Freelance to Founder

Ever wondered if your location outside the US is holding you back from landing American clients? In this episode, Preston and Austin tackle a question from Dieter in Europe who's hesitant about offering his services to the US market. You'll discover how to flip perceived geographical disadvantages into powerful positioning strengths, why cultural differences might matter less than you think, and the surprising ways that being "foreign" can actually make you more attractive to American clients. If you've ever doubted whether distance or cultural barriers are limiting your freelance potential, this episode will shift your entire perspective. Support our show sponsors → https://freelancetofounder.com/sponsors Submit your own question → https://freelancetofounder.com/ask Join Austin's Premium Community → ⁠⁠https://www.freelancecake.com/community⁠⁠ Get Austin's Book, Free Money → ⁠⁠https://austin-l-church.kit.com/cf0feb3e27⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ready to hire your first virtual assistant but not sure where to start? Elena's question hits on something every growing freelancer faces: you have a million different tasks that need doing, but how do you find the right person to handle them all? In this episode, Preston teams up with Austin Church (founder of Freelance Cake Community) to break down the hiring process from character evaluation to smart delegation strategies. Austin shares real insights from his 4+ year relationship with his VA, including why he prioritizes character over skills and his brilliant low-stakes/high-frequency framework for deciding what to delegate first. Support our show sponsors → https://freelancetofounder.com/sponsors Submit your own question → https://freelancetofounder.com/ask Join Austin's Premium Community → ⁠https://www.freelancecake.com/community⁠ Get Austin's Book, Free Money → ⁠https://austin-l-church.kit.com/cf0feb3e27⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Worried about raising your rates and losing clients? You're not alone. In this episode, Preston and Austin Church tackle one of the most common freelancer fears: how to increase pricing without damaging client relationships. But here's the twist—your clients might care about way more than just saving money. Austin shares eye-opening insights about client psychology, the hidden costs of replacing good freelancers, and why charging higher prices can actually earn you more respect. If you're planning to transition from freelancer to agency owner, this conversation will shift how you think about value, pricing strategy, and positioning yourself as an authority. Support our show sponsors → https://freelancetofounder.com/sponsors Submit your own question → https://freelancetofounder.com/ask Join Austin's Premium Community → ⁠https://www.freelancecake.com/community⁠ Get Austin's Book, Free Money → ⁠https://austin-l-church.kit.com/cf0feb3e27⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lana from Homewear Designs has cracked the code on getting home staging clients through real estate agent relationships in New York and the Hamptons. But she wants to grow faster. Should she double down on what's working or branch out into new channels? Preston and Austin dive into strategies for scaling your proven client acquisition methods while exploring smart ways to reach broader audiences through visual content and strategic partnerships. Support our show sponsors → https://freelancetofounder.com/sponsors Submit your own question → https://freelancetofounder.com/ask Join Austin's Premium Community → https://www.freelancecake.com/community Get Austin's Book, Free Money → https://austin-l-church.kit.com/cf0feb3e27 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s show, how can you possibly hire other freelancers to help grow your business when it’s hard to know if you can trust them? After all, if someone you hire misses a deadline, you’re on the hook with your client. That’s where Tina finds herself on today’s call.  She’s thinking about hiring and is willing to trust other freelancers' creative processes.  But what about their ability to deliver on time? Can she overcome that somehow? We tackle that question and lots more on today’s episode of Freelance to Founder. This episode was originally aired on January 11, 2024. PS: Get featured in an upcoming Q&A! Just visit ⁠http://freelancetofounder.com/ask⁠ and submit a question.  Support our Sponsors Our generous sponsors make this show 100% free to you. Support them at the link below. ⁠https://freelancetofounder.com/sponsors⁠ Get your own on-air coaching call We'd love to feature your business and offer some free on-air advice for growing your business. To see if you're a good fit, ⁠click here⁠. Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts: If you enjoy the show, can you do us a favor and leave us an honest rating and review on Apple Podcasts? We'll love you forever. ⁠Click here to leave a review⁠. More Recommended Listening: This show is a part of the Podglomerate, a company that produces, distributes, and monetizes podcasts. We encourage you to visit the ⁠website⁠ and sign up for our newsletter. We suggest you also try other Podglomerate shows about entrepreneurship, business, and creativity, such as ⁠Rocketship.fm⁠ and ⁠Creative Elements⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s Q&A episode, A former guest on the show, Jim, writes in with an important question: I know I shouldn’t charge by the hour, but shouldn’t I pay my subcontractors by the hour? You might be able to guess our answer. Or it might just surprise you.  Let’s find out on today’s episode of Freelance to Founder. Here we go! This Q&A episode was originally aired on November 7th, 2023. To submit your question, visit ⁠FreelanceToFounder.com/ASK⁠, and we'll feature you on an upcoming episode. Listen to our full-length coaching calls: ⁠http://freelancetofounder.com⁠ Support our Sponsors Our generous sponsors make this show 100% free to you. Support them at the link below. ⁠https://freelancetofounder.com/sponsors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today's show, we get called out by our call-in guest, Erik. Here's the thing: Clay and I are always talking about finding referral partners—other freelancers or businesses who can send you new clients as a sort of trade. You'll refer them to clients, and they'll refer you. It sounds magical. But Erik's question is this: how do you actually FIND these kinds of partners? So we get into it on today's episode of Freelance to Founder. Here we go. This episode was originally aired on March 17, 2022. PS: Get featured in an upcoming Q&A! Just visit ⁠http://freelancetofounder.com/ask⁠ and submit a question.  Support our Sponsors Our generous sponsors make this show 100% free to you. Support them at the link below. ⁠https://freelancetofounder.com/sponsors⁠ Get your own on-air coaching call We'd love to feature your business and offer some free on-air advice for growing your business. To see if you're a good fit, ⁠click here⁠. Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts: If you enjoy the show, can you do us a favor and leave us an honest rating and review on Apple Podcasts? We'll love you forever. ⁠Click here to leave a review⁠. More Recommended Listening: This show is a part of the Podglomerate, a company that produces, distributes, and monetizes podcasts. We encourage you to visit the ⁠website⁠ and sign up for our newsletter. We suggest you also try other Podglomerate shows about entrepreneurship, business, and creativity, such as ⁠Rocketship.fm⁠ and ⁠Creative Elements⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I am joined by special guest co-host Austin Church on today's show. He is a very talented freelancer and the author of the new book, Free Money. It's all about growing your revenue as a freelancer, and we talked today about calculating your survival rate. That's the rate you need to stay in business as a freelancer. What's the minimum amount you need to make to stay in business? So, if you've wondered how to calculate that rate best, stay tuned for today's Q&A episode with Austin Church and me, Preston Lee. Here we go. This Q&A episode was originally aired on March 25, 2024. To submit your question, visit ⁠FreelanceToFounder.com/ASK⁠, and we'll feature you on an upcoming episode. Listen to our full-length coaching calls: ⁠http://freelancetofounder.com⁠ Support our Sponsors Our generous sponsors make this show 100% free to you. Support them at the link below. ⁠https://freelancetofounder.com/sponsors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Molly Cox, a proposal writer and editor specializing in federal contracting, discusses her early freelance journey. She deliberates whether to stay a sole proprietor or form an LLC, emphasizing the significant tax savings that could result from this choice. Molly shares her insights on pricing strategies, advocating for value-based fees rather than hourly rates. The conversation also touches on the intricate realities of freelancing, including client management and the importance of liability insurance as her business evolves.

On today’s Q&A episode, Luqman writes in with a question.  He’s a brand-new freelancer and wants to know exactly how to build a freelance network and attract more clients.  We all know your network can lead to massive growth for your business. So Clay and I break down what has worked well for us and what has totally bombed when it comes to networking.  If you want to build your network fast, you should try FeedCoyote, the all-in-one freelance collaboration network platform. Click the link in our show notes to sign up for FeedCoyote completely free. Then, browse, search, and pick fellow freelancers with the right expertise to collaborate on your projects. It’s a referral network for freelancers, and it’s free to try. Click the link in this show’s description or ⁠visit this link⁠. Alright, now on with today’s episode of Freelance to Founder. Here we go. This Q&A episode was originally aired on March 19, 2024. To submit your question, visit ⁠FreelanceToFounder.com/ASK⁠, and we'll feature you on an upcoming episode. Listen to our full-length coaching calls: ⁠http://freelancetofounder.com⁠ Support our Sponsors Our generous sponsors make this show 100% free to you. Support them at the link below. ⁠https://freelancetofounder.com/sponsors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices