Episodes
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When you're self employed, taking time away from your business can be challenging. But if you don't integrate rest and downtime into your business, you risk stress, exhaustion and even burnout.
In this episode Bo and Amy discuss the idea of taking breaks as a creative business owner. Bo speaks about the self funded creative sabbatical she's planning for 2022. They also speak about some of the community feedback from the past few episodes and Amy's dramatic u-turn on inbox management.
Links:
Find all the details about the Soul Traders retreat here: http://soultraders.net.au/retreat/
Amy's switched to multiple inboxes to manage her emails. This article by Andreas Klinger explains the system.
Bo recommends listening to Phil Wang on How to Fail by Elizabeth Day, WorkLife with Adam Grant, Helen Garner's lockdown dairies, 2021 on The Weekend Read, Who is Daniel Johns on Spotify and Delwyn Everard's podcast 'Running the Show'
Both Amy and Bo have been listening to Madeline Dore's podcast Routines and Ruts
Amy's been reading This One Wild and Precious Life and listening to The Guardian's Full Story podcast
Amy recommends following Penny Wong and Sean Doherty on Instagram.
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If you've enjoyed this episode of Soul Traders please, please take a moment to recommend it to a friend. It's the best way to make sure the podcast reaches new ears.
Also, review us on iTunes! Go on! We love reading them!
You can find Soul Traders online at soultraders.net.au and on Instagram as @soultraderspodcast Have a question? Just DM us, we love questions!
Intro music kindly provided by Lucy Peach. Production by Sound Mind. -
Creatives tend to be very DIY in spirit with lots of optimism and zero experience in legal agreements. The learning curve for creative business owners is huge and we can find ourselves in tricky waters when it comes to the legal aspects of our business.
Thank goodness for legal brains like Riz McDonald. Riz is the founder and director of Foundd Legal. She's been a lawyer for 16 years and an e-commerce entrepreneur over the last decade. Her mission is to make legalese easier to understand. Bo speaks to Riz about contracts and agreements, what terms like 'moral rights' and 'intellectual property' actually mean and how to avoid scope creep for good.
Links:
Find Riz online at founddlegal.com You can browse her free tips and checklists and find helpful contract templates tailored to creative business owners.
Check out Riz's podcast Legals and Biz with Riz
Bo also recommends Delwyn Everard's podcast 'Running the Show' and Michael Tucak from Creative Legal for more legal support for artists and creatives.
Riz recommends reading 'Profit First' by Mike Michalowicz
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If you've enjoyed this episode of Soul Traders please, please take a moment to recommend it to a friend. It's the best way to make sure the podcast reaches new ears.
Also, review us on iTunes! Go on! We love reading them!
You can find Soul Traders online at soultraders.net.au and on Instagram as @soultraderspodcast Have a question? Just DM us, we love questions!
Intro music kindly provided by Lucy Peach. Production by Sound Mind. -
Episodes manquant?
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Kitiya is a craft-based designer who lives in Melbourne. Her work is easily recognisable with its vivid colours and playful designs. She's worked with big names like Adobe, Etsy and Lego producing props, installation and illustrations and facilitating workshops.
She's also an advocate for what she calls 'creative wellbeing'. Initiating important discussions around issues that creatives face including setting boundaries, navigating creative ruts and imposter syndrome.
Links:
Find all the details about the Soul Traders February retreat here: http://soultraders.net.au/retreat/
Find Kitiya online at www.kitiyapalaskas.com You can also sign up for her popular email newsletter there. She's on Instagram as @kitiyapalaskas
'Stop Telling Women They Have Imposter Syndrome' an article by Ruchika Tulshyan and Jodi-Ann Burey
If you've enjoyed this episode of Soul Traders please, please take a moment to recommend it to a friend. It's the best way to make sure the podcast reaches new ears.
Also, review us on iTunes! Go on! We love reading them!
You can find Soul Traders online at soultraders.net.au and on Instagram as @soultraderspodcast Have a question? Just DM us, we love questions!
Intro music kindly provided by Lucy Peach. Production by Sound Mind. -
When did our inboxes get so out of control? Can we blame the pandemic? Or is this problem much bigger? Thousands of unread messages. Constant interruptions to the focused work we need to get done and the perception that we need to be always on top of our emails. We're calling it inbox overwhelm.
In this episode Bo and Amy discuss email and how they navigate their inboxes. Bo is a proponent of inbox zero. Amy uses tabs and filters. They also discuss the new retreat dates and what they've been listening to, reading and working on.
