Ten years ago, when LinkedIn was new, the "newness" of the medium made it stand out. I remember how easy it was to connect with prospects and start productive dialogue. But as hundreds of millions of professionals have joined this social network, it's become harder to stand out and drum up great leads. That doesn't mean you should ignore LinkedIn. It just means you have to be more strategic and deliberate about HOW you use it. In this episode, LinkedIn expert and author of the new book...

Uma Thurman paid $5 for a milkshake in the movie "Pulp Fiction." John Travolta was appalled. After all, you can get a milkshake at McDonald's for $1.50, right? But then he tasted that cold, creamy treat. And he was sold! Cheap milkshakes may work in the fast food industry. And everyday low prices might work for Walmart. But low fees will only lead to disappointment and burnout when you're a freelancer. In this show, I discuss 7 important reasons why you should NOT compete on price. And...

Welcome to the Smarter Freelancing podcast! My name is Ed Gandia. And this show is all about turning your freelance business into a fun, profitable and rewarding experience. It doesn't matter if you're just now thinking about going out on your own ... if you've been freelancing for a long while ... or if you're somewhere in the middle. This podcast is for you if you want your freelance business to give you the time and financial freedom to live your purpose. I'm excited about today's show,...

Partnering with high-paying clients who respect your work — that's every freelancer's dream. And while I truly believe it's entirely possible to build that kind of business, it's not always easy. Especially for designers. But even with all the pricing pressure in the design industry, there is still plenty of opportunity to make a great living as a graphic designer. It's not just me saying this. Boston-based designer Jon Pietz believes this is a very real possibility. And in this...

I've been intrigued with the idea of virtual assistants and virtual support since reading Tim Ferriss' Four-Hour Workweek. But I could never figure out how to make it work as a freelancer. It felt like one of those things that sounds great on paper ... but doesn't quite work in practice. Well, over the past year I've seen other freelancers use virtual staff successfully. So I decided to look further into this and learn how it can work, even you're not yet making the big bucks. In this...

Freelancing is a great way to earn a living. But sooner or later, every successful freelancer starts to ask himself ...   "Gee, will I ALWAYS have to trade time for money?" Even if you price your work by the project, you're still selling your time. When you go away on vacation or when you're sick in bed ... you're not earning an income. One of the best ways to break out of this time-for-money cycle is to create, package and sell B2B information products to clients and to other...

Are you having trouble getting clients to pay you what you're worth? Sick of all the low-cost providers who are bringing down prices in the creative arena? I have a different take on all this. And that's exactly what I'm discussing in this week's show. Once you understand what's really going on, you'll have a key piece to solving the "getting higher fees" puzzle.

I'm really excited about today's episode, because even though it's short, you're going to walk away with five simple ideas you can implement TODAY to generate new business. Specifically, we're going to be talking about how to approach old leads and dormant clients effectively and authentically — and how these simple ideas can often lead to paying work almost immediately. My guest is no stranger to International Freelancers Academy: Coach Jenn Lee. Jenn works with entrepreneurs and solo...

Welcome to the Smarter Freelancing podcast! In this first episode, I discuss why I've decided to take International Freelancers Academy in a new direction. I explain our new purpose and how I think we can serve you best this year and beyond. The notes that follow are a very basic, unedited summary of this podcast. There's a lot more detail in the audio version.