For readers in the States, the 4th of July is the anniversary of the day the U.S. signed the Declaration of Independence. ABC News celebrated Independence Day with an article yesterday to help wannabe freelancers declare their own independence!

Michelle Goodman, the blogger behind Anti9to5Guide.com, asked in her Career Management column at ABCnews.com, “Ever Dreamed of Working at Home in Your Pajamas? Make it Reality.” And she answered with Five Low-Cost Ways to Be Your Own Boss, an article that looks at five great occupations for new freelancers: professional organizer, copywriter, blog designer, bookkeeper, and virtual assistant.

It’s an easy read if you’re thinking about going into a freelance profession, and the cool part is that Michelle interviewed me for tips from my experience as a blog designer and consultant. This was my first time breaking into traditional media, and it was a cool opportunity for a little publicity of my freelance business, ThrillingDesign.com.

So how did I do it? I’d like to say that I was fortunate enough to score this brief interview for ABC because I was willing to invest into building a relationship. Michelle is someone I established an acquaintance with nearly a year ago when I interviewed her for Ramit Sethi’s I Will Teach You To Be Rich blog. I took a genuine interest in her work and her book The Anti 9-to-5 Guide: Practical Career Advice for Women Who Think Outside the Cube because obviously, freelancing is something I’m passionate about. We’ve stayed in touch since, and she must have kept track of me as I started up my own freelance business in the last several months. So when she was looking for a freelancer who helps business owners and writers customize their own blogs, she came to me knowing it was right up my alley.

The lesson here is simple: if you have a genuine interest in what others do—be they columnists, authors, CEOs, or whatever—don’t be afraid to reach out and ask them a few questions about it. I’ve met the second richest man in the world, and interviewed a billion-dollar hedge fund manager, and I think that almost anybody, no matter how rich, powerful, successful, or famous, likes to feel like others have a genuine interest in what they do. And often times, if you show that toward others, they will reciprocate at some point.

I feel very honored to be a part of Michelle Goodman’s piece on ABCnews.com. She’s a fantastic writer and the article takes an interesting look at the lives of a few different freelancers. She recommends you look at the Small Business Association (SBA) and SCORE if you’re interested in going self-employed, among a few other resources. I’m also looking forward to her upcoming book in October, “My So-Called Freelance Life: How to Survive and Thrive as a Creative Professional for Hire.”

She had a number of great questions for me when we spoke, but naturally there was only space for a small portion of what we discussed in the finished news article, so I’ll try to share some more thoughts on freelancing and blog design in my next post here at Thrilling Heroics.

[see: Five Low-Cost Ways to Be Your Own Boss on ABCnews.com]