Wordpress developer, educator, host of How I Built It, and all around sweetheart joins Kyle on today's episode to talk about why he called out Clients From Hell, and how you should approach client education! He also talks about productization and why you should schedule creating a product in addition to your services!
It's a real corker. Give it a listen!
Today's links:
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Things are changing at Clients From Hell! Long time Editor in Chief and all-round superhero Bryce Bladon is moving on to new adventures and leaving us behind. But that's okay, because Bryce is chatting with new host Kyle Carpenter about why he's making the shift from a successful freelance career to a full time position with his favorite client, and when you should stop playing the field and get serious.
Change is scary, but if you have any tips for our new host, let him know at @Clientsfh or contact@clientsfromhell.net with the subject line: Podcast.
Follow Bryce at:
There are a lot of freelancing, entrepreneur, and side-hustle expert out there, but few have earned their authority quite like Chris Guillebeau. He joins Bryce to discuss why there's no one-size-fits-all approach to freelancing and his advice for folks who want to get started.
Chris is the host of Side Hustle School and bestselling author of The $100 Startup, The Happiness of Pursuit, and The Art of Non-Conformity. His new book, Side Hustle: From Idea to Income in 27 Days, is on sale on September 29th, 2017.
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Side Hustle School: https://sidehustleschool.com/
Side Hustle: From Idea to Income in 27 Days: https://www.amazon.com/Side-Hustle-Idea-Income-Days/dp/1524758841
Convincing a client you can deliver an agency as a sole proprietor is difficult but incredibly valuable.
Laura Elizabeth of Client-Portal.io discusses how she does it, and the tools and techniques other freelancers can use to elevate their authority with clients.
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Client Portal: https://client-portal.io/
Laura's article on onboarding clients: https://doubleyourfreelancing.com/onboarding/
Lauren's Twitter: https://twitter.com/laurium
Getting your client to live up to their side of your business relationship can be difficult and it's almost always necessary. But how do you do it? Whether it's the client delivering promised files, paying your rate, or them simply keeping their word, there's rarely an easy fix.
James Rose of Content Snare has at least one solution – and a lot of quality advice. If you enjoyed what James had to say, he invites you to check out the Content Snare Facebook Group!
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Content Snare: https://contentsnare.com
Content Snare's Facebook Group: https://contentsnare.com/group
James Rose on Twitter: https://twitter.com/_jimmyrose
The majority of the 10 million jobs created since 2005 have been freelance, temporary, or on-call opportunities. This is the gig economy – and a team at Stanford are developing a platform to source teams of freelancers in mere minutes.
On today's episode, we discuss Stanford's 'flash organization' software, how it works, and what it means for the future of freelancing.
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Topic via https://thehustle.co/
Sarah Kessler at The Quartz: https://qz.com/1027606/forget-the-on-demand-worker-stanford-researchers-built-an-entire-on-demand-organization/
Noam Scheiber at The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/12/business/economy/flash-organizations-labor.html
Taylor Kubota at Stanford News: http://news.stanford.edu/2017/05/10/software-creates-demand-flash-organizations/
Learn how to build a network and effectively market yourself – from someone who hates networking and marketing.
In this episode, Bryce discusses:
- The dumb, terrible, not-so-good way people and businesses try to market themselves
- Why Bryce hates marketing (and how that lead him to becoming a marketing consultant)
- How you can meet and build a network (it's about making a personal connection)
- The simplest way to market your business (know your audience's problem before you try to solve)
- The principles behind good marketing
- The simplest, most effective marketing trick out there (spoiler: it's listening)
Do you know what it takes to get a good job? Most people look for jobs by shouting into the online abyss – but there's a better way. Freelancers are especially empowered to not only find work but to create it for themselves.
In this episode, Bryce discusses:
- Why nobody knows how to find good work
- The evolving model for employment and what that means for you
- Don't treat your portfolio as the only path to employment
- How to understand your prospects needs and how you can help (hint: listen to next week's episode)
- Don't wait for an open position; communicate to a prospect you understand their problem and how you can help
Today's links:
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Do you like the show?
Or do you hate it? Are you totally lukewarm on it? Let us know what you think (and help us out) by doing a quick survey. We'll love you forever for it.
> Help us out! Please? Please.
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Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or recommend us to a friend. It helps immensely.
A recent survey of freelance workers done by AND CO showed that the pay gap exists even for the self-employed. On average, self-employed women make less than self-employed men. That's troubling information, given that freelancers are able to set their own wages. So what's happening here? What baggage are we bringing in to setting our own rates?
