Halina Zakowicz

Halina Zakowicz is a full-time freelance writer, investor and aspiring sci-fi novelist. In her spare time, she appreciates the finer points of zymology by brewing various hops-infused concoctions.

What Should I Do About This Car Wrap Advertising Scam?

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In a nutshell: car wrap scams are a type of fake check scams.

I first wrote about this scam back in 2013 and it’s almost 10 years later and still going strong.

This post alone has over 1,000 comments from people I’ve helped and countless more have written to me privately. I’ve saved tens of millions of dollars from falling into scammers hands.

If you aren’t careful, it can cost you thousands of dollars.

In fact, a study by the FTC showed that people reported a median loss of $1,988 in 2019 to fake check scams, including car wrap scams (Source)

Today, I’ll explain what a car wrap scam is, how to spot one, and relay my own personal experience with this scam, complete with photos.

How Do Car Wrap Scams Work?

As I’ve mentioned, car wrap scams are a type of fake check scams.

Generally, here’s how a fake check scam works:

1. Scammers get in contact with you.

Scammers get your information while you’re looking for a legitimate work from home job and reach out with a job offer.

Or maybe you end up contacting them because you saw an ad to “get paid to drive,” “mystery shopper wanted,” or “virtual assistant wanted.”

Others tell you that you’ve won a sweepstakes, even though you don’t remember ever buying a ticket or entering a contest.

2. They send you a fake check.

Once the scammer is talking to you, they send you a genuine-looking check. These checks look genuine enough to fool you and bank tellers.

Car wrap scammers will send you a check for a greater amount than they agreed to pay you. They’ll then tell you to deposit the check and send the graphic designers or car wrap service the rest of the amount so they can come and wrap your car.

Mystery shopping scammers will assign you to evaluate the services of a money transfer service or money order retailers, and sometimes gift card retailers. They’ll then send you a check to deposit it in your personal account and then wire the money to someone else or buy gift cards in that amount and send the codes to them.

Virtual or personal assistant scammers send you a check and then instruct you to buy gift cards for supplies for your clients and then send them the codes.

Sweepstakes scammers send you a huge check and then instruct you to wire them a certain percentage for taxes, handling fees, or processing fees.

3. You deposit the fake check.

When you make a check deposit, banks are legally required to make the funds available for you to withdraw immediately.

So you withdraw the funds and send the money to someone else or buy the gift cards, etc.

It all seems fuss-free and above board, right?

Wrong.

4. The check bounces.

It can take days or even weeks to uncover a fake check.

Once it’s uncovered, the check bounces and the bank takes back the money from your account.

But you’ve already sent thousands of your own dollars to the criminals!

And they’ve vanished by this time. No way to contact them, no way to get the gift card codes back.

So you’re on the hook for the money, and now you have to explain to your bank why you even deposited a fake check into your account in the first place. You’re out the overdraft fees as well if you don’t have enough to cover the money that the bank took back.

This post was originally published in 2013. This scam is STILL occurring today and it looks like it will continue well into the future.

In fact, car wrap scams are now even more dangerous as the people behind them are coming up with more convincing ways to trick people into losing their hard-earned money.

For instance, some of the brands they claim to work with include ROCKSTAR Energy Drink®, Monster Energy Drink, Aquafina, Pirelli Tyres, McCafe, Dunkin’ Donuts, Langers Juice Company, Dr. Pepper, Marlboro, Purell, and many other big names.

Keep reading to see my experience with this scam and if you have received an email that you think might be sketchy, please post it in the comments below.

Can I cash the fake check?

The very first question I get asked is: “Can’t I just take the fake check to one of those check cashing places and keep the money?”

The answer is a hard no.

Check cashing facilities do not hand out money anonymously. You need to provide them with your identity, proof of residence, proof of employment, phone number, address, and so on. Even if they do manage to cash the check for you, the check will bounce and now they know how to get in contact with you.

They will start off by calling you, then mailing a certified letter, then they will escalate it and get the authorities involved. If you do not respond to their attempts to contact you, you can expect a warrant to be placed for your arrest by the authorities.

How to Spot, Avoid, and Report a Car Wrap Scam

So, knowing all these, what can you do to protect yourself from being scammed?

Take note of the following information:

1. Know how legitimate car wrap companies operate.

Actual car wrap companies do exist, such as Carvertise, Wrapify, Nickelytics, and My Free Car.

The main thing is that normally drivers come to them, not the other way around. They typically evaluate drivers based on how many miles they drive, where they drive, and their driving record.

They typically cover the cost of the wrapping themselves, too.

So if you do receive an email asking if you’re interested in having your car wrapped and getting paid hundreds of dollars a week, and you know you haven’t contacted or applied to a car wrapping company, ignore it. That’s likely a car wrap scam.

Most importantly, the amount on the check they’ll send you is exactly for the agreed amount, if they even pay you by check. Carvertise, for instance, pays you via direct deposit.

2. Never deposit checks from people you don’t know.

Sometimes it can be that simple.

Got a check in the mail from a stranger? Put it down and report it (see how below).

3. Never use money from a check to buy gift cards, money orders, or wire money to third parties.

This applies even if you were written a check by someone you know.

If you buy gift cards and send the codes, or wire money, that’s like giving someone cash. You’re never going to get that money back.

Plus, what legitimate company wants you to send them digital gift cards? This alone doesn’t pass the sniff test.

4. If you receive a suspicious check, report it immediately.

Help yourself and other potential victims by reporting it to the following:

So what should you do when a scammer wants you to cash a fake check?

Here’s my personal experience with these car wrap scammers:

The Car Wrap Scam

In mid-September, I received an email from “David Christian” that originated from the address patriciabarrington@hotmail.com. The email simply said the following: Would You Wrap Your Car in an Ad for $300 Weekly? After I answered “yes,” I received the following email back:

Hello,

Wrap advertising is the marketing practice of completely or partially covering (wrapping) a vehicle in an advertisement or livery, thus turning it into a mobile billboard. This can be achieved by simply painting the vehicle surface, but it is becoming more common today to use large vinyl sheets as decals. These can be removed with relative ease, making it much less expensive to change from one advertisement to another. Vehicles with large, flat surfaces, such as buses and light-rail carriages, are fairly easy to work with, though smaller cars with curved surfaces can also be wrapped in this manner. Wrap advertising is available to anybody irrespective of the vehicle you drive.

We are currently seeking to employ individuals in the United States of America. How would you like to make money by simply driving your car or banner wrapped for ROCKSTAR Energy Drink®

How it works?
Here’s the basic premise of the “paid to drive” concept: ROCKSTAR Energy Drink® seek residents in the United States who are professional drivers to go about their normal routine as they usually do, only with a big advert for “ROCKSTAR Energy Drink®” plastered on your car. The ads are typically vinyl decals, also known as “auto wraps,”that almost seem to be painted on the vehicle, and which will cover any portion of your car’s exterior surface.

Don’t Have a Car?
If you don’t have a car, you can also participate if you have a bike.

What does the company get out of this type of ad strategy?
Lots of exposure and awareness. The auto wraps tend to be colorful, eye-catching and attract lots of attention. Plus, it’s a form of advertising with a captive audience,meaning people who are stuck in traffic can’t avoid seeing the wrapped car alongside them. This program will last for 3 months and the minimum you can participate is a month.

What is the Contract Duration?
Once the wrap has been installed, minimum term is 4 weeks and maximum is 12 weeks.

Would the wrap/decal damage the paint of my car?
The decal doesn’t damage the paint of car and will be removed by our representative once the contract expire. We will be responsible for installation and removal of the wrap.

You will be compensated with $300.00 per week which is essentially a “rental”payment for letting our company use the space and no fee is required from you. ROCKSTAR Energy Drink® shall provide experts that would handle the advert placing on your car. You will receive an upfront payment of $300.00 in form of a check via courier service for accepting to carry this advert on your car.

It is very easy and simple no application fees required. Get back with the following details if you are interested in this offer.

Applicant information:
Name :
Full Street Address(not PO BOX) :
APT #:
City,State,Zip Code:
Cell Phone Number:
Home Phone Number:
Age:

We shall be contacting you as soon as we receive this information.

Best Regards,
David Christian
Hiring Manager,
ROCKSTAR Energy Drink®

I provided my contact information, after which I received the following email:

Thank you for your swift response and your willingness to work with us. To this effect, you are advise to check your email regularly to get updates as to know when your upfront payment will arrive at your address.

1) You will receive a Check as a form of payment. As soon as you get the check, you will cash it for the decal wrapping on your car and deduct $300.00 as your up-front payment. The rest of the funds from that same check should be transferred to the Graphic artist that will wrap the decal on your vehicle. All you need is to confirm the acceptance and understanding of this email.

2) You will make a transfer of the remaining funds to the Graphic artist via wire transfer at an outlet in your area, the Info which you will make the transfer to will be emailed to you soon.

3) We’ll like you to confirm Information about your vehicle as below:

i) Type of Car and Color :

ii) Model/Year :

iii) Present Condition and the Mileage:

Note: Please, confirm that you did receive this message so that we can process funds that would be sent to you for the car advert.

All other instructions will be sent out to you asap.

I…………..Confirm to have received this email and understand the content.

Best Regards,
David Christian
Hiring Manager,
ROCKSTAR Energy Drink®

The Fake Check Arrives

I confirmed my willingness to work with “ROCKSTAR Energy Drink.” About a week later, I started receiving text messages on my phone from David Christian regarding my upcoming “check”.

