Think back to when you first went out on your own.

Remember those first few projects? Getting paid for your writing felt like magic, didn’t it?

You put in, say, 10 hours of work, and the client paid you $750.

Wow!

What made it magical was that the $750 was all for me. And I loved the idea that a few units of effort in would translate to a few units of compensation on the other end.

Eventually, we all get used to this kind of reward ratio. And we (rightfully) start expecting more. We may even get to a point where one hour of our time is often worth $300, $400, or more. Especially when a project goes real smoothly.

And for some solo professionals, this can start feeling odd. We feel a bit guilty that we’re earning that much on some or all of our client work.

Impostor syndrome kicks in. And that inner critic starts taking over our internal chatter.

In this week’s (short) podcast episode I get into these feelings of guilt and how to address them.

This is important stuff. Because if left ignored, these feelings will create a cascading effect of guilt and negativity that inevitably leads to self-sabotage.

I hope you find it useful.

Freelancing is amazing. Until it isn’t.

You wake up one morning and you realize that you’ve created a very demanding job for yourself.

And chances are, you take LESS time off than you ever did in any previous job you held.

Sometimes it even feels like you’re working for a tyrannical boss who makes you feel terrible any time you ask for a small break.

That boss, by the way, is YOU.

Sound familiar?

Not to Wendy Helfenbaum, my guest in this week’s episode. Wendy is an established freelance writer out of Montreal. And for the past 18+ years, she has taken 4 months off every year.

And when I say “time off,” I mean real, non-working time off. No client work. No working on the business. No marketing. No nothing.

Just time to be with her family. To decompress. To enjoy life. And to savor the freedom freelancing is supposed to afford us.

Just as impressive, Wendy has consistently maintained a 6-figure income for years—even while taking a full third of the year off.

I was super-excited to bring Wendy on the show to tell us how she does this. It was a very lively and insightful conversation. I learned so much, and I can’t wait for you to hear it.

This is a great follow-up to the wonderful conversation I had last month with Satta Sarma Hightower, where she discussed how she was able to take a 4-month maternity leave recently. If you haven’t listened to that episode, I urge you to give it a listen, because it complements this week’s episode really well.

I’ve heard this argument hundreds of times:

“I don’t have a specific target market, Ed. I’m a generalist who works with all kinds of businesses. So I’m having a really hard time narrowing things down, and I’m not convinced I should.”

When I ask them about their motivation for continuing to do things this way, I typically get a response along the lines of, “I want variety in my work. I don’t want to be writing for just one industry.”

And that right there is the crux of the problem. Most people who view themselves as generalists use the “work and client variety” justification.

I don’t blame them. I want variety too! But that’s a logical fallacy.

There’s a way to have your cake and eat it, too. But you have to look at this challenge differently.

In this week’s (short) podcast episode, I explain how to do that. And how to arrive at a well-defined target market that works for you AND keeps things open and flexible for unexpected opportunities.

For most freelancers, the concept of taking an extended break—be it for maternity leave, personal health, or a sabbatical—has been shrouded in trepidation.

We love the idea of a long break, especially if we’re experiencing burnout. But we immediately dismiss it as unrealistic because we don’t think we can afford to lose the income. Or we fear losing momentum, falling behind, and not being able to seamlessly re-enter the business on the other end of our break.

This week, we're challenging that narrative head-on, with a deep dive into how you can navigate maternity leave (or any extended break) without missing a beat. Not only is this possible, it's an opportunity to strengthen your business and come back stronger.

My guest is a very successful freelance writer and content marketing strategist, Satta Sarmah Hightower. Satta is a previous coaching client of mine. And while we were working together, we put together a plan for a successful maternity leave.

Of course, not every plan works seamlessly. So I wanted to bring Satta into the show to tell us what she did, how it all went, what she learned from the experience — and what advice she has for other freelancers who are thinking about taking an extended break like this but aren’t sure how to make it work.

Satta didn't just manage her maternity leave; she mastered it. From planning and preparation to execution and the transition back into the business world, her journey is a blueprint for any solo professional contemplating a similar break. I’ve been particularly impressed with how she’s managed the work/life balance upon her return—especially with two little ones.

