We’ve compiled a “greatest hits” of our freelancer posts, and if you’re planning for 2015 this week, you’ll want to give these a read.

1. Freelance Business Plan: You Can Plan to Succeed or You Can Expect to Fail

‘Freelance’ is not a euphemism for winging it. It’s not shorthand for lazy person who wears pajamas all day.

Freelancing is serious work—freelancers make up 34% of the workforce—and it demands a serious plan. Do you have a freelance business plan? A road map that shows how you’re going to make your money and not end up broke?

A freelance business plan is big. You need to have one and we can help.

What is a Freelance Business Plan?

More than anything, the purpose of a freelance business plan is to force you to answer all the appropriate questions in running a business. It’s to make sure you’re not taking any shortcuts.

Don’t think of it as burden. It’s not one more thing on your plate. It’s the core of what you do. It’s putting down on paper exactly how you’re going to make ends meet.

A good freelance business plan will answer realistic questions about whether or not you’ll have enough money to buy a computer or how much you need to be charging.

These are questions you have to answer, or you have no business trying to freelance.

Read More About Freelance Planning

2. How to Use Trello for Freelancers: Let’s Get Organized

Freelancers have to be organized. You’re juggling so many things and most of them are closely tied to you getting paid. So you can’t drop the ball. Project management is huge.

Say hello to Trello.

It’s a free organizational and project management system (with the option for premium upgrades).

So What is Trello?

In a nutshell, Trello is a list of lists. You can organize them in almost any way you want, which is the basis of its appeal. That makes it incredibly flexible—it can work for just about anyone, from freelance developers to teachers.

Trello is a visual system based on cards. A card is the primary organizational system and contains all kinds of details—a description, checklists, file attachments, comments, due dates, members, etc.

Read More About Getting Organized

3. WordPress Project Management is Your Friend

Project management is a freelancer’s best friend. You have to be organized and stay on top of your projects. That’s a given. But as a WordPress developer, have you considered doing your project management in the site itself? WordPress project management can be a way to merge your love of WordPress with your need to be organized.

Benefits of Project Management Systems

If you’ve been doing freelance WordPress development for any length of time you understand the need for a project management system. You need something to keep you organized and on track, and generally a post-it note won’t cut it.

Some of the most-loved benefits of project management systems include:

• Organization – Keep track of what needs to be done when. Don’t let anything slip through the cracks again.
• Deadlines – Moving a project forward means keeping an eye on the due dates. Juggling multiple deadlines can get crazy, and that’s where project management really shines.
• Collaborate – Few people work in the same office these days and can share a whiteboard together. Collaboration has to happen remotely and you need an online system to make that happen. Some systems restrict that interaction to your team, while others invite outside clients into the process.
• Archive – Collaboration is key, but you need to keep track of those conversations. A bunch of email discussions or decisions made in a chat window are great, but it’s hard to find those again when you need them. A good project management system archives those conversations and decisions so you can go back and find them in one place.
• Reporting – Every client wants to know where a project is at, and a good project management system either lets you know so you can update the client or tells the client directly.

Read More About Project Management

4. Adding Additional Income to Your Bottom Line Through WP Maintenance

The feast and famine cycle is a constant struggle for the freelance WordPress developer. But you can break that cycle by selling WordPress maintenance to your freelance clients. You get steady, reliable income and your clients get peace of mind. Everybody wins.

Add WordPress maintenance services to your freelance menu and see how it improves your business.

What’s WordPress Maintenance?

Are your freelance clients seeing notices to update WordPress? As a freelance developer, you know WordPress needs to be kept up to date, but often clients don’t bother. Then you get panicked calls about hacked sites. Or some kind of oops makes a site disappear.

We’re talking about offering a monthly WordPress maintenance package to your clients. You take care of the details and your client doesn’t sweat it. To you they’re relatively minor issues, often automated and simple, but to your clients they’re business-stopping nightmares.

Continue Reading This Ebook

We would love to hear any tips you have for freelancers who are planning out their year. Let us know in the comments or tweet us @iThemes.

Here’s to a prosperous and productive 2015! 

The Work From Home Debate

Not everyone is a fan of working from home. Some people scoff and make jokes about watching TV in your pajamas. Even Yahoo made headlines when CEO Marissa Mayer shut down their work-from-home program. But rather than an industry standard, she said “It’s not what’s right for Yahoo right now.”

The reality is more and more companies and organizations are embracing the work from home movement. Sometimes it takes a push: Federal employees working from home during four official snow days saved the government $32 million. There’s even a Forbes list of the top 100 companies offering full or partial telecommuting job opportunities.

Some companies embrace the work-from-home concept so much they barely have a physical office. Companies such as Automattic, Basecamp (formerly known as 37signals), GitHub and more prefer a virtual office.

“Yes, working outside the office has its own set of challenges. And interruptions can come from different places, multiple angles,” says Basecamp’s Jason Fried. “But here’s the thing: those interruptions are things you can control. They’re passive. They don’t handcuff you.”

That flexibility allows people to work from home and make it work.

The Best of Both at iThemes

Here at iThemes, we’ve got the best of both worlds. We love having a physical office and being part of the local scene (Go Oklahoma City!). But we also love the value and flexibility of having some of our team work from home. It means we’re not limited to local talent. We can build the best team, no matter where they’re located.

Having part of our team spread across the world (yes, we have an international team) means we need to do some extra work to make sure everyone feels like part of the team. But it’s worth it.

We’ve asked our team internally and did our research, coming up with the best work from home tips. Ninety-nine of anything is a lot to take in, but we hope it gives you some extra insight and helps you boost your productivity while you’re working from home.

99 Work From Home Productivity Tips

Workspace Tips

1. Dedicated space: You need a designated workspace that isn’t used for anything else. You don’t want to bounce around from the kitchen to the den. It doesn’t have to be an entire room, but it should be space that’s set aside for work. This can help you shift into the work mentality.
2. Flexible space: That’s not to say you can’t work somewhere else. Sometimes sitting down at the kitchen table instead of your desk can get you out of a rut. Sometimes spreading out on the floor is just what you need. Having a desk is good, but don’t feel stuck there.
3. Location, location, location: Pick a home office location that’s going to work for you. High traffic areas can be distracting. If your office is off a family room, will the TV be too much of a temptation? Especially when someone is watching it?
4. Natural light: Windows can make a big difference in your working atmosphere. Find a space with plenty of natural light.
5. Too hot? Too cold?: Pay attention to the temperature when you pick an office location. You don’t want to be working in your skivvies in the summer because the AC can’t cool the attic enough.
6. Shut the door: A lot of people need to close the door on distractions. If that’s you, it helps to have a door. If you’ve got a corner of the dining room or an extra space that doesn’t have a door, that can be a problem. Home offices are often after thoughts, and that means odd spaces and often no door. From people barging in to excess noise, no door means more distractions.
7. Get some color: “Forget ‘office beige,’” says HGTV. “You need a color that gets your work motor humming.” Paint your office walls a color that works. For some people that’s something bold and bright, others want something more subtle and soothing. Figure out what works for you and spice up your space.
8. Comfy is good: Comfy space is “the overlooked perk of the home office,” according to Linda Varone, author of The Smarter Home Office. “If you’ve got room for it, it is one of the best things you can do for yourself.” A comfy couch is a good place to relax with a stack of reading or do some doodling on a clipboard. It’s a way to keep working without always being chained to your desk.
9. Change it up: “When things don’t get changed around they become somewhat like wall paper,” says Linda Varone. Those motivational posters become invisible and aren’t so motivating. Your desk toys get pushed under stacks of paper and forgotten. Change your decorations, move things around, keep your office feeling fresh.
10. Be creative: Make your home office inspiring and energizing. Figure out what makes you creative and put that stuff in your space. Maybe it’s cool posters or funky artwork. Maybe it’s desk toys or a whiteboard. Make it your
11. Put your walls to work: Get the most out of your walls by making them double as whiteboards. IdeaPaint can turn any wall into a whiteboard.
12. Minimize distractions: Some people need to go minimal and have nothing on their desk. That might be too far, but try to minimize the distractions. You don’t want a pile of laundry making you feel guilty. You also don’t want a stack of bills pulling you away from a deadline.
13. Experiment: Don’t rush out and spend loads of money on new furniture all at once. Try things out and see what works. Rearrange your office a few times. Is it better to face the window? Do you get a glare on your screen? Is that desk working or do you need something bigger/smaller/shorter?
14. Tax breaks: There is a home office deduction and all the stuff you buy for your office is a business expense. Keep receipts and write it off. Talk to a tax professional to learn more about the home office deduction.

