Freelance Road Trip Podcast

The intersection of inspired creativity and common business sense for freelance designers, illustrators, and photographers who want to have fulfilling, successful businesses. Hosted by Alvalyn Lundgren.

Episodes

Your Client Is Not Your Enemy

April 30, 2021 • 20 min

Ever have a client relationship turn sideways or go south? If you've been freelancing awhile you've likely experienced when a client shifts expectations or makes an odd request. Poor relationships with your clients can affect not just your freelance business, but your creative drive, your household, your friendships, your loved ones, and even your future success. Using a true story shared by a fellow freelancer,? I unpack a...

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5 Practical Steps To Shift From Artist To Owner

April 23, 2021 • 22 min

The allure of freelancing... Why do we do it? And then, how do we do it? The freelance economy is growing across all sectors. According to a Gallup–Upwork poll, there are around 57M independent contractors in the US currently. The majority of those is creatives. To freelance successfully means you're taking care of business so that you are free to focus on your creative work. How can you avoid fizzling out and having to return...

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Use Creative Briefs To Build Trust

April 16, 2021 • 22 min

Are you using a creative brief, also know as assignment or design brief, in your project development process? A brief can help you build trust with your clients for a variety of reasons. In this episode I share what a brief is and how your client relationships and freelance business as a whole can benefit by using them.

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Cultivating Limitless Success

April 10, 2021 • 31 min

How you think affects how well you do creatively and business-wise. What you think either hinders or promotes. We all struggle with limiting beliefs and negative thinking, but we don't have to embrace them. In this episode I share for your consideration a mindset shift through the analogy of gardening and farming. This may make a difference for you if you're struggling as a freelance creative.

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How The PRO Act Will Make Life Worse For Freelancers

April 2, 2021 • 30 min

The PRO Act, which is now included in the massive infrastructure bill, and the Worker Flexibility and Small business Protection Act, will make things very difficult for freelance creatives if it becomes law with the ABC test intact. If freelancing and independent contracting is no longer considered legitimate, and we all have to be employees, what do we lose? Whether or not an employer is a union shop or not, what do we lose? Don&...

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Budgeting Smarts For Freelancers

March 26, 2021 • 25 min

Money is a necessary tool in business and life, and freelancers can embrace the budgeting process creatively. Budgeting is good stewardship, and enables you to maintain momentum when your income fluctuates month to month. A spending plan can help you become more profitable because it gives you more control. I share an approach to your spending plan that's flexible, practical, and immediately actionable. Feast or famine income i...

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Contracts, Spec Work, and the Friends & Family Plan

March 20, 2021 • 24 min

Freelance creatives can often get stuck on smaller problems, odd requests, and indecision. To that end, I offer insights to questions listeners and readers have asked regarding working on spec (speculatively), contracts, legal business structures, and when your clients are family members or friends.

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Does Formal Design Education Matter?

March 11, 2021 • 15 min

A young designer asked me if formal education makes a difference in becoming successful. Having earned a degree, and having taught part-time in a design program for 25 years in addition to my design work, I have some bias about this topic. I frame my response with my bias in mind. The designer who posed the question is not formally trained. Her question was if formal education makes a difference and not if it is necessary for succe...

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Why the PRO Act Should Scare You

March 5, 2021 • 33 min

Freelancers of all types should be concerned about pending labor legislation. The ABC test to determine independent contractor vs. employee status in California's independent contractor law is being pushed forward nationally in the forms of the PRO Act and the Worker Flexibility and Small Business Protection Act. I share what the ABC test is, why it should be a huge concern for you, what it's done in California, how it will...

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Things They Don't Teach You In Design School

February 26, 2021 • 22 min

Talent, passion and a portfolio will get you through school, but you can't build a business on them. There's a gap between school and making a living. The gap exists even if you didn't attend design school. Now more than ever, freelancers need to get serious about business skills if they hope to attract clients, increase their profits, and support their lives through their creative work. Lack of knowledge is the problem...

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For Better Results Add Pliability To Your Planning

February 19, 2021 • 11 min

Things don't always go the way you planned, especially when it's more than just you involved. Clients and colleagues will surprise you. Responding well whether you're in the middle of favorable or unfavorable happenstances requires anticipating the possibilities. I share my experience preparing to be a guest on a popular podcast, and what I learned from it.

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Should Freelancers Work With Family and Friends?

February 11, 2021 • 10 min

Friends and family should not be in your "ideal client" description. Why? Because all sorts of unexpected things happen that can suck your time, stress you out, and make you wish you'd never said "yes." In the episode I share what happened with one of my client/friend projects, and how you can avoid problems in any working relationship simply by implementing and following through on your own business policies. ...

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Better Clients Through Filtering

February 4, 2021 • 16 min

Do you accept every client and project that comes your way? Have you ever worked with a client where things began well but soon went sideways? Every freelancer who's been in it for a few years has at least one story to tell. If you'd prefer not having stories to tell, start filtering out less desirable projects and clients so you can say yes to your best kinds of clients. In this episode I share my filters and non-negotiabl...

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Aesthetics, Your Clients, and You

January 28, 2021 • 21 min

A book review and discussion of why aesthetics matter in business, commerce, communication, and branding. I describe the difference between aesthetic principles — the form (or visual) language — and the idea of personal or corporate style/aesthetic. And I explain why the work you create for your clients is valuable and your "job" as a creative pro is legit. The book: "Aesthetic Intelligence: How To Boost It and Use It i...

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How Setting Goals Helps You Succeed

January 21, 2021 • 20 min

As a freelance creative, you get to design your own success. Your whole life relies on your ability to achieve your professional objectives, so success isn't optional. Setting significant goals is one of the most powerful things you can do to accelerate your business. Here are essential insights and a strategic approach to goal-setting that can help you ensure success and longevity.

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Don't Fall For This Scam

January 15, 2021 • 17 min

Scammers are highly creative in who and how they target. No one is exempt. This creative project scam, in which the scammers pose as businesses or start-ups to target independent creatives, has been circulating in various forms for more than 15 years. I share my first experience with this scam, what I learned, and how to spot the scam so you don't take the bait.

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12 Rules For Freelance Success

January 7, 2021 • 22 min

I share a few of my rules and business policies which have helped me build a successful freelance business. These have kept me from making bad decisions. Some have been formed on the fly and others have been established as the result of a sad situation. Some are simply common sense. No matter what the impetus is for creating a rule, the purpose is to protect my creativity and livelihood.

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7 Things You Must Do To Start Freelancing

December 24, 2020 • 18 min

Do you want to build a business our of your creative work? Stop thinking like an artist and starting acting like a business owner. Start with these 7 easy-to-do things to set up a firm foundation for your freelance design, photography, copywriting, or illustration business.

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Is It Time For A Rest Stop?

December 18, 2020 • 21 min

My 3 dogs, who enjoy lying around in puddles of sunlight all day, are the inspiration for this discussion about the importance of rest to you success, overall well-being, and creative energy. On any road trip, rest stops provide a welcome respite. It's no different for your freelance journey. I present two ways to think about rest and 3 reasons you need to take it seriously as you launch and build your freelance business.

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How To Listen To Your Clients

December 10, 2020 • 16 min

Listening belongs before you begin and and all the way through to the end of a creative project. It's possible to win better clients and maintain healthy working relationships through active, focused listening. Effective listening helps you to frame a premise that you can use as the basis for your creative solutions, and build trust with your clients. Practice these 5 tips for listening in all of your business and client conver...

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