What are the biggest pros and cons of working with agencies? What types of writers (and personalities) are best suited for working with agencies? What do agencies look for when hiring a freelance writer? What would you say are the best ways to attract and land agency clients? How can you avoid payment nightmares and other typical agency/freelancer challenges? You'll get the answers to all these questions in this week's podcast! My guests are Caryn Starr-Gates and Shanna Kurpe — two seasoned freelance writers who built their businesses through agencies and marketing firms.

What are the biggest pros and cons of working with agencies? What types of writers (and personalities) are best suited for working with agencies? What do agencies look for when hiring a freelance writer? What would you say are the best ways to attract and land agency clients? How can you avoid payment nightmares and other typical agency/freelancer challenges? You'll get the answers to all these questions in this week's podcast! My guests are Caryn Starr-Gates and Shanna Kurpe — two seasoned freelance writers who built their businesses through agencies and marketing firms.

What makes some freelance business writers more successful than others? And why are some of them continually successful while others struggle in the feast-or-famine cycle for years? In this episode I share some of the most important things successful B2B/commercial writers have in common. What else would you add to this list? Please let me know in the comments area below.

What makes some freelance business writers more successful than others? And why are some of them continually successful while others struggle in the feast-or-famine cycle for years? In this episode I share some of the most important things successful B2B/commercial writers have in common. What else would you add to this list? Please let me know in the comments area below.

If you've ever been laid off or downsized, you already know what a crappy experience that can be. Especially when it's unexpected and it catches you off guard. But for Don Sadler, getting laid off from his job in 2009 was one of the best things that could have happened to him. Don was able to turn this "misfortune" into a six-figure freelance business. And in this interview, he shares how he did this and what he's learned along the way. Lots of great ideas and insights in this episode -- even for those of you who've been freelancing for a while The notes that follow are a very basic, unedited summary of the show. There's a lot more detail in the audio version. You can listen to the show using the audio player below. Or you can subscribe to this podcast series in iTunes.

If you've ever been laid off or downsized, you already know what a crappy experience that can be. Especially when it's unexpected and it catches you off guard. But for Don Sadler, getting laid off from his job in 2009 was one of the best things that could have happened to him. Don was able to turn this "misfortune" into a six-figure freelance business. And in this interview, he shares how he did this and what he's learned along the way. Lots of great ideas and insights in this episode -- even for those of you who've been freelancing for a while The notes that follow are a very basic, unedited summary of the show. There’s a lot more detail in the audio version. You can listen to the show using the audio player below. Or you can subscribe to this podcast series in iTunes.

Creating a smart prospecting strategy is very much like assembling a solid, diversified investment portfolio. And just like the world of investments has countless options, there are many prospecting and self-promotional tactics available to today's freelance writer. Too many, in fact! But one tactic that we don't talk about enough is public speaking. And more specifically, delivering talks to groups and organizations. In this show, I interview someone who's landed a great deal of freelance work with this idea: my colleague Steve Slaunwhite. Steve shares what he likes best about this particular type of self-promotion, whom this strategy is best-suited for, the steps to take to make this work, and how you can get started today.

Creating a smart prospecting strategy is very much like assembling a solid, diversified investment portfolio. And just like the world of investments has countless options, there are many prospecting and self-promotional tactics available to today's freelance writer. Too many, in fact! But one tactic that we don't talk about enough is public speaking. And more specifically, delivering talks to groups and organizations. In this show, I interview someone who's landed a great deal of freelance work with this idea: my colleague Steve Slaunwhite. Steve shares what he likes best about this particular type of self-promotion, whom this strategy is best-suited for, the steps to take to make this work, and how you can get started today.

In this week's show, I'll share 3 smart ways to boost your freelance income by outsourcing tasks that others can do better, faster and more cheaply. It may not make sense to do them all at once. It depends on where you are in your business and what kind of work you're doing. But at some point, you should seriously consider delegating some of these functions. I'll explain what these tasks are, how I outsource this work, what companies I use and what my experience has been.

In this week's show, I'll share 3 smart ways to boost your freelance income by outsourcing tasks that others can do better, faster and more cheaply. It may not make sense to do them all at once. It depends on where you are in your business and what kind of work you're doing. But at some point, you should seriously consider delegating some of these functions. I'll explain what these tasks are, how I outsource this work, what companies I use and what my experience has been.