Deliberate Freelancer

Today’s guest is Christy Batta, a freelance graphic designer I know in real life. Christy works primarily with nonprofits, creating or freshening up their brands, designing logos or print materials, and developing event materials. Christy was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, or MS, when she was just 23. A few years ago, when people were debating health care in this country, she remembers hearing a lot of rhetoric about “sick people costing more” and “sick people” driving up all our health care costs. The discussion of how people with chronic illnesses and diseases were being portrayed irritated her. She decided to start speaking out more about living with a chronic illness—and running a freelance business with a chronic illness—because she wants people to understand that so-called “sick people” are all around us and are contributing, valuable members of society. DELIBERATE FREELANCER SHOW NOTES Learn how working with a branding coach helped Christy’s freelance business. She was able to learn why her clients valued her and use that information to promote her business. Christy shares how she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease, when she was just 23 and in graduate school. Hear about the challenges of having a “hidden illness.” It often comes down to how much to communicate to people. Christy has to focus on self-care to manage her MS, but these are lessons everyone needs: eat healthy, get enough sleep, don’t work 24/7. In fact, Christy says it helps her to see other freelancers not hustling nonstop because it validates that you can be a freelancer without working nonstop. Christy talks about why she is now speaking out more about having MS. Christy talks about how she got health insurance as a freelancer. Christy describes how she uses “spoon theory” to manage her illness and why all freelancers should embrace the idea that we have a limited number of “spoons” a day, so we should be intentional about what we focus our energy on. When freelancers take breaks and embrace a better work-life balance, they’re normalizing downtime for those freelancers who don’t have the “luxury” of working nonstop. Christy is the co-founder of the Unofficial Hand Lettering Society of Silver Spring, a club that encourages people to doodle and color and create. Biz Bite: Create a Welcome Package for Your Clients Welcome packages can set expectations and establish boundaries with your clients. Christy got the idea from her friend Rachel Wynn at Starlight Social. Resources: Christy Batta Design Unofficial Hand Lettering Society of Silver Spring Christy’s Etsy Shop: Human + Kind Human + Kind on Instagram Starlight Social and Rachel Wynn

Today’s guest is Andrena Sawyer, president of P.E.R.K. Consulting, an advisory firm for small to mid-sized nonprofits and businesses. Andrena works actively to mobilize and empower others—and that is exactly what she does in this episode. Andrena walks us through how to set better goals for our business, using the SMART formula. But she goes deeper than that, providing brilliant advice on how we should be setting a vision for our business. And she explains why we should focus more time on our business, not just providing services to clients nonstop. DELIBERATE FREELANCER SHOW NOTES Hear how Andrena went from law school to being an entrepreneur. When Andrena launched P.E.R.K. Consulting she still had a full-time job, but she quickly realized her energy was being split. She knew she had to commit full-time to consulting in order to make it work. If we learned anything at all about goal setting, we probably learned a linear approach. But Andrena recommends a circular approach, which starts first with an assessment to see if your goal is even viable. To do that, use the SMART approach to goal setting: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely. Learn the four steps entrepreneurs should take before they implement their idea. It all starts with vision casting—where you want to be with your business. Create a vision board of what you envision your business will be. As you create and grow your business, you need to focus on all four pillars of business: financial, operational, capacity and customer. Andrena recommends—at minimum—an annual retreat. (She’s speaking my language!) It’s even better, she says, to have a quarterly retreat to focus on your business. I love this comment from Andrena: “A lot of people don’t understand that you have to work ON your business in order to work IN your business effectively.” Andrena outlines the mistakes to avoid when setting your goals. Biz Bite: Prioritize your mental health. Take care of yourself by creating balance. Resources: P.E.R.K. Consulting Andrena’s book, “The Misadventures of a New Entrepreneur: 5 Things They Won’t Teach You in Business School” SMART goals Episode 3 of Deliberate Freelancer: Host a Solo Business Retreat

