Freelance to Founder

Lanya has a freelance project in front of her, she’s estimated the hours, and her client is open to either hourly or project-based pricing—so now what? Preston and Clay make the case that the real question isn’t hourly vs. project-based at all. It’s about understanding the value you bring to the table and pricing accordingly. From the mechanics of asking the right discovery questions to the mindse...

Erica is a web and graphic designer who invested in a coaching program built to turn designers into full-service marketers—complete with monthly retainers, ad campaigns, and recurring revenue. The strategy looked great on paper, but as she started executing it, something felt off. The project work still lights her up; the repetitive marketing tasks do not. Now she's wondering if she has to keep do...

Matt runs Barrow Studio, a brand identity and strategy agency in Bristol, UK—and he's drowning in advice. Every newsletter, YouTube channel, and podcast promises a different "marketing golden ticket": build an email list, go all-in on social media, launch a course, appear on podcasts, host a podcast. The result? He's done none of it, and his agency still runs almost entirely on word-of-mouth refer...

Brittany runs her own design studio and knows she needs to get out from behind her screen and start meeting people face-to-face. The problem: she’s shy, and local networking feels downright terrifying. Preston and Clay walk her through exactly how to break into the local business world without pretending to be someone she’s not—from joining a BNI leads group to an unexpectedly genius $100-a-week c...

Emma Clark runs Clark Content Co. and has spent years managing projects from her inbox and a few spreadsheets—until now. With two contractors on board and plans to hire more, things are getting messy fast. Preston and Christine Olivas break down why defining roles and responsibilities is the real foundation of any good system, and share the surprisingly lean tech stack that keeps Christine's 25-pe...

Omar has built something worth protecting—a roster of loyal clients who hired him as a freelancer and trust him personally. Now he’s growing Vision Craft Studios into a full agency, and the hardest part isn’t finding new clients. It’s handing off the old ones. Preston and Christine Olivas, founder and CEO of No Single Individual, dig into what it really takes to transition client relationships to...

Layla from Bright Horizon Media has built something real — a small social media marketing agency with two part-time team members and real momentum. Now she's facing the question every growing agency owner hits: how much of your client revenue should you give to your sub-contractors? Is it cheating to charge high and pay low? Preston and Christine Olivas dig into the art of agency pricing, the mind...

Christine Olivas scaled from solo freelancer to leading a 24-person operation—but the path wasn't as simple as just "hire when you're busy." Preston and Christine dig into one of the most misunderstood decisions in freelancing: when to bring someone on, who to bring on first, and how to avoid trading one grind for another. If you're turning down work and losing sleep, this episode will help you fi...

CodeCrafter is talented, working hard, and building something real—but a nagging voice keeps whispering that he's not expert enough to charge more, land better clients, or call himself a professional. Preston digs into one of the most common mental traps freelancers fall into: waiting to feel ready before they act. This episode breaks down how to reframe what expertise actually means, why your cli...

Subcontracting can feel like a smart move—until you realize your business is quietly disappearing into someone else's brand. Sound familiar? In this solo episode, Preston digs into a question from Garrett, a 30-year-old nonprofit consultant who's starting to wonder: am I building my business... or just theirs? He's been subcontracting for a seasoned consultant, and the lines between "partnership"...

Dream client. Huge project. Zero team. Do you say yes and figure it out later—or build the team first and hope they stick around? Preston and Austin break down the classic chicken-and-egg trap every growing freelancer hits... and reveal a third option that could save your reputation, your sanity, and your shot at finally making the leap from solo to agency. Support our show sponsors → https://free...

Does your zip code actually matter to American clients? Dieter's freelancing from Europe and wondering if the US market is even worth chasing. The answer might surprise you. Preston and Austin break down why being "foreign" isn't the handicap you think it is — and how to flip your location into a competitive edge that US-based freelancers simply can't match. If geography's been your excuse, this e...

