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

We talk so much about freedom and the digital nomad lifestyle on this podcast, and that’s why I’m so excited to share this conversation with you. Rob Palmer is on the show today, and he’s a pioneer in that digital nomad lifestyle and the founder of GoFreelance.com. Rob started freelancing nearly 20 years ago. He started as a journalist then shifted to copywriting, scoring work with big tech companies like Apple, IBM and Microsoft. When he began his freelance career, he spent most of his time marketing and making connections to help bring in work. But as soon as he landed his first big client, all of his marketing efforts took a backseat. He realized that this just created a cycle of having to start from scratch every time a project ended. This insight pushed Rob to help other freelancers avoid the same cycles. He founded GoFreelance.com, where he teaches other aspiring digital nomads how to live their dream life, and how to leverage marketing and networking on an ongoing basis to keep the flow of incoming cli

Everyone in business wants to make money, right? Today, we’re going to talk about prioritizing money-making tasks. Every task is different and we need to figure out how each one will benefit our bottom line. All tasks are not created equal There’s no denying that some tasks are simply worth more than others. Your Instagram post for the day will not get you as much money as calling back a client. We need to be deliberate and careful about how we spend our time each day and assign an ROI (return on investment) to the tasks we choose to do. To understand this better, you need to understand the three types of money on which your business operates. 1. Money Now This is money that is coming in the next 1-30 days. These are generally quick turn around projects that are straight forward and require minimal discovery or research. 2. Maintenance Money Maintenance money is the recurring money. It’s the retainers or recurring money that we work at to fulfill deliverables. A lot of people (for many reasons) choose to go f

Today’s episode is something special. I was recently a guest on the Today I Am podcast with Lauryn Miranda, and the conversation was so good. I wanted to replay this episode for you because she asked me so many great questions about money mindset, abundance mindset, and how those things can effect your live and business. Lauryn has done something amazing with her podcast — she’s created a nourishing and supportive space dedicated to authenticity, spirituality, and social transformation. I highly recommend you check it out. I hope you guys enjoy this episode, and please go check out Lauryn’s show! “If I’m able to put out into the world my intentions, where I want to go in this world, then I’m giving specific instructions to my brain for what I want to make happen and it will help me make that happen.” In this episode Lauryn and I talked about: How I got to be the freelancer I am today, and the mindset that helped me get here (and helps me succeed today). My thoughts on money, and how I use it to further my

Today’s guest is Kate Jones. Kate is founder of Kate Waldo + Co. Kate loves helping influencers focus on their strengths by eliminating the stress and streamlining their businesses. Kate got started with her organizing business because she loved systems, and got her thrills from figuring out how to optimize and organize people’s professional and personal lives. After struggling to scale the business, it was time for a major intervention on the administrative side. Though lots of experimentation and trail and error, she was able to figure out what worked for her business. In this episode, we talk about how to optimize your business and how to automate certain tasks so that you can keep doing what you love to do. “If you don’t have a solid foundation and systems in place under the hood, it can look really good out in the world for a little while, but you can’t maintain it. You’re going to miss something.” In this episode Kate talks about: How she manages her personal and professional life with tasks, organiz

Today’s guest is Celia Yarwood. Celia is founder and designer at Blurred Pixel based in Tallinn, Estonia. After decided to step away from the corporate world, Celia started her own online agency to offer branding and website design services. She previously worked for Addison Group, which is part of WPP, the leading advertising agency in the world. She has been designing for more than five years and doesn’t see herself stopping anytime soon. She loves getting in on the ground floor and working with entrepreneurs and companies who aren’t sure where to start with their brand or website, and then helping take that branding to the next level. Celia’s experience and knowledge about how to connect to your intuition and deepest self, come from her own life. She lives every day infused with fun and happiness and has a deep sense of contentment — something she hopes to bring to every interaction with others. “The small voice or instinct in your gut and heart that can offer guidance. And this can sometimes be gentle gu

