Freelance Jumpstart TV

Brand Strategist Melinda Livsey shares her origin story of how she went from design order taker to brand expert. Now she gets paid to think.

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.

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’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?

I had the rare opportunity to spend the weekend with the team at the Futur in Los Angeles with creative professionals from all over the world.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

A developer has been able to identify multiple errors which are slowing down a website. They pointed out a few now someone in upper management wants him to find and list all errors and pass the list to the internal team. Should he do it or pitch the idea of just fixing the problems himself?

If YouTube were to go away today, would you still have a business? If the answer is no, it’s time to look at your business because right now you are at the mercy of YouTube.

What happens when a friend listens to your ideas and strategies to help them with a website, verbally agrees to move forward with you but then hires a cheaper designer to implement your ideas?

What can you do to make your portfolio stand out and draw in high-value clients? In this live stream, we walk through 5 essential elements for changing your design portfolio.

Do you feel like you have no creative control when completing projects for clients? Be a professional, not an amateur.

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?

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.

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.

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 at Epic Unknown an unconference about design leadership.

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. The most critical factor in establishing a goal is HOW you define success.

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.

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.

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.

This episode of Freelance Jumpstart I cover the main takeaway I learned from visiting agencies and museums while in Los Angeles, CA

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

A sales funnel is a sequence of steps or actions that take place that guide a potential customer from introducing them to your brand to the final step of them making a purchase and then the follow-up.

We are now half way through 2018. We take a look back at what I have accomplished, how my goals have shifted and what’s to come in 2018.

UI expert and designer Jane Portman joins us to discuss productized consulting and how freelancers can implements this successfully in their business.

The best way to grow your freelance business is to take the pressure off landing full scale projects with clients. Create a product spectrum that will allow you to diversify and make passive income.

A candid conversation about how to be successful entrepreneur and the state of creating online courses while building a community.

If you want to engage people online and build trust with others in your marketing you have to be willing to reciprocate.

The Internet is experiencing a shift, and those who have build honest, authentic businesses on the Internet wills survive.

The freelance landscape has become crowded, but there’s still a chance to be successful if you know how to stand out from the rest. How do you freelance in 2018?

It feels good to be back. I’m back to creating content on a weekly basis and you’re invited to join in on the journey.

A reflective post about how the 2017 year went in terms of reaching my goals and what lies ahead for 2018.

New website, new Q&A show, detailed guides, coaching calls and my podcast returns with a vengeance.

There comes a time when you need to evaluate if your website is accomplishing your business goals.

I’ve been in my product laboratory trying to time travel. Not actual time travel but creating a course I wish I had when I first started freelancing.

When you’re busy working in your business sometimes you don’t have the time to work on improving your business.

I attended the first ever seanwes conference in Austin, TX. this conference was focused on business a business around your passion.

Everyone I learned about creating videos for 52 weeks in a row. The good, the bad and the unsubscribed.

Podcasting is a great way to use content marketing to grow your audience. Here’s everything I learned in 1 year of podcasting.

Becoming an Authority Two years ago I bought a book called Authority by Nathan Barry. The basic premise of the book is to teach on a subject, and become perceived as an authority on that subject. After you become in authority, you can begin selling products at a higher value, grow your business and audience. […]

I learned so much at the VenturePOP conference it was ridiculous. I am working on a review but I wanted to quickly share 10 takeaways I have from the conference. #1 - If you want to get results on Instagram, you have to commit and engage with the community for at least 6 months. All [...]

SUBSCRIBE ON ITUNESSUBSCRIBE ON YOUTUBEContact About Interview Request Book Nathan to Speak Contact

SUBSCRIBE ON ITUNESSUBSCRIBE ON YOUTUBEContact About Interview Request Book Nathan to Speak Contact

Why is it that some Freelancers get to work with clients who are willing to pay them five figures for their work and other freelancers get paid $300 or so for the same type of work. Running your own business as a creative entrepreneur is not the same as working for an employer at a […]

I had the opportunity to speak at a conference, WordCamp NOLA in New Orleans, Louisiana. While driving back, I was able to have a great conversation with fellow freelance creative, Obinna Okongwu. Last week I brought to you The Roadtrip Part 1: Value & Price. This week is the second part of our conversation in [...]

This week for freelance jumpstart this episode is a little different. I had the opportunity and the privilege to speak at a conference this past weekend. The conference was WordCamp NOLA which was held in the City of New Orleans Louisiana. While driving back from Louisiana, I had a conversation with my friend and business […]

SUBSCRIBE ON ITUNESSUBSCRIBE ON YOUTUBEContact About Interview Request Book Nathan to Speak Contact

We've been in a mini-series about crafting a portfolio that will help draw in the types of clients want. For an effective portfolio, it's important to take a few projects that you enjoyed working on and create a case study around them. The case study should highlight the problem you solved and how you went [...]

