I will be on summer hiatus from June to September. This episode gives you a quick update about my summer plans and provides a sneak peek into what I’m looking forward to talking about in September.

Resources:

• Support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee
• Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group
• Connect with Melanie on Threads @MelEdits_DC
• Connect with Melanie on LinkedIn
• Melanie’s other podcast, Association Station

Today’s guest is Austin L. Church, who returns to the show to talk about his book “Free Money.”

Austin lives in Knoxville, Tennessee. He helps e-commerce founders stand out online with their brand strategy. Lately, he’s been working as a fractional chief marketing officer, consulting for creator economy companies. He also coaches freelance creatives.

Austin returned to the podcast to talk about his new book, “Free Money,” which I have read and highly recommend for all freelancers.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Who this book is for and why he wrote it.
• How our beliefs about money from childhood affect our businesses now.
• The financial numbers you need to know to run your business.
• What “pessimistic pricing” and “weirdly precise” numbers are.
• Set a price that reduces the chances you will resent the client or the project.
• The fine line between setting boundaries and being difficult to work with.
• Why the “hustle” isn’t sustainable and can lead to burnout.
• The four stages of freelancing: Moonlighter, Hustler, Lifestyler and Diversifier.
• The money mindset questions Austin asks his clients. For example, fill in the blank: Wealthy people are __________. Making money is __________.
• How to address our money beliefs and improve our financial literacy.
• Why investing in a business coach can be important to improve your business.

Resources:

• Austin’s book: “Free Money: Nine Counterintuitive Moves for Life-Changing Freelance Income”
• Support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee
  
• Connect with Melanie on Threads @MelEdits_DC
  
• Connect with Melanie on LinkedIn
  
• Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group

Today’s guest is Rachel Meltzer. Rachel lives in Massachusetts after doing the “van life” thing for a few years. She is a freelance writer for software as a service companies or SaaS. She’s written for Lenovo, Grammarly, Loom, FarOut, Six Moon Designs and more in the tech and outdoor recreation industries.

She’s also a coach. She’s coached over 100 freelance writers on launching their businesses and getting clients and then scaling their businesses. She loves the freedom that freelancing gives her to thru-hike, live in a van, move whenever she wants, and spend time with her loyal cat, Bonnie.

In this episode, we talk about:

• The winding journey that led her to a freelance writing career.
• How her Appalachian Trail thru-hike in 2018 changed her life.
• The value in community and sharing experiences with other people.
• How she went from a scarcity mindset to a healthier perspective.
• The jealousy we’ve had of other freelancers and how we fight against that.
• What she learned from a failed project.
• The importance of perseverance in landing clients.
• How to “ooch” up your rates.
• A simple system and aggressive outreach to get clients via LinkedIn.
• The script she uses in a LinkedIn connection request.
• What her weekly structure looks like — and why she changes it up about every six months.
• How she schedules time off in advance — instead of taking “burnout” vacations.

Biz Bite: Use ChatGPT to create your weekly schedule.

One of several tips on how to use AI she learned from TikToker SuperHumanCo

Resources:

• Rachel’s free Get Clients on LinkedIn webinar on June 11
• Free Get Clients Guidebook
• Tons of free and low-fee resources from Rachel
• Rachel’s website and 1:1 coaching information
• The Guidebook podcast
• Austin Church on The Guidebook: Austin L. Church's morning marketing habit will change your life
• Jenni Gritters on The Guidebook: Jenni Gritters slowed down
• Episode #182 of Deliberate Freelancer: A massive pivot from freelancing to owning a business with her husband, with business coach Jenni Gritters
• Episode #164 of Deliberate Freelancer: Using a “freakout” protocol to get work now, with Austin Church
• Support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee
• Connect with Melanie on Threads @MelEdits_DC
• Connect with Melanie on LinkedIn
• Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group