This is a “tough love” episode. Many of us are feeling overwhelmed, anxious, distracted and too busy. I think a lot of that can be alleviated by decreasing your smartphone usage and fighting against social media and digital addictions. It’s time to take back our lives. It’s time to take control of our schedules. In this episode, I lead you through several steps to cut back on digital distraction, partly inspired by Cal Newport’s new book,“Digital Minimalism.” DELIBERATE FREELANCER SHOW NOTES Let me take you back in time when baby boomers, Gen Xers and the Oregon Trail Generation can remember a time in our adult lives when smartphones and social media didn’t exist—and cellphones were just for calling people. As a kid in the 1980s, I would often whine, “I’m bored.” And I just had to figure out what to do about that boredom. Now, no one is ever allowed to be bored. Instead, we reach for our smartphones. Boredom is highly underrated. Over the Memorial Day weekend, I bought Cal Newport’s new book, “Digital Minimalism.” And I read it in 24 hours. Newport argues that you have to figure HOW you’re going to spend your leisure time BEFORE you cut back on your digital life. If you just force yourself to put down the phone or not use social media at set times—without a plan—you’ll be anxious and fidgety, not knowing what to do with yourself. I want to focus my leisure time on health, fitness and nutrition. I’m making a plan to walk 10,000 steps several days a week and dusting off my bike to go for fun rides again. I culled my social media feeds, unfollowing most people on Instagram—only keeping a few real-life friends—and cutting my Twitter followings in half. I also dropped out of 27 Facebook groups! Who knew I was in so many?! I’m focusing on two that are particularly interesting, educational and inspiring, with a true community feel. Cal Newport also talks about the importance of solitude. He says there’s this myth that solitude means being physically alone, but what it really means is freeing up your mind. We all need this. You may have to actually schedule solitude and downtime until it becomes more of a habit again. Your tough love, digital intervention marching orders: Start tracking your time. Decide how you want to spend your leisure or down time. Learn more about habit formation. Start decluttering your digital world. Biz Bite: Assigning ringtones to important people. Resources: The Oregon Trail Generation Cal Newport’s book “Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World” Episode 5 of Deliberate Freelancer: Track Your Time for Better Efficiency Episode 10 of Deliberate Freelancer, which talks about Cal Newport’s book “Deep Work”: Think Like a Marketer to Grow Your Business, with Megy Karydes Episode 2 of Deliberate Freelancer about cutting out tasks and outsourcing: Discover Your Unique Brilliance Episode 3 of Deliberate Freelancer: Host a Solo Business Retreat The Freelance Content Marketing Writer Facebook group She Podcasts Facebook group James Clear’s book “Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones” Gretchen Rubin’s book “Better than Before: What I Learned about Making and Breaking Habits—to Sleep More, Quit Sugar, Procrastinate Less, and Generally Build a Happier Life”

I like the term anchor client because an anchor on a boat keeps you steady and secure and is something you can rely on. We should all have a couple of anchor clients that provide just that—security and a steady income. I aim to find anchor clients on social media and via email referrals, but I also spend a lot of time meeting up with people in real life. I think many freelance business owners, especially introverts, don’t spend enough time building relationships and expanding their client work through face-to-face contact. In this episode, we’ll talk about using social media—especially Twitter and LinkedIn—to get anchor clients, but also how to get out there and meet people regularly. Deliberate Freelancer Show Notes You need to figure out—and actually write down—the type of work and clients you’re looking for. Ask yourself these three questions: WHO do I want to work for? WHAT types of projects do I want to work on? What OTHER services can I provide? Once you figure out all the services you can provide, it’s time to think about social media. WHERE are your potential clients? A mistake a lot of freelancers make is to try to be on several different social media platforms. Maximize your LinkedIn profile. Be very specific with your headline, using searchable keywords. Don’t be catchy with your headline and don’t be too broad. Put your contact information in your LinkedIn description. Don’t make people look for it. Ask clients for LinkedIn testimonials. Consider paying—at least for a few dedicated months—for Premium LinkedIn so you can see the “see who viewed your page recently” list. Reach out to those people to see if they need your help. On Twitter, take part in tweet chats and build public and private Twitter lists of people you want to connect with more often. As for in-person networking—building relationships!—consider what organizations you can join and what local events you can go to. Some ideas: national organizations, including local chapter meetings; local organizations; library events; co-working spaces. And take your local clients to lunch or for coffee! Be ready to expand your work with current clients and learn new skills. Always tell your clients about ALL the services you provide. They may only think you do that one thing you’re already doing for them. Ask for specific work. Tell clients when you have availability or an opening for a new project. Biz Bite: Get Serious about Sleep Resources: Episode 4 of Deliberate Freelancer: Work Only with Nice Clients, with Jennifer Goforth Gregory Episode 8 of Deliberate Freelancer: 5 Ways to Make Your Clients’ Jobs Easier Email address finder: Hunter.io American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) Association Media & Publishing (AM&P)

