Double Your Freelancing Podcast

Today I am interviewing Jane Portman. Jane is from Russia, and she used to work with me on Planscope which I just sold. She is an amazing designer who is very focused on the design and the copy. I recently redesigned Double Your Freelancing. Which is appropriate for today, because Jane’s expertise is building really great user experiences. Jane is an amazing UI designer and business consultant. Jane has been designing for over 10 years. She worked for a large agency in Russia. She is also a mom, and now works full time in the US as a consultant. She wanted to build authority, so she started writing books and implemented a lot of my advice for consultants. She is currently focused on helping SaaS founders to build simple products that make money. Today’s topics include: Most people don’t realize the sales process is done through long form sales copy, walking through the clients pains Have a way to capture potential customers on your site, put together a sales machine that sells and captures Productize offering before going into full sales of bigger offering The job of design is to build credibility along the way WordPress themes are not correlated with the long form sales copy Write good copy and make sure visuals are broken down by nicely formatted sales copy and a way to capture emails A consulting website should be focused around your product, and selling your entry level free magnet, and your entry level productized service, so you need a few specific sells pages Your landing page should be your airport where you go through who you are and how you can help, then go through your existing product offerings Free engagement > smaller offering > full sales offering Give away your email not just a contact form Free lead magnets, checklists, reports, email course Structure your website right, your client will know that you are different than other freelancers Resources and links: Planscope Jane’s Website UIBreakfast Twitter @UIBreakfast Sean D’Souza The UI Audit Like the Podcast? Help us! If you enjoy the Business of Freelancing podcast, support us to keep it going! Subscribe on iTunes Leave us a 5-star review on iTunes Share the podcast with your friends Hopefully the fact that your show of support will keep the podcast going is reward enough for you. But we want to sweeten the deal for you even further: After you’ve published your review, send an email to kai@planscope.io. You’ll get an exclusive video from Double Your Freelancing Conference — James Clear's talk on Developing Better Work Habits — absolutely free. Click here to make it happen!

Today we are speaking with Alex Mathers. Alex is an illustrator who specializes in vector illustrations, maps, diagrams and landscapes. He is also a blogger and writer. He runs the Red Lemon Blog which helps creative entrepreneurs market and promote their businesses. He has worked for clients like Google, Sony and the BBC. He is also a speaker and does one on one coaching for select clients. He lives in London, UK, and he also runs the Ape on the Moon design blog. Alex studied geography in London. After that, he wasn't sure what he really wanted to do, so he studied real estate and received a Master's degree. During this time, he got back into what he really enjoyed which was creating illustrations. At first, this was part time, then full time, then he felt he needed to share everything that he had been learning with the world, and Red Lemon was born. Now he coaches creatives of all kinds on how to market their businesses. He stumbled on the list concept where having a limited network that he looks at manually as one of his most effective strategies. His simple strategy is to build a list of 150 people that can help your business. These people need to know you in some way, even if it is just responding to an email list. They also need to be useful to your business in some way. Having everyone that is important to you in one place allows for easy communication and networking. Today’s topics include: You can have an agent, but build your own marketing channels as well Lists aren’t static, they evolve over time, taking out and adding new value Having an influence score helps grow the value of the list Have a small list of 20 for connections you want to add (additions list) Check the list frequently, and reach out manually to everyone at least every two months. Show an interest to help, some can lead into a pitch if appropriate It’s a game of quality interactions, it doesn’t have to be overwhelming Resources and links: Alex Mathers Red Lemon Club Ape on the Moon Like the Podcast? Help us! If you enjoy the Business of Freelancing podcast, support us to keep it going! Subscribe on iTunes Leave us a 5-star review on iTunes Share the podcast with your friends Hopefully the fact that your show of support will keep the podcast going is reward enough for you. But we want to sweeten the deal for you even further: After you’ve published your review, send an email to kai@doubleyourfreelancing.com. You’ll get an exclusive video from Double Your Freelancing Conference — James Clear's talk on Developing Better Work Habits — absolutely free. Click here to make it happen!

Karl Sakas is the president of Sakas & Company which is a consulting company that specializes in helping digital marketing agencies grow. I had an opportunity to chat with Karl today, and I found myself nodding my head the entire time. The meat and potatoes of the interview focused on helping businesses grow in a holistic way not just focusing on the technical aspect of what the business offers. Karl emphasizes using a SIT framework which focuses on strategy, implementation and training. Working with agencies, Karl discovered everything they offer fits in the strategies of the SIT framework. The first part of the framework is strategy where the client is saying tell me what to do. The second part is implementation where the client is saying do it for me. Training is the third part, where the client says teach me how to do it. They want to do the project or maintenance in house and they need to get up to speed. Success is more than just completing the project, it is knowing that what you delivered solved the problem at hand. Strategy, implementation and training is a perfect framework for cross-selling and creating the best long term solutions. Communication and understanding client goals can help avoid client problems. Today’s topics include: Getting paid for offering training as a service Benefits of helping the transition of the product hand-off Pitfalls of hiring technical and business employees Being kept on as a trusted advisor is an ideal client situation Questions to ask potential clients and avoid communication issues Resources and links: Sakas and Company Resources Double Your Freelancing Courses Like the Podcast? Help us! If you enjoy the Business of Freelancing podcast, support us to keep it going! Subscribe on iTunes Leave us a 5-star review on iTunes Share the podcast with your friends Hopefully the fact that your show of support will keep the podcast going is reward enough for you. But we want to sweeten the deal for you even further: After you’ve published your review, send an email to kai@planscope.io. You’ll get an exclusive video from Double Your Freelancing Conference — James Clear's talk on Developing Better Work Habits — absolutely free. Click here to make it happen!