Sure enough, when I went home and opened my mailbox, I found a check made out to me in the amount of $2,350. Woo hoo!

Interestingly, the check was made to look like it was coming from BOP, LLC, a legitimate clothing store business here in Madison, Wisconsin. The envelope, however, had a copy of a USPS Priority Mail 2-Day slip on it in which Rudy Grado, at 27405 Sutherland Drive, Warren, MI 48088-6078, was noted as the sender. I took pictures of both the fake check and the envelope it came in and have provided these pictures below. The pink stickies were affixed by me to hide my home address.

Car Wrap Scam

Delivery receipt of a fake check

I called BOP, LLC and told them that I had received a check from them for the amount of $2,350. The business immediately asked me if my check was blue. I said no; it was actually a green color. The store immediately informed me that the check was fake and I should talk with law enforcement.

Meanwhile, I had David Christian texting me at least twice that day and asking me if I’d received my instructions on what to do with the check. I texted “him” back that I had yet to receive any emailed instructions. Naturally, when I later checked my email I found the following message:

Hello Halina,

Kindly proceed and deposit the check into your bank account and funds will be available for withdrawal 24hrs after it has been deposited. I will be waiting for a confirmation message immediately the check is deposited.

As soon as the cash is out you are to deduct $300.00 which is your upfront payment and forward the balance ($2,050.00) to the graphic artist that will be wrapping the decal on your vehicle via Money Gram and they will also be responsible for removing the decal when the program is completed. Please visit www.moneygram.com to check agent location close to you and make transfer through them.

Below is the name of the receiver. Please note that the transfer charges should be deducted from the remaining $2,050. You are to get back to me with the transfer details (Reference Number and the exact amount sent).

Below is the Graphic Artist Money Gram details to send the Money to

Receiver’s Information:
Name: Sandra Fagan
City: Jacksonville
State: FL
Zip Code: 32210

Kindly get back with the information below once the transfer has been completed.

Reference Number & Total Amount Sent

FAQ: Why am I sending money to Florida? The head office of the graphic artist is in FL.

As soon as payment is acknowledged by them, a local artist in your area will be sent to your address to install the decal wrap on your car. Let me know as soon as the check is deposited today.

If you require additional information, do not hesitate to email or call me.

Best regards,
David Christian
Hiring Manager.
(702)605-0985

What do you think I should do?

At this point in time, I’m debating about taking several different courses of action. I could do the following:

1. Contact local law enforcement and tell them that Patricia Barrington, Sandra Fagan and Rudy Grado are writing fake checks in a legitimate Madison business’ name.

2. Contact the FBI about the same issue since it spans several states (i.e., Michigan, Wisconsin, Nevada and Florida).

3. Tell the scammers that I’ve deposited the check and am waiting for it to clear. This puts the car wrap scammers in a holding pattern because checks typically take 1-2 weeks to clear.

4. Tell the scammers that their “employment” check has been forwarded to the IRS for cashing because I owe back taxes and all my earnings must first be garnished (That should put them into a panic!).

5. New development! I might have a second car wrap scam check coming to my house very soon. This one is from George Jennings of NOS Energy Drink. Should I tell the ROCKSTAR scam folks that I’ve instead decided to work with the NOS scam folks- or vice versa?

I’ve Tried That readers, what would you do in this situation?

Update as of October 7, 2013:

First off all, thank you everyone for your feedback! I was feeling a little confrontational this morning, so I decided to first text David Christian and say that I’d deposited the check last Friday at my bank. Within seconds, I received a text message back from him, asking if I’d received my email instructions.

Deciding to not play text tag any longer, I called Mr. David Christian at the phone number (702) 605-0985. A guy with a slight English accent picked up the line and actually identified himself as David Christian. I told him that I’d deposited the check I’d been sent last Friday, but the bank had put a hold on it for some reason. He asked me how long the hold was. I answered that the bank wanted to hold it for two weeks.

David didn’t seem too concerned about the hold and said that I could just wait until the check cleared, then write out my own check to the graphic artist.

I then asked David about the Madison business that had been listed on the check (BOP, LLC). I said I was confused about why this business was being listed on the check. David answered that this business was the sponsor.

I then told David that I had contacted this business and they had no idea what I was talking about. BOP had also told me that the check was the wrong color (their checks have a blue background).

At that point, David and I lost connection. I tried calling him back at least two times. No answer. I wonder what happened. I hope he’s OK…

Update as of October 12, 2013:

This past week, I received the following email from a “George Jennings (george.jennings11@outlook.com)” of NOS Energy drink:

Hello Halina,

Information reaching me this morning has it that you will be receiving the check today. The check of  $2,330.00  has been sent to you via USPS with tracking number (9405501699320009816575) and it will be delivered to you this morning. Kindly proceed and  deposit the check into your bank account and funds will be available for withdrawal 24hrs after it has been deposited.

I will be waiting for a confirmation message immediately the check is deposited. As soon as the cash is out you are to deduct $300.00 which is your upfront payment and forward the balance  ($2,030.00) to the graphic artist that will be wrapping the decal on your car via Money Gram.

They also will be responsible in removing the decal when the program is completed.

Below is the name of the receiver. You are to get back to me with the transfer information (8 digits Money Gram Reference) Number and the exact amount sent). You are to deduct the transfer charges ($180.00) from the $2,030.00 you have with you.

Below is the Graphic Artist Money Gram Details  to send the Money to in Minutes

PAYMENT INFO
Name: Constance H Lawson
City: Saint Johnsbury
State: Vermont
Zip code: 05819

Kindly get back with the information below once the transfer has been completed.

Money Gram Reference Number# & Total Amount Sent

FAQ: Why am I sending money to Vermont? The head office the graphic artist is VT, As soon as payment is acknowledge by them, a local artist will come to your house and install the decal wrap on your car. Let me know as soon as the check is deposited.

If you require additional information, do not hesitate to email me or call me.

Best Regards
George Jennings.
951-234-7388
Hiring Manager.

And here’s the fake check:

Fake Check from a Car Wrap Scam

I’m seeing at least one common theme between the NOS and ROCKSTAR Energy Drink scammers. First of all, the car wrap “sponsors” are both clothing shops, BOP (of Madison, WI) and Madison et Cie (of Los Angeles, CA). What a clothing shop has to do with an energy drink, I haven’t a clue.

I also think that the NOS scam artists are far more sloppy than the ROCKSTAR Energy Drink scam artists; why would an LA-based shop sponsor a car in Madison? Unless that shop was picked only because it has the name “Madison” in it- did the scammers think I wouldn’t notice the location of this “Madison”-based shop?

Update as of October 15, 2013:

So, apparently, I don’t have to be scammed for $1,850 ($2,030 – $180 for wire transfer charges). I can also be scammed for just…get ready for it…$1,000!

Hello Applicant,

You are receiving this email because you applied for car wrap job. We are please to inform you that your application has been processed. Payment has been sent and delivered which include your 1st week payment and funds for the graphic artist. We will like to have an update from you if you have been able to forward fund to your matched graphic artist head office. If yes, provide the transfer info and If you are yet to receive payment from us, please let us know so we can process your application immediately. We look forward to your swift response.

Regards
George Jennings

My reply (including all broken grammar and misspellings): Thank you for email. My bank deposited the check but tell me I will receive back only one thousand dollars from thsi check. I don’t understand why.

George Jennings: Why is that? What did the bank say?

My reply: The bank is saying that the IRS is going to garnish my check as wages. I’m supposed to send them a W-9 from NOS too. Can you send a W-9 for these wages?

George Jennings: All the necessary document will be presented to you before the installation. Kindly proceed to send the $1000 via Western union to Constance to enable us book the installation appointment and the graphic artist will bring the W-9 with him. I will be expecting the Western union details.

Update as of October 18, 2013:

My saga with George Jennings continues:

Me: What about the $200 wire transfer charge?

GJ: The transfer charges should be deducted from the $1000. Kindly try and get this done today so the appointment can be booked.

Me: I sent a check this afternoon to the graphic artist. Thanks!

GJ: To who? You are to make a western union transfer to the details that was sent to you. Not send a check besides no address was provided to you.

Me: To Constance H. Lawson. She lives on Railroad St. in Saint Johnsburg, VT. It was much cheaper for me to just send a check.

GJ: Call it back.

Me: I already sent the check to her, but I can call her phone number and let her know not to cash the check. Or, should I send payment to the following address: PO Box 4125 Saint Johnsbury, VT 05819-4125

At this point, George stopped answering my emails. Too bad…

The Bottom Line: Avoid Car Wrap Job Offers

At best, responding to these scammers will waste your time. At worst, it could cost you thousands of dollars, financial ruin, and get you in trouble with the authorities.

Avoid any offered car wrap jobs, ignore the people behind them, and always do your research.

However, since you’re here reading this, you’re no doubt interested in finding new ways to make some extra money.

Recommended Resources

I hope this post helped you avoid a scam and find a legitimate opportunity to pursue.

Please leave a comment below if you’ve ever had a run-in with one of these scammers. Every comment helps!

Hackerspaces: Bringing Your Ideas to (Money-Making) Life

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How do you invent the next “big thing” without going broke in the process? Invention ideas are great, but they also cost a lot of money to develop; by the time you’ve bought the equipment and hired the skilled labor to generate your prototype, filed a provisional patent, and maybe even found a few interested partners, you could be several thousand dollars in the hole.

However, what if you could realize your invention idea by learning all the necessary skills yourself and paying a small fee to rent the equipment? By doing this extra legwork, your invention idea could cost you as little as a hundred bucks to develop. You could do this by working with a hackerspace, also often called a makerspace, to bring your invention idea to life.

