15 Minute Freelancer

Today's episode is a chat with freelance copywriter Sarah Townsend, author of Survival Skills for Freelancers. One of the best bits about freelancing is being in control of your own work, but that's also a huge challenge. In this episode, Sarah shares her top tips on:

• setting boundaries so you can control your time, avoid burnout and deliver your best work
• practising a growth mindset and remembering 'progress over perfection'
• building a boost bank, to help you celebrate the wins and beat imposter syndrome
• how to get in the right frame of mind to promote your services

Since publishing her bestselling guide to self-employment, Sarah has combined her copywriting work with delivering mentoring, training and events to help the self-employed community tackle the ups and downs of freelance life.

Get Sarah's books:
Survival Skills for Freelancers (also available on Audible)
The Little Book of Confusables

Twitter: @STEcopywriting
LinkedIn: Sarah Townsend
Instagram: @thecopywritersday and @stecopywriting
Website: https://www.sarahtownsendeditorial.co.uk and  https://survivalskillsforfreelancers.com 

Mentioned on this episode

• Leapers (community supporting mental health of self-employed people)

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

Keep in touch!

Twitter: @LouiseShanahan_
LinkedIn: Louise Shanahan
Instagram: @Louise_Shanahan_
Website: thecopyprescription.com
Newsletter: thecopyprescription.com/subscribe

At a certain point in your freelance career, you realise you can't do it all. Nor should you! Hiring a virtual assistant (VA) is one way to take the pressure off and let an expert take care of your admin and business management tasks, so you can focus your magic elsewhere.

Caroline Marshall is the founder of Upsource, an award-winning virtual assistant agency, and on today's episode she shares:

• how a VA can support your freelance business so you can avoid burnout and focus on growing your business
• how to find the right VA (and get over your fear of sharing your passwords!)
• how to decide what tasks to outsource, and what to keep doing yourself
• how to get your head around the fact that someone might see the messy side of your business (and how they can tidy it up for you)
• favourite productivity tools
• how to get started as a VA

If you're thinking about hiring a VA, you won't want to miss this.

Connect with Caroline:

Website: weareupsource.co.uk
Instagram: @weareupsource
LinkedIn: Caroline Marshall

Mentioned on this episode

• Society of Virtual Assistants

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

Keep in touch!

Twitter: @LouiseShanahan_
LinkedIn: Louise Shanahan
Instagram: @Louise_Shanahan_
Website: thecopyprescription.com
Newsletter: thecopyprescription.com/subscribe

On today's show... what your accountant wishes you knew!

Louise is joined by Martin Brooks, an accountant with expert knowledge of freelance and small business accounts. He shares: 

• 3 things to prioritise when it comes to getting your finances in order
• how to know when it's time to go limited
• how to plug the gap when you don't have sick pay, holiday pay or parental leave
• the one mistake we mustn't make when it comes to taxes

Martin Brooks is an accountant at Gold Stag Accounts. Connect with him here:
Twitter: @goldstagaccount
LinkedIn: Martin Brooks
Website: goldstagaccounts.co.uk

Mentioned on this episode:

• IPSE
• Self Employment Income Support Grant

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

Keep in touch!

Twitter: @LouiseShanahan_
LinkedIn: Louise Shanahan
Instagram: @Louise_Shanahan_
Website: thecopyprescription.com
Newsletter: thecopyprescription.com/subscribe

What should you call your freelance business? Should you use your own name or operate under a brand name? On today's episode, Louise chats to fellow copywriter Mark Grainger, who has used both at various points in his business. Mark shares why he decided to change to a brand name, the personal meaning behind the name he chose, and his tips for coming up with a name that feels like you and will attract the kind of clients you really want.

Mark Grainger is a copywriter at Blossom Tree Copy. Find him here:
Twitter: @MarkGrainger
LinkedIn: Mark Grainger
Website: blossomtreecopy.co.uk

Honourable mention: @Andre_Spiteri

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

Keep in touch!

Twitter: @LouiseShanahan_
LinkedIn: Louise Shanahan
Instagram: @Louise_Shanahan_
Website: thecopyprescription.com
Newsletter: thecopyprescription.com/subscribe

What's your barometer of freelance success? Do you find yourself distracted by how many followers you have on Twitter or the size of your email list? Do you have a sneaky peek at what other freelancers' say they're earning? Today's episode is about zeroing in on what really matters in our freelance business and getting permission to ignore the rest.

