Unless you’re a freelancer who has a long-term client relationship, you’re likely going to be managing multiple clients as a freelance consultant. Working with many different businesses has its plus points, from spreading the risk of losing clients to building up a body of work and knowledge that can be adapted and shared between your separate…

You’ve got the perfect name for your freelance consulting business. You may have even gone and registered your freelance domain name in a fit of excitement. You may even be lucky enough to have won your first client. It’s time to register your freelance consulting business. If you’re like me, you may find the idea…

Negotiating freelance rates with clients can be notoriously difficult. There have been several times recently where I’ve had to discuss my day rate against the project the client is offering, trying to find ground where we’re both happy with the rate. So when I received this email from Laura, we got into a great discussion…

Writing a thorough brief for a freelancer is one of the best things you can do during a project to make sure that you get the results you need. Freelancers appreciate being given a detailed brief as it lets them understand exactly what is required from the project and what they need to deliver. Having…

Last week, I posted a shout out for National Freelancers Day, inviting anyone to get in touch with any questions they had about the business of freelancing. The idea came from the emails I sometimes get from readers who are looking for advice on how to go freelance or improve their current freelancing business. Like…

When you win a new client and start working on a fresh freelance project, it can be one of the most exciting times for any freelancer. You spent time and effort putting together a project plan and strategy that you know the client should go for. When they do and you get that call to…

I’ve been thinking recently that a lot of the success that I’ve had as a freelancer to date is that I’ve position myself as more of a consultant and less of a freelancer. Freelance work tends to be transactional, where you’re delivering directly on a service that a client had asked you to provide –…

The inevitable happened this week. A fantastic client that we’d been working with for 6-months on a great campaign let us know that they would be winding down the freelance project we’d been working on. We have a great working relationship with the client. We were consistently adding value, respected each others’ work and were productive in achieving…

Monday 5 September 2011, saw the public launch of the NSPCC Sexual Abuse theme campaign ‘Rebuilding Childhoods’ in the Metro newspaper. The Metro kicked off the campaign with a front page feature on how young victims of child sex abuse can be driven to suicide without expert help. Child abuse can devastate lives. Its effects can…

Today is #MassiveMonday, the most popular day of the year for people looking for a new career, according to Metro and the Times. For many, Massive Monday is a time that they seriously think about going freelance and they’ll be looking for freelance info to help them make the jump to freelancing. If you’re thinking the same, then…

Social media has changed a lot over the past few years and continues to changes at a rapid pace. As a freelance social media consultant, it’s my job to keep up to date with those developments – from a trend and strategic view, right down to a macro and tactical level. So when an old…

I wrote a book about freelancing! It’s called "Freelance in 30 Days" and you can buy it here. This book aims to get you excited, inspired and absorbing insight into what it takes to go freelance, attracting your first clients, standing out as a high-profile freelancer, and building a valuable pipeline of new business for your freelance…

Freelance in 30 Days is the first book I’ve written. It’s self-published and I wrote and published the 200-page book in around 100 days, starting late August and finishing in early December. Along the way I’ve learnt a lot about the self-publishing process and gathered lots of information about how to make it work for…

[et_pb_section admin_label="section"][et_pb_row admin_label="row"][et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text admin_label="Text" background_layout="light" text_orientation="left" use_border_color="off" border_color="#ffffff" border_style="solid"] Freelancing can be a risky business. Much of the relationship between you and your client will come down to trust. But one practical way you can make things crystal clear up-front is signing a robust freelance contract. Having a contract in place is not an…

People choose to take the leap into the world of freelancing for many reasons – choosing your own hours, being your own boss, operating in new locations, and having the opportunity to earn and keep all your profit being just a few. When IPSE released their latest research to coincide with National Freelancers Day, the annual event celebrating…

Experienced Freelance WordPress Website Designer I am a freelance WordPress website designer for hire in London, with 8 years experience in the tech, mobile, government, charity and startup sectors. I offer a wide range of WordPress development and consultancy services, from strategy and design through to build and implementation. Though based in London and often work with client’s…