Today I am talking with Jesse Strauss. Jesse is a New York-based lawyer who owns a firm specializing in debt collection for freelancers. When it comes to things like small claims court and debt collection, freelancers are usually on their own. Jesse discovered that there were a lot of freelancers with payment disputes while he was working on wage and hour cases. He started looking for a new solution to solve this problem. Jesse was based in New York, so he couldn’t handle cases in other jurisdictions, but he could forward the cases to other lawyers in those jurisdictions. That is the idea behind the formation of Indepayment. Having a solid contract can help to resolve a non-payment issue. You can also ask for payment up-front or for milestone payments to help prevent non-payment issues. Trust issues may prevent clients from wanting to pay ahead of time. Indepayment offers an escrow service where the buyer puts their money in and then it is paid to the contractor after the services are rendered. Today’s topics include: Problems that arise when trying to collect from a client who claims insolvency Things to put in your contract in case you ever have a dispute How Indepayment works with online escrow companies and dispute resolution Having freelance invoices in the system at Indepayment provides a central place to collect payment histories A free payment collection service that works on contingency solves a tremendous pain point Resources and links: Jesse Strauss Law PLLC Indepayment Write to Jesse Jesse@indepayment.com Write to me Brennan@doubleyourfreelancing.com [podcast-bonus]

Today I’m talking with a good friend of mine, Keith Perhac. Keith is the founder of the digital marketing consulting agency DelfiNet and the online course software Summit Evergreen. He has managed to build a thriving consultancy agency while working remotely in Japan. Working remotely, can be an issue for many freelancers, but Keith says he is there when his clients wake up and there again when they go to bed. He says it’s like magic when they tell him what they want, and it is done for them when they wake up. Keith credits being able to build a thriving consultancy agency through meeting and talking to people. Most of his clients are referral based, and he got started through contacts he had made doing earlier work. He feels that just talking to people and finding out what their problems are and telling them what he does is a great way to connect. He doesn’t have expectations he just talks with people. Down the road, these conversations can lead to potential business connections. Today’s topics include: How to structure project management in a different time zone Having a US based account manager allows a time buffer for clients Advice for rural freelancers managing direct clients Networking and just talking to people can lead to meeting clients How helping people increases your chances of making quality business relationships Strategies for talking to people that can lead to referrals Going into conversations with the desire to truly help people is the best way to make connections. Keith says that when you are there to help people they will recognize that. He also suggests being open to talking to everyone, because you never know where that chain of referrals will begin. A great conversation starter is just to ask people what they do. Taking an interest and allowing people to talk is more effective than trying to pry. Resources and links: DelfiNet Summit Evergreen SegMetrics “If you’re just looking in your own niche, you’re probably not going to find anyone that needs your services” - Keith You can find out more about Keith and how to start products from a technology and marketing standpoint at his website. If you are interested in finding out more about the upcoming conference in Stockholm or the roadmapping course, be sure and sign up for the Double Your Freelancing newsletter. If you liked today’s podcast, please leave a review for the show in iTunes.

Today’s show features service scalability strategist, Mandi Ellefson. Mandi helps entrepreneurs develop a system to free up time and remove themselves from their business. In today’s interview we discuss scaling your business and things to consider before going down that route. Mandi has discovered that scaling is a common issue for freelancers, and she is passionate about helping them. While researching methodologies to scale her own business, Mandi discovered that this was a common problem for other entrepreneurs, and her business was born. She developed a five step system for business scalability, so that the owner is not stuck selling time for money. In the process, the business owner will have time to focus on what matters and create a real business and saleable asset. Today’s topics include: Mandi’s five point system to help businesses run without you Selling value for money instead of time for money Refining your process to sale an outcome Charging based on value for a specific problem for a specific person or business How to leverage more time and find 20-40 extra hours per month Making a service business scalable will buy you freedom Many freelancers get stuck having to choose between growing their business or having a life. With Mandi’s system it is possible to do both. To properly scale it is really necessary to have a mindset of scalability. There is a better, faster and easier way to do things. The transition doesn’t have to be as hard as you think. Involving other people in the transition process will help you to work smarter and work less. “There is a whole other option where you can work less and less and have your business deliver value without you.” Mandi You can find out more about Mandi’s five steps to scale your business at her training course here or you can contact her by email mandi@mandiellefson.com If you liked today’s podcast, please leave a review for the show in iTunes.

