This week's episode of the 6 Figure Creative podcast is part 2 of my in-depth discussion with Mike Cervantes.
Mike is a highly successful freelance mastering engineer who has collaborated with renowned artists such as Dolly Parton, Avril Lavigne, and Snoop Dogg. His impressive achievements include over 23 Billboard #1s and at least two gold records.
In this episode, Mike shares his secrets on how he's built out systems to manage and fulfill thousands of projects per year. He also discusses the future of his business (including Dolby Atmos & AI) and what he thinks it takes to become a one-person 7 figure freelancer.
This episode is jam-packed with valuable insights and practical advice from one of the most successful creatives in the industry. Whether you're an audio engineer, a graphic designer, a videographer, or any other type of creative freelancer, you'll find something to take away from this episode.
In this episode you’ll discover:

Dealing with growing pains in your business

Why a second set of gear is only worthwhile if you're running in-the-box

Setting yourself up for a long career while having a home life

The future of mastering and AI

Atmos vs. stereo audio

Competing in a market where tens of thousands of songs are added to Spotify daily

For full show notes, visit https://6figurecreative.com/249

#249: Streamlining Your Freelance Workflow: How Mike Cervantes Manages Thousands of Projects Per Year

6 Figure Creative is a podcast that helps freelance creatives earn more money by doing what they love. If you’re trying to avoid the never-ending grind of a 9–5, or just want to earn more money doing what you do best (creating), 6 Figure Creative is your new favorite show! Join host Brian Hood and his guests as they explore topics such as mental health, finances, sales, marketing, time management, the digital nomad lifestyle, and more.

Arts

Literature

Performing Arts

Design

Food

Fashion & Beauty

Visual Arts

Business

Investing

Careers

Management & Marketing

Business News

Shopping

Entrepreneurship

For freelancers, subscription pricing is like finding the holy grail. It changes the feast & famine nature of project-based work into a steady, reliable income stream.
Last week, we kicked off this conversation, exploring how freelancers could shift from one-time gigs to recurring revenue models. The topic struck a chord, leading to an influx of interest and discussions.
This week we’re going deeper into why this approach is also notoriously challenging for freelancers, and what you can do to have the best shot of making it work.
Without knowing what you're doing, you might try to move to recurring packages only to find yourself overworked and underpaid.
On top of that, clients are often hesitant to commit to recurring packages, fearing long-term commitments when they're used to paying for specific, one-off tasks.
While the transition might be difficult, the payoff is absolutely worth it. Check out this week's podcast where I dive into 7 Pricing Strategies For Recurring Subscription Freelance Clients.
In this episode you’ll discover:

Why subscription packages are the holy grail for freelancers

The advantages of value-based pricing

Understanding that value isn't always financial

Monthly pricing options to protect yourself

Creating bundles for your pricing

When (and how) to charge an onboarding fee

Price increases over time

Should you have a contract or not?

How to offer incentives for clients to sign up for a subscription

Safeguarding yourself from becoming overworked

For full show notes, visit https://6figurecreative.com/307

#307: 7 Pricing Strategies For Recurring Subscription Freelance Clients

The life of a freelancer sounds amazing on the surface....
The freedom of being your own boss and setting your own hours. The flexibility of working when you want. For some, even traveling the world as a digital nomad is a possibility.
While that can all be true, the dark side is that there can also be a lot of unpredictability. 
What if you could change that? Imagine knowing how much you're going to earn each month and having a clear picture of who you're working for in the coming months.
This isn’t just a nice thought... It's a reality for freelancers offering recurring services - think subscriptions, retainers, or monthly packages.
When you do this, you move from always hunting for the next client to having "automatic clients." This idea comes from turning one-time gigs into ongoing relationships where clients pay regularly for continued services.
Typically, freelancing is a one-and-done deal. You get a project, you do the work, you get paid, and that’s the end of the story. You start each month at zero—no guaranteed money, no clients waiting. It's like hitting the reset button every 30 days, which can make budgeting a nightmare and stability a pipe dream.
But does it have to be this way? Not really. This constant chase for new gigs is a trap many fall into by only taking on one-off projects. There’s a better strategy that can help smooth out the highs and lows: setting up a recurring revenue model.
If you’re tired of the freelance rollercoaster, check out this week's episode of the 6 Figure Creative podcast where I dive into recurring revenue for freelancers.
In this episode you’ll discover:

