Freelance By Design

By Alvalyn Lundgren

The intersection of inspired creativity and common business sense. We talk about everything you didn't learn in design school, but should have… if you want to build a career and a life as an independe... more

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FAQs about Freelance By Design:

How many episodes does Freelance By Design have?

The podcast currently has 158 episodes available.

Freelance By Design episodes:

May 14, 2021 How To Care For Your Suppliers
No freelancer ever does a project entirely on their own. A reliable support network is crucial to getting the job done. Freelance creatives focus more on attracting and working with clients but often neglect to invest the same level of relational care into their supplier network. In this episode I share why we need to apply the "Golden Rule" with our suppliers, a couple true stories from my own experience, and unpack specific areas to watch out for in keeping those relationships respectful and mutually beneficial.
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27min
May 07, 2021 Why Strategy Trumps Tactics
Independent creatives are known to seek out quick-win tips and tactics to fix their immediate problems. But if you want to build a sustainable business around your creative work, you need a strategic plan that acts as both a compass and an anchor. While both strategy and tactics are necessary and useful. This episode introduces the concept of strategic thinking connected to your larger purpose, and attaching your goals and action steps.
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19min
April 30, 2021 Your Client Is Not Your Enemy
Ever have a client relationship turn sideways or go south? If you've been freelancing awhile you've likely experienced when a client shifts expectations or makes an odd request. Poor relationships with your clients can affect not just your freelance business, but your creative drive, your household, your friendships, your loved ones, and even your future success. Using a true story shared by a fellow freelancer, I unpack a strategy and share what, in my experience, is the number on reason why good working relationships take a wrong turn and freelancers find themselves fighting their clients rather than partnering with them to achieve a good result.
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21min
April 23, 2021 5 Practical Steps To Shift From Artist To Owner
The allure of freelancing... Why do we do it? And then, how do we do it? The freelance economy is growing across all sectors. According to a Gallup–Upwork poll, there are around 57M independent contractors in the US currently. The majority of those is creatives. To freelance successfully means you're taking care of business so that you are free to focus on your creative work. How can you avoid fizzling out and having to return to a soul-crushing day job that's not a good fit for your creativepreneurial spirit? There are 5 steps you can take that will empower you to shift from "artist" to "owner", starting with your portfolio.
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23min
April 16, 2021 Use Creative Briefs To Build Trust
Are you using a creative brief, also know as assignment or design brief, in your project development process? A brief can help you build trust with your clients for a variety of reasons. In this episode I share what a brief is and how your client relationships and freelance business as a whole can benefit by using them.
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23min
April 10, 2021 Cultivating Limitless Success
How you think affects how well you do creatively and business-wise. What you think either hinders or promotes. We all struggle with limiting beliefs and negative thinking, but we don't have to embrace them. In this episode I share for your consideration a mindset shift through the analogy of gardening and farming. This may make a difference for you if you're struggling as a freelance creative.
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32min
April 02, 2021 How The PRO Act Will Make Life Worse For Freelancers
The PRO Act, which is now included in the massive infrastructure bill, and the Worker Flexibility and Small business Protection Act, will make things very difficult for freelance creatives if it becomes law with the ABC test intact. If freelancing and independent contracting is no longer considered legitimate, and we all have to be employees, what do we lose? Whether or not an employer is a union shop or not, what do we lose? Don't take this discussion as a rant against unions or the trades, but as a genuine concern for the fallout we get to deal with if the government forces every working pro into W2-based employee status.
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31min
March 26, 2021 Budgeting Smarts For Freelancers
Money is a necessary tool in business and life, and freelancers can embrace the budgeting process creatively. Budgeting is good stewardship, and enables you to maintain momentum when your income fluctuates month to month. A spending plan can help you become more profitable because it gives you more control. I share an approach to your spending plan that's flexible, practical, and immediately actionable. Feast or famine income isn't an excuse to not have a budget.
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26min
March 20, 2021 Contracts, Spec Work, and the Friends & Family Plan
Freelance creatives can often get stuck on smaller problems, odd requests, and indecision. To that end, I offer insights to questions listeners and readers have asked regarding working on spec (speculatively), contracts, legal business structures, and when your clients are family members or friends.
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25min
March 11, 2021 Does Formal Design Education Matter?
A young designer asked me if formal education makes a difference in becoming successful. Having earned a degree, and having taught part-time in a design program for 25 years in addition to my design work, I have some bias about this topic. I frame my response with my bias in mind. The designer who posed the question is not formally trained. Her question was if formal education makes a difference and not if it is necessary for success as a creativepreneur.
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16min

FAQs about Freelance By Design:

How many episodes does Freelance By Design have?

The podcast currently has 158 episodes available.