One of the most important capabilities you can develop as a self-employed professional is the ability to pivot and adapt as your business grows and your life situation evolves.

Not only is life full of surprises, but what worked for you 5 years ago may not be as palatable today. Whether it's the types of clients you work with, the type of work you pursue, or the side projects you take on.

Marjorie Turner Hollman is an excellent example of this. A long-time writer, Marjorie has faced a number of challenges in her life—including some physical disabilities—that have forced her to reinvent herself and what she offers.

Her work has evolved from freelance writer to personal historian to book coach for struggling authors to the author of a nonfiction book series.

There are many things I love about Marjorie’s story, but I find her resilience, resourcefulness, and adaptability inspiring. And I think you will too.

The topic of accessibility and how we all use adaptive aids in everyday life is a concept Marjorie learned from Kam Redlawsk. She is a remarkable, articulate advocate for those with disabilities.

I hope you enjoy this conversation.

Marjorie’s website.

Marjorie’s Amazon author page.

When your business gets really challenging, it’s very common to feel like you need to make a drastic move.

Like pivoting to a different target market. Or offering a totally different set of services. Or moving out of freelancing and into a traditional job.

These are very common feelings. And let me tell you ... I feel this way at least two or three times a year.

Yes, I really do.

In today’s short episode, I share my thoughts and reflections on this dilemma. Whether you’re happy where you are or you feel like a big change is in order, I think you’ll find it useful.

Earning more in less time is not just about getting higher fees for your work. It’s also about being more productive and approaching client projects more efficiently.

And a key part of writing productivity is effective editing.

Editing is one of the key phases of any writing assignment. Yet I find that most of us don’t have a step-by-step process for the editing phase. We tend to approach editing in a somewhat haphazard manner. And don’t always know when we’re truly done making the piece as good as it can be.

My guest today is writing coach Daphne Gray-Grant, author of Your Happy First Draft: A Practical and Painless Guide to Obliterating Writer’s Block. Daphne is no stranger to this podcast. She was one of my first guests on the show over 10 years ago, and she came on again in 2019 to discuss strategies for banishing writer’s block.

In this episode, Daphne shares the 5 biggest editing mistakes she sees writers make—and why avoiding them is so important. She shares some really practical strategies and tips for avoiding those mistakes and making your editing much stronger and effective.

When we’re in a challenging economy, most of us operate from a place of fear.

And fear causes us to either keep our fees the same or to lower them.

But I have a different recommendation for you today. I’m going to challenge you to RAISE your fees—starting today!

Now, before you start thinking I’m crazy and out of touch, hear me out. Because there are many ways to do this wrong ... and only a few ways to do it right.

The way most writers attempt to raise their fees is by going to existing clients and telling them that their fees are about to go up across the board.

And yes, if you do it that way, you probably won’t get very far. I’m not suggesting you completely avoid this approach. But I’m suggesting that this method has the most risk and the most limited upside.

You may get a few clients to agree to the increase. But it’s a very stressful process to go through. And frankly, there are much better ways.

What do I recommend instead? I’ll share my specific recommendations in today’s short episode below.

The real test of the strength of your own positioning, messaging and marketing is when the economy is challenging.

Not when clients are flush with cash and enjoying overinflated marketing budgets — as they were over the past three years.

That’s why it’s so important to continually improve your own marketing skills and habits. And that’s why the topic of marketing your business will be a recurring theme in this podcast and in my newsletter for the next few months.

Because, frankly, the past few years have made us soft. It was too easy to land work.

My guest in this week’s episode is Amy Suto, a freelance memoir ghostwriter and Amazon KDP publishing expert. What I find impressive about Amy’s business is that over the course of a few short years she’s been able to go from earning $30 an hour as a freelance writer to earning a whopping $750 an hour.

Not only that, but she’s continually booked solid at that rate. And she does this while spending a big part of the year traveling and working from beautiful locations all around the world.

It almot sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it?

In this episode Amy explains where she started, how she got to her current level of success, what she does to continually attract her ideal clients, and how she can command these ultra-high-end rates.

(Hint: narrowing down your focus is a big part of her secret!)

We talk a lot of strategy, but we also get tactical. It’s a great conversation for any writer, regardless of where you are in your journey.

