6 Figure Creative

This is Episode #400 of the 6 Figure Creative Podcast. And it's my last one for a while. It's been an incredible 400 episodes and it’s helped to build the business to what it is today. But what got us here won't get us there. The podcast has been great for people to find us through ads, get sucked into the show, listen to a bunch of episodes, and eventually become clients. But there's no built-in discoverability. So we're diversifying and going big this year on YouTube and organic social among other things. My whole team is flying into Nashville this week to plan it out. And I don't know exactly when we'll launch or what it'll look like yet… The podcast feed may light up from time to time with new stuff…But this is the final episode for a while. For full show notes, visit https://6figurecreative.com/400

Are there cases where paid ads DON’T work for freelancers Yes, and I cover them on this week’s podcast episode. If you’re in one of these industries, ads might be a waste of money. If you’re NOT in one of these industries, you then what’s your excuse? There really shouldn’t be any reasons not to make them work, unless you just don’t want more clients. You could realistically go from someone seeing your ad to paying you money the same day (or at least within a week or so). For full show notes, visit https://6figurecreative.com/399

If you’re a freelancer and you’re NOT running paid ads, chances are you fall into one of two types: Type 1: Never tried paid ads because they were too intimidated, too overwhelmed, or convinced they won't work. Type 2: Tried ads and for whatever reason, they didn’t work Most freelancers don't even know they're doing it wrong. Common scenario: You spent $100 on ads. Nothing happens. You shrug and say, "paid ads don't work for me." But you have no idea WHICH part didn't work. Was it your hook? Your offer? Your landing page? Your inquiry form? Your sales process? All of the above? But most freelancers won’t take the time to figure out what went wrong. They just know "it didn't work." That's like saying "my car doesn't work" without knowing if it's the battery, the engine, or if you just forgot to put gas in it. If you're Type 1, this episode could save you from wasting thousands. If you're Type 2, this episode will show you exactly what went wrong. For full show notes, visit https://6figurecreative.com/398

The #1 fear that freelancers have with paid ads? They’re terrified of lighting money on fire and never getting it back. I get it. It feels like a gamble that may not actually get you clients. And if this is you, I’ve got a challenge for you that I hope will change your mind. It’s called the $500 ad budget challenge. I want to prove to you that it’s possible to turn $500 into $5k or more with paid ads, if you do it the right way. If you’re ready to keep an open mind, listen to this week’s podcast episode where I’ll cover: The 3 prerequisites to running paid ads (if you have all 3 of these, you’re in a good position) Our “smart testing process” to squeeze all the juice out of a $500 budget Real stories of clients who have gotten $5k, $15k, $25k clients from less than $500 in ad spend How to get us to pay for your first $500 in ads For full show notes, visit https://6figurecreative.com/397

It’s January. You know what that means? Well, it might be “panic about how slow the holidays were” time. But for smart freelancers? It’s the start of our favorite season: cheap AF ads. The holidays are insanely expensive and competitive for paid ads. Black Friday, Christmas, end of year deals - it’s a marketing free-for-all that drives up costs and makes it nearly impossible to be heard. The beginning of the year is the complete opposite. The noise has died down and in its place is a golden opportunity for freelancers. With fewer businesses competing for attention, the cost to reach your ideal clients plummets, making it easier than ever to generate leads and clients for your business. You know this, but in the back of your head you have this fear…. “If I run ads, won’t it cheapen my image or damage my brand?” This is one of the top toxic beliefs that freelancers have, and today I want to call it out and address it. Here’s why… We just brought a new client into our coaching program and he’s making half a million dollars a year as a freelancer. He still has capacity for clients - but this was one of the hardest closes I’ve ever had. Not because he didn’t trust us. Not because he couldn’t afford it. But because he was concerned that paid ads would damage his brand. Reality check: Ads do not hurt strong brands. Bad messaging hurts brands. This episode takes a deep dive into How to Promote Yourself Without Destroying Your Premium Brand. Because if: Rolex can spend $100 million per year advertising their watches… Birkin bags sell for $300,000 and have a six-year wait list but Hermès still runs paid ads… What makes YOUR freelance business so special? The answer: it’s not. And you can absolutely run paid ads in a way that actually grows your brand reputation. There’s a specific reason I’m bringing this up now… Next week, we’re offering something special to a handful of freelancers. And it MIGHT have something to do with us giving you $500 to spend on ads, so you can test completely risk free and find a profitable strategy without spending a dime of your own money on ads. You’ll get more info about that soon, but for now listen to this episode. For full show notes, visit https://6figurecreative.com/396

