Are you waiting for that much anticipated big break? For most of us in creative industries, it's more a case of small steps rather than giant leaps. And there's no doubt that rejection is a part of life. We've all experienced that kick-in-the-guts feeling of being rejected: when we've invested so much into a creative project that we feel ultimately doesn't pay off. In this episode Bo and Amy talk about rejection in the visual arts, design and publishing sectors, sharing stories of...

We all know that as humans, we're hardwired for connection. But for most of us, freelancing or remote working can be a lonely business. In today's episode Bo and Amy discuss the importance of connection and community to avoid feelings of isolation. The benefits of having a solid community around you as a freelancer are numerous: they might offer a sounding board for ideas, share common gripes and grievances and provide accountability and support as well as friendship. Bo and Amy talk about...

Bo speaks to Kate Stokes of Coco Flip, a Melbourne based furniture and lighting design studio founded in 2010 and run by Kate and Haslett Grounds. Bo asks Kate about the values that underpin her business, nurturing long term partnerships with local manufacturers, her approach to slow and considered business growth and her thoughts on the importance of sustainability in the fast paced and glossy design world. Links: Find Coco Flip Online and on Instagram as @coco_flip Find out more about...

There seems to be an assumption out there that a business that is growing, is one that is doing well. But growth isn't always good. Growing your business might look like hiring staff or investing in tools or subscriptions. Sometimes these are necessary and beneficial steps. But often growth like this creates more stress and less flexibility for a soul trader. Bo and Amy talk about resisting the siren call of growth and maybe even staying deliberately small with examples from their own...

Amy speaks to Sarah Wallwork, a fitness trainer based in Fremantle. Sarah is well known for her ability to inspire and energise people into taking action to achieve their fitness goals. Amy asks Sarah to reveal her approach to goal setting and accountability, how she adapted and responded to the challenges of 2020 and how she's built a vibrant and engaged community around her business. Links: You can find out more about Sarah's business, Bodyschool, through her website and Instagram...

Passion tax. What is it and how does it show up for freelancers, particularly those working in creative industries? Bo and Amy discuss passion tax or passion exploitation and why people who love the work they do are exposed to it. They discuss their own experiences and share practical ways to maintain healthy financial boundaries in your creative work. Links: Adam Grant on how jobs, bosses and firms may improve after the crisis in The Economist Gillian Welch's song - Everything is Free...

Welcome to the second season of Soul Traders! Bo and Amy are back with a special episode marking the beginning of the year of the Ox in the Chinese lunar calendar. What is the year of the Ox and what does it mean for you and your business? Bo and Amy discuss using the Chinese lunar calendar as a framework for setting values based goals you might actually stick to. They detail what you can learn from the Ox and consider how you might nourish and support yourself along the way. It's a very fun...

Bo and Amy talk about creativity and how it's naturally woven into the fabric of the way we live and do business as soul traders. Amy and Bo ask if creativity is for everyone, bust the myth of the 'creative genius' and talk about cultivating a creative practice. In this episode: • Bo is getting better at saying 'no' as she's fully booked for the rest of the year. • Amy and Bo ask: can everyone be creative? • Bo wants to bust the 'creative genius' myth. • Amy loves the idea of...

Bo and Amy chat with Lucy Peach: a performer, author, podcaster and self-proclaimed 'period preacher'! Lucy's work is about empowering women to observe and understand their menstrual cycles and hopefully learn to leverage the unique opportunities that come with them. Bo and I asked Lucy about her creative work, how she manages her energy throughout the month and what advice she would give to soul traders who have a cycle! Links: Lucy's book Period Queen is available in bookstores right now...

In the attention economy of Instagram, good photography is a valuable commodity. You may have something amazing to say, but if your photo doesn't stop people scrolling, they simply won't read it. In this episode Bo shares her tips for scroll-stopping photography on Instagram, including orientation, framing and composition, lighting and tips for shooting interiors. Make sure you check out Amy's mini episode about writing captions. It's a great companion to this one. Happy...

Bo and Amy respond to a question from the Soul Traders Podcast community about getting paid as a creative freelancer. They discuss valuing yourself and your time, finding clients that value you, 'scope creep' and payment systems. Thanks so much for listening! If you enjoyed the episode, please leave us a review and share it with your soul trader mates! Join our Soul Traders Podcast Community on Facebook (go on!) Have a question? Email us at [email protected] or tag us on social...

How competitive do we need to be in order to be successful in business? Can competition and comparison be helpful? When do these things become unhelpful or toxic? In this episode Bo and Amy talk about how they've dealt with competition in their working lives and ask the question: is it possible to incorporate a healthy level of competition into your business without comparison dragging you down? In this episode: • Bo and Amy want you to imagine them wearing 80's tennis gear while you...

