business

Transform Your Business by Talking to Your Clients

Written by Erica Machulak and copy edited by Mahima Bhagwat

This blog post is a teaser for the author’s workshop session at the 2024 Editors Canada Conference. Register online to attend “Face Time: Transform Your Business by Talking to Your Clients” and join us as we test drive the ideas below with practical exercises and discussion.

If you hope to grow your business, raise your rates, and discover new services that you might offer, my best advice is that you meet with every new client before you agree to work with them. This initial conversation sets the tone for your future work together and gives you valuable information before you commit to the project. When clients get to know you, they are more likely to hire you again, refer their friends, and come to you when they need something different from what you have already provided.

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Taxes for Creatives: Keeping the CRA Happy While Doing What You Love

When: ​​Wednesday, February 21, 2024, 7:30–8:30 pm PT

Where: Online through Zoom

Cost: Free for Editors Canada members, $10 for non-members, $5 for student non-members

Tax time is coming up fast! Join us this month to learn about GST and HST, deductible expenses, setting aside money for taxes, and why doing what you love is a great business. During the Q&A, take the opportunity to pose all your lingering tax questions to an expert who has worked with taxes since 2002. No judgement—just great advice and information with a sense of humour on the side.

Sunny Widerman has been a tax preparer and advisor since 2002, with a growing clientele of freelancers, business owners, and professionals. Through her firm Personal Tax Advisors, Sunny specializes in helping clients take control of their tax planning by explaining the tax issues that affect them. She focuses on a gentle, non-threatening approach to financial issues and clear, jargon-free language.

Note: Editors BC will record this meeting. Editors Canada members have 30 days to view the recording by logging in to the Editors Canada website and going to the Editors BC Branch page.

Editors Canada members and registered non-members are welcome to use the following Zoom information to join the meeting: 

Zoom link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83060307231?pwd=cUZqRVFHQ0w0ZXoyMU1YUWVwTUhPdz09
Meeting ID: 830 6030 7231
Passcode: 674671

If you would like to attend this meeting and are not an Editors Canada member, please register here.

An Introvert’s Guide to Building a Winning Personal Brand

By Mahfuz Chowdury

Fourteen years ago, I made an audacious decision to start my career as a brand strategist. Some might say that the use of the word audacious here might be a bit of an overstatement, but for a shy introvert like me, I assure you, it was the complete opposite.

Since then, I’ve had the privilege of helping a startup digital marketing agency grow into a full-fledged national brand called Candybox Marketing.

Along the way, I’ve also had the opportunity to publish two marketing books, Project Reinvention and The Resilient Brand: Storytelling In A Digital Era, and deliver over 200 keynote talks, including my first TEDx Talk in 2023.

I don’t say this to impress you; what I hope to impress upon you is the importance of building a personal brand and its potential to help you thrive professionally, no matter your personality type.

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Making Waves: How Freelance Editors Can Build a Sustainable Client Base in a Competitive Landscape

By Molly McCowan

Whether you’re just dipping your toes into the freelance editing pool or you’ve been swimming in it for years, you know our industry is in constant flux. Advances in technology have made it easier than ever for people to offer their editing services, broadening the field and creating a range of options for clients. Add to this the proliferation of freelance marketplaces like Reedsy and Fiverr, and it’s clear that clients have an abundance of choices. 

But don’t worry—there’s plenty of work to go around. In fact, I believe there’s more work than ever. The key? Knowing how to navigate these dynamic and ever-changing waters to secure projects and build a solid client base. Let’s dive in.

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A picture of Letitia Henville smiling.

Antihustle: A One-Day Planning Retreat for Your Freelance Business with Letitia Henville

When: Friday, February 10, 2023, 9:30 am to 4:30 pm

Where: Online via Zoom

Running a solo editing business can be challenging, especially when the day-to-day overwhelms or when you’re stuck in a feast-or-famine cycle. But with a little bit of time and focus, you can find your footing, articulate your vision for your business, and determine the steps you need to take to bring it into being.

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A picture of Maya Berger

Excel Tips for Self-Employed Editors with Maya Berger

When: January 28, 2023, from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm

Where: Online via Zoom

When a client approaches you about a new editing job, wouldn’t it be great if you had a tool to help you:

  • quote a fair rate and accurate time frame for the project;
  • track whether you get paid on time;
  • compare your estimated hourly rate and editing speed with your actual rate and speed; and
  • analyze how valuable this client is to your business?
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Rows of desks face a projection screen in a classroom-like environment.
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February 9-March 2, 2021: Marketing, Networking, and Building Your Client Base

What: Editors BC professional development seminar
When: Four Tuesdays, February 9, 16, 23, and March 2, 2021, 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm
Where: Online through Zoom
Cost: $140 for Editors Canada members ($110 early bird), $195 for non-members ($165 early bird), and $70 for student affiliates. Advance registration required. Registration closes February 5, 2021, at 11:59 pm; early-bird rates are in effect through January 19, 2021.

As a freelancer, your network is one of the most valuable tools in your marketing toolkit. Many of your jobs and potential clients will come via referrals from people you know, both personally and professionally. But how do you grow your network? How do you reach out to let people know you’re looking for clients without feeling awkward about it? How do you market your business effectively while still taking on client projects?

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Meet the Instructor: Lana Okerlund

Written by Carl Rosenberg; copy edited by Chris Baxter

This photo depicts a headshot of Lana Okerlund smiling.

On Saturday, February 24, Editors BC presents Lana Okerlund’s seminar, “Crunching the Numbers: Using Performance Measures to Manage Your Editing Business.” The seminar will introduce the performance measurement cycle—a widely used concept in the business world—and help participants apply it to the business of editing.

A partner with West Coast Editorial Associates, Lana Okerlund edits, indexes, and writes non-fiction books and teaches editing and business writing courses. In her former career as a business consultant, Lana spent nearly a decade working with clients on business improvement projects, including performance measurement.

Carl Rosenberg, a volunteer on Editors BC’s communications and social media committee, spoke to Lana about her work on performance measurement.

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Rows of desks face a projection screen in a classroom-like environment.
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February 24, 2018: Crunching the Numbers: Using Performance Measures to Manage Your Editing Business

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What: Editors BC professional development seminar
When: Saturday, February 24, 2018, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
Where: Room 420, 4th floor, BCIT Downtown Campus, 555 Seymour Street, Vancouver | map
Cost: $165 for Editors Canada members ($135 early bird), $230 for non-members ($200 early bird), and $100 for student affiliates. Advance registration required. Registration closes February 20; early-bird rates are in effect through February 6.

Is your editing business successful?

If you’re like a lot of editors, you may have a hard time answering this question with any specifics. You may have a vague sense of how your business is doing, and you might even feel comfortable with that level of uncertainty. But having real, hard data about how much you work, where your work comes from, and how much you earn for different types of projects or clients can empower you to take charge of your business and steer it in the direction that you want it to go.

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