Freelance Transformation

How do you connect with influencers in your industry and build a freelance business off of referrals that you receive from them, even when you're just starting out? In this episode of the Freelance Transformation podcast, Sean Smith explains how you can connect with influencers in your industry and amplify your freelance business.

Sean Smith is the co-founder of Simple Tiger, a small remote agency that specializes in search engine optimization. Sean started this agency – and the rest of his freelance endeavors – from the ground up. Through reaching out and networking with the people in his industry, Sean was able to create an entire client listen organically. Sean explains how you can connect with influencers in your industry and amplify your freelance business.

https://freelancetransformation.com/episode130

Being a freelancer and running your own business sounds pretty glamorous. There's no boss, no schedule, and you have the freedom to do things the way you like to do them. But with no manager breathing down your neck, you don't always have the motivation to get things done. Reality starts to sink in, and you suddenly realize that you're responsible for the things you don't really want to do. If you're a freelancer who finds it hard to stay motivated and finish all those tasks you don't really want to, tune in now! Today's episode of Freelance Transformation is all about getting things done even when we don't feel like it.

Chris Cooper is a motivational speaker, mentor, and author. His book, The Power to Get Things Done, really speaks to freelancers like us. It breaks down ways to help prioritize our business goals and form consistent strategies to bring in new clients. If you're running your own business or creating a freelance brand, your ultimate goal is to grow your business, right? You can only do that if you bring in new clients, and that's exactly what Chris is talking about today.

https://freelancetransformation.com/episode129

One of the biggest mysteries of running your own business is bookkeeping. What does correct bookkeeping even look like? There's a massive learning curve that comes with bookkeeping, and many freelancers have to tackle it on their own when they start their business. If your books just aren't as great as they could be, this episode of Freelance Transformation is for you! Donna Zanger, owner and founder of Dbooks Bookkeeping, is a certified public accountant in Manhattan. She and her team of 20 CPAs help many business owners like yourself manage their books. She teaches business owners and freelancers how to do their own bookkeeping and keep track of their monthly invoices and expenses. Donna de-mystifies bookkeeping and shares how you can overcome the common mistakes freelancers make so that you can finally stay on track financially.

https://freelancetransformation.com/episode128

It can be difficult to look at someone who has achieved success in something like building out a consistent way to attract clients, and to picture yourself ever being able to achieve that same level of success. It can feel like they got to where they are overnight, as if by magic. But obviously that's not true. Behind all of these success stories are journeys with unexpected twists and turns of months and much more frequently years of consistent hard work to figure it all out.

Josh Doody has an awesome niche: he is a salary negotiation coach. As the title implies, he helps his clients to negotiate a higher salary, helping them to be earn thousands of dollars more per year. Not a bad problem to solve. But Josh didn't start out as an expert on salary negotiation. In fact, he originally worked as an electrical engineer, and the path he took from that career to salary negotiation was definitely not a straight or obvious one. Josh shares how this transition happened, the twists and turns along the way, and steps that he took to build his business, one small piece at a time.

https://freelancetransformation.com/episode127

Charlie Hoehn, author, speaker, and head of author marketing at Book in a Box, is the real deal when it comes to marketing expertise and achieving outsized results. He has worked for and advised great minds like Ramit Sethi, Tim Ferris, Seth Godin, and Gary Vaynerchuck. But behind the successes is a story of paralyzing anxiety. Charlie experienced terrifying panic attacks that made him think that he was going to die. One particular attack led Charlie to begin a long and difficult mission to cure himself of his anxiety, and ultimately to write the book Play It Away: A Workaholic's Cure for Anxiety. Charlie shares that story and more importantly what worked for him for ultimately getting rid of his anxiety, getting his life back on track, and what he recommends for others in the same boat.

Disclaimer: Hopefully, you find this episode helpful for bringing this important topic into the open, but it is not intended as medical advice. Everyone's situation is different and you should consult your doctor before acting on anything in this episode.

https://freelancetransformation.com/episode126

Going out on your own, finding your own clients, not being tied to an employer, that's what this podcast is all about. There are multiple ways to accomplish this and structure your own consulting or freelance business, just like there are multiple reasons that people do so in the first place.

One of those ways is working, usually full-time, on a longer project at a giant company and, of course, at consulting rates. It can be the perfect opportunity to have tremendous freedom while not needing to find clients as frequently.

Jonathan Dison, founder of Lightrock Consulting and Bench Watch, started his career working for Arthur Anderson, built his own consulting firm, and now helps people find and get matched with consulting positions at major corporations. Jonathan shares how you can break into the consulting market and start getting paid more to work on longer-term projects.

https://freelancetransformation.com/episode125

When most people think of sales, they think about walking into a potential client's office, or calling them up on the phone, and pitching them to convince them that their services are the best. The thought us unpleasant and has prevented many talented freelancers from getting great clients.

But the good news is that winning clients does not have to look like that. In fact, approached properly, it doesn't really have to feel like selling. It's more of a diagnostic approach, like going to a doctor to find out the cause of your symptoms.

Blair Enns, founder of Win Without Pitching, a sales training company for creative entrepreneurs, and author of A Win Without Pitching Manifesto, shares the philosophies behind the idea of winning without pitching and how to actually approach closing deals without feeling like your a sleesy salesperson.

https://freelancetransformation.com/episode124

It's no secret that there are a lot of very effective ways to find clients, but it can create the temptation to immediately try to jump into the fanciest and most complicated approaches, and to ignore the simple time-tested methods that will get you clients the quickest.

Take networking and referrals for example. I don't know of a faster way to find clients than using your existing network and going out and building that network, such as by attending events.

Paige Wilhide used networking and referrals to build her business, Paige Media, a wonderful video strategy and editing business. Paige shares how she systematically used networking to build this business and, of course, how you can use those same strategies to find clients for yourself.

https://freelancetransformation.com/episode123

If you're a solo freelancer, it's so easy to think that hiring an assistant is just plain out of reach and expensive. But that's just not true. Hiring an assistant is one of the biggest wins that you can create for yourself. When an assistant does the low value work of billing, invoicing, emails, scheduling, etc., then your time is freed up to do the high value client work or getting new business or levelling up your skills. But it is important to find the right person, the kind of person that will take work off your plate instead of creating more of it.

Tim Francis of Profit Factory and GreatAssistant.com has spent a lot of time working with entrepreneurs to match them to great assistant. Tim shares what makes a great assistant and his process for finding that one amazing one.

https://freelancetransformation.com/episode122

Content marketing is an excellent strategy for reaching clients at scale. But inevitably there's a hiccup that holds people back. To execute a content marketing strategy, well, you need content.

Austin Church is the founder of Wunderbar, an agency that helps consultants and tech companies to grow their businesses through content marketing. Austin shares how you can actually create content sustainably, and do so without it being an endless time suck. If you're currently using content marketing, or considering doing so, this conversation can help make it much more feasible.

https://freelancetransformation.com/episode121