6 Figure Creative

If you've ever felt like your freelance life has been a neverending feast-or-famine roller coaster, chances are you're missing one (or more) pieces of a full client acquisition machine.You've likely "dabbled" with bits and pieces here and there, but you've never fully built each of the individual parts and refined them to the point where everything is working as a well-oiled machine bringing you high-quality clients every single month.In this week's episode of the 6 Figure Creative Podcast, I break down each of the major parts of your Client Acquisition Machine, as well as what specific numbers you should be aiming for as a benchmark.If you've ever wanted more stability and predictability in your business, and you want a clear roadmap for how to make 2023 your best year ever, this episode is for you.In this episode you’ll discover: How to solve a consistency issue in your business Why dabbling is slowly destroying your income stream The foundation of your Client Acquisition Machine Creating a transformational outcome for your clients Building your Marketing Mothership Your responsibility to sell to those who need your service The parallels between software and freelancing Nurturing your leads for a long-term relationship Fine-tuning your Client Acquisition Machine For full show notes, visit https://6figurecreative.com/225

Did you know that closing too many clients can be a bad thing?I know it sounds completely backwards, but a high sales conversion rate (70%+) is usually a sign of an unhealthy business.In episode 224 of the 6 Figure Creative Podcast, I break down the two reasons why a high sales conversion rate is a bad thing, and what two actions you can take to build a happier, healthier freelance business.In this episode you’ll discover: Why "winning" too many clients is a bad thing The ideal close rate for your sales process What to do if your close rate is too high Avoiding the scarcity mindset of wanting to win every client Sales leads vs. marketing leads - and why they are important When to raise your rates For full show notes, visit https://6figurecreative.com/224

How much is an average client worth to you? Whatever that number is, imagine how much more they'd be worth to you and your freelance business if they were paying you that amount every single year. Now imagine how successful you'd be if every single client you've ever had was paying you the amount every year for the rest of your career. That's the reality for those who run recurring subscription businesses, however, most freelancers only offer one-and-done packages.Whether you call it a retainer, subscription, or simply a "monthly fee", most who follow this podcast would love the idea of acquiring a client one time and having them keep paying you every single month.But... What if your service just "doesn't make sense" as a recurring subscription? If that's you, I'd challenge you to listen to this episode of the 6 Figure Creative Podcast. No matter what service you offer, there's likely some way to shift your clients to a recurring income model.Our guest this week, Annemie Tonken, has managed to build her family photography business to 6 figures per year from 6 hours of work per week. If you want to learn how she's managed this, and how she's launched a highly-successful recurring-subscription photography service in an industry where very few others are doing the same, listen to episode 223 of the 6 Figure Creative Podcast ASAP.In this episode you’ll discover: Transitioning your freelance business to a recurring revenue model Becoming a more efficient business-manager Solving your clients' ultimate needs so you can earn more on each project The hidden benefits of a recurring revenue model Average client value and the impact this stat has on your business How to keep your subscribers happy, active, and paying The key factors of adding value to your client's lives (for maximum profit) How she earns a 6-figure income from 6 hours of work per week For full show notes, visit https://6figurecreative.com/223

Love it or hate it, email marketing is the closest thing there has ever been to a "magic pill" for anyone looking for stability in their month-to-month income.The sucky thing is...most of us "fall victim" to email marketing ALL THE TIME. You get tons of tons of emails from people offering their products and services, but you never make use of this powerful tool yourself.Most freelancers I see are making one (or more) of these mistakes: They think social media is the best long-term play (it's not) They think they can have the same success and stability 1 on 1 (you can't) They think "join my newsletter" is a great way to build their email list (it's not) They're actually building their list, but they're never sending emails (not good) If you want a time-tested, surefire way to stay top-of-mind, build trust, and actually reach the audience you've built, email marketing is where it's at.If you're having success on social media right now, I'm begging you to take this time to build an email list so you're safe/secure in the long run.Social media has historically always become a "pay to play" world for business owners, and Tiktok is already making that shift. Don't make the mistake of thinking that party is going to last much longer.If you're open to the idea of building, growing, and using an email list to grow your reach, and you like the idea of building trust in a one-to-many setting, this week's episode of the 6 Figure Creative Podcast is for you.In this episode you’ll discover: Why social media is not the savior people think it is The number one platform small businesses need in their toolbelt Staying top of mind with clients and leads Setting up your first lead magnet funnel How to attract email subscribers The key to a juicy lead magnet What Yahoo! did wrong with their website (and how it applies to growing your email list) The math behind running paid advertising Profitable Facebook ads for freelance creatives For full show notes, visit https://6figurecreative.com/222

Here are a few of the biggest lies when it comes to marketing your freelance business. "If I'm good enough, people will find me and hire me" "The only marketing I need is word-of-mouth" "If I market myself, I'll come across as desperate" "This sort of stuff doesn't work for freelancers" If any of that sounds like you, my guess would be you likely have very little predictability in your income.You might go from having more gigs than you can handle, followed by extreme famine periods where your calendar dries up (along with your bank account).If you want steady, predictable income for your business every single month, there are 4 key things you need in place.If you're even missing one of these four pieces, you're making your path to predictability extremely difficult (or impossible).In this episode you’ll discover: Marketing plans for freelancers When email lists are vital, vs. when they're optional "Proposing" via text message The "3% rule" and the "80/19/1 rule" How your niche affects your marketing needs Swiping or dating: lead generation and lead nurture How to create a business you rarely *(if ever) have to market  For full show notes, visit https://6figurecreative.com/221

Every successful freelancer has hit that wall where you can't say yes to even ONE more project...this is usually the same time you start getting more inquiries than you've ever seen before.In these busy seasons of business, there are a few options you could take... You could turn down all those extra projects (and say goodbye to that extra $$$). You could say "yes" to those projects and just hate your life for the next few weeks or months while you scramble to deliver (this is the route most of us take). You take the responsible, profitable, healthy route of building systems that scale. If you hate money, you'll probably take option 1 and turn down those extra projects. If you're irresponsible and want to live in a state of overwhelm, you'll take option 2.If you're a responsible, mature business owner, you'll go with option 3 and build systems that help you deliver high-quality work faster, more efficiently, and without dropping the ball or overwhelming yourself. In this week's episode of the 6 Figure Creative Podcast, I interviewed systems expert Rachael Mueller. She's a virtual COO that helps service-based business owners plan, create, and manage systems that scale so you can take on more projects in less time.If you're overwhelmed, working too much, or just feel like you have WAY too many project details floating around in your brain, and you're not sure what to do, this episode is for you.In this episode you’ll discover: Making your business run smoothly Unloading your mind to focus on creativity Flow charts - they're not just for nerds Setting up your systems for success The three key systems any business needs Using templates to cut out wasted time Logging your time to see where it goes Why the major CRMs aren't the best for freelancers Consolidating your tasks for easy reference For full show notes, visit https://6figurecreative.com/220

In this episode, Colleen Welsch breaks down the cold outreach process she used to land some of the biggest brands in the beauty industry.This email process can work in any industry to start bringing in consistent clients no matter how much experience you have.If you've ever wanted to see a proven process for cold outreach, this interview is for you.In this episode you’ll discover: Why failure is not the end Starting fresh after your business collapses Working with major brands just by asking What you need to have in place before emailing strangers How to face rejection as a freelancer How to craft a cold email How many times to follow up if no one replies Brian and Colleen's original (and embarrassing) AIM usernames For full show notes, visit https://6figurecreative.com/219

Social media expert Chris Smith shares valuable insights on using social media to attract clients instead of chasing them. Topics include overcoming the lead generation bottleneck, content marketing, basing your business model on Disney, getting booked on TikTok, and the ROI of social media content creation.

I recently came across one of the coolest freelance businesses I've ever seen, and I wanted to bring this to the 6 Figure Creative audience.I'm not going to spoil anything, but this freelancer is earning over $1 Million per year without a staff, without contractors, and he's able to accomplish this just by taking inspiration from a totally different industry than his own.If you're feeling stagnant, stuck, uninspired, or you're simply not earning what you think you should be in your own business, this episode is absolutely for you.In this episode you’ll discover: Why you shouldn't rely on a single point of failure Taking influence from other businesses outside of your industry Creating income stability with a better business model How to stay away from becoming an "inbred business" How successful entrepreneurs deal with roadblocks Sharing knowledge with your "competition" For full show notes, visit https://6figurecreative.com/217

No matter how much you love doing what you do, there are always going to be things that you hate doing but still need to be done.This is the life of a business owner, and one of the root causes of burnout.What if I told you there was a way to spend less time doing the stuff you hate so you can spend more time doing what you love?There is, and it's something called the "Easy Ates" framework. This episode will break down how to use this framework in your own business so you can avoid burnout, work less, and spend much more time enjoying your creative business.In this episode you’ll discover: Finding time to work on your business instead of in your business How successful business owners use the same 24 hours you have The best app to track your time KPIs Eliminating the stressors in your business Brian's 4-step framework for saving time Systemizing your processes for more efficient business practices Protecting yourself from outside factors Procrastinating with perfectionism Why not all hours are created equal The "Easy Ates" Framework Eliminate Can you remove this from your business entirely? Automate Can you set up a system to do this for you? Delegate Can someone else do this for you? Mitigate How can we make this task less painful if we can't eliminate, automate, or delegate it? For full show notes, visit https://6figurecreative.com/216