For Hire

This week’s episode features someone who I basically met right before our interview, but she’s become someone I still go to for advice (and sometimes commiseration): Erika Velazquez Alpern, the CEO & Founder of Tactile, an agency that supports underrepresented founders by leading brand marketing and communications for media companies, tech startups, and lifestyle brands. Prior to launching her business, she was the VP of Marketing & Communications for The New Republic. She’s also worked at The Guardian, and she ran an artist program for AOL. She’s obviously a very cool person. But she’s also really wise and did not hold back all of the great advice she has to share. On the pod, we talked about:

-Why she decided to launch her own agency, versus going the sole proprietor freelance route

-How she shed the very unnecessary guilt that comes with negotiating with mission-driven startups (trust me, I’ve been there)

-The importance of case studies

Also, this interview took place back in December when Erika was 38 weeks pregnant, so we talked about what it’s like to have a baby while “operating a business baby,” as she put it. And I can confirm that the non-business baby is very, very cute.

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For this week’s episode, I talked to Kiki Von Glinow. She’s the co-founder of Toast Media Group, a Brooklyn-based digital marketing collective, and she works with clients from startups to legacy media companies to help them tell their stories and connect their brands to their audience or customers. And before Kiki did all this, we actually worked together at The Huffington Post, so it was really great to catch up with her back in December when we recorded the episode, and hear about all of the amazing things she’s accomplished. We talked about:

-How she set up her small business, and how it’s her goal to give every collective member their “best job ever”

-Why she prefers to call herself an entrepreneur vs. a freelancer

-How she earned what she calls her “Amazon MBA” by reading basically every business book she could find

Kiki’s a big proponent of Amy Cuddy’s “fake it until you become it” philosophy, and she was able to use that to push past any fears or self-doubt and put her stake in the ground as a business owner. So it might go without saying that this episode is A+ encouragement for anyone who struggles with self-doubt or criticism, but who has the talent and drive to accomplish great things.

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I’m so excited about this week’s guest — she’s basically a For Hire celebrity. I’m talking about web designer and digital entrepreneur Puno, who you might remember from Casey Zhang’s episode. Casey told me to check out Puno and her Do The Math spreadsheet, and I couldn’t be more glad that I did. I’ve been sending that spreadsheet to any new freelancers I know or any freelancers who want to learn how to work smarter not harder (don’t we all?).

Of course, Puno is much, much more than the creator of the Do The Math spreadsheet. She’s the founder of ilovecreatives, a platform connecting creatives through jobs, creative profiles, and education. She also co-created PeopleMap, an Instagram marketing tool where you can strategically find, grow, and track your community. On top of that, she teaches online courses via ilovecreatives and General Assembly. And as you’ll hear on today’s episode, Puno is a born storyteller — seriously, it was the easiest interview I’ve ever conducted. She just kept handing me beautiful nuggets of information on a platter. We covered a lot of ground, including:

-How to identify burnout — and how to quantitatively fix it with a spreadsheet

-What it’s like to launch lifestyle businesses

-Why Puno worships at the altar of time-tracking and hourly rates

Honestly, she makes a pretty compelling argument about that hourly thing. But don’t take my word for it, hear Puno’s explanation on the pod.

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In lieu of my normal programming, I have a quick update on the podcast.

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This week, I talk to Doree Shafrir, a fellow writer, editor, and podcast host, and author of the novel Startup. Doree co-hosts Matt & Doree’s Eggcellent Adventure and the Forever35 podcast, and I’ve been such a huge fan of her podcasts, so I was excited to talk to her. Doree’s had a really interesting path that’s involved two master’s degrees; freelancing during the recession; working on staff at places like Buzzfeed, Gawker, and Rolling Stone; writing a novel; and launching not one, but two, successful podcasts in short succession. Doree’s now back to being her own boss, so we talked about:

-What, specifically, writers should look out for in contracts

-Why Doree always asks for more money on principle (and how she does it)

-What maternity leave looks like when you’re creating the boundaries yourself

Whether or not you’re a Forever35 fan like me, Doree is very calmingly wise and honest, and has so much great advice to offer. We didn’t have enough time to dive into the nitty gritty of how she produces the Forever35 podcast with her co-host Kate Spencer, but if that’s something you’re interested in, then I recommend you checkout their episode aptly titled How The Pod Sausage Is Made.

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This week, I talk to Frankie Marin, a photographer who shoots for major brands like Kenneth Cole, Levis, and Rebecca Minkoff. We’ve actually been friends since college when he hired me to be a copy editor for our college newspaper The Daily Texan. If you’re not familiar with his work, I suggest you open up Instagram, like right now, and see for yourself how talented he is. (Frankie also very kindly took my headshot for the For Hire website.)

