The Freelance Founders Podcast

Welcome to season two of the Freelance Founders podcast. Today, you’ll hear a masterclass from Sean Sutherland, founder and creative director at Studio No. 9, a New Jersey based design consultancy firm. Sean also recently founded Sonny Seltzer, a beverage company offering pre-packaged tequila sodas.

In this episode, Sean is telling us how he started his company mid-pandemic and what it’s like launching a brand new product into an incredibly competitive market.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• Some of the biggest challenges Sean faces on a daily basis (00:42)
• Sean’s hope for Sonny Seltzer (01:24)
• How Sean wears every hat at Sonny (01:40)

Connect with Sean:

• Instagram 
• Studio No. 9
• Sonny Seltzer website

Let’s Connect:

• Website
• Linkedin
• Instagram

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Becoming a founder is always going to be terrifying. Whether you have all the money in the world or a double digit bank balance, you’re never going to be as ready as you feel like you should be. But that’s the beauty of it all, right? There’s nothing scarier than leaping from the nest, and yet there are few things more beautiful than realizing you’re ready to fly.

Welcome to season two, episode six of the Freelance Founders podcast. We’re talking to Madison Utendahl, a two time Webby Award winning content director and founder of Utendahl Creative, a multi-disciplinary creative studio powered by female storytellers.

Today, Madison is telling us the biggest mistake that brands make with their social media, the importance of prioritizing yourself, and the power and difficulty in doing nothing.

Some Questions asked:

• Can you tell us about your career path and how you got where you are today? (00:27)
• How did it feel to win two Webby Awards and be featured on the Forbes 30 under 30 list? (09:50)
• Do you have any tips for the younger generation when they begin their careers in this industry? (14:31)
• What tips do you have for attracting dream clients? (20:21)
• How were you able to feel comfortable bringing on a full time team? (24:13)
• What advice would you give your 20 year old self? (35:16)

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• Madison got into social media and content production through her work at Refinery 29 (03:52)
• A little more about Madison’s all-female design company, Utendahl Creative (18:53)
• About Madison’s new side project, Her Name Is (29:13)
• How Madison got interested in investing in young companies (31:28)
• The boundaries Madison has had to set to achieve work/life balance (36:33)

Connect with Jenn:

• Instagram
• Utendahl Creative

Let’s Connect:

• Website
• Linkedin
• Instagram

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does it take to have a successful partnership? Mutual respect, a vision of the big picture, delegation, defined roles… to name just a few elements. But what about when your closest collaborator is also your twin?

Welcome to season two, episode five of the Freelance Founders podcast. We’re talking to Jen and Amy Hood, sisters and founders of Hoodzpah, a collaborative branding and type studio based out of Southern California.

Today,  Amy and Jen are talking about the importance of mutual respect, succeeding without a four-year degree, and always keeping the big picture in mind.

Some Questions Asked:

• Can you take us through your careers? Where did you start and where are you now? (00:13)
• Do you have any tips on how to price out services for people just starting out in freelance? (14:12)
• What was the biggest challenge when you started Hoodzpah? (17:57)
• What’s the biggest challenge people face when they go full time freelance? (26:42)
• What are some boundaries you have set for yourself to maintain a healthy work/life balance? (36:42)

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• What it’s like to be sisters and business partners (01:55)
• How Amy and Jen built such a major client roster (07:20)
• A bit about Amy and Jen’s course for freelancers (23:47)
• What advice Amy and Jen would offer their 20 year old selves (33:02)
• How Amy and Jen approached their financial strategy when they first started Hoodzpah (39:26)

Connect with Amy and Jen:

• Hoodzpah
• Hoodzpah on IG
• Freelance, and Business, and Stuff—the Course
• Freelance, and Business, and Stuff by Amy Hood & Jennifer Hood

Let’s Connect:

• Website
• Linkedin
• Instagram

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A morning cup of coffee, journaling a few pages before work, taking time to practice some asanas before bed… are these a routine, or something more? When we approach what might seem like mundane daily tasks with a sense of purpose and intention, we can take them beyond routine and begin to benefit by seeing them as ritual.