Health Tips

15. Ergonomics: Don’t forget to consider ergonomics. If you’re working at a computer all day, you need to have the right equipment so you’re not hurting yourself. Make sure your monitor is at the right height and distance. Get a keyboard tray. Consider a hardcore ergonomic keyboard (developer Divya Manian recommends the Kinesis Advantage; the Kinesis Freestyle with optional tenting add-on is pretty good too). An ergonomic mouse is also a good investment (the Evoluent vertical mouse looks funky but has a natural feel). Carpal tunnel or “wrist overuse syndrome” (yes, that’s an actual diagnosis) are serious business.
16. Let there be light: Don’t strain your eyes. Get some lamps and brighten up the place. You may be awash in daylight in the summer, but you don’t want your workspace feeling dismal at night or all winter long.
17. Sit on it: Get a good office chair. It’s one of the best investments you can make. Don’t get a cheap chair or try to get away with a spare kitchen chair. Buy a quality, comfy office chair. Your back (and your butt) will thank you. And definitely experiment to find the best chair. Blogger Jason Kottke had back trouble that he traced to the wheels on his desk chair. “I switched from a wheeled chair to a plain old chair and voila, no more back issues,” Kottke says.
18. Get up: But once you get that good chair, don’t sit in it all day. Sitting is bad for you. Find ways to get off your butt and get moving. Take breaks to stretch, go for quick walks or consider a standing desk.
19. Liven it up: All kinds of studies have shown the health benefits of houseplants (here’s one where they made a bunch of old people less crabby). Get some plants in your workspace. Just remember to actually care for them. A dead plant in the corner is kind of demotivating.
20. Beware of handy food: One of the potential downsides of working at home is a fully-stocked fridge just steps away. A sedentary job paired with all-day snacking is not good for your waistline. Do yourself a favor and stock some healthy snacks—yogurt, cheese sticks, nuts, fruit, etc.
21. Leftovers: Another cost-saving advantage to working at home is you can be sure to finish off those leftovers.
22. Get exercise: Quick access to the fridge and a sedentary job mean that proper exercise is even more important. Make your flexible schedule work for you—exercise first thing in the morning and combine your morning shower and post-run shower. Why waste time showering twice a day?
23. Exercise at home: Heading to the gym can be yet another way to get some human interaction outside the office. But if you’re not struggling with that, exercising at home will save you time. Consider a stationary bike (or bike stand) or take up running in your neighborhood. The 20 minutes driving to and from the gym is time you don’t need to give up.
24. Save your eyes: Staring at a screen all day is bad for your eyes, so give them a break. Developer Jennifer Wong recommends a couple “weird apps”: 20 Cubed is a Chrome extension that reminds you to look away from your computer every 20 minutes, and lux dims or brightens your screen based on the time of day.

Organization Tips

25. Be organized: You don’t really have a choice in this. Working at home requires organization. Now one person’s chaos is another person’s anal system, so don’t judge. But find something that works. You need to be able to find those notes, invoices, emails, client files, etc.
26. Filer?: Apparently there are two types of organizing: Filing and piling. If you’re a filer, make sure you have enough file drawer space to keep things organized and not be overwhelmed. If you don’t have the space for another giant filing cabinet, consider an “archived” filing cabinet in the basement for files you rarely use but still need to keep.
27. Piler?: If you’re a piler, you need to find ways to keep those piles under control. Bins and baskets can help, giving well-labeled, consistent places to pile things. Wall-mounted file holders can also help, allowing you to create piles in more places.
28. Don’t stress: Don’t worry if you’re a filer or a piler. There are benefits to both: “Working at a prim desk may promote healthy eating, generosity, and conventionality, while working at a messy desk promotes creative thinking and stimulates fresh ideas.”
29. Find a system: “The average worker wastes six weeks a year retrieving misplaced information on office and computer files,” says productivity expert Anne McGurty. So whatever system works for you, use it. Don’t just dump papers and hope to find them later.
30. Close at hand: Keep important stuff within grasp. If you’ve got a book you’re always referencing or you need paperclips all day long, keep these things close at hand. If you’re always turning around or reaching for something, it’s too far away. Move it closer.
31. Your desk: Your desk at home is often more personal than your desk at the office. You have more ownership so you care more. So what does your desk look like? How does it compare to Steve Jobs, Martha Stewart, Albert Einstein or still others? Einstein famously said, “If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?” So while figuring out your desk and workspace is important, don’t blindly follow the trends. Find what works for keeping your desk organized (or not organized).

