Author: James Cross

If there was a way to shift your freelance business in a way that consistently led to higher income, fewer hours, and more predictability, would you be interested in hearing more? 

This is exactly what Brian Casel did with his business.

He created a productized service that allowed him to hire a team to remove most of the work from his plate to the point where he was spending less than 2 hours per month on that business.

The best part is that his clients were paying him a flat fee every single month, which meant he had predictable, recurring revenue. 

Whether or not you ever want to run your business this way, this interview is a must-watch for anyone looking to grow their income.

In this episode you’ll discover:

• What it’s like to launch, grow, and sell a business
• How to create a scalable business that runs without you
• Why having a productized service is a smart move for freelancers
• How to provide a service you have no experience with
• Why it’s important to choose an industry you’re passionate about
• How to build a business that runs on autopilot
• What to do when you find extra time because your business runs autonomously
• How to hire the right people

If you build healthy habits and routines in your life, you will always win over someone who waits around for motivation to get things done. 

Atomic Habits is one of our all-time favorite books, so we dedicated this episode to discussing some of our favorite takeaways from the book and how it all applies to someone who is freelancing.

Listen now to learn about building healthy habits, eliminating unhealthy habits, and how something called a “Systems Snowball” can help along the way.

In this episode you’ll discover:

• How Brian and Chris make the most of their reading experience
• The pros and cons of Kindle
• Why habits are such an important part of our day to day lives
• Why small habits matter the most
• How to build your systems snowball
• What to do if you aren’t a goal-oriented person
• How to view lagging vs. leading indicators of your habits
• How systems have shaped humanity
• Why it’s important to forge ahead even when you can’t see progress

If you’re getting overwhelmed with the day-to-day tasks of your business, it’s probably time to hire someone who can help you out.

You’ve probably even considered it in the past, but you have doubts that have held you back…

• “What if they can’t do it as well as I can?”
• “What if I hire the wrong person?”
• “It will take forever to train them”.
• “I don’t want to be someone else’s boss”. 
• “Can I really afford this”?

If you’re ever had these thoughts, you’re perfectly normal. 

These are the same doubts we all have before making our first hire. 

Whether you’ve tried (and failed) at hiring someone in the past, you’re just now planning to make your first hire, or you’re interested in hiring help, but not totally convinced it’s the right move, this episode is perfect for you.

In this episode you’ll discover:

• How an assistant can transform your business
• Which tasks should be delegated first
• How an assistant can help you take a “workation”
• How to hire the right person for the job
• How setting expectations affects your working relationship
• How to make sure your assistant does everything exactly how you want

If you rely solely on referrals to fuel your business, you’re making one of the most common mistakes a freelancer can make. 

This puts the fate of your business entirely into the hands of your clients. They determine when (or if) you get your next client.

Instead of living in the constant cycle of feast or famine, Mike Michalowicz shares a way to keep the “marketing machine” running 24/7 to help you attract the best possible clients.

This simple 3-step method is all about being different instead of just being “better”. 

Mike is a New York Times bestselling author with over 2 million readers. His life-changing books like The Pumpkin Plan and Profit First have transformed the lives of countless entrepreneurs. 

Listen now to learn how to stand out from the crowd, and start bringing in more clients by being different.

In this episode you’ll discover:

• Why word of mouth is not a marketing plan
• How you can achieve consistent results from marketing
• What three methods you can use to get attention
• How to find your ideal customers
• What makes you stand out from your competition
• Why you should rip off and duplicate other industries
• How to apply the DAD method to your business (no puns involved)
• Why a marketing plan comes from marketing experiments
• How to come up with creative marketing ideas

It’s time to kill hourly pricing once and for all.

While many freelancers think hourly billing is a fair method, it’s actually the least fair method for pricing your work. 

Hourly pricing leads to an immediate conflict of interest between you and your clients, and it puts very little consideration for the value of whatever it is that you do. 

You are much much more than a bundle of hours for sale. 

You’re a creative offering something valuable in this world.

I’m not the only one that thinks this is the case…

Our podcast guest this week is Mike McDerment – the founder and CEO of a 10-figure business. His advice to the 6-figure creative community is this: 

It’s time to break the time barrier and start charging based on the value you create. 

This week’s interview is an eye-opening look at why we should quit charging per hour or day, and instead charge a flat rate based on the outcome we deliver to our clients. 

In this episode you’ll discover:

• How Mike went from freelancing to running a business worth over 1 billion dollars
• How freelancing has changed in the past two decades
• Why you should bill per project, not by the hour
• How you can determine what a client wants
• Why some clients aren’t worth it
• What to do if someone offers to pay you a million dollars per hour
• How different clients see value in different things

Austin Hull was one of our most popular interviews (way back on episode 59), so we had to bring him back onto the podcast to update us on what he’s been up to. 

Since 2019 Austin has not only built a six-figure freelance music production business but also sold over $400k of digital products through his new business Make Pop Music. 

In this episode, learn how Austin took the stair-step approach from freelance to passive income, built his email list to over 40,000 people, and YouTube channel to over 100k subs in such a short time. 

If you’re thinking about launching a side-hustle that could eventually turn into an extra six-figure income, this episode is perfect for you. 

Keep in mind, this wasn’t exactly a walk in the park for Austin. 

At one point, he was on the brink of a mental breakdown. He was working long hours without breaks, trying to juggle multiple projects, and constantly switching from task to task… all in an effort to keep everyone else happy. 

Austin decided it was time for a change, and applied the 80/20 principle to niche down on what was most important to him… And the results were game-changing.

In this episode you’ll discover:

• How Austin grew multiple six figure businesses in a few short years without any ads
• Why communities are important to organic growth
• What happened when Austin finally niched down
• Why it’s important to recognize when you’re overworking yourself
• How exercise ties into mental health
• How to make new connections to grow your business
• Why the go-giver mindset is a common theme among most successful entrepreneurs
• What platforms you can use for organic growth

Freelancers are always looking for ways to make more money and grow their businesses. To make that happen, you have 3 main methods…

Method #1: Raise your rates. 

Method #2: Find more leads.

Method #3: Close more clients. 

In this week’s interview, Jay Clouse shares his methods for attracting and closing high-budget clients.

Jay’s background in the tech startup world brings us a fresh perspective for positioning and sales as a freelancer. 

Watch now to learn how Jay Clouse attracts and closes high-budget clients. 

In this episode you’ll discover:

• What the three most common business models for freelancers are
• How you can harness each different business model to grow your business
• Why it’s important to choose the right model
• How to flip the sales process and close more deals
• Why working as a contractor is great – sometimes
• How to have consistency in your business
• How to close deals without being pushy
• Why you need to get on the phone
• When money is no object
• How having too many clients hurts your business

As a freelance creative, you probably have thought “if only I could close one more deal a month I’d be much better off.”

Closing more deals can result from many different variables, but one of the easiest ways to increase your odds is by reframing your sales calls to focus on the client and how your service will change their life.

Listen now to hear Ben Hartley of the Six Figure Photography Podcast share his advice so you can close more sales in your creative business!

In this episode you’ll discover:

• How you’re shooting yourself in the foot by focusing on what you provide
• Why sales is about the outcome
• How to navigate sales as a creative
• How to escape the “technician mindset”
• Why you need to show your clients they’re worth investing in themselves
• How to close more sales

The creative industry is full of pitfalls – and there are nine common mistakes that creatives make when starting their own business or freelancing.

In this episode, Brian and Chris discuss these problems and provide solutions to help you avoid them!

Listen now as we dive into each topic specifically so you can learn what not to do in order to save time and money!

In this episode you’ll discover:

• How to serve your clients well
• Why niching down is the right choice to grow your business
• How getting a logo made is usually procrastination
• Why overconsuming educational content is harmful
• Why you’re destroying your business if you don’t have a portfolio
• How to harness case studies in your business
• How the jack of all trades loses authority
• Why you need to close sales over the phone

It's hard to make a living as a creative, and it can seem even harder if you're trying to do it on your own.

You can't just throw paint at the canvas, music into Pro Tools, or words onto paper and expect people to buy it.

Blake Jamieson started with a plan, knowing that he would have to work every day, build his brand, put in the hours, and never stop learning. He also knew that there are no shortcuts when it comes to success. 

Listen now to hear Blake discuss his journey from the beginning to where he is now, creating high-value art pieces for athletes and major companies such as Topps!

In this episode you’ll discover:

• How Blake moved from a career in digital marketing to creating art
• Why a self discovery trip might be valuable to you
• How going all in can boost your career
• What separates a great creative from an average creative
• How to set your prices as a creative
• Why creative thinking and business go hand in hand
• How you can get a celebrity’s attention (without being creepy)
• Why having an agent or manager isn’t always a good thing
• What NFTs are, and how you can harness their power
• Why NFTs are so powerful