Whether they’re creating stunning product pics, hosting their podcast, or scheming to make new friends, Arabela and Elle of Weekend Creative are all about having fun. On their podcast Per Our Last Email, Arabela and Elle share crazy stories about freelancing, all while unwinding with a delicious cocktail. If you’ve done any freelance work, it’s a podcast that will leave you rolling and saying, “I thought it was just me!”

They joined as my guests this week to talk about their uniquely cohesive partnership and how they’ve used it to build a powerful freelance business. Give this episode a listen to hear how you can do the same.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

1. How their different approaches to productivity complement each other, even when they might occasionally annoy the other person.
2. The ways they each manage boundaries and prevent burnout.
3. How Arabela and Elle met and started a business together, plus how they keep it working.
4. Tips for finding and creating a successful freelance business partnership.
5. Weekend Creative’s backstory, from names to first gigs.
6. Why you should never let clients dictate schedules, prices, and other project details.
7. The reasons there is no such thing as a [insert type of work] emergency.
8. Per Our Last Email’s backstory, from coffee shop conversations to their favorite guests.
9. Why sliding into DMs for business purposes is a big no-no.
10. All about Arabela and Elle’s secret weapon.

Today, we welcome back Nicole Swartz of Sprout Law, an expert on everything trademark. She returns to answer many of the questions we got after her last episode, plus offers guidance on choosing the right business registration, checking for trademarks, and building a solid contract. The best part? It’s all focused on freelancers and small business owners so you can easily apply it to your work and business.

Nicole joined us previously to share how trademark issues derailed her thriving skincare business. She has used her experience to help others avoid the same problems, becoming an expert on trademark law and shedding light on a hazy area of business. She gave us even more practical advice in this episode, so it’s truly a discussion you can’t miss.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

1. Why do so many freelancers and small business owners ignore the legal side of things until something bad happens.
2. How to know when you need to get a trademark for your business, even if you offer services instead of products.
3. The ingredients in a Trademark Sandwich™ and why it’s important to build it correctly.
4. What the different business registrations involve, what they mean, and how to find the right option for you.
5. The potential consequences of working in certain industries without liability protection, even if you’re just providing social media content or graphic design work.
6. How to find out if your business name is trademarked, plus when you may need to get an attorney involved.
7. What to do (and not do) if your brand name is the same or similar to a trademarked option.
8. The two things to double-check when using a contract or contract template to protect yourself and your business.
9. What kind of changes Nicole would make to the SBA to make a better world for freelancers.
10. A sneak peek at what we’re doing behind the scenes at the Hectic Podcast and what we’re hoping to share with it.

Can she fix it? Yes, she can! Adrianna Baros offers furniture repairs and touch-ups, but that is only one of the many incredible skills she offers. She joins the podcast this week to share how she got involved with this craft and what it’s like to live such a wild, fun, and crazy life.

Whether she’s plotting how to trade up from a pen to a Tesla or making barn doors for her home, Adrianna isn’t afraid to dive in and try something new. We all have something to learn from her do-it attitude and I’m so excited to share her story.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

1. About running such a unique business and the unconventional ways Adrianna connects with new customers.
2. Her experiences with cars and motorcycles, including the plans she has for the Tesla she hopes to trade her way up to.
3. How she knew college wasn’t the right fit and decided on what she wanted to do instead.
4. The meaning behind her brand name, Second Love Restoration.
5. About the beauty, she sees in her work, even in the mundane jobs.
6. Where her drive to try new things and gain new knowledge comes from.
7. Why you shouldn’t be afraid of taking risks and messing up anything you want to try in life.
8. The easy way to start your own DIY projects at home.
9. The advice Adrianna uses to grow her business, knowledge, and skills.
10. Why being the only young woman she knows in her field will take her to the top.

