The Six-Figure Freelancer

Laura Briggs

Description

Start and Scale Your Freelance Business

The freelance portion of the workforce and the economy is growing at a rapid pace, but the lack of proper training or knowledge about how to run a freelance venture sets most freelancers up for failure. With this new workforce picking up speed, the need is real and the time is now for freelancers to learn how to take their businesses and their paychecks to the next level.

The Six-Figure Freelancer is a proven path, a battle-tested guide that works for freelancers of all types and includes the author's five years of trial-by-fire lessons used to find, land, and amaze your clients. The book follows an outline of proven tactics to grow a business to the six-figure level and keep it there:

Knowing the current phase of your freelance business

Getting into the right mindset to shift your money power

Knowing how to spot high-value, high-dollar clients

Determining the structure of your six-figure business (solo or agency model?)

Speeding your process up and structuring your ideal freelance workday

Putting together a client benefit-focused marketing tools plan

Raising your rates and transmitting value to prospective clients

Avoiding those six-figure earner pitfalls Throughout this book, readers will have guided action plans and checklists to customize their own specific freelance business.

Sujets

• Entrepreneuriat
• entrepreneur
• Emprendedor
• Business
• Economics
• Personal finance
• Entrepreneurship
• Money Management
• Employabilité, métiers et formations
• Home-Based Businesses

Informations

• Publié par: Entrepreneur Press
• Date de parution: 27 octobre 2020
• Nombre de lectures: 22
• EAN13: 9781613084397
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Entrepreneur Press, Publisher
Cover Design: Andrew Welyczko
Production and Composition: Eliot House Productions
2020 by Entrepreneur Media, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Reproduction or translation of any part of this work beyond that permitted by Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act without permission of the copyright owner is unlawful. Requests for permission or further information should be addressed Entrepreneur Media Inc. Attn: Legal Department, 18061 Fitch, Irvine, CA 92614.
This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional services. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought.
Entrepreneur Press is a registered trademark of Entrepreneur Media, Inc.
ISBN 978-1-61308-439-7
contents

foreword by Hayden Brown, president and CEO of Upwork
introduction
The Road to Six Figures
What to Expect in This Book
CHAPTER 1
your freelance launch point
Aiming for Six Figures as a Freelancer
Setting Realistic Financial Goals for Your Freelance Business: Your Finances
What Got You Here Might Not Get You There: Your Clients
Are Your Old Habits No Longer Serving You?
Avoiding Burnout: Your Schedule and Systems
Chapter Summary Points
CHAPTER 2
master your mindset
What s Your Why ?
How to Recognize Limiting Beliefs
The Beginner s Guide to Building a Mindset Practice
Get Started and Embrace the Journey
Habits of Six-Figure Freelancers
Chapter Summary Points
CHAPTER 3
agency vs. solo models
How Do I Know Which Model Is Right for Me?
Running a Solo Model Freelance Business
Starting an Agency
Tips for Switching from Agency to Solo Model
Does My Model Make Any Impact on Conversion?
Chapter Summary Points
CHAPTER 4
attracting and keeping high-dollar, high-value clients
How to Craft a Great Unique Value Proposition
Positioning Yourself to Potential Clients
Finding the Right Mix of Clients in Your Business
How to Identify Your Ideal Client Avatar
How to Handle Existing Non-Ideal Clients
Chapter Summary Points
CHAPTER 5
marketing for the advanced freelancer
Four Signs Your Marketing Process Is in Danger
Marketing Options for Advanced Freelancers
Tracking Your Marketing
Does Niching Make Sense?
Ten Advanced Freelancer Marketing Tips
Chapter Summary Points
CHAPTER 6
advanced proposals, packages, and retainers
Writing Winning Proposals
Packages Make Sense for You and the Client
How to Create Packages and Pricing
Mistakes to Avoid in Packaging
Leveraging Retainers
The Freelancer s Guide to Following Up
Chapter Summary Points
CHAPTER 7
running your business like a ceo
Phase 1: Owning Your Rates
Phase 2: Crushing Conversions
Phase 3: Creating a Template Pitch and Adding Client Pain Points
Phase 4: Claiming Ownership Over Your Finances
Phase 5: Nailing Your Boundaries Down and Honoring Them
Chapter Summary Points
CHAPTER 8
streamlining with systems and shortcuts
Setting Your MITs and Quarterly Rocks
Putting the Right Systems in Place
Limiting Distractions
Making the Most Out of Every Work Block
Setting Deadlines and Breaking Down Projects
Setting Up Automated Processes
Chapter Summary Points
CHAPTER 9
outsourcing to professionals
Why You Need to Outsource
Making the Most of Your Revenue-Generating Hours
Having the Right Mindset to Outsource
Knowing What You Should and Should Not Be Doing
Chapter Summary Points
CHAPTER 10
screening, training, and working with outsourced support
Attracting the Right Talent
Interviewing Your Prospective VA
How to Screen Test a Virtual Assistant
Giving Great Instructions
Paying a Virtual Assistant
Onboarding a VA
Outsourcing in Your Personal Life
What to Do If Your Virtual Assistant Doesn t Work Out
Chapter Summary Points
CHAPTER 11
your future-oriented business
The Freelancer s Introduction to Upskilling
The Freelancer s Guide to Pivoting
The Freelancer s Introduction to Passive Income
Getting Support for Your Growing and Evolving Business
Schedule Time for Working on the Business
Be Mindful of Burnout
It s Your Time
Chapter Summary Points
acknowledgments
about the author
index
foreword
by Hayden Brown, president and CEO of Upwork

T he work landscape is changing faster than it ever has, with remote work becoming mainstream, and more and more companies looking to the freelance workforce as an increasingly primary way to get critical work done. This shift in how we work is being accelerated by a powerful social undercurrent of newer generations in the workforce who are motivated by both personal passion and meaningful purpose, looking to rebalance what they get out of their work, seeking more autonomy to work for whom they want, when they want, where they want. Whether due to increased concerns about economic uncertainty, a reticence to rely on a single employer for job security, or the desire for a change in career to pursue a passion or build a more balanced life, an increasing number of professionals are looking to build careers as successful freelancers in a wide range of fields. But how to get started? And what kind of career is truly possible? Laura Pennington-Briggs provides compelling and essential answers to these questions, based on her extensive personal experience building a lucrative freelance career and coaching others to the same success.
Laura s book is particularly compelling in creating access for people of all backgrounds to tap into this high-potential career opportunity. When I was a child, my family spent several years living in Nepal, and it was there that I saw early on that there are amazing, talented people all over the world who have not historically had access to the global opportunities that are increasingly available online today. The old adage that talent is evenly distributed, but opportunities are not can finally be called into question by the rise of digital tools and freelancing platforms that make meaningful, sustainable work opportunities increasingly available to freelancers in all corners of the globe. This seismic shift towards leveling access to amazing work that can be done remotely is carving a pathway toward a truly inspiring future where your professional development and earning potential is not limited by where you were born or where you want to live.
One of the most uplifting parts of my work as the CEO of Upwork is hearing from freelancers on our platform about how independent remote work has completely changed their lives and economic outlook. I ve also read many books and articles that talk about the aspirational aspect of this change in professional status, but frustratingly, all too often readers are left wanting more practical advice about how to develop that six-figure career.
That s why I m grateful that Laura has given us this book, in which she shares her expert advice on the resources and tools available to help freelancers obtain the practical skills, develop the right mindsets, and understand, set, and achieve meaningful financial goals. Laura s passion and experience provides a competitive advantage for those who follow her wisdom and detailed playbook for how to build a sustaining freelancing business from the nuts and bolts of how to structure it to identifying which clients to pursue, how to market your services effectively, and how to continue deploying smart strategies to increase your income at a rapid pace. Perhaps most inspiring to me is the roadmap Laura sets forth for freelancers, whether they are in discovery mode or already entrenched in meaningful work, to not only make their own money, but to create a meaningful and sustainable livelihood. Laura s book helps close the gap between the perception of freelance work as being too risky, to the reality of highly profitable and rewarding careers of which each of us is capable of achieving on our own terms, without compromises.
There are a large and growing number of high-quality, flexible opportunities out there for freelancers in a variety of fields: not just for writers who have had many years of familiarity with the freelancing model, but also for virtual assistants, graphic designers, voiceover artists, project managers, web designers and developers, and beyond. Laura s book provides the toolkit that professionals can deploy regardless of their specific areas of expertise in order to build fulfilling freelancer careers that work for them. Companies today are now looking to work with people with more specialized skillsets, in regions further away from their traditional operations, which opens up a tremendous opportunity for independent professionals to build a stable roster of clients with diverse and interesting needs. This is the perfect moment to hear Laura s clear messages as she applies her vast experience as an accomplished freelancer and business owner to a range of professional fields and provides a complete and realistic view of freelancing opportunities in today s increasingly digital landscape.
introduction

L aura, your work samples are solid. But let me give you a piece of advic