Freelance Jumpstart Podcast

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 yourself from getting COVID and how to manage your symptoms.*Please note I am not a medical professional and I am not providing any medical advice. If you are feeling ill please seek healthcare*

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 determine the true value of a project? Value-based pricing is a method that can help the client understand the impact your work has on their business and allow you to price what is fair to you and the client.In this episode, I walk through an example of how I could charge between 300% - 800% higher than the initial price the client wanted to pay. You can do the same in your business.

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:https://www.daltonmaag.com/studiohttps://www.similarweb.com/

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 Episodehttps://www.google.com/adshttps://www.google.com/analyticshttps://uifaces.co/https://unsplash.com/https://generated.photos/

BOOKSThe Brand Gap: https://amzn.to/35aDPAxThe Business of Expertise: https://amzn.to/2ZiyEuCMore Books on Brand Strategy: https://kit.co/nathanallotey/learn-br... /TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Introduction00:46 - What is Strategy?02:45 - Overcome Imposter Syndrome03:56 - Teach Everything You Know05:19 - Write Case Studies07:08 - Change Your Target Market09:25 - Don't Offer Strategy First11:32 - Branding Book Recommendations12:55 - Conclusion

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 episode we walk through some of the deliverables you can offer the client once the strategy session is complete:RoadmapBrand AttributesBrand VoicePrioritizing GoalsCustomer ProfilesWant to sell strategy to your clients? Learn the CORE Discovery process 

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: https://blackswho.design/https://peopleofcolorintech.com/https://www.diversifytech.co/https://www.blackgirlscode.com/https://blkcreatives.com/https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/

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. Follow her:Twitter: @melindalivsey_Instagram: @melindalivseyhttps://www.marksandmaker.com/

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 Process02:48 = Choose a Complimentary Service04:42 = Partner with Other Creatives

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 how I think about strategy: http://bit.ly/wtf-strategy

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.

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?

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 is over?

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 Do, the founder of The Futur, posted an update mentioning that he would host an in-person meet up for networking, teaching, and an opportunity to use their studios to create content. For those unaware, The Futur is a content and education platform that leverages video and distance-based learning models and connects a global community of creative thinkers and entrepreneurs. This is how design education will be taught in the future.The weekend was full of value and the opportunity to meet design leaders from all over the globe. Rather than talk about how good it was, I wanted to sum up the top 5 takeaways from the weekend, which you can apply to your business today.1) Learn To Introduce YourselfOne of the first things we

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 nicely without giving too much discount?Freelancers out there, how do you price your services? I’m a digital marketer.Resources mentioned in this episode:https://nathanallotey.com/resources/10-must-ask-questions-guide/https://nathanallotey.com/tv/064-productized-consulting-with-jane-portman/https://nathanallotey.com/resources/the-price-is-wrong-lecture/

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 and thankfulness make you value your interactions with others and make you overall more appreciative.This video is a remake or update to similar video that I created 4 years ago: https://youtu.be/DCidoxluWKU(It sounds so crazy to say 4 years ago. Wow the fact that I have been creating content for 4 years is amazing.)Happy Holidays! 

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 what to discuss with my first client. I've read the sidebar when it comes to pricing and scope (still working on it), but I don't want to ask for too much $$$ and underperform and vice versa. I also have to make a contract and invoice for the client and I don't want to back myself into a corner I can't get out of.When you dealt with your first client, did you let them know upfront that they were your first client and there may be hiccups along the way? Or did you make sure as many issues as possible were wrinkled out before looking for clients?

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.

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 future.QuestionGiving a client a refund, did I do something wrong?Context:I charged a client $1500 for a full day of shooting (4k) and editing, in addition to 3-4 hours of marketing work. He gave me a 50% deposit ($750) before I started any work. When I sent him the rough cut, he wasn't happy and was expecting something else. Something more "grand" as he put it for the amount of money he's spending.He even went on to send me another video (which was a completely diff style) he made for only $200, which I thought was a bad move, but whatever. How can I clear up this kind of misunderstand next time? I gave him a storyboard, he's seen some of my work, I explained to him what it would be like, but then I have to deal with this.

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.