Coaching For Creatives with Aura McKay

In this episode of Coaching for Creatives, Aura McKay, founder of Business of Creativity, provides practical tips and tools to help freelancers and creatives confidently discuss budgets with high-profile clients.  By addressing common fears and misconceptions surrounding money conversations, Aura highlights ways to reframe these discussions as partnerships, emphasizing the importance of clarity an...

In this episode of Coaching for Creatives hosted by Aura McKay from Business of Creativity, listeners learn essential strategies for raising their rates as photographers, graphic designers, and other creative freelancers.  Aura outlines three key steps to communicate rate increases effectively to clients: giving advanced notice, being transparent, and offering a grace period.  She also discusses f...

In this episode of Coaching for Creatives, business coach Aura McKay discusses the concept of pricing as a bridge between a freelancer's desire for profit and a client's desire for value. She highlights the importance of understanding costs, calculating profits, and connecting with clients to meet their budget expectations effectively. Aura also encourages freelancers to reframe their th...

Reacting vs. Responding: Mastering Emotional Control in Creative Business Aura McKay, founder of Business of Creativity, discusses the critical difference between reacting and responding in a professional setting.  Addressing freelance creatives, she explores how strong emotional reactions to feedback or rejection can negatively impact communication and relationships. Aura shares strategies for ma...

In this episode of Coaching for Creatives, host Aura McKay explores the motivations behind choosing a freelancing career.  Aura shares her personal journey of becoming a reluctant entrepreneur, discusses common reasons why many of her clients opt for freelancing—such as autonomy, flexibility, and creative fulfillment—and highlights the importance of embracing business principles.  She also address...

Brain, Body, and Business: Prioritize for Success In this episode of Coaching for Creatives, Aura McKay discusses the important relationship between your brain, body, and business. She shares personal experiences and insights from her business accelerator mastermind, emphasizing the need to balance work demands with personal well-being. Learn practical tips on how setting healthy habits and priori...

The True Costs Of Working Alone Most creative freelancers are solopreneurs. Many feel like because they are freelancers they are on their own. For a long time I felt like I would never get as far ahead or be as successful as the photographers that worked with their spouses....because I had to do everything alone. This episode of Coaching for Creatives looks at the costs of running your freelance b...

Pricing on Your Website: Yes or No? Should you put your pricing on your website? Yes or no?  It really isn't that black and white. It depends on several different factors. This episode of Coaching for Creatives explores when (and if) freelance creatives should put their pricing on their website.  Join the conversation in the comments and let me know what you think. Yes or no?   #coachingforcr...

Focus on Success Stories  It's time to celebrate! This episode of Coaching for Creatives shares some success stories from today's Business Accelerator Mastermind group members.  All have different learnings to take away from their wins.  Let me know which story inspires you most.  #coachingforcreatives #freelancingbusinesstips #evidenceofawesome 0:00 Focus on Success Stories 1:34 Exceedi...

Stop Getting Ghosted Tired of getting ghosted on your quotes or proposals? Getting 'ghosted' is typically a term applied to dating. However, most freelancers are all too familiar with getting nothing but crickets after sending out a quote or proposal.  This episode of Coaching for Creatives looks at how you can adjust your sales process to stop getting ghosted and start closing more clie...

Freelancer Success Roadblocks: What's Stopping You From Getting Ahead In this episode of Coaching for Creatives, host Aura McKay discusses the three main obstacles that creative freelancers face in advancing their businesses: a lack of resources, skills, or support.  ✅ why creatives often know what needs to be done but struggle to execute their knowledge.  ✅ the nuances of each barrier, fro...

Are you getting bored of your own marketing? Being a freelancer often means doing all the things yourself, including your marketing. And there are other episodes that offer tips on marketing tactics and strategies....this episode of Coaching for Creatives looks at how you feel about your marketing. Are you bored? Uninspired? Anxious? What is your current relationship with marketing? #coachingforcr...

