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Podcast

Dealing With Burnout, Mental Exhaustion, And Low Creative Juices

If you're doing anything worth a damn, you will eventually hit a point of burnout. There's literally no way to avoid this happening from time to time.
 
The question is “how do you handle it”?
 
Some of us just put our heads down and keep working, trying to pretend we're fine.
 
Others completely withdraw to “recover”, but they lose all momentum.
 
This episode explores the wide range of “gray” areas…
 
This is the area beyond simple black and white thinking.
 
It's this non-binary thinking that can help us navigate the most difficult roadblocks in our creative lives.
 
If you're going through burnout, or you feel like you just don't have anything left to give creatively, this episode is for you.
 
In this episode you’ll discover:
  • How to handle burnout
  • Why you might be facing burnout
  • Wearing all the hats as a business owner
  • The damage of over-saturating yourself in one aspect of life
  • Pacing yourself for success
  • How your well being is a sum of your life, not just one part
  • Why the four bottlenecks discussed in episode 188 are important to understand
  • Avoiding water in your gas tank

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Podcast

Failure, Motivation, And What To Do When You Want To Give Up | With Andy J. Pizza

“I’m a failure. I should just give up. This industry is oversaturated. I could never compete with the other people in this city. I will never be good enough”
 
If you’ve ever had thoughts like this, then you may have a dangerous condition known as a “Fixed Mindset.”
 
This is where you believe your skills, abilities, and talents are capped. 
 
“I can never get better than this at these things”.
 
If you allow a Fixed Mindset to take over, then your career may be over before you even started.
 
It’s extremely important for your business, your career, and your life, that you don’t wave a white flag before you even try!
 
Instead, there’s something called a Growth Mindset. 
 
In this episode, Andy J. Pizza explains how to make the switch from a Fixed Mindset to a Growth Mindset. 
 
In this episode you’ll discover:
  • What toxic creative mythology is and how it hurts your career
  • Fixed mindset vs. growth mindset
  • What the TV show Oak Island has to do with your career
  • Why you can’t let roadblocks discourage you
  • How a mindset can boost your life exponentially
  • Why making your goals SMART is key to your success
  • Why you need to live a life that your kids want to know about

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Podcast

The 80/20 Rule: How To Make More, Work Less, And Get Rid Of Bad Clients

Ever meet someone who's able to earn more than they need while still having time to enjoy their lives…without stress weighing them down?
 
A successful, carefree person is a surprisingly rare person to meet.
 
It seems like people are either constantly working while neglecting their personal lives, or their personal life seems solid but their business is stagnant.
 
Even more common seems to be the person whose life is in shambles in all areas (I mean that's the norm post-2020, yeah?).
 
Here's the “secret” behind success for those few who seem to have it all together…those people live by The 80/20 Rule.
 
Most of us already know (or have some vague idea) of what The 80/20 Rule is, but very few people actually use that as their “north star.”
 
If you have no idea what The 80/20 Rule is, or you need a reminder of how you can use that magical rule to “refresh” your life, this episode is for you.
 
In this episode you’ll discover:
  • What is the 80/20 principle, anyway?
  • How the 80/20 principle affects your business
  • Maximizing your profits by reducing your workload
  • Enriching your personal life using the 80/20 principle
  • How to review your business through the 80/20 lens
  • What not to do when you have a “f*¢k it” moment
  • Dealing with shiny object syndrome using the 80/20 principle
  • Prioritizing the pillars of your life

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Podcast

How To Break Through An 8-Year Income Plateau To FINALLY Hit 6 Figures | With Stephen Helvig

What do you do when your income hits a plateau?
 
Do you…
(A). Give up and move on to a new career
(B). Keep going but try something new in your business
(C). Keep doing the exact same thing for 8 years straight and keep getting the same result
 
If you chose option C, then congrats, you're probably in what we call “zombie land”.
 
This is the place where your business is earning just enough to survive, but not enough to thrive.
 
Our guest this week, Steven Helvig, is a music producer who was in “zombie land” for 8 straight years before he found a way out of it.
 