What is a hackerspace?

To answer this question, I talked with Chris Meyer, the owner of Sector67, a hackerspace in Madison, Wisconsin. Chris has been running Sector67 for a few years now and was even involved in helping Alisa Toninato of the now FeLion Studios design cast-iron skillets of U.S. states like Wisconsin, Illinois and Minnesota. Toninato’s business was later featured in Martha Stewart Living magazine.

“What does a hackerspace mean? Who knows,” says Chris. “What a hackerspace does mean is that you’re likely to find a set of people who have a similar mindset about creativity and collaboration and getting together and doing cool stuff.”

Sounds like a good start.

A hackerspace is typically defined as a community organized and operated space where members can congregate, collaborate and work on individual or group projects. The projects themselves are member-defined; however, they often involve computers, electronics and scientific and manufacturing equipment. The nature of each hackerspace is determined by member interests; one hackerspace may be primarily biology-oriented, with members engaged in cell culture and cloning, while another hackerspace may be composed of members designing iPhone apps or Facebook games.

How does a hackerspace function?

Many hackerspaces are organized as non-profit businesses. Other hackerspaces are created when interested individuals come together and pool their assets into the venture. Those individuals become the founding members of the hackerspace. However, the hackerspace need not be a closed entity; in the case of Sector67, individual and business memberships are sold at the rate of $100 or $200 per month, respectively. These priced memberships help support the hackerspace in terms of expenses like its rent, utilities, new equipment purchases, etc. New members also help expand and shape the scope of the hackerspace.

Instructional classes may be another aspect of the hackerspace. Sector67 offers one-one-one classes for $50; one-on-many classes may run $10 0r $20. These aren’t snooze classes either; on the day I arrived at Sector67, there was a billboard advertising a cool-sounding “Lockpicking 101” class. Other classes include “Make Your Own Solar Cooker,” “WordPress 101,” and “Writing a Business Plan.”

Hackerspaces are often associated with a lot of cool-looking gadgets, toys and other equipment. At Sector67 alone, there is a massive 3D printer located in one corner of the facility. There are also many types of computer numeric control (CNC) machines including routers, mills, lathes, laser cutters, welders, saws, and injection molders. Sector67 also contains oscilloscopes, electronics testing equipment and a computer lab.

“The rest of it’s all boring,” says Chris.

For roughly 20 years now, hackerspaces have existed, albeit quietly and mostly at universities where members had to be affiliated with the school. Around 2006, hackerspaces really started taking off, worldwide and in the U.S. Currently, states like California and New York have many hackerspaces available. Even unexpected spots like Casper, Wyoming have a hackerspace (Firefly).

According to the HackerspaceWiki list, there are an estimated 176 hackerspaces in the U.S. More hackerspaces are in the works; for example, on the HackerspaceWiki list, the state of Wisconsin shows only two hackerspaces; however, Madison’s Sector67 and a newly formed makerspace in Whitewater are missing.

What makes a makerspace?

Many people instantly associate a hackerspace with cool equipment like 3D printers, CNC equipment, injection molders and welders. However, “it’s really not about the equipment,” according to Chris. “I never set out in my business plan to say, ‘I need a laser cutter or I need this thing or that thing.’  We’re not a soldering club or a knitting club or a CNC equipment club or a laser cutter club.”

“The principle here is to provide basic services that bring people in and get them excited about new things and meeting new people. That’s the important part. It’s not to re-create the tool set, and it’s not to re-create the facilities, but it’s to re-create the people. You have to find the right people.”

Chris talks about how hackerspace members generate a sort of “critical mind mass” by the simple fact that they gather in one space, collaborate, and bring about new ideas. If one member can have a great idea about building the next “big thing,” fellow members can figure out a way to materialize the equipment needed to bring the idea to fruition. That equipment may end up being purchased, rented or even built from scratch.

“The equipment is not important,” Chris says. “The equipment doesn’t matter. If you don’t have a CNC mill, you will figure out some other way of making it. You’ll have enough smart people around who will come up with some creative application that will do the same job. Or they’ll come up with a different design. Or, more importantly, maybe they’ll give somebody a call in the community and say ‘Hey, I know you’ve got a business doing this, would you be willing to help us out for an hour?'”

The bottom line here is that a critical mind mass of smart people will find a way.

How can you get involved in a hackerspace?

Hopefully, there is a hackerspace near you that you can join and take advantage of. Most hackerspaces are rather informal and simply seek out inquisitive, vibrant minds. Even if you don’t currently have an invention idea, you might soon find yourself with one after touring a hackerspace and speaking with some of its members.

Should You Work With a Freelance Agency?

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Freelancing has been a maddening business for me. Not only am I a full-time freelance writer, but I’m also a part-time accountant, lawyer, artist, marketer, reporter, videographer, programmer and salesperson. I’ve lined up speakers and engaged in contract negotiations. I’ve finagled the nuances of SEC law and formulated CTR goals for AdWords campaigns. I’ve given presentations in corporate board rooms and then gone off to play with Legos® at a client’s waiting room. And all this was done in the name of freelance writing, no less.

Sometimes the whirlwind of freelance “writing” activities tires me out. In the midst of querying my hundredth potential client or sending yet another LOI (letter of introduction), I consider whether working with a freelance agency would be better for my sanity.

What is a freelance agency?

A freelance agency is a type of business that subcontracts freelancers to do work that is found and negotiated through the agency. This work is then passed along to the freelancers. Clients typically know that their work is being performed by one or more freelancers when dealing with a freelance agency; however, in some cases, the agency may just be one person who hires other freelancers for his/her gigs and claims their work as his/her own. Check out the Custom Content Council (CCC) for examples of large, well-known agencies in the content marketing field.

Why do freelance agencies exist?

Many freelancers who have freelanced for years or decades eventually start accumulating so many clients that they can’t possibly keep up with the workload. Rather than turn away the additional work, these freelancers subcontract the work out to other freelancers and share in its revenue.

Alternately, an agency may be the result of a freelancer who is good at marketing to and attracting clients but doesn’t want to do the assigned work anymore. Such a freelancer is happier overseeing the day-to-day operations of the freelance business itself rather than getting involved in the work. As a freelancer, you yourself may eventually wish to start a freelance agency.

Why you should work with a freelance agency.

There are some good reasons why you may want to work with a freelance agency:

No more marketing- ever. 

Some freelancers truly hate the song-and-dance that is marketing. They’d rather focus their time and efforts on doing actual freelance work instead of emailing, querying, cold calling, etc. To that end, a freelance agency is the best solution because it does all the prep work for the freelancer and then simply “serves” the finished client to him/her.

No more payment issues.

Generating contracts and including multiple “what if” clauses regarding late and no payment from the client are a real pain in the a–. However, without that contract covering your a–, you have no legal recourse should your client decide to not pay you or skip out on your final installment. Freelance agencies understand contracts and take care of them for you so you can focus solely on your work. Agencies also have your back in case a client tries to stiff you on payment.

Steady work.

Freelancing can be a feast-or-famine business depending on how many clients you can snag and ensure payment from. An agency helps you even out your schedule by offering extra work when you’re low on clients or redirecting work when you’re overwhelmed.

Hard-to-reach clients. 

Government clients are notorious for being hard to win; many government contracts are also only negotiated through selected agencies that know the legal nuances of governmental bidding processes.  Thus, if you want to >bid on U.S. government contracts, you first need to buddy-up with a freelance agency.

Big name clients.

Microsoft, Verizon and other big corporations work with dedicated (e.g., CCC) agencies and will only answer through them. Alternately, if you are just starting out as a freelancer and don’t have the experience and credibility to win big name/budget clients on your own, an agency can help by making the necessary introductions. In either scenario, it’s a good idea to have the agency work with and recommend you to these big fish.

Why you should not work for an agency.

Of course, for every pro there is a con. Not every freelance worker wishes to work with a freelance agency. Here are some reasons why:

The middleman effect. 

When you have one additional layer between you and the client, that layer must take its cut before it passes the revenue to you. As a consequence, you end up doing the same work for less money. Furthermore, there is the risk that an agency may accept and distribute low paid work simply to keep clients happy and/or generate steady work for its freelancers.

Limited negotiations.

Not happy with your assignment or hourly rate for assignment X? Too bad. Even if you’re a brilliant negotiator, many an agency will not let you contact the client in order to raise your pay. Even if you are allowed to discuss compensation directly with the client, you still have to involve your agency during negotiations, making the process much more cumbersome.

Not seeing the big picture.

Many freelancers start feeling like a cog in the freelance machine after a few years of working with an agency. This is because the agency negotiates and deals with the clients, not you. As a result, the agency ends up creating and planning the work and all possible future work with the client. Meanwhile, you are at the end of the chain and can only fulfill what was promised by someone else. It’s kind of like being employed- something you sought to escape when you became a freelancer.

So…should you or shouldn’t you?

There are many reasons to consider using the services of a freelance agency, as highlighted above. Speaking from personal experience, I have used agencies and later decided to go it alone. My biggest reason for initially using agencies was to gain experience and clips in certain fields. After a few years, I felt certain enough about my own skills to pitch clients directly. I was also able to pick up former agency clients on my own terms.

If you just want to do the work you were hired to do and not worry about accounting, taxes and rate negotiations, working with an agency can be a real boon. An agency also offers steady work, something that may be missing when you first start out as a freelancer. As you gain confidence in your abilities and want to charge top dollar for them, breaking out on your own makes more sense.