Tips for Tools

32. Good computer: A good computer is standard equipment for a freelancer these days. It’s essential. So don’t short-change yourself. It’s tempting to be a cheapskate and save a few bucks on a cheap machine or trying to make your old system last longer. But don’t forget all the time you’re wasting with a slow computer. Or the sanity you’re losing every time your computer crashes. Every little hiccup adds up and it has a price. Sometimes it’s cheaper to just buy the better computer. “These are the tools you use to do your job,” says Basecamp’s Jason Fried. “You should have the best you can afford.
33. Smaller screen: These days computer screens keep getting bigger and bigger. But smaller might be better. Jason Fried used to have a 30-inch monitor he’d hook up to his laptop, but now he sticks to the laptop screen. “One screen all the time,” he says. “I also like the smaller screen because it forces me to make better use of the space. I found myself getting messy on a 30 inch.”
34. More screens: Or you could go with Stefan Didak’s setup: Five monitors, and turn around for at least four more. He claims all that screen real estate makes him more efficient. An old Microsoft study backs him up, showing between a 9% and 50% improvement in productivity.
35. Backup: You don’t have an IT department to bail you out, so you need to backup your own stuff. We’re going to recommend you backup your WordPress site, but backing up your computer is important too. Get an external hard drive and start an automatic backup system so you don’t have to think about it.
36. Backup plan: What do you do if your computer dies? Backing up your files is important, but you also need a plan to get back to work. Do you have a secondary computer you can use? Are you saving up for the day you need to replace your computer—especially if that day comes early? Freelance WordPress developer Bill Erickson now keeps spare computers lying around: “I learned this the hard way when my old Macbook Air became unusably slow (overheating, so the system reduced the processing power by like 80% to try to decrease heat). After a week of barely getting my work done, I bought a mini to use while my computer was in the shop.”
37. Get help: Sometimes stuff breaks on your computer. You don’t have time to waste figuring it out, so being able to call tech support whenever you need them might be worth the money. Pony up for Apple Care or whatever extra support plan PCs can access. If it saves your sanity and keeps your computer running, you’re saving money. That’s totally worth it.
38. Work remotely: Just because you work from home doesn’t mean you have to be at home. You should be able to work remotely. What do you do if the power goes out? What happens when your neighbor is getting a new roof and there’s nothing but hammering all day long? Will you still be able to get work done? Not if you’re stuck at your desk. Have a laptop handy so you can work on the go. Have files set up so you can access them online if you need to, or at least be able to easily move them to Dropbox or another cloud-based system.
39. Passwords: These days passwords are important, but there are far too many passwords to ever remember. Use a password service like 1Password or LastPass to store your passwords. You use a lot of online services when you work from home and there’s no need to waste brain power on all those passwords.
40. Embrace the cloud: There are lots of cloud-based services that can make working at home pretty sweet. Experiment with new services, figure out what works and don’t be afraid to pay for what you need. Dropbox, Evernote, Skype, Tweetdeck, Google Drive, Trello—whatever works for you.
41. Cloud software: Even your regular old software is going to the cloud. Microsoft Office and Adobe Creative Suite both have cloud-based, subscription offerings. If you’re not using these programs on a regular basis, this might be a cheaper way to get access to what you need.
42. App distraction: There are always cool new apps to try out that will make you more organized, improve proficiency and make you better looking. But they don’t always work out. Try stuff and see what works, but don’t jump on every new efficiency app. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
43. Ahoy hoy: Keeping in touch while you work from home is important, so you need a reliable phone line. A landline may not be necessary, but you may not want to rely on your cell phone. A VOIP option might be a cheaper way to go.
44. Spare phone: Just like you might need a spare computer, you might also need a spare phone. If the power goes out or your Internet goes down, your VOIP phone line is useless. You’ll wish you had a cell phone. And if you can’t find your cell or the charger has gone missing, you’ll wish you still had that old landline. Consider keeping some sort of secondary phone line just in case.
45. Headsets: Be sure you have the proper headset for conference calls and hands-free note taking.
46. High speed Internet: When you work from home you obviously need good Internet service. But think long term. So many cable and telecom companies offer great introductory rates these days, but they don’t advertise what the actual price is 6, 12 or 18 months later. Think long term.
47. Printer/Scanner/Fax/Copier: One of the downsides to working at home is you no longer have access to the industrial copier at work. But the desktop combos work great. Don’t settle for just a printer. The scanner/copier function will be incredibly useful when you need to copy invoices, receipts and more. And while you rarely need a fax machine these days, it’s nice to have when you need it.
48. Security: Just because you’re at home doesn’t mean corporate security doesn’t apply. Be professional with sensitive documents: “It’s important to adhere to the same confidentiality rules that would apply if you worked at your company’s offices,” says productivity expert Anne McGurty. “Keep a shredder handy to properly dispose of all sensitive documents, and properly maintain all computer and cloud files.”
49. Music: Browsing Spotify all afternoon may be a waste of time, but listening to music can make you more productive. 88% are more accurate and 81% work faster when listening to music. Plus different music can help more with different tasks. So crank it up.
50. Bag it: If you’re regularly going out of the house to get work done, put together a work bag that has everything you need. Pack the pockets with whatever you might need at your temporary office—paperclips, cough drops, headphones, extra business cards, water bottle, spare pens, highlighters, stamps, sticky notes, paper, tissues, power cords, etc. You want to make it easy to get out of the house when you need to.

Clothing Tips

51. Dress for success: “There is a real psychological benefit to dressing for your job even when you’re at home.” So says Magazine. As does All in One SEO Pack developer Michael Torbert: “Dressing professionally gives other people the impression that you’re a professional, and it makes you feel like one.” Of course others would argue the psychological benefits of being comfortable. Like many of these tips, your mileage may vary. Some people find that the right clothes help them shift into a professional mindset. They work better in khakis. Other people could care less and being comfortable in their pajamas makes them more efficient. Figure out what works for you.
52. Remember the Skype call: If you do opt to dress down at home, just remember to step it up when you’re doing video conference calls. You may wear pajamas every day, but your clients don’t need to know that.
53. Shoes: If you do need help shifting into that professional mode, remember the details. Sometimes shoes can make all the difference. Not wearing shoes is lounging around on the couch with your feet up. Wearing shoes is going out, ready for serious business.
54. Exercise your clothes: For Team Casual a very real problem is your professional clothes may never get used. If you only pull them out once a year, you might find they’ve literally collected dust. Remember that when you have an in-person meeting—and preferably not an hour before the meeting when there’s nothing you can do about the dust crease in your dress pants. Bust out those dress clothes once in a while and give them some exercise. Overdress for a networking meeting or a date with your significant other. Even if you don’t like dressing up, you may find you like it better when it’s not a workplace requirement.

Communication Tips

55. Learn the tech: Since you’re no longer in the room with the people you work with, it’s time to master the various methods of communication that make working at home possible: phone, email, text, instant messaging, video conferencing, etc. “We have the technology,” says WordPress founder Matt Mullenweg. So use it. Get an account, mess with the settings, make sure you know how it works. Also be aware of the drawbacks. Realize it’s hard to understand tone in email. Know that video conferencing often goes wonky, so call in early to make sure everything works. Learn to use the mute button.
56. Be very available: Basecamp’s Jason Fried emphasizes the importance of overcoming communication barriers: “Since you can’t meet face-to-face, you better return phone calls, emails, instant messages, etc. This is basic business stuff, but it’s tenfold more important when you’re working remotely. … When you’re remote, they’re going to be more suspicious when phone calls go unreturned or emails keep getting ‘lost.’ Stay on top of communications and you’ll reap the benefits.”
57. Acknowledged: Working remotely means you don’t always get that thumbs up of acknowledgement from your co-workers. It can help to get in the habit of always giving and receiving acknowledgment that an email or message is understood and received. Ask your co-workers to do it too so you know they’ve seen your message.
58. Build it: Sometimes the best way to stay connected is to build your own system. That’s what Automattic did, creating their own P2 WordPress theme and using a password-protected blog structure to encourage conversation among their few hundred employees, most of whom work remotely.
59. Avoid email: If you’re trying to build a team environment across distances, email doesn’t work very well. “E-mail traps information that should otherwise be shared,” according to Automattic’s Toni Schneider. Consider other communication options that include the entire team (and no, putting the whole company in the CC: field all the time is not a good solution).
60. Meetings: When you have meetings, share the meeting notes with the entire team. Publish them where everyone has access. This not only keeps everyone on the same page, it creates an archive of what decisions you made. (This is good practice even for organizations that don’t work remotely.)

