15 Minute Freelancer

One way to charge more (and work less) as a freelancer is to shift from implementing the client's brief to selling strategy. When you help to set the direction for a project, you're also far less likely to find yourself navigating the awkward gaps in expectations that can arise from missing or outdated strategies.

But how do you transition to selling strategy? What do the deliverables look like? How much should you charge?

My guest today is Austin Church, a brand strategist, business coach, host of the brilliant Freelance Cake podcast and all-round entrepreneur. He shares his experience of shifting from selling implementation to strategy and his tips on how you can do the same.

We cover:

• Where to start with selling strategy
• How strategy engagements can be a great way to vet clients
• Managing the paradigm shift from "order taker" to guide and advisor
• How to work out what to charge for strategy
• How to sell strategy services to clients

Get bonus clips and tips in the 15 Minute Freelancer newsletter: 15minutefreelancer.substack.com

Say hi to Austin:

LinkedIn: Austin L. Church
Website: https://freelancecake.com/freelance-fixes 

Say hi to Louise:

Louise Shanahan is a freelance health and medical copywriter. She's on a mission to help others build a freelance business that feels easy and works for them – in weekly snack-sized bites.

LinkedIn: Louise Shanahan
Twitter: @LouiseShanahan_
Website: thecopyprescription.com

Ask a question for a future episode on memo.fm/15/

Support the podcast! If you find this episode helpful and you'd like to show your appreciation, consider leaving a tip over at ko-fi.com/15minutefreelancer. Donations help cover the cost of running the podcast and are very much appreciated.

Do you have a niche or specialism as a freelancer?

Choosing a niche can be a powerful way to use your expertise to stand out, attract clients and charge more – but what if you want to change your mind?

People have big opinions on this topic, but the truth is you can run a perfectly successful business whether you decide to niche or not.

And crucially, that decision isn't irreversible.

In this episode, I'm joined by website consultant Tom Garfield to hear about his experience of choosing (and changing) his business niche.

• Different ways to specialise and make yourself stand out
• Transitioning from one specialism to another
• Is it better to niche by service or industry?
• Pros and cons of niching
• How to figure out your "natural niche"
• Why "affinity positioning" might be an effective new approach to niching

So you know you should be working ON your business as well as IN it, but how do you actually do that when you're busy? If you've got more work than you can handle, need some help to trim your to-do list, or want to outsource but are not quite sure where to start, this episode is for you.

Outsourcing expert Lisa Tennant runs a virtual assistant service and joins me on this episode to talk about all things delegation and outsourcing. Letting someone else into our business for the first time can be a daunting prospect, but Lisa shares some great tips about how to go about it.

Our chat includes:

• Why do we find it so hard to delegate
• How to know when it's the right time to start outsourcing
• How to carry out a time audit
• How to not be a control freak about outsourcing (lol)
• Finding people you can trust

Get bonus clips and tips in the 15 Minute Freelancer newsletter: 15minutefreelancer.substack.com

Mentioned in the episode:
Toggl: https://toggl.com/

Say hi to Lisa:
Website: www.ltvaservices.com
LinkedIn: Lisa Tennant
Instagram: @ltvaservices
Twitter: @LTVAservices

Say hi to Louise:
Louise Shanahan is a freelance health and medical copywriter and a big fan of finding your freelance niche. She's on a mission to help others build a freelance business that feels easy and works for them – in weekly snack-sized bites.

LinkedIn: Louise Shanahan
Twitter: @LouiseShanahan_
Website: thecopyprescription.com

Record a question or leave a voice note on memo.fm/15/

Support the podcast! If you find this episode helpful and you'd like to show your appreciation, consider leaving a tip over at ko-fi.com/15minutefreelancer. Donations help cover the cost of running the podcast and are very much appreciated.

Want to attract great freelance clients? You've probably tried content marketing and cold pitching – but what about PR? 