This week, you get to meet sister duo and creative powerhouse, Carly DeFilippo and Lauren DeFilippo Jackson. Together, they run Cognoscenti Creative, a small creative studio. Though entrepreneurship is in their blood, it definitely wasn’t their plan. Join us as Lauren and Carly share what led them to start a business together and how they developed the skills they use to wow clients. You’ll learn how they both moved incrementally from employment to freelancing and how this journey shapes their business today.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

1. Who Carly and Lauren are and how they complement each other in life and work.
2. How they went from working and freelancing separately to starting Cognoscenti Creative together.
3. What they learned from employment and how it empowers them to develop incredible brands.
4. How they knew when it was time to focus on full-time independent work.
5. About the group of female entrepreneurs that inspires, encourages and supports them on their journey.
6. How they surround themselves with the right projects and clients.
7. Why they aren’t a full-service agency - and why being transparent about that is essential.
8. The problems with faking your strengths and hiding your weaknesses as a freelancer.
9. Tips for succeeding and growing in 2022.
10. Why starting their business was a step-by-step process and not a head-first dive into independent work.

Show Notes:
Cognoscenti Creative
Carly DeFilippo
Lauren DeFilippo Jackson

Evy Lyons is a builder of brands, teams, and muscles. She has explored her personal brand over the past year, learning how to define what she cares about and stands for. As my guest this week, she shares what she’s discovered, her thoughts on autonomous creativity, and why she has recently focused on strength training.

You’ll also get a peek at Evy’s new brand and how it is pushing her out of her comfort zone in the best way.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

1. Evy’s new tagline, along with what it means and how she came up with it.
2. How she is refining her personal brand to better reflect her values and passions.
3. Why it was so hard for her to start a personal blog despite years of experience as a writer.
4. About the small steps she took in 2020 to understand where she wants to go in life.
5. The differing approaches Evy and her husband have to leadership.
6. New ways to think about professional hierarchies that offer more autonomy to ideas and actions.
7. What is at the core of brands, particularly the ones that Evy builds in her work.
8. An introduction to The Pleasant Box and how it came to be.
9. How fighting against the feeling of being controlled helped her quit smoking and overcome her insecurities.
10. Where and how you can join Evy’s garage gym workouts and strength training sessions.

Show Notes:
The Pleasant Box
Evy Lyons
The Score Takes Care of Itself 

Whether you are a sommelier or have just watched that one episode of Parks & Rec too many times, you’ll find a new winery to love in Aluel. Partners in both life and business, Alex Oh and Samuel Hilbert started this wine tasting room together and have seen it through many highs and lows, including COVID. Listen this week to hear how they met, what they’ve learned along the way, and why wine is so important to their story.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

1. How Alex and Samuel used foreign cuisine and languages to make up for a lack of traveling during the pandemic.
2. The role wine has played in their relationship from the very first date.
3. Why communication has been a key focus of their personal and business relationships.
4. Their journey from working successful jobs individually to also opening a business together. 
5. The ways they balance each other out, from time management to the level of structure in their lives and work.
6. Why celebrating the small milestones is just as important as achieving the big dream.
7. How Alex and Samuel are working to make wine approachable and fun for everyone who comes through the door.
8. Tips for building a partnership or team that benefits everyone involved.
9. Their COVID experience and how it encouraged a level of fearlessness that empowers positive change.
10. Which Aluel wines you should try and how you can order a few bottles for yourself.

Show Notes:
Aleul Cellars
Tasting Room
Instagram

When it comes to living a whole-hearted, well-rounded life as a freelancer, Megan Williams is the person you want by your side. From finding the best direction to take your business to understanding how your relationship with employment affects the way you treat work, she has so many aha! moments to share.

In our episode this week, Megan shares what her employment experiences have taught her about work. She also discusses Black Freelance, the incredible community she is building to encourage more people of color to start freelancing. If you want to build a healthier relationship with your work and business, get ready to take notes!

In this episode, you’ll hear:

1. How big business thinking can help you raise your rates and decrease the time you work without increasing your stress.
2. Why our job-focused culture is killing us - both literally and figuratively.
3. ...and why minorities are affected the most by it.
4. The reasons freelancers typically work so much harder than people who are employed.
5. How evaluating the ways you as a boss treat yourself as an employee can help you create a healthier approach to and mindset about work.
6. Why it’s okay to run from traditional employment if it’s not the right fit and what I learned when I did the same.
7. What Megan loves about Hectic and the ways it supports freelancers.
8. Her tips for creating an approach to healthcare that works for a freelance budget and empowers healthier living.
9. Why passion spaces are a bad idea for freelancers and what you should pursue instead.
10. The new interest she is excited to share with other freelancers.

