This week I spoke to Susanna Reay about how online presence and visibility is absolutely essential for online service providers.  Here are just a couple of takeaways from this wide-ranging conversation:  Score app is a very useful way to get more qualified leadsA quick online search is the first port of call for prospective clientsShowing up is so much more important than outdated keyword stuffing Personal stories are memorable and help people relateAcronyms used:  EEAT - Experience,...

How to use storytelling in your content marketing... The importance of storytelling in sales and marketing If you want to build a daily-weekly-monthly lead engine then you need to learn how to weave stories into your marketing copy and content to drive traffic to your online assets and start conversations that convert to sales. Here are 3 things I do in my own storytelling: 1. Select a relevant story: look for a story related to YOUR service. This may be a personal story, a client win...

This week I had the enormous pleasure of interviewing Rebecca Hollis who heads up the growth division of Score App. I am a score app user myself and put out a deep dive survey shortly before Christmas. The insights I received were most valuable to position my offers before my own audience. Here are 3 things this nifty tool can do for your freelance translation business: In-Depth Market Analysis: Score app provides you with a comprehensive and in-depth market analysis, enabling service...

This week I had the immense pleasure of interviewing global personal branding, virtual hiring expert and my own business mentor, Chris Ducker. Chris Ducker is a serial entrepreneur and author of the bestselling books, Virtual Freedom and more recently, Rise of the Youpreneur. Based in Cambridge, England, Chris owns and operates several businesses, including the VA recruiting hub, VirtualStaffFinder.com and the personal brand enterprise education company Youpreneur.com. He is regarded as one...

Last Saturday and for the first time ever, I spent an entire afternoon at an online journaling workshop.  It lasted a whopping 4 hours and boy did it go by in a flash! Journaling is a super personal practice that has various benefits ranging from self-reflection to improved mental health, stress reduction and enhanced self-awareness. There are different types of journals: gratitude journals, bullet journals, dream journals and reflective journals. Me? I dig gratitude journals the...

Happy New Year 2024! I hope you are feeling the new year vibes and are ready to smash your business and life goals out the park this year! Our online webinar How to Find More Clients Than you can Poke a Stick at will be held on Tuesday 23rd January at 16h CET. This webinar dives deep into 3 main obstacles holding freelance translation business growth back and offers some robust solutions to these problems. The webinar is free of charge but you do need to register. Please sign up...

Have you ever sat down to write a blog or social media post and you just froze? Not because of fear or imposter syndrome, because those are 100% real, too.  But instead, you froze because you just didn’t really know what it was that your ideal customer wanted or needed from you. This can really feel like you’re just pulling any old idea out of a dark hole. Now, of course, we all suffer from writer’s block at some point, but what is worse is not understanding WHO you’re serving and WHY. This...

Not having an adequate SEO strategy is THE number one mistake I see translators make time and again with their online presence. If they have a website it's always very nice but they are not doing nearly enough to drive traffic and eyeballs to it. That's like wearing Harry Potter's invisible cloak. If prospects can't SEE us how on earth will they BUY from us? Essentially, onpage SEO helps us build a constant pipeline of warm leads for our translation business. As I´ve said before,...

After earning their spurs with a few years under their belts, most translators graduate to marketing to direct clients. Direct clients pay higher fees and it's much better working directly with the end client with no intermediaries. This helps getting queries answered quickly and optimizing the quality of the work. However, translators must also be aware that direct clients can be more demanding and throw you extra requests (e.g. for DTP, other language combinations, etc). On balance I...

**Pre P.S. Our Black Friday special offer is now LIVE and piping HOT (hottest deal in town!)  🌶🌶🌶🌶  Here's the deal: Get Become a Booked out Freelance Translator at a 20% discount and The Online Presence Blueprint bundled in for free. This offer vanishes faster than you can say "You cannot be serious!" on Monday 27th November** It's that time of year for reflection, gratitude and setting your sights on new goals.  As you look back on the past year, consider your business growth. Have you...

Extra! Extra! Get Ready to Dive Deep Behind the Headline with ITI Bulletin Editor Radhika Holmstrom in this Unfiltered, Unapologetic Podcast Interview! In this week's episode I chat with Radhika Holmstrom, editor of the widely read ITI Bulletin journal. It's a jolly good rag so do grab a copy and have a read.   Here are some notable nuggets from our wide-ranging conversation: Everyone is edited with at least a few tweaks to the copy in line with house styleFlow and structure are also...

In this week's episode I chat with Nicki Bone, current ITI Board Chair. Here are the main takeaways from our wide-ranging conversation: the ITI is the voice for T&I professionals including coporate and academic membersthere is a wide range of subject and language networks to get involved withthe ITI advocates tirelessly on behalf of its membershipconsider AI not a threat but more as an opportunity tp lean intomarketing is an absolutely essential skill for small business ownersBook...

In this episode newly annointed ITI Chief Executive Sara Crofts tells me just how a former architect is a gust of fresh air for T&I professional association leadership.  Here are just a few takeaway messages from our interview:  How Sara's background in conservation has shaped her professional viewChurch conservation terminological jargon and its relationship to languageThe Chief Exec's number one industry concernTips to AI-proof our careers in this new technological cycle What we can...

Want to know how I inched MUCH closer to posting 6-figures as a niche specialist freelance translator?  By upskilling my direct client marketing game.  That's right. ALL I did was figure out how to hone a robust, AI-proof system to gain more clients at the top end of the market. And that's how I made myself much LESS dependent on bottom feeder/mid-market agencies.  Now I want you to benefit from the same operating system that worked for me.  Say hello to my brand new direct client marketing...

In this episode I caught up with a former beta student on Become a Booked out Freelance Translator. Monica Caldeiro very kindly made some time to share with us how the course and its 1-2-1 sessions led to making some positive career changes. Here are the main takeaways from our conversation:  Most translators at Monica's stage of the business journey are interested in moving away from agencies up into the direct client marketLinkedIn is a great place to prospect for direct clientsPersonal...

In this episode I talk to social media expert and my business coaching colleague Brittany Worthington from The Social Brittify.  Brittany teaches us how to optimize our social media profiles for sales. Here are the 3 main takeaways from our conversation:  Batch creation of content is not mandatoryRemove fake bot accounts on your profilesConsider working with other brands as an affiliatePlease enjoy! https://www.buzzsprout.com/2025705/episodes/13705773 On-page SEO worksheet FREE...

In a nutshell, becoming a linchpin freelancer means positioning yourself as an indispensable and highly valued professional in your industry. By doing so, you can attract more clients, charge premium rates AND build more long-lasting working relationships. Here are a few strategies to help you become a lynchpin freelancer:  Master your niche: Focus on a specific niche or industry where you have a deep understanding and expertise. Specializing allows you to provide unique solutions to clients'...

In this episode I caught up with Mireya Perez, host of the Brand the Interpreter podcast and our podcast ad swap partner until year end.  Mireya Pérez began her career as a certified medical interpreter and has since gained over a decade of experience breaking down language barriers in healthcare and education. After honing her skills as a medical interpreter in both a general and children's hospital, Mireya spent nearly a decade as a staff interpreter in a K-12 public education school...

Honing in like a laser on your ideal client avatar (ICA) is absolutely essential for freelance translators running an expertise-based or lifestyle business as this leads to more satisfying and profitable working relationships. Here are the five signs of an ideal client I always look out for in my own business:  Clear Communication: An ideal client communicates their needs, expectations, and project details clearly from the beginning. They provide a well-defined project scope and are open to...

In this episode I catch up with Judy Jenner, co-author of the popular translator business book, The Entrepreneurial Translator. Judy is a Spanish and German conference interpreter and federally certified Spanish court interpreter in the US. She has an MBA in marketing from the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, a master’s degree in conference interpreting from Glendon College at York University in Canada, and runs her boutique translation and interpreting business, Twin Translations, with her...

Over the last 12-13 months I´ve had such amazing business success after giving just a little tender loving care to my online visibility and presence. I also recently rebranded my business with a new website. This has: raised my visibility no endresulted in a helluva LOT more people interested in my products and servicesNow I am so excited to teach you about this!  The Online Presence Blueprint is a mini-course for freelancers and small biz owners struggling with their brand awareness and who...

Here comes yet another truthbomb.  The Significance of a Personal Website: yeees, while LinkedIn offers a valuable platform for professional networking, language professionals should ALSO consider establishing their own personal websites. Here's why:  Enhanced Professional Image: A personal website acts as a centralized hub where language professionals can showcase their work, expertise, and accomplishments. It provides a more personalized and professional image compared to a social media...

My podcast guest joining me this week is my industry colleague Susana Rodriguez.  Susana is a freelance conference interpreter based like myself, in Madrid, Spain. She is an independent language technology researcher. Her areas of interest include blockchain-based business models and the future of work, and she is a UPM (Universidad Politecnica de Madrid) expert on R&D&I projects. She has also been an activity leader for SmarTerp (EIT 2021, Neotec 2022).   Grab your headset and tune...

Truthbomb.  In today's digital era, having a strong online presence is vital for professionals across all industries. But it's especially important for language professionals who rely on effective communication to connect with clients, build their reputation, and build out their professional network. This 2-part episode explores the significance of a robust online presence for language professionals, with a special focus on two powerful platforms: LinkedIn and personal websites.  Here's the...

My podcast guest joining me this week is my colleague Helen Williams. With a background in Modern Languages from Bristol University and St Anne’s College, Oxford, Helen joined the life sciences world in 2010. She led language services at a Global CRO and at a real-world evidence consultancy specialising in patient-facing smartphone and web applications. She has subject matter expertise in linguistic validation, a robust methodology for patient-reported outcome measures. In 2023, Helen...