I hate to burst the bubble, but what you are doing is considered a business. If you exchange money for services or products, you are in business. You may like to call it a hobby but in the end, it is a business.
If you want more of the money, you need to really get into thinking of this as a business. If you want to make more money with you time, then start to treat it as a business.
Since you are a one-woman show, I cannot stress enough how important image is. How every interaction you have with others has got to be professional. Even if it is not directly with a customer, you are always marketing yourself.
Your website, your profiles, even your tweets need to say “I am a professional and worth my price.”
We don’t need to know the sorrows of your life. I don’t need to know about your family struggles or financial situation. That’s not going to invite me into your world. Its probably going to make me want to click out and head for another website.
Really, the more depressed you make me or the more you remind me of what I’m trying to escape from by using your services, the less I will want to do business with you.
On top of that, if I feel you are not treating this as a profession or as a business, what makes me think you will treat me any differently? Think about it.
Even if this is not your primary source of income, it still needs to be looked at as a business. A working, thriving business that you are proud to show off.
So make sure the photos all work. That any links you have are good ones and not dead or misleading. That you use spellcheck on the wording. People are really picky on the spelling. Capitalize letters at the start of sentences and such.
And if the cell phone is your lifeline, have the best plan you can. Don’t tell me that I have to call after 9pm because than your minutes are free. That’s just cheesy to the extreme.
Remember: It’s your business. You get out of it what you put into it.