Pop quiz: What do freelancers fear MORE than death, public speaking, and spiders? Answer: Potentially, maybe, somewhat looking desperate when it comes to getting clients. It’s not your fault…back in school most of us were taught to stay quiet, not stand out from the crowd. That being “pushy” and asking for what you want is bad. You're taught that if you stay invisible, you'll never face rejection. And while that kinda sorta works in high school… In the business world, it means you never **post about your work on social media. You never go all in with content marketing. And you’re afraid to actively make offers to potential clients (if I’m good, they’ll just come to me, right?) But marketing isn’t desperation…it’s just marketing. The stuff that you're avoiding doing because of the fear of looking desperate? Exactly the same stuff that successful business owners do (without any hesitation whatsoever). One of our clients is a brand designer who had this exact fear. And when she finally overcame it, she had some of her best months EVER. If you secretly fear “looking desperate” (or you actually ARE desperate), this one’s for you. For full show notes, visit https://6figurecreative.com/395

Two freelancers. Both relying on referrals to bring in clients. One is fully booked solid with a 3-month waiting list. The other is barely scraping by. What makes the difference? These 7 “Referral Killers.” Get them wrong, and you’ll struggle for clients. Fix even just one of them, and you’ll get more leads and higher-quality projects. In this episode, we cover: How to give yourself a “referrability score” The secret force multiplier that makes all the difference How one freelancer spent $927 to land over $32,000 in projects (plus repeat projects and referrals) How to determine your #1 referral killer and fix it FAST For full show notes, visit https://6figurecreative.com/394

Pure creatives are selfish. They create art for themselves. And your potential clients don’t care about your personal creativity. They care about what's in it for them. So as a creative, we can't just be selfishly isolated in our little rooms creating art for art's sake because it fulfills us. When it comes to actually being a business owner, we have to create real value for other people, which means we can't be selfish when it comes to our creativity. We have to share it with others. As it says on the wall behind me in my office, “It takes more than passion.” If you’re running a freelance business, don’t forget - you’re running a business. And that takes entrepreneurial skills that may not come naturally for many creatives. This week’s episode is about finding the sweet spot between creativity and entrepreneurship. Both the creative and the entrepreneur are essential elements of your freelance business… And there are good parts and bad parts of both. In this episode you’ll discover: Balancing the creative and entrepreneurial sides of your brain What entrepreneurs understand that creatives don't Using people, processes, and systems, to create value Keeping your creative spark alive Scheduling time for creative and entrepreneurial tasks Expanding your horizons by joining communities and finding mentors For full show notes, visit ⁠https://6figurecreative.com/393⁠

You know what's wild? I had three of my coaches (Richie, Dennis, and Rob) on the podcast this week to settle the organic vs. paid ads debate once and for all. Combined, they've spent tens of millions on paid ads and generated hundreds of millions in revenue for clients. And here's what they said: If you're doing organic without paid ads, you're playing marketing on hard mode. Organic takes 90-100+ videos before you hit an inflection point. Each piece takes 3+ hours. And you're competing against dopamine-engineered content designed to keep people scrolling. Meanwhile, our clients spend $5-10/day on ads and get 5+ booked calls. But the weirdest part? The #1 objection we hear from freelancers about running ads is: "I'll look desperate." Especially music producers. They think if people see them running ads, everyone will assume they're struggling for work. Which is... completely backwards. We break down why in this week’s podcast episode. We also cover: When organic actually makes sense (and when it's a waste of time) Why choose YouTube over Instagram when creating organic content The real reason ads + organic work like rocket fuel together How one client spent $900 and brought in $40K For full show notes, visit https://6figurecreative.com/392