Schedule Tips

61. Set your hours: Yes, you work at home and can work whenever you want. But that’s not always helpful or practical. For the sake of the people you work with, you might need to set specific hours. If you need to be available or if you want people to actually pick up the phone when you call, you might need to have 9-to-5 hours.
62. In the zone: When you set your hours, work when you work best. If you’re a morning person, schedule your prime hours in the morning. Take advantage of your sweet spot.
63. Routine: Rather than being in a rut, a routine is a good way to be more productive. While you might chafe at starting work at the same time every morning, that routine is good for productivity. It also means you’re more likely to be done at the same time every evening. Working at home shouldn’t have to mean burning the midnight oil on a regular basis.
64. Flexibility: But for all this talk of set hours and routines, flexibility is perhaps one of the greatest reasons to work at home. Being able to run errands, mow the lawn before it rains or attend school field trips with your kids is pretty great. Just recognize that it works both ways. Sacrificing a morning to run errands means working in the evening to make up for it. Running off to the beach on Monday means you’ll be putting in time on Saturday. Flexibility is great, just be sure you find the balance.
65. Be focused: Sometimes working at home can be a bit scattered. You don’t have a boss breathing down your neck or a project manager telling you what’s next. You need to be your own project manager. So each day create a task list of what you need to get done that day. Set out specific tasks for each day. This will help you stay on track and give you a target to know you’re getting done what you need to.
66. Mini-routine: A daily routine is helpful, but so is creating smaller routines throughout your day. Adding structure to your day can make you more productive. The pomodoro technique is one way to structure your day. It involves using a timer and focusing on specific tasks for 25 minutes and then taking 5 minute breaks. It can be a good way to power through difficult (or dreaded) tasks and then reward yourself with a limited break (the timer keeps a quick Facebook check-in from turning into 20 minutes).
67. Track hours: Even if you don’t work hourly, track your hours. It’s essential to know how much time you need to finish a job so you can know if you’re charging enough. It’s also helpful to see how productive you’re being.
68. Break time: Yes, you should take breaks. For sanity, health and productivity, it’s important to tear yourself away from work. Go to the kitchen for a glass of water and a quick snack. Take a walk around the block. Change that load of laundry. On-site office workers get breaks, and so should you. Just make sure break time doesn’t mean the latest episode of The Walking Dead.
69. Reward yourself: In addition to taking breaks, you should also reward yourself. Set goals for finishing a project or putting in so many hours, then reward yourself. Maybe it’s that episode of The Walking Dead or maybe it’s quitting early. Obviously you can’t do this every day, but if you’re nearing the end of a project and need that extra push, a little reward can help. You can also set smaller rewards like a piece of candy or a few minutes of YouTube. Figure out what motivates you. Most people working at home are pretty self-motivated, but sometimes you need that extra push.
70. Don’t quit when it’s hard: For everyone who works at home there will be days when everything is hard and you just want to quit. Don’t. Stick with it. It’s a dangerous precedent to slack off work every time something gets hard. Take a five-minute break. Work on a different project. Do some mindless busy work like cleaning your office. Just keep working. Working at home requires determination.
71. Time zones: Working at home often introduces the dreaded time zone. You may be working with co-workers on the other side of the country or even the planet. The biggest thing you can do to overcome time zones is to communicate clearly about them. Always include the time zone when talking schedules. It can often help to convert the time zone for the person you’re talking to. Remember to be flexible. You might need to shift your schedule so you can be in the office when the people you’re working with are.
72. Off schedule: Sometimes those time zones can be an advantage. While it’s helpful to work at the same time as your co-workers, sometimes it’s better to do your serious work when no one else is working. You can do your heads-down work without interruption.
73. No eight-hour days: It can be a rough transition from working eight hours a day in an office to working from home. Especially when you realize that billing eight hours a day often requires working 10- or 12-hour days. There’s all this extra work that’s not billable—checking email, phone calls, breaks, networking, research, invoicing, etc. You might need to revise your expectations. Rather than feel guilty, remember what it was like in the office—breaks, conversations with coworkers, distractions, etc. Plan for that in your schedule.
74. Cushion: Work more so you can work less. The flexibility of working at home is great, but in order to truly take advantage of it you need to work extra so you have a cushion for the unexpected. If you rigidly work 8 hours every day, then on Friday afternoon you still have to finish your 8 hours before you can call it a weekend. But if every day you worked even half an hour extra, by Friday you’d be able to quit two hours early. It’s easy to take time off, but it’s harder to put it in. So work extra when you can. Then take off when you need to.

Working With Family Tips

75. Work zone: Set clear expectations and boundaries with your family when you work from home. Everyone in the house needs to understand what it means when you’re at work. Let everyone know when it’s OK to interrupt and when it’s not.
76. Stoplight: Here’s an idea from John Meyer, CEO of Arise Virtual Solutions, a work-at-home call center company: Hang colored construction paper on your office door. “Tape the red light up when you cannot be disturbed and the green light when it’s OK to come in. Yellow light means to check first,” he says. “Kids, no matter what age, understand the message and enjoy playing along.”
77. Heads up: Make those boundaries easier by letting your family know when you’ve got a call and can’t be disturbed. Before your call, check in to see if anyone needs anything from you before you can’t be disturbed. It’s a good way to head off any issues and remind those forgetful kids that you’ll be busy.
78. Go away: Instead of kids you may be dealing with friends or family dropping in to say hello. It’s not breaking up fights, but it can be just as disruptive to your day. Here’s where you’re going to need to set firm boundaries and decide how flexible you can be and still be productive. If it’s once in a great while, don’t be so hard-nosed and take a break to chat it up with your friend. But if it’s your mom stopping in every other day to shoot the breeze, put your foot down.
79. Work with it: Setting boundaries and shutting the door on your kids isn’t always possible. Some work-at-home parents need to keep a sharp eye on young kids and still get work done. Sometimes that means sitting at the kitchen table with the laptop so you can watch the kids play. Sometimes that means putting a baby gate across the door and a pile of toys in a corner (oddly, that works for the puppy too). Maybe you have a coloring table in your office (and upgrade to Legos when they get older). Realize that you’re not going to be as efficient and it’s not an ideal set up, but sometimes you have to get work done and take care of your kids at the same time.
80. Give up: Geof Hilman, a father of three, says: “Just embrace it—kid interruptions are my water cooler time.”
81. Phone rules: If you have a dedicated business line then you probably don’t need many phone rules for the rest of the family, though you should be sure no one answers the phone in your office. But if you’re sharing your business line with your house line, you should have clear rules about answering the phone. Either teach your kids how to politely answer the phone or ask them not to answer it.
82. Hands off: Your computer is a tool for work. It’s not a toy for the rest of the family. Don’t let anyone else use it, unless you’re willing to risk sticky spills on the keyboard and bizarre viruses. Decide what boundaries you’re comfortable with, but protect your computer.

Human Interaction Tips

83. Face to face: One of the most common complaints from people who work from home is the lack of real world interaction. Seeing nothing but your cats all day can drive you crazy. So be sure to get out and meet real people in the flesh. Try to get out of the house at least once a week.
84. Any human: And that personal interaction doesn’t have to be business related. Basecamp’s David Heinemeier Hansson says, “One of the key insights we’ve gained through many years of remote work is that human interaction does not have to come from either coworkers or others in your industry. Sometimes, even more satisfying interaction comes from spending time with your spouse, your children, your family, your friends, your neighbors: people who can all be thousands of miles away from your office, but right next to you.”
85. Run errands: Even if you don’t have a business reason to leave the house, go run some errands. Pick up some milk. Sometimes that 15-minute trip is enough of a change of pace.
86. Change of scenery: Something that can help with the lack of human interaction is a change of scenery. Go work at a coffee shop, sure, but sometimes it’s as simple as moving to the kitchen or the deck.
87. Know thyself: Once again it’s important to know yourself. How much human interaction do you need? For some introverts working in an office all day is exhausting. They come home ready to curl up and ignore the world. But working from home all day with no interaction might mean that same introvert is ready to get out and see people at the end of the day. Know what you need and how it might change if you work from home.
88. Get together: Local meetups are a great way to get that personal interaction and do some networking. There are lots of events you can checkout, so ask around, do some searching and get together.
89. Let’s eat: Lunch meetings are an ideal way to get out of the office and interact with people. Everybody needs to eat, so you might as well get some face time and build your network while you’re at it.
90. Support local: Find a coffee shop near your house that can be your satellite office. Support your local businesses so they don’t disappear. Consider the cost of a cup of coffee (or your preferred beverage) to be your rent for sitting at a table for an hour (and if you’re going to be there all day, buy more than a cup of coffee).
91. Small talk: The business world is very anti-meetings these days. People want to get back to work and get stuff done, and meetings tend to suck the life out of productivity. That can be difficult when you’re working from home and your only interaction with the office is those meetings. Push for those meetings to happen anyway and allow some time for small talk. Keep your meetings productive, but it’s also productive for you to get some interaction with your team. Just because it’s a conference call doesn’t mean you have to be all business all the time.
92. Fake it: Sometimes you just can’t get human interaction when you work from home. You’ve got to buckle down and work. You can try faking it with TV, music or other background noise. You need to find something that’s not distracting. Some people can’t work with talk radio on. Other people can’t not watch TV. But the right background noise, whether it’s classical music or soap operas, can help you focus and be more productive.

Juggling Work and Home Tips

93. In the office: A good way to separate your work life and your home life when you work from home is to keep work in the office. Take breaks outside your office, limit your work to the office. Don’t spill out to the kitchen table. You’ll have to figure out what works best for you, but this can be a good way to keep yourself focused on work.
94. After hours: Another good way to separate work and home life is to not work after hours. Put in your daily hours and be done. Close up shop. Shut down the computer. Stop checking messages on your phone. You can always be flexible when you need to be, but not every work email is an emergency.
95. Working too much: A lot of managers bristle at the idea of working at home because they think there’s going to be too much sleeping in and watching TV and not enough working. But often the opposite is true: people working from home work too much. They love their job, their job is at home, and so it’s hard to enforce boundaries. This is a big thing for freelancers to work against.
96. Overworked: “One way to help set a healthy boundary is to encourage employees to think in terms of a ‘a good day’s work,’” says Basecamp’s Jason Fried. “Look at your progress at the end of the day and ask yourself: “Have I done a good day’s work?”
97. Better work: A big advantage to working from home is that the office politics and nonsense drops away. Good work (and good people) rise to the top. “When it’s all about the work, it’s clear who in the company is pulling their weight and who isn’t,” says Jason Fried. (Yes, him again. It’s as if he wrote a book on working remotely… oh wait, he did: Remote: Office Not Required).
98. Get ahead: One of the potential downsides of working at home is that’s it’s harder to move up the corporate ladder. Career advancement can take a hit when you work from home. Fight it by interacting well with your staff so nobody forgets about you, insist on in-person annual reviews with your supervisor, and take every opportunity to trumpet your successes. It doesn’t have to be a hit on your career when you work from home, you just have to make sure you’re heard.
99. Alignment: Some people talk about finding balance between work and home, and how hard that is when you do both in the same place. But Chris Lema prefers alignment. Forget the tug-of-war between work life and home life. You’ve only got one life. So find alignment.

Bonus Tip:

Come up with your own plan. Making work from home work is different from person to person. So much of this is subjective. There are lots of good tips and best practices here, but it comes down to the individual. You have to know yourself and what you need. The only right answer is what works for you.

The New reCAPTCHA

The benefit of Google’s new “no CAPTCHA” reCAPTCHA is it’s even more intelligent than ever.  Users don’t have to waste time trying to guess unclear CAPTCHAs and bots can’t use algorithms to guess phrases that aren’t on the screen.

It’s a win-win for everybody and we’ve added it in iThemes Security Pro so you can add an extra layer of protection to your most vulnerable pages:

• WP Login
• Comments
• User Registration

Adding reCAPTCHA in iThemes Security Pro

Adding the new reCAPTCHA is easy and gives you added protection against spam registration attempts and brute force login attempts. To start using reCAPTCHA, from your WordPress dashboard navigate to iThemes Security>Pro Tab and go to the reCAPTCHA section.

After you enable the feature, you will need to get Site and Secret Keys from Google. From your iThemes Security dashboard you can click the blue Google reCAPTCHA link to obtain your keys.

Getting Google reCAPTCHA Keys

To get the keys needed to activate reCAPTCHA just go to google.com/recaptcha and log in with your Google credentials. Then you will register a new site:

After you click the blue Register button, you will see the Site and Secret Key codes that you can copy/paste in the reCAPTCHA section of iThemes Security Pro.

After you’ve pasted in your Keys, you can edit the rest of the reCAPTCHA settings like which pages you want reCAPTCHA to be enforced and how many failed attempts will trigger a lockout and how long iThemes Security needs to remember a failed attempt to count it towards a lockout.

At a minimum, our recommendation is enabling reCAPTCHA on your login and registration pages. This will greatly reduce registration spam and brute force login attempts.

Click “Save All Changes” and you’re set. The next time users log in they will see the new reCAPTCHA field.

Or the next time users comment on your site, they will see this:

Grant Users Temporary Privilage Escalation, Scheduled Malware Scans, Enforce Strong Passwords & More with iThemes Security Pro

iThemes Security Pro has tons of great features and we’ve got more planned for 2015.

Secure your WordPress sites with features like:

• Temporarily Give Users Admin or Editor Access – this feature is great for letting contracts, or users needing special temporary escalated privileges for a short period of time. You can give them Admin or Editor access for 24 hours.
• WordPress Core Online File Comparison – this feature allows iThemes Security to compare changes made to any WordPress core file on your site with the version on WordPress.org to intelligently determine if the change was malicious.
• Enforce Strong Passwords and Password Expiration – these features make it easy to enforce strong passwords on your WordPress sites. In iThemes Security Pro settings you can enable the WP strong password evaluator and choose to set a date for passwords to expire, forcing users to create a new password.

If you’re not using iThemes Security Pro, now is a great time to start. Save 40% off any license pack through Dec. 31, 2014!

Save 40% off iThemes Security Pro

You need all kinds of connections to make your living—you need clients to hire you, collaborators to work with and specialists to do what you don’t do. You need freelance relationships to succeed.

What about companionship and self-improvement? Even the introverts need to connect with other people from time to time. And you need to interact with others to get better—iron sharpens iron. You need freelance relationships to survive.

Why Freelance Relationships Matter

Why are people so important to your freelance business? Three reasons:

1. Getting work.
2. Getting help.
3. Getting better.

1. Getting Work

You get freelance work through relationships. That’s simply how it works.

According to the Freelancers Union, the top source of work for freelancers is word of mouth (53%) followed closely by personal contacts (51%). People talk. You get work. It’s as simple as that.

So you need to cultivate those relationships. Your happy clients talk to potential clients. They recommend you. Word spreads. Or someone needs a job done and rather than Google it, they ask their friends. They’d rather find a professional through their trusted network.

This is the web of freelance relationships and it’s how you’re going to make money.

And it’s not just clients who talk. Freelancers do too. Another study from the Freelancers Union found that 81% of freelancers refer work to other freelancers.

When it comes to finding work, it’s all about freelance relationships.

2. Getting Help

One thing you’re going to learn pretty quickly as a freelancer is that you can’t do it all. You don’t know everything and you don’t have time for everything. At some point you’re going to need some help.

This happens in several ways:

• Pro Services – You’re a web developer. You’re not a writer or an accountant or a plumber. The best freelance advice I’ve ever received is to hire experts to do whatever I’m not good at. The hours you would spend doing your taxes might be better spent doing the web work you’re good at. Yes, it might be cheaper dollar-wise to do your own plumbing, but the stress and time might make hiring a plumber a brilliant investment.
• Sub-Contracting – If you’re a successful freelancer, you’re going to get busy. There may come a time when you’re way too busy. You need to bring in some help to get the job done. You hire a few other freelancers to tackle parts of the job (the parts you like least).
• Referrals – Freelancing is becoming a pretty niche business, as it should be. Specialized freelancers are highly successful. There are very few generalists these days. The end result is you’re going to have clients who aren’t a good fit. Their project might be too big or too small for you. Maybe they want a platform you don’t know very well. A good freelancer will recognize when a client isn’t a good fit and refer them to someone else. This is why 81% of freelancers refer work to other freelancers. Not only are you helping out your freelance friend, you’re providing good service to a potential client. They’re not a good fit as a client today, but who knows when that will change or who else they’ll talk to. But you’ve made a good impression.

Hiring professional services, sub-contracting work and giving referrals all require relationships. You need to know other freelancers to recommend when a client isn’t a good fit. You need to know an accountant to hire. You need to know other coders you can hire to sub-contract. So you better build up those freelance relationships.

3. Getting Better

Finally, freelance relationships matter because you need them to get better. It’s by interacting and connecting with others that we’re challenged and forced to improve. Our suppositions are questioned and we have to defend ourselves or reconsider our position.

Friends can help us improve our skills and point to new ideas we hadn’t considered. How many times has a friend turned you on to the latest and greatest new thing?

Sometimes you need that gentle push from someone you trust to make your work that much better.

Iron sharpens iron.

Your livelihood and sanity depend on freelance relationships. So let’s find you some friends.

