Deliberate Freelancer

On today's show I help you visualize your absolute perfect work day and then help you figure out how to make that happen—providing tips and tactics. I believe you need to visualize your perfect work day step by step so you can start to implement systems, processes, habits and goals to create that type of day. Let's daydream to start: How would you wake up on your perfect work day? What would you d...

Stop hustling. Stop flying by the seat of your pants. Host your own solo business retreat and take a step back to analyze your business and where you want to go—and how you can get there.

On today's show I want to stress the importance of getting a good night's sleep—especially when you are a freelance business owner. I'm really good at sleeping. I need about eight or nine hours a night, and I prioritize my sleep. I've also purposefully developed several habits to master and create the perfect sleep environment. And I want to share them with you. As an employee, you might have been...

Today's show is a bit shorter than usual because I'm tired. Not physically tired as much as mentally tired. I get enough sleep—I'm really good at prioritizing that—but you know as a freelance business owner that your brain is always on. It's hard to stop thinking about your business. Plus, February is my busiest month. But what really got me off track last week was the infuriating and frustrating...

On today's show I talk about boundaries, both in your business and your personal life. For the most part, I have figured out how to set boundaries. But I also admit I was quite lucky that when I started my freelance business, my family and friends understood that I was actually working throughout the day and that this wasn't some hobby. I know some of you are not so lucky and have people occasiona...

On today's episode, we're talking about goals—setting them, working on them, tracking them, achieving them. Goal-setting can be tough, and I think part of that is the words we use. For example, New Year's resolutions are essentially goals, but about 80 percent of New Year's resolutions fail by February. We're all eager in January to jump on those resolutions, but then we get bored, or we forget or...

On today's show I am going over 33 ways you can find new clients. But before you embark on that project, you'll need to do a little prep work. First, consider what type of work you truly want more of. What do you love to do? What work pays well? Focus on that. Next, raise your rates. Then, be crystal clear on what you want to say to those potential clients. Focus on how you can help them and what...

On today's show, I'm going to report on what I did during my most recent solo business retreat and my lessons learned. Some of you already know I love taking a solo business retreat about once a quarter—or at minimum, twice a year. A solo business retreat is just you, away from your regular workspace—even in that means just heading to another room in your home—and taking a half day, entire day or...

On today's show I am going to go through several tips and tools for creating and sticking to new habits, as outlined and inspired by James Clear's book "Atomic Habits." But first, please consider donating $5–10 to a fellow freelancer, Cat DiStasio, who is recovering from a severe stroke that happened right before Christmas 2019. Cat was my guest on episode 30 about how a virtual assistant (VA) can...

Where do you want to go in the new year (metaphorically)? On today's show, we're going to set you up right for the new year. I'm going to talk about how you can reflect back on the past year, analyze the good and the bad, and then plan for next year. The end of the year is the perfect time to think about the big questions surrounding your freelance business. What does success and growth look like...

Today's episode focuses on how to raise your rates. Raising your rates is not about if you should raise them, but when and how. On episode 28 of Deliberate Freelancer, my guest Pam Capalad talked about the need to take the emotion out of raising your rates. I thought that was so smart—and easier said than done. Pam recognized that a lot of issues tend to pop up when we talk about raising our rates...

On today's show, I'm going to take you through my nutrition journey and how I've learned to eat healthier over the past few years, which is invaluable to me as a freelance business owner. As freelancers, in particular, we need to focus on our health. Often, we sit at home all day behind a computer. Many of us are not getting enough exercise—we're not even getting up enough throughout the day to st...

Today's episode is a little different. I have invited a guest on to explain a dangerous new law in California called AB5 that all freelancers need to know about. It threatens the very existence of freelancing. Even if you don't live in California, you need to know about this law because other states are following suit. In fact, after I recorded this episode, I learned that New Jersey Democrats are...

On today's show I am going to outline several red flags to look out for when you're a freelance business owner. I'm sure many of you have learned some of these the hard way. I know I have. But it's important to recognize when they happen and keep a mental list of what to watch out for. In some "red flag" cases, you can find a work-around and figure out a solution that works for you. In other cases...

Today's guest is Jonathan Small, an award-winning journalist and editor based in Los Angeles. He is the host of the podcast Write About Now, where he interviews successful writers about their journeys and what they've learned along the way. He is also the founder of Write About Now Media, a creative consultancy group specializing in non-fiction writing, editing and podcast production. He is also e...

Today's guest is Latisha Carr. Latisha is a trained life coach and self-care strategist who helps entrepreneurs build both a healthy personal foundation and healthy business cultures. Her signature framework allows her to help business owners find their essence—all while addressing thoughts and behaviors that are ineffective in helping them reach their goals and dreams. She leads events that help...

On today's show I am going to outline five lessons I learned at the She Podcasts LIVE conference that are relevant to freelance business owners. She Podcasts LIVE was an inaugural conference for the She Podcasts community, which started as a Facebook group that now has 14,000 members—all women podcasters. There's also a She Podcasts podcast hosted by co-creators Elsie Escobar and Jessica Kupferman...

Today's guest is Vincent Pugliese , the owner and founder of Total Life Freedom, an exclusive and intimate mastermind group of generous entrepreneurs and freelancers who are building and helping others create a life of money, time and location freedom. Vincent also wrote a book on this idea of money, time and location freedom called "Freelance to Freedom." He is generously giving you all a free au...

On today's show I talk about how sometimes I'm just not feeling it. Sometimes I just feel blah and unmotivated. But, I have client work to do. But, I'm having a hard time kicking my butt into gear. Two interesting reasons I might be feeling blah that I learned about in recent years: One, I learned from my acupuncturist that some people feel blah or out of sorts when seasons change. The past two ye...

Today's guest is Cat DiStasio, a freelance writer and project manager who specializes in human resources, business, marketing and technology. Cat also consults with small businesses on HR processes, teaches content marketing writers how to market their services, and blogs about the business of freelancing.  Cat has also been a virtual assistant—or VA—although she is now transitioning out of that k...

Today's show is a follow-up episode to last week's episode with guest Pam Capalad, who taught us how to take charge of our finances. Pam is a certified financial planner and accredited financial counselor in Brooklyn. She created this cool program called Brunch & Budget, which provides people a more comfortable space to talk about their money—over brunch with Pam. Pam gave so many great tips in th...

Today's guest is Pamela Capalad, a certified financial planner and accredited financial counselor in Brooklyn. Pam created this really cool program called Brunch & Budget, which helps people who feel ashamed or embarrassed about money have a safe and friendly place to talk about their finances—over brunch with Pam. I think this is genius. It makes people more comfortable and really open up to Pam,...

On today's show I am going to outline 10 micro habits that you can consider implementing in your life to improve your work-life clarity. Building habits into my life helps me commit to work-life clarity. Micro habits are tiny, incremental things you can start to do that seem so incredibly easy that you might just continue to build them. And, if you find they are working for you in some way, they m...

On today's show I am going to go over three concepts that will help you better manage your time and focus on the parts of your freelance business that you love. But first: an update on my early morning walk. I've actually become so hooked on walking that I've been getting up earlier 5–6 days a week to do my daily walk in the morning. I walk fast for about an hour while listening to podcasts. And I...

Today's guest is Jessica Kupferman, co-founder of She Podcasts (the podcast, the brand and the live event). She Podcasts has an incredible community, primarily through an awesome female-only Facebook group. The She Podcasts brand currently supports over 13,000 female podcasters and has a digital marketing reach of over 50,000 content creators. And October 11–13 in Atlanta, for the first time, She...