It’s time for my analysis and reflection on how my third quarter of the year went.  Here’s what I share with you in this episode: The many ways tracking my time helps my business.  How I use Freshbooks and Toggl to help me analyze my progress.  The steps I use to analyze my quarter:  Calculated how much I invoiced for that quarter. Counted how many clients I worked for.  Used time tracking data to see how many hours I worked on average each week.  Did the math to see how much I earned per...

On today’s show I discuss how I think about freelance “dealbreakers,” which aren’t only the red flags I’ve noticed over time but also may simply be quirks of my personality or assumptions I’ve made.  Here’s what I share with you in this episode: Rethinking “strategy” and whether saying “I don’t do strategy” is holding me back. What I learned from Ed Gandia’s thoughts on strategy. Why I like to create “bridge” projects. How I’m rethinking some of my more stubborn dealbreakers.  How some...

This month, I am celebrating 10 years of full-time freelancing! I can’t quite believe it’s been that long, but I’ve loved nearly everything about it. 10 years of freedom!  Here’s what I share with you in this episode: What the freedom of freelancing has meant to me and what it has allowed me to do. How I now realize I was never cut out for a desk job.  How I adapt my work schedule around my life schedule.  The freedom of not having to deal with the drama of a workplace! At least three...

Today’s guest is Brian David Hall. Brian is a fellow freelancer who lives in Alabama. He focuses on website strategy for B2B clients. Specifically, he works on conversion optimization, which basically means trying to improve the experience of potential clients going to your website.  Brian is the author “Your Website Sucks, Here’s How To Fix It,” and he has run hundreds of experiments across dozens of websites, which has generated millions of dollars in incremental revenue for his clients.  ...

On today’s show, I analyze how the second quarter of the year went for me. It’s delayed because of my summer hiatus, but the “delay” doesn’t really mean anything to listeners — just think of it as “how these three months in a row went.” Learn how many clients I had, how much I earned, and how many hours I worked.   Here’s what I share with you in this episode: A quick update on a project I talked about in Q1. A sneak peek into something I figured out for my health in Q3.  What was a huge...

Today’s guest is Cassandra Le, owner of The Quirky Pineapple Studio, a brand strategy and content marketing studio that works with Black, Indigenous and people of color, queer folks and intersectional feminists.  Cassandra is originally from Virginia in the United States, but she now lives in Spain. For more than 13 years, she has been creating content across all mediums (written, graphics, audio, video, photography), and through her business. She works with mission-driven brands and thought...

On today’s show I provide a recap of The Content Byte Summit, which was held in Sydney, Australia, September 15-16. I attended virtually and was super impressed with the content, particularly all the discussion around artificial intelligence. There was also a lot of great tactical advice about running your freelance business, so even if you’re not a writer, I think you can learn from some of the advice I’m sharing today.   Here’s what I share with you in this episode: A panel about humans...

The podcast is back after my summer hiatus! Thanks for continuing to listen and support the show.  Here’s what I share with you in today’s episode: The importance of taking breaks for your mental fitness and for better client work.  The types of breaks you should be thinking about and planning for. Why planned and unplanned mental health breaks are important. What happens when you neglect your networking and marketing and slow down too much.  Why you have to work at getting referrals.  How...

Deliberate Freelancer is on a summer hiatus and will return toward the end of August or early September. Take this time to listen to some previous episodes or relisten to favorite guests! Or make a playlist of specific topics, like finding clients or pricing projects.  The Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group will be active during this time, so please join us over there for great conversations with other listeners. You can ask for advice and share your experiences.  If you have benefited...

Today’s guest is Austin Church from Knoxville, Tennessee. Austin helps e-commerce founders stand out online with their brand strategy. Lately, he’s been working as a fractional chief marketing officer (CMO), consulting for creator economy companies. He also coaches freelance creatives. Austin was one of the six-figure freelancers I featured on the show in May 2021. We’ve since become friends, and his podcast, Freelance Cake, was in my ears during my recent solo business retreat — because I...

Today’s guest is Helen Jane  Campbell. Helen is from Wales and recently moved from Hay-on-Wye, Wales, to Worthing, England. Helen is a life and business coach for ambitious and creative entrepreneurs, bringing authenticity and energy to all she does. Clients turn to Helen when they feel ready to bring more joy, energy, and abundance into their lives and their teams. She helps people create space and reconnect with their self-worth and creative freedom. Prior to becoming a coach, Helen...

On today’s show I share my structure, agenda and my action plan developed during my most recent solo business retreat. Here’s what I share with you in this episode: Please leave a rating and review for Deliberate Freelancer on Apple Podcasts or any other podcast platform.  Why I chose Thomasville, Georgia, for my latest solo business retreat. How I structured my retreat and my theme for the two days. What happened when I stopped consistently following my Always Be Marketing rule. How...

Today’s guest is Eman Ismail, an email strategist and copywriter who is originally from England and now lives in Finland. She also coaches copywriters.  Eman is the person to call when you want to make money from your emails. As an email conversion strategist and copywriter, she helps six-figure-plus online business owners and ecommerce brands fire up their conversions, evergreen their sales and turn fans into superfans. Eman is also the host of the podcast Mistakes That Made Me, which asks...

On today’s show, I discuss how I found myself in the dreaded “famine” part of the feast-or-famine cycle and what I’m trying to do about it. Here’s what I share with you in this episode: A few tips when you’re in the “feast” phase. How to tell clients no — and turn down work when you’re too busy.  My three-pronged approach to get out of the famine stage.  The importance of figuring out where your potential clients are and getting involved in that space. The upcoming Content Marketing World,...

Today’s guest is Ernie Smith, a longtime writer for nonprofits and membership associations. He also has a lot of experience in graphic design, content strategy, content management systems, newsletter creation, and content. Ernie is also a tech writer — that includes writing about technology for Vice magazine — and Ernie is a self-proclaimed tech nerd. His name and voice might sound familiar because I just had him on the ChatGPT episode a few weeks ago. That was episode 156.  So, I thought...

On today’s show I discuss some client wins, a fail and some ongoing challenges in my freelance business so far in 2023.  Here’s what I share with you in this episode: A win in which I didn’t dismiss the client because it wasn’t a straightforward proposal and I had to customize it.  A “bridge service” win, in which I took an existing service and skill I’m good at and went beyond it a bit, expanded it to create a new, great project. A win in which I fired a client that forced me to often...

Today’s guest is Eva Stabenow, a Pilates teacher and movement coach who helps freelance writers, translators and other desk workers heal their bodies through movement while continuing to pursue the work they love.  In the early 2010s, after a successful career as a German medical translator, Eva began to suffer from severe shoulder and wrist pain caused by long hours at her desk. After years of searching, Eva finally found lasting relief through corrective Pilates. This inspired her to seek...

Today’s episode features several guests who all have an interest in ChatGPT and generative artificial intelligence (AI). Their varying backgrounds and experiences in tech, writing and editing provide unique insights into the potential and risks of generative AI such as ChatGPT.   ChatGPT has risks and opportunities. Most of us are hearing how ChatGPT plagiarizes, how we can’t fact-check what the sources are, and how formulaic and repetitive the writing is. But we also have to remember this...

Today’s guest is Michelle Jackson of Denver, Colorado. Michelle is a freelance content creator. She has been blogging, writing and talking about personal finance for the past decade—although she will tell us in today’s episode how she’s pivoting her business away from that.  But, I’ve been following Michelle on Twitter for a while and learning from what she has to say about earning and managing money as a freelancer. So, I invited her to come on the show to talk about how we can prepare...

Today’s guest is Miranda Marquit. She lives in Idaho Falls, Idaho. Miranda has been writing and podcasting about money on a freelance basis since 2006. Her work has appeared in various media, including CNBC, NPR, Forbes, and TIME.  She has a background in journalism and enjoys telling stories about finances and creating your own financial journey. Miranda has created a successful six-figure freelance career and recently released the second edition of her book about freelancing, “Confessions...

I finally have had a moment to reflect on last year and look at my numbers. I reflect briefly, taking a qualitative look back, but this is mostly a quantitative look.  Here’s what I share with you in this episode: My 2023 income goal (big and audacious!) My 2023 word of the year  A reflection on how 2022 was for me My Q4 recap, including an analysis of income and time tracking My 2022 total income  My weekly average number of hours worked last year The number of weeks of vacation I took...

Today’s guest is Mary Tindall. Mary launched Mary Tindall Communications in 2018. She is a content marketer and thought leadership strategist in Orlando, Florida. Mary leads a boutique agency team that specializes in healthcare content marketing, working with leading institutions and innovative startups across the U.S.  Mary became a six-figure freelancer in 2020, which was a goal of hers. Then she grew even more and began to earn $200K in gross revenue on her own. As revenue continued to...

As the year ends, please consider supporting this free podcast at Buy Me a Coffee. Your support is helpful financially, obviously, but it also boosts my spirits and keeps the show going.  Today’s show is my special wrap-up episode where I share my top 10 books of the year. I read 65 books in 2022, as of December 19, and narrowed down my favorite to 10. Eight of the top 10 were published in 2022, while two were published in 2021. Those were two books I didn’t finish in 2021 and purposely...

Podcast news: After much deliberation, I’m changing the schedule of Deliberate Freelancer slightly. We will stick to weekly Thursday episodes, and the episode format will remain the same. However, I will now publish in two big seasons, with breaks in between. So, after December 22, 2022, the podcast will go on hiatus until February. Then, the schedule will resume through May. I will take a summer hiatus, likely June through August, then return for the fall season. I will take another break...

Podcast news: After much deliberation, I’m changing the schedule of Deliberate Freelancer slightly. We will stick to weekly Thursday episodes, and the episode format will remain the same. However, I will now publish in two big seasons, with breaks in between. So, after December 22, 2022, the podcast will go on hiatus until February. Then, the schedule will resume through May. I will take a summer hiatus, likely June through August, then return for the fall season. I will take another...