Coaching Series: Can Zach take this entry-level freelancer (Brad) to a 6-figure income ($8,333/month) in 6 months?
Follow their journey through the ups and downs and watch them grow!
Milestones from today’s episode:
- Brad’s significant change in mindset, strategic client acquisition and effective time management
- Set clear boundaries around work availability and expectations for client communication, including Slack and work schedules.
- The complexities of billable hours versus personal development time and the distinction between customer service activities and business growth tasks
Coaching highlights from today’s episode:
- Define customer expectations to avoid misunderstandings and maintain a healthy customer-contractor relationship
- Balancing the need for personal development and meeting customer expectations without sacrificing business growth or personal well-being
- Shift from thinking of an employee to thinking of a business owner, focusing on the independence, choices and feelings involved in self-employment.
Original coaching call recording date: 10/27/2023
The DYF Accelerator Community includes weekly live 20-minute one-on-one Zoom coaching with Zach that follows the same format you saw here.
You’ll also have access to our huge library of all past coaching calls, as well as a text-based community and weekly accountability check-ins.
Click here to find out more “
- 12:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. — Zach hosts the podcast series focused on freelance success, with the goal of helping Brad reach a six-figure income in six months.
- 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. — Brad shares his progress, crediting his turnaround to Zach’s advice and support from his network and potential clients.
- 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. — Discussion about the transition to working with more professional clients and the positive impact on Brad’s work environment and mindset.
- 6:00 – 8:00 — Zach and Brad explore the benefits of broadening skills and the potential of building a personal brand in the freelancing and marketing industries.
- 8:00 – 10:00 — Zach highlights the importance of content creation and sharing success stories as a strategy for freelancers to generate leads and build authority in their niche.
- 10:00 – 12:00 — Zach discusses repurposing content across multiple platforms and encourages Brad to share his experiences and learnings.
- 12:00 – 2:00 p.m. — Brad expresses a desire to better understand billable hours, moving from the pressure of tracking time on Upwork to a professional environment.
- 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. — Zach reflects on the rapid progress Brad has made, questioning the original six-month goal and recognizing the time needed for substantial change.
- 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. — The discussion on billable hours continues, with Zach sharing his evolving perspective on the topic and considering alternatives such as project-based pricing.
- 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. — Zach suggests a weekly retention model for Brad, focusing on availability rather than exact hours worked, to maintain a balance between client expectations and workload.
- 8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. — Zach discusses pricing strategies for efficiencies in outreach tasks, advocating for project pricing on an hourly basis to benefit from efficiencies.
- 22:00 – 24:00 — Brad is comfortable with hourly billing at the moment, focusing on learning and value creation rather than quick financial strategies, and aims to avoid undercutting himself.
- 24:00 – 26:00 — Brad expresses his desire to approach his role professionally, going beyond personality to obtain positions, and seeks clarity on what counts as billable work.
- 26:00 – 28:00 — The conversation shifts to the specifics of Brad’s role, focusing more on setting up affiliate programs than cold outreach, with an emphasis on personalization and efficiency.
- 28:00 – 30:00 — Zach shares his philosophy on what should be considered billable work, with an emphasis on communication and agreement with clients, and discusses the nuances between entrepreneur and employee expectations .
- 30:00 – 32:00 — Zach clarifies when personal development should be considered billable, distinguishing between skills learned for the client’s immediate needs and general professional growth.
- 32:00 – 34:00 — Emphasizes communication with clients on billable activities to ensure mutual understanding, suggesting categorizing uncertain tasks for discussion.
- 34:00 – 36:00 — Brad identifies the importance of distinguishing between activities that serve the customer and those that serve the growth of the personal business, using participation in a focus group as an example.
- 36:00 – 38:00 — Discussion of the challenges of determining billable work and the importance of communicating and agreeing with clients on what constitutes billable work.
- 38:00 – 40:00 — Zach shares his personal experiences and lessons on billing practices, advocating for ongoing, proactive communication with clients about billable tasks and setting clear expectations.
- 40:00 – 42:00 — Brad discusses balancing being available on Slack with personal time management and not feeling guilty about spending time on activities like masterminds that indirectly benefit the client.
- 42:00 – 44:00 — Zach advises that unless you are compensated for constant availability, one should not feel obligated to be on Slack all the time, suggesting setting specific work hours for communication with clients.
- 44:00 – 46:00 — Strategies for managing work hours and client expectations on Slack, emphasizing the importance of setting boundaries and suggesting scheduled check-ins for regular updates.
- 46:00 – 48:00 — Discussion on handling cold calls and the importance of scheduling meetings to ensure both parties respect each other’s time and professional boundaries.
- 48:00 – 50:00 — Zach encourages Brad to let go of the guilt associated with spending time on personal development activities and establish clear communication and boundaries with clients regarding availability and expectations.
- 50:00 – 52:00 — Zach shares his experience setting boundaries as an entrepreneur in a predominantly employee environment, emphasizing the importance of defining one’s role and needs.
- 52:00 – 54:00 — The importance of entrepreneurs setting terms and intentionally growing their business, in contrast to employee expectations and the flexibility entrepreneurs provide to customers.
- 54:00 – 56:00 — Discusses the misconception that entrepreneurs dedicate their entire lives to a client’s business and the importance of balancing client work with growing one’s own business.
- 56:00 – 58:00 — Zach offers advice on managing feelings of guilt around spending time on personal development, emphasizing the importance of balancing client work with actions that benefit the entrepreneur’s business.
- 58:00 – 01:01:56 — Brad expresses concern about meeting expectations and managing time effectively, while Zach advises prioritizing client work over less lucrative tasks like driving Uber.