Think you're ready to hire a VA... but have no idea where to start? You're not alone. Every growing freelancer hits that wall — a million tasks, not enough hours, and zero clue who to trust with the work. In this episode, Preston sits down with Austin Church (founder of Freelance Cake Community) to break it all down. Austin brings 4+ years of real VA experience and shares the one thing most freela...

Still leaving money on the table? Here's the uncomfortable truth: most freelancers underprice themselves—not because they lack skill, but because they're scared of what clients will say. In this episode, Preston and Austin Church dig into the fear of raising rates and what's really holding freelancers back from charging what agencies charge. Austin breaks down the psychology behind client decision...

Lana runs Homewear Designs and has built a steady stream of home staging clients through real estate agent referrals in New York and the Hamptons. It's working — but she wants to scale up. Is it smarter to double down on those existing relationships, or start exploring new channels to reach a wider audience? Preston and Austin break down how to grow what's already working while branching out strat...

Melissa is spending hours on custom proposals—and she knows something is off. The pricing second-guessing, the laborious back-and-forth, the sinking feeling that all those unbillable hours may not even convert. Preston and Austin dig into why the traditional proposal process might be the problem itself, and lay out smarter, faster alternatives that can actually win more work with less wasted time....

Mark has built something real—a growing agency with contractors doing solid work and clients getting results. But success has come with an unexpected side effect: guilt. He’s making money from other people’s labor, and it doesn’t sit right with him. Preston and Austin Church unpack where that guilt actually comes from, why it’s often a sign of good character rather than bad business, and how to th...

A question from Austin Church's Freelance Cake community puts tax strategy center stage: is taking an S-Corp election actually worth it? Preston and Austin break down the real mechanics behind this often-misunderstood move—how splitting your income between a salary and shareholder distributions can save you tens of thousands of dollars a year, why your state tax laws matter more than you might thi...

Hannah is ready to make her first hire and is seriously considering looking beyond U.S. borders — but she doesn't know what she doesn't know. In this episode, Preston is joined by Brian Samson, a three-time founder who has scaled recruiting agencies to $4 million ARR by building teams across Latin America and beyond. Together they walk Hannah through exactly how to approach international hiring fo...

Andre is getting pulled in every direction by his clients — new requests keep piling on top of the original project, and he doesn't know how to push back without risking the relationship. Preston and Austin Church, founder of the Freelance Cake Community, dig into exactly how to handle scope creep with confidence: from crafting airtight contracts and expectations docs, to the subtle language shift...

Maya has a clear goal: charge more. She's doing solid work, she's got clients, but she knows she's leaving money on the table—she just doesn't know how to structure a premium offering that actually feels worth the price tag. Preston and Austin dig into the real psychology behind high-ticket packages, from learning to charge for your thinking (not just your deliverables) to using the "magic wand" q...

Victor is a freelancer based in Berlin doing solid project work—delivering results, getting paid, and then watching clients disappear into the void. No follow-up, no next project, just silence. He wants to know how to build real, lasting client relationships instead of one-and-done engagements. Preston and Austin Church, founder of Freelance Cake, break down why clients go quiet (hint: it's almost...

Dana in Seattle went freelance for the freedom—and now she's drowning in deadlines and client expectations she can barely keep straight. Sound familiar? Preston and Austin Church unpack the promise that draws most people into freelancing in the first place, and whether the "no boss, no calendar" dream was ever really the point. Along the way, they share three dead-simple systems for keeping projec...

Dave's agency is humming along, but everything — how he prices, how he delivers, how he handles problems — lives entirely in his head. It's worked so far, but he can feel it starting to strain. So he's asking the question every growing agency owner eventually faces: if I had to pick just one or two things to systemize first, what would they be? Preston, Sabrina, and Jesse P. Gilmore from Niche in...

Priya left her full-time job to build an agency on her own terms — and now finds herself buried under client obligations she can't seem to escape. Every new project feels like a trap, and turning down work feels like a risk she can't afford. Preston and Sabrina sit down with Jesse P. Gilmore of Niche in Control to map out exactly how agency owners can build for freedom instead of accidentally buil...