Author: James Cross

How To Budget When Your Income Is Inconsistent

Post author By James Cross
Post date May 28, 2024
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Ever had a $20k month followed by a $1,200 month? Freelancing can be a wild ride. Even with solid client acquisition, those feast-or-famine cycles can stress anyone out.

In our latest podcast episode, we're diving into something called dynamic budgeting.

This is the secret to turning chaos into consistency.

This is what creates a financial buffer in your business.

This is what gives you the breathing room to say no to bad projects and yes to those projects you love.

Listen now to learn:

How to create a realistic budget as a freelancer
The best tools for tracking expenses without the headache.
Strategies to build an “oh sh*t” fund

No more financial roller coasters. Let’s make freelancing sustainable and stress-free.

In this episode you’ll discover:

The no-so-obvious reason budgeting is crucial for freelancers
Dynamic budgeting for your lifestyle
Combined vs. independent budgets
Using your averages to create your budget
Factoring in fixed and variable expenses
Budgeting for the “stupid tax”
3 steps to take for your budget
How to compensate for low-income months
Our top tools to use for your budget

Podcast

12 Things You Can’t Ignore If You Want to Thrive as a Freelancer

Post author By James Cross
Post date May 21, 2024
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Ready for some tough love? This week's episode of the Six Figure Creative Podcast is a wake-up call for freelancers stuck in “survival mode”.

Here's the big question… are you letting your emotions run your business? If the answer is yes, it’s time to change that.

In this episode, I break down:

The 12 things you can't ignore to build a thriving freelance business.
The brutal truth about why most freelancers fail.
A powerful mindset shift to turn your business struggles into triumphs.

Stop letting feast-or-famine cycles dictate your life. It's time to build a sustainable, fulfilling freelance business that doesn't crumble at the first sign of trouble.

In this episode you’ll discover:

Why emotions are ruining our businesses
How running a business adds tasks to your plate
The 12 roles and responsibilities of any business owner
Why Brian almost passed out during his first gym session
Your choices if you can't go back to a day job
Getting a personal trainer for your business

Podcast

How To Give Yourself A Raise This Year (In 4 Steps)

Post author By James Cross
Post date May 14, 2024
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For two grueling years in my early 20s, I poured my heart into a day job at Gamestop, never missing a day and always showing up on time.

Despite the love from regulars and kudos from my boss, my financial reward after all that hustle? A laughable jump from $5.15/hr to $5.50/hr. That's right, a whole $0.35/hr raise after two years.

Sound painfully familiar? Unfortunately, many of us have been undervalued at some point, struggling to secure that well-deserved raise.

But here's the flip side… when you're self-employed, you call the shots on your “salary”.

No more waiting years for a significant raise – freelancers can see substantial income increases in a matter of weeks or months if you play your cards right.

Ready to find out how? Check out this week's episode of the 6 Figure Creative Podcast for a super-tactical and engaging session where we explore four actionable steps to give yourself a raise this year.

In this episode you’ll discover:

How to “get a raise” as a freelancer
The limits on our businesses as freelancers
Overcoming the constraints on your business
Keeping your clients happy – and tracking repeat clients
Eliminating a constraint to give yourself a pay bump
Why whales are a risk to your business
Improving your skills, beliefs, and character traits
Finding the answers to your roadblocks

Podcast

7 Pricing Strategies For Recurring Subscription Freelance Clients

Post author By James Cross
Post date May 7, 2024
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For freelancers, subscription pricing is like finding the holy grail. It changes the feast & famine nature of project-based work into a steady, reliable income stream.

Last week, we kicked off this conversation, exploring how freelancers could shift from one-time gigs to recurring revenue models. The topic struck a chord, leading to an influx of interest and discussions.

This week we’re going deeper into why this approach is also notoriously challenging for freelancers, and what you can do to have the best shot of making it work.

Without knowing what you're doing, you might try to move to recurring packages only to find yourself overworked and underpaid.

On top of that, clients are often hesitant to commit to recurring packages, fearing long-term commitments when they're used to paying for specific, one-off tasks.

While the transition might be difficult, the payoff is absolutely worth it. Check out this week's podcast where I dive into 7 Pricing Strategies For Recurring Subscription Freelance Clients.

In this episode you’ll discover:

Why subscription packages are the holy grail for freelancers
The advantages of value-based pricing
Understanding that value isn't always financial
Monthly pricing options to protect yourself
Creating bundles for your pricing
When (and how) to charge an onboarding fee
Price increases over time
Should you have a contract or not?
How to offer incentives for clients to sign up for a subscription
Safeguarding yourself from becoming overworked

Podcast

Offering Recurring Subscriptions As A Freelancer | The Holy Grail Of Freelancing

Post author By James Cross
Post date April 30, 2024
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The life of a freelancer sounds amazing on the surface….

The freedom of being your own boss and setting your own hours. The flexibility of working when you want. For some, even traveling the world as a digital nomad is a possibility.

While that can all be true, the dark side is that there can also be a lot of unpredictability.

What if you could change that? Imagine knowing how much you're going to earn each month and having a clear picture of who you're working for in the coming months.

This isn’t just a nice thought… It's a reality for freelancers offering recurring services – think subscriptions, retainers, or monthly packages.

When you do this, you move from always hunting for the next client to having “automatic clients.” This idea comes from turning one-time gigs into ongoing relationships where clients pay regularly for continued services.

Typically, freelancing is a one-and-done deal. You get a project, you do the work, you get paid, and that’s the end of the story. You start each month at zero—no guaranteed money, no clients waiting. It's like hitting the reset button every 30 days, which can make budgeting a nightmare and stability a pipe dream.

