Henlo guys! 

It’s been a short while uli a, whew! 

Grabe dami na agad nangyari! Q3 is almost out.

Felt like July went by in a blur.

Even June went by in a flash sa dami ng events.

Parang di tayo nagka-time to catch our breath, no?

Tapos nagkasakit pa ako and factor in social battery recharge time after events and flights pa..

Sakto din after all the buzz, we’ve all had some time for retrospection.

I want to share uli na freelancing isn’t just about the hustle and bustle at pera-pera na lang din lagi, but also about cherishing the bonds we form along the way.

It’s about nurturing our connections, understanding their value, and making an effort to keep them alive.

Para we don’t end up just spending years of our life simply working lang.

So eto uli ako, reaching out, trying to reconnect the threads that were unintentionally left unattended.

It’s on me guys.

Sorry.

Naging matamlay comms natin, and I’m changing that. 

Kaya I wanted to know about what kind of content or emails you’d love to see more of from me. 

To rephrase the question, if I were to teach you something, what would that be? (Something you know me by, as a member of this email list.)

If you were here for the giveaway lang, no hard feelings please leave this list. 

I’m interested in engaging with serious freelancers lang. 

Anyway, let’s get started with a few tips from me about a very big topic. 

Aughost. Ghost month. 

Scary ba, hehe. 

I don’t know about you guys, pero as we moved into the month of August, a sense of apprehension may have started to creep in sa marami satin. 

AuGHOST is often dubbed as the “ghost month” for freelancers. 

A few years ago kasi, I worked as a videographer for the wedding and events industry. We’d notice this dip talaga sa weddings kasi tag-ulan din yung end ng July, and start na ng bagyo season. 

See my latest vedyo about bagyo season here hehe (share nyo din para masaya lol)

Most brides and organizers would schedule their big events away from these months. 

This term was coined due to the perceived decrease in the availability of projects during this time. 

Tapos eto pa: August, being a transitional period between the end of one academic year and the beginning of another, often sees a slowdown in activities. Projects that began in the spring are typically wrapping up, while new initiatives set to launch in the fall are yet to kick off. This is for US academic schedule, which we’re also now following sa pinas.

Furthermore, in some cultures, for example sa Japan - August is a time for honoring ancestors. It’s called Obon, and parang festival season nila yan. I guess kasi the weather is also nice there this time of year. (Not gonna lie, now ko lang nalaman to as I was researching what to write for this email. Hehe sorna plith) 

In these cultures, it’s customary to refrain from starting new ventures or making significant decisions during this period, which includes launching new projects or hiring freelancers.

Sa US naman, dahil summer don sa kanila - - Clients seem to be on vacation, new projects are few and far between, and the usual hustle and bustle of freelancing work tends to slow down. Season lang talaga.

Eto pa, August is smack in the middle of summer when many people are taking vacations. This vacation season holds true not just for individuals, but also for many businesses. Company decision-makers, project managers, and others who might typically hire freelancers are often out of office during this time. 

As a result, new projects tend to be fewer, and current projects may slow down due to the absence of key personnel.

Similarly, many businesses align their timelines and project cycles with the academic calendar. 

DO YOU FEEL THIS din ba? Reply ka please if yes or no. (if mag bounce, forward your reply to Dennis.Abad@gmail.com - sira pa din mail server ko e, huhu)

Diba, it’s like this sudden silence has fallen over the marketplace, making it a challenging period for many.

This feeling can be disconcerting, especially if you’re reliant on a steady stream of projects to maintain your income. The unpredictability can lead to stress and financial instability. 

However, na-realize ko when I became an online freelancer - - - this doesn’t always have to be this way. 

Ghost month doesn’t mean it's the end of the world na.

You can totally use it to redirect your energy more productively pa din!

In fact, it can serve as an opportunity to reassess, reevaluate, and revamp our freelancing game plan... na parang midyear, but sa August. hehe

By implementing a few strategic tips, you can even keep client work flowing even during these lean months (if you like lang, ako I personally want to slow down lang din). 

Anyway, I’ll describe them as examples of real people para gets nyo agad. 

1. Diversify Your Client Base: Take the example of Jane, a freelance graphic designer I know. She expanded her clientele from mainly tech startups to include local businesses, non-profits, and even international clients. By doing so, she was able to maintain steady work throughout August as her diverse client base had different operational rhythms and needs. Ito yung thing, this is where you can experiment with working on different client types to see lang if hiyang ka don.

Think of it as Freelancer R&D and testing markets.

This way, you can avoid going into a rut if you’ve been doing the same thing over and over. You can change markets din the next August comes around. 

2. Offer Special Promotions: Yung isa ko ding kilalang Freelance app developer, Mark, used the “ghost month” to his advantage by offering a “Get Ready for Fall” promotion offering discounted app development packages. Ang style dito is to make it such a no-brainer offer.

The key thing to do here is that dapat magbayad sila 100% project fee upfront as part of the deal. This led to an influx of new projects from clients who were attracted by the cost savings and the thought of launching their app by fall.

3. Up-skill: H, a freelance content writer, used her downtime to learn SEO and digital marketing strategies. This not only enhanced her writing services but also allowed her to attract a new set of clients who were looking for SEO-optimized content. You can totally do this too, kasi combining two skills often makes your offer more appealing to your market.

Imagine that, you’re a content writer who knows SEO? That’s invaluable. Or you can also totally just go on vacation sabay sa clients mo.

You deserve a break din ha. 

4. Network: Gwen attended a conference during the end of July where she was able to network with like-minded people from her group called the Freelance Movement Tribe (ahem, lol). She’s an online bookkeeper and flew in from Bukidnon pa to go to Batangas. The trip was worth it kasi nakapag reconnect sya sa fellow freelancer leaders and friends nya who saw her sa Zoom for most of the year. She got a solid confidence boost from the training during the TL Conference and networking with freelancers.

While a lot of people unlock a work connection win during these events, we have to remember that hindi lang lagi all about the money ang hustle natin. We really need to recharge our energy with our kind of crowds. 

5. Plan Ahead: Finally, consider the case of Tony, a freelance videographer friend of mine from way back. Knowing about the August slowdown, Tony strategically scheduled long-term projects, such as wedding shoots booked in advance and corporate contracts, to overlap with this period. He also saved a portion of his earnings from busier months to ensure financial stability during leaner times. Kumbaga sa business, you’re cost-averaging your earnings and spreading them out evenly over the year.

For example sa events industry, we typically earn a lot during the ber months, and during may and june because of good weather. The best practice here was to only spend as if average month lang. Walang grabeng spike sa spending on the high-income months, para wala din emergency during the lean months. In fact you can also schedule your vacations during this time, kasi sa Pinas naman start din ng off-season ng ibang tourist destinations and you’ll be able to get discounts with a few calls.

Yung astig dito kay Tony, he actually opened a Pares food stall during the pandemic sa city nya and it’s also become a good revenue source. Kaya now kahit balik na sya sa shoots, tuloy pa din business from his Pares Pares. What about you, ano kaya pwede mong side gig by implementing it during August? Excited to hear from you. 

These examples show that with creativity and strategic planning, the “ghost month” of August can be transformed into a time of opportunity and growth for freelancers across various niches.

So yown, that’s it from me muna today. 

Reply kayo plith. 

Cheers! 

Shoden