Creating a stable income stream by using recurring offers

Identifying industries that work well with recurring (or reoccurring) models

Helping your clients with a recurring service

Selling unlimited packages on a subscription basis

Making recurring packages valuable to your clients

For full show notes, visit https://6figurecreative.com/306

#306: Offering Recurring Subscriptions As A Freelancer | The Holy Grail Of Freelancing

Navigating life as a creative freelancer is all about balancing what you love doing with what pays the bills.
It's often framed as "selling your soul", but really, it's about making tough choices: do you follow your passion or chase the cash?
For creatives, this dilemma is pretty intense. You've got the classic 'starving artist' on one side. They're rich in satisfaction but often struggle financially.
Then there's the other side - the freelancers who focus mainly on what brings in money. Sure, they might be doing better financially, but at what cost?
This week's episode explores each side in a search for finding a healthy balance between money and passion or the seasons of life that may be the right time to focus on money instead of passion.
Whether you're the classic "starving artist" or the money-focused freelancer, this episode is worth a listen.
In this episode you’ll discover:

Hobbies vs businesses

Are you motivated by passion or profit?

The importance of focusing on what your clients want

Giving yourself more free time by being profit-driven

Reducing your stress by becoming a profit-driven creative

Why passion-driven creatives need to change

For full show notes, visit https://6figurecreative.com/305

#305: There Might Be A Good Argument For Selling Your Soul For $$$

Client acquisition is obviously an important part of running a freelance business because it’s how you make sure you keep getting paid every month.
Despite how obvious this is, many freelancers don’t take this seriously enough... and it shows when work dries up and you're back into the dreaded feast-or-famine cycle.
If you worked in a day job that decided to stop paying you for weeks or months at a time, you'd probably do something about it. However, many freelancers never do anything about this in their own business.
They just keep showing up to "work" week after week, month after month, accepting their fate.
If you'd like to be a better "boss" to yourself and actually make sure you get paid every month, this week's episode is all about avoiding some of the most common client acquisition mistakes
If you stop making these mistakes and start taking client acquisition seriously, you’ll have more stability, better projects, and fewer dry spells. What’s not to like about that?
In this episode you’ll discover:

Avoiding the basic mistakes that you make during client acquisition

Adding value as a freelancer

Why a high close rate is dangerous for your business

How to increase your sales with a high-quality follow-up sequence

Fix your pricing model!

For full show notes, visit https://6figurecreative.com/304

#304: The 10 Most Brutal Client Acquisition Mistakes That Are Wrecking Your Earning Potential

In the final episode of this 4-part series, we're diving into one of the most powerful but often misunderstood methods of standing out from the crowd.
I saved the best for last.
This has been the "secret sauce" behind my all of my successful businesses, from freelancing, to Airbnb, to multiple software companies, and even podcasting.
Without this last piece of the puzzle, nothing I've tried would have worked, and I'd likely still be working at Gamestop for minimum wage (missing out on millions of $ in the process)
If you're ready to become absolutely indispensable to your clients, listen to this week's episode to the 6 Figure Creative Podcast.
In this episode you’ll discover:

The importance of specialization

Why niches work better than others

Conversion-focused web design as a differentiation method

Niching down vs. niching out

The advantages of pushing bad leads away

For full show notes, visit https://6figurecreative.com/303

#249: Streamlining Your Freelance Workflow: How Mike Cervantes Manages Thousands of Projects Per Year

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