The Writers’ Co-op

It's been 10 years since Wudan started freelancing, and she's learned a lot of lessons over the past decade. Now, she's running three businesses simultaneously. Most of us will probably just run one business at a time, but for those who want to think expansively and start another one, Wudan gives you a peek behind that curtain.

In this episode, Jillian Anthony interviews Wudan. 

Jillian is a writer and editor with 13 years of experience in journalism and media. She is the former lead editor of Time Out New York, and her writing has been published in Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Pop-Up magazine, Contently, and many other publications. As a freelancer, she works with major tech, travel, and media companies in many content and marketing roles; is a regular public speaker at events like SXSW; and helps writers find their footing in the freelance world. She authors the newsletter Cruel Summer Book Club, about making space for your art and yourself, and hosts a podcast of the same name.

Wudan reflects more on what she's learned over her career and dives into what it’s like to juggle three businesses.

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Over the past year, we've heard from many listeners who are curious about scaling up their freelance businesses to an agency. Agencies can allow freelancers to take on bigger projects that they might not have the capacity to do alone. They can also attract more well-known clients, because those big-namers want to work business-to-company, rather than business-to-individual with a freelancer. But what does it actually take to go from solo freelancer to agency owner?

In this episode, Wudan talks with Caity Cronkhite. 

Caity transformed her solo freelance technical writing business into a multi-million dollar writing agency. She is the founder and CEO of Good Words LLC, a technical writing and documentation consulting firm that’s on a mission to rid the world of bad docs.

Caity and Wudan dive into how to know when it's time to scale to an agency, the benefits of building an agency incrementally and mindset shifts required to go from solopreneur to agency owner. 

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Starting a new publication or production network has long been a big dream for many freelance journalists. Some have become disenfranchised with the status quo of how publications are run and are contemplating striking out on their own. Others see an opportunity to fill a niche that's been overlooked. But what does it take to bring a new media company from idea to execution?

In this episode, Wudan talks with Amy Westervelt. 

Amy is an award-winning investigative journalist working in print and audio who covers accountability and the climate crisis. She’s been working as a freelancer for over 20 years, and has written for NPR, Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and more. In 2017, she founded a podcast production company, Critical Frequency, which is home to multiple award-winning podcasts, including Drilled and Damages. 

Amy and Wudan dive into the nitty-gritty of funding a new network and setting up a team. 

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If you've been on LinkedIn lately, you might have noticed bios that include a “fractional” C-level job. Traditional C-suite jobs can be all-consuming, require deep expertise, leadership and ownership. For many freelancers, we probably don’t imagine holding a C-suite position, besides being the CEO of our own businesses. 

So — what’s the hype over these fractional C-level positions? 

In this episode, Wudan talks with Matthew Fenton. 

Matthew is the founder of Three Deuce Branding, a consultancy with a simple mission: to help good people build great brands. Since 1997, his company has helped hundreds of clients — including Fidelity Investments, Wrigley, and Valvoline — to achieve "brand clarity" by better positioning, strategy, and messaging. Matthew has spent seven years in brand management.  For a year and a half, he's worked as a fractional CMO/CSO for Bob Rogers Travel. He's also the founder of the coaching business Winning Solo. 

Wudan and Matthew dive into the benefits of fractional roles, how to determine if a fractional role is right for you and what you can do to work your way up into a fractional position. 

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Typically, when we strike out on our own and launch a freelance business, we play it safe and start with what we know. If we previously worked at a marketing agency, we might offer services like copywriting and content marketing. We might target clients in that niche. After all, that’s where the bulk of our professional network — our potential first clients — may be.

But what if you want to build a freelance business unrelated to your subject matter expertise? How do you determine what your business wants to be? In other words: How do you think expansively, past the industries and work that you know? 

In this episode, Wudan talks with Maya Lau. 

Maya works at the intersection of media and research, having pivoted from her career as a newspaper reporter. She is the host of Other People’s Pockets, where she interviews people about how much money they make, how they feel about their finances, and if they’ve figured out anything about money that the rest of us haven’t. Maya also has her own business, Anza Research, where she investigates companies and the people who run them for investment firms.

Wudan and Maya dive more into how to leverage existing skills and interests when switching industries. 

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As a freelancer, the topic of diversification may be on your  mind. The freelance market is what it is, and the pool of freelancers continues to grow - so we need ways of differentiating ourselves from others. You may be wondering how to level up in your business by offering new services, looking to a new client base, or both! But how can you do that in an intentional way?

In this episode, Wudan talks with Ashley Cisneros Mejia

Ashley is an award-winning journalist, communications expert, and former marketing agency owner with nearly 20 years of experience. She is the host and creator of the Talk Freelance to Me Podcast, where she provides freelancers the tools they need to design a life they love, and run sustainable, profitable businesses. Over her career, she’s done a bit of everything. She began her career as a newspaper reporter, worked as a tech writer, marketing manager, in PR, and so much more. 

Ashley and Wudan go over steps to diversify your freelance business purposefully and without fear.

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What if we told you that all freelancers are leaders? 

The idea might seem counterintuitive at first: After all, freelancers provide services or products to our clients. We’re not leading or managing a team in a conventional sense.

But leadership isn’t just about managing a team. It’s how you position yourself, how you talk about yourself, and how you show up every day in your work. 

In this episode, Wudan talks with Cynthia Pong. 

Cynthia is an award-winning career and leadership coach, speaker, and author of “Don't Stay in Your Lane: The Career Change Guide for Women of Color.” An NYU-trained lawyer turned career coach, she founded her company, Embrace Change, to help women of color—and people of color—secure the money, power, and respect they deserve.

Wudan and Cynthia dive into how to adopt a leadership mindset—even as a team of one.

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Career transitions often come with an element of fear. For freelancers, this might be a fear of rejection or of losing stable income. It might show up as a little voice in our head that says: “But what if I fail?” Fear is meant to protect us, yet it can also hold us back from trying new things and thinking expansively about our businesses. 

In this episode, Nicole Tsong joins Wudan to talk about confronting fear while making big career swings. 

Nicole is a former journalist-turned-podcast host and bestselling author. As the founder of Nicole Tsong Coaching and the School of Self-Worth podcast, she helps Asian American women leaders release the pressure valve, supercharge their self-worth and master intuitive decision making. You can follow her on Instagram at @nicoletsong. 

Nicole dives into how career growth doesn’t have to be linear, how to feel grounded before making a big decision, and how to think of decision-making as an experiment. 

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Welcome to Season 8! We’re calling this year the “Year of Expansive Thinking.” This season will focus on how to think big about our businesses, ourselves, and what we think is possible. 

In the first episode, host and executive producer Wudan Yan answers questions from guest co-host Pam Moore about her businesses. 

Pam is an occupational therapist-turned-award-winning intuitive eating coach and journalist based in Boulder, Colorado. Wudan tells Pam more about how her business has changed drastically in the last three years as a result of a mindset shift, what it’s been like to run two businesses, and her goals for 2024.

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This episode is a cross-post between The Writers' Co-op and Freelance Cake, a podcast for ambitious freelancers who want to get more results with less effort, hosted by Austin L. Church.

Austin had Wudan on his show to talk about how she cultivated a mindset of 'always be negotiating,' and how she got to a place where negotiations felt comfortable and conversation-like, rather than potentially contentious.