Freelance To Founder

On today’s show: how can you stop using agency work as a crutch & build your own rolodex of high quality clients? It’s something we chat about with our first ever guest duo, Shelby & Kristina. They’re two comedic video marketers doing really fun work out of Hollywood, California. In the wake of the pandemic, Shelby and Kristina started their video business and found early success with agencies. And while working with agencies definitely has its advantages, there are lots of downsides too. So today’s show focuses on breaking free from agency-dependent work and finding your own audience, offering, and client base. It’s one of the best conversations we’ve ever had on the show and you won’t want to miss it. Stay tuned. Oh, and really quick before we dive in, I have to tell you quickly about this new tool we discovered called Hectic. It’s an all-in-one business suite built just for freelancers. I’ve never been so impressed with a product and team as much as I have with Hectic. We’ve partnered up with them and left

You're listening to our brand-new Freelance to Founder SHORTS, 5-10 minute episodes answering one (or two) questions from listeners like you. To submit your question, visit FreelanceToFounder.com/ASK and we'll feature you on an upcoming episode. On today's show, Chris calls in with another question: How do I build a marketing plan that is impressive to big-brand clients? Listen to our full-length coaching calls: http://freelancetofounder.com Support our Episode Sponsors: Hectic - Everything you need to start, manage, and grow your freelance business — in one place. Nearside - Free business banking that rewards you LinkedIn Jobs - Find the candidates you want to talk to, faster. Magic Mind - World's first productivity drink. Thrive: Join the $0 self-employment movement. Get all of the benefits of an employer, with none of the hassles. Justworks - Manage your remote team and run your business with confidence. Streak: Get 20% off your first year of their Pro plan - their most popular option. Butc

On today’s show: When you’re just getting started, taking on any clients just to pay the bills is almost a given. But there comes a time when you need higher-paying more established clients. That’s the situation today’s guest, Brittany, finds herself in. Brittany has been freelancing on the side for years and recently took her freelance business full-time. But aside from a couple of anchor clients, she’s mostly doing smaller, one-off projects that are both unpredictable and low-paying. So how do you find clients that are more established, with bigger budgets and longer-term needs? That’s something we dive into with Brittany on today’s episode.  We’ll get into it right after this quick break. Support our sponsors so we can keep airing new episodes: Hectic - Everything you need to start, manage, and grow your freelance business — in one place. Nearside - Free business banking that rewards you LinkedIn Jobs - Find the candidates you want to talk to, faster. Magic Mind - World's first productivity drink.

You're listening to our brand-new Freelance to Founder SHORTS, 5-10 minute episodes answering one (or two) questions from listeners like you. To submit your question, visit FreelanceToFounder.com/ASK and we'll feature you on an upcoming episode. On today's show, Chase calls in with a question: What's a good "gut check" or "litmus test" for finding the perfect product/market fit? Listen to our full-length coaching calls: http://freelancetofounder.com Support our Episode Sponsors: Compiler - De-mystifying tech, one question at a time. LinkedIn Jobs - Find the candidates you want to talk to, faster. Magic Mind - World's first productivity drink. Thrive: Join the $0 self-employment movement. Get all of the benefits of an employer, with none of the hassles. Justworks - Manage your remote team and run your business with confidence. Sendinblue - Use promo code FOUNDER for 50% off your first three months on a premium account at https://www.sendinblue.com/founder/ Streak: Get 20% off your first year of

On today’s show: how do you go from small, one-off clients to more reputable, big-name brands? It’s a question I pose to Elna Cain, my guest on the show today. Elna is a freelance writer who has worked with big brands like Zapier or Walmart. And in this episode, Elna and I unpack exactly how she got started building her portfolio, how she leverages that portfolio to get new clients, and what she’s doing now to attract even bigger companies. If you’re ready to build up a healthier client base, this conversation with Elna is a must. Stay tuned and we’ll get started right after this quick break. Support our sponsors so we can keep airing new episodes: Compiler - De-mystifying tech, one question at a time. LinkedIn Jobs - Find the candidates you want to talk to, faster. Magic Mind - World's first productivity drink. Thrive: Join the $0 self-employment movement. Get all of the benefits of an employer, with none of the hassles. Justworks - Manage your remote team and run your business with confidence. S

