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Deliberate Freelancer

Melanie Padgett Powers

The show for those who want to build a successful freelance business. We are NOT about the hustle. We are NOT about the feast-or-famine cycle. We are about building a business. Deliberately.

  • 29 minutes 52 seconds
    #195: Infusing My Core Self Back into My Business

    On today’s show, I talk about how hiring a business coach for a few months helped me get excited about my business again. 

    Here’s what I share with you in this episode:

    • Why I hired a coach.
    • The initial goals I had with coaching and how that changed. 
    • How outlining who my “core self” was helped me with my business direction. 
    • Insights that my coach had that helped me. 
    • Why you should ask yourself if the services you provide “light you up” and bring you joy. 
    • How fight/flight/freeze/fawn may affect our businesses. 
    • What the Polyvagal Theory is and a few ways to quickly calm your nerves (see links below). 

    What I Learned This Week: I need to create a menu of joy. 

    The Bookshelf: “The Caretaker” by Ron Rash 

    Resources:

    Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group

    Support ad-free Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee

    How to find a certified menopause practitioner

    Informative Johns Hopkins article about menopause

    Menopause expert Dr. Mary Claire Haver on Instagram

    Dr. Mary Claire Haver’s book “The New Menopause”

    Article “Fight, Flight, Freeze, or Fawn: How We Respond to Threats”

    Reels to show you how to calm anxiety and stress through your vagus nerve: https://www.instagram.com/p/C4D5bHNggVY/ https://www.instagram.com/p/C5oyvuRyiFL/ https://www.instagram.com/p/DABReeTMLlp/ https://www.instagram.com/p/DBjkz5RPOgk/ https://www.instagram.com/p/DB9juS0PLO4/

    Episode #182 of Deliberate Freelancer: A massive pivot from freelancing to owning a business with her husband, with business coach Jenni Gritters

    JenniGritters.com

    Episode #126 of Deliberate Freelancer: A Real Talk About Mental Health—and Languishing

    Episode #137 of Deliberate Freelancer: I’m Grieving. How Can I Keep My Business Running?

    14 November 2024, 8:00 am
  • 25 minutes 41 seconds
    #194: October By the Numbers

    On today’s new regular monthly episode I recap what my business looked like in October. This includes:

    • How much I worked in October.
    • The types of work I did and how I charged.
    • Why a lower-paying passion project can be worth it.
    • My total monthly earnings.
    • How I landed a new anchor client.
    • Why I sometimes break the “freelancing rules” and charge hourly and per word. 

    What I Learned This Week: I am not as young as I used to be. 

    The Bookshelf: “The Flatshare” by Beth O’Leary

    Resources:

    Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group

    Email Melanie feedback or suggestions about “By the Numbers” episodes: [email protected] 

    Support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee

    7 November 2024, 8:00 am
  • 37 minutes 41 seconds
    #193: How to Improve Your Money and Your Nutrition Habits, with Reyna Gobel

    Today’s guest is Reyna Gobel, MBA, MPH, a New Yorker who is a purpose-driven freelance writer. She writes journalism and content on personal finance, travel, pets, and health and nutrition. 

     

    Reyna is a personal finance and health expert and award-winning author. Her articles and quoted advice have appeared in over 300 publications and websites, including Forbes, Money, Reuters, NPR, Harvard Health, and The Atlantic. Michelle Singletary selected three of her books as the book of the month in The Washington Post. Reyna co-created the 30-Day Precision Nutrition Challenge and recently authored the fourth version of Graduation Debt : How to Manage Student Loans and Live Your Life. 

    In this episode, we talk about: 

    • How to reduce your “ghost spending.” 
    • The biggest mistakes she sees freelancers make with their finances.
    • The importance of tracking your expenses.
    • How budgeting apps can help you.
    • How unexplained illnesses led to her nutrition journey.
    • What she offers through her nutrition course.

    What I Learned This Week: 

    How AI super users are getting ahead at work

    The Bookshelf: “Worst Case Scenario” by TJ Newman

    Resources:

    30-Day Precision Nutrition Challenge 

    Book: “Graduation Debt : How to Manage Student Loans and Live Your Life”

    Reyna on LinkedIn

    Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group

    Support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee

    31 October 2024, 7:00 am
  • 33 minutes 20 seconds
    #192: The Prodigal Daughter Finally Returns to Her Podcast

    I am finally back! I know, I know — this was way longer than that a “summer” hiatus. I’m sorry for the delay, but to be honest, I wasn’t sure I was coming back. I’ll talk about that in today’s episode and share why I did come back (mainly because of you, my wonderful listeners). 

