Fri, 28 December 2018
When you’re in a leadership position, the people you lead sometimes put you on a pedestal. They think you have everything figured out. That you have no flaws. No struggles. I’m in a leadership position in that people often look to me for ideas, advice and mentorship. But let me tell you ... I’m not perfect by any means. I have my own struggles and imperfections. And in this episode, I come clean on 9 of those things... |
Fri, 14 December 2018
This is an exciting time to be alive. The opportunity to make a great living as a self-employed professional has never been better. Changing economic trends, shifting attitudes toward self-employment, cheap technology, and the ability to leverage talent from around the world have all combined to make this opportunity possible. My guest for this week’s podcast has been tracking these changes for years. Her name is Elaine Pofeldt, and she’s the author of the book The Million-Dollar One-Person Business (Random House, 2018). In this episode, Elaine introduces us to some of the people behind these million-dollar solo businesses. |
Fri, 30 November 2018
I’ve found that maintaining a high level of productivity is one of the top challenges we face as self-employed professionals. Chris Bailey is an expert who will share a different take on the topic. In this episode, Chris brings some fresh perspectives to this discussion. Perspectives I don’t often hear. He also describes how to drastically reduce distractions and improve your productivity with a few simple changes... |
Fri, 16 November 2018
November 2017, I dedicated a podcast episode to the topic of alternative healthcare insurance options. A year later, in this episode, I circle back to the topic. I asked my listeners to share their experiences with healthy indemnity plans and/or medical cost sharing over the past 12 months — both good and bad. The feedback I received was enlightening … and might help you with your own healthcare coverage decision making... |
Fri, 2 November 2018
One of the things I focus on with my coaching clients is improving their productivity. Because if you can’t get your work done efficiently, you’re going to struggle. You won’t meet your full earning potential. And you’ll be stressed and unhappy. My guest for this podcast episode is Jordan Baker, a personal productivity expert and the creator of Focuster, an auto-scheduling calendar app. You’ll walk away from this conversation with practical ideas that will help you get your most important things done—without stress or drama... |
Fri, 19 October 2018
As a freelance professional, your habits and systems will directly determine your level of success and happiness. But how do you develop and sustain the right habits? Are there tricks and strategies for doing that successfully? That’s the topic of this episode. My guest is James Clear, an expert in the field of behavioral science and habit transformation ... and author of the book Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones James thinks about these topics day and night. He’s spent years applying the science of habits to everyday situations you and I face regularly in our businesses. I think you’ll find his tips and strategies fascinating and helpful! |
Fri, 5 October 2018
I had a friend who was married to a lawyer. She joked that when she was having trouble falling asleep, she’d ask her husband to talk about copyright law. Apparently, it worked way better (and faster) than taking a melatonin supplement. ;-) In all seriousness, copyright law is an important topic when you’re a freelancer writing for clients. For this podcast episode, I’ve brought in Internet business lawyer Richard Chapo to give us the scoop on how we can protect ourselves from the most common (and avoidable!) copyright pitfalls. As dull as this topic can be, Richard makes it interesting, relevant and engaging. He also illustrates many of his points with specific and useful examples, which I found extremely helpful. So I urge you to give this episode a listen. |
Fri, 21 September 2018
#161: How Maggie Patterson Transformed Her Writing Business by Creating Premium Services Built Around Proprietary Processes
You can earn a very handsome income working on “transactional” assignments for clients. But for some writers, this model starts to get old. And they often wonder if there’s a better way of doing things. That’s exactly what happened to my guest. Maggie Patterson was making a very good living as a freelance writer. But she was burning out. So she began to offer more comprehensive services that included her own proprietary processes. The idea took hold. In a big way. In this episode, Maggie explains how she transitioned from the traditional freelance model to an agency model … and how she uses it to differentiate her business and deliver more value to clients. |
Fri, 7 September 2018
In this episode, I’m covering a topic that’s extremely relevant and practical for a big part of my audience: How introverts can turn more prospects into clients. My guest is Matthew Pollard. Matthew is an internationally award-winning blogger and contributor to CEO, Entrepreneur, and Top Sales World Magazine. He is a recurring guest on FOX and NBC, and has appeared on top-rated podcasts including Entrepreneur on Fire and Eventual Millionaire. He’s the author of the bestseller The Introvert’s Edge: How the Quiet and Shy Can Outsell Anyone, and he has five multimillion-dollar business success stories to his name, all before the age of thirty. This is solid stuff. Check it out... |
Fri, 24 August 2018
#159: Client Gift-Giving — When You Should Do It ... and How to Make a Big Impact with a Small Budget
Should you give your clients a gift? If so, when is the best time to do this? And what should you give them? Holidays? At the end of your first project? Some other time? This episode is a great conversation with my colleague Sarah Greesonbach on this topic. Sarah gave me some great ideas for how make this decision ... which clients you should put on your list ... and how to give gifts that make a huge impact without spending more than $20 or $30. She’s a true gift-giving master! In this interview, she explains when to consider giving clients gifts (hint: there are other great opportunities outside the holidays) ... which clients you should give gifts to ... how to do it right ... and how to pick gifts that will make a big impact without spending more than $20 or $30. |