What a lot of people don’t know about Frankie is that he is such a fantastic example of how to make it in a competitive industry with zero connections or, you know, buckets of money from your family. He started shooting models when he was living in NYC after college, unemployed, on food stamps, and working jobs under the table to get by; and because of his talent and his ability to make genuine connections with people, he’s now at the place where major brands are pitching him. He’s also more than happy to pay it forward and help aspiring photographers wondering how to get to his skill level. On the pod, we talk about:

-How working within strict confines in the beginning of his career allowed him to be more creative and try new things

-Where he got financial and legal advice on Reddit

-How he continues to scale and grow his business while balancing commercial gigs with more creative ones

I basically just sat there and said “that’s amazing” a bunch of times, because I’m just so in awe of him and what he’s accomplished.

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This week, I talk to Minaa B. She’s a licensed social worker, creative expressive coach, and author of the book Rivers Are Coming, a collection of essays and poems about healing from emotional trauma. You might know her for her Instagram account or her newsletter, but she’s just an incredible resource for therapy and mental health, and she’s helping to redefine what it means to use your degree in social work today. We talked a lot about what it’s like to put herself out there on Instagram as a credentialed expert vs. an influencer, and where she draws the line between free labor and marketing—especially with people sliding into her DMs to essentially get free therapy.

And while I can’t say anyone’s trying to get free therapy from me, I do know what it’s like to have someone try to squeeze extra unpaid work out of me (not fun), and what it’s like to set boundaries with those people (not fun but worth it). So, even if you’re not in the mental health field, Minaa has so much freelance wisdom to share. Some other topics we talked about:

How to maintain connections with people you’ve worked with, since they might help you get another opportunity down the line

What social media burn out feels like, and how to combat it

Why financial health is important for your mental health

Note to self: Think of freelancing as an exercise in self-worth—and negotiate accordingly.

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On today’s show, I talk to Emily Schildt, a brand communications and marketing consultant based in New York City. If you’re looking for news you can use, this episode is beyond inspiring and useful for anyone considering doing any sort of brand consulting. Emily is one of the most organized, disciplined humans I’ve ever met. She’s on top of her finances, her daily routine, and her client protocol, and somehow, she makes time for multiple large-scale passion projects on the side. On top of all of that, she also manages to be a beacon of work/life balance (IMO, at least). She’s basically who I want to be when I grow up, even if we’re like the same age.

Emily and I actually met when I was on the hunt for freelance friends. A mutual friend connected us, and from the get-go, Emily has been so amazingly helpful to me. In the beginning, I’d shoot her emails with the most basic questions, and this angel of a person patiently answered all of them and even threw in pep talks when I needed them. She’s a gem. On the pod, we talk about:

Landing on your feet after a layoff

What it means to be a “starter” vs. someone who stays on board for long-term execution

The power of “no, but…” when you’re a freelancer

Grab a pen and paper, or open the notes app on your iPhone or something, because you’re definitely going to want to take notes.

p.s. If you're curious about Emily's Pop-Up Grocer, check it out on Instagram @popup.grocer.

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On today’s show, I talk to Sean Santiago. Funny story: When I asked him to be on the show, he had been a freelance art director and creative consultant, and had worked with companies like Converse, Target, Architectural Digest and Refinery29 (though we actually didn’t cross paths at Refinery29). He’s also the founder of Cakeboy, an independent LGBTQ+ zine. But, by the time we were able to sit down for this interview, he had JUST started his first staff job in three years, like that week. So, technically, Sean’s not freelance at the moment, but I still wanted to talk to him because, as a freelancer, he was able to cobble together the kind of work he wanted to be doing, the kind of stuff that his prior staff experience didn’t necessarily allow—which ultimately turned into him getting a dream job kind of job: He’s now the Art Director of Out Magazine. No big deal.

Despite that, Sean is one of those people who is so humble and truly doesn’t know how talented he is. On the show, we talk about:

How hard it can be to give yourself the credit you deserve when you’re by yourself as a freelancer

The importance of pausing to do a postmortem after freelance projects, even just mentally

What you can do to help make sure you’re at the top of the right person’s mind at the right time (aside from, you know, luck)

Reminder: Hindsight is 20/20, so don’t be too hard on yourself when you take the time to look back.

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On today’s show, I talk to creative consultant Casey Zhang. I had been casually social media-stalking Casey for a few months before I reached out, so I already knew how talented she is and what a great eye she has before I arrived at her dreamily minimalist apartment. She got her start on staff at brands like Urban Outfitters, Etsy, and Glossier, and now she mostly works with small independent brands like Peet Rivko and some larger brands like Blue Bottle. She does everything from social media strategy to art direction to photoshoots—she’s basically a one-person show. On the podcast, we talk about:

How important it can be to take advantage of staff jobs with scrappy teams so that you can soak up as much experience as possible early on

The perks of maintaining a detailed income spreadsheet (and where to find an *awesome* template)

How much laundry you can get done when you work from home

I’m doing laundry right now! In the middle of a Tuesday! The perks of inconsistent income are real!

 

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