My guest for this episode is Melissa Hobson, a PR consultant who is here to help us with how to get started with PR and get those all-important eyes and ears on our businesses. We discuss:

• Why you shouldn't overlook PR as a strategy to attract clients
• Melissa's "tea and biscuits" PR strategy
• How to identify the right outlets and prepare your pitch
• How to get over the fear of speaking to journalists
• Planned vs spontaneous PR tactics

Get bonus clips and tips in the 15 Minute Freelancer newsletter: 15minutefreelancer.substack.com

Mentioned in the episode:
HARO: https://www.helpareporter.com/
Help a B2B Writer: https://helpab2bwriter.com/
#prrequest: https://twitter.com/hashtag/prrequest

Say hi to Melissa:
Website: www.melissahobson.co.uk
LinkedIn: Melissa Hobson

Say hi to Louise:

Louise Shanahan is a freelance health and medical copywriter and a big fan of finding your freelance niche. She's on a mission to help others build a freelance business that feels easy and works for them – in weekly snack-sized bites.

LinkedIn: Louise Shanahan
Twitter: @LouiseShanahan_
Website: thecopyprescription.com

Ask a question for a future episode via voice note on memo.fm/15/

Support the podcast! If you find this episode helpful and you'd like to show your appreciation, consider leaving a tip over at ko-fi.com/15minutefreelancer. Donations help cover the cost of running the podcast and are very much appreciated.

Regular listeners know that I love hearing how other freelancers stay organised – if you do too, I think you'll enjoy this episode.

Bonnie Harrington, freelance writer, host of Tomato Tuesdays, and Pomodoro enthusiast joins me to discuss:

• The life-changing magic of the Pomodoro technique
• Using Pomodoros for time tracking so you can charge correctly for future projects
• Pomodoro co-working for accountability, networking and connection
• Bonnie's favourite tools and systems for performing at your best when you work alone.

Get bonus clips and tips in the 15 Minute Freelancer newsletter: 15minutefreelancer.substack.com

Find out more:
Tomato Tuesdays: wordsbybonnie.com – AM session or PM session

Say hi to Bonnie:
Website: wordsbybonnie.com
LinkedIn: Bonnie Harrington
Twitter: @_wordsbybonnie
Instagram: @wordsbybonnie

Say hi to Louise:

Louise Shanahan is a freelance health and medical copywriter and a big fan of finding your freelance niche. She's on a mission to help others build a freelance business that feels easy and works for them – in weekly snack-sized bites.

LinkedIn: Louise Shanahan
Twitter: @LouiseShanahan_
Website: thecopyprescription.com

Leave me a voice note on memo.fm/15/

Support the podcast! If you find this episode helpful and you'd like to show your appreciation, consider leaving a tip over at ko-fi.com/15minutefreelancer. Donations help cover the cost of running the podcast and are very much appreciated.

Are you worried about what the current economic situation might mean for your business? If so, please know you are not alone. 

In this solo episode, I share the questions I'm considering to prepare my freelance business for economic disruption, including:

• How is the downturn affecting my niche?
• Should I change my services?
• Should I raise or lower my rates?
• How can I bring in more work if needed?
• How can I make my business more financially resilient?
• What are the potential upsides of an economic downturn for freelancers?

Our financial situations and businesses may be different (I'm not a financial advisor and this isn't financial advice), but hopefully this will spark some ideas to consider for yourself. 

Get bonus clips and tips in the 15 Minute Freelancer newsletter: 15minutefreelancer.substack.com

Find out more:
Episode 54: Make yourself ridiculously referrable
Episode 21: Stress-free accounting with Martin Brooks

Want to feature in my Ask Me Anything episode? Record your question here: memo.fm/15/

Say hi to Louise:

Louise Shanahan is a freelance health and medical copywriter and a big fan of finding your freelance niche. She's on a mission to help others build a freelance business that feels easy and works for them – in weekly snack-sized bites.

LinkedIn: Louise Shanahan
Twitter: @LouiseShanahan_
Website: thecopyprescription.com

Leave me a voice note on memo.fm/15/

Support the podcast! If you find this episode helpful and you'd like to show your appreciation, consider leaving a tip over at ko-fi.com/15minutefreelancer. Donations help cover the cost of running the podcast and are very much appreciated.

Do you need to make a change in your business? Feeling a bit daunted? This episode is for you.

My guest is Heather Pownall, a media marketing and comms specialist who has been making some big changes in her business. Heather shares what prompted her to pivot and how it’s going so far.

