What 5 dead guys can teach you about freelancing

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Most people like to watch and learn about freelancing from other business professionals and experts like Seth Godin, Chris Brogan, Danny Brown, Guy Kawasaki, etc. But me, I like to dig into the minds of dead people. Dead guys always have a lot more to say than they were originally given time for, so I spend my time dissecting their inner and outer workings to see how it relates to freelancing and how I can use their knowledge to better my business.

Today, I’m going to show you exactly what 5 dead guys taught me about freelancing and how you can apply it to your business as well. If you’re a fan of the “Marketing Tips From…” series, you can kind of consider this a mash up of 5 guys I would have normally featured by themselves. A mega-post, if you wish to call it that. Regardless, it’s full of awesome information and you should definitely read and share it

Bob Marley

• Embrace yourself – Bob Marley was a guy who really knew how to embrace who he was and what his life was all about. Embrace your business and embrace the reason you’re a freelancer in the first place, and you’ll see great benefits as a freelancer.
• Pick a niche – Bob Marley was a musician, but he was a highly targeted, focused musician who took the reggae niche by storm and catered his music to the people he was most like. Focus your freelance efforts to attract the type of clients you want to work for – don’t throw out a big net and expect to only catch the big fish.
• Be an inspiration – Even though Bob Marley was most known for being a Reggae artist who smoked a lot of marijuana, he was also a huge inspiration. Strive to build your business and inspire people at the same time because this will attract more clients who are inspired by things you say & do.

John F Kennedy

• Show your gratitude – It’s one thing to say that you’re thankful, but it’s something completely different to actually show it. Freelancers need to remember their clients and show each client that they’re appreciated, by doing something extra for them, promoting their business or doing something out of the ordinary for them.
• Take action – NOW – There are risks and costs to a program of action, but they are far less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction. If you’re on the verge of building a business as a freelancer or trying something new, stop thinking about it and get it out there. Your customers will tell you if they like it or not and you can adjust as you go. Keeping your idea hidden is a disservice to yourself and the people who will benefit from it.
• Embrace change – Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future. How often do you find yourself looking back on the past or feeling like you’re stuck in your present situation? By changing your focus onto the future and what you want, you’ll subconsciously build it into your mind to become a reality.

Napoleon Hill

• Study the best – Napoleon Hill is perhaps most famous for being under Andrew Carnegie and interviewing over 500 successful men and women (most of them millionaires) and finding out what their keys to success were. By analyzing your competition and seeing what works, and what doesn’t, you’re able to build a better business because of your knowledge.
• Embrace your failures – No man ever achieved worthwhile success who did not, at one time or other, find himself with at least one foot hanging well over the brink of failure. What does this mean for your business? Embrace your failures. When I had to close the doors on Giant Themes around 1 year after it was open, I learned from the mistakes I made and moved forward.
• Learn as you go – One of the things I remember hearing from Napoleon Hill was that if you weren’t learning while earning, you were cutting your profits short. As a business owner, you need to be learning every day, either through trial and error or reading and studying new techniques and ways to build a better business.
• Do what you love – Gary Vaynerchuk mentions this a lot, but building a business around something you love is the quickest way to a happy life. We don’t go to a 9-5 because we want to work for ourselves, doing something we love – so make sure you’re doing something you love.
• Defeat is just a lesson learned – No one ever is defeated until defeat has been accepted as a reality. What I take away from that statement is that you’re never defeated unless you see it as a defeat and accept it as such. Instead, as a freelancer if you are ever faced with a time where you feel defeated, switch your train of thought and accept it as a learning experience instead.

Bruce Lee

• Trim the fat – As most Bruce Lee fans know, he was a lean, very fit man but that’s not what I mean. Bruce Lee was quoted saying that the height of cultivation always runs to simplicity, so by trimming out the excess things in your freelance business (apps you don’t need, too much time on social media, etc) you’ll be able to really find peace and a quality business.
• Never set limits for yourself – If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them. Not much really needs to be said about this quote, except to say that, like others on this list have said, you need to believe you’re going to succeed in order to move past the times when you’re unable to see instant results.
• Bite your tongue – A quick temper will make a fool of you soon enough. As a freelancer I am sure we’ve all come across a client that just gets under your skin and has zero respect for you, your business and the way a professional does things, but running off at the mouth and getting into an argument with them will get you nowhere. It’s best to wash your hands of the situation and keep moving forward.
• Take action – NOW – This is the second time this has been on the list, because actions speak louder than words and as Bruce Lee puts it, If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you’ll never get it done. Yes, you should think about the future and what you want, but after a certain point, you’re not planning, you’re daydreaming.

Kurt Cobain

• Embrace Yourself – I’d rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not. Like I mentioned above with Bob Marley, you need to embrace who you are and build your business around that. Are you a rebel who listens to death metal? Embrace it and show your clients who you are, because by doing this you’ll attract your perfect client.
• Ask questions – Kurt Cobain said If you ever need anything please don’t hesitate to ask someone else first. As a freelancer, there’s a lot of places you can ask for advice. Twitter, Facebook, Freelance Forums & asking your clients directly will get you answers to most of your questions. Remember, a question that’s asked is never stupid, because not everyone knows everything – but everybody knows something.
• Keep it real – Kurt felt like the worst crime in the world was faking it, so if you’re always true to yourself and your business, you’ll never have to worry what other people think about you, because you’re doing things your way and being open and honest with yourself, your clients & the world.

What has a dead guy ever taught you?

Since you read this post, I know you’re an intelligent person so I am going to ask you to comment with your favorite piece of knowledge you’ve picked up off a dead guy! I know you’ve got some secrets, please feel free to share