But does it have to be this way? Not really. This constant chase for new gigs is a trap many fall into by only taking on one-off projects. There’s a better strategy that can help smooth out the highs and lows: setting up a recurring revenue model.

If you’re tired of the freelance rollercoaster, check out this week's episode of the 6 Figure Creative podcast where I dive into recurring revenue for freelancers.

Podcast

There Might Be A Good Argument For Selling Your Soul For $$$

Post author By James Cross
Post date April 23, 2024
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Navigating life as a creative freelancer is all about balancing what you love doing with what pays the bills.

It's often framed as “selling your soul”, but really, it's about making tough choices: do you follow your passion or chase the cash?

For creatives, this dilemma is pretty intense. You've got the classic ‘starving artist' on one side. They're rich in satisfaction but often struggle financially.

Then there's the other side – the freelancers who focus mainly on what brings in money. Sure, they might be doing better financially, but at what cost?

This week's episode explores each side in a search for finding a healthy balance between money and passion or the seasons of life that may be the right time to focus on money instead of passion.

Whether you're the classic “starving artist” or the money-focused freelancer, this episode is worth a listen.

In this episode you’ll discover:

Hobbies vs businesses
Are you motivated by passion or profit?
The importance of focusing on what your clients want
Giving yourself more free time by being profit-driven
Reducing your stress by becoming a profit-driven creative
Why passion-driven creatives need to change

Podcast

The 10 Most Brutal Client Acquisition Mistakes That Are Wrecking Your Earning Potential

Post author By James Cross
Post date April 16, 2024
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Client acquisition is obviously an important part of running a freelance business because it’s how you make sure you keep getting paid every month.

Despite how obvious this is, many freelancers don’t take this seriously enough… and it shows when work dries up and you're back into the dreaded feast-or-famine cycle.

If you worked in a day job that decided to stop paying you for weeks or months at a time, you'd probably do something about it. However, many freelancers never do anything about this in their own business.

They just keep showing up to “work” week after week, month after month, accepting their fate.

If you'd like to be a better “boss” to yourself and actually make sure you get paid every month, this week's episode is all about avoiding some of the most common client acquisition mistakes

If you stop making these mistakes and start taking client acquisition seriously, you’ll have more stability, better projects, and fewer dry spells. What’s not to like about that?

In this episode you’ll discover:

Avoiding the basic mistakes that you make during client acquisition
Adding value as a freelancer
Why a high close rate is dangerous for your business
How to increase your sales with a high-quality follow-up sequence
Fix your pricing model!

Podcast

How To Set Yourself Apart From The Other 500,000,000 Freelancers In The World | Part 4

Post author By James Cross
Post date April 9, 2024
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In the final episode of this 4-part series, we're diving into one of the most powerful but often misunderstood methods of standing out from the crowd.

I saved the best for last.

This has been the “secret sauce” behind my all of my successful businesses, from freelancing, to Airbnb, to multiple software companies, and even podcasting.

Without this last piece of the puzzle, nothing I've tried would have worked, and I'd likely still be working at Gamestop for minimum wage (missing out on millions of $ in the process)

If you're ready to become absolutely indispensable to your clients, listen to this week's episode to the 6 Figure Creative Podcast.

In this episode you’ll discover:

The importance of specialization
Why niches work better than others
Conversion-focused web design as a differentiation method
Niching down vs. niching out
The advantages of pushing bad leads away

Podcast

How To Set Yourself Apart From The Other 500,000,000 Freelancers In The World | Part 3

Post author By James Cross
Post date April 2, 2024
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Want to know the 3 golden rules for winning more clients than your competition?

First off, forget about competing on price. It’s a dead-end street. Instead, focus on adding value in unique ways that don’t undercut your worth. It’s about quality, not the lowest bid.

Second, make sure your stand-out factors are visible from the get-go. Qualities like a “great client experience” or a “cool vibe” are awesome, but they only shine through after you’re hired.

You need something that grabs attention before that stage, something that makes potential clients think, “Yes, THIS is the right person for us,” before they even talk to you.

Third, K.I.S.S. (keep it stupid simple). Focus on one differentiator at a time.

In a sea of sameness, one well-defined trait can be your ticket to standing out. It’s not about being a jack-of-all-trades but a master of one.

Last week, we talked about the ways you can differentiate by brute force, which can be tough and pricey.

This week, let’s get into something more accessible yet equally powerful: building trust and credibility, especially through social proof. It’s about showing, not just telling, that you’re the real deal.

Social proof, like glowing testimonials or endorsements, can be a game-changer. It’s about having others vouch for you, and showing potential clients that you’ve delivered 🤩amazing🤩 work before.

This kind of proof doesn’t need to break the bank but does require effort and intentionality to gather and showcase.

In this episode you’ll discover:

Using social proof for differentiation
The impact of reviews on your business.
Asking for feedback and reviews
How to get case studies for social proof
Content creation to generate quote requests

Podcast

How To Set Yourself Apart From The Other 500,000,000 Freelancers In The World | Part 2

Post author By James Cross
Post date March 26, 2024
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Why should someone hire you vs alllll the other options they have?

If you don't have a good answer to that question yet, it's time to start working on it before the estimated 500 Million freelancers come online by the end of this decade.

This week I broke down 5 “Brute Force Differentiators” you can use to set yourself apart.

If you're trying to find more ways to stand out, this is a great start!

In this episode you’ll discover:

The three rules of differentiation
Why lowering your price will never help you
When you need to stand out to close the deal
Focusing on one point so you aren't spread thin
Types of differentiators
Why being the best doesn't matter
Why gear is not a good differentiator
Growing a better network to stand out