The 6-Figure Freelancer Podcast | Freelancing | Entrepreneurship | Clients | Finances | Motivation | Personal Development | Mindset

204 | Why You Need to Move Away From Hourly Pricing with Jonathan Stark

Today I got to sit down with Jonathan Stark, the go-to resource for helping you transition from hourly pricing to fixed pricing as a solo freelancer. Jonathan has been in software consulting for 15 years and he’s an expert in helping people improve their freelance business by moving away from an hourly billing model. He’s written several books on the topic and has several podcasts where he talks about this topic as well. If you find yourself stuck in the same salary year in, year out, it’s because you’re charging hourly and putting a cap on your earnings. If you raise your hourly rates, you may lose some clients and it becomes a harder sell. The remedy is to move to project-based billing where your earning potential suddenly becomes limitless. In this episode, we get into the exact details of how to make this transition. We also talk about how we can satisfy customers and build long-term relationships while also making more money. "Retainer work is just not selling time, you’re selling your expertise. It’s your brains, not your hands. So, you just make yourself available and if they don’t use, they don’t use you. " In this episode Jonathan and Avani talk about: How hourly billing opens you up to more direct competition with your competitors. Strategies for how to gauge what your fixed rate should be. How to sell your expertise instead of your time. Main Takeaways Hourly billing has become the default way freelancers operate. However, this forces clients to focus on your rate instead of your expertise. When you offer a fixed price for your services, customers will know exactly what they’re getting into, and won’t feel pressured to micro-manage. Giving them a price they can count on also helps build long-term relationships. When you start with a fixed price, it gives you the incentive to get that work done as quickly as possible, without cutting corners, to make the most profit from the job. Fixed-price retainers are a great way to build a steady income you can count on. Links Value Pricing Bootcamp Jonathan Stark’s Website Hourly Billing Is Nuts [Book] The Freelancer’s Roadmap [Book] Ditching Hourly [Podcast] The Business of Authority [Podcast] Jonathan on Twitter Win Without Pitching - Blair Enns Pricing Creativity - Blair Enns Stay in touch Follow Avani on Twitter Follow Avani on Instagram Follow Avani on LinkedIn

203 | 4 Steps to Being a CEO in your business

Whether you’ve left your job or you’re planning on leaving your job, becoming the CEO of your own business is an important topic to cover, and is one that often gets left out of the discussion when talking about pursuing a freelance career. When you’re a CEO, you have to be the one calling the shots and being the visionary. This is not an easy thing to do as a freelancer because you often work alone. It is, however, an essential part of ensuring that you drive the direction of your career rather than slipping back into the routine you had when you were employed by someone else. In today’s episode, we’ll discuss four steps that will push you closer to becoming the CEO of your business. “You started a business to have flexibility, to have ownership, but to also grow yourself. In order for all of those things to happen, we need to become the CEO of our business.” In this episode Avani talks about: What becoming the CEO of your own company means for you. How simple planning can drastically shift the pace of your business. How you can step into the role of CEO. 1. Planning your week At the beginning of every week, you should plan out the three big things that you want to get done and prioritize them. 2. Block time in your calendar If you don’t physically block out the time in your calendar to get these items done, all of your time is going to be taken up by meetings, team members, and other things on your mind. Fill your calendar with your priorities first and then backfill with other items as they come up. 3. Motivation Understand and connect to your “why”. Why did you leave your job? Why are you doing what you’re doing? If you can plug into your “why”, motivation is going to come easier. 4. Have a way to step into your CEO mindset Stepping into this mindset helps you to level up mentally and it gives you confidence. My favorite way to do this is with morning affirmations in my journal. Stay in touch Follow Avani on Twitter Follow Avani on Instagram Follow Avani on LinkedIn

202 | 5 Steps to Feel Instantly Amazing About Your Business + Life

Being an entrepreneur can be challenging. There are perks and rewards to being your own boss, but it’s not always a walk in the park. Sometimes it can be just plain hard. However, it’s important to remember that we’re in control of our businesses, and the reason it starts to feel hard is because we’re focusing too much on the little things. That said, in today’s episode I talk about five things that instantly get me excited about my business so that you can feel amazed by what you’re doing as well. This is a way to remember that even though it’s hard, we can still feel great about what we’re doing and the path we’re on. “It is such an empowering thought to realize that that responsibility means that you also have the power to make changes. This makes you realize that anything you want to do in your life starts with you.” In this episode Avani talks about: What being “at cause” is and how you can use it to reshape your life. Reminding yourself of the things that make you love your job. The importance of gratitude in your life’s direction. 1. Remember that you are at cause Being at cause is greater than being in effect. When you are at cause, you are the reason your life is the way it is. You have the control to make your life better. 2. Ask yourself what you’re proud of List out the things that you’re proud of. This is important because it lets you see how far you’ve come, and celebrate that moment. 3. Make a bliss list Make a list of 10 things that your business has allowed you to do in the last year that you wouldn’t have been able to do otherwise. Let yourself appreciate where this job has taken you. 4. Do something on your bliss list Look at the 10 items on your bliss list and pick one to do again or to start with. It will help remind you of how good you’ve got it, and it will remind you of your job’s advantages. 5. Practice gratitude Once you look at the world from a place of gratitude, you can do so many things in any situation. You’ll be grateful for what you have, and being grateful makes you feel even happier about your life. Stay in touch Follow Avani on Twitter Follow Avani on Instagram Follow Avani on LinkedIn

