Weekly discussion by freelancers and professionals about running a business, finding clients, marketing, and lifestyle related to being a freelancer.
Episode 372: TFS 360: Time Tracking and Billing with Marc Summe
JavaScript Remote Conf 2020 May 14th to 15th - register now! Marc Summe and the freelancing panel discuss the ins and outs of tracking time and billing for your time. Time tracking seems deceptively simple, but it gets complicated when you actually try to do it. You also have to decide what you are tracking time for and billing for and how to get your timesheet transferred to an invoice. This episode will answers all your questions about how to track your time and get paid for it. Panelists Brad Large Brooks Forsyth Petra Manos Charles Max Wood Guest Marc Summe Sponsors LessAccounting | An easy to use software plus a bookkeeping service done by a real human CacheFly ____________________________________________________________ "The MaxCoders Guide to Finding Your Dream Developer Job" by Charles Max Wood is now available on Amazon. Get Your Copy Today! ____________________________________________________________ Links Clockify Hubstaff TimeFlip Xero MYOB FreshBooks Picks Brooks Forsyth: Forestry Brad Large: James Bond Books by Ian Fleming Petra Manos: Disney Plus Charles Max Wood: Devchat Conferences Kim Possible Chronicles of Narnia Marc Summe: 20 Minute Walks Rockin' the Suburbs Seriously.....walking. It's fun! Just do it.
Episode 371: TFS 359: Don’t Do Hourly Billing with Mike Volkin
Mike Volkin joins the panel to discuss the pros and cons to hourly billing. The panel discusses their challenges with value based and fixed-price pricing and get recommendations from Mike and the rest of the panel. Panelists Brad Large Brooks Forsyth Petra Manos Charles Max Wood Guest Mike Volkin Sponsors G2i | Enjoy the luxuries of freelancing LessAccounting | An easy to use software plus a bookkeeping service done by a real human Sentry | Use the code “devchat” for $100 credit CacheFly ____________________________________________________________ "The MaxCoders Guide to Finding Your Dream Developer Job" by Charles Max Wood is now available on Amazon. Get Your Copy Today! ____________________________________________________________ Links The Freelancers' Show 109 - How to Determine Value and Set Pricing with Kirk Bowman Picks Brad Large: The 4-Hour Body Assault Airbike Classic Tiwal 3 Small Sailboat Brooks Forsyth: StackShare Petra Manos: Japanese Knitting Stitches Charles Max Wood: The Expanse Mike Volkin: Picsnippets.com
Episode 370: TFS 358: Building Your Freelancing Pipeline with Podcasts
This episode Brad, Chuck and Brooks go over what it looks like getting a podcast started for lead gen. everything from positioning strategy to tactics and hosting this is a great overview on podcasting basics. Panelists Brad Large Brooks Forsyth Charles Max Wood Sponsors Cloudways | Use promo code "DEVCHAT" for 30% off for 3 months on all plans Sentry | Use the code “devchat” for $100 credit CacheFly ____________________________________________________________ "The MaxCoders Guide to Finding Your Dream Developer Job" by Charles Max Wood is now available on Amazon. Get Your Copy Today! ____________________________________________________________ Picks Brooks Forsyth: Vikings Brad Large: PowerPress Brad's Intro Music Charles Max Wood: ATR2100 Microphone Buzzsprout Devchat Workshops
Episode 369: TFS 357: Pros and Cons of Hiring Remote Help for Freelancers with Petra Manos
Petra Manos joins the Freelancers' Show to talk about hiring and managing remote workers and subcontractors. Petra runs a consultancy that manages Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, and Google Ads. She hires and manages people to help manage the workload for her clients. Chuck has also hired VA's. The panel dives into the ins-and-outs of growing teams, hiring consultants, and working with people who don't necessarily start out with the skills you need. Panelists Brad Large Brooks Forsyth Charles Max Wood Guest Petra Manos Sponsors G2i | Enjoy the luxuries of freelancing Sentry Use code "devchat" for $100 credit CacheFly ____________________________________________________________ "The MaxCoders Guide to Finding Your Dream Developer Job" by Charles Max Wood is now available on Amazon. Get Your Copy Today! ____________________________________________________________ Links The Mythical Man-Month OnlineJobs SweetProcess Trainual Clockwork Upwork Picks Brad Large: Zapier FinancialMentor Brooks Forsyth: Logitech K480 Keyboard Petra Manos: Virtual Freedom Monday.com
Episode 368: TFS 356: How Creative Visualization Can Skyrocket Your Business with Mike Volkin