How to Develop Freelance Relationships

Is this going to devolve into some kind of How to Make Friends weirdness? No, we’ll spare you from that. But there are a few simple things you can do to build freelance relationships.

Attitude

You need the right attitude to make freelance friends. The end product clearly matters, but what process do your clients have to go through to get there? Nobody wants to work with a jerk. Is working with you a chore? Are you always negative? Nobody wants to listen to complaints all the time.

Do you know those people who light up a room? They always have something good to say. They’re always making people laugh. They’re known as team players and contributors. Everybody wants to be their friend.

That’s the kind of attitude that will open doors.

Now not everyone has that kind of a magical personality. We can’t all light up the room. But we can work to make a good impression.

• Be nice: Don’t whine or complain.
• Be personable: Ask about other people and don’t just talk about yourself.
• Listen: Don’t interrupt and don’t monopolize the conversation.
• Be confident: But you also need to speak up and contribute.
• Be polite: Never badmouth other people.
• Be positive and inspiring: Encourage other people’s ideas and inspire them to do more.

This is pretty basic stuff. But a bad attitude is going to lose you clients.

Serve Don’t Sell

Instead of always trying to sell people, find ways to do something for people. Find ways you can meet other people’s needs. Recommend other freelancers, suggest articles or books that might helpful, make an introduction to someone in their field.

Be of service to other people, not just another salesperson.

This approach will open lots of doors. People will be grateful for your help and they’ll remember it. They’ll be likely to return the favor.

If you want to build relationships, you need to help people out.

Want to be remembered? Meet someone’s need. They’ll remember how you helped long after they’ve tossed everyone else’s business cards.

Show Respect

When you meet new people, show some respect. Listen intently and ask questions. Try to remember their name. Don’t be disinterested or aloof.

When they hand you their business card, read it. Don’t just shove it in your pocket—write something on it and follow up later. That’s perhaps the biggest thing you can do—show the people you meet that you’re serious. Reach out to them later, even if it’s just to follow them on Twitter or say hello. You’ll make an impression and they’ll know you’re not just another random handshake.

How to Network

We’ve made the case that freelance relationships matter. We’ve talked about how you can develop those relationships by not being a jerk (among other things). Now how do you find some freelance friends?

You need to do some networking. Now some people shudder at the idea of networking. They get images of greasy people working a room with lots of bravado and zealous handshakes. But you don’t have to be slimy to network.

Really networking is just about meeting people and finding mutually beneficial connections. Help other people and they’ll help you. People want to do business with people they know and trust. So build that trust.

Quality vs. Quantity

As you’re networking with people remember that quality is better than quantity. This isn’t some numbers game. You don’t win by collecting the most business cards. Instead you want to walk away with a few names of people you really connected with. Those are the freelance relationships you want.

Take the time to invest in people. It will pay off.

That said, quantity still has its place. You can’t rely on just two or three freelance relationships to keep your business going. You need to develop a lot of relationships. Very few of those relationships are going to turn into paying gigs, so you need a lot of them.

Focus on developing quality freelance relationships every day and eventually you’ll have the quantity you need. Nobody said you can’t have both.

Learn how to go a step deeper with our free ebook, Turning Contacts Into Contracts.

Get Out of the Office

There are lots of ways to actually meet people and develop these relationships, but they all involve getting out of the office. You’re going to need to get out there.

Meetups & Events

One of the easiest ways to meet people is at local events. There are so many conferences, hangouts and meetups these days.

Find (or start) your local WordPress meetup or check out a WordCamp. Or find more general events like CreativeMornings. There are lots of these events around. Check out major sites like Eventbrite or Meetup to see what’s going on. You can also ask around for the best local events.

Don’t just look for good networking events. Look for events that will help you grow as a freelancer. Maybe it’s some kind of professional development or small business class. Or it could just be something that gets your creative juices flowing, whether it’s a photo group or an author reading.

When you do make it to these events, take the opportunity to meet people. Sometimes shy people have a hard time, but endure a few awkward moments and introduce yourself. That’s why everybody is there. Make some connections.

If you’re really nervous, go with a friend. Sometimes it’s easier to work the crowd as a duo.

Coworking Spaces

For people with a 9-to-5 job many of their relationships come from their coworkers. Which puts freelancers at a disadvantage. Which is why you might want to get out of your office and work somewhere else.

Coworking spaces have sprung up in many cities across the country. These are shared locations for freelancers to gather and feel like they have coworkers again. You often need to pay a fee to “rent a desk,” but then you’ll have a steady supply of coworkers and potential clients, collaborators and referrals.

Having a coworking space was a big help for freelance WordPress developer Bill Erickson:

“That physical space where you could turn around and ask questions or pull together a team was huge. … You need a social community so you’re not on your own.”

Lunch or Coffee

Another way to connect with people and go deeper is to meet one-on-one. Ideally you’ve already met someone before you ask them to lunch or coffee. Once you have some form of contact established, then meeting one-on-one is a great way to develop that freelance relationship.

Ask lots of questions and find out how you can help them. Figure out exactly what they do and what type of contact they’ll be. Are they a potential client? A possible freelance collaborator? Are they someone you could send referrals to?

Remember not to be selfish. Don’t monopolize the conversation.

Be sure you pick up the tab and follow up after the meeting. Share a few connections or resources from your conversation. Make the meeting have value.

You Need Freelance Relationships

So get out there and start building those relationships. You want your contact list to be full. Building those freelance relationships will make all the difference.

Watch the webinar to learn more on how to get started with Sync.

What You’ll Learn

• Where to download Sync
• How to install Sync on your WP sites
• How to connect sites in your Sync dashboard
• Color codes used in Sync to indicate the update status of your sites
• How to update some or all plugins and themes
• How Sync integrated with other iThemes plugins like BackupBuddy, Exchange and iThemes Security.
• Important settings for managing client sites
• Differences between Sync Standard and Sync Pro

Other Resources for Sync

• Video tutorials
• Community Forum
• iThemes Blog
• Sync on Twitter

Get Sync 10 Sites (free!) Now Or Save 40% off All Sync Plans

Get started with Sync for free – manage 10 sites now. Save time (and money) with features like update WO core, themes & plugins, bulk install themes & plugins in seconds, manage comments and users and we have some cool features coming up next in Sync.

Get Sync 10 Sites Now

The Old Way to Manage Your iThemes Licenses

The old way of licensing your iThemes products goes something like this:

1. Log in to each site.
2. Visit the iThemes Licensing Page in the Settings menu of the WordPress Dashboard.
3. Select each product you wish to license (or unlicense) and enter your iThemes username and password.
4. Repeat steps 1-3 for every site using an iThemes theme or plugin.

As you know, this process can get pretty cumbersome, especially if you’re an unlimited site licenses customer. And while you can view and deactivate your licenses from the iThemes Member Panel, you still have to log in to each separate site to add a new license.

The New Way to License Your iThemes Products: Sync Saves Time & Hassle!

The latest update to the Sync Dashboard allows you to add and remove licenses to iThemes products remotely. You can also view a list of every domain with products licensed to your iThemes username.

To take advantage of the new licensing feature in Sync, you’ll need to be running v.1.7.0+ of the Sync plugin.

1. After you log in to the Sync dashboard, you’ll see a new Licensing menu item on the left side of the screen. Click this link to open the Licensing page.
2. From here, you’ll see a list of all sites with a currently licensed iThemes theme or plugin. Click on any site in the list to expand the site licensing detail.

Adding a New License in Sync

One of the coolest parts of Sync’s licensing feature is that it automatically displays all iThemes products installed on your site (both licensed and unlicensed).

1. To add a license, simply click the License button on the right side of the plugin or theme in the list. Sync will automatically apply your iThemes credentials to complete the licensing process, so there’s no typing that info in again and again.

