The First 10 Podcast

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Copywriting queen Margo Aaron is a wealth of business knowledge. Margo has taught thousands of students how to sell ethically, market honestly, and how to use words to stand out and inspire action. In this jam-packed episode, Margo and Conor discuss the rollercoaster of freelancing, hard learnings, the power of relationships, and the art and science of getting people to care. Key points covered in the episode include;

• Margo’s business introduction and her shift into the world of freelancing.
• Preparation - setting targets and goals ahead of venturing solo.
• The value of building mentors and seeking advice.
• An abundance VS scarcity mindset.
• The power of relationships.
• An insight into how clarity is kindness. 
• Trial by fire, a discussion on hard learnings. 
• The key to perfecting your pitches and proposals.
• The art of listening and mirroring clients. 
• Marketing advice for freelancers at the beginning of their journey. 
• How great opportunities can arise from one-on-one conversations and word of mouth. 
• Stepping into workshop selling and obtaining customers through mailing lists. 
• Differentiating readers and buyers. 
• Margo’s top tip for freelancers looking to obtain their first 10 customers.

Margo Aaron is a proud graduate of Emory University (BA), Columbia University (MA), and altMBA, where she earned the prestigious Walker Award.

Margo is also the co-host of the popular internet marketing and business talk show "Hillary and Margo Yell at Websites" (#HAMYAW). Several of Margo’s articles have gone article, her work has been featured in Thought Catalog, Entrepreneur, Thrive Global, Hubspot, Thinkgrowth, Growth Lab, Copyhackers, and Inc. 

Connect with Margo Aaron:

http://www.thatseemsimportant.com/ 

http://www.linkedin.com/in/margoaaron/ 

http://twitter.com/margoaaron 

Subscribe to Margo’s Newsletter  http://www.thatseemsimportant.com/newsletter/ 

#HAMYAW, Margo’s bi-weekly marketing and business talk show with co-host Hillary Weiss.  

http://www.youtube.com/c/HAMYAW/channels 
 

Connect with First 10 Podcast host Conor McCarthy: 

http://www.first10podcast.com  

http://twitter.com/TheFirst10Pod 

http://www.linkedin.com/in/comccart/ 

Resources:

Book recommendations:

‘’Ogilvy on Advertising’’ and ‘’Confessions of an Advertising Man’’.

http://www.amazon.com/David-Ogilvy 

‘’My Life in Advertising’’ and ‘’Scientific Advertising’’ by Claude Hopkins.

http://www.amazon.com/Books-Claude-Hopkins 

‘’The Art and Science of Getting People to Care: How to Stand Out, Tap Into Emotions, and Meet Customers on Their Level.’’ – Margo Aaron 

http://www.scribd.com/audiobook/491281378/

Margo Aaron courses on Skillshare 

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Pete Shepherd is the 6”7’ founder of Human Periscope, co-host of The Long and the Short podcast, and a head coach of Seth Godin’s altMBA, an online leadership, and management workshop. Pete specializes in helping leaders around the globe to develop, grow and create great change by allowing them to see things they can’t. 

In this episode, Pete and Conor discuss the various strands of being a freelancer, breakthrough moments throughout Pete’s early coaching career, and understanding how to acknowledge and move forward with imposter syndrome. Key points covered include;

• Pete’s transition from the corporate world into freelance coaching. 
• The process of discovery and the skill set of curiosity. 
• The Human Periscope – helping someone see what they can’t see just yet.
• Building experience and confidence in coaching, and acquiring the first 10 customers. 
• Unpacking the nugget of pitching and pricing. 
• Managing marketing and maintaining momentum throughout the freelancer cycle.
• Exploring social media; finding purpose and joy within your chosen platforms. 
• An insight to imposter syndrome and the impact of dancing with the universal feeling. 
• Practical advice for freelancers at the beginning of their journey. 

For over 10+ years Pete has worked in leadership and culture helping thousands of leaders, executives and changemakers launch just as many projects, businesses, and experiments right around the world. 

