In this episode, Austin L. Church talks to journalist, freelance writer, and coach Wudan Yan about the art of negotiation. The driving force behind The Writers' Co-op, Wudan tells the story of her transition from journalism to freelance narrative writing and sheds light on the two different cultures with their sets of norms.

Wudan goes on to share how her upbringing and academic background provided very little preparation for the freelance world where negotiation is often necessary. 

When teaching freelancers and consultants how to negotiate, Wudan frames back-and-forth as a dialogue or conversation, not a confrontation. 

Her personal journey and insights prove that negotiation can be a fulfilling and rewarding aspect of the freelance journey, even if it doesn’t come naturally to you. 

If you’ve ever felt uncomfortable during a negotiation or felt like your skills are lacking, you’ll be glad you found this episode. 

Key points

• Wudan’s Journey from Science to Narrative Writing (01:53)
• Negotiating a raise for the first time (17:44)
• Wudan's negotiation journey montage (25:37)
• Negotiating rush projects and rush fees (25:51)
• The importance of a conversational approach in negotiations (28:43)
• One simple yet profound tactic to become a master negotiator (36:58)

Notable Quotes

• “You're never going to get what you don't ask for, and you can never get more than the maximum of what you're asking for."
• "Negotiating is a conversation. If both you and I are setting really hard boundaries around things, there's no meeting in between."
• "Ask questions that invite a response.”

Resources & Links

• Business Redesign Group Coaching Program
• $300K Flywheel for Freelancers & Consultants
• The Writers' Co-op
• Jim Dethmer: Leading Above the Line
• Connect with Wudan Yan on Instagram and LinkedIn

This episode of Freelance Cake is brought to you by CrowdHealth

Healthcare in the US is complicated, confusing, and highly personal. Insurance premiums, deductibles, and copays can get really expensive, especially for freelancers and consultants who don’t have an employer paying for anything. Over the last 7 years, my family has saved $60,000+ in premiums, deductibles, and other out-of-pocket medical expenses that we would have paid with our previous insurance policy. Healthcare crowdfunding has been a game changer for us. If you live in the U.S. and you haven’t already explored what CrowdHealth has to offer, take the time to educate yourself. And if you decide you want to give them a try, go to www.joincrowdhealth.com. You can use promo code FREELANCECAKE during sign-up to save $99 per month for 3 months.

Listen, rate, and subscribe!

For specific beliefs, principles, and practices you can use right away to make the freelance game more profitable and satisfying, subscribe to Freelance Cake podcast on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts!

In this continuation of “The 4 Stages of Freelancing,” Austin L. Church explores the last two stages: Lifestyler and Diversifier. After they’ve navigated through the Moonlighter and Hustler phases, freelancers reach a level of maturity where challenges become more complex. Meanwhile, opportunities for growth and personal fulfillment expand.

Austin highlights the motivations, challenges, mistakes, and questions at each stage, as well as the key breakthroughs and financial goals.

Are you a Lifestyler eager to earn the same or more while working less? Or are you a Diversifier interested in creating new revenue streams? 

Regardless, this episode will help you figure out where you currently are in your journey and what to focus on next. 

Key points

• Lifestylers overview (01:53)
• The motivations for Lifestylers (04:35)
• The mistakes for Lifestylers (05:27)
• The questions for Lifestylers (07:23)
• The main breakthrough for Lifestylers (7:56)
• The main financial goal for Lifestylers (08:16)
• Diversifiers overview (10:35)
• The motivations for Diversifiers (12:35)
• The challenges for Diversifiers (13:49)
• The questions for Diversifiers (17:07)
• The main breakthrough for Diversifiers (17:46)
• The main financial goal for Diversifiers (18:08)

Notable Quotes

• "We freelancers and consultants can get so fixated on winning the next project, staying ahead of bills, and achieving financial stability that we inadvertently become creative workaholics."
• "The last thing any freelancer should do, any consultant should do is blindly copy someone else."