What do you need to help you get real results in your freelance business? What will help you most? Do you need training in new skills? One to one support to motivate and guide you? Connection with others to feel less isolated and alone? How do you know? How do you know you're even ready? This episode of Coaching for Creatives looks at different formats of business support and how to know what...

What is working in marketing for 2024? Marketing is a HUGE topic. There are a bazillion ways to market yourself both online and in the real world. How to know which marketing tactic to choose? Today's episode of Coaching for Creatives shares what is actually working in marketing for 2024 and how you can choose what's right for you. I'd love to hear from you in the comments, what kin...

Are you struggling to understand whats the difference between marketing and sales? Freelancers often struggle with both marketing and sales, especially when it comes to promoting themselves and closing their own clients.  One of the biggest things standing in the way of their success is understanding the difference between marketing and selling.  0:29 Marketing Versus Sales 0:47 A Lot Of My Client...

No matter what stage of your freelancer journey or what stage your business is at, these same three obstacles keep coming up. Learning the skills to overcome these obstacles and having the support to implement them has changed the lives and revenues for my clients and mastermind members. Share in the comments what your biggest current obstacle is and I will show you how it still comes down to one...

We all know that being a creative freelancer has a lot of challenges...but what if it was fun? What if you could play or find joy in running your business? What does fun even look like? This episode of Coaching for Creatives invites you to look at how to make running your business more fun. I'd love to hear from you in the comments, what does fun look like for you?   Book a free call with me...

What are business basics? What are the key things that support you in bringing your best self to your creative freelance business? How can you build a strong foundation to help you reach your goals this year? This episode of Coaching for Creatives looks at some of the things that our clients use to help them earn more and stress less. What are your business basics? #coachingforcreatives #businessb...

How To Build Confidence In Business Every freelancer I know has faced uncertainty and self-doubt. (okay, pretty much every human being I know too). Some are uncertain about pricing. For some it's confusion around marketing. Others are full of self-doubt when it comes to sales. For many it is some sort of imposter syndrome that comes from never really been given the training to run a freelance...

Have you ever faced a task in your freelance business and felt like you had no idea where or how to start? Where do you start finding clients? How do you start figuring out how to price your services? How do you start with SEO? Getting better at Instagram? Working with an agent? Whenever you are feeling stuck or uncertain about getting started you can try using one of these techniques. This episod...

Elevator pitches, 30 second networking speed intros, talking to strangers about what you do.....none of it sounds very fun for most freelance creatives. A powerful and well crafted introduction can create the kind of first impression that leads to clients you love. This episode of Coaching for Creatives shares some of my best tips for crafting a powerful and compelling introduction and why I belie...

Marketing can feel overwhelming and confusing for a lot of freelancers. There are just so many options! This episode of Coaching for Creatives shares some of my best tips for marketing freelance services. Book a free call with me to find out your best next steps for your creative freelance business. https://businessofcreativity.ca/advisor 0:00 Marketing Tips For Freelancers 1:17 Let Me Give You An...

Pricing creative services is way more complicated than pricing a product or a trade service. You are trying to set a dollar value on ideas, innovation, and talent. It's no wonder you are feeling confused or second-guessing your pricing. How do you know if you are charging 'enough' for your creativity? Too much? How can you feel confident in your freelancer pricing? This episode of C...

If you are a photographer, videographer, writer, designer, or creative freelancer of any kind, you've probably heard about narrowing your niche or creating an ideal client profile more times than you can count. And you may be asking yourself....but why? Why do I need to know my ideal client? Why will excluding people help me get more clients? Why does it matter so much that I focus on one kin...

In this episode of Coaching For Creatives I share my top tips for closing more sales! Based on my own experience as a professional photographer for more than 2 decades and the successes of the hundreds of photographers, designers and other creatives I've helped to earn more money. From the initial inquiry to the proposal to getting the contract signed, I give you some very specific tools you...