Connect with Pete Shepherd:

http://humanperiscope.com/ 

http://www.linkedin.com/in/petershepherd3 

The Long and the Short Podcast: A podcast for curious people with Peter Shepherd and Jen Waldman. 

http://thelongandtheshortpodcast.com/

Pete Shelpherd’s blog – Noodle Scratchers 

http://noodlescratchers.com/


Connect with First 10 Podcast host Conor McCarthy: 

http://www.first10podcast.com  

http://twitter.com/TheFirst10Pod 

http://www.linkedin.com/in/comccart/ 

Resources:

http://altmba.com/ 
 

Book recommendations:

The Prosperous Coach by Rich Litvin and Steve Chandler

http://richlitvin.com/book/ 

The Win Without Pitching Manifesto by Blair Enns

http://www.winwithoutpitching.com/the-manifesto/ 

The Art of Possibility by Rosamund Stone Zander 

http://rosamundzander.com/book-art-of-possibility.php

Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon 

http://austinkleon.com/steal/ 

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Jay Clouse is a writer, podcaster, and entrepreneur. Jay is the creator ofFreelancing School, which provides the training and community to help people make a living freelancing. With three courses, coaching, and community support, Freelancing School has the tools to help creatives thrive as business owners. 

In this episode, Jay and Conor discuss the fundamentals to help freelancers earn more and the techniques for building a business to support personal lifestyle goals. Key points covered in the episode include;

• Introduction to freelancing and climbing the freelance ladder. 
• Having control in your professional path. 
• The stove of cash flow. 
• Being comfortable with vulnerability and the power of asking.
• The value of relationships. 
• The importance of effective communication and building trust. 
• Engaging with your advocates. 
• The benefits of themed days and calendar planning. 
• The impact of having to-do lists and task tracking systems in place. 
• An insight into networking and joining dynamic communities. 
• Jay’s top tips for freelancers. 

Jay is also the founder of Unreal Collective, a community for founders, freelancers, and creators. The flagship product is a 12-week accelerator program.

Jay hosts Creative Elements, a podcast for creatives in the trenches of building their businesses, and upside, a podcast about start-up investing outside of Silicon Valley. You can connect with Jay on Twitter @jayclouse or sign up for his weekly newsletter for creatives.

Connect with Jay Clouse:

http://jayclouse.com/ 

http://twitter.com/jayclouse 

http://www.linkedin.com/in/jayclouse/ 
 

Connect with First 10 Podcast host Conor McCarthy: 

http://www.first10podcast.com  

http://twitter.com/TheFirst10Pod 

http://www.linkedin.com/in/comccart/ 

Resources:

http://freelancing.school/ 

Creative Elements Podcast: http://jayclouse.com/podcast/

http://unrealcollective.com/ 

http://upside.fm/

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Scott Perry is Creative on Purpose's Chief Difference-Maker and author of the Amazon top-sellers Endeavor and Onward. Scott is also the head coach for Seth Godin's Creative and Freelancer Workshops. 

Scott has mentored and guided thousands of freelancers in helping them deliver work that is aligned with who they are and their key strengths, enhancing their own lives as well as the lives of others.  In this episode, Scott shares with Conor his personal freelancing journey along with the key lessons he has learned throughout the adventure. Key points covered in the episode include;

• Scott’s freelancing journey from inception to now.
• The importance of doing work that fulfils and fuels you, rather than depletes and exhausts you. 
• Freelancing joys, fraught and frustration.
• Good habits & intentions for freelancers to set in place.
• The importance of relationships especially when working independently. 
• How Creative on Purpose came to light and scoring the first, not 10 but 11 clients. 
• Defining your endeavour and finding your audience. 
• The practice of stoicism – navigating and thriving through adverse & difficult experiences.  
• Mistakes freelancers can make at the beginning and throughout their journey. 

Scott is a husband and father, goes for a cemetery run every day, and quotes Marcus Aurelius more often than he should. For over thirty years, Scott has found and spread joy as a professional musician and guitar teacher while maintaining a happy marriage, home-schooling his sons, and paying the bills. The process Scott developed and employs is time tested and scientifically vetted.