You're listening to our brand-new Freelance to Founder SHORTS, 5-10 minute episodes answering one (or two) questions from listeners like you. To submit your question, visit FreelanceToFounder.com/ASK and we'll feature you on an upcoming episode. On today's show, Dwaynia calls in with a question: How can I introduce a retainer option to people who inquire about services? Listen to our full-length coaching calls: http://freelancetofounder.com Support our Episode Sponsors: Compiler: De-mystifying tech, one question at a time. LinkedIn Jobs: Find the candidates you want to talk to, faster. Thrive: Join the $0 self-employment movement. Get all of the benefits of an employer, with none of the hassles. Justworks - Manage your remote team and run your business with confidence. Sendinblue - Use promo code FOUNDER for 50% off your first three months on a premium account at https://www.sendinblue.com/founder/ Streak: Get 20% off your first year of their Pro plan - their most popular option. ButcherBox: Ge

On today’s show: do you ever feel like freelancing and entrepreneurship are just one crazy roller coaster ride?  Well in my conversation today with two friends Darryl and Micah, we talk all about how to convert the roller coaster of business from something negative and scary, to something positively exciting. We explore how to tap into the freelancing community, how to build a solid foundation, how to leverage your knowledge, and how to go after what you really want. Join us after this quick break. P.S. Feel free to check out Darryl's product Hectic. It provides everything you need to start, manage, and grow your freelance business — in one place. Support our sponsors so we can keep airing new episodes: Compiler: De-mystifying tech, one question at a time. LinkedIn Jobs: Find the candidates you want to talk to, faster. Thrive: Join the $0 self-employment movement. Get all of the benefits of an employer, with none of the hassles. Justworks - Manage your remote team and run your business with confidenc

Big news today! We're excited to share our brand-new Freelance to Founder SHORTS, 5-10 minute episodes answering one (or two) questions from listeners like you. To submit your question, visit FreelanceToFounder.com/ASK and we'll feature you on an upcoming episode. On today's show, our friend Chris calls in with a question: when's the right time to hire a project manager and how can I do it without killing our creativity? Listen to our full-length coaching calls: http://freelancetofounder.com Support our Episode Sponsors: Compiler: De-mystifying tech, one question at a time. LinkedIn Jobs: Find the candidates you want to talk to, faster. Thrive: Join the $0 self-employment movement. Get all of the benefits of an employer, with none of the hassles. Justworks - Manage your remote team and run your business with confidence. Sendinblue - Use promo code FOUNDER for 50% off your first three months on a premium account at https://www.sendinblue.com/founder/ Streak: Get 20% off your first year of their Pr

On today’s show: we all know client referrals can be a great way to grow your business. In fact, most service businesses still identify word of mouth marketing as their #1 source for new clients. But if you never know when that next referral is coming, it can be a bit nerve-racking. Today’s guest, Erik Jensen, shares how to find and leverage high quality referral partners for your business. Referral partners who can send you consistent leads on a predictable basis. We’ll dive in after this quick message from our sponsors.  Support our sponsors so we can keep airing new episodes: Compiler: De-mystifying tech, one question at a time. LinkedIn Jobs: Find the candidates you want to talk to, faster. Thrive: Join the $0 self-employment movement. Get all of the benefits of an employer, with none of the hassles. Justworks - Manage your remote team and run your business with confidence. Sendinblue - Use promo code FOUNDER for 50% off your first three months on a premium account at https://www.sendinblue.com/

Have you ever wanted to say goodbye to writing custom proposals or charging low rates by the hour? If so, today’s your lucky day. Clay’s on leave today which leaves me to chat with our expert guest, Tyler Gillespie. Tyler has grown and sold multiple productized businesses—including one he grew to over 125 freelance employees. In this episode, he’ll unpack exactly what it means to productize your service, how you can get started, and why productizing can turn your freelance business into a massive revenue machine. Stick around for this fun brainstorming session starting right after this quick message from our sponsors.  Support our sponsors so we can keep airing new episodes: LinkedIn Jobs: Find the candidates you want to talk to, faster. Streak: Get 20% off your first year of their Pro plan - their most popular option. Compiler: De-mystifying tech, one question at a time. Justworks - Manage your remote team and run your business with confidence. Thrive: Join the $0 self-employment movement. Get all

