The Good Enough Mompreneur Podcast

129. From Freelancer to CEO: Amy Posner's Secrets to Unlock Your Entrepreneurial Potential

• Amy Posner • Season 3 • Episode 129

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In this episode of The Good Enough Mompreneur Podcast, host Angela sits down with Amy Posner, known as "The Client Whisperer." With over 30 years of experience in business, Amy shares her journey from growing up in a family business to becoming a successful entrepreneur and coach. She provides invaluable insights on client care, pricing strategies, and how freelancers can shift their mindset to think like CEOs. This episode is packed with practical advice and inspiring stories that will empower mompreneurs to elevate their business game.

Key Takeaways:

  1. Amy’s Entrepreneurial Journey: Learn how Amy transitioned from a family business to becoming a renowned client relationship expert.
  2. Importance of Client Care: Discover why focusing on existing clients can be more beneficial than constantly seeking new ones.
  3. Effective Pricing Strategies: Amy discusses the importance of understanding client needs and how to price your services effectively.
  4. Mindset Shift for Freelancers: Tips on how freelancers can start thinking and operating like business owners.
  5. Scaling Your Business: Strategies for freelancers looking to grow and scale their businesses without trading time for dollars.

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The Good Enough Mompreneur Podcast Interview - Amy Posner

[00:00:00] 

Introduction and Welcoming Amy

[00:00:00] Angela: Welcome to the podcast, Amy. I am so delighted to have you today. 

[00:00:04] Amy: Me too. Great to be here. I'm excited to have a conversation. 

[00:00:07] Angela: Yeah, this is gonna be so interesting. You've got so much valuable experience and you've done some really incredible things and had a lot of success. So I'm excited to hear all that you have to teach us today.

Amy's Entrepreneurial Journey

[00:00:20] Angela: So why don't you give listeners a little intro on your entrepreneurial journey, and I'd love to hear how you became known as the client whisperer. 

[00:00:33] Amy: Sure. So, you know, it's interesting. I've been in business for 30 years. I've been around for a while. I never wanted to be in business. My, I grew up in a family business.

[00:00:42] And so a lot of this started actually around the dinner table because my father, you know, would bring home these stories and eventually my mom worked in the business. And they would talk about clients and like how you, and customers and how you treat them. And they had this high end men's clothing store.

[00:00:57] And so customer service was like, was super important. [00:01:00] So, I mean, my dad did some weird bend over backwards stuff to like deliver people things at the last minute. And anyway, that's kind of where I learned to be the client whisperer was from my dad. But again, I didn't want to be in business. Like I wanted to be the creative one.

[00:01:15] And I have, I have kind of a funny sideways story about how I got into business, but I ended up loving it and finding out that it was really creative, right? Like you get to invent things and make things up and test them and see if they work. And, and so through these businesses that I ran, my thing was always the marketing and the people.

[00:01:33] And so I became the client whisperer just really by talking and listening and trying to take really good care of people. And I learned how to, and I learned some really valuable skills that I was then able to teach. And so people would come to me, you know, with their, with their client. Conundrums and challenges.

[00:01:52] And then they started calling me the client whisper, because I seem to always have answers. As you'll see, I have no shortage of words. So, 

[00:01:59] Angela: no, [00:02:00] I love that. And I think we get so wrapped up in starting our businesses and don't always emphasize the client experience. So I think that that's so important.

[00:02:11] And I'm sure you could weigh in on it on how important it is to keep the clients you've already got instead of spending money to get new ones. Right? 

[00:02:22] Amy: Hello. Yes. 

[00:02:25] Angela: Yes. 

Key Strategies for Business Success

[00:02:26] Angela: So before we talk about some of the other things that you're doing now, I'm really interested in all of the successful businesses that you've started that I've had multiple six figure annual profits.

[00:02:40] And so do you have some insight for us on some of the key strategies that you use to find that success? 

[00:02:49] Amy: Yeah, I do. And particularly I think for your listeners, maybe, you know, like how I achieved that success in the, in the freelance space, you know, or kind of solo space would be interesting. [00:03:00] But, you know, I've been around a while, like I said, and I've had a lot of time to learn and experiment.

[00:03:04] So that's part of it, I think, you know, is, is being patient and knowing that it's a process. I think, I don't think people expect overnight success so much as they don't really know what the gauge is, like how long does something take and what should I expect and how do I You know, measure my myself.

[00:03:20] And so I think understanding that, you know, it's a process, it's iterative, you know, you have to be bad at something kind of to get good at something. And so, and so, so there's that. 

Understanding Client Needs and Pricing

[00:03:29] Amy: Now, the other thing I think, particularly in my freelance world, like when I started as a copywriter, as a full time copywriter, I didn't know who bought what I sold.

[00:03:39] Right. Like, like what, like at what level, like I saw, like some people were selling sales pages, for example, for 2, 500 and somebody else was charging 25, 000. Right? Was it the client? Was it the contractor? Was it the project? And so I really, I, I, I set out to solve that puzzle because I really didn't understand it.

[00:03:57] And it was the first time I found myself in business going, I don't know, who [00:04:00] do I talk to? Like, I've got the skills, but who, who's got the, who's got the need? So solving that puzzle. Helped a lot and then continuing to refine my understanding about what clients want just sort of on the heels of what we were just talking about, you know, and this is, I'm going to go sideways just for a sec, but because this sort of informs like the work that I'm doing now, what I discovered is that people, people get into business.

