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Typically, when we strike out on our own and launch a freelance business, we play it safe and start with what we know. If we previously worked at a marketing agency, we might offer services like copywriting and content marketing. We might target clients in that niche. After all, that’s where the bulk of our professional network — our potential first clients — may be.
But what if you want to build a freelance business unrelated to your subject matter expertise? How do you determine what your business wants to be? In other words: How do you think expansively, past the industries and work that you know?
In this episode, Wudan talks with Maya Lau.
Maya works at the intersection of media and research, having pivoted from her career as a newspaper reporter. She is the host of Other People’s Pockets, where she interviews people about how much money they make, how they feel about their finances, and if they’ve figured out anything about money that the rest of us haven’t. Maya also has her own business, Anza Research, where she investigates companies and the people who run them for investment firms.
Wudan and Maya dive more into how to leverage existing skills and interests when switching industries.
Resources:
Podcast: Other People’s Pockets Maya’s LinkedIn post Follow Maya on X or Instagram Join the Writer’s Co-op on Patreon at an All-Access level to receive episodes early, discounts on events and online resources, and access to our Slack channel — a great place to find work, get advice, and meet other freelancers Check out all our courses, worksheets, and webinars on our website -
As a freelancer, the topic of diversification may be on your mind. The freelance market is what it is, and the pool of freelancers continues to grow - so we need ways of differentiating ourselves from others. You may be wondering how to level up in your business by offering new services, looking to a new client base, or both! But how can you do that in an intentional way?
In this episode, Wudan talks with Ashley Cisneros Mejia
Ashley is an award-winning journalist, communications expert, and former marketing agency owner with nearly 20 years of experience. She is the host and creator of the Talk Freelance to Me Podcast, where she provides freelancers the tools they need to design a life they love, and run sustainable, profitable businesses. Over her career, she’s done a bit of everything. She began her career as a newspaper reporter, worked as a tech writer, marketing manager, in PR, and so much more.
Ashley and Wudan go over steps to diversify your freelance business purposefully and without fear.
Resources:
Talk Freelance to Me podcast
Big Money Freelance Writing Guide
Join the Writer’s Co-op on Patreon at an All-Access level to receive episodes early, discounts on events and online resources, and access to our Slack channel — a great place to find work, get advice, and meet other freelancers
Check out all our courses, worksheets, and webinars on our website
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What if we told you that all freelancers are leaders?
The idea might seem counterintuitive at first: After all, freelancers provide services or products to our clients. We’re not leading or managing a team in a conventional sense.
But leadership isn’t just about managing a team. It’s how you position yourself, how you talk about yourself, and how you show up every day in your work.
In this episode, Wudan talks with Cynthia Pong.
Cynthia is an award-winning career and leadership coach, speaker, and author of “Don't Stay in Your Lane: The Career Change Guide for Women of Color.” An NYU-trained lawyer turned career coach, she founded her company, Embrace Change, to help women of color—and people of color—secure the money, power, and respect they deserve.
Wudan and Cynthia dive into how to adopt a leadership mindset—even as a team of one.
Resources
Embrace Change website and Instagram Jumpstart Your Online Business How Best to Work with Me Join us on Patreon for access to our newsletters and Slack channel—a great place to find work, get advice, and meet other freelancers Check out all our courses, worksheets, and webinars on our website -
Career transitions often come with an element of fear. For freelancers, this might be a fear of rejection or of losing stable income. It might show up as a little voice in our head that says: “But what if I fail?” Fear is meant to protect us, yet it can also hold us back from trying new things and thinking expansively about our businesses.
In this episode, Nicole Tsong joins Wudan to talk about confronting fear while making big career swings.
Nicole is a former journalist-turned-podcast host and bestselling author. As the founder of Nicole Tsong Coaching and the School of Self-Worth podcast, she helps Asian American women leaders release the pressure valve, supercharge their self-worth and master intuitive decision making. You can follow her on Instagram at @nicoletsong.
Nicole dives into how career growth doesn’t have to be linear, how to feel grounded before making a big decision, and how to think of decision-making as an experiment.
