In this new episode of Speaking of Translation, Eve and Corinne discuss how to set goals for your freelance business. If you enjoy this podcast, you might also enjoy Eve’s book Maintaining Your Second Language, or Corinne’s online courses for freelance translators.
At the start of the year, Eve and Corinne share some insights into setting goals for your freelance business, including:
-How to set goals in the first place: make sure you’re being specific enough
-How translators can apply SMART goals to their freelance businesses
-What types of goals are helpful for a freelancer?
-How “big crazy dreams” with more achievable sub-goals can be helpful
-Our own goals for 2018!
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Setting goals for your freelance business
Thank you for the lively talk and for sharing your goals for 2018! Setting goals is one of the toughest challenges for a freelancer. Provided that there is no boss to direct and monitor you.
Very true! Thanks Oleg!
Thanks Corinne! I have a question: how can you compare the years and replicate what worked when you mainly work with one-off clients? Private customers don’t provide repeat business 🙁
Hi Natalia and thanks for your question. I would focus on the why/how aspects of those clients: how did those client find you? Why did they choose you? How can you get found by more clients like them? For example I’ve found over the years that for me, it *is* worth putting time and money into a website with good SEO results (whereas the conventional wisdom seems to be that it’s not worth fighting the SEO battle if you’re a freelancer). My website is generally on the second page of results for “French to English translator,” and it’s usually the first result for an actual translator, not an online translation service or translation jobs website. Recently, a client found me through my website for a project that was over $10,000 of work. So that might be something to consider if you work with a lot of one-off clients.
Great podcast.
Just a little comment : Eve, would you mind trying to speak a little slower? Just remember that non native english speaker may be listening to you as well.
I can hear Corinne perfectly but sometime I struggle to understand Eve.
Thank you so much