Have you ever felt like you don’t know where you’re going in your business? It can be debilitating and frustrating. Not only that, but it can leave you spinning your wheels and wishing you knew what to do next to finally get some traction. That’s the situation we find today’s caller in. Her name’s Bernadette and she’s calling from New Zealand with questions about how to restart her business and build something she can get excited about. It’s one of the most raw, personal sessions we’ve had to date, which leads us to some real breakthroughs for Bernadette’s business. Stick around for this fun brainstorming session starting right after this quick message from our sponsors.  Support our sponsors so we can keep airing new episodes: ButcherBox: Get your meat delivered, for free, right to your door. Justworks - Manage your remote team and run your business with confidence. Talkspace: Feeling better starts with a single message. Canva: Templates for absolutely anything. Thrive: Join the $0 self-employment

On today’s show: Are you still debating whether you should build your business with full-time employees or independent contractors? For Josh, a former side-hustler who recently quit his job to pursue his business full-time, the question is a tough one. That’s because Josh’s business is thriving and he’s hired 10 new team members in the last year and a half or so. They’re all contractors which leaves him wondering if he’s “doing it right.” You can hear our take on the Employee vs Contractor debate in this episode. Stick around for this fun brainstorming session starting right after this quick message from our sponsors.  Support our sponsors so we can keep airing new episodes: ButcherBox: Get your meat delivered, for free, right to your door. Justworks - Manage your remote team and run your business with confidence. Talkspace: Feeling better starts with a single message. Canva: Templates for absolutely anything. Thrive: Join the $0 self-employment movement. Get all of the benefits of an employer, with

On today’s show, have you ever thought: if I could just find the right person to hire, I could scale up my business. That’s how Virginia from Argentina feels about her unique content marketing company. The challenge? Virginia’s company develops content around witchcraft and spiritualism—so she needs teammates who speak fluent English, writes well, and understands her unique niche. It’s a tall order, but Clay and I serve up some solid advice for hiring the best freelancers.  For more info on this subject, read: 7 Steps to Hire a Freelancer (Who Won’t Disappoint) Stick around for this fun brainstorming session starting right after this quick message from our sponsors.  Support our sponsors so we can keep airing new episodes: ButcherBox: Get your meat delivered, for free, right to your door. Justworks - Manage your remote team and run your business with confidence. Talkspace: Feeling better starts with a single message. Canva: Templates for absolutely anything. Thrive: Join the $0 self-employment movem

On today’s show: have you ever wished you could actually get paid to do things like write up a proposal or send a pitch? Well, today’s guest, Austin Church reveals how he built a system to sell strategy to his clients—allowing him to get paid for a lot of the work many of us do before ever closing a deal. Austin also opened my eyes to how selling strategy can lead to increasing your rates, only working with clients you like, and scaling up your business fast. Stick around for this fun brainstorming session starting right after this quick message from our sponsors.  Support our sponsors so we can keep airing new episodes: ButcherBox: Get your meat delivered, for free, right to your door. Justworks - Manage your remote team and run your business with confidence. Talkspace: Feeling better starts with a single message. Canva: Templates for absolutely anything. Thrive: Join the $0 self-employment movement. Get all of the benefits of an employer, with none of the hassles. Marketing Mastery for Creative

On today’s show: when’s the right time to spend money on paid advertising? If you’re not sure when or how to approach paid growth as a freelancer, you’re not alone. Our guest today, Jason, is a pastor who sells a course focused on addiction counselling and recovery. Jason has had early success with his course but knows he can’t rely on his personal mailing list or friends and family for much longer. He needs new customers. So, this jam-packed episode gives Jason lots of ideas for getting new customers and building awareness. Some paid. Some free. And all worth trying.  Stick around for this fun brainstorming session starting right after this quick message from our sponsors.  Support our sponsors so we can keep airing new episodes: ButcherBox: Get your meat delivered, for free, right to your door. Justworks - Manage your remote team and run your business with confidence. Talkspace: Feeling better starts with a single message. Canva: Templates for absolutely anything. Thrive: Join the $0 self-employme

On today’s show: what would you do if you suddenly had to start making full-time money from your business tomorrow?  In this episode, that’s a question we pose during our coaching call with Kate—a very talented motion graphics designer living in Orange County California. Kate has been building her business on the side of her day job and she’s ready to make some serious progress toward working full-time. It’s time to sink or swim. But she’s bogged down with so many questions, it can be hard to know what to do next in her business. Clay and I do our best to shine light on the most high-impact steps she can take to finally make progress.  It all starts after this quick message from our sponsors. Support our sponsors so we can keep airing new episodes: ButcherBox: Get your meat delivered, for free, right to your door. Justworks - Manage your remote team and run your business with confidence. Talkspace: Feeling better starts with a single message. Canva: Templates for absolutely anything. Thrive: Join th

On today’s show: do you keep hearing how important networking is, but you really just don’t enjoy it? In this episode, we chat with Morgan, a freelancer from Chicago. Morgan can see the potential in networking with local clients, but can’t quite figure out how to enjoy it. So, Clay and I start brainstorming a few fun and exciting ways she can leverage her unique talents to network with local business owners and potential clients. Stick around for this fun brainstorming session starting right after this quick message from our sponsors.  Support our sponsors so we can keep airing new episodes: ButcherBox: Get your meat delivered, for free, right to your door. Justworks - Manage your remote team and run your business with confidence. Talkspace: Feeling better starts with a single message. Canva: Templates for absolutely anything. Thrive: Join the $0 self-employment movement. Get all of the benefits of an employer, with none of the hassles. Marketing Mastery for Creative Entrepreneurs: Premium marketi

On today’s show: if you get most of your clients from referrals, is that a good thing? Or is your business at risk of failing? You’re about to hear a coaching call with Dwaynia who’s calling in from Alabama in the USA. Dwaynia has a great writing business going. She’s working with clients she loves and has a small team to support her.  But, Dwaynia literally lies awake at night worried about not having a client generation system in place to bring in predictable new work. Her annual goals are literally pulled out of thin air and she’s not sure how to fix it. Clay and I share a few of our best ideas for building a predictable client referral system as well as other ways to get clients in the door in a more predictable way. You won’t want to miss this conversation. It all begins after this quick message from our sponsors: Support our sponsors so we can keep airing new episodes: ButcherBox: Get your meat delivered, for free, right to your door. Justworks - Manage your remote team and run your business with co

On today’s “best of” episode which originally aired in Oct 2020, Preston has a one-on-one conversation with James Rose. James is a total rockstar when it comes to automating tasks in your business. In fact, as you’ll hear by the end of this conversation, in order to accomplish everything James automates in his business, he’d have to hire a full-time employee. Instead, he leverages affordable tech and brilliant workflows to save money and get more done. If you find yourself bogged down, short on time, or hoping to save money as you scale your business, then this episode is for you. Resources mentioned in this episode: James' personal site focused on automation hacks; He's also got two great courses for only $17. ContentSnare — James' software for helping freelancers and agencies collect content from clients. Getting Things Done book by David Allen SaneBox — Email management for any Inbox Cold Emails that Convert — My workbook course for pitching strangers and getting business. Zapier and IFTTT — Ou

On today’s show, it’s Clay’s birthday, so he has the day off, but I have a great conversation with Yash who built an agency from 2 people to over 55 employees in just a few years.  Now, Yash is building a tool called ClientJoy—helping thousands of freelancers and agency-builders take control of their client management and processes.  Today, Yash outlines in exact detail one way you can build a high-converting lead-generation machine to ensure you always have clients coming your way. You won’t want to miss this conversation. It all begins after this quick message from our sponsors: Support our sponsors so we can keep airing new episodes: Marketing Mastery for Creative Entrepreneurs: Premium marketing course from Eric Holter. Justworks - Manage your remote team and run your business with confidence. Talkspace: Feeling better starts with a single message. Thrive: Join the $0 self-employment movement. Get all of the benefits of an employer, with none of the hassles. Dripify - Premium learning platform f