Resources:
The School of Self-Worth podcast
Nicole’s 5-day Morning Routine Challenge
Join us on Patreon for access to our newsletters and Slack channel—a great place to find work, get advice, and meet other freelancers
Check out all our courses, worksheets, and webinars on our website
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Welcome to Season 8! We’re calling this year the “Year of Expansive Thinking.” This season will focus on how to think big about our businesses, ourselves, and what we think is possible.
In the first episode, host and executive producer Wudan Yan answers questions from guest co-host Pam Moore about her businesses.
Pam is an occupational therapist-turned-award-winning intuitive eating coach and journalist based in Boulder, Colorado. Wudan tells Pam more about how her business has changed drastically in the last three years as a result of a mindset shift, what it’s been like to run two businesses, and her goals for 2024.
Resources:
Article: Journalism isn’t who you are. It’s what you do. Worksheet: Writers’ Co-op business audit worksheet Webinar: Streamlining Journalism Newsletter: Real Nourished newsletter Podcast: Real Fit with Pam Moore Follow Pam Moore on LinkedIn or visit her website Join the Writer’s Co-op on Patreon at an All-Access level to receive episodes early, discounts on events and online resources, and access to our Slack channel—a great place to find work, get advice, and meet other freelancers Check out all our courses, worksheets, and webinars on our website -
This episode is a cross-post between The Writers' Co-op and Freelance Cake, a podcast for ambitious freelancers who want to get more results with less effort, hosted by Austin L. Church.
Austin had Wudan on his show to talk about how she cultivated a mindset of 'always be negotiating,' and how she got to a place where negotiations felt comfortable and conversation-like, rather than potentially contentious.
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A preview into what this upcoming season holds!
For updates, subscribe to thewriterscoop.substack.com
Join our inclusive and psychologically safe Slack community as an All-Access Patreon at www.patreon.com/twcpod
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If you’ve been listening to The Writers’ Co-op since the first few seasons, you’ve heard us say: The magic is in the mix of work you get. Slower work – work that is recurring, or on a longer contract or time period – can make us feel both steady and fulfilled. But sometimes, we just need money now. That’s where fast freelancing comes in.
Ideally, you have a mix of both in your business. Too much fast work, and you might burn out. Too much slow work and that could build resentment or put you in a financially precarious position.
In this episode, Wudan talks with Amy Romer.
Amy is a visual journalist and fact-checker based in Vancouver, Canada. She covers environmental and indigenous issues for Reuters, The Walrus, The Guardian and The Globe and Mail, among many others. She is a National Geographic Explorer and a recipient of the Global Reporting Centre’s visual storytelling grant.
Amy and Wudan discuss tactics for setting yourself up well for both fast and slow work, the mental and emotional toll of each type of work, and more.
Resources:
Join us on Patreon to get access to this episode's resource: Amy’s production calendar for mapping out fast and slow work. All-Access members also have access to our inclusive and psychologically safe Slack community for freelance creatives.
Check out all our courses, worksheets, and webinars on our website
If you’re just getting started with your freelance business, you’ll want to check out our freelance business courses at The Writers’ Co-op Academy on building your business plan and navigating and negotiating contracts: https://the-writers-co-op-academy.teachable.com/
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As freelancers, we’ve probably all worked with clients who couldn’t pin down exactly what they wanted. Maybe they never had a clear vision for the project, or maybe they constantly changed their mind—and your scope of work. The experience can be incredibly frustrating. Yet, even these clueless clients need (and deserve) help from freelancers.
In this episode, Wudan talks to content marketer and strategist Sara Gates.
Before Sara started her freelance business, she did a bit of everything at a high-growth startup. She was hired for marketing and did it all: SEO, social media, email, content strategy, messaging development, and so much more. You can follow Sara on Linkedin.
Wudan and Sara dive into how to approach clueless clients without costing yourself too much money, emotional energy or sleep.
Resources:
Check out all our courses, worksheets, and webinars on our website Join TWC as an All-Access member to get a very handy project proposal that Sara has shared on how to best work with a clueless client. All-Access level gets you more of these great resources, early access to episodes, and an in to our inclusive and psychologically safe Slack Community If you’re just getting started with your freelance business, you’ll want to check out our freelance business courses at The Writers’ Co-op Academy on building your business plan and navigating and negotiating contracts: https://the-writers-co-op-academy.teachable.com/ -
A very overdone and true statement about freelancing is: “You’re running a business!” Businesses of all sizes have things like income targets, goals, creative direction—and even business plans! While some of those terms can sound a bit like “corporate speak,” these ways of doing things and problem solving in the corporate world can also be applied to your freelance business.