We also spent quite a bit of time discussing her secrets to success. Satta has built a very impressive, high-six-figure business where she’s almost always fully booked. So I asked her to share the biggest factors that have made that possible.

Even if you’re not contemplating a maternity leave or an extended break, I urge you to give this one a listen. You’ll get a glimpse into how a seasoned solo professional runs a very successful business that enabled her to truly exercise the freedom freelancing is supposed to give us.

What do you do when a client or prospect has a piece of long-form content they’ve written internally and they want your help finishing it?

What do you quote? What’s the right way to frame your fee for the client? And how do you approach this kind of project?

Check out my thoughts and advice in this week’s short podcast episode below.

As I record this episode in March of 2024, we’ve yet to feel the effects of generative AI in our solo businesses.

So why are so many writers, copywriters, and solo marketers losing business?

Everything that I’m hearing and seeing points to other factors for the challenges many creative professionals are experiencing. And the main factor seems to be the softening economy.

You wouldn’t know it by the state of stock market, unemployment rates, and economic growth. All those factors seem to be pointing to a strong economy. But the marketing profession is seeing something very different.

It’s no secret that marketing is one of the first things to get cut during challenging times. It makes no sense, but it is what it is. And that seems to be the biggest reason behind cancelled content marketing initiatives, marketing team layoffs, and clients that can’t seem to make a decision on pending projects.

AI is certainly starting to have an impact on our work. But where that’s been happening is not where we want to be. You’re seeing it in the lower tiers of the market—SEO content mills, small companies, and lower-budget organizations that wouldn’t be viable clients even before ChatGPT entered the picture.

However, that’s going to be changing. And the changes will be palpable.

Joining me today to explain why—and to dive deep into the issue—is Kevin Surace. Kevin is the CTO of Appvance.ai and is a renowned futurist, disruptive innovation keynote speaker, and pioneer in the AI space since the 1990s.

This guy is the real deal. He’s the recipient of INC Magazine's Entrepreneur of the Year (2009), he’s built multiple startups from ground zero to $1B+ valuations and has been awarded 94 worldwide patents, including the groundbreaking technology behind Siri and other virtual assistants.

I wanted to bring Kevin on the show because I’ve had multiple discussions in this show about AI and its impact since early 2023. But most of these discussions have been with fellow writers and marketers.

And as fascinating and practical as those conversations have been, I wanted to bring in someone who could bring in an outsider’s perspective. Someone who could explain what’s really happening outside our marketing ecosystem and share his perspectives on what’s coming and what we can do to prepare.

Or better yet, what we can do to profit from the tsunami that’s coming our way.

Kevin did not disappoint. We dive deep into the issue in this conversation. Some of what he shares might feel uncomfortable to some. It may feel disheartening. And I’m sure it will ruffle some feathers.

That’s OK. I’m a big believer in hearing all voices. I hate echo chambers, especially when it comes to big, important issues. And Kevin is an important voice with a perspective you’re going to want to hear.

I hope you enjoy our conversation.

For many years there has been a myth among journalists that journalism and content marketing can’t coexist.

You either have to focus on journalism work or on content marketing, but not on both.

But this belief is based on false assumptions and outdated beliefs. And in this week’s episode, you’ll hear why you can do both very successfully as a freelance writer.

And, in fact, why you may actually WANT to focus on both.

My guest is Lindy Alexander, an award-winning freelance food, travel, and lifestyle writer and content creator living in the vibrant goldfields town of Castlemaine in central Victoria, Australia.

Her work has been published in numerous digital and print publications including Sunday Life, The Age/The Sydney Morning Herald, The Guardian, Travel + Indulgence, Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia, delicious, Good Food, The Saturday Paper, SBS Life, Dumbo Feather, Peppermint, Essential Kids, Essential Baby, Modern Farmer, Jetstar magazine and Homes+.

I had Lindy on the show a few years ago, where we discussed how to grow your income by going deeper with clients and leveraging key relationships. This time, we're directly tackling the age-old myth that content marketing and journalism are incompatible.

You’ll hear exactly how Lindy has navigated these waters like a champ. How’s she maintained solid journalistic standards and ethics throughout. And how you can combine both to create real synergies in your business.