How to disappear (i.e., take a vacation) if you’re a freelancer

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Summer just started as of last week, shifting my thoughts towards camping, hiking, swimming as well as taking a well-deserved vacation. However, as a freelancer, I don’t just accrue paid time off like a regular employee. My time off goes unpaid. And even if I didn’t mind taking unpaid time off, the fact remains that I have so many deadlines to meet that I can’t see when (if ever) I’ll be able to get away from it all.

Many freelancers simply end up working through their vacations. These working vacations are easy to do, especially when all you need is your laptop and an Internet connection. This has happened to me on more occasions than I care to admit; for example, I recall sighing with relief last year when I found out that my “rustic” campsite had an electrical outlet that would accommodate my laptop. I even know of one freelancer who worked during his honeymoon!

How do you, as a freelancer, manage to take a vacation when you’re always on call with clients and have endless assignments to finish? Here are some sage pieces of advice I’ve picked up along the way:

Accrue work instead of hours

Employees accrue a certain amount of paid time off while they work their 9-to-5 shifts. Likewise, you need to start accruing what I call “paid work off.” Instead of just completing your assignment for this week and letting future assignments languish, do a little of next week’s work now- say 25%. The following week, finish that 25% complete assignment and put in 50% on the following week’s work. In just four weeks, you’ll have an extra assignment ready to go when you’re ready to take a week off.

Alternately, start generating an extra assignment that will cover you for a week or two should you leave on a vacation. You need not finish this assignment right away; instead, just work on it when you have a little extra time. You’ll soon have a good stockpile of extra work to throw at your clients while you’re sipping a daiquiri in Cozumel.

Scale back during vacation months

If you habitually take a few weeks off during the months of June, July and August, start scaling back now on finding new clients or engaging in new projects. Maintain status quo and get your current deadlines under control. And perhaps most importantly, don’t get involved in rush jobs, no matter how tempting.

What happens if a really lucrative job offer comes up or a really juicy client appears? In my experience, I’ve had the best outcomes by simply stating that I’m due to go on vacation soon but will be happy to help out when I return. Most reasonable clients understand the need for a vacation, and hardly any job is a real rush job when you think about it.

Outsource- if you can

I find it really hard to outsource my tasks and am known to be a bit of a control freak. You may have the same problem with outsourcing (or not). But if you can find it at all possible to have someone else email project updates to your clients or publish your blog posts in your absence, by all means get that person on board. You may even consider tag teaming with another freelancer who can perform your work while you’re MIA and then have you return the favor while he or she is on vacation. Likewise, consider hiring a virtual assistant who can perform essential tasks during your hiatus.

Don’t go AWOL on your clients

It’s OK to take a vacation. Really. And your clients should be able to understand that. Thus, even if you plan to take your laptop and check your email daily, let your clients know that you’ll be at least partially away from your desk and/or out of Internet reach. Its better that they know ahead of time rather than swamp you with email messages such as these:

6/24 Deadline project due tomorrow

6/25 Reminder: Deadline project due today

6/25 Hello? Where are you?

6/26 You better pray I don’t find you…

Don’t forget to turn on your email “out-of-office” auto-responder and generate a similar “out-of-office” voicemail on your phone because your clients may forget about your upcoming vacation. You can also leave your emergency contact phone number with your clients; this way, if something really dire pops up, they’ll know that they can reach you.

Disappear!

Once you’ve planned everything out and notified your clients, it’s time to go away and take an actual vacation. Forget about work and truly enjoy your time off. That work will be back all too soon.

If you absolutely must…

Work, that is, then just do the bare necessities. Don’t fire up your laptop to send a few quick press releases just to find yourself checking and responding to your emails hours later. Stay away from any time-wasters (ahem, Plants vs. Zombies) and keep to work-related matters only. If all else fails, have your spouse, vacation buddy, bartender or even a stop watch on hand and ready to remind you of how long you’ve been at work while on vacation.

B2B or B2C: Which one works best for affiliate marketing?

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This past weekend I made my homemade line of deodorants affectionately called People Stink! While cooking up a batch of lavendar or cedarwood-scented deodorant, I started thinking about the empty deodorant containers I’d purchased online. The online ads for those containers had been pretty dry, providing just a lot of information about the size, shape and physical resiliency of the plastic that was being used to house the deodorant. The pictures weren’t much better and simply featured container specifications like dimensions.

In contrast, the ads that I create for my own finished deodorants are quite flowery and contain lots of nice pictures with backdrops of trees, herbs and candles.

Is my advertising method better?

While I’d love to brag about my marketing prowess, the real answer here is that neither the deodorant container nor the finished deodorant advertising is any better, just different. And the reason it’s different is because each type of advertising is targeting a different market: B2B or B2C.

B2B (business-to-business) marketing involves selling goods and services to businesses that either use these products in their daily operations or generate other goods and services from them. B2C (business-to-consumer) marketing involves selling goods and services to end-point consumers who utilize them for household or personal use. So, regarding deodorant containers, the B2B market is being targeted; regarding the finished deodorant, the B2C  market is the target.

B2B vs. B2C markets are different at the following levels:

1. Small vs. big.

The B2B market is typically composed of a few and very specific customers. The B2C usually has a large and rather undefined audience.

2. Relationship vs. product.

B2B customers focus on the business relationship and how it will improve their bottom line through product support (e.g., tech support), longevity (how long will the product line “live” before being discontinued) and distribution (the availability of this product on a national or international level). B2C customers emphasize the product itself, the transaction (i.e., coupons/discounts) and the product’s perceived value vs. money spent.

3. Sales cycle.

B2B customers must be “courted” for a long time before the sale occurs; B2C customers have a shorter or even a “rush” time frame (e.g., midnight madness sale).

4. Rational vs. emotional.

B2B marketing takes a more rational and information-heavy approach (e.g., white papers and case studies) and target customers who must eventually purchase products for their businesses; B2C marketing benefits from emotional appeals (e.g., “you deserve a delicious candy bar”) and relies on impulse purchasing.

5. Ad styles.

Unique and infrequent ads that help educate the customer are the preferred marketing strategy for B2B advertising; frequent and repetitive ads that are low on content and high in memorable images or humorous punchlines are typically used in B2C advertising.

For the affiliate marketer who is trying to target a B2B market, general marketing strategy should include finding out who the customers are, what specific items they sell to their own customers, and how that particular business model could take advantage of the products you are trying to sell. For example, if you are trying to market high-end tools to B2Bs, you’ll want to know which specific companies employ contractors and what types of jobs these contractors do for their customers. Based on this information, you can write content directed at those businesses and state how your tools will help them generate more revenue, cut total purchase costs, have fewer workplace accidents, etc.

You B2B ads would be heavy on content and statistical information and light on flashy pop-ups and graphics. Your marketing campaigns would take a long time to complete, meaning that some of your target customers would not buy any product from you for months. However, when you finally did “land” one of your target clients, the generated revenue would be huge and likely ongoing.

Alternately, if your objective is to market to B2Cs, you’d want to gather customer demographic information like disposable income, age and employment status. Going back to the high-end tools example, you’d also want to know how many of your B2C customers are homeowners and/or own vehicles. Your advertising strategy would consist of lots of product photos and emphasize limited time only discounts or other offers. The ads would also be season and/or holiday-specific (e.g., buy Dad these tools for Christmas).

While your marketing campaigns would not need to last long before a sale occurred, the revenue generated per sale would be much smaller. Also, you would need to have recurring campaigns and offer different promotions on an ongoing basis. Coupons and “today only” offers would have to be heavily emphasized. You would also need to devote some resources to product returns and/or complaints.

B2B vs. B2C social media strategy

There are many social media platforms out there and each one is best used for a certain market. For B2B customers, you can use the following platforms:

Twitter: With its emphasis on promoting links, Twitter can be used to direct B2B customer to information-rich content pieces like white papers, articles and product reports.

LinkedIn: Heavily used by businesses, LinkedIn is a great place to network with other businesses while promoting your products and providing information on product history and features, customer testimonials and stories, infographics, customer/technical support, etc.

Blog: Creating and maintaining a blog on your product website allows you to advertise your products in a more approachable manner and share personal stories with your customers. This turns potential customers into loyal readers who are bound to return.

For B2C marketing, the following platforms work better:

Facebook: This platform is ideal for showing off product photos and generating customer enthusiam. Facebook is also able to handle product coupons and special offers.

Pinterest: A newer social media platform than Facebook, Pinterest is growing in popularity and use. It is heavily graphics-focused and offers significant opportunity to generate excitement about a product. Photos are easily shared and promoted on this platform, enabling novel and/or unique products to go viral.

Blogs: Recruiting brand ambassadors who have their own blogs and large followings is a great and low-cost way to generate product interest and sales. These bloggers can sponsor free product giveaways, host Twitter parties, and solicit product reviews from their followers.

YouTube: Showing off your products in creative ways through video can generate significant B2C customer enthusiasm and have your marketing message go viral.

Is B2B or B2C better for affiliate marketers?

Each market, whether it be B2B or B2C, comes with its own advantages and disadvantages. With B2B, you must provide a lot of rich and informative content to customers who may not buy anything from your website for months or even years. However, when that critical sale occurs, it’s going to be big and probably recurrent.

On the other hand, B2C customers will be easier to win over with low-information content that might only take a few days to generate several immediate sales. Unfortunately, such sales are more likely to be a one-time deal and low revenue; constant marketing is necessary to get repeat customers.