In this episode, Wudan talks to Melody Burdette. Melody is a freelance content strategist and copywriter based out of Billie, her Ford Transit. (Yes, that’s a van.) She spent the early part of her career working in editorial and e-commerce, and more recently in startups as a content strategist and copywriter. You can follow her on Instagram at @melskyburd and stay up-to-date with her course @PlayBigPlayBook.
Wudan and Melody talk more about how to check in with your business on a regular basis – the same way that any company performs quarterly or annual reviews – and how to set up your own business retreat.
Resources:
Video: Creative Retreat Structure
Course: The Play Big Playbook and follow on Instagram @PlayBigPlayBook
Interested in joining an inclusive and psychologically safe community for freelance creatives? Join The Writers’ Co-op on Patreon, and get access to our Slack community. Sign up anytime at www.patreon.com/twcpod
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Most of us who work for ourselves probably don’t love marketing but know that it’s a necessary task to attract more clients. Some take a more traditional approach—constantly sharing work and services on social media or socializing at conferences. But that might not work for everyone.
In this episode, Wudan talks with Ruxandra (Rux) Guidi. Rux is a narrative journalist working in print and audio based in Tucson, Arizona. Her work is published in the BBC, NPR, Marketplace, High Country News, The New York Times and The Atlantic, among others. You can follow her at https://www.fonografiacollective.com/ or on Instagram.
Rux and Wudan dig into how to reframe ‘marketing’ as something that is anti-hustle and anti-capitalistic, discuss the importance of community, and talk about drumming up work in a way that is unique to YOU.
Resources:
TWC Podcast Episode: Embrace Authentic Marketing Authentic Marketing Booster Pack Interested in joining an inclusive and psychologically safe community for freelance creatives? Join The Writers’ Co-op on Patreon, and get access to our Slack community. Sign up anytime at www.patreon.com/twcpod -
Most of the time, freelancers who work with clients do not own the rights to the creative work that's produced. Even retaining a modicum of your rights is frequently a prolonged legal battle that results in very little. But some freelancers who want ownership over their work are turning to another source of income: newsletters.
Creating a newsletter is like running your own mini publication. There are questions about when to publish, how frequently to publish, how much to charge your subscribers, and more.
In this episode Wudan talks to Leah Sottile.
Leah is an independent journalist based in Portland, Oregon. Leah covers extremism in the US and has built an audience and a monetizable newsletter without the benefit of a staff job. You can follow her on Twitter.
Leah and Wudan talk more about ownership over your work, building an audience and creating your own publication.
Resources:
Newsletter: The Truth Does Not Change According to Our Ability to Stomach It Webinar: Build Your Audience & Monetize Your Newsletter Book: When the Moon Turns to Blood Podcasts: Burn Wild, Bundyville, Two Minutes Past NineInterested in joining an inclusive and psychologically safe community for freelance creatives? Join The Writers’ Co-op on Patreon, and get access to our Slack community. Sign up anytime at www.patreon.com/twcpod
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Determining rates can be really tricky for freelancers. We need our clients to agree to a price for a project, but we can’t sell ourselves short and leave money on the table. Naturally, freelancers might wonder: How much can I charge before I price myself out of work?
In this episode, Wudan talks to freelancer Kat Boogaard.
Kat is a Wisconsin-based writer focused on blog content for software clients in the productivity, project management, and business ownership spaces. You can follow her on Instagram and Twitter. Kat’s a high earner: In 2021, she grossed over $300k in income (netting over $175k after expenses) – which puts her effective hourly rates well above $100/h. Then, she welcomed a newborn last year and scaled back her work days even more, all while still earning six figures.
Kat and Wudan talk about growing earnings, asking for raises, and how to know whether we’re really testing the limit of what we are making.