Today’s guest, Megy Karydes, lives in Chicago and has owned her communications and marketing consultant practice for the past 12 years. Megy is all about systems and structure. She is very disciplined about sticking to a set schedule throughout her work day. Megy uses systems like time tracking and knowing her peak productivity time to create this discipline—and it’s a system to be admired. Hear how she does it and what tips you can pick up to try to build more structure into your routine. DELIBERATE FREELANCER SHOW NOTES Learn the system Megy uses to schedule her day. She is regimented about sticking to her schedule and minimizing distractions. Time tracking every 15 minutes showed Megy how to find more time in her day and how much time it took her to do certain types of projects. Megy’s a fan of Cal Newport’s book, “Deep Work,” which showed her the importance of setting aside uninterrupted two-hour blocks of time to do work that required concentration and deep thinking. Megy uses exercise as a good afternoon break and an energy refresher. Megy and Melanie talk about why knowing their peak productivity times is critical to their work. Biz Bites from Megy: Ask clients for testimonials. Send clients handwritten thank-you cards.   Resources: Read Megy’s latest blog post, which contains a link to the Excel spreadsheet she uses to schedule her day. Try the spreadsheet out for a while to see if it works for you. “The Freelance Content Marketing Writer” by Jennifer Goforth Gregory “Six-Figure Freelancing: The Writer’s Guide to Making More Money” by Kelly James-Enger “Off the Clock: Feel Less Busy While Getting More Done” by Laura Vanderkam “Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World” by Cal Newport Episode #5 of Deliberate Freelancer: Track Your Time for Better Efficiency Episode #4 of Deliberate Freelancer: Work Only with Nice Clients, with Jennifer Goforth Gregory American Society of Journalists and Authors (an association for freelance writers) American Society of Journalists and Authors Annual Writers Conference

What kind of money personality do you have? This is important to know as you handle your finances for your freelance business. DELIBERATE FREELANCER SHOW NOTES My budgeting goes all the way back to childhood and my $2 allowance. Hear about my huge money confession and tax mistake. I immediately implemented two things to prevent that mistake in the future: I take 30% of my monthly income and place it into an online savings account that is earmarked only for taxes. You have to spend money to make money. If you are the only one in your business, two things are going to happen: You are eventually going to reach your capacity. There are only so many hours in the day, and if you are doing everything, eventually you’re going to come to the end of what you can do. Short of raising all your rates all the time, your business is not going to earn more money. Embrace the economic concept of opportunity cost: Opportunity cost is when you have a situation with more than one choice. You make a choice and go a particular route. The opportunity cost is the loss of what you did not gain by making the other choice. Opportunity cost makes you consider the consequences of every choice. Should you work, work, work and do it all yourself—and lose time and energy and potentially higher paying clients? Or should you hire someone to help—and lose that money but gain more money, ideally, because you gain time to work for better, higher paying clients? Know your hourly rate. Even if you don’t charge hourly, you need to know for yourself what your hourly rate is so that you know what things cost you. You want to pay people or a service less than your hourly rate so that you can gain back that time to either just enjoy it or to earn more than you’re paying those people per hour. Set a monthly financial goal. Push yourself. Set a big audacious monthly financial goal. But remember, you have to spend money to make money.  Biz Bite: Play Mozart The Mozart Effect How Music Makes You Smarter Resources: What Is Opportunity Cost? Episode 3 of Deliberate Freelancer: Host a Solo Business Retreat

Working at a content marketing agency for two years and now hiring subcontractors has helped me learn what freelancers can do to make their clients’ jobs easier. I learned what I DON’T want to do and what I COULD do to make myself stand out from the crowd. In this episode, I dive into five areas where any freelance business owner could help make their clients’ jobs easier. DELIBERATE FREELANCER SHOW NOTES Learn why you shouldn’t share all the details of your schedule and your life with your client—but figure out the fine line of when you need to tell them something that interferes with your work, like a funeral or an unexpected flu bug. Learn why it’s necessary to create a backup list of other freelancers and how you can create that list. Quick tip: When you’re too busy to take on work, telling your client or potential client you don’t have the “capacity” right now shows that you’re in demand and talented. Figure out what little things you can do that go above and beyond for your client—within reason. Figure out how to stand out from your competitors. Learn why I put some of my prices on my website. Consider creating package deals and listing them on your website. Consider adding an information form to your website for potential clients. Biz Bite: Create a Batch Day Resources: Episode #4 of Deliberate Freelancer: Work Only with Nice Clients, with Jennifer Goforth Gregory Episode #6 of Deliberate Freelancer: Make the Most of Conferences

