Freelance Jumpstart Podcast
by Nathan Allotey
You want a successful business, and you are willing to do whatever you can to make sure that happens. There’s a difference between running a business and running a successful business, but where do you begin? There are so many questions, what should you charge for your services? How do you get clients to value your work? How do you market your services? What information should be on your website?These questions and others are answered on a weekly podcast for those looking to jumpstart their business and get results. If you are an entrepreneur, freelancer or creative looking to use marketing to grow your business, then this show is for you.
Episodes
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Surviving COVID-19 ('Rona)
One day while working remotely I felt like I was getting hot. After taking my temperature I had a fever approaching 102 and after getting a test it was revealed I had the dreaded COVID-19 Coronavirus. Thankfully I was able to recover and I wanted to share my experiences so you can hope to prevent...
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096: How to Charge 300% - 800% More
Are you confused about how to go about pricing for your creative services? Hourly pricing seems to be the go-to method for pricing creative work. I see why it is simple, easy, and understood by all; however, this pricing method significantly undervalues your worth as a creative. How do you...
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095: How to Charge a Million Dollars
Recently I discovered the reason why Netflix went through the trouble of creating their own custom font. Turns out they paid $1,000,000 for it. However, when you examine this closer there's a blueprint for how creatives can charge a million for their services as well. Sites Mentioned:...
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094: Creating Customer Profiles
If you do not know who your audience is you won't know how to talk with them. The key to getting to know your audience is creating customer profiles. Resources Mentioned in this Episode https://www.google.com/ads https://www.google.com/analytics https://uifaces.co/ https://unsplash.com/...
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093: Position Yourself As A Brand Strategist
BOOKS The Brand Gap: https://amzn.to/35aDPAx The Business of Expertise: https://amzn.to/2ZiyEuC More Books on Brand Strategy: https://kit.co/nathanallotey/learn-br... / TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Introduction 00:46 - What is Strategy? 02:45 - Overcome Imposter Syndrome 03:56 - Teach Everything You Know...
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092: Selling Strategy
Before creating or designing anything for a client the first and most important step is to set the strategy. When offering a strategy session to a client what are the deliverables that the client can use after the discovery session that will impact their business for years to come? In this…
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091: Do Black Lives Matter?
The recent showings in the news of racism have now awakened the masses to what people of color have been going through for some time. I reflect on the color of my skin and explain what we can do to create lasting change beyond what hashtag is trending. Great websites and resources:...
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90: Get Paid to Think with Melinda Livsey
Brand Strategist Melinda Livsey shares her origin story of how she went from design order taker to brand expert. Now she gets paid upwards of $10,000 per strategy session for her thoughts alone, without doing any design work which requires pushing pixels. Melinda will help you get paid to think....
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089: How to Stand Out as a Designer
With so many designers out there and websites where clients can choose the lowest price for design how do you rise above the competition and break free of becoming a design commodity. There are 3 things you can do today to stand out as a designer: 01:28 = Understanding the Creative Process 02:48…
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088: What is Strategy?
Strategy is one of those words you hear thrown out all the time in a meeting but many times it is not clearly defined nor understood by all parties. Learning strategy is the first step in setting yourself apart as a creative professional. I read an article on strategy which had a huge impact on…
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087: The Amazingly Terrible Commercial
I've seen this Fiverr commercial popup on my YouTube hundreds of times, however, I noticed a fatal flaw with the commercial and if you learn from this flaw it can be the key to standing out and making more money as a creative.
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When a Client Disappears [Traffic Talk]
In this episode of traffic talk, someone asked a question of what to do when a client they were speaking with on the regular suddenly "disappeared". Should they move on or wait on the client?