Resources:
I Run a Six-Figure Business, But Now I Want to Take a Pay Cut by Kat Boogaard
Interview with Amanda Castleman
Webinar: How to Price Freelance Writing Projects
Join us on Patreon for access to our newsletters and Slack channel—a great place to find work, get advice, and meet other freelancers
Check out all our courses, worksheets, and webinars on our website
If you’re just getting started with your freelance business, you’ll want to check out our freelance business courses at The Writers’ Co-op Academy on building your business plan and navigating and negotiating contracts: https://the-writers-co-op-academy.teachable.com/ -
Navigating crossroads in our careers isn’t easy — not when we’re traditionally employed, and certainly not as freelancers, where we pick the rules. The possibilities can seem endless. One assignment, one client, or maybe even one email can completely change what we decide to do next. While considering making a big career shift, we can sometimes feel stuck, and the next steps might not feel immediately obvious.
In this episode, guest host Simone Stolzoff joins Wudan to talk about how to navigate big career transitions.
Simone is a journalist and designer based in San Francisco who’s published in The Atlantic, New York Times, and many other national outlets. He’s also an expert on work and teaches a whole class on designing your next career step. His first book, The Good Enough Job is out on May 23. He has had a fascinating career, weaving from journalism to working at the international design consulting firm, IDEO, and back to media. You can follow Simone on Twitter here.
Simone outlines steps to take while considering making a big transition and drops some tips so you can go from idea to action!
Resources:
Simone’s course, Designing Your Next Career Step Values card sort How to write a good email by Anne Helen Petersen Our episode on smaller career pivots Join us on Patreon to get access to this episode's resource: a worksheet to help you sketch out your next career step. Sign up at any time! Check out all our courses, worksheets, and webinars on our website If you’re just getting started with your freelance business, you’ll want to check out our freelance business courses at The Writers’ Co-op Academy on building your business plan and navigating and negotiating contracts: https://the-writers-co-op-academy.teachable.com/ -
If you consume media, are a media worker, or just happen to pay attention to what’s happening to the media landscape, you might have heard that the industry is having… a bad time, to say the least. Hundreds of reporters and media employees have been laid off this year as newsrooms are shutting down or downsizing.
Some who are affected by these cuts try to move on to another full-time job, but other times, a layoff can lead to the freelance life.
In this episode, Wudan is joined by guest co-host Karen Given
Karen is a freelance audio journalist, host, producer, editor, and voice coach based near Boston, MA. You can follow her on Twitter here. After more than 20 years working for WBUR and NPR’s “Only a Game,” she was laid off during the pandemic.
Karen chose freelancing after having a full-time job for decades and gives advice for others to do the same. She helps create a game plan for full-timers to consider. Karen and Wudan talk about maintaining relationships, understanding the freelance market, building your own brand and so much more.
Resources:
Because of the state of media right now, the worksheet for this episode will be available for free Our Layoff to Freelance Survival Guide, which combines multiple resources on business planning, coming up with potential clients, and more, for those who are considering freelancing after getting laid off A free worksheet on processing your layoff Join us on Patreon for access to our newsletters and Slack channel—a great place to find work, get advice, and meet other freelancers Check out all our courses, worksheets, and webinars on our website If you’re just getting started with your freelance business, you’ll want to check out our freelance business courses at The Writers’ Co-op Academy on building your business plan and navigating and negotiating contracts: https://the-writers-co-op-academy.teachable.com/ -
A big reason why many of us feel drawn to freelancing is because we love the freedom and flexibility that it offers: we can work when, where, and how we want.
Still, even as freelancers, we might feel pressure to adhere to working a “full-time job” – a 40-hour, or even longer, week, despite not needing or wanting to. But we have the power to opt out. We can work when it suits us best, setting boundaries with ourselves and our clients to make this possible.
In this episode, Wudan talks with guest host Anna Burgess Yang.
Anna is a freelance writer and workflow consultant based outside of Chicago. She is super passionate about time management and a big proponent of time-blocking, or setting aside chunks of time dedicated to certain tasks or clients. You can follow her on Twitter, Substack and Medium.
Anna talks about how she condensed her workweek down to about 3.5 days while still earning enough to support herself and her family. She also shares tips and tricks so that you, too, could shave hours (or even days!) off your week.
Resources:
Anna’s free eBook: Manage Your Time + Content Across Multiple Platforms
Join us on Patreon to get access to this episode's resource: A worksheet that will help you figure out how to integrate time-blocking into your weekly routine. All-Access members are already continuing the conversation of reducing their workweek in our Slack, which you can join at any time.