Welcome to season two, episode two of the Freelance Founders podcast. We’re talking to Jenn Tardif, a yoga and meditation teacher, aromatherapist, and founder of the mindful collective 3rd Ritual.

Today, Jenn is telling us about her company and the tools they offer, the difference between a ritual and routine, and how being a mom has affected her daily rituals.

Some Questions asked:

• Was there ever a moment when you wanted to quit in your career? (00:43)
• What are some of the rituals you practice every day? What does a day in life look like for you? (08:19)
• What would be your top three tips for someone who is looking to create a morning or evening ritual? (13:16)
• What advice would you give to your 20 year old self? (16:45)
• How did you approach your financial strategy when you decided to start your own company? (20:15)

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• Jenn’s biggest inspiration in starting 3rd Ritual (02:24)
• How Jenn balances mom life with self-employment (11:26)
• Where Jenn sees her business going in the future (14:32)
• The boundaries that Jenn sets in order to maintain her work/life balance (18:03)
• Jenn’s advice for anyone looking to start their own company (24:43)

Connect with Jenn:

• Instagram
• 3rd Ritual

Let’s Connect:

• Website
• Linkedin
• Instagram

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Giving yourself permission to fail and telling yourself you have nothing to lose makes all the difference when you leave the security of the industry you spent so much time in. But if worse comes to worst, you can always bounce back. 

Welcome to season two, episode three of the Freelance Founders podcast. We're talking with Harry Cheslaw and Adil Bouhdadi, founders of Autone.io, a SaaS platform that optimizes inventory management for brands. Harry worked in men's fashion in London and Adil got his start working in fashion in Paris, before they decided to get into tech.

Today, Harry and Adil walk us through what their journey has been like so far, what is next for Autone.io, and they even share the solid advice they would give to someone who wants to start a company.

Some questions asked:

• How did your career start? And where are you now? (00:55)
• How did you both know you wanted to start a business together? (07:41)
• What has your journey been like thus far? (15:26)
• What advice would you give your 20-year-old self? (23:37)
• How did you approach your financial strategy when you decided to start Autone.io? (26:45)
• What is one piece of advice you have for someone starting their own company? (30:22)

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• Harry and Adil's biggest shock in leaving the corporate world (04:43)
• What type of business Autone.io is (11:08)
• The biggest challenge while growing Autone.io (20:40)
• What Harry and Adil think is next for Autone.io (22:45)
• The importance of asking 'So what?' (31:30)

Connect with Adil and Harry:

• Autone

Let’s Connect:

• Website
• Linkedin
• Instagram

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to season two of the Freelance Founders podcast. Today, you’ll hear Adil Bouhdadi’s tips for fundraising. Adil is the co-founder of Autone, a company that’s reinventing inventory management.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn Adil’s tips:

• #1 Have a compelling narrative
• #2 Get your valuation right
• #3 Be patient

Connect with Adil:

• LinkedIn
• Autone

Let’s Connect:

• Website
• Linkedin
• Instagram

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As founders, we often spend so much blood, sweat, and tears on creating our business that it can be difficult to  accept when our time on that particular journey has come to an end. It can feel like the end of an era or even a difficult breakup, but how, exactly, do we know when the time has come?

Welcome to season two, episode two of the Freelance Founders podcast. We’re talking to Amy Fraser, founder of OKREAL, a business dedicated to supporting women in building an indestructible sense of self worth through panels, workshops, online content, and mentorship. Amy is a community builder and storyteller working to give women courage and connection to take charge of their lives.

Today, Amy tells us about her aim of providing a resource of wisdom for women, how she came to realize it was time for OKREAL to wind down, and she shares her advice for freelancers who want to set healthy boundaries and portray confidence in their creative expertise.