Last month I had the pleasure and honor to keynote The Content Byte Summit in Sydney,
Australia, along with my friend and colleague Jennifer Goforth Gregory.

The conference was top-notch. And by the end of the first day of the two day event, Jennifer
and I knew we had to record a joint episode of this podcast to share our biggest takeaways
from all the information-packed sessions.

How do you know if (or when) you’re pricing yourself beyond what the overall market can
bear?
That’s the question I address in today’s short podcast episode. I talk about this idea of “what the market can bear,” ... and why that shouldn’t be your main factor in pricing decisions.
Instead, I offer 3 other factors to help you arrive at your best fee.

In this episode, I explore this idea further and offer advice for how to be a more effective coach to yourself. And I include examples of what I do in between engagements with my own coach.

In this week’s short podcast episode, I detail 3 ways to raise your fees effectively ... even in a difficult economy.
It’s all about thinking of the challenge differently and in a more creative way.

In this week’s short podcast episode I share some powerful insights from a world-renowned music producer on how to have more breakthroughs in your business and personal life.

In this conversation, Shane details how he and his wife have built and grown a very reliable income stream in the span of a couple of years. He talks openly about all the mistakes they made and how they learned from them. And he details the best model freelancers can use to build a reliable income stream.

In this week’s episode, I discuss this all-too-common scenario. And I share some ideas for how to turn things around... starting with your mindset.

This week’s episode is the next installment in this series on AI. We focus on the impact of this technology is having (and will have) on the business of content marketing and copywriting.

Have you given thought to what weekly and daily rhythm works best for YOU?

That’s what we’re discussing in this week’s podcast episode. I’ll share how I structure my week and how you cand find your own natural flow.

In this week’s podcast episode, I discuss the four different scenarios you might be in right now, and what each of them asks of you. I then lay out three high-level strategies for shoring up your business and becoming stronger, better and more resilient.

The episode is titled “The Resilient Mindset—What It Takes to Thrive in the Face of AI and Economic Uncertainty.”

Working on the business is about anything related to improving the business. It includes everything from thinking about the vision and direction of your business to brainstorming, strategizing, professional development, implementing new strategies, working on new initiatives that will improve the business (e.g., an info product, a new productized service or a new offer), and even marketing yourself.

In this week’s podcast episode, we’re going to get tactical. My guest is my good friend and colleague Jennifer Gregory. Many of you know her as a very successful and accomplished freelance writer and the author of the excellent book The Freelance Content Marketing Writer: Find Your Perfect Clients, Make Tons of Money and Build a Business You Love.

In our conversation, Jennifer lays out five specific areas where writers and copywriters can use AI to become more productive, get unstuck, generate better ideas and produce better writing.

A coaching client recently asked me what she needed to do to start going after and landing well-known clients.

In today's podcast episode, I’ll share the advice and guidance I gave her.

In today’s episode, I talk with someone who’s doing this right now. Her name is Jaclyn Schiff, and she’s the founder of PodReacher — a content agency that’s exclusively focused on helping B2B tech companies repurpose recorded content into articles, blog posts, white papers, ebooks, case studies, lead magnets, and other powerful content formats.

Joining me in today’s podcast episode is my colleague Jonathan Stark, a sought-after coach, and consultant in the software development space.

In this conversation, we dive right into the ChatGPT controversy. Sarah brings in analysis and opinions from a wide range of industry experts on the issue.

In this short podcast episode, I share what the club owner told Steven. Why it was a pivotal moment for him. And how you and I can use this bit of wisdom to reframe our own “failures.”

Here’s a much healthier and authentic way to approach the selling process as a writer or copywriter. You’ll discover how to approach prospect conversations much more effectively and with greater confidence.

My family and I have been buying from White Oak Pastures for a number of years. We’ve been very impressed with how they run their farm and their business. They’re true innovators who are making a hugely positive impact on the way food is produced.

In this latest episode of the podcast, you’ll hear from my friend and colleague Patti DeNucci, an expert in the field of making stronger connections and leading more enjoyable conversations ... and the author of the upcoming book, More Than Just Talk: The Essential Guide for Anyone Who Wants to Enjoy Better Conversations.