SEE IF THIS SITUATION SOUNDS FAMILIAR TO YOU…
When I got pushed forcibly out of the 9-to-5 nest, I had only been working out in the “real world” for six months.
A clueless, jobless poet with two degrees in English and $486 to my name, I knew more about Shakespeare than getting freelance clients.
(Funny… no one was interested in paying me to write iambic pentameter.)
One day, pretty soon after I got laid off from my agency job, I headed to the Smoky Mountains near my house to clear my head.
My phone randomly got a signal at one overlook, and a new voicemail from Scott, one of my few freelance clients, popped up.
At first, Scott had seemed okay—a little distracted, disorganized, and self-important, perhaps, but nice enough. I didn’t have enough experience to notice the warning signs when he gave his reason for hiring me:
“Fast and easy”? You mean, “the project that will never end with the client who is never happy”?!
Scott had called that day to ask for yet another round of edits to four pages of web content I had written. That $150 project ended up being some of the most painful money I had ever made. The extra work, meetings, emails, and calls took the project way outside the original scope.
My interactions with Scott were SO FRUSTRATING.
If he were so successful, then why did he lowball me? And if he were so busy, how was he able to find the time to pick apart every piece of writing I sent?
Low-paying clients like Scott take an emotional toll. To make matters worse, they leave you with less time to spend on landing profitable projects, ones which would make freelancing both satisfying and sustainable.
SEE IF THIS SITUATION SOUNDS FAMILIAR TO YOU…
When I got pushed forcibly out of the 9-to-5 nest, I had only been working out in the “real world” for six months.
A clueless, jobless poet with two degrees in English and $486 to my name, I knew more about Shakespeare than getting freelance clients.
(Funny… no one was interested in paying me to write iambic pentameter.)
One day, pretty soon after I got laid off from my agency job, I headed to the Smoky Mountains near my house to clear my head.
My phone randomly got a signal at one overlook, and a new voicemail from Scott, one of my few freelance clients, popped up.
At first, Scott had seemed okay—a little distracted, disorganized, and self-important, perhaps, but nice enough. I didn’t have enough experience to notice the warning signs when he gave his reason for hiring me:
“Fast and easy”? You mean, “the project that will never end with the client who is never happy”?!
Scott had called that day to ask for yet another round of edits to four pages of web content I had written. That $150 project ended up being some of the most painful money I had ever made. The extra work, meetings, emails, and calls took the project way outside the original scope.
My interactions with Scott were SO FRUSTRATING.
If he were so successful, then why did he lowball me? And if he were so busy, how was he able to find the time to pick apart every piece of writing I sent?
Low-paying clients like Scott take an emotional toll. To make matters worse, they leave you with less time to spend on landing profitable projects, ones which would make freelancing both satisfying and sustainable.
Whatever You Do, Don’t Do This…
Most freelancers try to fix The Scott Problem in all the wrong ways:
- Waste hours sifting through dozens of blog posts in search of that one silver bullet insight that will change everything.
- Assume that if you patiently “gain experience” and “pay your dues” you can eventually raise your rates and get better clients.
- Polish your skills with hopes that quality can be a substitute for consistent marketing.
- Get advice from friends who have the same problems you do and aren’t where you want to be.
- Copy blindly what you see other freelancers doing, hoping that they know a secret you somehow missed.
Well, maybe six-figure freelancers and top consultants do have a secret.
If anyone would know, that person is Alan Weiss, the legendary consultant and author of Million Dollar Consulting:
Getting good clients PREDICTABLY and building a profitable, satisfying freelance business has more to do with positioning and marketing than your superior quality or experience.
ONCE YOU ACQUIRE THE RIGHT SKILLS, ALL SORTS OF THINGS BECOME POSSIBLE.
Six-figure freelancers know that doing good work and making more money require two different skill sets. They proactively acquire what Basecamp founder Jason Fried considers the most important skill:
“Most of us identify with the products we create or services we provide. I make software. He is a headhunter. She builds computer networks. But the fact is, all of us must master one skill that supersedes the others: making money. You can be the most creative software designer in the world. But if you don’t know how to make money, you’re never going to have much of a business or a whole lot of autonomy.” (emphasis mine)
ONCE YOU ACQUIRE THE RIGHT SKILLS, ALL SORTS OF THINGS BECOME POSSIBLE.
Six-figure freelancers know that doing good work and making more money require two different skill sets. They proactively acquire what Basecamp founder Jason Fried considers the most important skill:
“Most of us identify with the products we create or services we provide. I make software. He is a headhunter. She builds computer networks. But the fact is, all of us must master one skill that supersedes the others: making money. You can be the most creative software designer in the world. But if you don’t know how to make money, you’re never going to have much of a business or a whole lot of autonomy.” (emphasis mine)
Once You Do Learn How To Make More Money As A Freelancer, You Have More Control Over Your Time And Finances.
All sorts of things become possible…
- Paying off school loans and debt aggressively
- Exercising your walkaway power and breaking up with cheap, unfair, and micromanaging clients.
- Working with cool people on cool projects instead
- Spending more time with your kids or on passion projects
- Traveling to be with family or see the world
- Giving money and time to causes you care about
You trade in frustration for fulfillment. You unlock a better lifestyle.
If a clueless, jobless poet like me can figure out how to land great freelance clients, make six figures, and enjoy more freedom, then you can too.
I’D LIKE TO SHOW YOU HOW TO BUILD A BUSINESS YOU’RE REALLY PROUD OF.
Introducing
Freelance Cake,
The Business Growth Course for Freelancers & Consultants.
Freelance Cake strips away the fluff and needless complexity and guides you through a step-by-step process for transforming your freelance business.