Connect with Scott Perry:

http://www.creativeonpurpose.com/
http://www.linkedin.com/in/creativeonpurpose/ 

Connect with First 10 Podcast host Conor McCarthy: 

http://www.first10podcast.com  

http://twitter.com/TheFirst10Pod 

http://www.linkedin.com/in/comccart/ 

Resources:

http://www.akimbo.com/workshops 

Book recommendations: 

‘Endeavour’, ‘Onward’ and ‘The Stoic Creative’ by Scott Perry
 http://creativeonpurpose.mykajabi.com/book-store 

 ‘A Guide to the Good Life’ by William B. Irvine
http://www.williambirvine.com/books 

‘How to think like a Roman Emperor’ by Donald Robertson
 http://donaldrobertson.name/how-to-think-like-a-roman-emperor-the-stoic-philosophy-of-marcus-aurelius/ 

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In this episode, Kat Elizabeth tells us of her path from musical theatre through to creating and scaling her own successful freelance business. We really get into the details here, and talk about audience building, the value of marketing processes, the importance of understanding your niche deeply, and about creating reliable frameworks so you can grow your freelance business.

Key topics:

• Planning, keeping that plan simple
• The compounding power of good content
• The importance of harmony over balance as a freelancer

Resources mentioned in this episode, suggested reading & social media handles:

• Kat's website
• Kat's Instagram
• Kat's YouTube Channel
• The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks
• Crushing It by Gary Vaynerchuk
• The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson
• Atomic Habits by James Clear
• Kats Portfolio and Email Copy Example

Calls to action:

• If you like what you hear on this podcast, make sure and sign up to get regular updates here
• Also follow me on Twitter here and LinkedIn here

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On this episode of The First 10 Podcast, I talk to Preston Lee, founder of Millo, where he and his team help freelancers get more freelance jobs and grow their client list.

Key Points

1. The skills you need to be a successful freelancer aren't taught in school
2. Freelancers need to develop the habit of selling to avoid feat and famine cycles
3. When starting out, don't be too picky about your clients. You are there to learn so take all the work you can get.
4. Be careful of throwing in the towel on your day job to become a full-time freelancer when you start out. Starting as a side hustle can be a better approach.

Show Notes

Freelance To Founder Podcast

Atomic Habits by James Clear

Life Profitability by Adii Pienaar

Contact Details

Millo.co

SolidGigs

Twitter

LinkedIn

If you like what you hear on this podcast, make sure and sign up to get regular updates here.

Also follow me on Twitter here

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Season 3 of The First 10 Podcast will focus on Freelancers, and this episode is a short message about why. 

I know that a significant portion of my audience are freelancers and I wanted to focus on that industry for these upcoming episodes, to talk to freelancers who are making it work, who have found (or are finding) their first 10 customers, and discovering what they are doing so that you can learn from them.

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A recap of some of the incredible wisdom shared by my array of guests this last season, as well as updates on a few things I'm working on.

Show Notes

First 10 Bootcamp

Freelancer Marketing Habit

Work with me - https://www.conormccarthy.me/work-with-me 

Link for review on Apple Podcasts

Website contact form

Leave a rating for this podcast 

White Mausu Subscriptions

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On this episode of The First 10 Podcast, I talk to Brian Kenny, my co-founder on our new venture, Subscription Club. Subscription Club is simple eCommerce subscription management for your business that is branded beautifully and helps you to continue the relationship with your customers, digitally.

Show Notes

White Mausu (our first customer)

MiniCorp

Permission Marketing by Seth Godin

Contact Details

https://subscription.club/

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On this episode of The First 10 Podcast, I talk to Steve McLeod, Founder of Barbary Software, the company behind Feature Upvote and Saber Feedback. He also hosts the Bootstrapped.fm podcast.

Key Points

1. Your early customer avatar might not be your final customer avatar
2. SEO takes persistence
3. If you can, delegate.
4. Cancellations are great feedback
5. Talk to your customers as much as possible

Show Notes

Saber Feedback

Feature Upvote

Barbary Software

Traction by Gabriel Weinberg

Patrick McKenzie

Freelancer Marketing Habit

Contact Details

Twitter

LinkedIn

Saber Feedback

Feature Upvote