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086: Panic Into Productivity
With all that is going on during this global panic we have been restricted to our homes but what can we do with the time we have and how will it impact our businesses? Two main questions from the video: 4:50 = What have you been neglecting in your business? 6:10 = What will you do when the panic…
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085: My 5 Takeaways from the Futur Pro Group Meetup
I woke up in the morning, and with sleep still in my eyes stumbled to my desktop computer to check any messages that would call for my attention. I saw a new post in the Futur Pro Group, which knocked the sleep out of my eyes and immediately spurred me to look for a flight to Los Angeles. Chris…
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Quote Given to Client was "Too High" [Traffic Talk]
In this episode of traffic talk we look to answer a question about how to answer clients when they say your quote is too high. For more context here is the original question: Recently send out a quote to a prospective client and they said my quote was on the high side? How do I approach this…
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084: Be Thankful 2019
As we enter the holiday season and many people get into goal setting mode, I want to draw your attention to the fact that it is okay to take a moment, reflect not he year and be thankful for what you have thus far. Don’t get so caught up in what YOU WANT that you forget what YOU HAVE. Gratitude…
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Should I Let Someone Know They're My First Client [Traffic Talk]
A rookie freelancer has landed their first client and they are debating on whether or not they should let their client know they are the first client they ever had. For context: Should I Let them know they're my first client? An opportunity to freelance recently fell in my lap and I'm not sure…
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083: How to Position Yourself as an Expert
If you're looking to positioning yourself as an expert there are two core elements that serve as necessities to positioning: pricing and perception. Both must be used in order for any brand to be positioned for high-value clients.
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Giving Client Refund. What Wrong Wrong? [Traffic Talk]
A videographer agreed to create a video for a client. After viewing the first draft the client wanted to completely start over even though the client signed off on the storyboard. Rather than start from scratch the freelancer refunded the client and wants to know how to prevent this in the…
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082: The Great Chicken Sandwich War
Recently the chicken sandwich challenge was a craze that hit social media and the battle between Chick-Fil-A and Popeyes raged on. Looking at this example we see a strong example of marketing versus branding.
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Client Organization [Traffic Talk]
A freelancer lost a client due to their lack of organization and trying to juggle too many clients at once. They ask about some ways they can improve their organization so this doesn't happen in the future. Project Management Tools: Basecamp: https://basecamp.com/ Asana: https://asana.com/…
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081: Marketing vs Branding
There is an age-old debate on which is more important marketing or branding. Those which a marketing background tend to have a bias toward marketing versus designers who tend to have a bias toward branding. The truth is everything comes down to how you define marketing and how you define…
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080: The Riches are in the Niches
How can you find out the unique audience and skill you can offer clients? Some people call this a niche. Once you combine your hobbies with your past education and an industry-specific problem you will have a unique value you can offer clients.
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Advice Over Action? [Traffic Talk]
Some more context: "I have been speaking with a potential client who is having issues with their website. Their current developer costs a lot of money and when they implement updates functionality of different aspects of the site break. I gave them some bullet points of what’s wrong with the…
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079: You Don't Have a Business
I was watching a video on YouTube and the person in the video was an animator. They were discussing how they and others with similar channels review animation, movies, comics and sometimes illustrate and animate popular characters. I live in a state of constant anxiety, I could wake up one day…
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My Friend Stole My Ideas and Hired Someone Else [Traffic Talk]
Episode Notes: https://freelancejumpstart.tv/78 In this episode a designer suggested that his friend meet up with him and they strategize how to increase their online presence and create strategy so they can compete online with their competitors. After a verbal agreement the friend took the…
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078: 5 Ways to Transform Your Portfolio
The 5 Ways to transform you portfolio are: Copy Other Agencies Show Your Process Add Visual Storytelling Using Mockups Your About Section References in this episode: https://nathanallotey.com/tv/059-freelancer-vs-consultant-vs-agency/...
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077: The Pro and the Pen
Do you feel like you have no creative control when completing projects for clients? Be a professional, not an amateur. Looking to level up in your freelance business? You may need Creative Coaching: http://nathanallotey.com/coaching Freelance Jumpstart Podcast on iTunes:...
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Do Clients Ruin Your Work with Changes? [Traffic Talk]
For this episode of Traffic Talk we look at the answer the question: My client has taken my beautiful work and ruined it with their suggestions! What can I do? How to Stop Endless Client Feedback: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ppc7VUswe5w Speak Up for Your Work: https://youtu.be/IZtFFcx5_3w...
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076: My Goals for the 2019 Year
Normally I use January as a planning month but as I plan I wanted to share with you what is on my mind as I move forward in 2019 toward the goals I would like to accomplish.
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075: 2018 Year in Review
As I reflect on the year 2018 I explain what I felt went well, what did not go so well, and assess whether or not my goals were reached.