Removing a License in Sync

1. From this view, you can see all plugins and themes currently licensed on the site, with the option to remove the license. Simply click the Remove License button to unlicense the product from your account.

Bulk Install Themes & Plugins, Manage Comments, Users  & More with Sync

We made Sync to make managing updates (and a whole lot more) for all of your WordPress sites easy.

With Sync, you can also perform these time-saving actions:

• Install Themes & Plugins Remotely – Sync’s Bulk Install feature allows you to install & activate plugins and themes across multiple WordPress sites from both the WordPress.org repository and your iThemes membership. No more downloading zip files and manually uploading or logging in to each site to search and upload.
• Manage Comments & Users – Don’t waste time logging in to each site to manage comments and users. View, approve or delete comments and add new users directly with Sync.
• Perform BackupBuddy Actions – iThemes Sync gets even better for BackupBuddy users. If you have BackupBuddy on your sites, you can make manual backups right from the iThemes Sync dashboard.
• Enable Two-factor authentication for an extra layer of protection - Add an extra layer of protection to your Sync dashboard login with two-factor authentication. Once enabled, Sync will require both a password AND an SMS code sent to your mobile device to log in to the Sync Dashboard.

If you’re not already using Sync, check out what Sync can do and get your 10 sites free now. You can also read up on how to get started with Sync.

Log in to the Sync Dashboard & Start Licensing

You can easily track inventory from Exchange. Tracking inventory is beneficial for numerous reasons including knowing how much of a specific product you have left and how many you’ve sold.

A cool benefit of tracking inventory in Exchange is when a product’s inventory gets down to zero, Exchange won’t let a visitor purchase that item and will display a message like “This option is currently out of stock.”:

Tracking Non Variant Product Inventory

To track inventory on items that don’t have variants, just go to an individual product > Advanced settings > Inventory and make sure to click “Enable Inventory Tracking for this Product”.

Then fill in how many of that product you have available to sell.

Inventory tracking is available for all product types: physical products, digital products and memberships. If you want to limit the number of downloads on a digital product or the number of memberships available, be sure to set that number in Inventory.

Tracking Product Variants Inventory

With product variants inventory tracking in iThemes Exchange, you don’t need to worry about keeping track of how many of each variant is available (whew!).

To start tracking inventory on product variants, just check the box beside “Enable Inventory Tracking for variants?” and the variants you’ve specified will appear. Now all you have to do is fill in your numbers in the inventory column and you’re set!

For an even more detailed breakdown of product variants inventory, check out the video tutorial.

Watch the Tutorial Now

Download Exchange Free + Get 40% Off Pro Pack

Getting started with Exchange is easy and you can download it for free. Extend your Exchange site with Add-ons like MailChimp, Product Variants and others. Through Dec. 31st, get 40% the Exchange Pro Pack – all the Add-ons we’ve created for Exchange in one great bundle.

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The freelance transition can be pretty rough. Those direct deposit paychecks no longer magically appear every two weeks, keeping your bank account fat and happy. Instead, income is inconsistent and that bank account is going on a diet. And not a happy, healthy diet either.

Figure out your freelance finances before you make any changes. Find out how much money you need and start saving up that emergency fund before you quit your job. Once you know your money needs, you’ll be better able to plan your freelance transition.

Just don’t go blindly jumping into freelance work. Take the time to come up with a freelance transition plan.

Various Freelance Transition Scenarios

Here are some examples of what that freelance transition might look like:

Moonlighting

Perhaps the most popular way to ease into freelancing is by moonlighting. You work your 9-to-5 job and then put on your freelance pants at night. Currently 27% of freelancers work this way (that’s more than 14 million people).

It’s perfect for the freelance transition because you can build up clients, income and a portfolio, all while still earning a steady paycheck. That extra money can help cover your startup costs or build your emergency fund.

The downside is you’re putting in a lot of hours. But no one said the freelance transition was easy.

Part-Time Job

Another approach is to go ahead and quit your 9-to-5 job, but take on a part-time job to help pay the bills. People with multiple sources of income are called diversified workers and they make up 18% of freelancers (or 9 million people). For some this isn’t a transition plan, but a constant state.

The part-time job approach to your freelance transition allows you to continue earning a steady income without the demands and stress of a regular 9-to-5 job. Depending on your part-time job, you’ll probably have more time and energy to pour into freelancing. You can still build up clients, income and your portfolio until you’re ready to move into freelancing full time.

This is a more aggressive dive into freelancing. You’ll likely be earning less than your full-time job. That’s the potential downside. You might not have as much income to help you build up an emergency fund or cover startup costs.

Turn Your Boss Into a Client

If you’re leaving your job on good terms you might be able to turn your old job into a freelance transition. If your boss knows you’re stepping away, they might be willing to let you do your own job on a freelance basis until they can find someone to replace you.

It could be a win-win—you get to start freelancing with a steady client and your boss gets an easier transition. It could also lead to more clients. That’s how it worked for freelance web designer Brian Casel:

“My very first clients came as referrals from my former boss at the agency. … What often happens is the agency works with very large clients. The type of clients I’d work with are too small for an agency to take on budget-wise, so the agency is happy to pass on smaller leads.”

But this approach only works if your employer is on board. If they’re not, well, you might have an awkward time keeping your job and trying to moonlight.

Other Freelance Transition Options

There are lots of other ways to transition into freelance. You could win the lottery. Or, more realistically, a relative might be willing to help you out with a no-interest loan or an early inheritance. Just be careful of any loans. That’s not free money. You’ll need to include loan payments in your expenses.

If you lose a job and get severance and/or unemployment, that might be a way to transition into freelance.

That’s how it worked for me. When my company relocated I got a small severance package and was eligible for unemployment. I’d been looking for a new job, but I’d also been moonlighting. With my day job gone, I was pursing more and more of those moonlighting jobs.

At the time unemployment was structured so it could supplement any income I had coming in. So the unemployment served as a safety net until I could get established as a freelancer. Unemployment doesn’t always work that way and it varies by state (plus this was over a decade ago). I also had a lot going for me in my situation, including an employment counselor and available funds for training, which I used to take a small business class.

Losing my job worked as a perfect transition into freelance work. But it doesn’t always go that way.

The No Parachute Method

Another way to plan your freelance transition is to jump without a parachute. This isn’t exactly recommended. It works best for people with very few expenses and obligations (if you’ve got kids and loans, you better rethink it).

But there is a certain appeal. If you work best under pressure, this might be good for you. It’s high risk, but high reward. Sometimes you need to take risks. They force you to do what needs to be done.

That’s what Cortez did. He burned the ships to quell mutiny and push his men forward. No going back! (OK, the ships were scuttled, not burned. Score one for historical accuracy. But the basic idea is sound.)

But it’s definitely not for everyone. Most people need some kind of safety net to fall back on.

Freelance Transition Tips

As you think about how you’re going to plan your freelance transition, here are a few tips to help you through:

Try It First

As much as we love and support freelancers, it’s not for everyone. Not everyone works well being their own boss. Some people crave direction and leadership. It’s comforting knowing someone else is worrying about the big picture strategy.

That’s not a sign of weakness. People are just different. Freelancing is natural for some people. It can make other people squirm.

Before you make the freelance leap, find ways to try it out and make sure freelancing is for you. Try a few moonlighting projects, even if you’re not planning to moonlight. It’s a big shift, so get a taste before you commit.

Don’t Burn Your Bridges

Like Cortez, you might find motivation in burning your ships (OK, scuttling), but there’s nothing to be gained by burning your bridges (whoa, mixed metaphor headache).

You may be excited to leave your full-time job, but don’t say mean things and slam the door on any potential opportunities. Sometimes that former job will turn into freelance work or your former boss will offer new leads. Do everything you can to leave on good terms.

Build Connections

You need to start building relationships as soon as you can. Not just with potential clients, but with other freelancers as well. 81% of freelancers refer work to other freelancers. Start making those connections today.

