Over the past seven years, I've had hundreds of conversations with new and aspiring freelancers who are 55+.

Perhaps the most common concern I hear from this group is, "I'm afraid that my age will prevent me from getting clients."

I can understand this fear. Especially if you've experienced age discrimination in the workplace ... or been laid off or downsized because of your age (something an employer would never admit).

Here's the good news—you have more to offer your clients than you realize. In fact, you have a serious competitive edge over younger freelancers — experience, wisdom and perspective.  

And that's not just me saying that. I've heard this from several freelancers who launched their solo business later in life.

In fact, you'll hear from one of them in this week's episode. Her name is Katherine Andes, a California–based web content developer and SEO writer who went solo 12 years ago at the age of 54.

Today's show is about two topics that didn't warrant their own episodes:

• Why you must be careful when emulating the "rock stars" in our business

• Why you should NOT diversify too much in terms of the services you offer

I'm also going to introduce a somewhat "silent" co-host of this show (someone you might have heard a few times before). I'll tell you about two upcoming industry events you may want to check out. And I'll explain how you can be a part of a future episode of this podcast.