We discuss:

• The scary vs exciting aspects of change
• Reframing change as an opportunity to learn new things
• Adding a subscription model to your business
• How to step outside your comfort zone
• The benefits of being an "expert generalist"

Get bonus clips and tips in the 15 Minute Freelancer newsletter: 15minutefreelancer.substack.com

Say hi to Heather:

LinkedIn: Heather Pownall
Twitter: @Heathershub
Website: https://www.hmhub.co.uk/

Say hi to Louise:

Louise Shanahan is a freelance health and medical copywriter and a big fan of finding your freelance niche. She's on a mission to help others build a freelance business that feels easy and works for them – in weekly snack-sized bites.

LinkedIn: Louise Shanahan
Twitter: @LouiseShanahan_
Website: thecopyprescription.com

Ask a question for a future episode at memo.fm/15/

Support the podcast! If you find this episode helpful and you'd like to show your appreciation, consider leaving a tip over at ko-fi.com/15minutefreelancer. Donations help cover the cost of running the podcast and are very much appreciated.

Forget those "find your purpose" pdf worksheets that get forgotten about as soon as you hit save and get back to the day job – this episode will help you figure out what really drives your business so you can transform it from ticking along to truly thriving.

Matt Saunders, former freelance web designer and creator of the Freelance Business Builder, shares how finding his vision set him on the path to building a successful and scalable business.

We discuss:

• What happens when you have a clear business vision – and what happens if you don't
• How to figure out what your purpose *actually* is (not the one you think you should have)
• How a shared purpose can reduce client conflicts and make pitching easier
• How to make decisions that keep you moving in the right direction.

Get bonus clips and tips in the 15 Minute Freelancer newsletter: 15minutefreelancer.substack.com

Say hi to Matt:

Freelance Business Builder: https://mattsaunders.uk/course/fbb
LinkedIn: Matt Saunders
Twitter: @MattSaundersUK
Website: https://mattsaunders.uk/ 

Say hi to Louise:

Louise Shanahan is a freelance health and medical copywriter and a big fan of finding your freelance niche. She's on a mission to help others build a freelance business that feels easy and works for them – in weekly snack-sized bites.

LinkedIn: Louise Shanahan
Twitter: @LouiseShanahan_
Website: thecopyprescription.com

Ask a question for a future episode at: memo.fm/15/

Support the podcast! If you find this episode helpful and you'd like to show your appreciation, consider leaving a tip over at ko-fi.com/15minutefreelancer. Donations help cover the cost of running the podcast and are very much appreciated.

• All the details for the upcoming Magazine Street conference
• Behind the scenes when organising an event
• Why you should consider running an event
• How to get the most out of attending events
• And how, if you are attending Magazine Street, you may end up featuring on a future episode of 15 Minute Freelancer!

One of my goals for 2022 was to shift from working five (or sometimes seven!) days a week to a consistent four-day week. If you listened to episode 66, you'll know how that has been going... My guest this week heard that episode and offered to share her experience of reducing her hours while still delivering fantastic work for clients.

Alicja Tokarska is a freelance translator and subtitler who, after working round the clock for far too long, made the decision to transition to a new working pattern and now works Monday to Thursday.

Alicja shares her experience of moving to a four-day week along with tips on how she makes it work, including: 

• What prompted her to make the transition to four days a week
• Overcoming mental and practical obstacles to working fewer hours when you're used to being 'on' all the time
• Managing client expectations around availability
• How the move has changed her business
• What an average week looks like now (and how others can do the same).

Get bonus clips and tips in the 15 Minute Freelancer newsletter: 15minutefreelancer.substack.com

Mentioned in this episode:
Boomerang for Gmail: www.boomeranggmail.com
Episode 66: My 6-month review: what worked and what didn't?
Episode 23: Saying no and beating burnout with Sarah Townsend

Say hi to Alicja:
LinkedIn: Alicja Tokarska
Instagram: @polkadottranslations
Website: www.polkadottranslations.com

Say hi to Louise:

Louise Shanahan is a freelance health and medical copywriter and a big fan of finding your freelance niche. She's on a mission to help others build a freelance business that feels easy and works for them – in weekly snack-sized bites.

LinkedIn: Louise Shanahan
Twitter: @LouiseShanahan_
Website: thecopyprescription.com

Leave me a voice note on memo.fm/15/

Support the podcast! If you find this episode helpful and you'd like to show your appreciation, consider leaving a tip over at ko-fi.com/15minutefreelancer. Donations help cover the cost of running the podcast and are very much appreciated.