Getting clients is hard work, and it’s even harder if you don’t have the mindset for it. In the first few months of my business, I did not have a killer client mindset. But I worked at it, trained it like a muscle, and now I think I’ve got a pretty great client mindset! Today, I’m going to share with you a couple of tricks for cultivating a killer client mindset and taking your business to the next level. Using neuroplasticity to your advantage You can change your situation by changing your mindset. If I gave you a dollar for every red car you saw, you would start noticing a lot more red cars. The same is true with success. If you strengthen the neural pathway that tells you you’ll land clients and be successful, then chances are, you will. This is the foundation for having a killer client mindset. Read your affirmations daily You need to have a list of affirmations to tell your brain what you want your reality to be like. To create your inner reality, write it down and describe it with great detail. Read it

Today’s guest is Kristin Kaplan. Kristin runs a consulting business where she helps creative entrepreneurs and online experts create revenue quickly in order to gain freedom in their businesses. Before getting into consulting, Kristin owned and operated a wedding planning business. She noticed many of the small businesses she worked with were not making enough money, or weren’t profitable at all. She decided to figure out a way to help them, and over time it grew into a fully-fledged consulting firm. Today, Kristin helps small businesses “Plan to Profit” and strategize approaches to their business’ offerings, happily immersing herself in goals, action plans, budgets, marketing strategies, and mission statements. In this episode, we dig deep into how to create more profit for your business, how to price properly, and elevate your income. “It all comes back to taking action and executing because you can just keep sitting there and dreaming of all the cool things you want to do or the ideas that you have, but i

We all want to grow our businesses. But are you going about it in the right way? Today we’re talking all about the growth stages of your business — how they work, and how you can utilize them best to accomplish your goals. Preparing for Growth Before anything, you need to make sure that you prepare for growth. This means fleshing out the details of your businesses, making sure your finances are in order, and that all your other infrastructure is in place so that when growth arrives you’re not unprepared. Growth Phase Now that you’ve prepared for growth, the growing phase is pretty straightforward: you’re growing! This is the time when you need to be hitting the streets, talking to potential clients, and lining up new work. You also need to be communicating to existing clients why your growth phase will benefit them and how they will see value in your growth. Stabilizing Stabilizing is like moving into a light jog after being in an all-out sprint. You can finally breathe a little bit. While you are stabilizing

Katherine McDermott is back on the show! I was so excited to talk to her again, because she has so much great advice for freelancers. Before striking out on her own, Katherine managed the brand of an Inc. 500 Fastest Growing Company while landing press in Buzzfeed, Forbes, Good Morning America, among others. She also served as the Director of Marketing and Communications for HGTV’s Property Brothers. Katherine now runs Slightly Savvy, an influencer’s sneak peek behind the scenes of the PR world, built to deliver the most transparent PR insights to bloggers and influencers who want to transform their blog into a business. Like many others, when Katherine was growing up, she was taught not to talk about religion, money, or politics with others. So most people just feel, from the beginning, that talking about money and pricing is tacky. However, she found that if you never bring it up with clients, you’re never going to get paid what you want, and sometimes even end up working for free (or close to it). She want

As freelancers, we generally don’t have the luxury of a regular routine or schedule, which can effect our health and our bodies. Today, I’m sharing nine steps that I use to keep my body and mind healthy while keeping my stress levels at a minimum. 1. Drink water Our bodies are made of 70 percent water! We are constantly losing water during the day from different activities, so we should be drinking at least half our body weight in ounces every day. We need that water to function properly, so set a goal of how many bottles you’ll drink a day and try to hit it. 2. Consume 30 grams of protein in the morning Protein gives you the energy you need to power through to lunch. You can accomplish this with things like Greek yogurt, eggs, or protein powder. Try adding in some leafy greens as well. It’s easy to throw some of these items into a blender and make a smoothie and take it with you. You’ll have the energy you need to take on the morning! 3. Pack healthy snacks ahead of time Do all of the prep work the night bef