Links:
Find all the details about the Soul Traders retreat here: http://soultraders.net.au/retreat/
This is the tweet that started it all
Cal Newport's book 'A World Without Email'
Cal Newport interviewed by Lisa Leong on This Working Life
Subscribe to Tess McCabe's excellent email newsletter Sylloge
Josh Spector's 40 One Sentence Email Tips
Read short story Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut
Bo recommends listening to 'Everybody Knows', and reading Sally Rooney's 'Beautiful World, Where Are You' and enjoying the commentary surrounding it
Amy's has been working with Tess McCabe on her Creative Minds project
Amy recommends @iamthirtyaf for lols
If you've enjoyed this episode of Soul Traders please, please take a moment to recommend it to a friend. It's the best way to make sure the podcast reaches new ears.
Also, review us on iTunes! Go on! We love reading them!
You can find Soul Traders online at soultraders.net.au and on Instagram as @soultraderspodcast Have a question? Just DM us, we love questions!
Intro music kindly provided by Lucy Peach. Production by Sound Mind. -
Shannon Palmer and Bryce MacDonald of Studio Bonum truly want to make a difference in their community. They are intentional and thoughtful both in the work they produce for their clients but also in their approach to their business.
Amy spoke to Shannon and Bryce about launching a creative business at a time of global uncertainty, the values they bring to their business and how they hope to attract clients with a similar social conscience.
Links:
If you'd like to join Amy and Bo for the Soul Traders retreat in November from the 11th until the 14th head to the retreat page soultraders.net.au/retreat/ and click on the link to email your interest.
Find Studio Bonum online at studiobonum.com.au/ and on Instagram as @studiobonum
If you've enjoyed this episode of Soul Traders please, please take a moment to recommend it to a friend. It's the best way to make sure the podcast reaches new ears.
Also, review us on iTunes! Go on! We love reading them!
You can find Soul Traders online at soultraders.net.au and on Instagram as @soultraderspodcast Have a question? Just DM us, we love questions!
Intro music kindly provided by Lucy Peach. Production by Sound Mind. -
Exciting news: Bo and Amy are planning their very first in-person retreat!
It will be a nourishing weekend for creative business owners who want to overhaul their businesses, go deep and get clear on what they want and need to happen in 2022.
In this episode Amy and Bo talk about their plans for the retreat including an impactful program of workshops and activities. And food, don't forget about the amazing food. They also describe the incredible venue, New Farm Denmark, and cover the essential details.
If you'd like to join Amy and Bo for the Soul Traders retreat in November head to the retreat page http://soultraders.net.au/retreat/ and click on the link to email your interest.
Links:
Find all the details about the Soul Traders retreat here: http://soultraders.net.au/retreat/
If you've enjoyed this episode of Soul Traders please, please take a moment to recommend it to a friend. It's the best way to make sure the podcast reaches new ears.
Also, review us on iTunes! Go on! We love reading them!
You can find Soul Traders online at soultraders.net.au and on Instagram as @soultraderspodcast Have a question? Just DM us, we love questions!
Intro music kindly provided by Lucy Peach. Production by Sound Mind. -
The podcast has reached a milestone: 10,000 downloads! Thank you to all our regular listeners for supporting us on our journey.
To celebrate Bo and Amy answer the questions they get asked most frequently about their personal and professional lives.
Links:
Bo reflects on her interview with Kate Stokes from Coco Flip earlier this season.
Amy remembers the episodes Real mistakes we've made and what we've learned along the way and Resisting the call to grow
If you've enjoyed this episode of Soul Traders please, please take a moment to recommend it to a friend. It's the best way to make sure the podcast reaches new ears.
Also, review us on iTunes! Go on! We love reading them!
You can find Soul Traders online at soultraders.net.au and on Instagram as @soultraderspodcast Have a question? Just DM us, we love questions!
Intro music kindly provided by Lucy Peach. Production by Sound Mind. -
Orla Larkin is an award winning digital designer, strategist and educator. Over her career she's worked across state government, not for profits and education. These days she helps makers, creatives and ethical businesses establish themselves online. Orla is no stranger to remote working, having worked with clients around the world for many years.
In this conversation, Bo talks to Orla about finding ways to connect and create community as a freelancer, the importance of website accessibility, using Tik Tok as a grown up and her take on 'personal branding'.
Links:
Find Orla online at www.orlalarkin.com
If you've enjoyed this episode of Soul Traders please, please take a moment to recommend it to a friend. It's the best way to make sure the podcast reaches new ears.
Also, review us on iTunes! Go on! We love reading them!
We have a brand spanking new website www.soultraders.net.au Check it out and sign up to receive our Monthly Roundup - an email full of links and resources for creative freelancers.
You can find Soul Traders on Instagram as @soultraderspodcast Have a question? Just DM us, we love questions!
Intro music kindly provided by Lucy Peach. Production by Sound Mind. -
Fiona Killackey is a business coach who has worked with many small to medium sized businesses supporting them with practical insights into their marketing, business systems, goal setting and most importantly, working out where their dollars are coming from!
Fiona has a podcast, offers courses and coaching and she's also written a book called 'Passion. Purpose. Profit.' which is an incredibly useful guide for anyone who has a small business or who dreams of starting one.
In this conversation, Amy talks to Fiona about her tips for dealing with uncertainty (and lockdowns!) and the advice she gives her clients about finding their purpose as well as the people and the systems to support them.
Links:
Find Fiona online at www.mydailybusinesscoach.com and on Instagram as @mydailybusinesscoach
Fiona's group coaching program 'Marketing for your small business' is enrolling now, find the details here.
If you've enjoyed this episode of Soul Traders please, please take a moment to recommend it to a friend. It's the best way to make sure the podcast reaches new ears.
Also, review us on iTunes! Go on! We love reading them!
You can find Soul Traders on Instagram as @soultraderspodcast Have a question? Just DM us, we love questions!
Intro music kindly provided by Lucy Peach. Production by Sound Mind. -
Imposter feelings, or that nagging voice at the back of your head that whispers 'who do you think you are?' or 'any moment now, people are going to discover you're a fake!' Most of us have them from time to time, no matter how outwardly successful or established we are.
In this episode, Bo and Amy answer a community question about imposter syndrome. They discuss how fears and doubts show up for them and what they've done to build confidence around their work and creative abilities.
Links:
The Soul Traders are online! Check out our new website soultraders.net.au
Listen the the This Working Life episode about imposter syndrome
Amy and Bo are reading The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron for the Soul Traders book club. Do you have a book suggestion? DM us on Instagram or use the contact form on our website soultraders.net.au
Amy and Bo recommend Ms Represented with Annabel Crabb available to watch on ABC iView
If you've enjoyed this episode of Soul Traders please, please take a moment to recommend it to a friend. It's the best way to make sure the podcast reaches new ears.
Also, review us on iTunes! Go on! We love reading them!
You can find Soul Traders online at soultraders.net.au and on Instagram as @soultraderspodcast Have a question? Just DM us, we love questions!
Intro music kindly provided by Lucy Peach. Production by Sound Mind. -
There's no denying working for yourself is a bit of a juggling act most of the time. When you're self employed, you are wearing all the hats: from administration, to accounts, to marketing and of course the actual creative service you are offering.
Sometimes performing all these roles can feel fun and easy, but often it can feel like we're pulled in different directions and we have too much on our plate which can lead to overwhelm and then if we're not careful, burnout.
In this episode Bo and Amy discuss the pros and cons of wearing all the hats, how overwhelm shows up for them and ways they avoid or combat it in their working lives.
Links:
Bo recommends This Working Life, an ABC podcast hosted by Lisa Leong and the Instagram account @sinkreviews
Amy recommends the Instagram account @uglymelbournehouses
She also recommends reading Richard Flanagan's essay in The Monthly 'To be free'. You can also listen to him reading the same essay on the 7am Podcast.
If you've enjoyed this episode of Soul Traders please, please take a moment to recommend it to a friend. It's the best way to make sure the podcast reaches new ears.
Also, review us on iTunes! Go on! We love reading them!
You can find Soul Traders on Instagram as @soultraderspodcast Have a question? Just DM us, we love questions!
Intro music kindly provided by Lucy Peach. Production by Sound Mind. -
Tess is a freelance graphic designer with a broad portfolio of work spanning web design, print and publishing. But she has many other strings to her bow: she started publishing company Creative Minds and has written and released several books of her own. She was formerly the coordinator of the Creative Women's Circle and co hosted The New Normal Podcast with friend and fellow small business owner Emma Clark Gratton. Her monthly newsletter Sylloge, a compilation of podcast, blog and book recommendations has a cult following.
Amy asks Tess about her incredibly diverse career and how she manages to wear all the hats in her solo business. They delve into her recent book, Graphic Design Speak, and what prompted her to write it. Tess also shares some thoughts about where to find a graphic designer and how to get the most out of the relationship.
Links:
Find Tess online at www.tessmccabe.com.au and her publishing company Creative Minds at www.creativemindshq.com
You can buy Tess's most recent book, Graphic Design Speak, from Creative Minds or your local independent bookstore.
She's on Instagram as @tessmccabe and @creativemindshq
If you've enjoyed this episode of Soul Traders please, please take a moment to recommend it to a friend. It's the best way to make sure the podcast reaches new ears.
