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
Jun 24, 2016 • 40min
#105: Kate Kordsmeier on the High-Income Opportunity in Food & Travel Writing
I always assumed that food and travel writing didn't pay well. It just seemed crowded with writers. And as media companies started to fold, this category felt like a starving artist's (no pun intended) worst nightmare. But I recently met someone who challenged these assumptions. Her name is Kate Kordsmeier and she's my guest in this week's show. In this interview Kate will explain why there's still a very good income opportunity in food and travel writing...
Jun 10, 2016 • 52min
#104: WordPress or Squarespace…Which One is Right for Me?
For a long time, it seemed like WordPress was the only way to go. It certainly wasn't the only option for freelancers who needed a website. But it seemed as if it was the only practical option. And then suddenly a whole group of website builder platforms started gaining serious steam. Platforms such as Squarespace, Strikingly, Weebly, Wix and others. At first I thought it was a passing fad. Or maybe an option for people who were dabbling or needed an extremely simple, one-page website. But the more I looked into these options, the more I realized that there was something to this movement. My guest this week is Lisa Mullis. Lisa is a principal and director of marketing and outreach at Blue Marble Creative, a design communications firm. I'm not an expert in this area, so I wanted to bring in someone who works with both options every day. There's a lot of passion in each camp—the Wordpress camp and the website builder camp. So I suspect this episode will create some controversy...
May 27, 2016 • 45min
#103: How Freelance Writer Jennifer Gregory Took Her Income to $100,000 in 6 Simple Steps
North Carolina–based freelance writer Jennifer Gregory has had quite a ride over the past 18 months. She took her business to the six-figure level in 2015. But then shortly after, she lost some of her anchor clients. And things started to fall apart. Jennifer didn't sit around for very long. She quickly went back to the drawing board, drafted a turnaround plan and took massive action. Within weeks she was booked solid. And 2016 is shaping up to be a banner year for her. In this interview, Jennifer details her wild journey to the $100,000 income level. She reveals the 6 things she did that enabled her to get there. And she walks us through the plan she executed to replace her lost anchor clients.
May 13, 2016 • 36min
#102: Joseph Cole on Prayer and Meditation as a Business Strategy
If you've listened to episode 33, episode 34 or episode 66 of this podcast you already know that I consider myself to be a spiritual person. I believe there's a big spiritual component to succeeding in any endeavor. It's not all about brute force, or persistence, or hard work and long hours. At the end of the day, there's only so much you can do. You can't do it alone. And when you're trying to go after something big, you need the help of a higher power (call it God, the Universe, the Divine or whatever you feel comfortable with) to help you get there. If you believe that there's a connection between the spiritual and the physical—even if you don't fully understand it—then I urge you to give this a listen...
Apr 29, 2016 • 45min
#101: My Biggest Takeaways From the First 100 Podcast Episodes
When I launched the High-Income Business Writing podcast in April 2013, I was stepping into the unknown. I was excited. And I was nervous. I was excited because I'd successfully launched other services and products, such as the International Freelancers Academy and a bestselling book. Not to mention my own freelance writing business. So I knew I could do this. But I was still nervous for many reasons. On the occasion of our 101st episode, I'm thrilled to report on the response to the High-Income Business Writing podcast...
Apr 15, 2016 • 44min
#100: Taxes and Freelancing: What Every U.S. Freelancer Needs to Know
The most serious problem facing U.S. taxpayers is the complexity of the Internal Revenue Code. That's not just my opinion. It's an actual statement from the IRS! According to the same IRS report where I found that statement, an analysis of IRS data uncovered that U.S. taxpayers and businesses spend about 7.6 billion hours a year complying with the filing requirements of the Internal Revenue Code. And that figure does not even include the millions of additional hours that taxpayers must spend when they are required to respond to an IRS notice or an audit... Since we're stuck with the system we currently have (for now!), we have to figure out how to navigate the ins and outs. My guest is Trevor McKendrick. Trevor started Salem Software, and just recently created an accounting essentials course for entrepreneurs and freelancers.
Apr 1, 2016 • 42min
#099: How to Automate your Client Intake Process—Without Sounding Like a Robot
I'm all for efficiency. And I'm all for tools and systems that help us become more efficient. The problem is that it's too easy to get caught up in the efficiency game and lose sight of the end goal: to get better clients, higher fees, more rewarding work. I don't know about you, but I don't want to become more efficient at getting crappy results! In this interview, Kai Davis, a business development coach for freelancers and consultants, shares his step-by-step system for managing prospecting in a way that saves time and yields better-quality prospects.
Mar 18, 2016 • 24min
#098: Work With What You've Got (to Get to Where You Want to Go)
One of the biggest fears/concerns of new freelance writers: "Who's going to hire me?" That fear is based on the following assumption: that you need to impress "IBM." But that's an incorrect assumption. You can't be everything to everyone. I've met very few successful freelancers who got a very impressive start and didn't struggle to get to where they are today. Most success stories are messy! The hero spent most of their journey getting "No's" and barely scraping by. But all we hear is the end result. So who's a good prospect for you right now...?
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.