In the end, which type of market you choose to target will be dependent on your personal style and preferences. If you are patient, don’t mind generating high-information content and like to play with facts and figures, B2B marketing is the way to go. However, if you’d rather see some immediate rewards for your work and prefer getting people excited about a novel product or service, then B2C marketing may be more your thing.

Top 10 Job Boards for Freelancers

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Networking will only take you so far in your search for freelance jobs; sometimes you just need the critical mass of many potential clients looking for freelancers. Job boards are an excellent place to find that critical mass.

Not all job boards are created equal, however. Some job boards act as third-party agents (i.e., middlemen) between the freelancer and potential client; this is bad because middlemen job boards typically skim a portion of the freelancer’s earnings and make it difficult to negotiate with the client. Other job boards (e.g., eLance, oDesk) force freelancers into a “bidding war” against each another, causing them to undercharge their services during the freelance “race to the bottom,” as quoted by Carol Tice.

On a side note, some “job boards,” like the one recently introduced by Flickr, cleverly hide programmer jobs inside of website source code!

10 Job Boards for Freelancers

The following list provides no mention of middlemen or bidding. I hope you enjoy and profit from my list of these top 10 freelance job boards:

1. Facebook4Freelancers

This Facebook-based job board and networking site is managed by Brian Scott of FreelanceWriting.com and publishes several job listings per day. Most of the gigs are centered on writing and/or editing and cover a range of genres including blogging, ghostwriting, copywriting, e-course development, etc. Some of the posted jobs even call for freelance editors/supervisors that manage other writers and editors. Some of the listed jobs are location-specific, but most allow you to work from home and online.

2. SmashingJobs

This site lists mostly software developer (e.g., Java), programmer (e.g., C++) and designer jobs (e.g., graphic), with about half of them being freelance. The job board itself is part of Smashing Magazine. Perusing the site, I also found jobs for writers, ad managers and consultants. It would be nice to see more freelance jobs posted on this site- but I’m betting a lot of the employed ones eventually allow telecommuting. Smashing Magazine also offers a good number of helpful resources and articles.

3. LinkedIn

One of the reasons I love LinkedIn is its high-quality job board that can be tailored to find almost any position. By going to the jobs tab of LinkedIn and hitting “Advanced Search,” you can use keywords to narrow down your job search and find every “freelance whatever” position that is currently listed. You can also have LinkedIn send you daily email alerts of all the jobs that match your selection criteria. Because clients must pay a hefty fee to LinkedIn for listing an open position, there is little chance of finding spam or scams here.

4. ProBlogger

The name rightly suggests that you’ll find mostly blogging jobs here; however, after perusing (a word that actually means carefully examining) ProBlogger’s job board, you can find lots of other gigs too like website testing, editing, newswriting and copywriting. What I don’t like about ProBlogger is that, on occasion, a content mill “job” slips through and gets posted. Overall, though, the site offers a wide range of writing gigs that pay a decent rate per hour or task.

5. BloggingPro

This site sounds like another iteration of ProBlogger and it kind of is, except that BloggingPro seems (at least to me) to list an even greater number of blogger positions than ProBlogger, with just a smattering of writer and journalist positions thrown in for fun. About 3-4 new job leads are provided on a daily basis. BloggingPro also maintains its own blog (where you can submit a post), publishing lots of useful information there on jobs, writing, social media, etc.

6. MediaBistro

If you’re looking for editing or writing opportunities in well-known magazines and trade publications, then Media Bistro’s job board is the place to go. Many but not all of the posted jobs are location-specific; however, you can also specify that only telecommute positions be shown. Membership on the site is required before you can look over the job listings; luckily, you can sign up absolutely free. Paid AvantGuild membership is $45/year and comes with additional perks like insider information on how to pitch national magazines.

7. SoloGig

This job board is fairly easy to use- you simply input the type of job you’re looking for and in which geographic location. As a freelancer, specifying a location is kind of pointless and you do have the option of just leaving that area blank. Following your site search, about half the jobs that come back are freelance/contract in nature. There are various jobs available, from software development to programming to writing. What I like about SoloGig is that it tracks your keyword-based searches while you go job searching (assuming you sign up with the site); doing so helps the job board adapt to your job preferences over time.

8.  JournalismJobs

Another easy-to-use job search board is offered on Journalism Jobs. You can select for only freelance positions by inputting “freelance” into the keyword area prior to running your search. Most of the listed jobs involve some form of writing or editing; however, I did find forum moderator, market analyst, videographer and application designer positions offered too. It costs clients $75 to create a single category job posting on Journalism Jobs, which helps cut down on get-rich-quick and spam postings.

9. 37Signals

According to 37Signals, heavy hitters like Facebook, Apple, American Express and The New York Times have posted jobs to its job board. Just looking through the site, I also found other big names include CNET, Adobe, Yelp and Bloomberg. The site is very tech-heavy and is probably best intended for website developers and programmers.

10. Online Writing Jobs

By using long-tail keywords like “Freelance Technical Writer” to search this job board, you come up with a quite a number of decent-paying and legitimate jobs. There are some pitfalls, however: the site relies heavily on imported postings from Craigslist, which I consider another “race to the bottom” job board that leads to underpaid (or unpaid) work. Ironically, I actually had better luck on this site when I avoided using the search term “freelance,” of all things.

What about paid job boards?

Are you more likely to find a decent job if you pay for access to a specific job board? I say no. Having been given access to a number of paid job boards, I find that most of what you pay for is the human effort of sifting through publicly available jobs and posting them to one site. However, those jobs are still out there- and can be easily reached by simply searching my above listed sites. In fact, many of the paid-for job boards that I have access to actually mention taking job postings from the above listed sites like Facebook4Freelancers and ProBlogger. To quote Ecclesiastes, there is nothing new under the sun.

However, should you wish to try some paid job boards, here are the ones I recommend:

FreelanceSwitch

This site offers some choice jobs that you can click on and read; however, applying to these positions requires a $7/month subscription. Because FreelanceSwitch hand picks some good paying jobs that are limited in applicants due to the subscription fee, you may wish to consider shelling out a few bucks and seeing if this place will work out for you.

The Freelance Writers Den

Carol Tice, a six-figure freelance writer whom I interviewed last month, operates and offers The Freelance Writers Den, where one can access a “no-junk” job board, forum, classes, interviews and other goodies. Because the Den requires a subscription fee of $25/month, I state that its job board is a paid-for paid job board. I recommend this job board because many of its listings are personal referrals by Carol herself; thus, you’d be unlikely to find them anywhere else online. As a side note, I joined the Den last month and have secured two writing gigs already thanks to those internal job referrals.

FlexJobs

This site has been on my RADAR screen for a while and several other freelancers have recommended its job board. To access this site, however, you need to pay $14.95/month to $49.95/year. Still, the fee may be worthwhile if it saves you time on sifting through Craiglist-type spam ads and other low-paying junk.

Breaking Freelance Rule #4: You Gotta Be An Expert

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Back when I was hired to do technical support for a major biotech firm here in town, I was really worried about being exposed as a fraud. Sure, I knew a thing or two about science, but to knowledgeably discuss and (gulp!) troubleshoot through nearly 2,000 biological products, assays and even instruments? C’mon! You had to be an expert to do that.

And yet, just a few weeks later, I was doing exactly that. And just a few months later, I was even getting bored because the questions weren’t challenging enough. That’s not to say that certain customers didn’t stump me- but the work became easier and more predictable even after a month of time. I stayed in that company for over five years until I went full-time with my freelance writing career.

So, what did I learn from my time as technical support scientist that can apply to any freelancer who does not consider himself/herself a “subject matter expert”?

Stop thinking of yourself as not an expert.

Unless you’ve been living under the rock, you already have expertise in a wide range of topics. Do you think you know nothing about retail business? If you’ve worked as a cashier at Walmart, you’ve had some exposure to business topics like inventory control, branding, sales cycles, etc.

If you’ve worked part-time as a line cook at McDonald’s or as a waitress at Applebee’s, you probably know a thing or two about the restaurant business. I myself started becoming very knowledgeable about work-at-home job opportunities and making an online income because I was always hustling to make some side cash while in grad school.

If you keep your eyes peeled and ears open, you will hear all kinds of expert topics discussed by your bosses, colleagues and customers. All you need to do is look, listen and learn. For example, here’s how I became an expert in crowdfunding.

Master the Pareto Principle

Known also as the 80-20 rule, the Pareto Principle proposes that 80% of the outcomes are the result of only 20% of all possible causes. Thus, if you can pinpoint and learn about that vital 20% of expert information, you will be able to resolve 80% of the questions, issues, etc. that you encounter as a bonified “expert.”

I saw this occur during my own tenure in biotech technical support; although my company sold numerous products, most of my calls were on 20% of them. As a result, I became very proficient on those 20% of products.

Know just a little bit more…

I currently do a lot of SEO (search engine optimization) and SEM (search engine marketing) work with several of my clients. Between keeping track of the Google zoo (e.g. Penguin, Panda) and figuring out how to tighten my ad groups, there’s a lot to absorb. I still don’t know everything about the e-commerce world- and I doubt I ever will.

However, as I’ve learned, I don’t need to know it all; I just need to be one step ahead of my clients. Thus, when I pick up on the latest news about corporate blogging, I’ll casually mention to my clients how blog posts need to “soft-sell” a company’s products. And you know what? Everyone thinks I’m a genius for making that suggestion, despite the many published articles on the topic.

