Freelance Road Trip Podcast

Whether you freelance full-time or part-time, these time management principles will help you win the struggle to juggle the professional and personal aspects of your life. 

Based on a true account of a miscommunication between me and one of my design students, I discuss the importance of being specific in what we communicate to clients, getting to the point, and diagnosing their needs accurately. It's also important that your client accurately receives what you're communicating. Both parties are responsible for communicating well. Good communication saves you time, b...

Don't have conversations on the back end of a project that you should have had on the front end. When things go south with a client because they were expecting one thing and you were expecting another, it can ruin your relationship but also your reputation with future clients. Using a true story as the basis, I share how and why we freelance creatives need to manage expectations.

How do you create a budget when your freelance income isn't steady? Can you mark up project-related expenses without feeling guilty? In this episode I answere these and other money-related questions submitted by readers and listeners. 

Your portfolio isn't just about getting you your next client. It's a springboard into your future. It's a primary means of attracting clients you're best suited to serve. I share specific how-tos for creating a high quality, consistent portfolio that best represents your expertise, and the critical thinking behind the tips. The episode includes an excerpt from my online course, Crafting Your Profe...

If you're a self-employed professional creative, you offer solutions to business and life problems. Your portfolio then, isn't a showcase of art, design, or photography, but a collection of creative solutions. The most effective portfolios demonstrate how you solve clients' problems. I share some practical, professional tips to help you sharpen your portfolio to attract the kinds of clients and pr...

A prospective client discovery session allows you the opportunity to manage expectations before you enter a working relationship. By asking the right kinds of questions you communicate to your client your expertise and empathy, and your ability to solve their business problem with your creative solutions. In this episode I outline proven tactics for a successful discovery call and subsequent proje...

It's no fun being trapped in a bad working relationship with a difficult client. We can put filters in place to screen out prospects who aren't a good fit for us, but what do we do when things begin well but go sour in the middle of a project? It's important to recognize the "red flags" and deal with them so that you can maintain a comfortable working relationship with your client. I break out 10...

Many freelance creatives deal with having to do things to pay the bills while we're developing our freelance careers. The usual thinking is that these jobs are holding us back from doing our preferred work, stepping into our callings, and reaching our destinies. Rather than being deterrents, detours can be useful in a variety of ways, actually preparing and training us to do our best work.

You may not need a business plan to start your freelance business, but once you get a few clients under your belt you'll want to create one. A business plan acts as compass to keep you focused on the important things. It helps you control and manage outcomes. It helps you make good business decisions. Your business plan doesn't need to be a lengthy doc. I outline what to include in your plan and h...

No freelancer ever does a project entirely on their own. A reliable support network is crucial to getting the job done. Freelance creatives focus more on attracting and working with clients but often neglect to invest the same level of relational care into their supplier network. In this episode I share why we need to apply the "Golden Rule" with our suppliers, a couple true stories from my own ex...

Independent creatives are known to seek out quick-win tips and tactics to fix their immediate problems. But if you want to build a sustainable business around your creative work, you need a strategic plan that acts as both a compass and an anchor. While both strategy and tactics are necessary and useful. This episode introduces the concept of strategic thinking connected to your larger purpose, an...

Ever have a client relationship turn sideways or go south? If you've been freelancing awhile you've likely experienced when a client shifts expectations or makes an odd request. Poor relationships with your clients can affect not just your freelance business, but your creative drive, your household, your friendships, your loved ones, and even your future success. Using a true story shared by a fel...

The allure of freelancing... Why do we do it? And then, how do we do it? The freelance economy is growing across all sectors. According to  a Gallup–Upwork poll, there are around 57M independent contractors in the US currently. The majority of those is creatives. To freelance successfully means you're taking care of business so that you are free to focus on your creative work. How can you avoid fi...

Are you using a creative brief, also know as assignment or design brief, in your project development process? A brief can help you build trust with your clients for a variety of reasons.  In this episode I share what a brief is and how your client relationships and freelance business as a whole can benefit by using them.

How you think affects how well you do creatively and business-wise. What you think either hinders or promotes. We all struggle with limiting beliefs and negative thinking, but we don't have to embrace them. In this episode I share for your consideration a mindset shift through the analogy of gardening and farming. This may make a difference for you if you're struggling as a freelance creative.

The PRO Act, which is now included in the massive infrastructure bill, and the Worker Flexibility and Small business Protection Act, will make things very difficult for freelance creatives if it becomes law with the ABC test intact. If freelancing and independent contracting is no longer considered legitimate, and we all have to be employees, what do we lose? Whether or not an employer is a union...

Money is a necessary tool in business and life, and freelancers can embrace the budgeting process creatively. Budgeting is good stewardship, and enables you to maintain momentum when your income fluctuates month to month. A spending plan can help you become more profitable because it gives you more control. I share an approach to your spending plan that's flexible, practical, and immediately actio...

Freelance creatives can often get stuck on smaller problems, odd requests, and indecision. To that end, I offer insights to questions listeners and readers have asked regarding working on spec (speculatively), contracts, legal business structures, and when your clients are family members or friends.   

A young designer asked me if formal education makes a difference in becoming successful. Having earned a degree, and having taught part-time in a design program for 25 years in addition to my design work, I have some bias about this topic. I frame my response with my bias in mind. The designer who posed the question is not formally trained. Her question was if formal education makes a difference a...

Freelancers of all types should be concerned about pending labor legislation. The ABC test to determine independent contractor vs. employee status in California's independent contractor law is being pushed forward nationally in the forms of the PRO Act and the Worker Flexibility and Small Business Protection Act. I share what the ABC test is, why it should be a huge concern for you, what it's done...

Talent, passion and a portfolio will get you through school, but you can't build a business on them. There's a gap between school and making a living. The gap exists even if you didn't attend design school. Now more than ever, freelancers need to get serious about business skills if they hope to attract clients, increase their profits, and support their lives through their creative work. Lack of k...

Things don't always go the way you planned, especially when it's more than just you involved. Clients and colleagues will surprise you. Responding well whether you're in the middle of favorable or unfavorable happenstances requires anticipating the possibilities. I share my experience preparing to be a guest on a popular podcast, and what I learned from it.

Friends and family should not be in your "ideal client" description. Why? Because all sorts of unexpected things happen that can suck your time, stress you out, and make you wish you'd never said "yes." In the episode I share what happened with one of my client/friend projects, and how you can avoid problems in any working relationship simply by implementing and following through on your own busin...

Do you accept every client and project that comes your way? Have you ever worked with a client where things began well but soon went sideways? Every freelancer who's been in it for a few years has at least one story to tell. If you'd prefer not having stories to tell, start filtering out less desirable projects and clients so you can say yes to your best kinds of clients. In this episode I share m...