Freelance Transformation: Find Higher-paying Projects, Work Less, And Get Rid Of The Stress

Michael Zipursky of Consulting Success has spent nearly two decades building consulting agencies. Over the last ten years, he’s dedicated his time to helping other consultants & freelancers alike to build better businesses. His experience has taught him that having the right mindset is what sets truly successful freelancers apart. Michael believes that most freelancers are held back because their mind isn’t in the right place. We all know the steps toward success, we can even have the tools to achieve them, but if you’re in the wrong mindset, you’re never going to unlock your true potential. Your mindset will get you in front of the high-quality clients you’re looking for, and help you achieve that freedom and flexibility you want from your career.  https://freelancetransformation.com/episode160

Upgrading from freelancer to solo-preneur is the trajectory some of us take in our businesses, but taking that first step isn’t always easy. How do you know when you’re ready? Duane Brown, Founder of Take Some Risk - a digital marketing agency, discusses his transition from freelancing to starting his own agency. Duane shares some of the risks he took to make that first leap and why and how he's decided to build an agency. https://freelancetransformation.com/episode159

When it comes to freelancing, we all have to start somewhere. And the reality is that those beginnings are pretty humble. Your first client probably won’t be a giant account and you probably won’t be making hundreds of dollars per hour. In fact, the whole project might be $100. But how do you get from that point to better clients, higher paying, possibly building a team, and most importantly having a business that enables whatever lifestyle you’re looking for? Joe Kashurba went through this exact journey, and his started all the way back in high school and led to him ultimately winning $30,000 website projects and managing 6 figure advertising accounts. Joe will be sharing his journey in-depth, including the key realizations he made around his ideal clients, how he priced himself, what packaging his services did for him, and how he ultimately built a team. https://freelancetransformation.com/episode158

Crystal Smith is the mastermind behind Shine Consulting where she helps solo-preneurs tell their origin stories in order to sell themselves better. Crystal refers to this process as "story-selling." Story-selling is more than just talking about your experiences, it's about connecting your own personal story to your business.  Crystal shares her own origin story and offers some great advice on how to use this emotional marketing technique to build your personal brand! https://freelancetransformation.com/episode157

Being a freelancer is often synonymous with being a "jack of all trades." You do everything in your business. You could be a web designer or writer, but you’re also a manager, a bookkeeper, and a marketer. Matt Kohn of Different Hunger Media shares his story of building his solo-freelance business into an agency. And how it's allowed him to focus on the development and future planning of his business. https://freelancetransformation.com/episode156

If you’re trying to find enough freelance work to finally quit your full-time job, tune in now for Seth Coelen’s first-hand experience. Seth is on the podcast today because he truly knows how to set freelancers up for success. His techniques for finding clients and determining rates will help you establish the strong starting point you need to jump successfully into a freelance career. Seth Coelen is a UI/UX designer who really loves his work. He had no problem working his corporate job all day and then coming home to pull in freelance projects on the side. But stretching yourself too thin is one of the fastest ways to burn yourself out. Seth and his wife knew that something had to give. So he gave up the corporate job to focus on his freelance pursuits. https://freelancetransformation.com/episode155

Jane Portman, founder of UI Breakfast, is an amazing UI/UX consultant who loves helping entrepreneurs perfect their SaaS systems online and on mobile. She’s also an ace at productizing her skills. Productized consulting is a way to simplify your services and your rates in order to better serve your clients by offering them in neat, pre-priced packages. Jane is on this episode of the Freelance Transformation podcast all the way from Russia! To discuss how productizing her own skillset helped her build her business and reach out to the kinds of clients she truly loves working with. https://freelancetransformation.com/episode154

Are you thinking about hiring a virtual assistant but you're not sure where to start, or when might be a good time to do so? Fortunately for the modern-day freelancer and business owner, the advancements in technology and the internet have made it possible for businesses to flourish in the online environment. This means that you are now able to choose from a gigantic pool of candidates to help you with your business. Part-time, full-time, flex time? No problem. Hiring a virtual assistant gives you the opportunity to do the things that you do best in your business. You are able to outsource the tasks that are a time-suck and the things that often fall to the bottom of your to-do list.  On this episode, we are lucky to have Gina Horkey, Founder of Horkey HandBook, back on the show. On episode 45, Gina spoke about how you could hire and work with a virtual assistant, and she is back with more awesome advice and to help you take that first step to hiring your first assistant. https://freelancetransformation.com/

We can’t all be organized all of the time. Sometimes our businesses get away from us, and we are consumed by all the little things we need to do to keep our business running. But you don’t have to let your freelance career consume you or your free time. If you’re struggling to find that work-life balance, this episode of The Freelance Transformation Podcast is for you. Susan Fennema is a project managing genius. She is the CEO of Beyond the Chaos, and she helps freelancers reclaim their lives. She has tips and tricks to help you keep track of all the little details, and we discuss the strategies she uses to help freelancers put systems in place to run a better business. https://freelancetransformation.com/episode152

Back in 2005, Jeff Sauer was teaching himself SEO when most businesses didn't even know what the heck that was. He realized he could combine this niche work with his computer science degree, and he turned his side hustle into a full-time career in only one year’s time. Today, Jeff is a digital marketer who teaches his secrets to university students and consults freelancers online. He has learned how to grow and scale a freelance business because he just so happened to stumble upon the magic formula using his own business model. https://freelancetransformation.com/episode151