Show Notes:
 Blackfreelance.com
Dying for a Paycheck

To get an idea of who my guest is this week, you only need to look at her Instagram handle, @thequeerkoreanpsychologist. In her work, Dr. Sarah Moon helps immigrants, people of color, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community find ways to move from surviving to thriving in their lives. Today, she shares what led to this work and why it’s so important to her.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

1. Why it’s important to focus on processing big things like COVID-19 rather than trying to come up with an answer.
2. The reasons so many in minority communities struggle with a survival, scarcity mindset.
3. How this conversation related to my (Darryl’s) personal story.
4. The first step that can take you from survival to healing and being grounded in your life.
5. Which unrecognized stressors can lead to burnout for people in minority communities.
6. And how you can find the time and energy to fight it.
7. How awareness and knowledge are leading to important changes today.
8. How understanding the positives and negatives of normalization can promote empathy and compassion.
9. Tips for speaking up and challenging norms.
10. How you can find more resources on diversity, equity, and inclusion work for your freelancing business. 

Show Notes:

Dr. Sarah Moon's website
Follow Dr. Sarah Moon on IG: @thequeerkoreanpsychologist

To kick off season 2 with a bang, I had the privilege of speaking with food extraordinaire, Jessica Lawson! In this episode, we chatted about everything from her years living in the Dominican Republic to her hatred of ketchup to the journey that led to her food blog. Most importantly, Jessica shares how her experiences equipped her to take it from a hobby to a business, even if she didn’t intend it. 

Give it a listen to hear how sharing pics of her food on Instagram turned into a thriving, growing brand (and how you can do it too). Plus, you’ll get a first look (listen?) at our brand new signature question.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

1. Jessica’s journey from a directionless college grad to a successful entrepreneur.
2. About the incredible work, she did and continues to support in the Dominican Republic.
3. The struggles she faced in the corporate world, even when everything was going right.
4. Why this led to rock bottom and what she did to rise from it.
5. How the pandemic prompted her venture into food blogging.
6. What fuels her love of cooking and passion for sharing it.
7. Tips for turning your hobby into an income-generating service.
8. How to cook incredible food that makes you feel (physically AND mentally) as good as it tastes.
9. Why you need to get rid of your grocery budget and diets in favor of beautiful, delicious food.
10. And what future collaboration with Jessica you can look forward to!

Show notes:
Jessica Lawson — Big Delicious Life
Allrecipes Cooks to follow
Thefeedfeed.com

As we wrap season one (can you believe we’re already here?!), we wanted to remember some of the best and most memorable moments of our first season as podcasters. We decided to change things up a bit, so you get to hear our lovely Marketing Coordinator, Michelle, interview me! 

Though this is the end of season one, we already have a ton of amazing guests scheduled for season two. We’ll also be releasing some more casual Saturday morning chats in the interim, so be sure to hit subscribe so you don’t miss out!

Until season TWO, my friends, peace! or Cheers :-) 

In this episode, you’ll hear:

1. How I’ve seen myself grow throughout this podcast and what I would say to episode one Darryl about this experience.
2. Why I stopped saying “I love it” so much, even if I really do love it.
3. About vulnerability and how it surprised me throughout this season.
4. Which quote I keep going back to and what it taught me about the pandemic.
5. The theme that ran through this season and what multiple guests taught us about discomfort.
6. How these conversations helped me own my personal story and struggles.
7. Which habit - positive, negative, or both - I think an aspiring freelancer should start or stop doing.
8. Which episodes are my and Michelle’s favorites and why.
9. What you have to look forward to in season two and our upcoming Saturday morning conversations.
10. Why this podcast couldn’t exist without Michelle and our best wishes as she starts her maternity leave!