If you’re about to teach a class on a given subject or just meet someone over lunch to talk about X, Y and Z, don’t sweat it that you don’t know everything. Just read up on the latest news surrounding that topic and carefully incorporate the newest and snazziest buzzwords that the “real experts” are using. Adopt a “niche-within-your-niche” that you can learn about and know quite well; this narrowed expertise can help you if you are suddenly called upon to provide an example.

Control your exposure

I noticed long ago how many subject matter experts rarely teach “live” classes where students can just ask any question and obtain an immediate response. Many courses, especially those offered online, are prerecorded, and the submitted questions have often been hand-picked (and answered) ahead of time. It’s not that these experts are faking it; however, crafting careful and insightful responses to questions on a range of topics is a challenge. And it’s a challenge that’s far better addressed if the expert has had some time to think of and look up additional resources.

If you are concerned about being asked a question that you don’t know the answer to, consider providing your audience with written and/or recorded information ahead of time. Have your audience submit its questions to you so you have the time needed to formulate a good answer. Once you’re more confident and know what kind of questions to expect given the Pareto Principle, going “live” won’t be as intimidating for you as before.

Craft your message

Most of us are experts at something if we examine ourselves carefully enough. And typically, our expertise is in a very defined subject matter. As such, if you are going to tout yourself as an expert in warm water fly fishing in ponds and lakes, don’t start talking about salmon. In fact, don’t even answer questions about salmon because that’s not your niche. Knowing what you don’t know is just as important as talking about what you do know.

If you know just one area of a really large topic, establish your expertise in that niche and take advantage of it. That’s what your clients will be looking for anyway. Also, by establishing yourself in a very defined area, you won’t have to worry too much about competition. Your clients, though small in number, will know whom to reach out to for additional work, information and products.

The Bottom Line

As a freelancer, every new project or client you take on puts you in a “non-expert” position, forcing you to learn and grow. I was trained to be a scientist, not a writer. I have no journalism degree, yet somehow I’ve become a newspaper reporter. I didn’t even know what SEO stood for back when I started talking about it.

Face it: if you wanted to be comfortable and do only what you’re good at, you would’ve stayed at your old (employed) job. In the process of becoming an expert, you must dive into the discomfort of not knowing. To grow (as an expert, a person, or just about anything else) is to be uncomfortable. And when you’re too comfortable, you’ve stopped growing.

Interview with Carol Tice: How to Make an Online Income as a Writer

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My inglorious beginning as a low-paid content mill writer

When I first started writing online, I was ecstatic when one of my clients paid me 5 cents/word to generate e-commerce content that kept me up until 2 or 3 o’clock in the morning. I’d turn in my 1,000 word article and beam at the $50 I’d made for literally 2 straight days of work. Then, I’d “punch in” a few hours at Associated Content (now Yahoo! Content Network) and eek out another $20 for expert content that would take me 3-4 hours to write.

Back then, I had no idea that my e-commerce content would’ve easily fetched 10 times the amount I was earning had I started marketing my expertise and querying companies. I didn’t even know what the words “content mill” meant, although I was writing for at least three of them on a weekly basis. Over the years, this ignorance cost me an untold number of dollars. Even worse, the hours upon hours I spent generating low-paid content prevented me from learning how to find better paying “real world” clients, networking, or simply enjoying myself with my friends.

My Introduction to Make A Living Writing

Luckily, while surfing the Web one day I came across a freelance writing blog called Make A Living Writing. The blog’s owner, Carol Tice, stated in many of her posts how writers get sucked into low paying or otherwise disadvantageous work situations with their clients. Perhaps what struck me the most about why writers need to stop writing for low paying clients was Carol’s following statement:

“If that’s all I’m going to make, I’d rather go out on the lawn and play Frisbee with my kids.”

Time is an asset and, unlike money, you can’t make more of it. Thus, at least in my mind, time is more valuable than money. And if a writer is going to spend his time writing for someone else, that someone else should pay a living wage.

Because time is not replaceable, it’s imperative that aspiring writers do what they can now to obtain the training and resources needed to succeed in this business. Sure, if a writer stays in the business for 10 years, eventually she’ll figure out that content mill writing is a dead end. Or that negotiating for better rates is not only normal, it’s expected. Or that a query letter should include a call-to-action. But is it wise waiting those 10 years and losing out on high paying clients, notoriety and career advancement?

To help writers achieve their writing ambitions and grow their income quickly, Carol Tice started The Freelance Writers Den. In this den, writers can take e-courses like Break Into Business Writing and How to be a Well Paid Blogger. They can post questions on the den’s forum and have them answered by a team of established freelance writers, including Carol Tice herself. They can scour writing gigs on the den’s junk-free job board. They can also participate in weekly live trainings that feature bloggers, journalists, book authors, copywriters, etc.

My interview with Carol Tice, owner of Make A Living Writing

Recently, I interviewed Carol Tice about what writers can do to make more money writing. Carol explained how she got her own start in writing and how much she made as a full-time freelance writer (spoiler alert: it’s a six figure amount). For I’ve Tried That readers, Carol and I discussed the following topics that are critical in the success or failure of any would-be writer who wishes to make an actual living from his writing:

  • Why content mills don’t pay well- and why they never will.
  • Why content mills don’t lead to better paying work.
  • Four places where you can easily gain clips to show to editors, bloggers, publishers, etc.
  • How you can use your own blog to win clients.
  • Which industries/topics pay writers well- and which ones don’t.

Carol also talked about some of the major psychological stumbling blocks of many writers- and how to get over these hurdles:

  • Not being “good enough”
  • Not being an “expert”
  • Query letter rejection

Carol’s interview is posted below as a video file that she was kind enough to generate for me during our recorded Skype call. Carol’s voice comes through crisp and clear; my own voice, unfortunately, is too loud for the call. I apologize for that technical boo-boo. Fortunately, I edited most of my yelling out of the file, so you’ll hear Carol the majority of the time.

For those of you who would prefer reading the interview, I’ve posted the transcript of my interview with Carol Tice here.

A critical question that many I’ve Tried That readers might have is, can I be a freelance writer and work from home? Absolutely. In her interview, Carol Tice mentions how she currently has no in-town clients and does all her work online with the help of her phone, email and Skype. So yes, it is possible.

If any of you would like to learn more about The Freelance Writers Den or even sign up for it, you can go to it directly by clicking here. Please note that, at this time, you will need to get on a waiting list in order to eventually join the den. Den openings occur roughly every few weeks.

Generating a Second Income as a Poor Graduate Student: Free E-Book!

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Young, bright….and broke

If you’ve gone to graduate school or college, you know that money can get pretty tight during your years as a student. Even with careful budgeting, you can end up living on Ramen or macaroni and cheese- and that’s on a good day. The plights of poor students are well noted, from Marie Sklodowska-Curie, who frequently fainted from hunger while studying at the Sorbonne, down to Lindsay Milgroom, who advises readers to fill up on free food samples at the local mall food court and give up on shopping at Whole Foods because “this is about budgeting, not living a healthy lifestyle.”

An unhealthy lifestyle, credit card bills, growing student loan debt- these are just a few of the issues plaguing today’s college and graduate students, increasing their chances of suffering from depression or just dropping out of school altogether. Many of these issues are caused by a lack of money. However, most hard-core college and grad students don’t have the time to work a full-time or even part-time job. Strapped for both time and money, many students languish or go into serious debt. However, there is hope.

What if you could generate a second income without spending a lot of time and money?

What if, instead of being broke and hungry, you could make a second income while still in school? What if, instead of wondering what food you might steal from the communal fridge, you were making money online and being able to afford that pizza- with extra cheese and even pepperoni? And more importantly, what if, instead of being worried about employment post-graduation, you had job prospects already lined up thanks to the real world marketing and sales skills you had acquired while making a second income online?

Meet Ryan, the owner of and blogger at The Grad Student Way.

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Ryan, like many graduate students, was chronically broke. He had a small stipend coming in but that wasn’t enough; on a month-to-month basis, Ryan would find himself “caught short.” While asking his parents for money got him by in the short-term, Ryan knew he had to become more proactive about his cash flow problem. He also wanted to help out his fellow graduate students solve their cash flow problems. This led to Ryan publishing the e-book “Generating a Second Income for the Poor Graduate Student”.

I had the opportunity to talk with Ryan in lovely downtown Madison last week. Ryan is currently hustling to finish up his thesis, but he was gracious enough to grant me an interview. In this interview, Ryan noted a couple of key factors that hold many promising would-be entrepreneurs back and how to work around them. He also shared some pertinent financial information with me, including how much it cost to create his e-book and how much money the e-book generated for him upon its initial release.

In short, writing and selling an informational product (in this case, an e-book) that relates to your particular situation and helps others solve a problem is a good way to make extra money. Doing this over and over can even become your livelihood.

There was something else that I learned from my interview with Ryan: By creating and marketing his own e-book, Ryan opened up a very unique job opportunity. This job opportunity would never have materialized if not for Ryan’s initiative and drive in creating his e-book.

But, you don’t have to take my word for it: Here is Ryan’s story in his own words:


This podcast opens up as an MP3 file. If you would rather read Ryan’s story, I’ve included the transcript of his interview here.

Does Ryan’s story get you all revved up to create your own product and generate a second income? Then read on…

“Generating a Second Income for the Poor Graduate Student” teaches students several valuable lessons including:

  • How you can capitalize on the knowledge and information you already possess.
  • How you can test your market before ever releasing your e-book, thus ensuring its success.
  • How you can save time and create your product quickly and easily by outsourcing certain tasks.

