Freelance Transformation

Emails have become central to daily communication with potential and current clients, business connections and colleagues. Sometimes it's not that easy to write an email. I'm sure, like I have, you have received many bad, ineffective emails that amount to spam. Today's guest explains strategies to write genuine emails that catch the recipient's attention and build relationships.

Danny Rubin is the author of “Wait, How Do I Write This Email?” and an expert in career advice, professional development and communication skills. He coaches freelancers on how to write effective messages with focused words. As Danny says, it all comes down to being genuine and respectful.

http://www.freelancetransformation.com/episode50

Let's be honest here, being an entrepreneur is hard. The uncertainty of getting clients, the ebb and flow of projects, the black and red in your bank account, the growth of your waistline, the long hours trying to make it all work, ... Didn't mean to stress you out. Take a deep breath and then listen to the story of a hard-working guy who has been there, but then pulled his resources, changed his outlook and created a world-class consulting business.

Over the last decade, David Mansilla built his business from the ground up, learning as he encountered all those problems and more, but he never gave up. He tells us how he overcame the problem of growing his business too quickly, how to delegate, how to get clients, and most importantly, how to be calendar-independent and have time to live a full meaningful life.

http://www.freelancetransformation.com/episode49

Most designers, programmers, and other freelancers use their experience to help their clients strategize and figure out what work needs to be done to achieve the client's goals. But how do you sell this type of strategy work, instead of only charging for the technical work (design, coding, etc) that results from it?

Marie Poulin found herself in this position, explaining to clients how to integrate her work into the big picture strategy, but realized that she was only charging for the deliverable. In this episode, Marie explains how she repositioned herself as a web designer to a digital strategist, how she transitioned from only creating a deliverable to creating a big picture strategy for her clients, gaining lifelong clients and higher paying projects in the process.

http://freelancetransformation.com/episode48

As a freelancer, you are an expert in the technical skills of your field, skills that are in demand. Have you ever thought about training others? Reuven Lerner explains how to succeed in corporate training.

Reuven Lerner transitioned from programmer and software developer to teacher and trainer after being asked by his clients to train their staff. Reuven has found training to be very rewarding because he loves teaching and interacting with people as well as having the freedom to learn new technology based on his curiousity. The pay isn't bad either and Reuven has broken the feast and famine cycle by being booked 10 months in advance for training sessions.

Do you have clients who are always late paying their invoices? Julie Elster shares how you can get paid on time, every time by following her tips on communication and insisting on being paid upfront.

Often, the core of the problem is lack of communication from the start, where no one knows how much to pay or when it is due or who they should talk to about billing. Julie reminds freelancers to pick up the phone and talk to their clients about expectations and figure out a payment schedule that works for both the freelancer and the client.

As a successful mentor for virtual assistants (VA) and a VA herself, Gina Horkey reveals how hiring a virtual assistant can help you leverage your time and focus on the things in your business that you should be doing.

Gina dispels the myth of a VA as a secretary or administration assistant, but rather that virtual assistants are well-educated and can help you in any aspect of your business, do the tasks you don't like to do, relieve stress, spot and solve weaknesses in your business, and at the end of the day, give you a high return on investment. Gina also shares what you need to do as a business owner to get the most out of hiring and working with a VA.

http://www.freelancetransformation.com/episode45

No matter who you are, you will encounter roadblocks while running your business, but that doesn't mean that you have to be stuck forever. Many of the roadblocks happen because you probably started as a freelancer to share your craft with your clients, but you might not be familiar with the growing pains of business management.

Today's guest, David Shriner-Cahn, helps his clients create breakthroughs while they struggle to grow their businesses and shares how you can implement some hiring and organizing strategies as you hit roadblocks in your own consulting business. Sometimes, it can be as simple as changing your mindset.

http://freelancetransformation.com/episode44

Freelance marketplaces such as Upwork might not be the best long-term strategy, but it is possible to find reasonably paying work and win the jobs that you are great for. Best of all, it can mean paying work very quickly.

Danny Flood shares the secrets to finding and winning profitable work on Upwork, as well as how Upwork saved him during a financial crunch and allowed him the freedom to travel the world and live in Thailand.

http://freelancetransformation.com/episode43

Do you have an hourly rate? Do you provided fixed-price estimates based on one?

Jonathan Stark explains why charging based on your time is so self-defeating, and how to actually apply value-based pricing instead.

We really dissect pricing in this episode, so if you've been stuck on figuring out how to charge what you're worth, this should help.

Show notes:http://freelancetransformation.com/episode42

Freelance Transformation takes a break from the usual episode format to cover four concrete things you can be doing right now to end your freelancing business year on a high note.

In keeping with the holidays being on us, this episode is short and applicable immediately.

Show notes: http://freelancetransformation.com/episode41