6 Figure Creative

If you're stuck in a dead-end job, about to turn 30, and thinking, "I wish I could open my own business... But I'm too old to start..." then listen up.You're not too old – it's never too late to start your freelance career or open a business.World-renowned designer Lisa Congdon didn't even start designing until her late 20s, and she didn't even start gaining traction until she was nearly 40. In the decade and a half since starting her business, Lisa has grown it to multiple six figures.Listen now to hear about Lisa's journey from struggles and setbacks, to ultimate success as a creative.In this episode you’ll discover: Why it's not too late to jump into a freelance career How Lisa began her creative journey Giving yourself permission to be alone and its effects on your mental health Why it's important to have diverse income streams (but still stay on-brand) Selling physical products as a creative Building your team: don't start too soon Growth and mental health in a creative field For full show notes, visit https://6figurecreative.com/187

Last week we introduced the first of a two-part series about "The 6 Levels of Freelancing". The 1st level was "yes mode" and the 2nd level was "the generalist".This week we're walking you through what it looks like to move up the ladder into levels 4-6. If you feel stuck and you're ready to move up a level or two, fire up your favorite podcast app and let's dig in...In this episode you’ll discover: How good systems will avoid Chris' Poopocalypse 2.0 Avoiding survivorship bias: don't always listen to the "old dogs" The word-of-mouth death trap Your hourly rates aren't your actual rates Why Disqualifying bad leads to focus on good leads is great for your income The difference between systems and automation What the best automations have in common Why experts focus on one specific area rather than learning everything Growing your business the smart way: using SOPs How to remove yourself from your business For full show notes, visit https://6figurecreative.com/186

Most freelancers have no idea what they are doing and end up stuck in a low-paying, dead-end job because their business never gets enough clients to pay the bills.In this episode, we discuss the levels of your freelance career, and how to move from one level to the next so you can earn more money and work with better clients.If you want to learn how to become an expert in your field, get paid well for your work, and want to work from home on your own schedule, this episode is for you!In this episode you’ll discover: Everyone starts on the same level Why you're not special if you take every job that comes your way How to learn what you want to do with your life Listening to the market: your clients will help you pick an offering Why you're shooting yourself in the foot if you offer two drastically different services Automation: is it helping you or harming you? What common business advice is actually bad for your business Imposter syndrome: what to do when it rears its ugly head Why the generalist never wins For full show notes, visit https://6figurecreative.com/185

You FINALLY get someone to reach out to you asking for your rates. Wooooo! 🥳🎊🎉You rack your brain to come up with a price for the project and send it off.Days pass… you don’t hear back. So you send a follow up. Weeks pass… now you’re trying to figure out where you went wrong. The would-be client has just ghosted you.The worst part is that you have NO idea why…Was it pricing? Scheduling? Did they decide not to do the project? Did they hire someone else?Did they even SEE your message? Ghosting SUCKS. So we set aside an hour of our time to create an entire episode dedicated to the topic. In this episode you’ll discover: Why your clients are ghosting you How to not get ghosted Building a connection with your customers so they don’t want to ghost you Why you need to get on the phone How to create natural scarcity and urgency Why you should never give your pricing out quickly How to get help growing your business For full show notes, visit https://6figurecreative.com/184

Here's a list of the most common reasons someone might hire someone else instead of you:  They don't trust you They forgot you exist They felt like you were manipulating them  They felt misunderstood  They’re not confident you can give them what they want/need They felt no connection to you What’s funny is that this list is nearly identical to the reasons a new romantic relationship might fail. My point? It’s pretty simple…If you start dating someone brand new, you’re likely going to put SOME sort of effort into building that relationship. Right? You’d text/call them. You’d go on dates to get to know them. You’d try to figure out if you’re compatible by having meaningful conversations. You wouldn’t simply leave them alone and hope they propose to you later, right? You’d intentionally nurture that relationship. It’s the same thing with your potential clients. They reach out to you…but wtf do you do in the days/weeks/months between the first conversation and the point they hand over their hard-earned dollars? Most freelancers do a whole lot of sitting around and smoking Hopium. You’re just waiting for that phone call where the person finally “proposes” to you.On this week’s episode, we dive deep into the process of intentionally nurturing your leads.For full show notes, visit https://6figurecreative.com/183

