Latest Businessofdesign Podcast Episodes
Professional Practices For Freelance Creatives
Freelance Road Trip Podcast - May 28, 2024 20:04 - 20 minutes ★★★★★ - 5 ratingsWhat makes the difference between working project by project or creating work that is significant, sustainable, and advances your clients’ enterprises as well as your own? Do how you do business and how you conduct yourself in your business make a difference in the types of clients you attract a...
Establish Your Value Proposition
Freelance Road Trip Podcast - April 30, 2024 16:37 - 22 minutes ★★★★★ - 5 ratingsA key to your long-term success as a freelance creative is to work with the kinds of clients you’re best suited to serve. And a key approach to attracting those clients is to establish your value proposition — a statement that clearly sets you apart from your close competitors. Value is what mak...
An Attitude For Success
Freelance Road Trip Podcast - March 21, 2024 18:29 - 20 minutes ★★★★★ - 5 ratingsIn this episode, Alvalyn discusses the importance of establishing and maintaining an “abundance” mindset for achieving career and creative success. She emphasizes how success is not limited by resources, but is instead created through taking action, setting goals, and plotting strategies. It’s n...
Upgrade Your Portfolio With Case Studies
Freelance Road Trip Podcast - February 22, 2024 23:52 - 16 minutes ★★★★★ - 5 ratingsCase studies help position freelance creatives as strategic problem solvers, rather than technicians or wrists. They present the client's problem, document and record the creative process, and showcase research findings, insights, and process to demonstrate problem-solving capabilities. In this ...
Not Using Contracts? What Could Go Wrong?
Freelance Road Trip Podcast - January 22, 2024 20:32 - 15 minutes ★★★★★ - 5 ratingsMany freelancers in all sectors work without written contracts. They rely on verbal agreements which can be vague and incomplete. Neglecting to put project parameters and expectations in writing before you begin a project opens the door for all kinds of trouble to show up. The best way to avoid ...
Freelancers and Financial Crimes
Freelance Road Trip Podcast - December 28, 2023 04:01 - 21 minutes ★★★★★ - 5 ratingsA new reporting requirement affecting LLCs and s-corps — small and independent businesses legally registered with their secretary of state — is coming your way in 2024. The Corporate Transparency Act establishes a federal database of beneficial owners of small businesses with under 20 employees,...
Up All Night
Freelance Road Trip Podcast - December 14, 2023 21:25 - 23 minutes ★★★★★ - 5 ratingsStress resides between an expectation of an ideal and what actually is. When the expectation of the ideal — balance (symmetry) — collides with the messy realities of life, you can feel like you’re not good enough or you’re in the wrong lane. It’s all in what kind of balance you’re striving for....
There Are No Guarantees
Freelance Road Trip Podcast - November 15, 2023 19:46 - 18 minutes ★★★★★ - 5 ratingsThere are myriad courses, programs, and coaches available to help you learn skills to succeed in your freelance business. You have a lot of teachers, coaches, and “gurus” to choose from. Or you can choose none and learn it on your own. In this program I talk about the options, about specialists...
How To Negotiate With Clients
Freelance Road Trip Podcast - September 28, 2023 18:30 - 32 minutes ★★★★★ - 5 ratingsAs a freelancer or creativepreneur, negotiating skills are crucial and can make a significant difference in the success of your creative business. In this episode, we'll address the purpose of the negotiation process, explore the dos and don’ts of effective negotiating, with tips on how to come ...
What's the Difference Between Marketing and Branding?
Freelance Road Trip Podcast - August 31, 2023 20:06 - 12 minutes ★★★★★ - 5 ratingsMarketing and branding are related concepts that are often used interchangeably, but they are distinct and have different purposes. Freelance designers create brand assets and identities for their clients, but fewer freelancers actually consider the necessity of building their own brands, or und...
How To Thrive In Your Creative Business
Freelance Road Trip Podcast - August 10, 2023 20:42 - 22 minutes ★★★★★ - 5 ratingsEstablishing and managing a business so you can make a living from your creative work — your way — isn’t easy and probably not what most of us expected when we started out. With all the competition out there, and now with AI looming as both an asset and a threat to creative work, how will you st...
The Impact Of AI On Your Creative Business
Freelance Road Trip Podcast - July 03, 2023 17:40 - 26 minutes ★★★★★ - 5 ratingsAI is disrupting the creative industries in a variety of ways that are both beneficial and detrimental. In this episode we consider both the problems and advantages of using AI as a freelance creative, and propose answers to these questions, among others: “Why would a client pay me when they can...
How To Sell Expertise When You Don't Have Expertise
Freelance Road Trip Podcast - May 30, 2023 22:22 - 22 minutes ★★★★★ - 5 ratingsFreelancers in general prefer to work with high value clients. An effective way to attract high value clients is to sell expertise, not time. How can you sell creative services if you’re just starting and have little or no experience? Or how do you sell expertise and shift away from selling your...
Form An LLC For The Right Reasons
Freelance Road Trip Podcast - May 02, 2023 21:53 - 26 minutes ★★★★★ - 5 ratingsIf you're a freelance creative who's considering forming an LLC because it will protect you and your clients from worker misclassification under California's AB5 and possible Department of Labor rulings regarding independent contractor status, don't. In this episode I present an online article t...
Sometimes You Have To Pick Up The Phone
Freelance Road Trip Podcast - April 19, 2023 00:03 - 15 minutes ★★★★★ - 5 ratingsCommunication is the foundation of every relationship. This is true in business as it is in one’s personal life. In business you want to communicate the right way for the right reasons, and there are certain things you don’t want to communicate. Keeping everything in writing is preferred, but so...
Define Your Own Success
Freelance Road Trip Podcast - March 31, 2023 22:09 - 23 minutes ★★★★★ - 5 ratingsThis episode begins with an update on AB5 (California) and the independent contractor rule being considered for implementation by the NLRB. Then talk moves into how independent contracting, also known as freelancing, is a legitimate way to earn one’s living. One of the most important things a fr...
Get Your Pricing Structure In Order
Freelance Road Trip Podcast - March 05, 2023 00:56 - 16 minutes ★★★★★ - 5 ratingsPricing our work is one of those difficult areas we deal with, and truly, most of use don’t charge enough for what we provide. Freelancers often let the client dictate what they’ll pay, or fear asking too much, and end up frustrated, unable to sustain their businesses. So how do. you take contro...
How to Have Better Client Meetings
Freelance Road Trip Podcast - February 17, 2023 21:45 - 13 minutes ★★★★★ - 5 ratingsIf you're a freelancer, client meetings are inevitable. Whether online, by phone, or in person, meetings are necessary for getting united around common goals and purpose, determining next steps and responsibilities. But meetings can go sideways and negatively impact your working relationships. T...
How To Start Freelancing
Freelance Road Trip Podcast - February 02, 2023 19:51 - 14 minutes ★★★★★ - 5 ratingsThe way you’ll create a sustainable freelance business is by focusing on the long term, pursuing valuable clients and projects, and systematizing your efforts in marketing and management. The first thing to embrace is the fact that you’re building a business, not being creative. Mindset is ev...
Reasons To Start Freelancing
Freelance Road Trip Podcast - January 17, 2023 21:16 - 13 minutes ★★★★★ - 5 ratingsWe’re in a prime time right now to build and grow. The freelance economy is booming. In the US, freelancers and independent contractors have contributed almost $6B to the economy. The climate is encouraging for businesses. There is more opportunity to start something from nothing and grow it th...
Help! I Need More Clients
Freelance Road Trip Podcast - June 25, 2022 20:48 - 22 minutes ★★★★★ - 5 ratingsTo stay in business freelancers need clients, and we’re commonly asking where to find more clients. The obvious freelance platforms and talent agencies aren’t always the best choice for a variety of reason, and they shouldn’t be your only choice. In the episode I present the case for making clie...
Mindset Shifts Every Freelance Creative Must Make
Freelance Road Trip Podcast - June 10, 2022 18:59 - 15 minutes ★★★★★ - 5 ratingsTo succeed in business as a freelance creative requires shifting from functioning solely as a creative — an illustrator, a designer, a photographer, a copywriter, an artist — to functioning as the owner of a creative business. In this episode I share half a dozen shifts we need to make in how we...
Resumés and Portfolios For Freelancers
Freelance Road Trip Podcast - May 21, 2022 20:32 - 17 minutes ★★★★★ - 5 ratingsYou're a freelance creative. Do you need a resumé? That depends on how you find clients. For freelancers who promote their creative services to clients directly, the portfolio is what attracts. In this episode I share the reasons why a resumé is not necessary and how to use your portfolio websit...
Are You A Freelancer Or A Business Owner?
Freelance Road Trip Podcast - May 01, 2022 06:25 - 19 minutes ★★★★★ - 5 ratingsHave you encountered opinions that if you’re a freelancer you don’t have a real business? Or that you shouldn’t call yourself a freelancer at all because it means you’re a misclassified and employee who’s being taken advantage of by your clients? Since I keep running into these discussions I dec...
Who's In Control?
Freelance Road Trip Podcast - April 21, 2022 22:37 - 21 minutes ★★★★★ - 5 ratingsIf you’re a freelancer you’re not an employee. Yet many independent contractors position themselves as an employee for all practical purposes when working with clients. This approach can end up costing you in a number of ways. The difference between independent contractorship and employee statu...
Sales Taxes, Income Taxes, and Freelance Creatives
Freelance Road Trip Podcast - April 07, 2022 19:16 - 25 minutes ★★★★★ - 5 ratingsOne aspect of freelancing is that you get to deal with different kinds of taxes. In this episode, which is sparked by a conversation with one of my coaching clients, I discuss income taxes and sales taxes, and your responsibilities as a freelance business owner. Treating your freelancing as a bu...
How To Protect Your Work During A Creative Review
Freelance Road Trip Podcast - March 16, 2022 17:52 - 12 minutes ★★★★★ - 5 ratingsAs a follow-on to a recent episode, I go in-depth into why and how it's important for both our clients and us to ensure our work isn't used before it's ready. Creative reviews — those work-in-progress presentations with the client — can be opportunities for the client to take hold of the work be...
Make Your Marketing Easier
Freelance Road Trip Podcast - March 07, 2022 17:06 - 16 minutes ★★★★★ - 5 ratingsMarketing is a necessary part of any business, but creative freelancers aren't always comfortable doing it. Kick the "I hate marketing" catchphrase to the curb with a practical approach that looks at marketing, branding, and messaging as a way of giving value to your prospective clients.
When Your Client Treats You Like You’re Their Employee
Freelance Road Trip Podcast - February 05, 2022 18:18 - 24 minutes ★★★★★ - 5 ratingsWhat do you do when a client wants to treat you as an employee rather than an independent freelance business owner? I answer two questions from freelancers dealing with this conundrum: the first centers on a retainer agreement and the second is dealing with a performance review. I present the ca...
How To Crush Those Freelancing Fears
Freelance Road Trip Podcast - January 28, 2022 21:20 - 21 minutes ★★★★★ - 5 ratingsWe all have them... those fears and uncertainties that restrict our forward motion. In this episode I share some insights about fear, risk, and consequences, and how you can accelerate through your own freelancing fears and leave them in the dust cloud behind you.
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