Resources

• Listen to The 4 Stages of Freelancing Explained | Part 1
• Read the full post here
• Business Redesign Group Coaching Program
• $300K Flywheel for Freelancers & Consultants
• The Ladders of Wealth Creation: A Step-by-Step Roadmap to Building Wealth

This episode of Freelance Cake is brought to you by CrowdHealth

Healthcare in the US is complicated, confusing, and highly personal. Insurance premiums, deductibles, and copays can get really expensive, especially for freelancers and consultants who don’t have an employer paying for anything. Over the last 7 years, my family has saved $60,000+ in premiums, deductibles, and other out-of-pocket medical expenses that we would have paid with our previous insurance policy. Healthcare crowdfunding has been a game changer for us. If you live in the U.S. and you haven’t already explored what CrowdHealth has to offer, take the time to educate yourself. And if you decide you want to give them a try, go to www.joincrowdhealth.com. You can use promo code FREELANCECAKE during sign-up to save $99 per month for 3 months.

Listen, rate, and subscribe!

For specific beliefs, principles, and practices you can use right away to make the freelance game more profitable and satisfying, subscribe to Freelance Cake podcast on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts!

You’ve surely heard of the corporate ladder, but what are the career progressions for freelancers? Those of us who sell creativity in some form usually freelance part-time at the start, and those who stick with it eventually think, “Hey, why shouldn’t I be one of those people who make money while they sleep?”

In this episode of Freelance Cake, Austin L. Church discusses the moonlighter and hustler phases of freelancing, shining a light on the motivations, challenges, mistakes, and questions at each stage, as well as the main breakthrough and financial goal for each.

Whether you're reflecting on your current stage or aspiring to reach new heights in your freelancing career, this episode offers practical insights and guidance tailored to your unique stage.

This episode is part of a two-part series, and in the next installment, we'll explore the lifestyler and diversifier stages of freelancing. Don't forget to tune in for that one as we continue peeling back the layers of the freelancing journey.

Key points

• Stages of freelancing (01:53)
• Moonlighters overview (02:49)
• The motivations for moonlighters (03:44)
• The challenges for moonlighters (04:39)
• The questions for moonlighters (05:50)
• The main breakthrough for moonlighters (06:13)
• Hustlers overview (08:29)
• The motivations for hustlers (10:34)
• The challenges for hustlers (11:10)
• The questions and breakthrough for hustlers (12:39)
• The main financial goal for hustlers (13:39)

Notable Quotes

• "The main breakthrough for moonlighters is growing confidence in their ability to win projects and deliver outcomes while managing other responsibilities."
• "The main breakthrough for hustlers is setting smart strategic prices that reward your skill, efficiency, and expertise."

Resources

• Read the full post here
• Business Redesign Group Coaching Program

This episode of Freelance Cake is brought to you by CrowdHealth

Healthcare in the US is complicated, confusing, and highly personal. Insurance premiums, deductibles, and copays can get really expensive, especially for freelancers and consultants who don’t have an employer paying for anything. Over the last 7 years, my family has saved $60,000+ in premiums, deductibles, and other out-of-pocket medical expenses that we would have paid with our previous insurance policy. Healthcare crowdfunding has been a game changer for us. If you live in the U.S. and you haven’t already explored what CrowdHealth has to offer, take the time to educate yourself. And if you decide you want to give them a try, go to www.joincrowdhealth.com. You can use promo code FREELANCECAKE during sign-up to save $99 per month for 3 months.

Listen, rate, and subscribe!

For specific beliefs, principles, and practices you can use right away to make the freelance game more profitable and satisfying, subscribe to Freelance Cake podcast on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts!

In this episode, Austin explores the root problem freelancers face and the constant battle to ignore distractions in the midst of an overwhelming number of to-dos: marketing, client projects, website updates… No wonder many freelancers are burned out!

The truth is, we don’t really want to get more done. No, we want to focus on the right things at the right time, and push the unimportant stuff to the periphery.

So how can freelancers and consultants get clarity, reduce complexity, and build momentum faster?

You create an actionable plan you believe in.

If you want to do that and make minimum viable to transform your freelance business, be sure to grab the free 30/60/90 day plan template Austin mentions at the end.

Key points

• What is the root problem for freelancers and consultants? (03:34)
• What is the solution to the freelance focus problem? (08:25)
• How can freelancers get more done without burning out? (11:42)
• What is the next step? (14:57)

Notable Quotes

• "You get more done by doing less but better."
• "When you have a plan you believe in and make minimum viable progress each day, you will transform your freelance business."