It’s the beginning of 2022 and I recently completed my end-of-year retreat where I went off the grid to dig deep into my own businesses and plan for the year. During my retreat, one of the things I did was dig into my analytics to see what’s been working, what’s not working, and what needs to change in the future. This week’s podcast episode is the direct result of one of my most interesting discoveries when diving into my analytics across everything I do. In this episode you’ll discover: What you’re missing out on if you don’t follow the 6 Figure Creative YouTube channel Why word of mouth is not the solution for a new business How to get more clients without word of mouth You’re a creative who is averse to marketing: now what? Six ways to bring traffic to your website How to get your business ranked by Google Using affiliate marketing in a freelance business When it’s appropriate to use ads for your business 182 reasons you should subscribe to our YouTube channel in a Blink For full show notes, visit https://6figurecreative.com/182

Implementing helpful tools into your business is one of the best, most cost-effective ways to increase your income or decrease your time spent doing tedious, frustrating tasks. Every single tool we discuss on this week's podcast is created to either straight up make you more money, or save you time, money, and frustration.One quick word of warning...while tools are amazing when fully implemented, a half-implemented tool is a total waste of money. Make sure you're 100% ready to take on the (sometimes boring) implementation phase before using any of the tools we discuss in this episode. In this episode you’ll discover: Having too many unconnected systems can be worse than no systems Why Brian is going to fight Chris in a parking lot Avoiding the Apple Mail app The power of Keyboard Maestro Eliminating pain points so you can maintain flow state Why giving away free merch is worth it The system behind a successful follow-up What Chris Graham wants in his inbox (hint: it’s feet) Is it worth it? Camera and lighting equipment for video For full show notes, visit https://6figurecreative.com/181

Being overwhelmed can stop you from achieving your goals and living the life you want. This can be especially damaging when you run your own business, so your livelihood relies on you alone.In this episode, Chris and Brian talk about how they deal with overwhelm in their businesses and in life. They also discuss mental health issues such as PTSD, ADHD, and ways to cope as a self-employed creative.Get ready to start 2022 in the right headspace for success: listen now to learn more!In this episode you’ll discover: Why Chris Graham is not and never was straight edge Why episodes 75-125 were our best episodes… For now How to handle overwhelm Dealing with PTSD as a business owner Addressing the symptoms and the root cause of an issue The news is a giant timesuck Surrounding yourself with people who support you instead of tearing you down For full show notes, visit https://6figurecreative.com/180

For decades, recording studios around the world were able to thrive in a healthy music industry full of platinum albums, hefty recording budgets, and, most importantly, ACTUAL profits.Things have steadily declined over the past 15 years with large commercial facilities closing down left and right. For many studios, the final nail in the coffin was the COVID-19 lockdown. While many are failing, some are still thriving despite the struggles of many other studios. In this week's interview, our guest has turned things around in a big way in an iconic LA studio called Total Access Recordings.  Listen now to learn more!In this episode you’ll discover: What it takes to get your foot in the door at a “legacy” studio How fresh ideas can save older recording studios from going under Reducing your overhead by using extra resources you have The cheesy romcom of one Socal studio in the late early 2000s Growing out of a brand image you struggle with Making a name for yourself in the local scene Finding a need and basing your business moves on that For full show notes, visit https://6figurecreative.com/179

In 2017, John McLucas was homeless and sleeping on a foam pad in his one-room, windowless recording studio. Just a few years later, he's earning a six-figure income as a producer working with pop artists to provide a high-value, white-glove service.How did he make this massive change? While there isn’t one thing John did right, there are a few big things he did that you can start doing today to put your own freelance business on a similar trajectory. Listen to this episode of 6 Figure Creative now to learn more!In this episode you’ll discover: How John went from sleeping on his studio floor to earning six figures… In three years Why offering a premium service is one of the best decisions you can make How to differentiate your business from the competition Thinking ahead 10 years: will people still want to work with you? How to deal with online haters and trolls The power of harnessing TikTok to generate leads for your business Why it’s important to avoid overworking yourself Methods of dealing with plateaus in your business Learning to invest in your education to grow your business and skills For full show notes, visit https://6figurecreative.com/178