The 4 Stages of Freelancing Explained | Part 2

Jan 12, 2024

The podcast explores the last two stages of freelancing: Lifestyler and Diversifier. It discusses the motivations, challenges, mistakes, and questions at each stage, as well as the key breakthroughs and financial goals. It helps freelancers figure out where they are in their journey and what to focus on next. It also explores the concept of diversification in freelancing, including creating non-service revenue and career progressions.

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INSIGHT

Workaholism Hides As Freelance Success

Freelancers can become creative workaholics chasing the next project instead of designing a life.
Austin warns that more income alone won't fix scarcity-driven decision patterns that fuel burnout.

ADVICE

Delegate Low-Value Work

Avoid sustaining your business by taking tedious or low-value projects just to be safe.
Delegate tasks and stop doing low-dollar work that steals time from high-value activities.

INSIGHT

Clarity Beats Busywork

Lifestyleers ask existential questions about what they truly want from work and life.
The breakthrough is gaining leverage via positioning, offers, pricing, and consistent marketing.

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In this continuation of “The 4 Stages of Freelancing,” Austin L. Church explores the last two stages: Lifestyler and Diversifier. After they’ve navigated through the Moonlighter and Hustler phases, freelancers reach a level of maturity where challenges become more complex. Meanwhile, opportunities for growth and personal fulfillment expand.

Austin highlights the motivations, challenges, mistakes, and questions at each stage, as well as the key breakthroughs and financial goals.

Are you a Lifestyler eager to earn the same or more while working less? Or are you a Diversifier interested in creating new revenue streams?

Regardless, this episode will help you figure out where you currently are in your journey and what to focus on next.

Key points

Lifestylers overview (01:53)
The motivations for Lifestylers (04:35)
The mistakes for Lifestylers (05:27)
The questions for Lifestylers (07:23)
The main breakthrough for Lifestylers (7:56)
The main financial goal for Lifestylers (08:16)
Diversifiers overview (10:35)
The motivations for Diversifiers (12:35)
The challenges for Diversifiers (13:49)
The questions for Diversifiers (17:07)
The main breakthrough for Diversifiers (17:46)
The main financial goal for Diversifiers (18:08)

Notable Quotes

"We freelancers and consultants can get so fixated on winning the next project, staying ahead of bills, and achieving financial stability that we inadvertently become creative workaholics."
"The last thing any freelancer should do, any consultant should do is blindly copy someone else."

Resources

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