’s good to heed your instinct and watch out for those points where it’s really not in your interest.”
Red Flags: Spotting Bad Clients Before They Ruin Your Life
Bad clients are a universal freelance experience, but Barlow offered practical advice for identifying warning signs before you’re in too deep.
“Prevention is the best medicine,” she emphasized. “If you have a bad feeling about somebody, because they don’t really seem to understand the deadline, or how long it takes to work…it’s a red light.”
Other danger signals include vague language like “let’s see how things go” rather than clear conditions, excessive jargon or “fancy talk,” and the previously mentioned red flag of flattery.
“The golden rule of dealing with bad clients is to get everything in writing,” Barlow stressed. Whether through formal contracts or detailed email exchanges, documenting expectations provides protection if things go sideways.
She also warned against letting professional relationships become too casual: “People sometimes will want to get casual as, again, as a negotiating technique, you know, to sort of wear your barriers down… It’s important to always just keep things very professional.”
When Barlow shared a recent experience with a ghostwriting client who repeatedly refused to sign a contract while using flattery and fancy talk, it illustrated how even seasoned professionals can initially miss warning signs. “I still get caught up in this thing. And I’m at somebody’s disposal a little bit… and then I step back to my self-employed entrepreneur self and I got the heck out of there.”
Finding Clients in the Digital Age
In today’s interconnected world, client acquisition strategies must blend traditional networking with digital approaches. For Barlow, LinkedIn has become a primary channel for connection.
“A lot of the way I find new clients now is being very present on LinkedIn,” she explained. “People reach out to me, or I reach out directly to them as they come up.”
Barlow posts about three times weekly on LinkedIn, sharing content related to freelancing and self-employment. Rather than spending hours crafting original content, she uses Google Alerts to find interesting articles and resources to share, making the process manageable amidst her other work.
She’s also embraced virtual networking: “I meet people and I set up coffees. I had a virtual coffee with somebody last week…someone I didn’t know, someone who’d seen my posts and was interested in what I was doing and set up a coffee.”
These digital connections complement traditional networking, creating a more diverse client acquisition strategy that isn’t dependent on physical location. “It makes it really easy to talk to people more or less in person, who aren’t in my city.”
For writers specifically, Barlow emphasized leveraging writing skills in outreach: “As writers, we are less incentive to pick up the phone and find clients, much more incentive to write emails to clients. We can draw on our skills, we’re convincing, that’s what we do.”
Breaking the Time-Money Connection
Perhaps the most counterintuitive insight Barlow shared relates to the relationship between hours worked and income earned—specifically, that they don’t have to be directly proportional. As she notes in “Going Solo,” “a self-employed worker who earns $250,000 a year doesn’t work 10 times more than someone who earns $25,000.”
“An employee will think that if they want to earn 10 more, they tend to get a job that pays better, but also work a lot more,” Barlow explained. “The key to being self-employed in the entrepreneurial part of being self-employed is identifying the potential that you have to make more money with what you’ve got.”
This approach requires thinking strategically about intellectual property and revenue streams. For instance, the French version of “Going Solo” was “just sitting there” until Barlow recognized its potential value in English. Similarly, her books on French language and culture generated multiple income sources beyond book sales.
“We made a radio show out of it. We’ve been working on and off on a film documentary series that will hopefully someday get filmed. But we’ve been paid in the meantime to do that,” she explained. “That’s the kind of stuff you need to find—stuff that will generate more income without you starting back at scratch all the time. Otherwise, you’re a gig worker.”
This mindset shift—from trading hours for dollars to creating intellectual assets that generate multiple revenue streams—marks the difference between struggling and thriving in self-employment.
Collaboration: Working with Others Without Losing Your Mind
Barlow brings a unique perspective to collaboration, having written several books with her husband Jean-Benoît Nadeau. While acknowledging it’s not for everyone, she extolled the benefits of having a partner in the creative process.
“I think you should always find a way to have second pair of eyes on things,” she advised. “You can become so in love with your research and so close to what you’re producing that you don’t see it anymore. It’s like trying to see faults in your own children.”
Her collaborative process with Nadeau involves shared brainstorming followed by dividing responsibilities: “If we’re writing a book together, we barge and make a plan together really collaboratively, brainstorming and putting the ideas together. Then we tend to split stuff up.”
Rather than one person handling research while the other writes, they each take ownership of different sections. “We just split everything up so that we’re both doing everything. It creates a lot of friction, which brings a lot of good because we really dig into stuff.”
For those who don’t have a writing partner, Barlow suggested joining writing groups that provide similar feedback opportunities: “It’s a great lesson for everybody to go through. We should always be maybe part of some kind of writing group or something where you’re getting feedback from people all the time.”
Psychological Hurdles: Overcoming Mental Blocks to Success
As the interview concluded, Barlow addressed the psychological barriers that often hold freelancers back from achieving their potential.
“We identified three things that typically make it hard for people to sell. One is a belief that they’re small… that they don’t have the experience, and they don’t have what they need to sell what they do. And that’s never really true,” she emphasized.
The second barrier is geographical limitation—the belief that you can only serve local clients. “Some of the most interesting work I’ve had has come from strange places and other countries,” she noted, encouraging freelancers to think beyond their immediate region.
The final hurdle is underestimating the work involved in selling. “Sometimes it is hard work. And you shouldn’t think there’s something unusual about having to do a lot of work to sell something,” she said, revealing that her first book proposal took six months to write and another six months to sell.
Despite these challenges, Barlow’s message remained optimistic: “There are a lot of really difficult things about being self-employed, but they’re all manageable… I hope it gives people confidence.”
For freelancers at any stage—from those contemplating the leap to veterans seeking to refine their approach—”Going Solo” offers both practical guidance and psychological reassurance. The path may be challenging, but with the right mindset and tools, it’s a journey worth taking.
As Barlow’s experience demonstrates, success in self-employment isn’t about superhuman abilities or innate entrepreneurial instincts. It’s about learning to think like a boss, understanding your value, setting appropriate boundaries, and creating systems that allow your business—and your life—to thrive on your own terms.