Every freelancer needs a personal finance strategy in order to protect their income and their future investments, including retirement. But where do you start your financial planning when you’re just starting your freelance career? Jessica Moorhouse discusses a three-step framework that will help you get your finances in order. Jessica is a millennial money expert. She is a personal finance blogger and podcast host who teaches millennials and freelancers alike how to manage their finances. On this episode, she breaks down the common misconceptions about finance and talks about what it really means to manage your freelance income. https://freelancetransformation.com/episode150

If you’re trying to figure out your financial goals for 2018, remember that you are a freelancer. You’re not an employee. You are the boss of your own business, and that comes with its own unique challenges and financial burdens. Andy is a UI/UX design director and the creator of Harpoon, a finance management app for freelancers. He’s tested out his own financial theories, and he’s here today to talk about goal-based financial planning, and how this strategy can help you meet your financial goals this year. https://freelancetransformation.com/episode149

Happy New Year! Welcome to a special New Year's episode where we will discuss 5 things that you can do to boost your freelancing income in 2018. The suggested five changes were inspired by past interviews conducted on this podcast, as well as a few of Matt's own mistakes and triumphs. These are things that have consistently been seen to create a significant impact on the businesses of the guests on this podcast, the students of Freelance Start and, of course, of Matt himself. https://freelancetransformation.com/episode148

2018 is right around the corner! Are there any big life changes coming your way? Could this be the year when you actually quit (or lose) your job and start your own freelancing business? Jason Swett, a programmer and app developer, survived the worst-case scenario during his very first year as a freelancer. He has some entertaining stories, followed by some great advice on how you might be able to survive your own “firsts” as a full-time freelancer. https://freelancetransformation.com/episode147

Austin Felton is a unique freelancer who used his consulting business to fund his product business. He’s the creator of Entrecloud, a WordPress hosting software, and this product was inspired by his first consulting clients. While consulting influential entrepreneurs, Austin had the opportunity to ask clients directly what they were looking for and he tapped into a niche market that he could deliver to. https://freelancetransformation.com/episode146

Given the wealth of professional information that LinkedIn has about its users, including job titles, companies they work for, skills, industries, etc. It’s a natural fit when you are trying to market to companies, especially when selling higher priced services, and especially if you follow the best practices to build a successful LinkedIn ad campaign. AJ’s Wilcox of B2Linked specializes exclusively in helping B2B businesses to find customers with LinkedIn ads. That being said, AJ’s business is one of a kind in its focus toward creating ad campaigns with LinkedIn. His strategy will help you use LinkedIn in a new way and encourage you to niche down your freelancing business and teach you how to get in touch with more people who absolutely need your services. https://freelancetransformation.com/episode145

If you’ve never considered 'LinkedIn Prospecting' as a way to find clients, it's something that you may want to investigate as a freelancer. Jake Jorgovan is the founder of Lead Cookie - LinkedIn Lead Generation & Prospecting, but he’s been using LinkedIn as a way to connect with clients long before he started teaching other freelancers about it. LinkedIn is the only social network that acts as a comprehensive database of professionals and companies that could be in need of your special area of expertise. It is possible that if you connected with these professionals, you could easily find the ideal clients you would want to work with. The strategies Jake shares today won’t take you longer than two hours per day and could generate up to twenty leads per month. https://freelancetransformation.com/episode144

No matter what career path you choose as a freelancer, every freelancer must experience the journey. You can’t just magically skip to the front of the line and land on immediate success. If you want A-list clients, there are some skills you need to learn and experiences you need to put under your belt first. Jesse Gernigin of Live Gold Rich talks about some of those learning experiences. Jesse gave up an entertainment career as a magician to become a professional freelance consultant. But his experiences on the road and in front of crowds didn’t make his freelance transition any easier or faster. He still had to go through the process step-by-step, and the experiences he shares are going to give you a practiced perspective on your own freelance career and choices. www.freelancetransformation.com/episode143

Even if you’re an introvert, you can still be a successful freelancer. Being an introvert doesn’t put you at a disadvantage. It probably means you’re better at reading people and understanding their problems, which makes you an excellent freelancer. Luis Vazquez, founder of The Mighty Introvert, talks about how you can hone these skills and succeed as an introvert. https://freelancetransformation.com/episode142 Today's episode is brought to you by Harpoon! Harpoon is the all-in-one financial management solution built specifically for freelancers like yourself. Harpoon is the first online invoicing and time tracking tool, at least that we've seen, that helps you actively predict if your freelance finances are on track to meet your goals, instead of just reporting them in hindsight. Try Harpoon completely risk-free for 14 days. And if you love it use the coupon code TRANSFORMATION to receive 20% off the first 3 months of your subscription.

You won’t become a recognizable name in your niche market overnight, but you can get a head start with these tips from Mike Julian of Aster Labs. His unique perspective on outreach and the way he uses social media can really put you at the forefront of your field and connect you with the right clients. Learn how to approach your niche the right way so you can start earning the income you need to make freelancing your full-time job. https://freelancetransformation.com/episode141 Today's episode is brought to you by Harpoon! Harpoon is the all-in-one financial management solution built specifically for freelancers like yourself. Harpoon is the first online invoicing and time tracking tool, at least that we've seen, that helps you actively predict if your freelance finances are on track to meet your goals, instead of just reporting them in hindsight. Try Harpoon completely risk-free for 14 days. And if you love it use the coupon code TRANSFORMATION to receive 20% off the first 3 months of your subscription.