Eventually, he went from a stagnating 5 figure income to a steady 6 figure income, and in this episode, he gives us the details of what he did to finally get out of zombie land.
 
If you've been struggling to break through your income plateau as a freelancer, this episode is the perfect dose of practical inspiration and information to help you break the cycle and grow your business ASAP.
 
In this episode you’ll discover:
  • The transformation from goal-less zombie to 6 figure studio owner
  • Mindset shifts needed to run a healthy business
  • Why charging more is good for your customers
  • Educating yourself so you can work smart, not hard
  • Hobbyist vs. professional mindsets
  • How niching down your messaging can attract your ideal clients
  • Using the 80/20 principle to eliminate pain points in your business
  • The importance of following up

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Podcast

Growing From 5 Figures To 6 Figures As A Freelancer | The Secret Ingredient

If you've been stuck at 4 or 5 figures per year as a freelancer, there's likely one ingredient that is holding you back from growth.
 
Without this ingredient, it is 100% impossible to get clients, grow your income, and get past the 6 figure mark (if that's your goal).
 
In this week's episode of the 6 Figure Creative Podcast, my buddy Mark Eckert and I map out the path you can take to overcoming all of the hurdles between you and this incredibly important missing ingredient.
 
In this episode you’ll discover:
  • How to move from four/five figures to six figures+
  • Why you aren't full time yet
  • How to revamp your entire public-facing identity as a freelancer
  • The difference between advertising vs. content marketing and why this matters for freelancers
  • Why you should be producing more than consuming
  • How sticking to a schedule or routine can tie all of this together

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Podcast

Leveling Up From A Freelancer To A Business Owner To Make $20k/mo | With Lydia Kerr Of Telltale Design Co

How do you go from “nickel and dime” $200-$500 projects to premium $10,000-$20,000 projects as a freelancer?
 
To be honest, the answer is “you don't”. You first need to make the shift from “freelancer” to “business owner”.
 
Lydia Kerr of Telltale Design Co made this transition in her highly-saturated market, and the results are jaw-dropping.
 
Within 4 years of starting her design business, she grew it to over $20k/mo.
 
In this interview, you'll hear her story of how she launched Telltale Design Co while working a full-time day job, and she replaced that day job income within just a few months of freelancing, and ultimately how she made the shift from low-dollar freelancer to a premium-priced business owner.
 
In this episode you’ll discover:
  • How Lydia went from 0 to full time in a few short months
  • Growing your business to multiple six figures in under five years
  • The difference between living in a small town or big city
  • Why your $500 client will never be your $5,000 client
  • Using social media to promote your business
  • Working within clients' budgets
  • Being honest with your clients
  • Creating mutual respect with clients
  • What tools to use for your business

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Podcast

5 Ways To Give Yourself A Raise Today

In my last day job, I busted my ass for two years slinging video games at a chain called Gamestop. I never missed a day of work, I always hit my upsell targets each month (getting people into our rewards program), our regulars like me, and my manager loved me.
 
After two solid years of “kissing ass and kicking ass” there, I had worked my way up from $5.15/hr to a staggering $5.50/hr. Truly life-changing money, for sure🙄
 
Two years…$0.35/hr raise.
 
While I hope you can't relate to that, chances are you've had some issue in your past where you (or maybe someone you know) didn't get the raise you worked hard for.
 
It sucks.
 
You know what's awesome, though?
 
One of the biggest advantages of being self-employed is that you can literally give yourself a raise today. There are no gatekeepers holding you back. You are the one in charge of your income now🤘🏼
 
So in today's super-tactical, fun episode, we break down 5 different ways you can give yourself a raise today.
 
One of the things we covered in this episode is one I used in my recording studio in 2015 to give myself a raise from $100/hr to over $300/hr.
 
It's time to take your income into your own hands by listening to this week's episode of the 6 Figure Creative Podcast.
 