I’ve been shortlisted by the nice people at IPSE as a Freelancer of the Year finalist in their Freelancer Awards. This is mainly for my work at Montfort, but also for other initiatives like Freelance in 30 Days. It’s a lovely surprise. The other 2015 finalists are: Rebecca Seeley Harris, re:legal Consulting Nick Forshaw, Weakend…

Speaking about digital trends for 10 minutes is hard enough. Speaking about digital trends for 10 minutes to a group of around 50 independent consultants is harder. Speaking about digital trends for 10 minutes to a group of around 50, slightly soggy from the London rain, eager to get back to networking, independent consultants was…

Calin from Freelance Business Guide invited me to contribute to his Freelance Inspiration Infographic and I was more than happy to help inspire other freelancers on their journey. Being called a "leading freelancer" was a great compliment, given the other names appearing alongside me on the infographic. The likes of Sara Horowitz, Justin Jackson and Paul…

Finding freelance clients is one of the big challenges in freelance life. You may think it’s tough at the beginning, but the ebb and flow of freelance work never stops and carries on right on through your more experienced years. But any effort you put into finding and testing reliable places to find new freelance clients…

London coworking spaces are popping up everywhere, as shown by this map from coworkinglondon.com. But the nature of coworking itself is changing, as shown by rising prices, the "niche-ing" of spaces, the increase in established companies opting for coworking spaces, and the bigger office retail companies opening up coworking spaces – either under a sub-brand or…

Buy my product   Looking for templates for your freelance proposals, contracts and invoices? There are plenty of examples of freelance document templates out there, but I’ve pulled the best of the bunch together – as well as added a few of my own templates – to give you a shortcut to all the freelance…

It can be scary making the leap from full-time job to being a freelancer. I remember how daunting it was to leave my job and start out on my own. I was lucky enough to have jobs at great places to work, with decent pay, good colleagues, and interesting work. By going freelance, I was risking all of…

Last week’s post on Tech For Good got a good reception, both from those already working in the area and those who hadn’t heard of it, but maybe only needed a small nudge to start to join the pieces together and see them as the start of a movement. There’s been a few more happenings…

How much experience do you need to go freelance? And if you want more or feel like you need more, how do you get more experience as a freelancer? When I first went freelance, I had 4 years experience of working in the industry. That might not seem a lot, but I felt that in order…

  One of the things I’ve been struggling with as a freelancer lately is focussing in on a sector that matches my own values and who the clients I work with give me work that I enjoy doing. Often when your values and your clients’ are aligned, your work will be better as a result. This…

The good people at Time Doctor have given me access to an account, so I can try out their time tracking software for Freelancers. This is a sponsored post, but the Time Doctor team have given me complete editorial freedom, so I can write what I like. Just to add to the fun, I’ve used Time Doctor…

Havana, Cuba’s capital city, was amazing, We spent the whole week in Havana in the end, with a few day trips here and there. We went in March 2015, just before the first direct flights from the US started flying to Cuba. Cuba is very tourist friendly, but there is also plenty to do to…

Experienced Freelance Digital Marketing Consultant I am a freelance digital marketing consultant for hire in London, with 8 years experience in the tech, mobile, government, charity and startup sectors. I started my digital marketing career in the financial sector, before moving from the Technology, Government and Charity sectors, before finally working as a freelance digital marketing…

Ben Matthews, Experienced Freelance Social Media Consultant Freelance social media consultant for hire in London, with 8 years experience in the tech, mobile, government, charity and startup sectors. I started my social career in the financial sector, moving to technology, government and charity social media agencies, before finally working as a freelance social media consultant.…

Ben Matthews, Experienced Freelance PR Consultant I am a freelance PR consultant for hire in London, with 8 years experience in the tech, mobile, government, charity and startup sectors. I started my PR career in financial PR, before moving from Technology PR to Digital PR, before finally working as a freelance PR consultant. I offer…

Freelancers and independent workers: hold on to these recently published statistics. The workforce revolution is well underway, with more and more people (and companies!) turning to freelance work, often selling two or more skills to stay on top. AND CO conducted a study on the future of work and the empowerment of the new generation of…