Think about it, if you’ve ever used Amazon.com, you know that they have products for sale and each product has a review from a previous purchaser. We use other people’s thoughts and opinions because they appear to be more authentic. That is the logic we are using in creating a client testimonial.

In the previous episode, we looked at what it takes to craft a portfolio that is useful in getting future clients to work with you. Building on that episode the last point I made is the fact that every portfolio should have a few case studies. A case study is where you dive deeper into [...]

You have control In the past when I would work different 9-to-5 jobs I had a number of job responsibilities. Some of these responsibilities were not exactly what they listed in the job description, but nevertheless, they were a part of my job. I always found it ironic that you needed work experience to be [...]

At the cost of trying to please a client, there have been times to where I delivered a preview of my finished work and allowed myself to be at the mercy of their opinion. I showed the finished product in by emailing it to the client, but I failed to provide the proper explanation of [...]

There’ll come a time in your business when your friends and family will recognize your skill and want to work with you. When they desire to work with you it’s normally under two conditions: (1) they want the friends and family discount (2) they want you to do the work for free. If you establish [...]

In the past, I made a bad assumption; I assumed when a project was completed I as the creator, owned what I made. I’ve observed other creatives make this assumption as well, and if it’s not clearly and explicitly written down in a client agreement, then the actual ownership of your creative work may get [...]

What's in a name? Statement of Work Revision Cycles Right to Use in Portfolio Ownership/Copyright Liability and Indemnification SUBSCRIBE ON ITUNESSUBSCRIBE ON YOUTUBEContact About Interview Request Book Nathan to Speak Contact

In the earlier video I talked about pricing. Different pricing strategies and ways you can consider when trying to arrive at the price that is ideal for your service. In the past I learned a valuable lesson about profit. Often times I would speak with the client grasp the scope of the project, and then [...]

Want 5 Proven Ways to Validate Your Product Idea? Learn the five essentials to know if you idea will be profitable and make people stand in line for your product. Send Me the Guide Road to Launch my second podcast launches this week. Road to Launch is all about how to take your product from […]

SUBSCRIBE ON ITUNESSUBSCRIBE ON YOUTUBEContact About Interview Request Book Nathan to Speak Contact

I'm going to start this out with the quote that I've said many times in the past but still have not set enough. An invoice is not a contract. Tweet // An invoice has an implied meaning of a contract, but the problem with implied meanings is different parties interpret the expectations of an invoice [...]

I’ve was burned by clients in the past. I’ve had those times to where I worked with a client and delivered on what we agreed on, however, they were late on a payment. I don’t mean late by a couple of days; I mean weeks and then weeks turned into months. To try and stop […]

What do a McDonalds Big Mac and Scope Creep have in common? As a matter of fact, they have more in common than you think. Scope Creep and a Big Mac One of the funniest stories of my college experience is how my friend was able to get a McDonald’s Big Mac extra value meal […]

As a freelancer, you’re going to have to experience the process of getting feedback that just doesn’t make sense. More than likely you’ve witnessed this before, vague feedback a client may give that’s not actionable. It is your job to play interpreter or translator to what the client says so no matter how vague them […]

How do you stop endless client feedback? Those times in which a client has so many revisions, your original work begins to unravel. Also, when does the feedback cycle ever end? I’ve dealt with clients who continually change the project all the way up until launch and after launch, they have more feedback. There’s only […]

I used to meet clients at places like Panera Bread and Starbucks, this was a big mistake. I had no control over my environment and the professional perception of my business was decreased. To fix this I began meeting with clients at a coworking space.

I hate that feeling. The feeling I get when I meet with a client I write down exactly what I believe they were expecting, only to present a solution to their business problem that is not what they were expecting. Somewhere along the way, there was a miscommunication or a misunderstanding. This means I am […]

I have a confession. When I first began freelancing, I didn't have a process. I only thought about my process when I had a client expressed interest in working with me. I believe there was some part of me that thought having a process was too formal and I wanted to be the cool freelancer [...]

There are times when working with clients I ask myself “how did I get here?” Most of the time when I’m asking myself that question it’s when I’m dealing with a problematic client and I think back to what did I not check for. Normally I have a series of cautions or red flags that […]

What do you do when someone contacts you? How do you know if they are a good fit for your skills and business? Here are are direct tips to know what to ask the potential client to fit out if they are a good fit for you.

