Freelance By Design

In this episode, Alvalyn discusses the importance of establishing and maintaining an "abundance" mindset for achieving career and creative success. She emphasizes how success is not limited by resources, but is instead created through taking action, setting goals, and plotting strategies. It's necessary to maintain an "unlimited" mindset during times of adversity because it affects outcomes. If you don't adopt a success mindset you can end up handicapping your future as a freelance creative.

Case studies help position freelance creatives as strategic problem solvers, rather than technicians or wrists. They present the client's problem, document and record the creative process, and showcase research findings, insights, and process to demonstrate problem-solving capabilities. In this episode I highlight the benefits of using case studies to upgrade your portfolio to attract higher value clients, and what to include in a case study.

Many freelancers in all sectors work without written contracts. They rely on verbal agreements which can be vague and incomplete. Neglecting to put project parameters and expectations in writing before you begin a project opens the door for all kinds of trouble to show up. The best way to avoid these troubles is to used contracts. In this episode I share from my own experience, and how freelancers can manage expectations with written agreements. Using contracts is good business practice and can increase your potential for long-term success.

A new reporting requirement affecting LLCs and s-corps — small and independent businesses legally registered with their secretary of state — is coming your way in 2024. The Corporate Transparency Act establishes a federal database of beneficial owners of small businesses with under 20 employees, including microbusinesses and freelancers. The database is overseen by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network of the Department of the Treasury. My goal in this episode is to educate you regarding this new law, why it was implemented, and the information you need to supply if you're an LLC or corporation.

Stress resides between an expectation of an ideal and what actually is. When the expectation of the ideal — balance (symmetry) — collides with the messy realities of life, you can feel like you're not good enough or you're in the wrong lane. It's all in what kind of balance you're striving for. In this episode I present relief from the expectation of work-life symmetry in the form of a different point of view — asymmetry. Life is one whole thing, and a proportional approach to balancing time can relieve a lot of the distress that comes with a sense of not measuring up if you don't achieve symmetry. There's freedom in knowing life isn't perfectly precise. There's always a geometry to life, but there's never perfect symmetry.

There are myriad courses, programs, and coaches available to help you learn skills to succeed in your freelance business. You have a lot of teachers, coaches, and "gurus" to choose from. Or you can choose none and learn it on your own. In this program I talk about the options, about specialists and experts, about offers of success and revenue, and what to look out for. But the main thing I set out to provide you — the one take-away you need to be aware of — is that there are no guarantees. And I explain why. I also share the kind of guarantee I offer in my Freelance Road Trip Business School.

As a freelancer or creativepreneur, negotiating skills are crucial and can make a significant difference in the success of your creative business. In this episode, we'll address the purpose of the negotiation process, explore the dos and don'ts of effective negotiating, with tips on how to come to an agreement on price, deliverables, and schedule, so that both you and your client will benefit.

Marketing and branding are related concepts that are often used interchangeably, but they are distinct and have different purposes. Freelance designers create brand assets and identities for their clients, but fewer freelancers actually consider the necessity of building their own brands, or understand how effective branding guides marketing efforts integrates with business. This episode covers the differences between marketing and branding, how they're related, and a short discussion about selling and advertising, all with freelance creatives in mind.

AI is disrupting the creative industries in a variety of ways that are both beneficial and detrimental. In this episode we consider both the problems and advantages of using AI as a freelance creative, and propose answers to these questions, among others: "Why would a client pay me when they can create a thing themself for free using AI?", "How can I use AI tools to support my business?", "How can I protect my work from theft?"