Freelance to Founder

On today’s Q&A episode, "Can you grow without hiring?" It’s a pretty tricky question we got from Tony—a freelance videographer in Paris, France. He wants to add graphic design, web design, SEO, social media, and many other services. And he wants to hire freelancers to do it. Is this a good strategy? Stick around through this episode to find out.  You’re listening to Freelance to Founder. Here we g...

On today's show, we get called out by our call-in guest, Erik. Here's the thing: Clay and I are always talking about finding referral partners—other freelancers or businesses who can send you new clients as a sort of trade. You'll refer them to clients, and they'll refer you. It sounds magical. But Erik's question is this: how do you actually FIND these kinds of partners? So we get into it on toda...

On today’s show, Molly Cox calls in with questions about the freelance business she started just six months ago. Top of mind for her: Should she stay a sole–proprietor or form an LLC? Before the legal terms tempt you to click away, consider this. This single question could save you thousands of dollars a year in taxes. So keep listening. That’s just part of what we chat about with Molly. This epis...

On today’s Q&A episode, if you give your client full ownership of your creative work, how much should that cost, and how exactly do you even do that? That’s the question Nicole hits us with, and it opens up another discussion on who should own your work in the first place. It’s all in this episode of Freelance to Founder. Here we go. To submit your question, visit FreelanceToFounder.com/ASK, and w...

On today’s show, how do you escape the trap of one-time projects and convince your clients that they need what you have to offer on a repeat basis? That’s part of the hurdle Aurelie faces as she aims to grow her 3-year-old freelance business.  Aurelie has worked with some huge clients like Wendy’s and the United Nations.  But almost all of her work has been on one-time projects.  Which naturally h...

On today’s Q&A Episode, how can you know what kind of revenue your business will make in the coming months or years? It’s called forecasting.  And forecasting as a freelancer or agency builder can be a real challenge.  Which may be why Garrett asks: what tool/template do you use to project cash flow over time? We give our two-part answer in this episode of Freelance to Founder. Let’s go. To submit...

On today’s show: do you ever feel trapped by the decisions you make in your business? Our guest Morgan loves to write. But, early on, she took on quite a few social media clients. Then, those clients referred more clients. And suddenly, most of her client work is focused on social media marketing — not writing. So what do you do when your former choices have boxed you into a future you don’t neces...

On today’s Q&A episode, what are the best tools to use as your freelance business grows? That’s what Cesar asks us because his business is outgrowing tools like Google Drive.  So, Clay and I launch into our best advice on what makes a good business tool and what makes your business worse…  It’s all in this episode of Freelance to Founder. Let’s go! This episode was initially aired on September 12,...

On today’s show: you hear us harping on proposals all the time. We think they are usually a waste of time. But if you’re not sending proposals, then… what? How do you pitch your services to new clients? Well, there’s a way more efficient way to do it. And we unpack it with today’s guest, Tim, on this episode of Freelance to Founder. Here we go… PS: Get featured in an upcoming Q&A! Just visit http:...

On today’s Q&A episode, if a client is willing to pay by the hour or by the project, which one should you choose? That’s part of Pennygoo’s question, and our answer might surprise you… Here we go! This episode was originally aired on September 5th, 2023. To submit your question, visit FreelanceToFounder.com/ASK, and we'll feature you on an upcoming episode. Listen to our full-length coaching calls...

On today’s show: I finally give in to the idea that charging your clients hourly can actually work in some business models. It’s still not my favorite—since you get punished for being more efficient. But our return guest Josh, gives us an update on his business, throws some new challenges at us, and—yes—convinces me that sometimes charging hourly just makes the most sense.  See what I mean on toda...

On today’s Q&A Episode, Noah Tetzner finds himself in a tight spot. He’s got a high-paying client on a monthly retainer. And while this makes a ton of financial sense for his business, this client is starting to go way over scope by treating Noah a bit like a BFF or even a therapist at times. What’s a guy to do? We’ll help Noah out on this episode. Here we go. To submit your question, visit Freela...

On today’s show: have you ever wondered when is the right time to start calling yourself an agency? It can be a bit awkward early on. So Clay and I coach our call-in guest Austin through the right timing. Austin has many other questions as he grows his 6-month-old business. Thanks for joining us. This episode was originally aired on July 13, 2023. PS: Get featured in an upcoming Q&A! Just visit ht...