Also, review us on iTunes! Go on! We love reading them!
You can find Soul Traders on Instagram as @soultraderspodcast Have a question? Just DM us, we love questions!
Intro music kindly provided by Lucy Peach. Production by Sound Mind. -
In this short episode Amy shares 10 content ideas for social media that might actually translate into paying clients. Amy recommends an intentional approach to platforms like Instagram, leveraging our innately human need to connect and create community. She discusses the 'know, like, trust' principle and how you might use it as a starting point for your social media content.
If you're a small or solo business owner who feels frustrated by social media, if you aren't seeing the return on the investment of time and energy you put into it, then listen up!
Links:
Listen to our other episodes about social media and community building:
Are you wasting your time on Instagram?
Mini episode: photography for Instagram, Bo's tips
Mini episode: Amy's tips for writing great social media captions
Marketing and community building for creatives, without the ick factor
Mini episode: Amy's Instagram engagement tips
If you've enjoyed this episode of Soul Traders please, please take a moment to recommend it to a friend. It's the best way to make sure the podcast reaches new ears.
You can find Soul Traders on Instagram as @soultraderspodcast Have a question? Just DM us, we love questions!
Intro music kindly provided by Lucy Peach. Production by Sound Mind. -
There's no doubt persistence and tenacity are great attributes and essential to running any business. But knowing when and how to quit is also an important and often overlooked skill.
In this episode, Bo and Amy talk about quitting and how it can be a brilliant way to make space in your life and your business, to cut your losses and to move on. Like an old car that will keep draining your time and money, sometimes projects, relationships and even ideas are not worth persevering with. So, while grit and resilience are the buzzwords of the day, Bo and Amy think quitting is a skill we should all invest time in building.
Links:
Amy's reading 'Can't Even; How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation' by Anne Helen Petersen
And Fiona Killackey's book 'Passion. Purpose. Profit.'
Bo was featured in Aurora Magazine this month (on the cover no less!)
Bo's dog Velcro has finally been featured on the Instagram account @dogsinsliversoflight!
If you've enjoyed this episode of Soul Traders please, please take a moment to recommend it to a friend. It's the best way to make sure the podcast reaches new ears.
Also, review us on iTunes! Go on! We love reading them!
You can find Soul Traders on Instagram as @soultraderspodcast Have a question? Just DM us, we love questions!
Intro music kindly provided by Lucy Peach. Production by Sound Mind. -
In this short episode Bo delves into the mystery and magic of pricing your services as a freelancer. Pricing is a dynamic process. As a business of one you need to frequently review, restructure and occasionally raise your prices.
Bo covers the dangers of pricing too low, how to know when you're ready to raise your prices and when to do it. She also gives a few notes on valuing yourself, your time and your expertise. If you've been looking for a pep talk on pricing, this is the episode for you.
Links:
Listen to our season 1 episode about pricing:
Pricing for freelancers
And our episode Passion Tax - are you paying it?
Find out more about Bo via her website
If you've enjoyed this episode of Soul Traders please, please take a moment to recommend it to a friend. It's the best way to make sure the podcast reaches new ears.
You can find Soul Traders on Instagram as @soultraderspodcast Have a question? Just DM us, we love questions!
Intro music kindly provided by Lucy Peach. Production by Sound Mind. -
Do you use Instagram to market your business? This week Bo and Amy respond to a question Amy gets asked a lot: 'I spend so much time on Instagram but I'm not seeing results for my business. Why is it that everyone else seems to have so many followers and do so well whereas I just seem to waste time?' They reveal their own approaches to using Instagram to market their services and Bo asks Amy to explain the dreaded Instagram Algorithm (with a capital 'A').
Bo and Amy also talk about their recent experiences: Bo travelling through the Pilbara and Kimberley regions and Amy travelling nowhere because she's stuck at home in locked down Melbourne.
Links:
Listen to our season 1 episodes about Instagram:
Instagram and originality
Mini episode: Amy's Instagram engagement tips
Marketing and community building for creatives, without the ick factor
Mini episode: Amy's tips for writing great social media captions
And our episode about competition and comparison
Bo is offering mentorships for emerging photographers
Catherine Deveny's lockdown memes on Instagram (definitely not a waste of time)
If you've enjoyed this episode of Soul Traders please, please take a moment to recommend it to a friend. It's the best way to make sure the podcast reaches new ears.
You can find Soul Traders on Instagram as @soultraderspodcast Have a question? Just DM us, we love questions!