Introducing
Freelance Cake,
The Business Growth Course for Freelancers & Consultants.
Freelance Cake strips away the fluff and needless complexity and guides you through a step-by-step process for transforming your freelance business.
The course covers six key areas, or layers: Positioning, Packaging, Pricing, Pipeline (aka, Marketing), Psychology, and Process.
(Spoiler Alert: Many freelancers need to face their fears and wrangle imposter syndrome before they feel confident enough to raise their rates.)
THIS IS ALL MY BEST TRAINING DEVELOPED OVER THE LAST 11+ YEARS.
YOU CAN COUNT ON ME FOR 3 THINGS:
Giving you the UNEDITED version of my own failures and successes.
Separating the signal from the noise and helping you focus on what really matters.
Sharing simple, actionable recommendations for making tangible progress much faster.
THIS IS ALL MY BEST TRAINING DEVELOPED OVER THE LAST 11+ YEARS.
YOU CAN COUNT ON ME FOR 3 THINGS:
Giving you the UNEDITED version of my own failures and successes.
Separating the signal from the noise and helping you focus on what really matters.
Sharing simple, actionable recommendations for making tangible progress much faster.
Freelance Cake shows you WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS out in the real world.
In fact, I challenge you to not learn at least one new thing from Freelance Cake that makes the price totally worth it—even if you’re already a pro at this freelancing and consulting thing.
Freelance Cake gives you 12 months of access to the following:
6 modules covering 6 key layers of a money-making freelance business: Positioning, Packaging, Pricing, Pipeline, Psychology, and Process
- 22 audio lessons with the clear action items, templates, and swipe copy you need to get started fast. This is all my best training on escaping feast or famine.
Vault of 50+ PDFs, templates, worksheets, email scripts, cheat sheets, guides, checklists, and my client onboarding questionnaire (FYI: Students say that the Vault alone is worth the cost of the course.)
16-minute mini-course with a video and 5 simple spreadsheets… “How to Set Your Freelancing & Consulting Rates”
- Resources section with juicy excerpts from past Q&A sessions and expert interviews.
- Clear roadmap for going through the Freelance Cake course step by step and seeing results as quickly as possible.
SPECIAL BONUSES
I’m also including 2 bonuses, which I have never shared before:
1. How to Create and Price Productized Services like a Boss. Live private group training where I’ll walk you through the process of packaging 3 of your services as valuable outcomes (or, “products”) with high profit margins.
2. Demo of My Complete Time Management and Freelance Workflow System. This 15-minute video will show you how I structure my work days in order to define each day’s most important tasks, minimize distractions, and have less stress and waste. ***Includes my checklist for creating your own system
Pick the package that makes the most sense for your needs and goals.
Pricing for Freelance Cake Packages
$1500
(BEST)
Freelance Cake course
Vault
2 Bonuses
Four 45-minute 1:1 coaching calls to help you find find quick wins and accelerate your progress.
$749
(BETTER)
Freelance Cake course
Vault
2 Bonuses
1:1 Wayfinding Session to help you develop a 90-day action plan
$449
(GOOD)
Freelance Cake course
Vault of 50+ supporting materials
2 Bonuses
Or, click here to apply for the Freelance Business Launch program where we work side by side to (re)launch your freelance business in 90 days.
30-DAY MONEYBACK GUARANTEE
If you don’t like the course, I will give you a full refund within the first 30 days. Fair warning… I will ask you this question: “Did you go through the material and take action with what you learned?”
I’m like a personal trainer. You can pay me to meet you at the gym and tell you what to do, but only you can lift the weights. So… I sincerely hope you will get to work and see the same results that my other students have.
It’s your turn now. You’ve got what it takes to be a successful freelancer, and like any journey of a thousand miles, this one begins with a single step.
What Students Are Saying…
“An old client just agreed to a monthly retainer package. Hurray! I’ve more than made back the cost of the course by sending one of your emails.”
– Lauren T.
“I made at least $20,000 more after taking your advice and raising my rates. Thanks again.”
– Stuart J.
“Freelance Cake is great. I like the combination of audio and text, and the templates help to remove guesswork. Just plug and play, iterate, and tweak as necessary.”
– Jim W.
“Austin’s advice has helped me as a freelancer in more ways than I can count. Since putting practical tips to work, I’ve broken up with troublesome clients, explored new fields, tripled in confidence, and nearly doubled my rates.”
– Elissa W.
FAQs
You’ll still have to work hard. I’m not going to sugar-coat that. BUT Freelance Cake will give you the right knowledge, procedures, and systems, as well as a step-by-step approach to leveling up your biz.
In all seriousness though, you WILL learn at least ONE NEW THING that makes the price totally worth it, even if you’re already a pro at this. I invite you to sign up and prove me wrong.
Why Purchasing Is A No-Brainer…
“You are one of the only people in this freelance coaching space that I trust. You released Freelance Cake exactly when I was searching for a step-by-step guide to refining my business. Purchasing was a no-brainer!”
– Kristen B.
Why Purchasing Is A No-Brainer…
“You are one of the only people in this freelance coaching space that I trust. You released Freelance Cake exactly when I was searching for a step-by-step guide to refining my business. Purchasing was a no-brainer!”
– Kristen B.
Pricing for Freelance Cake Packages
$1500
(BEST)
Freelance Cake course
Vault
2 Bonuses
Four 45-minute 1:1 coaching calls to help you find find quick wins and accelerate your progress.
$749
(BETTER)
Freelance Cake course
Vault
2 Bonuses
1:1 Wayfinding Session to help you develop a 90-day action plan
$449
(GOOD)
Freelance Cake course
Vault of 50+ supporting materials
2 Bonuses