    Here’s what I share with you in this episode:

    • A few minor changes to the podcast.
    • How my income goals are going.
    • Why my “summer” hiatus took so long.
    • How I was reminded to prioritize what’s important to me.
    • How I spent my summer vacation. 
    • Why hiring a business coach was the right move.

    What I Learned This Week: 

    The types of Zoom backgrounds that are most and least likely to cause Zoom fatigue.

    The Bookshelf: “Everyone But Myself” by Julie Chavez

    Resources:

    Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group

    Support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee

    Episode #182 of Deliberate Freelancer: A massive pivot from freelancing to owning a business with her husband, with business coach Jenni Gritters

    24 October 2024, 7:00 am
  • 8 minutes 19 seconds
    #191: It’s Summer Hiatus Time!

    I will be on summer hiatus from June to September. This episode gives you a quick update about my summer plans and provides a sneak peek into what I’m looking forward to talking about in September. 

    Resources:

    6 June 2024, 7:00 am
  • 54 minutes 45 seconds
    #190: Unpack and Improve Your Money Beliefs with Austin L. Church’s Book “Free Money”

    Today’s guest is Austin L. Church, who returns to the show to talk about his book “Free Money.” 

    Austin lives in Knoxville, Tennessee. He helps e-commerce founders stand out online with their brand strategy. Lately, he’s been working as a fractional chief marketing officer, consulting for creator economy companies. He also coaches freelance creatives.

    Austin returned to the podcast to talk about his new book, “Free Money,” which I have read and highly recommend for all freelancers.

    In this episode, we talk about: 

    • Who this book is for and why he wrote it. 
    • How our beliefs about money from childhood affect our businesses now. 
    • The financial numbers you need to know to run your business.
    • What “pessimistic pricing” and “weirdly precise” numbers are. 
    • Set a price that reduces the chances you will resent the client or the project.
    • The fine line between setting boundaries and being difficult to work with. 
    • Why the “hustle” isn’t sustainable and can lead to burnout.
    • The four stages of freelancing: Moonlighter, Hustler, Lifestyler and Diversifier. 
    • The money mindset questions Austin asks his clients. For example, fill in the blank: Wealthy people are __________. Making money is __________. 
    • How to address our money beliefs and improve our financial literacy.  
    • Why investing in a business coach can be important to improve your business. 

    Resources:

    30 May 2024, 7:00 am
  • 55 minutes 18 seconds
    #189: Evicting Freelance Scarcity Mindset and Jealousy, with Rachel Meltzer

    Today’s guest is Rachel Meltzer. Rachel lives in Massachusetts after doing the “van life” thing for a few years. She is a freelance writer for software as a service companies or SaaS. She’s written for Lenovo, Grammarly, Loom, FarOut, Six Moon Designs and more in the tech and outdoor recreation industries.

    She’s also a coach. She’s coached over 100 freelance writers on launching their businesses and getting clients and then scaling their businesses. She loves the freedom that freelancing gives her to thru-hike, live in a van, move whenever she wants, and spend time with her loyal cat, Bonnie. 

    In this episode, we talk about: 

    • The winding journey that led her to a freelance writing career. 
    • How her Appalachian Trail thru-hike in 2018 changed her life.
    • The value in community and sharing experiences with other people. 
    • How she went from a scarcity mindset to a healthier perspective. 
    • The jealousy we’ve had of other freelancers and how we fight against that. 
    • What she learned from a failed project.
    • The importance of perseverance in landing clients. 
    • How to “ooch” up your rates. 
    • A simple system and aggressive outreach to get clients via LinkedIn. 
    • The script she uses in a LinkedIn connection request. 
    • What her weekly structure looks like — and why she changes it up about every six months. 
    • How she schedules time off in advance — instead of taking “burnout” vacations. 

    Biz Bite: Use ChatGPT to create your weekly schedule.  

    One of several tips on how to use AI she learned from TikToker SuperHumanCo

    Resources:

    23 May 2024, 1:24 pm
  • 37 minutes 32 seconds
    #188: What You Need to Know Before Getting Headshots and Branding Photos, with photographer Louis Tinsley

    Today’s guest is Louis Tinsley, a DC-based commercial photographer. 

    Louis has been working in the industry professionally for more than 10 years and sits on the board of the DC chapter of American Photographic Artists, where he runs the annual Photo Assistant Workshop. He also recently joined the Northern Virginia Community College Photography & Media Curriculum Advisory Board. His clients have included General Dynamics Corporation, the TED organization, local news station WTOP, and DASH Alexandria Transit Company in Virginia. 

    In this episode, we talk about: 

    • How Louis got into photography. 
    • What he loves about being a freelancer — and what he finds challenging. 
    • What a good headshot and branding photos can do for your business. 
    • What we should consider before we hire a photographer. 
    • What should be included in the conversation with a photographer you are considering hiring — how much retouching is done, what to wear, whether a makeup artist is included.
    • How a photographer should work to put a nervous subject at ease. 
    • What happens after we do a photography shoot and what might be included in the package and services.
    • How often we should update our headshots and business photos.
    • How AI is affecting photography. 
    • Advice for freelance photographers about how to keep enjoying the work.

    Biz Bite: Try to control the flow of time as best you can.  

    Resources:

    10 May 2024, 11:00 am
  • 53 minutes 41 seconds
    #187: Offering Video Script Writing and Webinar Moderating, with Kelly McSweeney

    Today’s guest is Kelly McSweeney, a content marketing writer. Kelly works from her home office in Massachusetts with a small dog by her side. She has been a self-employed writer for nearly eight years, with clients that include research institutions, big tech companies and marketing agencies. Kelly explains cutting-edge science and emerging technology to intelligent, curious audiences. In recent years, she has added writing video scripts and moderating webinars to her services, which is today’s topic.

    In this episode, we talk about: 

    • The micro services freelancers can provide as a part of the video creation package. 
    • How Kelly learned the unique style of writing video scripts. 
    • How script writing is more collaborative and creative than writing articles.
    • The length of projects and time involved. 
    • The different types of videos. 
    • Working with a video producer (whether freelance or from an agency). 
    • How to charge and the challenge with a longer pay cycle. 
    • What to consider when creating the scope of work. 
    • How to find clients. 
    • What moderating webinars entails. 
    • The qualities a good moderator needs. 
    • How generative artificial intelligence is affecting content marketing.

    Biz Bite: Use mind mapping to brainstorm. 

    Resources:

    25 April 2024, 3:53 pm
  • 46 minutes 25 seconds
    #186: Creating a Netflix-like Membership Program for Your Clients, with photographer Annemie Tonken

    Today’s guest is Annemie Tonken. Annemie lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. She has been a professional photographer since 2010 and is the owner of Megapixie Photography.

    She also teaches creative entrepreneurs how to run profitable, sustainable businesses they love, by focusing on how they can develop helpful business systems and strategies. And, she’s the host of a business podcast for photographers called This Can’t Be That Hard and the creator of the Simple Sales System, which is used by thousands of photographers worldwide to create in-person sales-level income and service in an automated way. 

    In this episode, we talk about: 

    • How she became a photographer and later focused on family photography. 
    • How a surgery left her income and business vulnerable — and she vowed to change that. 
    • Her lightbulb moment that led to her membership program. 
    • Why we should think creatively about the business side — and not just the creative services we provide. 
    • The importance of listening to the challenges many of your clients continue to have. 
    • Tips on how to set up and sell your own membership program. 
    • Why this is a good model for branding photographers and writers, too. 
    • How to adopt this model to service businesses beyond photography. 
    • What freelance photographers struggle with and how Annemie responds. 
    • The three phases of business Annemie thinks about. 

    Biz Bite: Conduct an audit of your business systems — with the goals of automation and outsourcing. 

    Resources:

    11 April 2024, 7:00 am
  • 31 minutes 16 seconds
    #185: My First Year of Freelancing after Corporate Burnout, with Abby Nieten

    Today’s guest is Abby Nieten. Abby lives in the Indianapolis, Indiana, area, with her husband and three sons. A year ago she launched her freelance business, Shining Waters Editorial, where she is a copy editor and proofreader specializing in business content and nonfiction manuscripts. 

    Abby also recently launched a monthly newsletter called Stream of Confidence, which is for authors, writers and other business professionals who want to create and publish content that impacts other humans. It offers a steady stream of encouragement, inspiration, connection and quality assurance tips to help you publish your work with confidence. 

    In today’s episode, Abby and I talk about:

    • How a layoff led to her freelancing career. 
    • Feeling undervalued and burnt out in the corporate world. 
    • How she prepared for freelancing while still working full time. 
    • How she’s getting clients.
    • Trying to figure out pricing. 
    • Four pivotal lessons she’s learned over the past year. 
    • Why she wishes she had taken a break between being an employee and starting her freelance business. 
    • Just do it — you don’t have to wait until you build the perfect structure and business plan before you start freelancing. 
    • The challenge of finding the right client mix to provide more stability. 
    • The importance of keeping a “sunshine folder” of evidence of your good work. 

    Biz Bite: Explore the technology you’re already paying for before buying the new “shiny object.”  

    Resources:

    4 April 2024, 7:00 am
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