Intro music kindly provided by Lucy Peach. Production by Sound Mind. -
There are so many business systems and software subscriptions out there and they make big promises: to free up your time, grow or scale your business and streamline your life. But as freelance business owners who question investment and growth at every step, both Bo and Amy are hesitant to sign up to the latest fad.
In this episode Bo and Amy discuss the systems and software they use in their businesses, including the very straightforward, paper-based ones. They cover productivity and time keeping, communication and collaboration, file storage and backup, photography, accounting and bookkeeping, social media scheduling and email.
Links:
Listen to our episode about questioning business growth Resisting the call to grow
Bullet journalling
The Notes app and Google Keep for time management and productivity
Pomodoro timers TomatoTimer and Flow
Toggl Track for time tracking
Google Docs and Slack for collaboration
Pixieset and WeTransfer for file transfer
Lightroom Mobile Photo Editor
Later for social media scheduling
Spotify for tunes
Lug and Carrie Melbourne cargo bike rental
If you've enjoyed this episode of Soul Traders please, please take a moment to recommend it to a friend. It's the best way to make sure the podcast reaches new ears.
You can find Soul Traders on Instagram as @soultraderspodcast Have a question? Just DM us, we love questions!
Intro music kindly provided by Lucy Peach. Production by Sound Mind. -
Amy speaks to Haley Berryman, a freelance copywriter who works with purpose driven businesses on their communications and strategy. She also facilitates an online community of founders and freelancers called Cool Wow Collective.
Amy asks Haley about flow state, an idea first introduced by positive psychology founder Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. We all know the feeling of being 'in the zone' but how do we cultivate flow? Haley has some great ideas to help us get there.
Links:
You can find Haley online at coolwowcollective.com and haleyberryman.com or on Instagram @coolwowcollective
Read Haley's blog to learn more about flow state: 'How to find your flow state? 3 essential ingredients'
Pomodoro timers: Focus app, Cuckoo, Tomato timer
The Social Dilemma documentary
Cool Wow Collective x Girl Friday Planner's A5 Daily Focus Jotter
If you've enjoyed this episode of Soul Traders please, please take a moment to recommend it to a friend. It's the best way to make sure the podcast reaches new ears.
You can find Soul Traders on Instagram as @soultraderspodcast Have a question? Just DM us, we love questions!
Intro music kindly provided by Lucy Peach. Production by Sound Mind. -
Are you waiting for that much anticipated big break? For most of us in creative industries, it's more a case of small steps rather than giant leaps.
And there's no doubt that rejection is a part of life. We've all experienced that kick-in-the-guts feeling of being rejected: when we've invested so much into a creative project that we feel ultimately doesn't pay off.
In this episode Bo and Amy talk about rejection in the visual arts, design and publishing sectors, sharing stories of professional ghosting, the treadmill of grant and award applications and ultimately, resilience.
Links:
The Countess Report, gender equity in the visual arts
Know My Name, a gender equity initiative of the National Gallery of Australia
Parlour, women in Australian architecture
'Bouncing Back from Rejection' WorkLife with Adam Grant
How To Fail With Elizabeth Day
'I Got Rejected 101 Times' by Emily Winter in the New York Times
Nyinalanginy/ The Gathering at PICA
Balancing Act at AGWA
If you've enjoyed this episode of Soul Traders please, please take a moment to recommend it to a friend. It's the best way to make sure the podcast reaches new ears.
You can find Soul Traders on Instagram as @soultraderspodcast Have a question? Just DM us, we love questions!
Intro music kindly provided by Lucy Peach. Production by Sound Mind. -
We all know that as humans, we're hardwired for connection. But for most of us, freelancing or remote working can be a lonely business.
In today's episode Bo and Amy discuss the importance of connection and community to avoid feelings of isolation. The benefits of having a solid community around you as a freelancer are numerous: they might offer a sounding board for ideas, share common gripes and grievances and provide accountability and support as well as friendship.
Bo and Amy talk about how they've overcome isolation in their own working lives and share practical ideas for building up your own infrastructure of support and community.
Links:
Former PM Kevin Rudd's IGTV for handball tips
Cool Wow Collective virtual coworking
Soul Traders is charting in the top 20 for marketing podcasts in Australia! Yay! So a big thank you to all of our regular listeners and anyone who's shared an episode with a friend recently, we really appreciate it.
If you've enjoyed this episode of Soul Traders please, please take a moment to recommend it to a friend. It's the best way to make sure the podcast reaches new ears.
You can find Soul Traders on Instagram as @soultraderspodcast Have a question? Just DM us, we love questions!
Intro music kindly provided by Lucy Peach. Production by Sound Mind. - Montre plus