Experienced Freelance Content Marketing Consultant I am a freelance content marketing consultant for hire in London, with 8 years experience in the tech, mobile, government, charity and startup sectors. I started my digital marketing career in the financial sector, before moving from the Technology, Government and Charity sectors, before finally working as a freelance content marketing…

Experienced Freelance Google Ads and PPC Consultant I am a freelance Google Ads and PPC consultant for hire in London, with 8 years experience in the tech, mobile, government, charity and startup sectors. I started my digital marketing career in the financial sector, before moving from the Technology, Government and Charity sectors, before finally working as a…

According to the UK Office of National Statistics, one in seven British workers, are freelance, while in America the Freelancers Union estimate it is as high as one in three, with Forbes predicting 50% will be self employed by 2020. It’s easy to understand why. The benefits of working from home, being your own boss and choosing your own hours…

The field of freelance web design can be a lucrative option for the tech-savvy entrepreneur, but it can be challenging to get your foot in the door. There are several ways that you can set yourself apart from the competition as you start your freelance business, helping you to build strong relationships with both new…

Experienced Freelance Facebook Ads Consultant I am a freelance Facebook Ads consultant for hire in London, with 8 years experience in the tech, mobile, government, charity and startup sectors. I started my digital marketing career in the financial sector, before moving from the Technology, Government and Charity sectors, before finally working as a freelance digital marketing consultant.…

Ben Matthews, Experienced Social Media Consultant I’m a social media consultant for hire in London, with 8 years experience in the tech, mobile, government, charity and startup sectors. I started my social career in the financial sector, moving to technology, government and charity social media agencies, before finally working as a freelance social media consultant. I…

Jack Prenter from KnownMan.com looks at how to dress for a job interview and the importance of looking professional when meeting prospective employers. How to dress for a job interview Whether we like it or not the reality is that we are judged based on how we look. So it’s no surprise that employers expect their employees…

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  This is a guest post from Brad Shorr,  Director of Content Strategy at Straight North, a B2B SEO, web design and PPC company. Half the challenge of cultivating freelance work is getting potential clients to open up their eyes to the opportunities — and the necessities — for Internet marketing. When potential or existing clients…

Hiring freelance web developers is notoriously difficult. Not only do talented web developers possess technical skill, but they must also be able to work in a team, predict deadlines, and handle the stresses of product development cycles. With such a varied skillset, it’s difficult to identify the candidates that have it all, and just reading…

The first thing to know about how to drink whisky is that only you can decide how you prefer to drink whisky. Whisky comes in many different flavours, ages, colours, smells and serves. Part of the fun of drinking whisky is finding which flavour, age, colour, smell or serve is the one you like the…

The landscape of public relations and marketing in general is often changing and as a freelancer it may be hard to stay up to date on everything going on. Fortunately, the guys over at TechFunction have put together a comprehensive Public Relations Guide that covers everything from start to finish. It is extremely important to…

What is this Privacy Policy for? This privacy policy is for this website benrmatthews.com and governs the privacy of its users who choose to use it. The policy sets out the different areas where user privacy is concerned and outlines the obligations & requirements of the users, the website and website owners. Furthermore the way this…

According to the stats, over a third of the global population uses email and the number of the available email accounts has exceeded 5 billion. That means that the world now lives in the era of digital communication – a trend that’s only destined to grow. No matter what reasons lie behind the trend, we’ll continue to…

If there’s anything more difficult than starting up a viable, successful small business, it’s maintaining and growing a small business. According to the Small Business Administration, while some 78% of small businesses survive their first year of business, less than half make it through their first five years of business and only about a third survive a…

How does your small business handle its Human Resources? The answer is you likely have one or two employees who take care of the company’s HR services while also undertaking other tasks too. Money is obviously a concern when you’re just starting out, so it’s logical to think trying to handle everything yourself is the…

From supporting a brand’s development and social media promotions to creating websites, unique art, and advertising products and services, graphic design will always be needed by so many fields in the industry. In fact, the use of visual content increased to a point where 74% of marketers use visual aids for online advertising, while creating more engaging…