In today’s episode, I talk with Elley Mae Charles. Elley is the founder of “Becoming Boss Society” a woman-focused consultancy aimed at transforming side hustles into full-time businesses. Elley has been hustling since high school. She started in photography before transitioning into a successful beauty and makeup blog. In her early 20s, she had a full-time job that was eventually eliminated by her employer. She was determined to use the opportunity to strike out on her own and be her own boss. She was drawn to the path of running her own business because of the freedom it offered. She wanted to make her own rules and be her own boss, rather than be seen as an expense to someone else. Creating a positive mindset, being intentional about her work, and batching monotonous tasks are just some of the things have helped her create a successful business. In this conversation, she shares some of the secrets and stories that got her to where she is today. “As long as you have unshakable faith in yourself that you’ve

Proposals are an important part of freelancing. There isn’t “one way” to write proposals. Different situations require different kinds of proposals. However, we can always improve, and here are some strategies that will help you write great proposals your clients will love. 1. Cut the fluff Your clients are busy people. They are CEOs, founders, entrepreneurs, etc. They don’t have time to wade through a giant proposal filled with extra “stuff” designed to make it look important. Streamline your proposals so they can be digested in five minutes or less, but be sure to include all the information your client may need. 2. Do a discovery call The key to a good proposal is information. You need to find out what your client is thinking, what their problems are (in depth), and sell them on how you will be able to fix those problems. Do a discovery call, and make sure you ask as many questions as you need to get a full understanding of what their problems are, their timelines, and your deliverables. 3. Streamline one-

In today’s episode, I talk with Giselle Field. Giselle is a one-woman branding and design company. She loves to travel, and uses her travels as inspiration for her work. Giselle started college as an art major, but realized it wasn’t for her. She quickly stumbled upon a graphic design class and has never looked back. After college, she had a hard time finding full-time design work, and this pushed her to pursue freelancing and build her skills as an entrepreneur. Overcoming fear and getting out of her comfort zone were crucial in getting Giselle to where she is today. Diving into freelancing full-time can be a scary scenario, especially if it’s not something you’re choosing. But Giselle realized she had to find ways to move out of her comfort zone in order to move forward personally and professionally. Along the way, her now husband introduced her to rock climbing, which was helped her carry her confidence into the business world. The sport has taught her a lot about fear and perseverance, and has helped her

Creativity can be a hard thing to recapture. With our busy lives and all the distractions, sometimes it can fall by the wayside. As freelancers, we need this creativity to move forward with our businesses. Here are a few tips to getting your creative spark back. 1. Change Your Environment When you’re stuck in the same place day in and day out, it can wear on you. Try changing it up a little bit and working from a new location. It can be a coffee shop, a friend’s house, or on a hike. Try to change up your surroundings and you’ll be amazed at how much better you feel. 2. Get Human Contact Humans are social creatures and we thrive on interactions. We all get busy and forget to go and hang out with our friends or have lunches with peers. Go interact with people (and get some hugs if you can)! The exchange of energy between you and another person is a great fix for a creative slump. 3. Make A Bliss List I truly believe that the energy we’re feeling will attract more of the same. Write down a five-point list of you

In today’s episode, I talked with Court Baker. Court is a six-figure business coach for women launching online coaching business. She’s an expert in online marketing strategies that help coaches build six- and seven-figure businesses. Through working with other coaches, Court learned how to help them with their businesses, and, specifically, how to increase their social followings. She knew where people wanted to be and how to get them there, and her business was born out of her talent for marketing and advising. Authenticity and personal branding are key to growing a coaching business, and Court helps her clients create authentic social media strategies. As you’ll hear, this expertise comes from her own personal experiences with letting people peek into her life and showing vulnerability. It’s allowed her customers to trust her and feel connected to her as a consultant. Court has been in the industry for 10 years and knows how to help clients get what they deserve. “Share your heart, your vulnerability, you