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Becoming a Design Leader (Epic Unknown Recap)
As I think back on how 2018 went, I wanted to make mention of a fantastic experience I had in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. Epic Unknown is an invitation to explore your roots and the roots of others intimately and uniquely, deep in the heart of the Smoky Mountains. No two trees grow the…
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074: Setting SMART Goals
As the end of the year comes to a close there will be many people who will focus on setting goals in the new year. I want to give you a framework for setting goals first made popular by George T. Doran in 1981. The most critical factor in establishing a goal is HOW you define success. SMART Goal...
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073: Three Years on YouTube
Without even realizing it my YouTube channel turned 3 years old in October. In this video I discuss what happened this past year on YouTube and what I plan to do in the future. My 2018 Goals https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbBp5z2FDsw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQQAinyRkhg
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When to Discuss Pricing Rates [Traffic Talk]
For this episode of traffic talk someone asks when is the best time to begin discussing pricing rates. They have been asked to come up with a mockup with an existing client and are not sure whether or not the client is willing to pay for the mockup.
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072: Personal Name or Business Name?
In this episode we look at the pros and cons of whether to move forward with your personal name or your business name. Here's a hint the name doesn't matter what you publicly project matters.
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Do People Still Buy Art? [Traffic Talk]
For this episode of traffic talk we answer the question: Do people still buy art? I share my unique experience of what I learned in Los Angeles and the fact that art and illustration is as popular as its has ever been but you have to pair your art with a story.
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071: The Value of Art
What's the difference between a $30 piece of art and a $30,000 piece of art? This episode of Freelance Jumpstart I cover the main takeaway I learned from visiting agencies and museums while in Los Angeles, CA.
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070: Keep Moving Forward - Worst Week of My Life
This past month I've had nothing but troubles professionally, with my day job, family and other things in my personal life. It sucks and it doesn't feel good. However, I believe I am being met with so many challenges because the goals I've been working on for year are within arms length. No One...
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How Do You Decide What Business to Build? [Traffic Talk]
This episode of traffic talk is a little different. In order to answer this question I thought it fitting for me to visit my alma mater, Baylor University, and answer a question about how I made the switch to web design. For some context let's look at a question asked by Samuel. How exactly do…
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Shifting a Design Business in a New Direction [Traffic Talk]
For this episode of Traffic Talk a designer who has specialized in Icon design is looking to move in a new direction. He is wondering if his past content will contribute to the new direction he is taking.
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Explaining Your Value in a saas niche [Traffic Talk]
For this episode of Traffic Talk we answer a question that came in from email about someone who doesn't know how to clearly define the expensive problem that they're solving in the area of client success.
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069: The Value of Coaching
At some point in your business you will need a coach to guide you toward your goals. However, not every coach will work for you there are 2 types of coaching and you need to know which one fits your learning style.
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Freelancing as a Stay at Home Mom [Traffic Talk]
A stay at home mother has a question about how to get started as a freelancer and if she should pursue freelance photography.
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068: Your Job Title Matters (Cory McCabe Interview)
In this episode I'm joined by filmmaker Cory McCabe as we expand upon why you shouldn't call yourself a freelancer and the importance of your job title to your brand.
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How Much Does a 3 Page Website Cost? [Traffic Talk]
For this episode of Traffic Talk we look at the question "How much to charge for a 3 page website?" The freelancer is working with their local chamber of commerce and they are nervous about overpricing the job.
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067: Never Call Yourself a Freelancer
Your title is one of the first elements that informs potential clients of your brand and how you can help. Though you may be running a freelance business if you want people to take you seriously don't call yourself a freelancer.
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Finding Work as a Photographer? [Traffic Talk]
We look at what to consider when leaving your day job for freelancing full time and how to find work as a photographer.
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066: Overcoming Imposter Syndrome
Have you ever wrestled with self doubt, anxiety, perfectionism, fear of failure while working with clients? This may be a common issue creatives wrestle with called Imposter Syndrome.
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Should You Offer Clients Web Hosting? [Traffic Talk]
For this episode of traffic talk we answer the question, "Should you host a client's website and act as the web hosting service or let a client use a different company?"
About this show
You want a successful business, and you are willing to do whatever you can to make sure that happens. There’s a difference between running a business and running a successful business, but where do you begin? There are so many questions, what should you charge for your services? How do you get clients to value your work? How do you market your services? What information should be on your website?These questions and others are answered on a weekly podcast for those looking to jumpstart their business and get results. If you are an entrepreneur, freelancer or creative looking to use marketing to grow your business, then this show is for you.
Hosted by
Nathan Allotey