Not all clients are good clients. If you don't manage the herd, you could lose the farm. This is why it's important to consider the right time, and right way, to fire a client. We discuss fireable offenses both obvious and subtle, and the best approach to take when firing a client. This episode of Focused is sponsored by: Freshbooks: Online invoicing made easy. Links and Show Notes: Support Focused with a Relay FM Membership

Jason and David discuss their home-office set-ups and the challenges they face when working in a house they share with other people. When do you lock your doors? How do you "go home" at the end of the day? What gear do they use? And do they admit to their clients that they're working in their pajamas? This episode of Focused is sponsored by: Freshbooks: Online invoicing made easy. Links and Show Notes: Support Focused with a Relay FM Membership

You can't earn a living as a Free Agent if you don't get paid. In this episode we discuss why the sign of a true professional is ensuring that they're being compensated. Why is getting paid so hard? How do we handle billing? When you're on your own, you're the one who has to make sure that the money is flowing in. If you don't get paid, you won't be an independent worker for very long. This episode of Focused is sponsored by: Freshbooks: Online invoicing made easy. Links and Show Notes: Support Focused with a Relay FM Membership Free Agents facebook group

A new year brings accounting and tax challenges for independent workers, so we asked accountant and financial advisor Andrew Carroll to join us. Andrew recently went out on his own and now provides tax and financial advice to free agents and entrepreneurs. This episode of Focused is sponsored by: Freshbooks: Online invoicing made easy. Guest Starring: Andrew Carroll Links and Show Notes: Full disclosure: Andrew mentioned the sponsor of this week's episode, Freshbooks (as well as two of its competitors). He wasn't aware that Freshbooks was a sponsor of this episode when he said it. Support Focused with a Relay FM Membership Orthogonal by Spec on iTunes CFO Andrew | A New Vision for How to Work With a Financial Professional Andrew Carroll (@cfoandrew) | Twitter

Being good at what you do isn't enough. You also need customers, clients, or whatever else you need to pay for shoes. That may mean you have to do a little promotion of your own. But you can be really great at what you do and still terrible at self-promotion. Tricky stuff! This episode of Focused is sponsored by: Freshbooks: Online invoicing made easy. Links and Show Notes: Support Focused with a Relay FM Membership

Very recently David's Mac Power Users co-host, Katie Floyd, left her law firm and went out on her own. We ask Katie about making the move, her workspace and work habits, and the issues of adding support staff and partners versus staying entirely independent. This episode of Focused is sponsored by: Freshbooks: Online invoicing made easy. Links and Show Notes: Support Focused with a Relay FM Membership Free Agents Facebook Group (ask to be invited)

One of the best things an independent worker can do is invest in both belts and suspenders. We discuss cultivating and managing multiple income streams, and both the risks and benefits of getting your money from a bunch of different places. This episode of Focused is sponsored by: Equal Experts: A diverse network of experienced software consultants, specialising in agile delivery Links and Show Notes: Support Focused with a Relay FM Membership

We discuss planning and taking vacations as an independent worker. How do you set client expectations? How do you set boundaries with the people you're traveling with? What's the best way to get prepared for taking a trip? Most importantly, we talk about the importance of taking time off and meaning it. This episode of Focused is sponsored by: Sanebox: Clean up your inbox in minutes. Sign up for a two-week free trial and a $20 credit. Links and Show Notes: Deep Focus: Extended episodes with bonus deep dive content.

In a wide-ranging episode, David and Jason answer your letters and tweets. This episode of Focused is sponsored by: Sanebox: Clean up your inbox in minutes. Sign up for a two-week free trial and a $20 credit. Links and Show Notes: Deep Focus: Extended episodes with bonus deep dive content.

Email can be a vital communication mechanism, but it can also be a black hole of lost productivity. David and Jason discuss managing email and setting rules about how you use it. This episode of Focused is sponsored by: Agenda Minder: A meeting is only as good as the agenda. Links and Show Notes: Deep Focus: Extended episodes with bonus deep dive content. Inbox Zero - YouTube