Working with a team is one of the best things that you can do to help accomplish your goals. It refocuses your time on the important high-value tasks that only you do, and that make your business work. Here are some tips for managing your team more effectively. 1. Clearly communicate expectations When you’re hiring someone, it’s a good practice to write out an in-depth job description so that you know what kind of skills are needed. It also helps clarify things such as pay and time commitment. Make sure the person you end up hiring is aware of your expectations. 2. Define KPIs KPIs, or Key Performance Indicators, are critical. Every person you hire will need to handle a different role and there should be different benchmarks by which they are evaluated. It’s important to let your team members know what success looks like for their position, so make sure that KPIs are clearly communicated. 3. Set up weekly one-on-ones It’s important to meet with your team at least once a week. Ask them how they’re doing, show

Taking action quickly is the most important thing that you can do to accomplish your goals. Sometimes it seems scary or intimidating. It can also be hard to know where to start. So, here are some tips on how to take action so that you can feel like you’re getting stuff done. Action brings clarity Taking action allows you to test results. It brings validation to what you’re doing and you eliminate some of the confusion (or at least options) in your brain, which creates more clarity on the direction you should be heading. Action helps manifestation Your brain truly can attract the reality that you desire. But attracting the opportunities is only the first step: you need to take action on the opportunities that come to you. The more opportunities you take action on, the more opportunities will come your way. It’s a positive cycle of manifestation and taking action. Schedule action Put your action items on the calendar and make time for them so that you are forced to take action on it. If that’s not working, try

Today we’re talking about networking. Networking is crucial for getting more business and referrals, so you want to try to expand your network at every opportunity. Here are three tips for how I expanded my network when I first moved to Austin, and how you can replicate these strategies for your own success. 1. Attend local events Interacting with people in your space and sharing tips and ideas with them is a great way to quickly expand your network. Remember to ask people how you can support them. This gesture means a lot, and they’ll be sure to remember your kindness. 2. Say “Hi” to strangers Some of my current friendships came from saying “Hi” to random people in coffee shops! Set a goal of saying “Hi” to two people every day for a month and watch how your network explodes. It’s easier than it sounds. Start by complementing someone on something relevant, and use that as a gateway to a bigger conversation. 3. Use your existing network Pick someone in your network that you admire and ask them to put you in t

In today’s episode, I talked with Jen Davis. Jen owns and operates Jen Davis Design, a branding company focused on small, women-owned, creative businesses. Jen is a self-taught designer and started her career studying journalism. After graduating, she realized she was drawn more to the visual side of journalism, which led to learning design. Though she’s not a journalist, storytelling is a big part of her job as a designer. After a few stints with magazines, she ended up moving to Texas and her freelance career was born (mostly out of necessity). Building an abundance mindset has been one of the best things Jen has done for her business. It has allowed her to create opportunities for her business that she never thought possible. It’s also enabled her to start saying “no” more often, which is a critical component of running a successful freelance business. Jen has also learned a lot from failure along the way and, more importantly, has learned how to use failure to grow. She also emphasizes the importance of l

Today we’re talking about money and reaching that elusive goal of a six-figure salary. I really believe that all of you have the potential to be making $100k per year (or more.) Here are five tips on how you can get to a six-figure income. 1. Conviction You need to believe that you are selling the absolute best product someone can buy. People can tell when you’re not convicted about what you’re selling and that will end with you not making the sale. Really believe that you are doing right by your customer and that they are getting a premium product. 2. Educate yourself You are a business owner, you are in charge of marketing and sales. You need to be continually educating yourself on how you can do a better job, how you can make more sales, and how you can share value with your clients. 3. Persistence Keep going even if you get a lot of “No’s”. Every time you get a no is an opportunity to refine and practice your sales skills, and you’re getting closer to the “Yes”. 4. Selling is a good thing The exchange of