Beyond The Status Quo Podcast | Entrepreneurship | Career | Finances | Motivation | Personal Development | Relationships

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’

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

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 o

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 Focus

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

In the past year, I went through a time where I felt like I had come to an endpoint in my learning. Whether it was my ego protecting me from taking on too much or just my packed schedule in general, I foolishly believed I had learned all there was to know about my craft and business. Though I previously believed I was a growth mindset person, I found myself in a place with a fixed mindset that was limiting me from moving forward in my life and in my business. In today’s episode I want to share some tips for how you can access your growth mindset even if you’re currently in a fixed mindset. And even if you do have a growth mindset, these tips are helpful reminders that can deepen your commitment to growth. “I still sometimes have a limiting mindset. But we are all human. There are new things that we’re uncovering and learning and we’re always going to have so much more to learn.” In this episode we talk about: Forming good learning habits. Surrounding yourself with the right individuals and opportunities

In today’s episode, I talk with Andrea Collins. Andrea is a former national radio host and is now a freelance voiceover artist making a six-figure income. Andrea spent close to 13 years in radio and television before going out on her own. And over the past year, she’s been building her business from the ground up. It has been an exciting and scary time all at once, so Andrea dug in to freelancing as a way to ‘layoff-proof’ her job. She didn’t want to be subjected to the whims of the tumultuous media industry. She started with some podcast consulting and had a few other channels, when voiceover work started to produce some good results. She leaned into it and found resources that allowed her to audition for many jobs each day, and ultimately was able to create a replicable business model. If you are someone who’s been on the fence about freelancing, or don’t know how to begin, this is the perfect episode for you. “When people are starting out they think that they need to have had a lot of work to show. They

Being able to win clients without having to give them a pitch is such a helpful tactic to use when running a business. I want to share these strategies because it’s how I’ve been able to close almost all of the clients I talk to. In this episode, I’ll share all of the details and tactics I use to close client deals without ever having to do a traditional sales pitch. “You should have tons of questions, and make sure they’re useful questions. Do your research beforehand. Find the things you don’t need, see if some of those questions are answered online, and then bring everything else to the table.” In this episode Avani talks about: The dos and don’ts of talking to clients about your services. How to quickly establish rapport. The importance of a potential client’s goals. 7 Strategies to win over clients without a pitch 1. Take the lead As soon as you introduce yourself to a potential client, don’t be afraid to set the agenda and dive in. Doing this helps demonstrate your knowledge on the subject and

This episode goes behind the scenes to share some things that I’m doing to dive into the next five to 10 years ahead of me. For me and my business, it’s always top of mind to be looking forward to make sure what I’m doing today aligns with where I want to be in the future. Learning to cast your vision is important for the future. When we plan out for the next week, we need to know where we’re going. Why should it be any different when we plan years in advance? This is the essential thinking behind the process of casting your vision and we dive deep into the process in this episode. “How do I know what I should be doing next year if I don’t know where I want to be in 10 years? I need to take the time to map what that looks like and then work backwards to make sure my actions are in alignment with what it is I want ultimately in my life.” In this episode Avani talks about: The effects casting your vision can have on your future. Where she wants to be in 2025. How you can also plan ahead to find the best

Mental shifts are the key to making big moves in business. The strategies and tactics are great, but they’re not going to make a difference unless you’ve put yourself into that mental space where you need to be. If you get yourself in the right mindset, and continue to practice that, everything else falls in line almost effortlessly. It’s amazing being able to watch that unfold in your own business. “I’m constantly looking to level up. I’m constantly looking to become a better version of me, for myself, for my family, for my husband and for my team, and my clients.” In this episode Avani talks about: Shifting your mindset to become the best version of yourself. James Clear’s Be-Do-Have framework. How to tell yourself who you are and where you want to be in the future. 1. Daily affirmations These are “I am…” statements that affirm who you want to be. You can journal these, say them aloud, or any other way that helps you to tell yourself what you want to be. 2. Future pacing This is similar to affir

Tracy Timm is the founder of Nth Degree Career Academy, and a career coach who works with individuals and organizations who want to realize their full potential, do work they love, and make an impact at the same time. She has a fascinating story that I’m excited to share with you in today’s episode. In a way, Tracy was her own first client. She found herself in a place of misery with her job, wondering every day if this was all there was to life. She tolerated the job because she was making money and achieving some level of success (at least on the outside). Eventually she decided it was time to quit. And the process she worked through is the same one she now uses with clients. The steps she took to figure out what she really wanted and turn that into a profitable business became a blueprint she could use to help others do the same. Tracy and I related on so many levels in this episode. It was great to hear how she helps people redefine their lives so they can chase success. This is the perfect episode for

After reflecting on 2019, one of the things I wanted to get better at in 2020 was nourishing my energy. Often, I overload myself by saying ‘yes’ to so many different things and I want to change that this year. Too often, I pour myself out and help or volunteer, but I found that the more I poured out of my cup, the less I had for myself. I’ve started taking several steps this year to nourish my energy, and want to share them with you today. “At the end of the day, if I’m going to be a good business owner and a good leader, I need to invest in myself. I need to pour into myself. We need to take care of ourselves and our energy in order to be the best we can be for others.” In this episode Avani talks about: Why it’s important to nourish your energy as a freelancer. How to allow flexibility into your schedule without compromising productivity. Changing up your work week and letting it evolve to play to your strengths. 1. Block off mornings Make your morning sacred. Use your mornings (until 9 or 10 am)

Designing your ideal week as a freelancer is one of my favorite topics and in this episode we talk about how to do it effectively. It’s important that we get our weeks right as freelancers so that we can optimize our time for the best productivity, the best output, and to match the times of day our brains work the best. Setting your own schedule is one of the best parts about being a freelancer, but it’s important to make sure you actually set a schedule for yourself. “The key thing to remember is that proper planning prevents poor performance. If you want your week to work for you, you have to plan it in advance. It has to be put together very deliberately.” In this episode Avani talks about: How to plan out your work week as a freelancer. How to allow flexibility in your schedule without compromising productivity. Changing up your work week and letting it evolve to play to your strengths. 1. Set the days you will not work On a calendar, or a schedule in front of you, cross out the days that you wil

We all have times in our lives where our minds dwell on something negative for too long and we can’t get past it. I had one of those weeks recently, and I want to share what helped me get through it. Ultimately, when I look back on this experience, I realize that this was an experience that happened for me, instead of to me, and that I was able to learn a lot about myself when I reflect on it. “We suffer more in imagination than in reality. We as humans tend to put ourselves through the ringer when we don’t need to. We make things up, we make things mean more than they need to.” In this episode Avani talks about: How to get out of your own head. Leaning into your support group for help. Learning how to remember gratitude during stressful times. 1. Don’t get caught up in your own thought process As humans, we tend to make things a bigger deal than they actually are. It’s our brains trying to make meaning out of that situation. It’s important to separate yourself from that situation and to stop identif

2019 has come and gone, and while I was reflecting, I realized that some of the highlights for me had to do with reframing. As an NLP follower, we’re taught that events in life have no inherent meaning, it’s up to our brains to assign meaning to them. This means that we can change the meaning of almost every thing that happens to us. In 2019, I had several events that could have been negative experiences, but I decided to reframe them to be more positive and to see what I gained from experiencing them. This was a powerful exercise and helped me get through 2019. In this episode, I walk through some tips on reframing events in your life so that you can take those potentially negative situations and see the light at the end of the tunnel. “I realized that reframing was so powerful, and being able to use it very deliberately in my life has given me the ability to move past things and take the most positive things away from my experiences, whether they were positive or not.” Avani’s three questions to ask when

Sometimes life steps in and gives you the break you need. That’s what happened to me the weekend before Christmas. Long story short, I was without my phone for four days, and even though the situation could have been avoided, I reframed it as a positive digital detox experience. Here are a few things I learned, and how you can apply them to your own digital detox. The best version of you might just be when you’re unplugged! “It’s healthy for us to lose our phones in our house once in awhile and be away from them. Have nights with our loved ones where it’s a no phone or no internet night, or just unplug the internet. You might play a board game and have fun instead of sitting and watching Netflix or scrolling on Instagram and getting lost in the Instagram echo chamber.” In this episode Avani talks about: How she stumbled into a digital detox. How she uses her devices differently and how they affected her detox. What she discovered about herself when she didn’t have her phone to distract her. 1. Filli

One of the first episodes of this podcast focused on how to get a raise. After nearly 200 episodes, I realized that I needed to revise some of my earlier suggestions. To that end, I want to revisit the steps for how to easily and effortlessly get a raise. If you’re serious about getting a raise, write these steps down and start applying them today, because you will notice—especially with the first step—that this isn’t an overnight process. “If we’re working for other people and we’re working our butts off towards a mission, a goal, or something amazing, why not get the most out of what we’re doing in our nine to five?” In this episode Avani talks about: How she used to feel about raises and how she would go about getting them. Why it’s important to hold yourself (and others) accountable for getting your raise. Strategies and resources for determining how much of a raise to ask for, and how to go about asking for it. 1. Prepare your manager for the ask I like to start six months in advance, and set goa

This time of year is one of my favorites. It provides an opportunity to plan for the year ahead and to do it deliberately. Good years don’t just happen by accident. We make them happen. In today’s episode I share exactly what I plan to do to make my year a good one. Even though I use the same methods each year, the plan itself evolves. I do it with my family, with my husband, and and it’s something you can use as a blueprint. You don’t have to copy it exactly, but use it as a starting point as you plan your year ahead. Let’s get planning! “If I had one secret to give you and leave you with, it’s that if you want to know how things can always go well for you, all you need to do is practice gratitude every single day.” In this episode Avani talks about: Why she organizes her thoughts and aspirations before the new year. Why gratitude is so important in her life, and why it should be important in yours as well. How making lists of what she learned in the previous year hep her prep for the next one. Make

Education is one of the strongest ways we can empower people in their own lives. Most of the time when people launch a new business as service providers, it’s in a one-to-one structure. But we can have so much more impact, and empower more people, when we move to a one-to-many structure and amplify how we teach. This is exactly why I wanted to talk with Emily Walker. She’s the founder of Modern Leaders Collective. Emily uses online courses to help entrepreneurs create courses for their own businesses. By creating these courses, she is able to reach a much broader audience than she would with one-on-one coaching, and she helps her clients do the same. In her career as an educator, Emily has seen that the strongest courses are usually created by people who have worked with enough clients that they can start to see the patterns in their habits, obstacles, and pain points. One of the biggest things she’s learned over time in her business is that it’s OK to launch something that’s not perfect. You can always iter

When life gets busy, especially during the holiday season, it’s easy to lose that white space that sparks creative energy. In 2020, one of the things I want to work on is protecting my creative energy so I can inspire creative ideas easily and effortlessly. I’m working on five things that I want to do more of as we move into the new year to come up with amazing, impactful ideas. I’m excited to share them so that you can also make those impactful ideas for yourself, your clients, your friends, and your family. “One of my favorite things to do is create and in order for me to be constantly creating I need to work out my creative muscle. It’s something that I need to do on a regular basis. Just like I work out my physical muscles at the gym, I need to work out my creative muscle as well.” In this episode Avani talks about: Protecting her creative energy when life gets busy. How she gets past creativity roadblocks. The importance of analog media to the creative process. 1. Step away If you feel like you’r