Author: James Cross

Freelancing can make you feel like SUCH a failure sometimes (myself included).

 

Whether you’ve been in the game for a month or a decade, there are always things you don’t know that you don’t know – until it’s too late.

 

This week, I’m sharing 25 tips that can save you time, money, and a whole lot of frustration in your freelance career.

 

 

Freelancing doesn’t come with a survival guide – until now.

Tired of fighting for scraps?

 

The endless price wars. The brutal grind. The feeling that clients can’t tell you apart from a dozen other freelancers offering the exact same thing as you.

 

It’s exhausting and soul-crushing, but you don’t have to play this game.

 

There’s a way to escape the bloody red waters of competition and step into a blue ocean where you’re one of the only options.

 

No price wars. No burnout. Just high-value clients who choose you because you’re the only obvious choice

 

In this episode, I’m breaking down the Blue Ocean Trio—three simple ways to:

✅ Escape the red ocean.

✅ Command higher rates.

✅ Build a freelancing business you actually enjoy.

 

 

In this episode you’ll discover:

Ever been through a “famine” as a freelancer? It suckkkkks.

 

The feast or famine life is pretty miserable. One month you're flush with clients, the next you're scrambling, hoping for a random referral to pop into your inbox.

 

Here's a hard truth for you: If you don’t have a full client acquisition system, you don’t have a real business.

 

The good news is that once you nail this, it’s like flipping a switch. You quickly see that consistently getting new leads means predictable income, and higher-paying clients.

 

In this week’s episode, I’m breaking down the five essential building blocks of a client acquisition machine – updated for 2025. I’m giving you the blueprint you need to keep your business running like clockwork.

 

Your next client shouldn’t be a mystery. Let’s fix that.

 

In this episode you’ll discover:

You know that meme where everything is on fire, and the dog just sits there saying, “This is fine”?

 

Yeah… that’s how most freelancers handle their business problems.

Spoiler: It’s NOT fine.

 

Here’s where I'll state the obvious: if you don’t actually solve these problems, they don’t magically disappear. They compound.

 

But there’s good news: every single one of these problems is solvable.

 

In this episode of the 6 Figure Creative podcast, I’m breaking down the one proven way to actually fix your problems for good. It’s time-tested. It’s genius-level simple.

 

So you can stop pretending everything is fine and start putting the fire out. 🧯🔥

 

Your problems don’t solve themselves. But you can.

 

In this episode you’ll discover:

Imagine pulling in $130,000 a year as a freelancer… and still struggling to make ends meet. Sounds crazy, right? But it’s happening. And I’ll tell you why.

 

The truth? Income is just one piece of the puzzle. If you’re not focused on profit, that big income number means nothing.

 

In the latest episode of 6 Figure Creative, we dive deep into why chasing revenue alone can actually sink your business—and how to flip the focus so that what you keep is actually worth your time.

 

Don’t let your income be just a “vanity metric.” Get the details on how to make sure you're actually keeping what you make.

 

In this episode you’ll discover:

How much is one client worth to you? Not just per project—but over the next 12 months? What about the next 12 YEARS?

 

Most freelancers leave a ton of money on the table because they don’t know how to boost client value.

 

In this week's episode of the 6 Figure Creative Podcast, I'm breaking down seven ways to make each client worth more—without overhauling your whole business.

 

And here’s the best part…

 

Just ONE of these tactics could be worth $10,000-$25,000+ to you over the next 12 months. Imagine if you implemented all seven.

 

Whether it’s adding more services, nailing a sales process, or simply raising your rates, there’s a goldmine of potential in your current clients.

 

In this episode you’ll discover:

Level with me for a second… Are you actually moving forward in your business, or just dabbling?

 

My freelancers fall into the trap of trying to do everything. The result? Ten half-built bridges leading absolutely nowhere.

 

It can be tempting to jump on every new, fun, shiny object you hear about.

In our latest podcast episode, I’m breaking down the dangers of dabbling and how this approach is costing you time, energy, and income.

 

It's time to stop chasing shiny objects and start building a plan you actually stick to.

 

It’s nearing the end of the year and you’ve got two months left to finish the year strong. Let’s make it count.

 

 

In this episode you’ll discover:

Are you stuck on the world's worst rollercoaster? You know, the one that goes from feast to famine every few months?

 

If your freelance business is 100% relying on referrals and word of mouth, you might have unknowingly fallen into what I call the “Word of Mouth Death Trap”—where your income swings wildly, and you’ve got zero control.

 

In this week's episode of 6 Figure Creative, I break down why this happens and, more importantly, how you can escape it. The solution? It’s all about controlling your inputs to create predictable outputs…

 

Sounds boring, but the results are not.

 

Learn the six strategies to take control of your client acquisition and build a business that doesn’t leave your financial future up to chance.

If you’re not tracking these seven key metrics in your business, you’re leaving money on the table.

 

Seriously—most freelancers don’t bother, and it’s why they never hit the income goals they SAY they want.

 

I just dropped a new episode breaking down the 7 metrics you need to track. If you focus on these, you’ll make more money AND do it consistently—plain and simple.

 

It's not hard to do, but you DO need to know which 7 numbers actually matter.

 

In this episode you’ll discover:

Ever feel like you're drowning in things you can't control?

 

I get it. It's frustrating when life throws curveballs like that potentially AMAZING lead ghosting you…

 

Or that toxic client failing to pay you what they owe. But here's the reality: You have way more power than you think.

 

This week’s podcast is all about “Controlling the Controllables”. It’s simple—stop wasting energy on what you can't change, and laser-focus on what you can.

 

Funny enough this is something I learned from my 3-year-old niece, and now it's your turn to apply this to your life.

 

In this episode you’ll discover: