High-Income Business Writing Podcast
Ed Gandia
Ed Gandia, co-author of the bestselling book, The Wealthy Freelancer, reveals how to propel your writing business to the six-figure level (or the part-time equivalent). In this nuts-and-bolts, no-nonsense podcast, you'll discover how to get better clients, earn more in less time, and bring more freedom and joy into your writing business. Ed will walk you through the practical, “doable” systems and strategies he has developed in his own writing business — the same systems he has taught his private coaching clients. He'll also show you what’s working for other business writers by bringing you real case studies from the field. And he'll share all this information in an honest and transparent way, with no hype or fluff. Topics covered include: getting better and higher-paying clients; banishing the feast-or-famine cycle; doing more of the work that excites you; how to raise your fees and rates; boosting your productivity; making your business recession-proof; discovering and leveraging your strengths; finding your niche; pricing content writing projects; pricing copywriting projects; writing white papers; writing case studies; writing web copy; writing articles; and much more.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Mar 4, 2016 • 46min
#097: Mark McGuiness on Motivation for Creative People
Self-employment is both a blessing and a curse. It's a blessing because we get to chart our own course. We get to pursue projects and clients that are interesting to us. And we can adjust our workload and schedule however we want. But that kind of freedom can also lead to lack of discipline and motivation if we're not careful. How do we stay on track? How do we find the motivation to do the work we know we have to do, even when we don't feel like doing it...?
Feb 19, 2016 • 47min
#096: James Chartrand on Freelance Copywriting Trends, Simple Ways to Improve Your Writing and the 200-Word Story Challenge
James Chartrand is the owner of Men With Pens, a web design and copywriting company. She's also the creator of "Damn Fine Words," one of the best and most popular writing courses in the business. Yes, I said "she." If you're not familiar with James, he's actually a she. The story behind that is pretty interesting. So is the story of how she came clean. In this episode, James and I talk shop about the latest trends in freelance copywriting... different ways you can improve your craft... practical business tips for introverts... And a simple, 200-word-a-day exercise that will improve your copywriting muscle.
Feb 4, 2016 • 36min
#095: How to Land Good-Paying Clients on Elance and Upwork
Are Elance, Upwork and other online job boards a good place to land freelance work? Yes and no. It really depends on a number of important factors. And it's certainly not for everyone. But there's no denying that some people have figured out a way to launch their freelance business with these platforms. My guest for this episode is one of these people. Her name is Laura Pennington, and she has a great story about how she used Elance to kickstart her freelance business—despite the fact that she had little work experience, no samples, no ratings or reviews and no clear guidance on how to make it work.
Jan 22, 2016 • 38min
#094: Pure Randomness: What I'm Doing and Thinking About
This week's episode is shorter than usual. It's also different. I take you on a random journey of what I'm doing, what I've been up to, what I'm currently enjoying ... and a few things I'm planning this year. Follow along at your own risk...
Jan 7, 2016 • 46min
#093: Ten Strategies for Developing a Moneymaking Mindset
This is part two of a two-part series on money and freelancing. In part one Dianna Huff talked about how to when you have a variable income. Today's episode is a bit different. We get into the mindset of earning more as a freelance professional. My guest is Rhonda Page. Rhonda is an ideator, clarifier and forward thinker. She’s worked at top graphic design and branding firms for 25 years, and brought them hundreds of thousands of dollars in new business along the way.
Dec 23, 2015 • 49min
#092: How to Manage Your Cash Flow Like a Pro When You Have a Variable Income
As freelancers we don't have the luxury of a fixed paycheck. Even when you're booking work like crazy, your cash flow is going to be irregular. Sometimes unpredictable. This is an issue that financial experts and money-management books rarely address. They're geared to helping people with steady paychecks—NOT self-employed professionals. In this episode you'll hear from my friend and colleague Dianna Huff. Dianna has been trying to solve this cash flow dilemma for years. And she's come up with some very specific and realistic strategies for those of us who earn a variable income. This is part one of a two-part series on the topic of money—something we haven't addressed enough in this podcast until now.
Dec 10, 2015 • 51min
#091: Scott Aughtmon on Taking the First Steps to Becoming an Authority in Your Field
You've heard the advice before...
Position yourself an authority in your field ... and business will start coming your way.
I think many of us understand this idea conceptually. But it can be hard to figure out exactly how to become that authority.
And the negative self talk and self-sabotage doesn't help ("Who do you think you are? You're no expert! You're no authority!").
Sound familiar?
This is a big topic, and it's one I'd like to cover in more detail over the next few months. But today, I wanted to at least kick-start that discussion.
My guest is Scott Aughtmon, a consultant and blogger who writes about content marketing, and the author of the book 51 Content Marketing Hacks: Extraordinary Lessons on Creating Content That Will Help You Sell More and Gain More Customers.
Our conversation may not answer all your questions. But I hope it gets you thinking in the right direction — and that it sets the stage for additional episodes on this important topic.
Nov 26, 2015 • 44min
#090: Three Simple Ways to Transition to a Value Pricing Model
There's a growing interest among freelancers in the idea of "value pricing."
The concept of pricing your work based on the value it will generate for the client is interesting. But it still feels theoretical and pie-in-the-sky to most creative professionals.
In this podcast episode, we discuss how to make the idea practical — including three simple ways you can start transitioning to this lucrative model.
You'll find the full audio (and detailed show notes) here:
Nov 12, 2015 • 28min
#089: Do You Feel Like a Fraud? Struggle With Self Confidence? Welcome to the Club!
Do you sometimes feel like a bit of a fraud? Are you sometimes surprised that clients pay you to do your work?
Do you feel unworthy compared to many of your colleagues? Like you will be found out soon enough ... and all your success so far is undeserved?
You're not alone. Gene Hackman, Dustin Hoffman, Jimmy Fallon and many other people many of us consider incredibly talented — they often feel the same way.
I talked about this back in episode 22:
But what I'd like to do in this episode is give you a taste for how common this "impostor syndrome" is. Because part of overcoming it is awareness.
Awareness about how many talented professionals struggle with self confidence and self worth.
I feel so much better when I realize that I'm not alone. And if the best people in their field often feel this way, then that gives me hope. It helps me realize that it's perfectly natural.
Oct 22, 2015 • 50min
#088: Project Management for the Rest of Us
In this episode I interview Cesar Abeid, author of the newly published .
Cesar and I focus our discussion not on client projects, but rather on all those internal projects we all keep meaning to do ... but never get around to doing.
He shares plenty of simple and practical tips for breaking down these projects into doable tasks. All in plain English!
