Compass

Phon Baillie enjoyed proofreading before she knew it was a job. After graduating university and later publishing school, Phon then went out on her own to become a freelance proofreader. You can find Phon on her site artofproofreading.com, where you can sign up for a free five day course or join her free masterclass.

Building your network builds your business. While it may not come easy for all of us, having a wide and solid network gives us a better footing for finding clients. Think about it, the more people who know you and what you do, the more likely one of them will either need your services or recommend you to someone who does. And for Phon, this was how she found her first clients.

Phon devotes time to marketing to keep her income stable. Whether you're bringing in new clients or reminding former ones that you're available to meet their needs, a steady stream of requests creates a steady stream of income. what are some ways you can reach out to new and former clients?

For full links and show notes, visit compasspod.com/055

We talk about university on the show for a couple of reasons. I think we need the reminder that for those of us who attended university, most don't end up working in the field we studied, but we can bring things we learned into what we do now. Also, we don't need to have gone to university to do well in life and in entrepreneurship. Instead of heading to study, Chrystabelle took a year off and then set herself up in an internship and worked her way up. A note here: in some countries, like the US, there are specific legal requirements for something to be considered an internship. In these cases, I think we might apply the word 'apprenticeship' more accurately. Either way, Chrystabelle created her own arena for learning and you can too.

Chrys Media, Chrystabelle's company is her third venture. She set up two businesses that didn't work out, first. We need to remember that we may not find our exact right work the first time around. That also doesn't mean we need to give up and start filling out job applications. Had Chrystabelle walked away after her first failed business, or her second, she wouldn't be living the life she has now. Have faith in yourself and your ability to figure out what's next for you.

Competing on price is a race to the bottom, every time. You get little money and clients who often try to take advantage. Instead, think about what you offer, what makes you different and build your business, your reputation around that. No one else is you, we don't think or create just like you. It may feel easy or obvious to you, but know that your way of doing things is important for your business.

For full links and show notes, visit compasspod.com/053

This was a new one for me and it's great. Arpine became location independent so that she could earn a European income but spend as much time as she wants in Armenia, with her friends and family. This is the reverse of what we tend to think of with countries with a lower average wage, which is to hire for cheap. Just because you come from a lower average wage country, doesn't mean you're limited to those expectations. You can use the internet to level the playing field, just like Arpine did.

As a service provider, what do you do when the client relationship isn't working for you? For a long time, Arpine felt like she couldn't walk away. And you don't want to unnecessarily burn any bridges, but you do have the right to end a business relationship that isn't working. You can find a way to approach the client with clarity and a fair way out for both of you. If they react poorly, then you're better off having left anyway.

Do you have a product in mind, but don't want to waste materials working up samples? What about taking that extra step to see that your product has a second or even third life once it's first use is over? These ideas are possible and happening right now with product design. You can build sustainability into your design without ever casting a mold. What possibilities are popping into your head?

For full links and show notes, visit compasspod.com/052

This is one that many of us go through, especially if we're extraverts. You go from having an office full of colleagues to bounce ideas around with and share downtime chatting to being all on your own. Pretty quickly it becomes obvious that something is missing. There are meetups and coworking, and some days when it's less the need for interaction and more about just having the bustle of people around there are coffee shops. Finding the right mix is very personal and it will probably take time to get the right set up for you.

Working without an office makes it easy for work to leak into our personal lives, even more so when we're alone in a new place and enjoy what we do. Making time for hobbies and personal time becomes even more important now. What do you love to do? What makes you feel better? How can you structure your week to support you, and not just your business?

We've talked about this a bit with Dr. Sonia Jaeger, pricing is very region-specific. When Lili is in the US market, she's able to look at the competitive field and see where her pricing falls. In France, it's not so simple. There is a lower cost of living and what she does is new. This means she's the one creating the frame of reference and at the same time needs to take into account the local levels of disposable income. It takes a bit of trial and error, but one thing remains true, womxn tend to underprice ourselves. Unless you know you are at the top of your market, take your price and add 20%.

For full links and show notes visit compasspod.com/051

Starting early, Tamar started investing any money that wasn't put towards immediate needs. Over time this built up as a way of supporting her art through residual income, giving her a freedom to focus her art when it wasn't yet paying bills. Is this something you can start? Putting away a little extra a month and letting it grow over time?

You know what you want to do and with that in mind, you can create your own personal 'curriculum' for learning about business. Do you need to study marketing, or perhaps fulfillment? Not only are there a massive variety of online courses out there, but depending on where you live, there may well be in-person classes and support.

As people who move around often, or even just work from home, building a network can be tricky. We don't have office colleagues or watercooler talk. We do have a ton of online groups and in many cases Meetup groups. Building support systems through our interests and travels is simplest if we reach out first. It takes more work and takes time, but we can set ourselves up for success when we start building a supportive framework.