It also provides poor college and graduate students with the following resources:

  • A 10-day plan for creating and putting your e-book up for online sale.
  • A compilation of free and paid resources for marketing your e-book online.
  • A list of 5 income streams that you can tap into and multiply your product’s earnings.

Ryan’s e-book normally runs for $4.99 on Amazon. However, for a limited time, “Generating a Second Income for the Poor Graduate Student” can be downloaded absolutely free. Just lick on the book link below- and be a poor college student no more!

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Generating a Second Income for the Poor Graduate Student

Don’t Get Scammed by These Crafty Work-at-Home Assembly Jobs

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Quick Summary

Rating: 0 out of 10 cans of glitter.

Pros: You might end up with a bunch of cool arts and crafts supplies.

Cons: Most companies are offering to pay you to fulfill work-at-home assembly jobs and then they REQUIRE you buy your materials through them. So, you’ve bought the materials, you’ve done the work, you mail it back and you expect to get paid. Right? WRONG. These companies tend to reject work no matter how closely it matches the sample finished product they send. It’s a deceitful way of selling you craft supplies you don’t need.

Our Recommendation: Avoid work at home assembly jobs. We’ve yet to find one that was worth the hassle. The insane standards they set are nearly impossible to meet and you’ll likely lose out on a bunch of money and even more valuable time. If you want to learn how to build a real, sustainable business from home, click here to check out our top recommendation. It’s free to get started as well and you won’t have to glue anything together.

Full Review

Are you a crafty person who likes making jewelry, magnets, stuffed animals, etc? Have you ever thought about capitalizing on your craft-making skills and making money from your crafts?

Apparently, there are a number on online sites that have done just that. Most of these sites work on the premise that you pay an up-front fee for training to get started with a given craft project. Then, you order and pay for the basic craft materials that will be used to construct your craft item. Once your craft item is finished, you sell it back to the company and receive payment for your finished product.

Work at home craft assembly companies

I found the following example work at home craft assembly sites that offer craft items to making at home and then sell back to the company through so-called “buyback” programs:

DisciplesCross.com: This site offers a training video directly from Pastor John Raymond of New Horizon Christian Fellowship in Slidell, Louisiana for $69.95. The training video also includes a starter kit that makes 25 crosses. Once you’ve watched that video, you can order additional cross-making kits for $25 and up. Each cross that conforms to this program’s quality standards is reimbursed $2.25. “God bless & happy cross making!” (a direct quote from the site)

MagicalGiftDollhouses.com: Also known as New England Crafters, this company offers mostly jewelry making kits. You pay $49.95, plus $9.95 for shipping, per kit. Each kit includes instructions and supplies for making the craft item. When you are finished with your project, you send your items back to the company and are reimbursed for each approved piece. The company then sends you additional craft supplies which you assemble and send back for reimbursement.

TinyDetails.com: With this site, you pay a $55.00 refundable deposit to obtain a starter kit for whichever dollhouse item you choose to make. There are 14 different miniature items currently available. Items that are made to the correct instructional specifications are reimbursed $50-$200.

Sounds simple and easy, right?

Except that it’s not. Each craft assembly site makes sure to state, in one form or another, that the assembled craft pieces must first be approved before they are paid for by the materials issuing company. And those craft items will not be approved unless instructions are followed to the letter. But what if the provided instructions are made unclear to the assembler or the provided materials are so cheap and flimsy that a quality product cannot be made? Here are some testimonials from various work-at-home craft assemblers who tried to make a little side income through work at home craft assembly jobs:

DisciplesCross.com: This company had several negative reviews and unhappy customers were quite vocal with their complaints.

Mary Alice (Houston, TX): “I ordered the Disciple’s Cross Kit several years ago and made the Crosses, and also ordered 1 pre-made Cross already made by them. You know how I know this company is a scam? When I submitted my 10 crosses to be inspected, I sent the ‘perfect’ Disciple Cross they made for inspection, and guess what- they rejected all of them (even the one they made) and said “you have potential”. You can never ever make ‘their’ crosses good enough…do not waste your money.”

Jeff Martis (Central IL): “A friend of mine signed up for this program…His package showed up, and everything was there that was supposed to be there, but the quality of the wire you were supplied was a very inferior grade and tended to break all the time…after two or three days we made 25 crosses while watching [the instructional video]. I did quality control and checked every cross to ensure it met standards. We determined that 3 were sub standard so we reassembled them again, and sent off all of the crosses into the buyback program. 10 days later we got a package back with 23 crosses that had been determined to be “not of the quality needed in order to qualify for the buy back program”.

Graham (Boone USA): “While you are BUYING supplies, they are quick to reply. After telling them I had 400 crosses ready to send to them I got a reply telling me there was a 2 month long wait for turnaround. After that they stopped replying to me, period. The ONLY communications I’ve had from them in a year now are their offers to SELL ME CROSSES!

Nobody will buy the crosses! Not local churches. Not local Christian bookstores. No stores, convenience stores, fund raisers, flea markets – nobody will buy my crosses INCLUDING Pastor John!”

MagicalGiftDollhouses.com: Reviews of New England Crafters/MagicalGiftDollhouses were mixed. While customers did not come outright and call this company a scam, many did state that its craft projects were time-consuming and difficult to do. The company has a high rejection rate and sends back many craft projects marked as unacceptable. Even successful crafters, such as New England Crafters owner Cheska Arnone herself, might make only $12/hour constructing this company’s difficult crafts.

TinyDetails.com: RipoffReport lists at least 22 complaints about TinyDetails, most of which focus on the following issues:

  • The materials the company sends are shoddy and misaligned, so one can never make the high quality products that are demanded.
  • Repeated calls, voice mails and emails are left unanswered.
  • The company rejects its own “perfect” sample craft items after customers send them back and claim those items as their own work.

Work at home craft assembly summary

While not every work at home craft assembly job is a scam, even legitimate craft assembly companies are getting some heat for their slow turnaround times and high product rejection rates. Assembly workers frequently mention that the training videos are either incomplete or falsely illustrate the quickness and ease with which the selected project can be finished. And of course, all craft assembly companies require an up-front training fee, a common sign of an online work at home scam.

Work at home craft assembly jobs are also prone to a second tier of scams: Unscrupulous companies sell lists of purported “genuine” craft assembly sites for a fee to hapless customers. These lists provide names of craft assembly sites that are either out of business or which thrive on subscriber fees more than product buy backs from crafters. Kinya provided a review of one such list site, Assembly-Jobs.com, for readers.

Beware of Resume Scams When Looking for Work

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If I told you that I’d critique and revise your resume for just $1, would you believe me?

OneBuckResume

This is precisely what the resume writing service, OneBuckResume, promises. When you hover your mouse over the site’s Resume Builder tab, there’s even the grammatically incorrect promise “Use the patented $1 resume builder, and we’ll complete your resume in less than 5 minutes”. However, when you scroll through the site’s Terms & Conditions (T&C’s) box, it says the following:

Resume Distribution: By clicking the checkbox below, you signify your acceptance of seven days of free resume  distribution services. IF YOU CONTINUE USING THE RESUME DISTRIBUTION SERVICE, YOUR CREDIT CARD WILL BE CHARGED $5.88 ONCE EVERY THIRTY DAYS THEREAFTER, UNLESS CANCELLED.

There is no way to not click the checkbox, since it signifies that you agree to abide by the site’s T&C’s. There is also no defined way to cancel the $5.88/month charge except by submitting support tickets through the site; no contact phone number or email is provided. Also, because the extra $5.88 monthly charge is posted on the company’s site, this disclosure allows it to make the “Didn’t you read the T&C’s?” rebuttal.

However, as several Ripoff Report testimonials attest, the site also posts fake job postings on Craigslist and asks job applicants to use OneBuckResume to properly format their resumes prior to sending them off to the hiring company. Unsuspecting job applicants pay the $1 fee and send their resumes to the provided email- only to have those emails bounce back to them as unrecognized. After 7 days, the mysterious $5.88 monthly charges begin.

TheLadders

Another resume site, TheLadders, was sued in district court on March 13, 2013 for not only posting fake, unauthorized and/or misleading $100K job opportunities but for also not delivering on its resume writing service promise. TheLadders, as noted by Barbara Ward (the Plaintiff),

 …promised a free “expert resume critique” for its premium members. However, TheLadders did not actually review resumes that were submitted by its premium members. Instead…TheLadders sent its members a form letter that failed to provide any resume criticism responsive to members’ individual resumes. The sole purpose of the form letter was to up-sell members into useless paid resume re-writing services…

Resume scams abound because, in this crappy economy, it’s very easy to take advantage of people who are scrambling to find work. The scammers often play on people’s fears, telling them that their resumes lack important “action items” that will prevent them from being hired.

Even when professionally written resumes are submitted to these scam sites,  they are ripped up and cited as needing extensive work. Of course, a scam site will naturally rip up any resume, even its own generated resume, in order to make a quick buck. And the bucks, in this case, aren’t just $30 or $40; in the case of TheLadders, members who sent their resumes to be re-written were charged about $700!

Where can you find legitimate resume writing services?

Hardcore resume writers are often certified members of the National Résumé Writers’ Association (NRWA) and/or the Professional Association of Résumé Writers & Career Coaches (PARW/CC). These writers don’t hide behind a resume writing site (although they may be employed by it); typically, you’ll find writer profiles and work examples on the site’s “About Me/Us” page. The better resume writers will be industry-specific and have some kind of education or experience in their chosen focus (e.g., law).