Resources mentioned in this episode:

1. 30/60/90 Action Plan: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1T_FyjAEPRqO-W1s0VqmSsDkLewm4v2wYReLgWrgqU5E/edit?usp=sharing
2. Business Redesign Group Coaching Program: https://www.freelancecake.com/coaching

This episode of Freelance Cake is brought to you by CrowdHealth

Healthcare in the US is complicated, confusing, and highly personal. Insurance premiums, deductibles, and copays can get really expensive, especially for freelancers and consultants who don’t have an employer paying for anything. Over the last 7 years, my family has saved $60,000+ in premiums, deductibles, and other out-of-pocket medical expenses that we would have paid with our previous insurance policy. Healthcare crowdfunding has been a game changer for us. If you live in the U.S. and you haven’t already explored what CrowdHealth has to offer, take the time to educate yourself. And if you decide you want to give them a try, go to www.joincrowdhealth.com. You can use promo code FREELANCECAKE during sign-up to save $99 per month for 3 months.

Listen, rate, and subscribe!

For specific beliefs, principles, and practices you can use right away to make the freelance game more profitable and satisfying, subscribe to Freelance Cake podcast on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts!

What if you could charge four times what you do now by making small changes to your freelance packaging?

The freelancers who win consistently aren't always the most skilled or the hardest working. They’re the ones who focus on finding the right advantages, or “levers.”

Packaging is one of those levers. 

If you've been in the freelance game for a while, you already have insight into your clients’ pains and wants. You’re already fixing their problems.

But do you have juicy offers that set you apart from other freelancers?

When you package up your services and outcomes and communicate the value as a juicy offer, you make it easy for your target audience to get excited.

In this episode, Austin shares an early coaching case study. Robert is a business consultant who signed up for Business (re)Launch, Austin’s freelance coaching program. With Austin’s help, he developed a new offer. 

The offer enabled Robert to charge four times what he had previously.

If you’re curious how they were able to do that, be sure to grab the 10 quick steps Austin shares at the end to help you rethink your packaging.

Key points

• Intro (00:00)
• The Path(s) to Freelance Success (00:36)
• It’s All About Pulling the Right Levers (02:23)
• Doing Less (Not More) Helps You Grow Freelance Income Faster (04:19)
• Better Packaging Communicates Higher Value (07:27)
• When Is the Last Time You Really Considered the Packaging of Your Freelance Services? (09:21)

Notable Quotes

"The freelancers who win the game consistently aren't necessarily the most skilled or the hardest working."

"Better packaging communicates higher value."

"If you are already creating significant value for your clients, small changes to your packaging can have a huge impact on your earning."

Resources mentioned in this episode:

1. Million Dollar Consulting by Alan Weiss: https://www.amazon.com/Million-Dollar-Consulting-Alan-Weiss/dp/0071622101 
2. Business Bootcamp for Freelancers: https://freelancecake.com/coaching 

Listen, rate, and subscribe!

For specific beliefs, principles, and practices you can use right away to make the freelance game more profitable and satisfying, subscribe to Freelance Cake podcast on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts!

Hourly is by far the most popular freelance pricing model, and freelancers often get asked, "What do you charge?” Or, “What’s your hourly rate?”

But when you think about it, time is never what clients want to buy.

Read that again. Time isn’t really what clients want to buy.

A patient getting heart surgery doesn’t want the surgeon’s time. She wants the surgeon to save her life. Surgeons, pilots, architects, engineers, and accountants—all of their customers buy the same thing: outcomes, not hours.

It's the same with our freelance clients.

They have problems they want to disappear. Our job is to deliver the desired business outcome, not give them our time.  

Though clients still ask to pay for time, a lot more is required to truly serve them: our creative skills, our soft skills, expertise, accumulated experience, taste, judgment, personality, and thoughtful decision-making. 

If you want to win at this freelancing game, reframe the conversation. Start selling outcomes, not hours.

In this episode, Austin will share real-life situations of why outcome-based selling makes perfect sense for freelancers.

He also shares the perfect 9-word response to use with time-focused clients. Make sure to save it!