In this episode you’ll discover:
  • Why you're more than good enough to freelance
  • How to go viral on TikTok with bad math
  • Hiring virtual assistants to increase your hourly wage
  • Why a “F**k you, pay me!” attitude is toxic in business
  • Following up to close more sales
  • CRMs and business success
  • Staying top of mind with potential clients
  • Offering appealing packages instead of piecemeal services

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Podcast

How To Turn Your Knowledge, Passion, And Experience Into An Income Stream | With Graham Cochrane

You probably got into the freelance world based on something you were passionate about, however, you likely know by now that it takes more than passion to create a real income.
 
Making the move from passion-led freelancer to “6 figure creative” takes a brand new set of skills, beliefs, and character traits that no university or trade school will bother teaching you.
 
One person who's successfully navigated the entire journey from “broke to millionaire” is Graham Cochrane.
 
Graham started out as a passionate young musician who failed to achieve his dream of launching a successful band. From there, he sank into an unfulfilling day job while trying to build a freelance career on the side.
 
Along the way, through many ups and downs, he's actually used all of his accumulated skills, experiences, and lessons to launch two separate 7-figure businesses.
 
Graham came onto the podcast to share some of these lessons with us in an incredible interview.
 
In this episode you’ll discover:
  • Why passion isn't everything
  • Elements you need to succeed in business
  • Listening to Gary V? Don't. (sometimes)
  • How you're over-optimizing your business
  • Separating you from your job
  • Where to get the next 6FC favorite book

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Podcast

How To Be Consistently Creative So You Can Do What You Love For The Rest Of Your Life | With Todd Henry

Ever had an off day where you just didn't feel creative? What about an off week, or an off month? Where things can get dangerous is when our income depends on us being creative on-demand, but we're just…off.
 
The great thing is that there are certain actions we can take to stay consistently and brilliantly creative for a long, long time.
 
This week we interviewed Toddy Henry, author of the best-selling book “The Accidental Creative: How To Be Brilliant At A Moment's Notice”. We discussed how creatives can create consistency in their work so that they're able to consistently put out their best work.
 
In this episode you’ll discover:
  • The three most important things in your life as a creative entrepreneur
  • Taking a step back to think
  • Where to look for inspiration
  • Forming healthy habits
  • Reacting vs. thinking
  • Setting (and respecting) boundaries
  • Being aware of our shortcomings

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Podcast

The 5 Business Bottlenecks Holding You Back From $100,000 Per Year

Want to know the secret that separates failing freelancers from 6 figure freelancers? It's this one concept:
 
6 Figure freelancers constantly solved their business bottlenecks. If it sounds stupidly simple, it is, but it's definitely easier said than done. Let me break it down real quick…
 
There are 5 main parts of any real business (freelancers included). Here they are:
 
  • Part 1: Lead generation – This is the part of your business where new people find out you exist and that you offer a (hopefully) valuable service.
  • Part 2: Lead Nurture – This is the part of your business where you're staying top-of-mind over a long period of time until the lead is ready to hire you. According to studies, only about 3% of any market is ready to buy “now”, so nurturing them until they're ready is crucial to getting hired.
  • Part 3: Sales – This is where conversations turn into clients (i.e. dollars in the bank).
  • Part 4: Fulfillment – This is where you're actually doing what you've been paid for.
  • Part 5: Lifetime Value – This is how much one client is worth to your over your lifetime. It can be determined by how much you charge, how often they come back for more, how many people they refer to you, etc.
The issue is that ONE of these five areas is your bottleneck right now. Until that bottleneck has been fixed, there's no point in improving anything else in your business.
 
The freelancers who make it to $100k/year are the ones who constantly solved their ONE bottleneck, took a step back, re-assed their business to see what the next bottleneck was, and dove all-in on that bottleneck until it's solved. Rinse and repeat.
 
This week's podcast episode dives into each of these 5 areas and what you can do to solve the bottlenecks in your own business.
 
In this episode you’ll discover:
  • Why Brian is wrong for being anti-air-fryer
  • Business bottlenecks: how they related to your personal life
  • Determining what's holding your freelance career back
  • Why lead generation isn't the problem most freelancers are facing
  • Email's not dead – use an email list for your business!
  • Why mastermind groups are important to your success
  • What a fulfillment bottleneck means for your sales process
  • How to solve your biggest bottleneck