I need to tell you something you probably don't want to hear. You don't have a marketing problem. You have a leads problem. Let me prove it to you: You're generating less than 5 new leads per month Some months you get 10 leads, some months you get 1 That's a 1000% variance from your best month to your worst Meanwhile, my business generates 1,974 leads per month on average Our variance from lowest to highest month? Only 30% See the difference? When you only have 1-10 leads coming in, you're basically starving. You take whatever clients you can get. You can't be picky. You can't raise your rates. And you're one bad month away from panic mode. The answer? Uncomfortably simple: You need more at-bats. More opportunities. More people in your pipeline who could potentially become clients. And the best way to fix that? Paid ads. In this week's episode, you'll learn: The real root cause of feast or famine for 95% of freelancers (and how to fix it for good) What a niche photography studio doing $50M/year knows that you don't The exact number of ad variations you should be testing (hint: it's 100X more than you think) Most freelancers aren’t “bad at sales” - they just don’t have enough leads coming in to make their business model work. Let’s fix that. For full show notes, visit https://6figurecreative.com/391

Just because you're making money doesn't mean you're thriving as a freelancer. And if you're NOT making money? You're definitely not thriving. Here's what a thriving freelance business actually looks like: stable income, financial runway so you can take a hit without panicking, no constant fires to put out, and you actually enjoy what you do. Sound like your business right now? Yeah. Didn't think so. The second you started taking money for your skills, 12 critical roles appeared out of thin air in your business: Fulfillment, sales, marketing, operations, accounting, project management, IT/tech, legal, client relationships, creative direction, management... and CEO. In a big corporation, each of those has a department head, managers, and entire teams. As a freelancer? That's all you, baby. And if your business isn't where you want it to be, you're failing at exercising one (or more) of these muscles. So how do you fix this? That’s what this episode is all about. You’ll discover: The "treat it like the gym" framework for consistently working on the hard stuff you've been avoiding for months (or years) How to identify which muscle is your biggest bottleneck right now and start strengthening it one hour at a time Why emotions make you a great creative but a terrible business owner (and what to do about it)… Can you make this work? Wrong question. The right question is: How can I make this work? "Can I" is for dabblers. "How can I" is for people who actually succeed. So pick your mountain. Set your gym time. And start climbing one hour at a time. For full show notes, visit https://6figurecreative.com/390

You know that massive to-do list in your head? All those things you're "supposed" to do as a freelancer? New website. Social media content calendar. Cold outreach. Warm outreach. Lead magnets. Funnels. Pricing revamp. Recurring revenue package. Portfolio update. It's overwhelming as hell. And oh by the way, 99% of that list doesn't matter right now. Because your income isn't capped by all those things. It's capped by ONE thing. One bottleneck. This is something called the Theory of Constraints, and it's the simplest framework I've ever seen for giving yourself a raise as a freelancer. Your business has exactly ONE constraint holding you back right now. Maybe it's time (you're booked solid but can't take on more clients). Maybe it's lead generation (nobody knows you exist). Maybe it's sales (you get inquiries but can't close them). Maybe it's your average client value (everyone's worth $1,000 when they should be worth $5,000). Maybe it's fulfillment (clients leave unhappy and never refer you). Once you identify that ONE constraint and fix it, you get a raise. Sometimes a massive one, like 20%, 30%, even 50%+ in a year. Then a new constraint pops up. You fix that one. Yay, you just got another raise! It's literally whack-a-mole with your income, except every time you whack one you make more money. In this episode, I walk you through: The exact framework for identifying YOUR constraint The five core functions every freelancer needs to master (in order) The most common bottleneck for six-figure earners The "Hormozi Holy Trio" that holds most freelancers back How fixing one simple number can give yourself a 4x raise This is one of those episodes where if you actually apply what's in it, you'll look back in 6-12 months and realize it changed everything. For full show notes, visit https://6figurecreative.com/389