Check out all our courses, worksheets, and webinars on our website
If you’re just getting started with your freelance business, you’ll want to check out our freelance business courses at The Writers’ Co-op Academy on building your business plan and navigating and negotiating contracts: https://the-writers-co-op-academy.teachable.com/
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Welcome to Season 7 of the Writers’ Co-op! To kick off the season, we wanted to dedicate our first episode to a word that often shapes how we view both work and ourselves: success.
We usually believe success is measured by hitting societally-defined milestones or accumulating fame or wealth. But what happens when our personal goals differ from what others expect from us? And what constitutes success when our values and milestones are constantly changing? How can we ultimately come up with a new framework of success for ourselves?
Wudan digs into these questions with guest host Joanne Machin.
Joanne is a freelance editor, romance writer, virtual assistant and coach based out of the Pacific Northwest. You can follow her on Twitter here.
Joanne talks more about different ways to redefine success in your life and gives advice on how to ensure you’re working toward your goals.
Resources:
All-Access Patreon members will get a worksheet with journaling prompts so you’re able to redefine success for YOURSELF. Signing up via patreon.com/twcpod at the All-Access level gets you more of these great resources, early access to episodes, and an in to our inclusive and psychologically safe Slack Community Check out all our courses, worksheets, and webinars on our website If you’re just getting started with your freelance business, you’ll want to check out our freelance business courses at The Writers’ Co-op Academy on building your business plan and navigating and negotiating contracts: https://the-writers-co-op-academy.teachable.com/ -
Season 7 (!!) will launch shortly, after a month-long break.
Wudan will be hosting and executive producing the show moving forward, after Jenni resigned at the end of last year to focus on her family.
The next season will feature conversations between Wudan and co-hosts, who will help us all to navigate ways to reduce our workweek, building our own audience, redefining success, and so much more.
If you've got ideas for future episodes, or would like to be a guest, get in touch at [email protected].
If you're just discovering the show, we'd love for you to join our inclusive Patreon community at the All-Access level via patreon.com/twcpod. All-Access Patreons get in to the TWC Slack, a psychologically safe space for freelance creatives, in addition to discounts for events and to our resource store. We also have self-guided online courses in building a business plan and navigating contracts.
See you in a few weeks!
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Today we’re playing an episode from July 2021 with freelancer Emma Diehl. This was from our third season, where we coached other freelancers. In this episode, Jenni and Emma talk about some of the trickiest parts of freelancing, including marketing. If you’ve asked “How do I sell my services in a way that feels authentic?” or “ how can I make myself stand out in a sea of people who are offering the same things?” – then this episode is for you.
After Jenni and Emma met for their coaching session, Emma revamped her bio: Emma Diehl is a writer and editor specializing in finance, tech, and real estate content. Her specialty is mastering tricky topics (stuff like tax returns, AI, and home inspections) in a way that makes it easy for everyone to understand. When she's not combing through technical documents and research, she's fermenting stuff in her kitchen, learning to skateboard, and curating a pop culture recommendation newsletter. You can find her on Twitter and can read more about her work at https://www.emmadiehl.com/.
If you want to dig into marketing alongside Emma, you can download the market yourself booster pack. One worksheet walks you through revamping your website, and another is focused on journaling about why you’re a unique person and worker. The third worksheet is an exercise that comes from the book The Artist’s Way, which will help you to make time for play through an artist’s date. And don’t forget: If you want to polish up your business, you can always enroll in our TWC online course on business planning.
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Today we’re running our last live episode of the season! Jenni will be stepping away from TWC to focus on her family and health, and Wudan will carry on with managing the community and future iterations of the show. If you haven’t joined our Patreon program yet, please do – the Slack channel is always growing and a great place to find work, get advice, and meet other freelancers.
Today’s episode is a Q&A. We talk about how to break into this industry if you don’t have a ton of experience or want to change your niche, where your energy is best focused during slow work seasons, the things we’ve learned from taking long leaves of absence from work, and how many hours a freelancer can reasonably spend on creative projects in one day.
Our Patreon members will get access to a worksheet about caregiving leave (which you can use to plan any kind of leave) as well as our tip sheet for handling slow seasons. You can always find those (and other resources!) in our store: https://www.thewriterscooppod.com/resources
Other resources:
How to handle slow seasons Our business-planning course Caregiving leave episode - Vis mere