To answer the question “should you work for free?” the answers are “no”, “maybe” and “it depends on a couple of factors.” You may have heard the term “freelance isn’t free.” Just because money is not exchanged doesn’t mean there wasn’t an associated cost. Sometimes that cost is time spent or energy used that could’ve […]

To put it simply raising your rates is something that you should just do. The increase of your rate should be built into your business and every so often you should evaluate if you’re meeting your revenue goals and see what you may need to do to shift pricing for the better in your business. […]

For the last couple of episodes, we’ve been in a series about value-based pricing, which is a pricing strategy that focuses on pricing based on the value you provide rather than a flat fee or an hourly rate. The three parts of value based pricing we have been examining are: understanding the problem understanding of […]

In the previous episode, we looked at the beginnings of value based pricing which involves uncovering the potential value of a project. This can be accomplished by asking the potential client certain questions in order to find out their business goals as well as the problem that needs to be solved and how much the […]

If you haven’t noticed for the last couple of episodes we’ve been a series of pricing strategies. This week we dive deeper into my new favorite type of pricing, value based pricing. Amongst all the pricing strategies you can implement in your business value based pricing is the most complex however it can also be […]

One early morning I received a phone call. It was my friend Obinna and he was frantic: My website has been hacked! To check out his claims I went directly to his website and searched his website and sure enough, I saw the red screen of death from Google explaining the website was indeed hacked. […]

The following is based on a true story because it is a true story. I once gave a client the opportunity to choose what they wanted to pay. I quoted the client a $250 flat fee for a web project or gave them a choice to pay me to work for $75 / hour. The […]

Back in the day, I used to work at McDonalds the place full of Happy Meals, happy smiles and people singing I’m loving it. At first, it seemed like a dream: I was able to eat the food I love anytime I wanted. Thinking about that past experience taught me a valuable lesson about hourly […]

Have you ever been asked the question “What do you charge?” This question is either easily answered by the confident freelancer but if you don’t yet know what your rates are this question can be difficult to navigate. I remember watching the game show The Price is Right. They call on people from the studio audience and […]

How should you begin to set your pricing for your services? Should you take a guess and figure it out later? I know I’ve struggled in my career as a freelancer is trying to figure out what is the best amount to charge. The main fear is perhaps I’m leaving money on the table by […]

Have you ever reached a point in your business where you’re frustrated because you feel like nobody is giving you the attention, time, or respect you feel you deserve? You put in all of this effort to get your business off the ground, set up a website up and begin serving a few clients but […]

This topic was inspired by Cat on Twitter. In a previous video, I talked about hustle vs hope and the fact that if you want your hopes to come true you’re going to have to actually hustle work hard and put in extra effort to make your hopes a reality. Cat saw that episode and […]

In a previous video, I discussed the details of 4Ps of marketing: product, price, place, and promotion. The 4Ps have been in existence for some time and still hold value. There’s an upgraded version of the 4P’s called the S.A.V.E. framework. The reason for this upgrade is due to the fact the 4Ps of marketing […]

I remember taking my first ever business class in grad school, marketing administration. The class essentially changed my life and led me on the road of digital marketing. My undergrad was so full of math, science and engineering courses there was no time for any type of business courses. In the marketing class most of […]

Why do some people make more money than me? Get higher quality clients? Why is it some freelancers are viewed as experts in a certain field and land big projects while I struggled to get people to pay my desired rate? These were the questions I wrestled with and often kept me up at night. […]

In my last video, I talked about how to build and trust by producing something valuable, listening to your audience and being transparent. The next step is to choose a specific audience to go after. No one wants to exclude anyone. When it comes to marketing your service you have a desire to reach as […]

The next couple of videos you will see will be about marketing and diving into what marketing is and how best to market your own business. Leading off let’s start with a simple statement that has been true forever: Marketing is about trust Tweet

Growing up I loved sports and I still do, my favorite sport is basketball. I believe I probably could have gone the NBA, who knows maybe can still play in the NBA today. I am not saying this to be cocky if there’s one thing I know how to do it is hustle and hustle […]

A Quick Backstory When I was starting my business I thought it best to schedule a meeting tax professional because I don’t want to make any bad decisions which would cause a penalty. I came prepared, I had a notebook of questions and I was determined to find out everything I need to do in […]

Choosing a name for your business is key and should not be done hastily, however at the same time you do not want to spend all your time waiting for the right name to come to you in an epiphany. There are 5 principles when developing a name for your business.

No matter the structure, size, or platform businesses exists to solve problems and meet a needs. If you have an idea for a business great, but how do you validate that idea? How do you know the idea has the potential to work? Maybe you’re like me and you get ideas all the time, as […]

Do you know the difference between a freelancer and an entrepreneur? Let’s be clear on the difference between these 2 words. I’ve seen the terms used interchangeably but there is a difference in mentality these words both imply. Knowing the difference between these two terms is essential for everyone because it determines the course of action […]

I’m sharing my story because I did not formally go to school to be a designer but I was still able to learn on the internet and build business from cultivating my skill. My previous mentality Originally I did not go to school for web design. I went to Baylor University to pursue a degree […]

I am very excited and hype to announce the launch of my new weekly video show Freelance Jumpstart TV. Starting on October 23, 2015, every week I’ll share with you tips, advice and how-tos on how to build a successful online business as a creative entrepreneur. When I first started as a freelance web designer […]