Hi y’all!
Every so often, I log onto the bird app and see some complaint about freelancing that I find mildly annoying. Usually, I move on. Other times, I need to pause, ponder and interact. That usually happens when someone or another is talking about hitting a five-figure month, or aiming for their annual six-figure freelance goals.
For some reason, these always get under my skin. It feels like someone else is foisting their definition of success onto the world. Then, the reactions often read like “you’re lying!” or “how much of that comes from *journalism*” (as if there is something noble about only doing just journalism?). Or the replies are just straight up jealousy. One person pointed out to me that tweets like that offer hope -- which is a great interpretation rooted in abundance. I can see how that feels true, and can also see how those tweets make our comparison monsters come out.
Generally, Jenni and I maintain that the only people who truly care about our finances are the families we’re supporting and our accountants! But those tweets always make me ask questions like: Are you sleeping? Seeing your friends? Taking time for yourself? Making money is great and all, but money is a tool for us to live our lives!
This episode, Jenni and I finally dig into the obsession with being a six-figure freelancer. We talk about why it’s worth letting go of beliefs of how much you *should* be making (Jenni likes to say: should is ‘could’ with shame attached to it) and defining your own metrics of success instead. And if you do decide that success for you looks like earning more, we’ve got some ideas within the episode for you to achieve that. Listen wherever you podcast!
How have you defined success for yourself? And how do finances figure into that conversation, or not? We’d love to hear from you.
We’ve wound down events for the year and will be back with more in 2022! In the meantime, if you are enjoying this season, and want your episodes two weeks earlier, or if you’re looking for a nice little Slack community of freelance creatives who believe in abundance, join us! You can access all of that via our Patreon: patreon.com/twcpod.
Other announcements:
Coming soon on Patreon in January: If you’re looking for some face-time, we are offering a new tier, Office Hours! You and five others will join Wudan on the third Wednesday of every month at noon Pacific to ask any questions you have about running your freelance business. Be on the lookout at: patreon.com/twcpod.
Group coaching opens up in January: We are just wrapping up our first continuous cohort of group coaching, and will be opening up another group for January - April 2022. This is perfect if you’re chasing ambitious quarterly goals and want accountability. Be on the lookout for spots on Patreon, or email us if you’d like to have us hold a spot: thewriterscoop2@gmail.com
January event (Tuesday, Jan 18, noon PST) is all about finding new clients. If you’re spending your holidays dreaming up your ideal freelance business for the year ahead, this event will help you brainstorm tactics to finding new clients.. Featuring veteran freelancers Jen A. Miller, Matt Villano, and hosted by Tim Herrera. Tickets and details: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/new-year-new-clients-tickets-220341556527
If you’re looking for 1:1 coaching, we are booked up through official TWC coaching. But Wudan has some spots open in January, and more availability in Feb 2022. Details: http://www.wudanyan.com/coaching
-Wudan
PS. Today’s episode is sponsored by OutVoice, which has a mission we can get behind. Too often, freelancers have to spend months tracking down overdue, unpaid invoices. OutVoice fixes that. It’s the only freelance management system built for publishing, by freelancers.
OutVoice empowers publishers by using automation and CMS integration to radically improve freelance management and invoicing. Contributors can be paid instantly -- let me repeat that, INSTANTLY, with the same click of a button that publishes their work. No need to even generate an invoice. This means everyone saves time and money, so publishers love OutVoice as much as Freelancers.
Right now, In Style, Foreign Policy, Fanbyte, Clickhole, and Adweek have already moved onto this system, with some of the biggest publishing companies in the world announcing their transition to OutVoice soon. So next time you see someone struggling with a broken invoicing system, or next time your client pays you late, tell them to visit OutVoice.com and leave all their headaches in the past. If you’re interested in joining them on their mission to fix these industry-wide payment problems for good, follow them on Twitter at @OutVoicePay.