Joining Bryce to discuss this important and delicate topic is Lauren Loria, a Michigan based commercial photographer that helps clients build their brands through visual imagery that reflects their business' personality.
Today's links:
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This episode is sponsored by AND.CO, the freelancer's resource! They offer great tools for freelancers, including curated job lists, time tracking and invoicing software, contracts, free guides and more!
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Want to support the show?
Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or recommend us to a friend. It helps immensely.
Also: do you love the podcast? Is there anything you'd like to see us change about it? Let us know by filling out this short survey!
Who do you think you are?
Everyone who works for themselves has wrestled some point over what title to use. Many start by using the title "freelance _______"—designer, writer, software developer, or whatever the case may be.
The words you use influence others’ perception of you.'
Today's links:
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According to Andrew Newberg, M.D. and Mark Robert Waldman, words can literally change your brain. They argue that a single negative word can increase the activity in our amygdala (the fear center of the brain). This releases dozens of stress-producing hormones and neurotransmitters, which in turn interrupts our brains’ functioning. In other words, “angry words send alarm messages through the brain, and they partially shut down the logic-and-reasoning centers located in the frontal lobes."
Meanwhile, a positive word can strengthen areas in frontal lobes and promote cognitive function. They write "as our research has shown, the longer you concentrate on positive words, the more you begin to affect other areas of the brain. Functions in the parietal lobe start to change, which changes your perception of yourself and the people you interact with. A positive view of yourself will bias you toward seeing the good in others, whereas a negative self-image will include you toward suspicion and doubt. Over time the structure of your thalamus will also change in response to your conscious words, thoughts, and feelings, and we believe that the thalamic changes affect the way in which you perceive reality."
So what does that mean for us?
What’s your first thought when you hear the word "freelancer"? Do you picture a college kid working out of her parent’s basement? Most people perceive freelancers as in the lurch, between unemployment and their next ‘real’ job.
Many people who call themselves freelancers don’t exactly think of what they do as a business. But they should.
Clients too often see freelance arrangements as low-cost line items rather than strategic partnerships.
And that creates a power imbalance, with the client in charge—hardly an ideal situation for independent workers, especially those trying to start a business with the express purpose of gaining more freedom over their work.
When he first started out, Tim Dietrich described himself as a "freelance database consultant." But he soon realized that the "freelance" tag said more to clients about the structure of his business (process) than what he could actually do for them (results). Tim now introduces himself with this simple line, "I develop custom apps for businesses." Who would you want to work with more: Someone who tells you how they file their taxes or explains what they can do for your balance sheet?
Your livelihood doesn't depend on your own self-perception, but on how potential clients see you and your work.
Freelancers don't always see themselves as business owners because businesses have quarterly targets, revenue streams, and brand images to preserve. And clients expect that other businesses have systems and processes leading to consistent results. Don’t worry if you’re still working on systems and processes. It’s still okay to call yourself a business—which can in turn push you to build a workflow for yourself, set firmer goals, and increase your margins—just like an actual business.
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This episode is sponsored by AND.CO, the freelancer's resource! They offer great tools for freelancers, including curated job lists, time tracking and invoicing software, contracts, free guides and more!
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Want to support the show?
Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or recommend us to a friend. It helps immensely.
Also: do you love the podcast? Is there anything you'd like to see us change about it? Let us know by filling out this short survey!
If 'creativity' is a factor in your work, these ten rules will help you find success in your career.
When we say success, we don't exclusively mean more clients, more work, or more freedom. We mean all of the above and more: success as a creative means personal and professional development because you are your business and your craft.
This episode was heavily inspired by articles from:
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This episode is sponsored by AND.CO, the freelancer's resource! They offer great tools for freelancers, including curated job lists, time tracking and invoicing software, contracts, free guides and more!
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10 Rules for Succeeding as a Creative Professional
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Want to support the show?
Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or recommend us to a friend. It helps immensely.
How you position yourself is crucial to your career. Philip Morgan joins Bryce to discuss how freelancers – particular freelance developers – can find success by specializing.
Links from today's show:
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This episode is sponsored by AND.CO, the freelancer's resource! They offer great tools for freelancers, including curated job lists, time tracking and invoicing software, contracts, free guides and more!
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Want to support the show?
Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or recommend us to a friend. It helps immensely.
Bryce reflects on data from the gig economy, sharing insights into how freelancers are succeeding (and what issues they're struggling to overcome).
Here are the links he talks about during this episode:
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Give us your feedback on how we can improve the Clients From Hell podcast by using this link: https://cfh.typeform.com/to/gEABz7
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Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or recommend us to a friend. It helps immensely.
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Shownotes
Survey makeup:
As vast majority of freelancers AND CO interviewed—95% of them—are what are being call "Slash Workers," or independent workers whose services or skills vary by client and project. About 70% of respondents were from the States
Respondent makeup:
General takeaways:
Interesting insights:
Money and jobs:
Bonsai found that for all skills and locations, the most significant jump in compensation per experience level comes between the 1-3 and 3-5 year categories. This can be most often attributed to them developing essential business skills (project management, negotiation...), developing their knowledge about their market and their clients, building a strong portfolio and leveraging their network.
Developers earn about 30% more than designers across experience levels and geographies. This happens to be true even for highest charging designers (ie Product Designers) when compared to lowest charging developers (Front-end / Android)
Design rates (in particular graphic design) hardly reach $60 per hour for all locations and experience levels. While developers can see their rates increase quickly with their gaining experience (typically after 3 years), most experienced designers grow rates at a slower pace. The most common explanation we’ve heard for this is local or international competition at lower rates, including from part time designers. The lower barrier to entry for design types, plus the smaller project sizes, leads to lower rates.
The issues for freelancers:
Sales are a fact of freelancing. We know, it's a bummer. The freedom you get from freelancing comes with the price of reaching out and trying to sell yourself and your services — but that doesn't have to be a bad thing!
This week's guest, Dan Englander, makes sales his career at Sales Schema, and he knows a thing or two about how to generate leads for your business. He talks about what you need to know about how to promote your services, and how you can play to your strengths as a freelancer.
Links from today's show:
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This episode is sponsored by AND.CO, the freelancer's resource! They offer great tools for freelancers, including curated job lists, time tracking and invoicing software, contracts, free guides and more!
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Want to support the show?
Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or recommend us to a friend. It helps immensely.
Setting out on a career as an independent freelancer or entrepreneur is exciting, but also TERRIFYING. How do you know when it's the right time to take the plunge?
John Nastor runs the podcast Hack The Entrepreneur, and has hundreds of hours looking into what makes a happy, healthy, and wealthy solopreneur. He joins Bryce to talk the difference between freelancing and entrepreneurship, how to strike the right balance in life and work, and how to know when you're ready to forge your own path,
Links from today's show:
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This episode is sponsored by AND.CO, the freelancer's resource! They offer great tools for freelancers, including curated job lists, time tracking and invoicing software, contracts, free guides and more!
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Want to support the show?
Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or recommend us to a friend. It helps immensely.
Honing your craft is the journey of a lifetime. It's hard enough to dedicate yourself to your discipline, but when you have to make a living doing it? Then it's even harder.
Jerzy Drozd is a cartoonist who's made a career of making comics and teaching, well, how to make comics. He's also a warm, wonderful, and insightful fellow with a lot of great ideas, who's pursued his art through all sorts of ups and downs. He joins Bryce to talk about how to hone your focus and make a career out of doing what you love.
Links from today's show:
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This episode is sponsored by AND.CO, the freelancer's resource! They offer great tools for freelancers, including curated job lists, time tracking and invoicing software, contracts, free guides and more!
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Want to support the show?
Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or recommend us to a friend. It helps immensely.
If you're a freelancer, like it or hate it (and most of us hate it) you're in sales. And for those of us with creative backgrounds, a lot of the time there's a real anxiety about "selling out."
Today's guest Brent Weaver makes a career of helping people with their sales strategies at uGurus. He chats with Bryce about how to get over this fear, and how to make the most money from doing your craft!
Links from today's show:
https://twitter.com/
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This episode is sponsored by AND.CO, the freelancer's resource! They offer great tools for freelancers, including curated job lists, time tracking and invoicing software, contracts, free guides and more!
--
Want to support the show?
Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or recommend us to a friend. It helps immensely.
Life is short. How do you do all the things you want to do in the time you have?
Of all the people Bryce knows, Ryan Estrada probably comes closest to doing it all. Cartoonist, artist, traveler, podcast producer, and all around asskicker, Ryan uses freelancing to make sure he's doing what he loves all around the world.
Links from today's show:
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This episode is sponsored by AND.CO, the freelancer's resource! They offer great tools for freelancers, including curated job lists, time tracking and invoicing software, contracts, free guides and more!
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Want to support the show?
Leave us a review on iTunes or recommend us to a friend. It helps immensely.
The best business relationships are built on the same the foundations as romantic ones: clear communication, trust, a mutual sense of value, hugs... So why are most of us afraid of working with our spouse?
In today's show, Bryce talks to Marie Poulin and Ben Borowski, who live together, laugh together, love together and, yes, work together. Find out how they run a business that fits their lives while working remotely!
Links from today's show:
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This episode is sponsored by AND.CO, the freelancer's resource! They offer great tools for freelancers, including curated job lists, time tracking and invoicing software, contracts, free guides and more!
--
Want to support the show?
Leave us a review on iTunes or recommend us to a friend. It helps immensely.
One of the fringe benefits of freelancing? Living the kind of life that makes newspapers write angry op-eds about millennials. Doing what you like when you like, conducting business meetings over Steam chat, doing kick flips over badical guitar riffs. That kind of thing.
To the casual observer, Mark Junker is just that kind of freelancer. An art director and music producer, Junker's makes fun designs for The Yetee, composes soundtracks for Cloudrise Pictures, and just put out a new album, VELTAHL under his alias, R23X. Today he joins Bryce to talk about why your friends are you best resource, why art school is a scam, and how to do the work you love.
Links from today's show:
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This episode is sponsored by our new book, Hell to Pay 2: A freelancer's guide to making good money (https://clientsfromhell.net/helltopay).
Podcast listeners save 40% with coupon code: CFHPodcast
https://clientsfromhell.net/helltopay
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Want to support the show?
Leave us a review on iTunes or recommend us to a friend. It helps immensely.
Going directly from school to freelancing can be tough, but one illustrator managed to do it.
Jen Fryer joins Bryce to discuss how she locked a nationally syndicated newspaper as a client, the mistakes first-time freelancers need to make, and what creative professionals need to know to succeed in their craft as professionals.
Links from today's show:
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This episode is sponsored by our new book, Hell to Pay 2: A freelancer's guide to making good money (https://clientsfromhell.net/helltopay).
Podcast listeners save 40% with coupon code: CFHPodcast
https://clientsfromhell.net/helltopay
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Want to support the show?
Leave us a review on iTunes or recommend us to a friend. It helps immensely.
Freelancers can do more than work remotely; they can live their life on their terms while making a pretty penny.
Long-time friend of the show Jake Jorgovan helps agencies and consultants win their dream clients. He also travels the world while doing it.
Links from today's show:
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This episode is sponsored by our new book, Hell to Pay 2: A freelancer's guide to making good money (https://clientsfromhell.net/helltopay).
Podcast listeners save 40% with coupon code: CFHPodcast
https://clientsfromhell.net/helltopay
--
Want to support the show?
Leave us a review on iTunes or recommend us to a friend. It helps immensely.
Freelance designer Dylan Smith joins the show to discuss why his business degree helps him as a designer, why finding your community is so valuable, and why Leonardo is his favourite Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle.
Dylan's also organizing the Solo Conference for Freelancers (solo-conf.com) in September!
Want to support the show? Leave us a review on iTunes!
Links from today's show include:
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This week's episode is sponsored by the new edition of Hell to Pay: A freelancer's guide to making good money. (clientsfromhell.net/helltopay)
Bryce's popular guide to freelance finances has a brand new edition out, featuring...
As always, Hell to Pay teaches you:
Buy now and get the new edition when it launches in April!
Podcast listeners save 40% with coupon code: CFHPodcast
> Let's make good money!
clientsfromhell.net/helltopay
Already bought a copy? No problem: you get the new edition for free – expect an email regarding that soon.
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Questions? Episode ideas?
Talk to Clients From Hell or Bryce Bladon on Twitter. Or shoot us an email!
Clients From Hell is on iTunes and Soundcloud
Subscribe to us on iTunes and Android and RSS
Transitioning from full-time radio jobs to becoming a freelance video and audio producer: Steve Folland of the Being Freelance podcast joins Bryce to discuss his freelance journey.
Find Steve on YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram.
Do you have a question of your own? Shoot us an email!
Want to support the show? Leave us a review on iTunes!
--
This week's episode is sponsored by the new edition of Hell to Pay: A freelancer's guide to making good money.
Bryce's popular guide to freelance finances has a brand new edition out, featuring...
As always, Hell to Pay teaches you:
Buy now and get the new edition when it launches in late March!
Podcast listeners save 40% with coupon code: CFHPodcast
> Let's make good money!
clientsfromhell.net/helltopay
Already bought a copy? No problem: you get the new edition for free – expect an email regarding that soon.
--
Questions? Episode ideas?
Talk to Clients From Hell or Bryce Bladon on Twitter. Or shoot us an email!
Clients From Hell on iTunes | Soundcloud
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