You can spend years building a wildly successful six-figure (or multi-six-figure) freelance business... Only to watch it crumble to dust. Not because you sucked at your craft. Not because you weren't talented enough. But because you didn't defend yourself properly against a handful of silent killers. One of these silent killers once cost me five weeks of work I had to make up for free. (Could've been prevented. Wasn't. Sucked.) So in this week's episode, I'm breaking down the five hidden dangers that can wipe out a six-figure freelance business (and more importantly, exactly how to defend yourself against each one). Here's what we're tackling: How to prevent burnout (you know, when you basically hate your clients and want to burn down your entire business) and recognize the warning signs before that happens. The “give-a-mouse-a-cookie” problem that sucks away your profit (and one simple phrase that stops it). The simple systems that keep you safe from the tax man (no, you can’t outsmart the system. Don’t try). Legal essentials that protect your business (rare, but when they strike, they can wipe you out completely. Here’s how to stay out of the danger zone). And the #1 completely preventable “silent killer” - payment issues. You've worked too hard to build your business to let it get taken down by something completely avoidable. Let's make sure that doesn't happen. For full show notes, visit https://6figurecreative.com/388

Most freelancers think: "The more work I show, the more clients I'll attract." But if you have a level 10 skillset working with level 5 clients… Your portfolio is gonna look level 6 at best. And it’s hard to level up your clients if your portfolio doesn’t match. Is your portfolio all over the place? Not showcasing work at the level you want to attract clients? This week’s podcast episode will fix that. You’ll learn: How to beef up your portfolio if it’s still light or you’re just starting out How to curate and uplevel your current portfolio to attract higher level clients The secret ingredient that instantly makes your work look 10x more impressive For full show notes, visit https://6figurecreative.com/387

“Raise your gosh darn rates.” I literally have a podcast episode with this title. But that advice is not for everyone because raising your prices isn’t always the answer. Every freelancer has a “Goldilocks sweet spot” for their pricing. The perfect balance of rates that keep you booked, profitable, and sane. Charge too much? You've got the "luxury mirage"… premium prices, but an empty calendar. Charge too little? Welcome to the "bargain bin trap"… a packed calendar full of soul-sucking projects where you resent your clients and can barely keep your head above water. This week’s episode is all about finding that pricing sweet spot that keeps you booked with better clients. I’ll give you… 4 steps. and 3 important metrics. I break it all down on Episode #386: The Goldilocks Pricing Rule for Freelancers (Not Too High, Not Too Low) For full show notes, visit https://6figurecreative.com/386

The vast majority of freelancers want one thing: more clients. But what if that’s not your biggest problem? What if you’re booked solid… And now the “good problem to have” is that you can’t ever take a vacation because your income is tied to the hours you work? It’s a dollars-for-hours trap. No work = no money. Vacation? You're not making money. Get sick? Not making money. In the hospital? Not making money. Your income is handcuffed to the hours you work. And there's a ceiling. A theoretical maximum. You can inch it up by raising your rates, but eventually... that's it. That's your max. Some people are cool with that. If you’d like a future where you’re making great money NOT trading dollars for hours… Where you “outgrow” freelancing and transition your expertise into something more scalable… This episode is for you. Should I start an agency? Sell software/products? Or - should I start teaching what I know and build a coaching business? In this episode, I talk about the pros and cons of each, and why I think creating a scalable coaching offer is the way to go (spoiler alert: it’s the one I’ve gone all in on, which is why you’re reading this). For full show notes, visit https://6figurecreative.com/385