For full links and show notes visit compasspod.com/050

We are part of a global economy, and one that is shifting. Does your schedule mean working with someone in another timezone makes more sense? Are you okay working with someone whose native language isn't the same as yours if it means a better quality product or a better time frame? Will you choose a provider with a lower asking price if it means a time zone lag? We have a lot of questions to answer if we're going to make our best choices in the world of international hires.

As digital nomads, it's easy to feel alone, and this goes for our business lives as much as it does our personal ones. The answer in both cases is reaching out, building a network. Interact, offer help, answer questions, and when you need it, ask for help. Since we're often on the move, online groups can be the best place to start. I love Digital Nomad Girls, Female Digital Nomads, and She Hit Refresh.

I love our pricing discussions because so many of us have no idea where to start. Kate talked about how in insurance, pricing is tied to coverage, but that she likes to add value as well. And it got me thinking, how can we add value to our products and services without adding work to our day. Is it in the way interacting with us allows our clients to feel? Is it in a product we can create once and send as a bonus to our loyal clients? What can we do and create that make the experience of working with us an even better choice?

For full links and show notes, visit compasspod.com/049

Because of her background in history, Zsófia looks at problems differently than other finance students did, and now differently than other operations managers. This means seeing solutions the others wouldn't necessarily see either and that's a win for everybody. It's time to learn to view our different perspectives and ideas as the strengths they are.

The job Zsófia applied for wasn't listed as remote, but she took the risk and asked. Instead of saying yes or no, they decided to have a trial period. When the trial period ended they agreed to turn the job into a contract position, and now Zsófia is self employed, and filling out her roster.

There are so many opportunities that we don't see, and even the ones we do, we often just keep going, thinking they're not for us. But if we grab that opening and see where it leads, great things can come of it. Zsófia didn't set out to become an operations manager, but she followed the opportunities that presented themselves and found a great career that she enjoys.

For full links and show notes visit https://compasspod.com/048

You have two options when you have more work coming in than you can reasonably handle. You can raise your prices to keep your project flow at a speed that works for you, or you can find others to outsource the work to and take on a management role. This comes down to personality. Would you rather work on your own working directly in your field? Or would you prefer to manage others? If you're not sure, then go slowly. Send any overflow to one freelancer and get your communication with them down. Then, check-in with yourself and see which you prefer. And this holds true for any agency you build, from educational materials development, to social media management, to writing.

Kari got sued. Well, The Content Factory got sued, because a contractor used an image that they pulled off of Google. Do not do that. Because Kari owns the agency, she was held responsible. Read the linked post, it's worth your time, and then, take the time to source all your images properly, it's pretty straightforward and definitely worth your time.

We have a tendency to wait. Wait for the right time, wait for the perfect opening, wait for the go-ahead from someone, anyone. Here it is, your invitation to start, because it's the only one you'll get. No one is going to ask you to build your business, you have to decide to go after it. This can be unnerving at first, just know that it's like that for all of us. That just means it's time to start scared.

For full links and show notes, visit compasspod.com/047

When Jordan was in school in LA she waitressed, and her customers would ask what she was studying. Having these conversations led to her first client, which led to more clients. And the thing is, most of us don't do this enough. Talk about what you do! I'm guilty too. So, let's make a pact, when someone asks us what we do, when they ask what we're up to, We Tell Them!

When Jordan was working in LA, whichever client had a current project got the most attention, but that meant lots of time in recording studios and not much time taking care of herself. After starting her location independent life, that all evened out. Each client received a reasonable amount of her attention and so did she. Is there a way you can distribute your time now, so that you aren't run ragged?

Oh my. This is such a struggle for so many of us. We're in our heads, worrying, discounting our abilities, thinking we'll wait just a little longer, until we're 'ready'. Excuses. They're all excuses. Get out of your own way, start now, start scared. We're here for you.

For full links and show notes visit, compasspod.com/046

When your life is location independent, finding your community is difficult. We have online groups, and many of them are supportive, but the connections can seem fleeting. One thing Cepee does is foster meaningful connections within her groups. We hear that online relationships aren't real and that's just not true. It's a question of how strong those connections are. You have to decide how much effort you're going to put in, but building a network of other digital nomads is one of the best things you can do for your travel life.

"What if nobody shows up?" The thought that runs through the mind of everyone who ever hosts anything. Cepee found her original members by posting on Facebook. She continued telling people about it, putting herself out there, showing up with energy and enthusiasm and built the community up.

When working with individual clients, Cepee likes to overshoot her pricing, so she has a buffer for negotiation. So often we start with what we want to get paid and when the potential client comes back with a counter offer, we don't really have room to budge and either have to walk away or take a rate lower than our work is worth. This is similar to what Ikiah talked about in her thoughts on negotiating a salary, aim high so you can land where you want.

For full links and show notes, visit compasspod.com/045