Key points

• Intro (00:00)
• What Do Freelance Clients Really Buy From You? (00:37)
• Why NOT Selling Hours Just Makes Sense (01:31)
• What Sets Freelancers Apart From Other Types of Workers (03:37)
• A Coaching Client’s Journey to Selling Outcomes (06:00)
• You Can and Should Sell Outcomes Instead of Hours Too (09:34)

Notable Quotes

“To win at this freelancing game, you need to rethink what it is that you sell, and what it is that clients are really buying from you.”

Resources mentioned in this episode:

1. aText
   
   

Listen, rate, and subscribe!

For specific beliefs, principles, and practices you can use right away to make the freelance game more profitable and satisfying, subscribe to Freelance Cake podcast on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts!

One month, you're swamped with freelance work. The next, your project pipeline is dry. 

You try all the tactics you can think of. You cast your marketing net far and wide. You come up empty-handed. 

Meanwhile, those bills keep coming. It's no surprise that a lot of freelancers develop money anxieties! 

Irregular income and anxiety makes it difficult for freelancers to do their best work and harness their creativity to score freelance projects.

In this episode, Austin shares his 7-step freakout protocol. It will come in handy when you’re staring down the end of the month and freaking out a little about your lack of freelance clients. 

Austin also gives away free email templates that you can use to follow up with past clients and silent prospects without getting on their nerves. 

Key points

• Intro (00:00)
• The Perennial Needs of Freelancers? (00:36)
• The 7-Step Freakout Protocol (02:00)

Notable Quotes

“Anxiety about money can cause our creativity to contract like water when the temperature drops. We really have to fight harder to open up that creativity, to expand it, and think, “Maybe this is an opportunity to go after a dream client."

"Share what you’re building online. Give the play-by-play. Invite people into the mess. Show the work while the sawdust is still on it.”

Resources mentioned in this episode:

1. Lead Tracker Template

Listen, rate, and subscribe!

For specific beliefs, principles, and practices you can use right away to make the freelance game more profitable and satisfying, subscribe to Freelance Cake podcast on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts!

Can you be successful at art and business? Can you sell your work without compromising your artistic integrity?

We’re all familiar with the identity of the starving artist.

The assumption that artists and freelance creatives must forego financial stability to preserve their creative integrity usually goes unchallenged. It’s taken as a fact of life, like gravity. Art and commerce don’t mix. They’re fundamentally at odds. You’d better love what you do because passion don’t pay, pal. 

This mentality runs rampant in art schools, creative writing programs, and even the online creator community.

But what if that way of thinking is wrong? What if art and commerce can mix and always have?

You don't need to struggle with money just because you want to keep creativity and craft front and center in your life. The truth is, you can make exceptionally good stuff while also creating a great livelihood for yourself. You can put an end to the starving artist mentality and embrace the reality that the right people will place a high value on your work.

In Episode 007, Austin discusses the false dichotomy between art and commerce. He then breaks down the Japanese concept of “ikigai. Finally, he encourages freelancers to overcome self-limiting beliefs about money by viewing it as a tool – rather than a goal – that allows them more creativity, freedom, and generosity.

Key points

• Intro (00:00)
• The "Ikigai" Concept and How It Relates to Freelancers (00:35)
• The False Dichotomy Between Art and Commerce (02:43)
• How Do We Define Artistic Integrity Anyway? (06:52)

Notable Quotes

"None of us can really make the case that financial struggles somehow make you a better artist, or that not struggling financially means you're bound to compromise your artistic integrity."

"Being paid to use a skill does not make you a second-rate artist, and not getting paid does not make you a first-rate artist."

"If we learn how to make more money in less time, we can serve our customers better, have more freedom, and give more generously without burning out or becoming people we don't like."

"Let’s toss out our false dichotomies into the wind and come up with some more robust and durable beliefs about the relationship between art and commerce. Once we upgrade our beliefs, we'll find it easier to build freelance businesses that we really love."

Listen, rate, and subscribe!

For specific beliefs, principles, and practices you can use right away to make the freelance game more profitable and satisfying, subscribe to Freelance Cake podcast on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts!

To niche or not to niche, that is the question.

Many freelancers have the "jack of all trades" mentality. To survive in the freelance business, we take on a variety of projects in a variety of industries. That's what Austin did for 6 years. As a generalist, he made freelancing harder on himself. 

After adopting more of an abundance mindset, Austin specialized in content marketing for tech founders and SaaS companies. Specialization simplified his marketing.