We all get the same 24 hours in a day. So why can some people get more done in that 24 hours than others? It’s not ALWAYS about doing more. In many cases it’s about doing the RIGHT things consistently (at the right time of day). My day starts at 5:30 AM with 15 minutes of reading and straight to the gym for a workout. It’s a non-negotiable for me, whether I feel like it or not. So my advice for you: Set aside “power hours” to work ON your business every day - as a non-negotiable. Just like going to the gym, it’s a “business booty bootcamp” that directly adds junk to your trunk (aka revenue to your bank account) when you do it consistently. (Oh, and DO NOT check emails first thing in the morning. Ever.) This week’s episode is all about how to know WHAT to work on and how to prioritize it so you can actually have the business and the life that you want. Things like: Micro-routines that help you knock out the important stuff quickly How I structure my day based on my energy levels, and my best “hacks” for creative focus The “hate-charity” trick that helps me accomplish my goals The 3 biggest issues that keep you from prioritizing (even when you want to) Listen now to Episode #384: The “Power Hour” Method (How Smart Freelancers Work) For full show notes, visit https://6figurecreative.com/384

“I'd love to be jacked.” “I'd love to be great at pottery.” “I’d love to be a scratch golfer.” ← this one’s me. You can say you wanna be good at something, but if you’re not willing to do what it takes to get there, you don’t really want it enough. And sometimes that’s okay. But when it comes to your freelance business, I hear a lot of people say, “I want to be making 6 figures, charging $10k per project, etc etc.” And yet when it comes time to do the work - they “don’t have time” for it. That time excuse? We know it’s not really true. I've seen people juggling full-time jobs, families, community roles, even taking care of extended family... and they STILL make massive progress in their businesses. Then I see freelancers with literally zero responsibilities (single, no kids, no clients, hell, some even just got laid off and have nothing but time) and they're STILL using "lack of time" as their excuse. We all have the same 24 hours. So what are you willing to do to make time and space for progress? That’s the question I tackle on this week’s episode: What Are You Willing to Give Up to Grow Your Freelance Business? Don't just SAY you want to grow your freelance business. Show it with your choices. For full show notes, visit https://6figurecreative.com/383

If you've ever thought to yourself, "I need more clients, please God, rain them down out of the sky" - I'm probably gonna piss you off today. Hopefully in a good way. Some numbers I found interesting and concerning: 68% of freelancers rely on passive methods to get clients. 58% said client acquisition was their number one challenge. 🤨 Hmmmm…I wonder why that is? Now, when I say “passive methods” I mean things like word of mouth and referrals, networking, and social media. If you’re waiting and hoping for a potential client to reach out to you… EVEN if you’re on the freelance marketplaces or showing up to networking events… You still have a passive client acquisition system. And it sucks @$$ for several reasons… First: For every freelancer that's out there, there hundreds (or thousands) of clients that need your services who never hire anyone (or hire the wrong person) simply because they didn't know you exist. Second: By ****waiting around for clients to find you magically, not only are you hurting yourself and your bank account, you're hurting those potential clients you could have helped (if they just knew you existed). The solution? Convert passive methods to active ones. This week’s episode is all about how to do that including: How to amp up your referral flow A better way to do direct outreach Why “freelance marketplaces” are kinda a scam The ONE active strategy that works better than anything else For full show notes, visit https://6figurecreative.com/382

The average freelancer is often absolutely clueless when it comes to running a business. And I can only say this because I did some of the dumbest possible things for the first five years that I was a freelancer. Until I started looking at best practices from other successful industries - in many cases who had spent millions (or hundreds of millions) of dollars to figure this stuff out. When you take what’s already working in other industries and adapt it to your freelance business… You can charge higher prices, have more predictability, higher close rates, more finished projects without tearing your hair out from the stress. What lessons exactly? That’s what this week’s episode is all about: 8 Business Secrets Freelancers Can Steal From Multi-Billion Dollar Industries If you’re currently: Doing most of your work as one-off projects Providing a whole bunch of different services and packages Relying on referrals and warm leads to get clients This episode could change your entire business for the better. For full show notes, visit https://6figurecreative.com/381