Amy gets asked this question all the time: how do I write engaging captions for social media? In this episode she shares some of her ideas about great writing for social media and tips for writing engaging captions, including what to do when you're stuck for ideas, how to structure a caption and how to create content that is valuable to your audience. Links: Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brené Brown Bird by Bird: Some...

One of the best things you can do as a freelancer is invest time and energy into creating great relationships with your clients. In this episode Bo and Amy discuss how they create trust with clients, maintain boundaries and foster truly collaborative partnerships. In this episode: • Amy is thrilled that her baby is sleeping better and consequently, her creative mojo is returning. • Bo and Amy discuss the importance of setting boundaries for yourself as a freelancer. • Amy is excited to...

When you're self employed it's down to you to put the wind in your own sails. In this episode Bo and Amy discuss taking breaks and setting boundaries for your time and the various demands on it. In this episode: • Bo talks about her decision not to take on any new clients for the remainder of the year. • Bo and Amy discuss writer and activist Audre Lorde's framing of 'self care' as a radical political act and how commercial the idea has become. • Amy talks about her second pregnancy and...

Practically every business uses images these days, we need them more than ever to market our businesses, for our websites and social media. But what's the deal with copyright? Who owns those images? What's the etiquette for crediting the photographer? And when you're working with a photographer, do you own the copyright or is that an additional cost? In this episode, Amy asks Bo a series of questions from our community about copyright and licensing including: • If a photo already exists on...

Every business owner knows that marketing is important, so why do creatives find marketing themselves and their products or services so uncomfortable? Amy and Bo talk all things marketing in this episode: how to approach building a community around your business online. In this episode: - Bo and Amy discuss what Amy calls the 'marketing ick factor'. - Bo and Amy ask the question: why are we so uncomfortable about self promotion as creatives? - Bo wonders if creatives in the music industry...

Most businesses will work with a photographer at some point. Whether it's for publication, digital content, marketing collateral or awards and grant submissions, the principles are roughly the same. Bo shares her tips for getting the most out of your shoot, from planning and briefing, getting comfortable in front of the camera, through to post production and image licensing. She also goes into more detail about 3 scenarios: portrait sessions, artwork and architectural shoots. Links: Find out...

This episode is all about where and how you show up online. Bo and Amy discuss having a presence online and also, importantly, being present online. They also ask: do you need a website? In this episode: • Bo and Amy discuss the lean business model of the freelancer - does this model include a website? • Amy thinks it's important to ask the question: what do you need a website to do for your business? • Bo discusses her online presence and the various different setups she's had in the...

Instagram can be such a powerful tool for small and solo businesses. In this mini episode Amy shares her top tips to achieve that highly sought after engagement on Instagram. Links: Scheduling apps for Instagram Later and Planoly Sara Tasker's blog article: https://meandorla.co.uk/8-things-to-measure-instead-of-your-follower-count/ Thanks so much for listening! If you enjoyed the episode, please leave us a review or share it with your soul trader mates! Have a question? Email us at...

Everyone makes mistakes from time to time, it's part of being human. But what happens when you're self employed and there's no one to take the blame but you? Bo and Amy talk through some of the mistakes they've made in their professional lives and most importantly, what they learned from their mistakes. In this episode: • Bo and Amy discuss the kind of mistakes, as Bo says, you only ever make once! • Bo talks through the lessons she's learned from forgetting essential equipment, ahem,...

For this episode Bo is speaking with multi-talented composer, producer, songwriter and performer Tommy Spender about creative collaborations. Tommy is an old hand at this, with many successful collaborations under his belt including an ongoing project with musician and friend Mama Kin. He also produces this podcast (how meta!) and created the original music. Bo and Tommy discuss: • Are creatives and artists the ultimate preppers? • How does Tommy work collaboratively with other...

Instagram can be such a valuable tool for small and solo businesses. But using it effectively throws up so many questions. Join Bo and Amy as they discuss this incredible forum for business and creativity and offer tips and techniques for finding and connecting with your community as a soul trader on Instagram. In this episode: • Amy and Bo talk about Instagram as a marketing tool when you are your business. • They ask: do you need to be vulnerable and share personal stuff on social media...

Bo and Amy are doing something different for this episode. Amy is curious about Bo's 10 years plus in business, what changes in technology and media she's seen in that time, and most importantly how she's responded to these changes and continued to thrive. Bo and Amy are wondering if there are some ideas about agility and resilience in Bo's story that might be useful for us all at this time. Amy asks Bo: • What's her secret to success? • How has Bo dealt with changes in technology? And...

Join Bo and Amy for this special episode of Soul Traders. This week the Coronavirus pandemic has changed the way we all live and work for the foreseeable future. For a lot of people, this means working from home, possibly for the first time. Bo and Amy both have plenty of experience working from home and want to share some of their ideas around structuring your day, creating a great morning routine and avoiding distractions and procrastination. So tune in from wherever you are in the world...