Today’s guest, Michelle Garrett, has been a freelancer for 20 years. Michelle describes herself as being at the intersection of PR, content marketing and social media. She is a public relations consultant, content creator, blogger, speaker and freelance writer. She is also the host of the weekly tweet chat #FreelanceChat, which she launched in September 2018. Michelle has grown her freelance business through a strategic and effective use of blogging and social media, primarily Twitter. Learn how Michelle keeps up with blogging and interacts on Twitter and how she repurposes her content. You’ll also hear why she launched #FreelanceChat. Michelle mentions several great online tools; the links are in the resource list below. DELIBERATE FREELANCER SHOW NOTES 4:46—How working at an agency later helped Michelle with her freelance business. 6:57—Providing an array of services helps build stronger relationships with clients. 7:30—How Michelle’s blogging career took off. 12:50—Michelle collects links and tweets as a “blog idea” file so she always has something to write about. 14:15—Michelle offers tips on repurposing your content to market your freelance business. 17:00—Michelle took the time to analyze her blog traffic, which showed her, to her surprise, that Twitter was the primary driver, way ahead of LinkedIn. This analysis changed her marketing tactics. 19:00—Michelle uses a Twitter scheduling tool, but she says that only using a scheduling tool—without engaging with people directly—is a mistake. 21:44—Learn more about the tweet chat #FreelanceChat that Michelle hosts every Thursday at 12 p.m. Eastern (U.S.) time. (Join us!) 28:59—Biz Bite: Schedule Social Media with Buffer Resources: Michelle Garrett’s website Michelle Garrett’s blog  Michelle Garrett on Muck Rack #FreelanceChat — Twitter chat for freelancers every Thursday at 12 p.m. Eastern (U.S.) time MeetEdgar (social media management tool) Buffer (social media management tool) Pablo by Buffer (image creation tool) Unsplash (royalty-free images) Pixabay (royalty-free images)

Soon after I started my freelance business I quickly realized how much I loved going to conferences. It has become an investment in my business—a way for me to learn new skills, find clients, bond with fellow creative types and get inspired to try new things. I’m always invigorated after conferences, buzzing with fresh new ideas and excitement about things I want to try with my freelance business. Learn how to find the right conference for you, what to do beforehand to prepare for the conference and what “must-haves” you should take to the conference.   DELIBERATE FREELANCER SHOW NOTES 1:50— How I discovered “my people” at ACES–the Society for Editing. 4:51— How to find your “people” in your industry and its conferences. 5:19— There are two types of conferences: the ones with your fellow creatives and the ones with potential clients. 7:10— Why I’m so involved in an organization called Association Media & Publishing.  8:08— The five things you should do before you go to a conference. 11:11— Nine things you should take to a conference.  16:54— Biz Bite: Create a Today List   Resources: Cheat Sheet—5 Things to Do Before a Conference & 9 Things to Take to a Conference ACES–the Society for Editing Association Media & Publishing Association Media & Publishing 2019 Annual Meeting My blog post: Networking Is Not a Dirty Word

“Busyness is laziness.” Raise your hand if you reply “busy!” whenever someone asks how you are. Let’s get rid of that hectic, way too busy, frenzied feeling. Time tracking can help. Time tracking can show you how you’re spending your time and set you on a better course.        DELIBERATE FREELANCER SHOW NOTES   1:13 Learn about the research that shows how being “busy” has become a high status symbol in the U.S.   3:28 Hear Melanie’s confession about procrastinating.   4:04 Learn how time tracking can hold you accountable and help you discover where all your time is really going.   6:50 The struggle and the shame of checking Facebook nonstop.   9:08 Why Melanie is cautious about the word “productive.”   11:16 How to analyze your own time tracking data.   12:10 Biz Bite: Pick a Work Song     Resources: Busy Beings: Melanie’s interview with a Georgetown University professor about the professor’s research on the status of being busy.   Laura Vanderkam website—learn all about time tracking from the master.   “168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think,” by Laura Vanderkam   “Make Time: How to Focus on What Matters Every Day,” by Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky