Weekly discussion by freelancers and professionals about running a business, finding clients, marketing, and lifestyle related to being a freelancer.
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Episode 162: The Freelancers' Show: LIVE Q&A #6 - March 24, 2015
04:07 - At what point does it make sense to register as a corporation? Apart from liability, I assume. If you have profits to reinvest in the business? Types of Business Entities: Sole Proprietorship Limited Liability Company (LLC) S-Corporations “Piercing the Corporate Veil” Errors and Omissions Insurance Annual Minutes and Organizational Meetings 13:25 - Do you umbrella all your products, brands, DBAs, etc. under a main corp? DBA (Doing Business As) 18:32 - What was the comical, but legit contract you mentioned on a show recently? (Contracts) Contract Killer Sue => Fold 21:35 - Expensing Home Office for Tax Purposes Tax Deductions Tax Credits 31:12 - Errors and Omissions Insurance (Cont’d) 34:38 - Marketing to Launch Jeff Walker of The Product Launch Formula 41:26 - Contract Resolution 43:29 - If expensing a home office, do you pay for bills, utilities, etc. out of a personal or business account? 45:44 - Prototyping Tools 50:20 - Partnerships and Investments: “My friend has an idea!! ... I actually like this one!!” Even small-scale apps or services? Picks Just Fucking Ship by Amy Hoy (Eric) The Brain Audit: Why Customers Buy (and Why They Don't) by Sean D'Souza (Jonathan) The Silkworm (A Cormoran Strike Novel) by Robert Galbraith (Jonathan) The Positioning Manual for Technical Firms by Philip Morgan (Reuven) WASD CODE 87-Key Illuminated Mechanical Keyboard with White LED Backlighting - Cherry MX Clear (Chuck) Grifiti Fat Wrist Pad (Chuck) Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (Chuck) Mastery by Robert Greene (Chuck) Join us for our next Live Q&A on Tuesday, May 26th 2015! Sign up and get The Ultimate Guide of Marketing Tools for Freelancers here.
Episode 161: 156 FS Red Flags
02:44 - “We just fired our last dev. Can you help us?” 05:40 - Temporary Gigs 07:42 - Unrealistic Timeline 09:26 - “Our developers are above-average smart!” Lake Wobegon Effect 10:40 - Lack of Communication / Communication Skills Suck Prescreening Questions 14:15 - Bad CEOs / Crazy Personnel Changes 19:27 - When Clients Go Dark 28:03 - “We’ll pay you in equity!” or “We’ll give you a share of our profits!” 29:59 - Ridiculous NDAs (Non-Disclosure Agreements) 32:04 - Vetting Processes 37:06 - Payment 44:56 - Low-Budget Companies Picks Kai Davis: Microconf 2015 Recap (Eric) Pricing with Confidence: 10 Ways to Stop Leaving Money on the Table by Reed Holden (Jonathan) CleanMyMac 3 (Reuven)
Episode 160: 155 FS Creating a Successful SaaS Proposal Business with Nathan Powell
01:32 - Nathan Powell Introduction Twitter Blog 02:05 - Why move away from doing UI/UX consultant to a product? 03:38 - Nusii @nusiiapp Michael Koper, Co-Founder 06:01 - Getting Started Start Small, Stay Small: A Developer's Guide to Launching a Startup by Rob Walling 10:41 - Finding a Co-Founder 12:46 - Customer Feedback 14:36 - What Makes Nusii Unique? 17:46 - Nusii as SaaS Proposal Software Alan Weiss Brennan Dunn 25:57 - Templates Episode #153: Workshop with Robert Williams 35:08 - Transitioning From Consultant to Product Owner Mastermind Groups Get a Co-Founder 40:17 - What Would Nathan Have Done Differently? (Advice) Find a Co-Founder Right Away SaaS’ Are Big Have a Mentor 45:43 - Pricing 46:25 - The Creator’s Guide to Better Proposals (Coming Soon!) Freelancers’ Show T-Shirts are available! teespring.com/freelancersshow Styles include unisex up to 3x, ladies', sweatshirts, and long sleeve tees. Teespring also offers international shipping so that all of our listeners have a chance to buy! Picks LeadDigits: Why We’re Betting Big on Mobile SMS Marketing (and a Sneak Peek at Our Newest Product) (Jonathan) Revive Old Post Pro (Nathan) Nick Disabato: Solving the Best Problems (Reuven) Gastropod (Reuven)
Episode 159: 154 FS Sales Conversations
02:07: “Sales Conversation” Starts as: Initial Contact From a Prospect Culmination: Homework and Brain Dump Research for Phone Calls (on Both Sides) Writing a Proposal 05:47 - Value-based Pricing Resources Episode #96: Value-Based Pricing with Brennan Dunn Episode #109: How to Determine Value and Set Pricing with Kirk Bowman 06:08 - Is There an “Expensive Problem” to be Solved? 08:32 - “Value” ROI (Return On Investment) 10:38 - Qualifying Customers as People You Want to Work With Be Picky 12:49 - Sales Conversations When In Demand vs When You Need Work NOW Do NOT Be Desperate or Needy Confidence 20:19 - Doing Your Homework 24:01 - Pitches and Avoiding Wipe Out 36:20 - What Do You Want to Communicate to a Client? Requirements: Get Treated Like an Expert and Professional All-Inclusive Rate/Fee Traveling Rates/Fees 54:02 - Demonstrating Your Value Picks Talk Python To Me (Reuven) The Martian: A Novel by Andy Weir (Jonathan) Pitch Anything Book by Oren Klaff (Jonathan) The Reckoners Series by Brandon Sanderson (Chuck) The Magic of Thinking Big David J. Schwartz (Chuck) Check out Jonathan’s new coaching services site, Expensive Problem!
Episode 158: 153 FS Workshop with Robert Williams
02:07 - Robert Williams Introduction Workshop @letsworkshop Emails That Win You Clients by Robert Williams 02:28 - How Does Workshop Work? Lead Generation Newsletter Help a Reporter Out (HARO) 04:07 - Getting Picked (Competing For Leads?) 05:24 - How is it Different From a Job Board? All Freelance Jobs All Project-Based All Remote 07:35 - Other Curating Services Compared Peter Cooper Newsletters Crew 09:47 - Finding Leads to Offer Wheelhouse 11:54 - Success Stories > Statistics Josh Pigford of Baremetrics 15:27 - Pricing and Value Kurt Elster Shopify 20:14 - Email Content 22:10 - Expanding / Contracting / Refocusing Based on Feedback? 23:56 - Writing Emails: Emails That Win You Clients by Robert Williams PR LEADS Top Tips: Short Deliver Something of Value Thumbs Up/Yes for More Info (Kai Davis) Optimize Subject Lines 35:56 - Referrals 37:06 - Upsale Opportunities and Maintenance Agreements Non-compete Clause Picks Simplecast (Jonathan) Amazon Dash Button (Jonathan) Welcome to Night Vale (Reuven) Steelheart (The Reckoners) by Brandon Sanderson (Chuck) Paparazzi (Robert) Just Tell Julie (Robert) The Magic Email (Robert)
Episode 157: The Freelancers' Show: LIVE Q&A #5 - February 24, 2015
06:09 - Q1: Do you group your products / services into one big site to pool traffic, or do you think its better to build them as their own brands? “Online Split Personalities” to Appeal to Specific Groups Jonathan’s Starbucks Gift Card Story 17:39 - Q2: As a freelancer, a designer has a portfolio. As a programmer, do you think your blog / user group and conference speaking says enough? Or, do you need to have Open Source to help backup your work? Obviously, it depends if the person hiring knows what GitHub is or not. I'm thinking about screencasts to add more visible portfolio items since it’s not easy to show code by itself. Thoughts? 27:29 - Q3: If you are preparing to go freelance, you're wanting to show you're an expert and build clientele. You have some good long-term customers for the existing business. How do you recommend getting a testimonial from them that you could use while at the current business, and when you go freelancing, without compromising the business relationships? Do you try to steer clear of any links to old work, or just direct them to LinkedIn so that it’s obviously linked to you and avoids complication? 35:20 - Q4: My thought is, if you do blogs, create screencasts, and are active on GitHub, etc., it would put you in the top 10% [of developers] right there though, right? Most developers are “dark matter developers”: you can't see or hear them, but they're still there. Reference: Scoff Hanselman: Dark Matter Developers: The Unseen 99% “Garbage Disposal Guy” Example from John Sonmez of Simple Programmer 42:53 - Q5: Should you import your old blog posts from old websites to new ones? Michael Port’s Website 51:43 - Q6: What about Content Marketing and SEO (Search Engine Optimization) with having so many sparse sites? Versus pooling? Find Your Buyer: Is there a conference for it? 59:07 - Referrals The Brain Audit: Why Customers Buy (and Why They Don't) by Sean D'Souza Picks Pebble Time Kickstarter (Jonathan) If This Then That (IFTTT) (Jonathan) Naomi Dunford: On Learning and Keeping Stuff (Eric) Emails That Win You Clients by Robert Williams (Reuven) 80/20 Sales and Marketing: The Definitive Guide to Working Less and Making More by Perry Marshall (Chuck) Miracles and Massacres: True and Untold Stories of the Making of America by Glenn Beck (Chuck)
Episode 156: 152 FS Managing Your Schedule
01:57 - Tools and Scheduling Apps Google Calendar Sunrise Calendar Calendly YouCanBook.me Due: The Superfast Reminder App BusyCal 08:16 - Prioritizing and Planning a Productive Day (Making a Commitment and Sticking to a System) The Pomodoro Technique KanbanFlow Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen 18:27 - Getting Started Leo Babauta’s MIT Idea (Most Important Task) The “Dragon Task” <= That ONE Task Tracking Back and Forth vs Having Everything in One Place 25:17 - Booking and Filling Time Gaps Following Up with Past Clients and Contacting New Leads 28:16 - Weekly / Monthly Reviews 29:29 - Avoiding Scheduling Conflicts and Being Consistent with Your Scheduling Expectation Setting with Clients Being (or at least) Appearing to be “In Demand” 41:14 - Routines 47:08 - Keep Some Flexibility in Your Schedule and Setting Minimums to Avoid Stress 49:01 - Offloading to Free Up Your Schedule Have a “Workshop” Every Week The Ultimate Sales Machine: Turbocharge Your Business with Relentless Focus on 12 Key Strategies by Chet Holmes Picks Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Reuven) The Complete Guide to Finding and Selling eCommerce Clients: Learn How to Find, Price, and Sell Clients on Your High-Value Service by Brennan Dunn (Eric) Starcraft II (Chuck) Q&A Signup: Freelancers’ Answers
Episode 155: 151 FS Building Email Lists for Freelancers with Josh Earl
01:35 - Josh Earl Introduction Twitter GitHub Blog Books Sublime Productivity: Code Like a Pro with Today's Premier Text Editor by Josh Earl Writing Sublime Plugins by Josh Earl Mailing Lists The Sublime Text Tips Newsletter (Sublime Text) DeskHacks (Standing Desks) JoshuaEarl.com (Marketing) 02:17 - Getting Started Leanpub Peter Cooper Twitter Running a Contest 05:17 - Format Wes Bos Sublime Text Power User: A Complete Guide by Wes Bos Tutorials 07:44 - Promotion and Getting Subscribers Contests Guest Blogging Twitter LinkedIn 11:40 - Sharing Content ROI (Return On Investment) Drip Autoresponders Lead Scoring Courses Open Loops (i.e. Cliffhangers, Arcs) 23:58 - Lead Magnets Courses Free Report Content Upgrade 27:00 - Driving Traffic: Website or Email List? Email Marketing Clients Drip Rob Walling Startups For the Rest of Us Podcast AWeber MailChimp Lead Scoring Feature (Drip) 35:13 - Is This [Concept] New? Infusionsoft 42:07 - Strategies for Growth Twitter Twitter: Capture user interest with the Lead Generation Card Guest Posting Josh Earl: What I Learned From Growing My Email List 3,418% (Nearly 200k) in Just 11 Days 46:38 - Facebook Ads? 49:15 - Survey Subscribers SurveyMonkey 50:09 - Marketing From the Stage (Public Speaking) Texting Opt-in Services Picks Nathan Powell: Jobs to be done, and jobs that are simply done (Eric) FlipBelt (Eric) Ez Texting (Jonathan) Perry Marshall: Look Over My Shoulder as I Craft Living Soul Connections via Email, The World’s Most Intimate Marketing Medium (Josh) Autoresponder Boot Camp (Josh) RumbleRoller Beastie Ball (Josh) TextBlade (Josh) Gumroad (Reuven)
Episode 154: 150 FS Proposals
01:46 - What is a Proposal? 3 Tier Options Budget Middle High-value Statement of Work (SOW) Alan Weiss Sample Proposals PO (Purchase Order) 15:18 - Legal Situations? Reuven’s Cautionary Tale Arbitration Mediation 19:31 - The Proposal is NOT a Pitch (80/20) RFP (Request For Proposal) Negotiations and Agreements Have Someone On Your Side (Work With the Right People) Value-based Pricing 27:45 - Recycling Proposals vs Starting From Scratch Use Templates Modify Text as Needed 30:34 - Things NOT to Put in a Proposal Never Change the Price or Give a Discount (Prevent Haggling) Write Everything Down => Meeting Notes 33:39 - Sales Conversations Are Everything 36:44 - Proposal-Writing Tools Bidsketch Nusii 40:11 - Understand Client Wants and Needs Picks Getting More: How You Can Negotiate to Succeed in Work and Life by Stuart Diamond (Jonathan) The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick) by Seth Godin (Eric) Workflow (Eric) YouCanBook.Me (Reuven) Calendly (Reuven)
Episode 153: The Freelancers' Show: LIVE Q&A #4 - January 27, 2015
Ask your questions via Twitter! Tweet to @freelancershow or show up to our next live Q&A on Tuesday, March 24th at 11AM Pacific, 2PM Eastern: http://freelancersanswers.com/webinar. 01:40 - Are RFPs (Request For Proposals) worth applying to if you’re a solo freelancer? What are some strategies for landing RFPs? 08:26 - Handling Taxes Hire an Accountant! Save Extra 13:02 - Subcontractors Form W-9 1099s 15:11 - Partnerships 19:56 - How does one break into a market to launch a product? Entering a Niche Email Lists MailChimp Podcasting Writing Newsletters Tweet/Interact on Social Media Attend Conferences/Meetups Be Genuine 28:06 - Popups, Guest Posting, Lead Magnets, and Giveaways See Also Authority: Become an Expert, Build a Following, and Gain Financial Independence by Nathan Berry No Is NOT a Curse Word by Curtis McHale Picks Launch: A Startup Documentary (Eric) The Best of Art of Value Podcast (Curtis) The Quitter by Jon Acuff (Curtis) BLU Life 8 Phone (Reuven) John Sonmez's How To Build A Blog That Will Boost Your Career (Chuck)
Episode 152: 149 FS When To Turn Down Work
Freelancers' Answers -- Go here to submit questions for The Freelancers’ Live Q&A shows! Check out RailsCasts on Kickstarter!! 02:19 - Lifestyle Choice and Changes 03:09 - Clients That Have Run Their Course 05:29 - Having More Work Than You Can Handle Hiring Subcontractors Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Seasonal Highs and Lows Disappearing Clients 12:40 - Non-Résumé Worthy Work 13:33 - Getting Bad Vibes From Potential Clients Just Tell Julie 21:44 - Transitioning to New Kinds of Work Splitting Your Focus Moving to Product Building 37:14 - Management 39:13 - Reopening Doors to Previous Offers Picks Carbon Copy Cloner (Reuven) Vivis™ Knight V3 13000mAh Dual USB Portable Charger External Battery Pack (Jonathan) Gin Gins® Spicy Apple Chewy Ginger Candy (Eric) YouTube (Chuck) FFmpeg (Chuck) Ruby Remote Conf (Chuck) Developer’s Box Club (Chuck)
Episode 151: 148 FS How to Attract Clients Without Doing Sales with Jonathan Stark
The panelists welcome back Jonathan Shank to talk about how to attract clients without doing sales.
Episode 150: 147 FS Consistent Marketing
The panelists discuss the importance of consistency in marketing.
Episode 149: The Freelancers' Show: LIVE Q&A #3 - December 23, 2014
The Freelancer's release their third live Q&A session which was recorded on December 23rd, 2014.
Episode 148: 146 FS Balancing Work and Family
The panel talks about balancing work life with family life.