Creative visualization can help reduce stress, envision possibilities, and stay motivated. Mike Volkin talks us about how he's upped his game in several facets of life by practicing creative visualization and meditation. Panelists Brad Large Brooks Forsyth Charles Max Wood Guest Mike Volkin Sponsors Cloudways Use Promo code "DEVCHAT" for 30% off for 3 months on all plans Sentry Use code "devchat" for $100 credit CacheFly ____________________________________________________________ "The MaxCoders Guide to Finding Your Dream Developer Job" by Charles Max Wood is now available on Amazon. Get Your Copy Today! ____________________________________________________________ Links The Power of Neurplasticity Mikevolkin.com Freelancer Masterclass Picks Brad Large: Thinking Fast and Slow Brooks Forsyth: Hammerspoon Karabiner Charles Max Wood: Breaking The Habit of Being Yourself Clean Coders Podcast Devchat.tv Workshops Mike Volkin: The Secret Joe Dispenza
Episode 367: TFS 355: Other Ways to Show Up in Google with Fernando Angulo
Fernando Angulo joins the Freelancers' Show panel to help the understand how and why to build content that will show up as answers to questions and other results in Google beyond the results listed in Google on a search. Panelists Brooks Forsyth Brad Large Charles Max Wood Guest Fernando Angulo Sponsors Cloudways Use Promo code "Devchat" for 30% off for 3 months on all plans Sentry Use code "devchat" for $100 credit CacheFly ____________________________________________________________ "The MaxCoders Guide to Finding Your Dream Developer Job" by Charles Max Wood is now available on Amazon. Get Your Copy Today! ____________________________________________________________ Links Fernando Angulo - SEMRush - "Content for people and for Google" - GCE Flesch-Kincaid readability Yoast Picks Brooks Forsyth: True Lemon Pack Brad Large: Obviously Awesome Pia Silva Charles Max Wood: The Name of the Wind Fernando Angulo: Getting Things Done
Episode 366: TFS 354: Mistakes as a Freelancer with Felipe Millan
Felipe Millan joins the panel to talk about mistakes that freelancers make. The panel joins in with mistakes that they've made as well. The episode wraps up with Felipe talking about how he finds people online that are good prospects for outreach for SEMRush. This episode revolutionized the way that Devchat.tv finds sponsors. Panelists Brad Large Charles Max Wood Brooks Forsyth Guest Felipe Millan Sponsors Cloudways CacheFly ____________________________________________________________ "The MaxCoders Guide to Finding Your Dream Developer Job" by Charles Max Wood is now available on Amazon. Get Your Copy Today! ____________________________________________________________ Links Find That Lead Listen Notes Growth Marketing & Outbound Group SAAS Growth Hacks Group Picks Brad Large: Bomb Pancakes Bomb Waffles The Irresistible Consultant's Guide to Winning Clients Brooks Forsyth: Watchmen Charles Max Wood: Hunter.Io Felipe Millan: Gmelius Audible
Episode 365: TFS 353: Content Marketing to Rank at the Top of Google with Olga Andrienko
Olga Andrienko is a Search Engine Optimization and content marketing expert at SEMRush. She walks us through the process of selecting keywords and designing content to get a snippet, or better spot on Google and other search engine searches. Panelists Brad Large Charles Max Wood Brooks Forsyth Guest Olga Andrienko Sponsors G2i Sentry | Use the code “devchat” for $100 credit CacheFly ____________________________________________________________ "The MaxCoders Guide to Finding Your Dream Developer Job" by Charles Max Wood is now available on Amazon. Get Your Copy Today! ____________________________________________________________ Picks Olga Adrienko: Everybody Lies Charles Max Wood: The Man In the High Castle Magician: Master Ready Fire Aim Brad Large: Yoast Kai Davis' Emails
Episode 364: TFS 352: Marketing Funnels
In this episode of The Freelancers Show, Mike Volkin describes a successful marketing funnel. One common problem in freelancing is finding your next client, a marketing funnel will be constantly bringing clients to you. Mike’s direct response funnel starts with a Facebook or Google ad. This ad will bring potential clients to your landing page. The landing page will contain a sign up for a webinar that will teach them to solve a specific problem. At the end of the webinar, they will be offered your cost-effective solution. The panel discusses different examples for this solution and Mike explains how this funnel can be used for any business, podcast, courses, products, and coding. The panel shares their concern with the costs of ads. Mike explains how you can optimize your ad budget and the importance of targeting a specific audience to increase your ROI. You can better target clients by niching your solution. Mike explains how you can use Facebook to find your niche and target your audience. The panel shares their niches. They also give some examples of niches and how to find your niche. Mike gives tips for making a good webinar and the panel discusses the importance of being enthusiastic and likable. Mike gives recommendations to learn more about direct response funnels. Panelists Brad Large Charles Max Wood Brooks Forsyth Mike Volkin Sponsors Freelance Web Development Pricing Get 25% off the deluxe edition of the book Sentry | Use the code “devchat” for 2 months free on Sentrys small plan CacheFly ____________________________________________________________ "The MaxCoders Guide to Finding Your Dream Developer Job" by Charles Max Wood is now available on Amazon. Get Your Copy Today! ____________________________________________________________ Links https://www.udemy.com/course/the-ultimate-upwork-mastery-bundle/ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-freelancer-school-podcast/id1469385483 https://www.freelancermasterclass.com/ https://www.clickfunnels.com/ https://www.facebook.com/freelancersshow/ Picks Brooks Forsyth: Blind Mike Volkin: Deep Work Charles Max Wood: The Man In the High Castle Magician: Apprentice Brad Large: YETI cup https://elementor.com
Episode 363: TFS 351: Nine Traits to Attract High Paying Clients
In this episode of the Freelancers Show, Mike Volkin leads the panel on a discussion of what he calls the nine traits to attract high paying clients. The first is to be attentive. This doesn’t mean overcommunicate but to better outline how and when you are going to communicate with clients. Second, is be mindful. Time is money, so put away your phone and avoid distractions during your designated working hours. The third trait is to be caring. Care about your reputation, your clients and prospects. The fourth trait is to be resourceful. This is accomplished by doing your research on prospects, their problems and other experts in your niche. Fifth, be respectful. Respect your rates, don’t beg or lower your rates. Sixth, be a good listener. When on a call, listen to their pain points and problems. Don’t oversell yourself, all they need to know is your name, expertise, how long you’ve been a freelance and a small part of your story. The seventh trait is to be a good communicator. This means outline your scope of work and avoid scope creep. Eighth, be confident. Be confident in yourself and in your ability to complete the work. Show prospects you are confident by having pre-written answers to common questions. The final trait is to be a good manager. Manage yourself and manage up with your clients. Managing up by streamlining your communication. One email instead of three, send feedback, anticipate questions and understand how clients like to communicate. Mike also outlines the flow of a discovery call and shares how he targets high paying clients. Panelists Brad Large Brooks Forsyth Mike Volkin Sponsors G2i Sentry | Use the code “devchat” for 2 months free on Sentrys small plan CacheFly ____________________________________________________________ "The MaxCoders Guide to Finding Your Dream Developer Job" by Charles Max Wood is now available on Amazon. Get Your Copy Today! ____________________________________________________________ Links https://www.facebook.com/freelancersshow/ Picks Brooks Forsyth: Heated blanket Mike Volkin: How to Hack the Flow State and reach Peak Performance Brad Large: https://jamesclear.com/ https://habitica.com/ https://www.stridesapp.com/
Episode 362: TFS 350: Course Creation with Christian Lüdemann
In this episode of The Freelancers Show the panel interviews Christian Lüdemann. Christian consults on Angular development and creates online training courses. Today they are talking about building online training courses and marketing. Charles Max Wood shares some of the reasons you might want to create online courses. They start by discussing how to build courses. Christian recommends starting with an in house workshop for building courses. They can look over your work and give you valuable feedback before you get in too deep. He also explains how targeting a specific need can create more value for your course. Christian has a background in DevOps as well and uses that in his courses to create more valuable content. The panel considers what courses to build. They recommend listening to the market and find a need. Christian explains that a course should just cover one thing but should provide a package to meet a need. With information readily available on the internet, the purpose and value of a course are in the packaging. They give an example, a webpack course would be okay but a course outlining how to find a dream developer job that included a webpack course and others is much more appealing. The panel discusses the landing site and how it is a valuable tool. Christian reminds the panel that humans are emotional beings and explains that success comes when your site and product induces an emotional response. He likes to do this by writing a story of his ideal customer and offering your course as the solution to their problems. The panel discusses other things to include on your landing page. Getting traffic to the landing page is all marketing. Christian tells the panel about starting his blog, this built his reputation and gave him authority. He also posts on social media. These lead people to his mailing list, which then leads them to his landing site and product. The panel considers what content to write and how to come up with blog posts that people will read. Christian shares his journey to freelancing and course creation. He explains why he chose to become a freelancer. The panel discusses how to keep courses and content up to date. Christian explains how he uses his consulting work to keep his courses current and to come up with content for his blogs. Panelists Charles Max Wood Brad Large Guest Christian Lüdemann Sponsors Sentry | Use the code “devchat” for 2 months free on Sentrys small plan CacheFly ____________________________________________________________ "The MaxCoders Guide to Finding Your Dream Developer Job" by Charles Max Wood is now available on Amazon. Get Your Copy Today! ____________________________________________________________ Links https://christianlydemann.com/ https://devchat.tv/adv-in-angular/ https://thebusinessofauthority.com/ 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Developer Jobs https://www.facebook.com/freelancersshow/ Picks Charles Max Wood: Ubersuggest https://www.membershipacademy.com?aff=cmaxw https://maximumfun.org/podcasts/adventure-zone/ Christian Lüdemann: Selling to Big Companies Blue ocean strategy Brad Large: The Seasons of a Man’s Life: An Introduction https://www.entreleadership.com/blog/podcast
Episode 361: TFS 349: The Neuroplastic Entrepreneur with Mike Volkin
In this episode of The Freelancers Show the panel interviews Mike Volkin. Mike explains what neuroplasticity is and how it can make you a better entrepreneur. He outlines five tips to increase your neuroplasticity. The first tip is to get enough sleep. They discuss ways to make sure you get enough sleep and how to wake up the right way. The second tip is to stand up or kneel while working. They discuss ways to do this, setting a timer, using standing mats and kneeling chairs. Tip number three is continuous learning. Mike explains that it doesn’t have to be something for your business, it can be anything that makes you happy. The panel shares some of their hobbies and discusses time management and the importance of setting goals. The fourth tip is to reduce stress. Mike recommends meditation and mindfulness. He explains the difference between the two. The panel discusses their experiences with meditation. The final tip is creative visualization, the practice of visualizing your goals and how you will accomplish them. The panel reminds people that these practices take time to affect you and your life. Mike warns against comparing yourself to others. Panelists Charles Max Wood Brooks Forsyth Brad Large Guest Mike Volkin Sponsors G2i Sentry | Use the code “devchat” for $100 credit CacheFly ____________________________________________________________ "The MaxCoders Guide to Finding Your Dream Developer Job" by Charles Max Wood is now available on Amazon. Get Your Copy Today! ____________________________________________________________ Links Science of Success https://tomato-timer.com/ https://kanbanflow.com/ 75HARD: A 75-Day Tactical Guide to Winning the War With Yourself, with Andy Frisella The MaxCoders Guide To Finding Your Dream Developer Job https://www.facebook.com/freelancersshow/ Picks Charles Max Wood: A Christmas Story Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer The Little Drummer Boy Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town The Ultimate Gift https://mckirdytrained.com/ Brooks Forsyth: https://www.nirvanahq.com/ Mike Volkin: https://www.freelancermasterclass.com/ Undervalued The Power of Neuroplasticity Peak Performance: Elevate Your Game, Avoid Burnout, and Thrive with the New Brad Large: Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain https://thefreelancersworkshop.com/
Episode 360: TFS 348: How To Get Into Freelancing
In this episode of The Freelancers Show, the new panel is introduced and they discuss getting into freelancing. Brooks Forsyth is brand new to the show. He is from Connecticut and works mostly with Angular and Ionic. He has consulted for large firms but has recently been doing more independent contracting. Charles Max Wood has been on The Freelancers Show before but it has been a while so he introduces himself as well. Charles is the owner of DevchatTV, before that he did freelancing. They start by discussing how contracting with a large corporation compares to other contracting jobs. They also consider how those compare to moonlighting contract work. As CEO of DevchatTV Charles has hired contractors to help him run the shows, he shares some of the ways that he has found his employees. He and Brooks discuss Upwork and sites like them. They share how they got started in freelancing and how they found their first jobs. Charles tells the listeners that it was worth it and gives them some advice to help with the stress of starting out. The panel gives recommendations on finding clients and Charles shares his method for finding your dream client which has been adapted from his book. They discuss billing hourly or by project and the importance of an emergency fund. Panelists Charles Max Wood Brooks Forsyth Sponsors Sentry– use the code “devchat” for two months free on Sentry’s small plan CacheFly ____________________________________________________________ "The MaxCoders Guide to Finding Your Dream Developer Job" by Charles Max Wood is now available on Amazon. Get Your Copy Today! ____________________________________________________________ Links Hourly Billing is Nuts https://www.facebook.com/freelancersshow/ Picks Charles Max Wood: The Bishop’s Wife How The Grinch Stole Christmas Scrooge Brooks Forsyth: Elf
Episode 359: TFS 347: Recession-Proofing Your Business
In this episode of The Freelancers Show, Reuven Lerner gives some insight into recessions, how they work and how you can prepare for them. He explains that an economy will rise and fall but is always growing. A recession is when instead of growing the economy decreases, there is less business activity, layoffs, etc… Reuven explains why some people are talking about an upcoming recession. It is impossible to predict a recession but economists can use various events as signs of possible recessions. He explains how the long expansion, trade wars, and the inverted yield curve all point to an upcoming recession. Recession doesn’t always affect every sector, Reuven shares examples of recessions and the sectors they hit. Reuven lists ways to prepare your business for a recession and share examples of how he has been doing this for his own business. First, make sure you cast a wide net for potential clients. Next, specialize in something specific and make sure the world knows your name and what you do. He stresses the importance of starting a mailing list. Reuven warns against remaining in one vertical sector. He also warns to be careful about employing anyone full time and shares the pain he suffered during a recession trying to pay everyone’s salaries out of pocket. He advises moving from only working business to business to business to customer and gives tips on how to start that move. Finally in encourages everyone to keep up with economic news. Panelists Reuven Lerner Sponsors Sentry– use the code “devchat” for two months free on Sentry’s small plan Adventures in .NET My Ruby Story CacheFly Links https://www.facebook.com/freelancersshow/ Picks Reuven Lerner: Slate Money podcast Marketplace Double Twist Podcast Addict BlueMail
Episode 358: TFS 346: Setting Boundaries on Engagement Scope
In this episode of The Freelancer’s Show the panel discusses setting boundaries on the scope of engagements. This means not taking jobs that are too big or too small for you. They begin by define projects that are too small. They explain how many may not realize that there is such a thing a project that is too small. A too-small engagement may be too short in duration or not profitable enough. An example Erik Dietrich shares is a two-hour job that is three hours away and they are only paying your $200, between travel, and labor that is 8 hours of work for only $200 which is not worth it. Jeremy Green shares an example from his past. He fell into the trap of taking on 2-hours per month retainer contracts. The problem with contracts like these is that clients cannot intuitively understand how long things will take or may feel that the 2-hours they paid for should roll over when a month goes by without using them. They explain how setting boundaries defining what is too small is better than trying to use your judgment at the time of the engagement. Many developers have an any work is better than no work mindset, the panel explains how this is not true especially when you are losing money to the overhead of communicating for 5 hours, doing a 5-hour job and only getting paid for 5-hours of work, ostensibly cutting your profits in half. Erik walks listeners through a helpful exercise of putting numbers to your costs, working your way backward through the numbers to decide how much you would actually have to make in order for a project to be worth your time. He explains that he wishes he had started doing this years ago. This exercise will also arm you with information that will help you from a negotiating perspective. It allows you to speak with authority about what you will and won’t do, giving you the power in the sales conversation and allowing your clients to see what they are really asking of you. Besides the time spent and how much money you will make, the panel shares another scoping boundary, turn around time. They explain that if a client tells you they needed this done yesterday, run. It is a red flag, this means they haven’t done enough planning and it will only lead to a bad situation. Jeremy explains the difference between those who say they want it as soon as possible and those whose hair is on fire and they need it now now now. Some ways to set boundaries for this is to require a certain number of weeks before you can begin a project and a certain number of weeks for actually working on the project. By setting these boundaries you make sure the project is sane and workable. Erik explains that as the professional you have the experience to set a reasonable timeline for the work required, which means you should have control over the conversation of time. Next, the panel moves on to establishing boundaries with clients. They explain the importance of setting expectations when it comes to contacting your and the hours you keep. Also, set expectations on how quickly you expect them to respond to you. Jeremy shares times when short projects were dragged out because the client failed to respond to his emails. The panel discusses strategies for getting feedback from clients and escape routes for when clients refuse to communicate. On the opposite end of the scale are projects that are too large of an engagement. How large is too large depends on the individual. Some developers may want a year-long contract where they work full time on one project while others may be looking to build a consulting practice. However, no matter what you are looking for it is always possible to get in over your head. The panel advises listeners to have a realistic view of what you can actually do and what you want as a freelancer. Do you want to work solo or over a team? This decision will affect the types and sizes of jobs you will take. You don’t want to take a job that should be done by a team when you want to remain solo, on a similar note you wouldn’t want to take on a job that you could do alone but still have to pay a whole team. The panel warns against taking on projects with an undefined scope of work, something vague like building an e-commerce site could be dragged on and on as the client adds on more and more features they want. They advise that if you take a job with a project fee to make sure you charge for discovery. Jeremy shares a time where he agreed to one job and once he saw the code he realized the job was not what he agreed to. The panel shares ways to avoid this problem. One way is to agree to work for a number of weeks and revisit the scope of the work after getting your hands into the code. Now that they have explained how to set your boundaries, the panel shares advice on how to disengage from engagements that do not fit the boundaries you have set. The engagements that are too small are easier to disengage from. Using the 2-hour retainer model from earlier, explain to your clients that you have increased the minimum number of hours needed to keep you on retainer and that they do have need of that work. If they agree then great, if not it gives you a reason to move on and find work that fits your needs. Erik explains two rules of thumb when disengaging from a client. First, a great phrase that no one can argue with is “I can’t make a business case for this”. The other is that when disengaging to err on the side of generosity, give them a generous refund or allow them to keep a sample of your product. Extracting yourself from an over scoped project is much more difficult especially if they have paid you a large sum upfront and you have put a lot of work into the project. The advice the panel gives is to go to your client as early as possible and explain that the project is going to take a lot more time and resources that you first thought and hopefully you will be able to work something out. If possible, before engaging in any project the panel advises you to determine the worst-case scenario and to work safeguards into the agreement. Finally, the panel lists questions to ask yourself to determine the perfect projects for yourself. Do you want to hire subcontractors? Is there a time limit you want to work on one project for? What are your costs? What and how many hours do you want to work each day? How much communication do you want to have with clients? What fo you want your business and life to look like. Once you answer these questions and set your boundaries the perfect scope of engagements will be easier to define. Panelists Erik Dietrich Jeremy Green Sponsors Sentry– use the code “devchat” for two months free on Sentry’s small plan Adventures in DevOps My JavaScript Story CacheFly Links https://twitter.com/daedtech https://www.facebook.com/freelancersshow/ Picks Erik Dietrich: American Express Travel Insiders HitSubscribe Mailing list Jeremy Green: The Raconteurs