On today’s Q&A episode - Nafeesa is wondering if there’s any way to keep the small, solo charm of her freelance business while also planning for an eventual exit. The real question: can you actually sell a freelance business? We’ve got the answer on today’s episode of Freelance to Founder. Here we go. To submit your question, visit FreelanceToFounder.com/ASK, and we'll feature you on an upcoming e...

On today’s show: your messaging matters. And when it comes to getting new clients, it probably matters more than anything else. So then, why do so many of us miss the mark when explaining our business to potential clients? It’s something we tackle on today’s episode with call-in guest Tianna. It’s happening right here on Freelance to Founder. Here we go. PS: Get featured in an upcoming Q&A! Just v...

On today’s Q&A Episode: Do you really need to go to college in order to be a successful freelancer? Listener Evan writes in to ask if he should invest in a master’s degree or skip the extra college.  And we’ve got our best answers on this episode of Freelance to Founder. Here we go! To submit your question, visit FreelanceToFounder.com/ASK, and we'll feature you on an upcoming episode. Listen to o...

On today’s show: are you a bit of a control freak? To be honest, most freelancers and entrepreneurs we meet are. But if you never hand off smaller tasks, you never free yourself up to be a founder in your own business. We talk about that today with our call-in guest, Silvia.  It’s all happening today on freelance to founder. Here we go. This episode was originally aired on May 5, 2022. PS: Get fea...

On today’s Q&A episode, A former guest on the show, Jim, writes in with an important question: I know I shouldn’t charge by the hour, but shouldn’t I pay my subcontractors by the hour? You might be able to guess our answer. Or it might just surprise you.  Let’s find out on today’s episode of Freelance to Founder. Here we go! To submit your question, visit FreelanceToFounder.com/ASK, and we'll feat...

On today’s show, can you grow without embracing hustle culture?  That’s just part of what we talk about with return guest: Travis Boyco. A few months ago, Travis was trying to decide if he could actually quit his job and take his business full-time. Now, he’s back, freelancing full-time and hitting us with some of his biggest learnings from going full-time, plus questions he’s run into since. It’s...

Today’s question comes from our free Mastermind group on Facebook. Maja asks: "What are your best tips for writing proposals as a freelancer?" This episode was originally aired on May 17, 2022. To submit your question, visit FreelanceToFounder.com/ASK, and we'll feature you on an upcoming episode. Listen to our full-length coaching calls: http://freelancetofounder.com Support our sponsors so we ca...

On today’s show, which comes first: hiring to free up time to land big clients or landing big clients to pay for hiring.  It’s a chicken and egg situation that our guest Zach has been stuck on. We do our best to answer that question, plus a few others he has, including how to combine two completely different offerings into one killer monthly recurring offer. It’s all in this episode of ‘Freelance...

On today’s show, we’ve got the longest Q&A episode we’ve ever published—coming in at a whopping 50 minutes plus. Why so long? Well, I asked Clay a question that really got him riled up.  It has to do with his experience using the software GoHighLevel—which has exploded in popularity lately. But Clay’s experience was anything but ideal. You’ll see what I mean in this episode of Freelance to Founder...

On today’s show, we talk with Mannat, a student calling from India, with questions about her freelance business. Mannat is a typographer—she works with lettering and fonts. But every time Mannat posts her work on social media, she gets packaging design clients and others who don’t match her target audience. This leaves Mannat asking, “what exactly should I be posting on social media to attract my...

On today’s show: if you work with a sub-contractor, something we highly recommend—how much extra should you charge your client? And do they have to sign two different contracts? That’s what Kiki asks us in this Q&A episode of Freelance to Founder. Here we go… To submit your question, visit FreelanceToFounder.com/ASK, and we'll feature you on an upcoming episode. Listen to our full-length coaching...

Have you ever thought: “if I can just get the attention of more people, I could close more clients and grow my business” That’s where we find today’s guest, Jay. He’s a web developer and SEO expert in Kentucky, USA. And Jay’s only been freelancing for a few months. He’s off to a great start having already closed a half-dozen monthly recurring clients. Jay’s biggest question is how to get more volu...