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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'>I disagree that any of us control our own fates. But it is fair to say that freelancing allows us to influence our own fates far more than in almost any other gig.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'>If my clients all pulled up and left tomorrow, I couldn’t stop them.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'>That said, as many of you have eloquently argued, the best way to freelance is to heavily diversify, trying as hard as you can to not let any one client control more than 30 percent of your revenue. I know: easier said than done.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'>_______</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'>Evan Schuman</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'><a href="mailto:eschuman@thecontentfirm.com" target="_blank">eschuman@thecontentfirm.com</a></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'><a href="tel:973-993-8098" target="_blank">973-993-8098</a> (voice)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'>Computerworld weekly columnist (Column archive: <a href="http://www.thecontentfirm.com/weekly-column-on-computerworld" target="_blank">http://www.thecontentfirm.com/weekly-column-on-computerworld</a>)</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1F497D'>Moderator for MIT Sloan Management Review events<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='color:#1F497D'>Google Search: <a href="http://lmgtfy.com/?q=Evan+Schuman">http://lmgtfy.com/?q=Evan+Schuman#</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='color:#1F497D'><a href="https://twitter.com/eschuman" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/eschuman</a></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='color:#1F497D'><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/schumanevan/" target="_blank">www.linkedin.com/in/schumanevan/</a></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><i><span style='font-size:8.0pt;color:#1F497D'>Member, Internet Press Guild: <a href="http://netpress.org/" target="_blank"><span style='color:#1155CC'>http://netpress.org/</span></a></span></i><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><b>From:</b> Ipg-smz <ipg-smz-bounces@netpress.org> <b>On Behalf Of </b>Allen Bernard<br><b>Sent:</b> Monday, October 01, 2018 11:17 AM<br><b>To:</b> ipg-smz@netpress.org<br><b>Subject:</b> Re: [Ipg-smz] Anyone ever want to quit?<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>To paraphrase my dear old mom: "[Freelancing] is hard, but it doesn't suck."<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>Hang in there, Grant. At least you control your own fate. <o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>Allen Bernard </span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>Freelance Business & Technology Writer</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>Founder & CCO, <a href="http://www.awbernard.com" target="_blank">AW Bernard, Inc. - Technical and Industrial Copywriting</a> </span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>CIO.com, Economist Intelligence Unit, TechTarget</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>614-937-2316</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'><br><b><span style='color:blue'>Conference line: 641-715-3836 - 763274#</span></b></span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'>Internet Press Guild</span><span style='font-size:12.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;color:#222222'>Columbus CIO Forum</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;color:#222222'>CIO Solutions Gallery<br></span><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'><br><span style='color:blue'>Portfolio page: </span><a href="https://allenbernard.contently.com/" target="_blank">Contently.com</a><br><span style='color:blue'>LinkedIn profile: </span><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/allenbernard" target="_blank">Linked In</a><br><span style='color:blue'>Twitter: </span><a href="https://twitter.com/allen_bernard1" target="_blank">@allen_bernard1</a></span><o:p></o:p></p></div><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-bottom:12.0pt;text-align:center'><b><i><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;color:blue'>"<u>Nothing focuses the mind like a deadline ... </u>"</span></i></b><b><i><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Trebuchet MS",sans-serif'><br></span></i></b><br><br><o:p></o:p></p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><div><p class=MsoNormal>On Mon, Oct 1, 2018 at 9:29 AM Grant Gross <<a href="mailto:grantgross@gmail.com">grantgross@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<o:p></o:p></p></div><blockquote style='border:none;border-left:solid #CCCCCC 1.0pt;padding:0in 0in 0in 6.0pt;margin-left:4.8pt;margin-right:0in'><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Garamond",serif'>Somedays, I think driving an Uber or being a greeter at Wal-Mart would be an easier way to make a buck than freelancing.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Garamond",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Garamond",serif'>Just reflecting on how my last month or two has gone. <o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Garamond",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Garamond",serif'>Grant<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Garamond",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Garamond",serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Garamond",serif'>Grant Gross</span><o:p></o:p></p></div></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Garamond",serif'>Freelance editor, writer, and tech policy reporter</span><o:p></o:p></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Garamond",serif'><a href="http://www.grantgross.com" target="_blank">www.grantgross.com</a> </span><o:p></o:p></p></div></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Garamond",serif'><a href="http://linkedin.com/in/grantgross" target="_blank">linkedin.com/in/grantgross</a></span><o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Garamond",serif'>(240) 294-4921</span><o:p></o:p></p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><p class=MsoNormal>-- <br>Ipg-smz mailing list<br><a href="mailto:Ipg-smz@netpress.org" target="_blank">Ipg-smz@netpress.org</a><br><a href="http://netpress.org/mailman/listinfo/ipg-smz_netpress.org" target="_blank">http://netpress.org/mailman/listinfo/ipg-smz_netpress.org</a><o:p></o:p></p></blockquote></div></div></body></html>