Beware of online forms

Granted, with almost everyone being online now, you are bound to have some online forms to fill out when you start working with a resume writing service. However, the writer working on your resume should contact you personally to obtain additional information from you. This typically includes several phone interviews spanning a total of 3-5 hours for a top-notch resume site. Local agencies may also schedule you for an in-person session with the writer.

Even a budget resume writer should speak with you personally for at least half an hour. Beware of resume sites that are online only and where you cannot reach anyone over the phone. Typically, this indicates that the writers (if any) are being paid slave wages by the site and have limited English language speaking/writing skills.

While working with a “resume mill” does not exclude you from obtaining a meaningful resume, it will probably require that you do significant editing and formatting of your own document (this issue has been reported for the resume mill e-resume.net, which pays its writers Taco Bell wages for resumes worth $155). This negates much of the reasoning behind hiring a resume writer in the first place.

Don’t forget to use Google

Google knows all, as I like to say. Before you consider working with any resume site, do a quick online search of that site with the word “scam” plugged into your search query. If you find testimonial after testimonial from dissatisfied customers or even records of a lawsuit, steer clear of that agency.

Questions to ask before you pay any money

Even “good” resume writing sites can be riddled with issues. Before you hire any resume service to take on your resume, be sure to ask the following questions of the writer:

1. What are all the steps of this process and associated fees? Alternately: What do you charge per hour and what does that cover?

2. What advantages do you personally offer when compared with other resume writers?

3. Can I speak with your previous clients and/or see their “before and after” resumes? If a writer cannot provide either, find another writer/service.

4. What guarantees do you offer (e.g., limitless revisions, money back if not satisfied)?

Other things to keep in mind

As the potential client, you should expect a free evaluation of your resume before you plunk down any money. Once you become an actual client, however, up-front payment is required from most resume writing sites. Expect the entire resume critiquing to writing to revision process to take anywhere from two weeks to even over a month; good results don’t happen overnight (or in “less than 5 minutes”).

Finally, be sure to keep your receipt; resume writing services are viewed as a legitimate employment-seeking activity through the eyes of the IRS and are tax-deductible.

 

Breaking Freelance Rule #1: You Must Make Cold Calls

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Back in my undergrad years, I remember reading a career book called something like “How to Get a Job in 30 Days”. I was about to finish my junior year in college and sit out my summer months with no job and thus no money. The idea of finding work in a month sounded very appealing so I decided I would thoroughly read and follow every piece of advice this book gave me.

As it turned out, most of the book’s advice centered on making cold calls to potential employers. The idea was to make contact with the hiring manager and, before this person could even say no, schedule an appointment with him/her.

The conversation was supposed to go like this:

“Hello, my name is Halina, and I noticed you have a job opening in your forensic sciences department. I’m a perfect candidate because I’ve watched numerous episodes of CSI and have also appeared on COPS. I have the first of April available for a meeting; how does that work for you?”

Figuring that anyone who had actually published a book on how to find a job (in just 30 days!) knew what s/he was talking about, I dutifully started making cold calls. Half the time the employer’s voicemail picked up my call; I gave my shpeel and, with a sigh of relief, never heard from that person again. On occasion, I would actually reach the hiring head; luckily, I had my pitch written down on several crinkly notebook pages and that helped me as I recited my stage lines.

After about two weeks of making cold calls and having no one return my requests for a meeting, I gave up. I guess I’ll never know if, having put in the full 30-day cold calling effort, I would’ve been rewarded with a job. However, I did  realize something: I am not cut out for cold calling. And also, after spending the last 15 years of my post-undergrad life receiving cold calls from everyone from insurance salesmen to career coaches to mortgage refi experts, I’ve realized that no one is really cut out for cold calling. There are three reasons why:

1. Cold calls put clients on the spot.

When you cold call someone, you never know just what s/he was doing right up to receiving your call. If that person is having a lousy day, you can bet that your call isn’t going to make things better. Alternately, that person may be having a great day and is about to head out for drinks- just when the phone rings. Out of sheer politeness, that person will pick up the phone (especially if colleagues are watching)- and then try to get rid of you as fast as possible.

Even if the person hears you out , s/he can’t just agree to meet you or hire you without at least first consulting with colleagues. Furthermore, taking on a new person, even on a contract basis, requires careful consideration that cannot be completed in the space of a single phone call. Thus, you often get stuck making an average of five calls to the same person in order to score just one lead.

2. Cold calls waste time.

The consensus amongst professional cold callers is that you’re lucky if you get even 10% of respondents to not instantly say no. Gee, that’s encouraging. In other words, 90% of the time you spend researching potential clients to cold call is wasted. Indeed, you shouldn’t even bother researching potential clients and what they do because, 90% of the time, you won’t even get beyond “Hello, my name is-” before you’re told to #%$! off.

Even proponents of cold calling such as Mike Schultz of the Wellesley Hills Group state that, when “done right”, cold calls bring in just 13% of new business. Maybe I’m just not easily satisfied, but I get a higher percentage of clients by using LinkedIn and in much less time.

3. Cold calls put you on the spot.

I’m not saying all cold calls won’t work. Admittedly, cold calls, just like door-to-door salesmen, have had their place in history as a way of making customers aware of businesses and products. And sometimes those door-to-door salesmen do get into the customer’s house. But once that point is reached, what then? At least that salesman could quickly look around the house and assess whether the homeowner needed a new vacuum cleaner. What can you really assess from your end of the phone?

As a freelancer, you’re probably dealing with complex businesses with complex needs. Your job is not as simple as just providing content, or writing a software program, or fixing a leaky faucet- at least not if you want to keep your clients and have repeat business. To truly understand your clients and their needs, you must look beyond the “one-and-done” job and find out where the problems really lie and what you can do to decrease losses or raise profits. That includes even something as “simple” as fixing a leaky faucet. And that kind of in-depth analysis is not going to happen instantaneously, such as during a 5-10 minute cold call.

How can you generate sales leads and win clients without making cold calls?

You can generate strong sales leads and have potential clients approach you- yes you- without making a single cold call. There are many strategies involved:

1. Write warm emails.

Do some careful research on your potential company or client and find out what issues and crises are at play. Then, find the hiring manager/client and write him/her regarding your observations and what you can do to improve the business’ bottom line. Give specific suggestions for improvement, then follow up with examples. If posible, back up your suggestions with your personal work experience. I provide an illustration of this technique on my LinkedIn post.

2. Network-strategically.

Traditional networking events where everyone gets too drunk too fast on free booze may not work for you. However, you can achieve a far higher networking success rate by actually joining your prospective client’s network. How does this happen? Use the power of Google and LinkedIn to research your prospects, then get involved in whatever organization or cause they’re involved in.

Yes, this is a back-end strategy and it also takes more effort- but it’s a great excuse to become more involved in your community. Just make sure that you actually like the organization you join because it’s hard to fake long-term sincerity. You’ll also find out that your prospective clients typically share connections with other likely clients who are also involved in the same organization or cause. Coincidence…or not?

3. Work/help/teach for free.

Many freelancers shy away from doing free work, fearing that it will result in never getting paid work. However, in many cases, you can use free work to make prospective clients aware of you and the types of services you offer. In the course of time, when these prospects have a need for your services, they’ll be more likely to hire you than someone whose work they haven’t seen directly and whose personality may clash with theirs.

For example, if you’re hoping to get hired as a staff writer for a magazine and you know that a given organization regularly publishes with this magazine, it would be wise of you to volunteer your writing efforts to this organization. Alternately, you may wish to give a free seminar or class at a school or company you’re trying to crack into. Just make sure that your freebie item relates to the skill set you’re trying to sell; in other words, don’t offer a class on brewing beer -however tempting that might be- if you’re trying to sell your C++ programming skills.

Even offering to help someone out can sometimes land you in that person’s good graces. I honestly suspect I landed one of my clients simply by helping him unsubscribe from Facebook.

4. Conduct interviews.

As a writer, I have a natural excuse for interviewing people; in fact, some of my work demands it. However, it has occurred to me that interviews themselves can be used as another back-end or extended networking method. Let’s face it, people love to talk about themselves and will typically agree to your request for an interview. And once that interview is completed, that hour or two of feel-good face time is bound to be remembered by the interviewee.

Interviews need not always be work-related; maybe you’re considering changing careers and would like some advice. Maybe you’ve always been fascinated by a potential client’s work and just want additional details. My natural curiosity about other people’s work has landed me in some interesting situations including the following: getting a furniture store tour (plus a killer offer on a dining set), having a top-to-bottom tour of the “W” hotel, being treated to a private candy kitchen tasting, running the movie projector at a D.C. theater for an evening, and engaging in melanoma research. If I play my cards right, I might soon be conducting neuronal electrophysiology experiments.

In none of these situations was I actively considering landing the client or business; I was merely curious about the people and their jobs. But I could easily have transformed the information I gathered into an easy job opportunity or three, now that I think about it.

Don’t be a mercenary- don’t make cold calls.

The bottom line with cold calls and why I don’t believe in them is that cold calls place you in a mercenary role; i.e., you must make this sale/land this client/score an interview- or else. The person you call ends up feeling manipulated and used. You fail to establish a personal relationship with the client or business, resulting in you losing out on follow-up business even if you do get the initial sale/job/interview.

Instead of being a mercenary, be an ally.

Approach your clients or businesses by first seeing things from their point of view. Try to help first without thinking about money or making that sale. Taking this approach will require some effort (and a change in mindset) and will not be achieved in the space of a 5-10 minute cold call or even several cold calls. But the end result of your extra effort will be worth it. And should all else fail, you’ll have gained a friend.