High-income Business Writing: Freelance Writing | Copywriting | Content Writing | How To Freelance

When I launched the High-Income Business Writing podcast in April 2013, I was stepping into the unknown. I was excited. And I was nervous. I was excited because I’d successfully launched other services and products, such as the International Freelancers Academy and a . Not to mention my own freelance writing business. So I knew I could do this. But I was still nervous for many reasons. On the occasion of our 101st episode, I'm thrilled to report on the response to the High-Income Business Writing podcast...

The most serious problem facing U.S. taxpayers is the complexity of the Internal Revenue Code. That’s not just my opinion. It’s an actual statement from the IRS! According to the same IRS report where I found that statement, an analysis of IRS data uncovered that U.S. taxpayers and businesses spend about 7.6 billion hours a year complying with the filing requirements of the Internal Revenue Code. And that figure does not even include the millions of additional hours that taxpayers must spend when they are required to respond to an IRS notice or an audit... Since we’re stuck with the system we currently have (for now!), we have to figure out how to navigate the ins and outs. My guest is Trevor McKendrick. Trevor started Salem Software, and just recently created an accounting essentials course for entrepreneurs and freelancers. 

I’m all for efficiency. And I’m all for tools and systems that help us become more efficient. The problem is that it’s too easy to get caught up in the efficiency game and lose sight of the end goal: to get better clients, higher fees, more rewarding work. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to become more efficient at getting crappy results! In this interview, Kai Davis, a business development coach for freelancers and consultants, shares his step-by-step system for managing prospecting in a way that saves time and yields better-quality prospects.

One of the biggest fears/concerns of new freelance writers: “Who’s going to hire me?” That fear is based on the following assumption: that you need to impress “IBM.” But that’s an incorrect assumption. You can’t be everything to everyone. I’ve met very few successful freelancers who got a very impressive start and didn’t struggle to get to where they are today. Most success stories are messy! The hero spent most of their journey getting “No’s” and barely scraping by. But all we hear is the end result. So who’s a good prospect for you right now...?

Self-employment is both a blessing and a curse. It's a blessing because we get to chart our own course. We get to pursue projects and clients that are interesting to us. And we can adjust our workload and schedule however we want. But that kind of freedom can also lead to lack of discipline and motivation if we're not careful. How do we stay on track? How do we find the motivation to do the work we know we have to do, even when we don't feel like doing it...?

James Chartrand is the owner of Men With Pens, a web design and copywriting company. She's also the creator of "Damn Fine Words," one of the best and most popular writing courses in the business. Yes, I said "she." If you're not familiar with James, he's actually a she. The story behind that is pretty interesting. So is the story of how she came clean. In this episode, James and I talk shop about the latest trends in freelance copywriting... different ways you can improve your craft... practical business tips for introverts... And a simple, 200-word-a-day exercise that will improve your copywriting muscle.

Are Elance, Upwork and other online job boards a good place to land freelance work? Yes and no. It really depends on a number of important factors. And it's certainly not for everyone. But there's no denying that some people have figured out a way to launch their freelance business with these platforms. My guest for this episode is one of these people. Her name is Laura Pennington, and she has a great story about how she used Elance to kickstart her freelance business—despite the fact that she had little work experience, no samples, no ratings or reviews and no clear guidance on how to make it work.

This week's episode is shorter than usual. It's also different. I take you on a random journey of what I'm doing, what I've been up to, what I'm currently enjoying ... and a few things I'm planning this year. Follow along at your own risk...

This is part two of a two-part series on money and freelancing. In part one Dianna Huff talked about how to when you have a variable income. Today's episode is a bit different. We get into the mindset of earning more as a freelance professional. My guest is Rhonda Page. Rhonda is an ideator, clarifier and forward thinker. She’s worked at top graphic design and branding firms for 25 years, and brought them hundreds of thousands of dollars in new business along the way.

As freelancers we don't have the luxury of a fixed paycheck.  Even when you're booking work like crazy, your cash flow is going to be irregular.  Sometimes unpredictable.  This is an issue that financial experts and money-management books rarely address. They're geared to helping people with steady paychecks—NOT self-employed professionals.  In this episode you'll hear from my friend and colleague Dianna Huff. Dianna has been trying to solve this cash flow dilemma for years. And she's come up with some very specific and realistic strategies for those of us who earn a variable income.  This is part one of a two-part series on the topic of money—something we haven't addressed enough in this podcast until now. 

You've heard the advice before... Position yourself an authority in your field ... and business will start coming your way. I think many of us understand this idea conceptually. But it can be hard to figure out exactly how to become that authority. And the negative self talk and self-sabotage doesn't help ("Who do you think you are? You're no expert! You're no authority!"). Sound familiar? This is a big topic, and it's one I'd like to cover in more detail over the next few months. But today, I wanted to at least kick-start that discussion. My guest is Scott Aughtmon, a consultant and blogger who writes about content marketing, and the author of the book 51 Content Marketing Hacks: Extraordinary Lessons on Creating Content That Will Help You Sell More and Gain More Customers. Our conversation may not answer all your questions. But I hope it gets you thinking in the right direction — and that it sets the stage for additional episodes on this important topic.

There's a growing interest among freelancers in the idea of "value pricing." The concept of pricing your work based on the value it will generate for the client is interesting. But it still feels theoretical and pie-in-the-sky to most creative professionals. In this podcast episode, we discuss how to make the idea practical — including three simple ways you can start transitioning to this lucrative model. You'll find the full audio (and detailed show notes) here:

Do you sometimes feel like a bit of a fraud? Are you sometimes surprised that clients pay you to do your work? Do you feel unworthy compared to many of your colleagues? Like you will be found out soon enough ... and all your success so far is undeserved? You're not alone. Gene Hackman, Dustin Hoffman, Jimmy Fallon and many other people many of us consider incredibly talented — they often feel the same way. I talked about this back in episode 22: But what I'd like to do in this episode is give you a taste for how common this "impostor syndrome" is. Because part of overcoming it is awareness. Awareness about how many talented professionals struggle with self confidence and self worth. I feel so much better when I realize that I'm not alone. And if the best people in their field often feel this way, then that gives me hope. It helps me realize that it's perfectly natural.

In this episode I interview Cesar Abeid, author of the newly published . Cesar and I focus our discussion not on client projects, but rather on all those internal projects we all keep meaning to do ... but never get around to doing. He shares plenty of simple and practical tips for breaking down these projects into doable tasks. All in plain English!

I love to read. In fact, I have more books I want to read than I have time to read them. Sound familiar? Yes, I've tried some speed-reading courses. They helped, but I've yet to reach a level where I can read 50+ books a year. So when I came across Brandon Hakim's techniques on how to read and absorb dozens of books a year, I was intrigued. Just by applying a few of his simple ideas, I've read two books in the past two weeks — something that would have normally taken me two months to accomplish. In this interview, Brandon will explain how he reads over 300 books a year. He describes a key mindset shift you need to make in order to get to this level. Plus a handful of practical techniques to help you get through nonfiction books much faster.

If you're in the U.S., this is an important interview. It's about your health insurance options as a self-employed professional: The ins and outs Where to shop What to look for How to make the best decisions for you and your family With open enrollment coming up soon ... and fines going up significantly for those who don't enroll in a plan ... this is the time to get educated and to investigate your options. It's all here, including detailed show notes:

In today's episode, you'll hear from my friend and colleague Michael Katz. Michael is an authority on launching, publishing and leveraging a newsletter to grow your service-based business. 

"How do I successfully transition out of a day job and into full-time freelancing?" That's one of the most common questions I get asked  by aspiring freelance writers and copywriters. And in today's episode, you'll get yet another perspective from someone who's made the leap successfully and coached many others on how to make this challenging transition — Michelle Ward, a.k.a. the When I Grow Up Coach.

Trying something a little different this week. I'm doing a  Q&A show with questions you submitted through a recent survey.   I'd love to get your feedback on this format. If you like it, I'll do more of these in the future.  

Over the past three years, I've worked with hundreds of new freelance writers and copywriters.  I enjoy mentoring and coaching these new and ambitious freelance professionals, helping them build and grow their businesses.  But through this process, I've uncovered a disturbing trend.  This is not something I enjoy talking about. Mainly because it requires that I be blunt about some issues.    But it's time to shine a light on this painful truth — and what you can do about it if you find yourself in one of these situations.