Some Questions asked:

• What has your career looked like? And where are you today? (00:22)
• Why did you decide to go out on your own and start OKREAL? (04:00)
• How do you think communities play into our world today? And where do you see communities evolving over the next few years? (09:27)
• What are some ways you help the OKREAL community build self worth and resilience as we work towards finding fulfillment in our own careers? (16:42)
• What advice would you give to your 20 year old self? (27:46)
• How did you approach your financial strategy with OKREAL? (31:38)

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• That Amy’s time at her business, OKREAL, is coming to a close (02:35)
• The values that Amy shares with the OKREAL community (07:31)
• Some of Amy’s biggest challenges when launching OKREAL (14:36)
• Where Amy’s career is headed now (24:32)
• Some of the boundaries Amy has set for herself around work/life balance—and how she still has a long way to go (28:35)

Connect with Amy:

• Instagram
• OKREAL
• OKREAL on IG

Let’s Connect:

• Website
• Linkedin
• Instagram

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As founders, we’re all familiar with the feeling of burnout. Overwhelmed, stressed, exhausted, emotionally drained… Unfortunately, it’s become the norm for so many of us to work in this state on a nearly constant basis. It might seem like there’s no way out of the perpetual stress cycle, but there are a few key steps that we can all take to start to mitigate burnout and be our most grounded selves. 

Welcome to season two of the Freelance Founders podcast. Today, you’ll hear a masterclass on avoiding burnout from Sarita Walsh. Sarita is an entrepreneur and transformational coach working to empower leaders to fulfill their highest professional, personal, and social potential through mindset and behavior change.

In this episode, Sarita is sharing her top three tips for avoiding burnout, reducing stress, and ridding ourselves of habits that aren’t benefiting us—specifically for those of us who are high achieving, type A personalities who are prone to perfectionist tendencies and a reluctance to delegate tasks. 

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• How burnout is defined (00:44)
• Many of us have habits that are so ingrained that we keep doing them even after they’re no longer benefiting us (02:21)
• The time-blocking method can be used to create a better work-life balance and space for ourselves (03:17)
• Sarita’s tip #1: Slowing down to speed up (05:35)
• Tip #2: Focus on your most important work (06:50)
• Tip #3: Make better, more informed decisions for your future self (08:57)

Connect with Sarita:

• Website
• Instagram

Resources mentioned:

• Time blocking visual template

Let’s Connect:

• Website
• Linkedin
• Instagram

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The scariest part of leaving a 9 to 5 and going freelance is the loss of that corporate safety net that so many of us cling to. While taking the leap might not be comfortable, the freedom we feel once we’ve stuck landing is worth every bit of anxiety. 

Welcome to season two of the Freelance Founders podcast. On our first episode back, we’re talking to Justin Bridges, a NYC based entrepreneur and fashion photographer originally hailing from Atlanta. He is the founder and CMO of travel start-up El Camino and the owner of Peach Studio, a photo and video rental studio in Queens.

Today, Justin tells us the advice he’d give himself at 20 years old, how he works to set boundaries for himself, and even gives us some financial wisdom through the lens of a former Wall Street trader and current freelancer.

Some Questions asked:

• What was your biggest adjustment going from a corporate atmosphere to freelancing? (03:58)
• What are three tips for freelancers who are looking to start preparing for their retirement? (09:19)
• Do you think the trend of remote workers going globally nomadic will continue to grow? (19:39)
• How did you approach your financial strategy when you decided to join your co-founder in El Camino? (33:57)
• What is one piece of advice you have for anyone who is starting their own company or looking to be a co-founder? (35:53)

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• The biggest mistake people make when they start freelancing (04:58)
• Why you should start building freelance clients before quitting your 9 to 5 (06:33)
• The inspiration behind El Camino, the travel start-up that Justin co-founded (16:00)
• What Justin sees as the future of El Camino and why they aim to continue catering to women (24:08)
• Why locking in on that thing that gets you up in the morning is a major key to career success (26:37)

Connect with Justin:

• Instagram
• El Camino
• Peach Studio

Let’s Connect:

• Website
• Linkedin
• Instagram

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

To hear more upcoming, real conversations with industry-leading guests, tune in to season 2 of Freelance Founders Podcast, available wherever you listen.

Missed out on the first season? Don't worry! It's not too late to go back and listen to our candid conversations with guests like Jess Tran, Ana Andjelic, Mark Clennon, and Aundre Larrow.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.