"When we get more likes and followers and subscribers, we get a dopamine hit. They're monkey brain metrics. All of this takes up time and energy, which are limited resources when you work for yourself. So it's important to be sure that you're focusing your attention where it really matters."

Mentioned in this episode:

• Ep 18: How to ask for (and use!) better testimonials
• 1000 True Fans, Kevin Kelly

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

Keep in touch!

Twitter: @LouiseShanahan_
LinkedIn: Louise Shanahan
Instagram: @Louise_Shanahan_
Website: thecopyprescription.com
Newsletter: thecopyprescription.com/subscribe

Ever feel awkward about asking a client for a testimonial? Never quite sure what to do with them when they arrive? In today's episode, we're going to fix that! You'll get:

• tips on how to make asking for testimonials as painless as poss
• the 9 exact questions Louise asks to elicit testimonials that are a bit more useful than "that was great, thanks"
• three ways to use your testimonials to add extra persuasive power to your website and marketing copy

You'll also find it all nicely summarised in this handy FREE pdf, along with even more tips and details: https://mailchi.mp/thecopyprescription/testimonialsmadeeasy

(That pdf also includes a link to the frankly delightful video Louise uses when asking for testimonials and referrals.)

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

Keep in touch!

Twitter: @LouiseShanahan_
LinkedIn: Louise Shanahan
Instagram: @Louise_Shanahan_
Website: thecopyprescription.com
Newsletter: thecopyprescription.com/subscribe

One of the best bits about working for yourself is that you get to make all the decisions. But that's also one of the biggest challenges! From choosing a business name to figuring out how to reply to that awkward client email, the decision-making process can be tough. Today's episode includes frameworks to help you stop agonising over every decision and just rip the band-aid off.

Featuring special guest: Ziggy the cat

You might also like:

• Episode 6: Spend less time on client work with theme days

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

Keep in touch!

Twitter: @LouiseShanahan_
LinkedIn: Louise Shanahan
Instagram: @Louise_Shanahan_
Website: thecopyprescription.com
Newsletter: thecopyprescription.com/subscribe

One of the big challenges facing many freelancers is the feast or famine cycle. You're either way too busy and stressed out, or your inbox looks like someone cancelled your account without telling you. Navigating these ups and downs can be hard work, both financially and psychologically. But there is a way to break free! Today's episode includes a few strategies that might help you smooth out your workload and income so you can say goodbye to the feast or famine cycle. 

Mentioned on this episode:

• Episode 1: 7 simple ways to find freelance clients in 2021
• Episode 6: Spend less time on client work with theme days
• Episode 9: 7 tips for easy freelance finances
• Episode 15: Is it time to raise your rates?

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

Keep in touch!

Twitter: @LouiseShanahan_
LinkedIn: Louise Shanahan
Instagram: @Louise_Shanahan_
Website: thecopyprescription.com
Newsletter: thecopyprescription.com/subscribe

When you don't have a boss to give you a promotion or a pay rise, you have to create your own career ladder! This episode looks at why you should raise your freelance rates, different ways to give yourself a pay bump (not all of which include raising your prices), and how to communicate changes with clients without getting sweaty and weird.

"If you felt like you needed permission to raise your rates, you just got it!"

Mentioned on this episode:

• Episode 4: The pricing advice I hate!
• Episode 3: How to find your best-fit clients

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

Keep in touch!

Twitter: @LouiseShanahan_
LinkedIn: Louise Shanahan
Instagram: @Louise_Shanahan_
Website: thecopyprescription.com
Newsletter: thecopyprescription.com/subscribe

Is online marketing a pyramid scheme? A cult? Today, Louise looks at the darker side of the online marketing world and what it means for freelancers. Listen up for the three ways this harms freelancers and what we can do about it.

"Celebrity marketers present themselves as our friends, as boss babes, as the guy next door so we 'know, like and trust' them. We think, 'they're just like me, maybe I can do that too.' But the problem is that what worked for them won't work for everyone. And if you buy their course, and you don't get the results you hope for, that leads to shame, blame, burnout and disappointment. How do we avoid getting sucked in?"

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

Mentioned on this episode:

• Rachael Kay Albers
• Duped podcast
• Episode 10 of 15 Minute Freelancer with Sophie Cross
• Amy Nolan @ink_va

Keep in touch!

Twitter: @LouiseShanahan_
LinkedIn: Louise Shanahan
Instagram: @Louise_Shanahan_
Website: thecopyprescription.com
Newsletter: thecopyprescription.com/subscribe