Saw this at lifehacker:

http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2009/04/11/50-side-businesses-you-can-start-on-your-own/

How many of you guys have a side businesses and what do you? how do you market yourself?

4/14/2009 9:20:42 AM

i'm going to try and start doing freelance web work come this summer

[Edited on April 14, 2009 at 9:24 AM. Reason : since there aren't any classes i'm interested in being offered over the summer]

[Edited on April 14, 2009 at 9:26 AM. Reason : side note: PM me if you need a website done ]

4/14/2009 9:23:41 AM

i've done computer consulting for about 7 years (though less since i became a working stiff). early on i lucked out and got a client who referred me to about 15-20 people (and so on) so i didn't have to market myself at all in the beginning. during low spots i used to throw a couple craigslist ads up and after weeding through some crap found a few nice clients from there as well. honestly i just copied the template of some nicer looking ads that were up and customized them to fit my needs. delete and repost every 72 hours if desired. also be sure to mention what you do in conversation whenever possible (without being *that* guy).

in the end, for my kind of work at least, it's all about word of mouth. do good work, and make sure to mention to your clients that you're currently looking for more clients and you would appreciate any referrals. you could even offer x% off or a $x credit for each referral that results in new business. get business cards printed up and hand them out. i would sometimes give 4-5 to my best clients for them to hand out if they're in an office building. actually they would often ask for them for that purpose. also go to officedepot or wherever and get some official invoices printed up...they're cheap.


just saw a post on that site about computer consulting: http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/04/20/detailing-my-computer-consulting-business-from-a-to-z-getting-started-advertising-networking-and-so-on/ I actually thought about the flyers in the community centers approach...but after a while i tried to pull away from residential work and focus on businesses (more $, less hassle). i suppose it would be helpful in the beginning while you're trying to build your customer base.

4/14/2009 9:48:39 AM