When you study freelancers or consultants who make six or seven figures, you’ll notice they provide only a handful of services or outcomes for a narrow slice of a single market or industry. 

Picking a niche can help you make more money as a freelancer and find more satisfaction from your work.

In Episode 006, Austin shares 16 benefits of finding a profitable and sustainable nice niche and explains why so many freelancers still choose not to specialize despite the apparent benefits. He also tackles 4 myths about niching down to encourage more freelancers to take the leap.

Key points

• Intro (00:00)
• Identifying Your Niche (or Is It Even Necessary?) (00:36)
• The Difference Between Being a Generalist and a Specialist in Marketing (02:17)
• So, What Are the Benefits of Niching Down? (03:47)
• And Why Doesn’t Every Freelancer Specialize? (10:08)
• Debunking Niching Down Myths: I Want To Tell You What’s Really True (12:28)
• Real Niche Product Examples That Found Success in Specializing (15:10)
• How Do You Know a Nice Niche When You See One? (21:05)
• Things (Lenses) To Look Out for in Finding Your Niche (23:10)
• Resolving Two Long-Standing Disputes in Freelancing (27:05)
• You’re the Boss, You Make the Rules (28:31)

Notable Quotes

“When you’re a generalist, you believe that anyone can be your client. When you’re targeting everyone, you target no one.”

"If there's one thing in your freelance business that you should put some work into, it's scarcity mindset."

In this episode, Austin shares the 20 Stories Exercise that helped him build a predictable flow of freelance income. He also goes over the 6 questions you need to uncover which of your current marketing strategies bring you your best, easiest money.

Then, once you know where your best income is coming from, you can put his marketing ideas into action!

What is the biggest challenge most freelancers face? Unpredictable income. And what is the main cause of unpredictable income? Not enough project leads. 

So what’s the one lever that could make many other freelance problems disappear?

A surplus of leads.

Austin's freelancing business did not always have predictable cash flow. Like many other freelancers and consultants, he was dissatisfied with his income. 

When he was busy with client work, marketing was the first thing to go. When his pipeline dried up, he’d be scrambling to find enough freelance work and get money in the bank.

Eventually, he realized that the best time for marketing is when he had no time for marketing.

The only way he would stay consistent was if he simplified his approach. Complexity gets in the way of consistency!

The need to simplify his approach to marketing led Austin to create the 20 Stories Exercise. The exercise reveals which strategies deserve a freelancer’s time and effort and which are ineffective, if not futile.

Freelancers have a bad habit of chasing every new marketing strategy on every platform, but we get better results when we do less but better:

• Focus on a handful of core strategies.
• Pick numbers to track in a scorecard.
• Stop doing what doesn’t work.
• Double down on what does.
• Improve over time.

Less but better is a marketing principle Austin drew from German industrial designer Dieter Rams.

If you struggle to stay consistent with marketing or find the whole process intimidating, this episode is for you. 

Key points

• Intro (00:00)
• The puzzling $1 bills at Starbucks (00:37)
• What does pattern-matching have to do with freelancing and marketing? (03:24)
• How does the 20 Stories Exercise work? (05:15)
• A marketing principle + 7 ideas to improve proven marketing strategies (09:23)
• Investments that promote your growth (21:41)
• What persistence and consistency can do for your freelance business (24:53)
• Build better systems and commit to doing them consistently (29:15)

Notable Quotes

“When you’re in a car moving really, really fast, the objects passing by the window become a blur. The same happens with our businesses. It’s not until we actually take a break or when we slow down that we get clarity.”

"As time passes, as I develop my business, I want to be a little less wrong…and then a little less wrong."

“Take messy, imperfect action. Realize that it’s gonna be ugly, but that’s how improvement happens over time.”

"Marketing is probably the biggest lever for your freelance business."

Resources mentioned in this episode:

1. 20 Stories Exercise
2. Justin Welsh's The LinkedIn Operating System
3. Top Podcast Picks
4. Austin’s High-Income Business Writing Podcast Appearance
5. 22 Open-Ended Consulting Questions
6. FreelanceCake.com/Coaching

Listen, rate, and subscribe!

For specific beliefs, principles, and practices you can use right away to make the freelance game more profitable and satisfying, subscribe to Freelance Cake podcast on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts!