Having the Guts to Change by Pete Savage

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USED WITH PERMISSION
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Since the release of our book The Wealthy Freelancer earlier this
year, Ed and Steve and I have been having a ball giving media
interviews and teaching concepts from the book. It’s also been
cool to see the impact that this book is having on others by way
of book reviews on various blogs and on Amazon.com.

One of the chapters I’ve seen mentioned a few times in the book
reviews is Secret #8: Bring Focus to Your Freelance Business. It
seems to resonate with people and the reason, obviously, is
because it’s one of the chapters I wrote.

Just kidding.

Actually, I think the real reason some people are digging that
chapter is because freelancers tend to have tremendous anxiety
around the whole “what’s my niche / where should I focus”
thing – anxiety that often comes up before, during and even
after they go through the process of identifying and committing
to a particular niche or specialty.

If you’ve suffered “niche anxiety” today, here are two things
that I hope will bring you some relief…

1) You don’t have to know exactly the niche you wish to serve
right from day one, and
2) If you pick a niche or specialized service to focus on, it
doesn’t have to stay that way forever.

In other words, you’re allowed to change your mind. And
sometimes, that’s the smartest thing you can do, as you learn
more about your market, or you have gut feelings that pull you in
a new direction.

Take our friend Michael Martine (Remarkablogger.com) for
instance.

Michael is the world’s number one ranked blog consultant.
Seriously, Google “blog consultant” and see who pops up in the
top spot. Pretty cool, huh?

Michael provides coaching and guidance to entrepreneurs
(including freelancers) on how to create and successfully launch
a blog. Michael says it’s the most rewarding and well-paying
work he’s ever done. But, he says, it wasn’t always this way.

“My first foray into self-employment was as a freelance web
designer, and that business actually failed,” he told us. In
fact, Michael abandoned his freelance pursuits altogether for a
while until he discovered a market for something he was doing on
his own time, for his own enjoyment, and quietly developing a
great talent for: blogging.

“In 2007 when I was looking for a way to turn my blog expertise
into a business, I started off as a kind of jack-of-all-trades
blog designer. I would do everything, including initial
consultation, design and technical set up, and launching of my
client’s actual blog.”

“But I discovered I didn’t really enjoy the design and the
technical work. For me, the real enjoyment came from coaching and
helping clients build their overarching blogging strategy.”

Michael also realized something important: his clients hungered
for his knowledge about how to make a blog successful, including
everything from clearly identifying the target audience to
identifying keywords.

The market was speaking to him, so he listened.

“It certainly was not my plan from day one to be a blog
consultant, but my business evolved in this direction because I
listened to what the market was telling me, and followed my new
interest in the strategic side of things. Not only is this more
gratifying work, it’s also more lucrative. I’m able to charge
far more for coaching and consulting than I did for the technical
and design work.”

Michael’s story appears in our book, and I’m retelling it here
because his story carries an important message that freelancer
should know. Michael had the guts to make a big change in his
freelance business.

It reminds me of a quote that my sister has stenciled right onto
the wall in her home: “We cannot control the wind, but we can
adjust our sails.” Isn’t that great?

Keep Michael’s story in mind if you feel compelled to make
wholesale changes in your own business.

Ed Gandia is the co-founder of TheWealthyFreelancer.com and
co-author of The Wealthy Freelancer: 12 Secrets to a Great Income
and an Enviable Lifestyle. To download 3 free chapters of his
book, visit www.TheWealthyFreelancer.com.

Have comments, questions or a topic idea for a future article?
We’d love to hear from you. Please drop us a line at
support@TheWealthyFreelancer.com.

Ed Gandia
Pete Savage
Steve Slaunwhite
Co-founders and publishers