Freelance Road Trip Podcast

Freelancers often struggle with time management and task management, project management, and getting things on time. We don’t get things done when we don’t know what to do next or where to begin. And we don’t know what to do next when there are so many urgent things we need to do. Most of us live cluttered lives. We have a lot going on. The best way to command the clutter is to put it all in order — to actually “design” your life. In this episode I share my own methods for overcoming a sense of overwhelm, including five steps to reclaim control of your tasks, projects, and calendar.

What makes the difference between working project by project or creating work that is significant, sustainable, and advances your clients’ enterprises as well as your own? Do how you do business and how you conduct yourself in your business make a difference in the types of clients you attract and the caliber of your creative work? There is a basis. We address the practicalities of establishing a set of professional practices — a code of conduct — and what principles to consider in developing yours.

A key to your long-term success as a freelance creative is to work with the kinds of clients you’re best suited to serve. And a key approach to attracting those clients is to establish your value proposition — a statement that clearly sets you apart from your close competitors. Value is what makes you attractive to a client because you’re focusing on the benefits of your creative services, not the services themselves. You need to understand your value from a strategic point of view, and how this knowledge helps you consistently connect with the right clients. In this episode I present the benefits of a value proposition for you and your clients, and outline key points for you to consider.

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.