Today we’re joined by Bart Mroz: consultant, co-founder of Sumo Heavy, and long-time friend. Bart is an expert at experimenting new things in his business and using the discoveries to increasingly improve it and their strategy. Not only have they done this with billing models, but with trial periods, sales processes, and basically everything else. What he’s discovered is that experimentation is the only way of finding out what works best for your business specifically. You need to approach the business from different levels, and be the consultant (for example) who’s seen as a trusted advisor rather than a salesperson. Today’s topics included: Pricing versus billing Perspectives about growth ambitions Dealing with procurement departments The issues with paying and getting paid How Bart grew his business x11 Road mapping and sales processes The power of tweaking and experimenting over time You always want to sell value, and be sure that you’re taking the necessary steps to do so. Ever since the first call, start building trust and make them feel like they’re where they belong. “You have to be comfortable with yourself first.” – Bart Take time to hone in on your specific skill-set, and use it to your advantage. When you invest your time into experimenting and discovering, you’re investing time into making your business succeed. Bart shares this and more really solid advice on how to follow in his footsteps, so you can start building and scaling your business, too. Links and resources: Sumo Heavy Bart's Twitter If you liked today’s podcast, please leave a review for the show in iTunes.

Today’s guest is Liston Witherill. Today we got the opportunity to talk about getting into the heads of your clients. It’s important to understand your client’s mindset, the worldview of the people you work for and their values, problems and needs. It’s what separates you and allows you to position yourself as an expert consultant and reliably solve the problems of your clients. Liston’s company is called Goodfunnel. The company focuses on copywriting, and three things in particular - customer research, creating landing pages and putting together email sequences. On today’s episode we’ll discuss: How Listen began his career Finding clients that fit your company Examining your customer’s decision process Following up Using the data you have Asking qualifying questions Keeping the lines of communication open Checking in with the customer and gauging the success of the engagement is critical. It will show you where you’re being successful, but it will also give you the opportunity to course correct. “Find the ‘Ten questions everyone should be asking their clients’ at Goodfunnel.co/DYF.” - Liston You can learn more about Liston Wisterill at his website Goodfunnel.co or email him at liston@goodfunnel.co. If you liked today’s podcast, please leave a review for the show in iTunes.

Today’s guest is Naveen Dittakavi. We had a great conversation about how his business has evolved and how important it is to overcome the belief that just because you’ve read something you’re making an improvement. In actuality, you have to act on what you’ve learned to make a difference. Naveen started his software business company in 2003 out of his dorm room at Georgia Tech and today he teaches software freelancers how to build recurring revenue. Today’s highlights include: How Naveen began freelancing Building a recurring revenue stream “Active Reading” Deconstructing goals Daily routine Content Consumption vs. Content Production Naveen starts his day with the tasks that are most important to him. It’s the most cognitive time of work for him and he uses this time for exploration and the development of his own business. Once he’s taken care of the high value or strategic work then he moves on to the work of helping his students or clients. This is what it took to get him where he is today. The systems Naveen has created allow him to work on the things he loves and wants to work on. He is still working on systems, trying to get certain tasks automated, which continues to free up time in his own week. Working on things that you can invest in and systemize allow you focus on larger opportunities or your family, or other things you want to do. There’s a lot we can all learn. Buying a course isn’t enough. You can’t just consume. You need to digest and process. The systematic approach to business growth is what works. Links and Resources Proactive Selling Spin Selling Ruby on Rails You can learn more about Naveen Dittakavi at his website, HowToBuildRecurringRevenue.com If you liked today’s podcast, please leave a review for the show in iTunes.

Taking the time to understand yourself, and manipulating your strengths to get your message out can sometimes be all it takes to push yourself over the edge, and into full-blown success. Today we’re focusing on how to have an authentic brand and establish your brand identity, so you can do just that.   Our guest today is Jeffrey Shaw. He’s a business coach, and he excels in, and focuses on how companies like ours can avoid being generalists. When you generalize your position in the market, you make it harder for yourself to stand out; and that’s where Jeff steps in. He’s also a pro speaker, photographer and is the host of his podcast called “Creative Warriors.”   Today’s topics include: The biggest challenge of going to work for yourself How to create a standout statement and use it to your advantage The role of branding as it relates to your customers Why “niche” needs to be completely redefined for freelancers The paradox of being in business on the internet How to use uniqueness to market yourself The importance of balance How the world sees you is essential to your success, and this applies to more than just freelancing. When people see something in you that they want to be a part of, you know you’re on the right track. We’ll be doing a high level overview of what it means to be a brand, what the implications are and what we can do with it. So, how can you start to develop a unique message for your business? If you liked today’s podcast, please leave a review for the show in iTunes.  Your reviews are what keep us up-to-date on how to improve the show so you can have the best listening experience possible. Be sure to join us next week for another all-new episode. Links and resources: Eight Essential Elements by Jeffrey Shaw Creative Warriors Unite