201 | How I’m Focusing My Business This Year

Over the last six weeks, I’ve been doing a lot of internal work. This process has involved a lot of thinking about what I’m doing, what I want to do, and how I plan to shift things as I move forward in this new year. A lot can happen in a year, so today’s episode is about how I’ll be focusing my business in 2020. Making these decisions has involved a lot of conversations, a lot of reading, and a lot of listening. Just making the decisions and getting them out there to you all makes me feel excited and reinvigorated about my business. Getting them out there also serves as a point of accountability for me, which will be an essential part of keeping me focused this year. “My year is going to be rich in my relationships and the people that I help and I’m going to have fun doing it.” In this episode Avani talks about: How her business improved in 2019. The focus allows her to more quickly build up certain aspects of her business. What she wants to accomplish through her business in 2020. 3 Things I’m Focusing on in 2020 1. Miriyala Strategy and Design MSD is my consulting business. In 2020, I am focusing on this in order to impact not only my clients, but my clients’ clients. This is a priority for me. 2. Six-Figure Freelancer Podcast This podcast is one of my favorite ways to share with you what I’m learning. It’s my way of giving you any sort of “cheat codes” that might be helpful in your own business. 3. 1-on-1 Coaching This will be the only way to get strategy coaching with me this year. I’m putting my Client Attraction Method in the vault for now. (No need to worry if this is a service you currently have access to.) Stay in touch Follow Avani on Twitter Follow Avani on Instagram Follow Avani on LinkedIn

200 | 10 Things I Learned After 200 Podcast Episodes

I am thrilled that we’ve made it to episode 200 of Six Figure Freelancer and I’m glad that I get to celebrate it with all of you. In 2018, when I first wanted to start the podcast, I thought of putting it off for a more convenient time, but I’m happy that I was convinced to start when I had the thought. And here we are 200 episodes later. In this episode, I want to talk about 10 things that I’ve learned throughout these two years and 200 episodes of podcasting. Whether this gives you the nudge you need to start your own, or is just a fun way to recap everything you’ve heard over the last 200 episodes, I’m glad you’re here. "If you have this nudge, this inkling to do something like this (or anything, for that matter), it’s there for a reason. Don’t be afraid to take action. " In this episode we talk about: What pushed me to first start my own podcast. The importance of keeping your podcast honest. The impact of gratitude on me and my podcast. 10 things I’ve learned from podcasting 1. It doesn’t have to be perfect Making mistakes is human and there’s no need to get hung up on them. What’s important is that the information is valuable and pertinent. 2. Practice makes you better After practicing on the podcast, it has become easier to communicate and to articulate thoughts. And the episodes continue to improve because of it. 3. It’s OK to take breaks Taking breaks to help recharge is helpful for generating new ideas and fresh content. It’s also great to know that you, the listeners, are understanding of this aspect of the podcast. 4. Let content be easy Content doesn’t have to be hard to come up with. In fact, it can be built on passing thoughts that you have during day-to-day life. 5. Consistency We all know how important consistency is, but it’s worth repeating. The consistent growth of the podcast is related to the consistent output of the podcast. 6. Use systems Take advantage of the various systems you can use to make podcasting easier on yourself. You don’t need to know how to do everything, just who to go to. 7. Experimentation Podcasting is a great format for sharing ideas, but it’s also great for testing different ideas that you’d like to share and talk about. 8. Be honest about the good and bad People will use your podcast to learn and you can’t learn unless you know the source is trustworthy. Being a trustworthy source and helping people to grow can have an amazing ripple effect. 9. You won’t always be motivated It’s easy to lose sight of why you want to podcast, which can make you feel unmotivated. In those instances, dig deeper and recognize that you could be changing lives through the things you say. 10. Gratitude Interacting with the gratitude you, as listeners, give is encouraging and helps influence the podcast to be the best that it possibly can be. Links Podcast Royale — Done-For-You Podcast Production and Marketing Stay in touch Get The Client Magnet Roadmap Follow Avani on Twitter Follow Avani on Instagram Follow Avani on LinkedIn