Today I don’t like being self-employed. I think I am feeling rejected. I do a lot of speaking, which I love. So I decided to call up two places where I would like to speak this year. One venue I had spoken for before. Another was a large women’s networking organization that I admire a … Continue reading Today I don’t like being self-employed →

We tend to spend most of our time with people who are like us. We are comfortable with people who make about the same amount of money, and if we spend time with people who make significantly more or less, it feels strange and uncomfortable. But consider this: many of us need to spend more … Continue reading Spend Time with the Upper Third →

The New Year is a great time to remind current clients about your cancellation policy. One easy way to do this is to give all your clients, new or old, a copy of your policy once a year. You might give them a “Private Practice Policy Statement”. In general, this simple document has: Your hourly … Continue reading A great time to remind clients about your cancellation policy →

Perfectionism issues abound for self-employed women. I have a client who is paralyzed at doing her e-newsletter. She knows she needs to put herself out there more. And she has a lot to offer people with her particular expertise. She is even a fabulous writer who often writes on other people’s behalf. But when it … Continue reading Marketing and Perfectionism →

Women tend to be perfectionists when it comes to their business, even if they don’t see themselves as perfectionists. And no where is this more obvious than when it comes to raising their rates. They always seem to have a good reason to wait to raise their rates. It is as if they never feel … Continue reading Perfectionism keeps us from raising our rates! →

Welcome to the Self Employed Life Blog! I was blogging earlier this year and took a hiatus. (You can see previous posts below. I kept the good ones.) Now that the blog is integrated into the www.womenearning.com website, it is so much better! This blog is dedicated to earning your worth, your own way.  I’m … Continue reading The Self-Employed Life: Personal Growth Opportunity? →

I gave a keynote talk this weekend at a conference that addressed the deeper reasons why women undersell themselves. I call it “The Seven Earning Challenges Women Must Embrace”. (It’s a fabulous talk, but I need a catchier title…) Afterwards, as I was talking informally with the audience about some of these deeper psychological reasons … Continue reading If you don’t start, you won’t fail…. →

It may sound paradoxical, but sometimes you have to take time off in order to make more money. What?! I find that people who struggle with earning issues never take a full day off. They are working a little bit, all the time. One of the keys to earning more money is to learn how … Continue reading Take time off to make more money →

This weekend I read a fascinating article on Dale Chihuly, the famous Northwest glass artist, called Inside the Glass Empire. The article discussed how Chihuly, always colorful and controversial, has built his profitable business. The following section caught my eye: …Elliott, who worked for Chihuly in the 1970s and ‘80s, remembers their conversation when an … Continue reading More psychology of pricing →

Well, I just broke my rule. I try to send out only two emails a month (newsletter and general tip/info) but there are some interesting local events coming up, and thought people may want to know about them. I worry about sending people too much stuff, about being perceived as being too “pushy”. Interesting. Then … Continue reading Fear of being seen as pushy →