Our free ebook might help: Turning Contacts Into Contracts.

Go Deeper

As you land your first clients, always look for ways to go deeper with them. Ask questions to see what other problems you can solve for them. You’re trying to build a long-term relationship.

And you need to think long term. This isn’t milking every client for more work. It’s just good service. Get to know your clients and figure out how you can help them. It might not pay off now. But your clients will remember that you treated them right. It will pay off down the road.

Soak It Up

As you dive into your freelance transition you’re going to realize something quickly: You’ve got a lot to learn.

Put the ego aside and own up to the fact that you don’t know it all. Soak up all the knowledge and insight you can get. Learn from others. You’ll have to make some of your own mistakes—that’s just part of life—but you want to avoid as many as you can.

Especially as you consider your freelance transition, find resources that can help. Another free ebook to check out: So You Want to Be a Freelancer?

Freelancers have to do everything themselves. But that’s not always a good plan. Don’t be afraid to hire pros when you’re out of your element. If filing your taxes is a nightmare, hire someone. There’s a point when the hours you spend wrestling with the tax software are better spent earning money at what you do best. Hire someone else who does taxes best.

Winning the Freelance Transition

Start your freelance career right by making the right transition. It’s a big leap, but there can be plenty of rewards. Just don’t forget your parachute. We all want you to land safely.

We’ve been working on bringing you awesome-ness this month and in addition to 40% off everything site-wide, we’re excited to announce a brand new partnership with an excellent WordPress Hosting provider: ClickHOST.

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Shipping can get really complicated. If you’ve built a WordPress ecommerce site that sells physical products, you probably know the headaches of trying to calculate shipping based on conditions such as delivery location, product weight, the total price of the order (like for free shipping) … and that’s just to name a few.

Introducing the Table Rate Shipping Add-on for iThemes Exchange

With the new Table Rate Shipping Add-on for Exchange, you can now set up complicated shipping rates to fit your store’s needs.

Shipping will always be complicated, but we hope the Table Rate Shipping Add-on will help alleviate some of the frustration of shipping by giving you a flexible solution to apply conditional shipping rates.

What is Table Rate Shipping?

Table rate shipping allows you to calculate shipping rates based on a combination of conditions that you can edit. It’s designed to handle most of the possible scenarios you might have for shipping calculations.

Table Rate Shipping Terms You Need to Know

The Table Rate Shipping Add-on for Exchange uses a few terms to create your shipping calculation conditions. These terms can be combined in multiple ways to create conditions for your shipping rates.

You’ll want to familiarize yourself with each of the following terms.

1. Calculations

Each shipping rate is calculated using one of three calculations options. Calculations are how the shipping rate is actually calculated—by order, by number of items or number of products.

Calculations include:

• Per Order – Shipping would be applied only once for the order
• Per Item – Shipping would be applied for each item in the cart
• Per Line – Shipping would be applied based on the number of products in the cart (multiples of a product would only be charged once)

2. Conditions

Next, conditions are applied. Conditions apply one of four conditions for what the shipping cost is based on, for instance the price of the customer’s order.

Conditions include:

• Price
• Weight (standard or metric; configured in shipping settings)
• Item Count (totally number of items in the cart)
• Product Count (number of different products in the cart, multiples of one product will not be counted)

3. Min / Max

Min / Max settings are optional, but they can be helpful for applying minimum and maximum amounts for conditions.

• Min – (optional) The minimum amount for the condition to be met. For example, if the Condition is Price, the minimum price could be $50 for free shipping. If the Condition is Item Count, the minimum item count could be 10 items to qualify for that shipping price.
• Max – (optional) The maximum amount for the condition to be met. For example, if the Condition is Price, the maximum price could be $150 for free shipping. If the Condition is Item Count, the maximum item count could be 20 items to qualify for that shipping price.

4. Handling

Handling (optional) applies the handling cost for this shipping rate.

5. Base Cost

Base cost applies the base shipping price for the shipping rate.

6. Per Item Cost

Per Item Cost allows you to set the price to charge per item in an order (if you selected the Per Item calculation.

7. Zones (and Zone Manager)

Zones allow you to set up the geographical location for which a shipping cost would be applied. This could be based on Country, State or Provence (if applicable) or Postal Code(s).

The Zones Manager can be activated by clicking the “edit zones” link in the Zones column. In the Zones Manager, you can use an asterisk (*) to apply the cost to all postal codes within the designated country/state. You can also specify a range of postal codes by separating two postal codes with a dash (-); e.g. 73013-73018.

Getting Started with Table Rate Shipping

Whew. Now that we’ve covered all the table rate shipping term definitions, we’re ready to go over how to get started setting up your shipping calculations.

1. Install and activate the Table Rate Shipping Add-on plugin.

All current Toolkit, Plugin Suite and Exchange Pro Pack customers will find the Table Rate Shipping Add-on beta for download in their Member Panel.

Follow the normal WordPress plugin installation methods to install the Table Rate Shipping Add-on plugin (just make sure you have the Exchange plugin also installed. You can download it for free on the WordPress.org repo here.)

Once you’ve installed and activated the Table Rate Shipping Add-on, click the settings gear next to the Enabled button from the Add-ons page—or—visit the Settings page in the Exchange menu. Click the Shipping tab and then the Table Rate Shipping link.

2. Complete the Default Table Rate Setting.

The default table rate shipping rate applies to all purchases from your store unless the purchase meets any of your other table rate shipping rates. This means the default shipping rate will not be “stacked,” or added in addition to your other shipping rates.

When an order meets any of the other table rate shipping conditions, the table rate for which it qualifies will be applied.

Just think of the default table rate as a “catch-all” for all shipping orders. It’s your store’s base cost for all shipments.

3. Add New Table Rates with a Label, Calculations, Conditions, Min / Max (optional), Handling (optional), Base Cost and Zone (optional) settings.

Click the Add New Table Rate button to start adding your custom table rates. Be sure to click Save Changes.

Example Table Rate Shipping Formulas

Here are few examples of how you can use Table Rate Shipping to add conditional shipping rates. Keep in mind you’ll need to first set up a default shipping rate (see step 2 above) to apply store-wide.

Price-based Rates

Price-based rates make shipping based on the price of the order, item or line. You can also use price-based rates to offer free or discounted shipping.

Ways you could use it:

Free shipping for orders over $____

Discounted Shipping – $5 off standard shipping for orders over $_____

Quantity-based Rates

Quantity-based rates make shipping based on the quantity of items or lines in the order. You can also use quantity-based rates to offer free or discounted shipping for multi-item carts.

Ways you could use it:

Buy 3, get free shipping

Additional shipping charges for multi-item carts

Weight-based Rates

Weight-based rates apply shipping rates based on the weight of products in an order. Just be sure you’ve set up product weight info for each of your products in the Shipping settings area of the product editor.

Ways you could use it:

Heavy Goods shipping (products over ____ lbs.)

Location-based Rates

Location-based rates use zones to add shipping rates based on geographical locations. You can also use location-based rates to offer more shipping options, such as 3-5 day shipping or 7-10 shipping, if the customer is within a certain country. You can also use it to add a standard international shipping rate or differing rates for specific countries.

Ways you could use it:

3-5 Day / 7-10 Day Shipping for U.S. customers

Free shipping –  local customer pickup

Get the Table Rate Shipping Add-on for Exchange in the Exchange Pro Pack

The Table Rate Shipping Add-on is available now in the Exchange Pro Pack. With the Pro Pack, you also get unlimited site licenses for all iThemes-built Exchange Add-ons like Membership, Invoices, Product Variants, Abandoned Carts & more.

All current Exchange Pro Pack, Plugin Suite and Toolkit customers will find the Table Rate Shipping Add-on available for download from the iThemes Member Panel.

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