As Rob closed out 2019, he started to think about how he could focus his business on a specific mission. This week he works through that process with Sara as he seeks to grow his business by focusing on offering less.

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Links:

• The Cache — Rob's weekly eCommerce marketing newsletter
• RobBettis.com — Now ith 100% more eCommerce.

Rob and Sara are back with major life changes. Rob's wife regrets not having an office, Sara had a baby but figured out a way to send month-end invoices from the hospital bed. They work through what it's like for a first time mother who's headed back to work.

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Links:

• Episode 45: Freelance Parenting 👨‍👩‍👧
• Silver & Gold | Sam Doores & Riley Downing — The "Kiss all the pretty girls" song

In this episode, Rob and Sara talk about their upcoming life changes, and how the show is going to respond.

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Rob interviews Amy Walters about her journey from a traditional job to a multi-faceted creative & marketing career.

Special Guest: Amy Walters.

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In this episode, Rob and Sara discuss the pros and cons of grocery delivery (especially on vacation). They then transition into looking at the future of your industry. How can freelancers build habits to be more nimble than bigger firms so they can be ready when trends change?

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Rob gets things broken by the very person who shouldn't be doing that. Sara and Rob have a detailed discussion about how to quantify yourself and your services to your customers. Some businesses lend themselves well to this, but others do not. Is a case study a valuable resource for freelancers to build? As you build your book of business, think through how you'll quantify your success to future clients.

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Links:

• Fakespot | Analyze and identify fake reviews and counterfeits
• ReviewMeta.com - Amazon Review Checker
• Rob Bettis | Marketing Consultant & Freelance PPC Manager

In this episode, Rob and Sara talk about how a freelancer can leverage their flexible schedule to take care of their mental and physical health. Rob talks about how beneficial it's been during their house building process. Sara ponders what people on strict PTO schedules do when they're pregnant.

Sponsored By:

• PDFpen | Smile Software: PDFpen 11 is the ultimate tool for editing PDFs on the Mac. Promo Code: UNFEDERATED19

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In this episode, Rob and Sara talk about the practice of a freelancer working for a company for free in exchange for an ownership stake. Most of us have heard about people owning a % of a company cashing out when a company goes public or is sold. Is that the norm? What happens if that never happens? Before you work for free, listen to this episode.

Sponsored By:

• PDFpen | Smile Software: PDFpen 11 is the ultimate tool for editing PDFs on the Mac. Promo Code: UNFEDERATED19

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In this episode, Sara puts on her lawyer hat to convince Rob that face to face meetings do have a place in the business world. How do you schedule, structure, and end them? All of this will be discussed along with some helpful tips on how to follow up after a face to face meeting.

Sponsored By:

• TextExpander | Smile Software: Your time is too valuable, and life is too short, to constantly retype what could be a snippet. More than any other tool, TextExpander has helped Rob & Sara maximize their productivity. Promo Code: UNFEDERATED19

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Links:

• Unfederated.Studio/Smile
• Episode 52: Getting Recession Ready

In this episode, Sara is back from Europe, and Rob has summer childcare difficulties. They work through how to maintain your work load during seasons of change. If it's travel, summer hour changes, conferences, or co-worker vacations, you must still get your work done. Rob and Sara talk through strategies around devices, apps, and services while "out of the office". If you need to do more with less, here's a good place to start.

Sponsored By:

• TextExpander | Smile Software: Your time is too valuable, and life is too short, to constantly retype what could be a snippet. More than any other tool, TextExpander has helped Rob & Sara maximize their productivity. Promo Code: UNFEDERATED19

Support Unfederated

Links:

• https://unfederated.studio/Smile — Enter to win TextExpander for a year.
• Episode 46: Zen & The Art of Calendar Management
• Droplr — Screenshot, file sharing and screencasts for creative people.
• Grammarly
• Things - Your to-do list for Mac & iOS
• Timing
• Bear - Notes for iPhone, iPad and Mac