[00:04:30] like crafts people, freelance people get into business because they have something they're good at, right? Something they love doing. And it's like, Ooh, I could make a living at this. That would be cool. But they don't, they haven't thought about the business side of it. And so what, what kept, what kept cropping up is people who are, really great craftspeople who didn't have business skills were just not eating well.

[00:04:51] People who mediocre craftspeople with the sharp business skills were, were commanding better fees. They were eating better. They were doing better. And so like what I [00:05:00] realized was this is, this is what elevates the experience. And this is what people don't understand. So that was my little sideways piece.

[00:05:07] So that like, that was, that's why I've, I've sort of clung onto this, this puzzle. Because what I like, the truth is, Really good clients want great customer service. It really like the entire experience matters. And so what I discovered, you know, that made me successful, I think was, this is so simple. It seems like showing up, being reliable, committing to making my clients lives easier by like, by like not being a diva, like charging really well for my work, but not being at all like I'm, I'm at your service was always my attitude.

[00:05:44] And I found that that that that's the one thing and I say that I that it was important in my success because it's the thing that I've been able to translate and teach other people that I see elevates their success. So that's, that's like the key thing. And then I think the other thing is like persistence, [00:06:00] hanging in there, maybe a little stubbornness, willing to be wrong in coachable.

[00:06:07] Angela: Yes. Kind of be mindful of your limitations, I think. And that's a, that's a really hard one, but Eventually we kind of have to look in the mirror and go, okay, what aren't I good at? Where do I need help? You had a lot of juicy stuff there and I don't think that I have I don't often talk about it, but my experience as a military spouse and moving around had me in the position of being a freelancer because people would find out I was a military spouse and go, Oh no, you're just going to move.

[00:06:42] I don't want to hire you. I mean, they wouldn't tell me that obviously, but I knew that that was kind of, I would see their face go, Oh.

[00:06:54] So I found myself in the position of freelancing for a long time [00:07:00] and didn't consider myself a business owner. Like it never dawned on me like, Hey, it was, I was meeting a need and getting paid for it. And. So I find it so interesting and important that if anybody is listening to this, who is a freelancer to begin to think of yourself as an entrepreneur and a business owner, so important.

[00:07:26] But secondly, how did you find a solution to how to charge and like, where was the market for what you wanted to provide and the right fees to charge for your service? 

[00:07:43] Amy: You know, I'm pretty scrappy. So, yeah, like, sleuthing around and trying to figure out what people were doing and. And talking to clients and sort of testing things out and really getting a feel like it was interesting.

[00:07:57] Cause like in the copy space, anyway, [00:08:00] it's very, it can be very niche dependent, right. And it can be really dependent. I think I'm for any freelance kind of, you know, project that you do, I think for the client, it's also really dependent on how close to the money you're, what you do is perceived to be right.

[00:08:15] Like, like, like what I found is the clients who knew copy drove their business and we're buying it all the time. They, they knew how important it was, they knew the value, and some of them were willing to pay more because of that, because they knew the value if they could get the right person. Other people, because they used it a lot, didn't want to pay as much, but they had ongoing needs.

[00:08:35] So that was sort of a different kind of a fit, where there was a lot of, there was a lot of work, but it was a different price point. And I'm like, okay, there's that. And then over here, there's, there's this kind of work. And then I, and then there was the world of big number of projects, right? And everyone gets seduced by them.

[00:08:51] It's like, Oh, I want to close a 20, 000 project or a 30, 000 project. And I did too. It's like, of course you want to, right? It's like, it's, it's sort of [00:09:00] a, I don't know, right of passage or something. Then I came to realize like the really big projects are just a lot of little projects into rolled into one and they're super complex and they take forever to complete and there's a lot more people involved.

[00:09:12] Angela: Right, 

[00:09:13] Amy: but I didn't know that, right? Like, of course you think I want the 30, 000 project, not the 5, 000 project. But what I, what I learned was. Like there was a real sweet spot for me between like six and 8, 000 and there were a couple of projects I could do really well at that range and I could do several a month.

[00:09:30] But I had to figure that out by process of elimination, like what, what are people buying? What can I do? What can I do quickly? What do I like doing that the market will buy? And so it was like a process of just sort of like finding my way and, and leveling up. And I know most people are just not going to make do that.

[00:09:47] I was sort of determined to make this work. And so that's, you know, then I started teaching it right. In my masterminds, it's like, okay, I can streamline this. Cause I've been through all the. All the pieces, but anyway, yeah, that's the answer. Told you I [00:10:00] had a lot of words. 

[00:10:00] Angela: Yeah, no, I mean, I love it. You're saying so many important things and, you know, I just want to reflect back to you that also it's so important to see it as an iterative process.

[00:10:14] You know, I look at it as like a scientific experiment. I mean, I know certain business principles and, but still there's no cookie cutter solution that's going to work for you in what you do and. You know, clients change you evolve work evolves and so that's just such a great attitude to have and just constantly building on your experience and realizing your value and talking about value, you know, it's, it's so important for you to kind of see the landscape of potential clients as those who know your worth.

[00:10:51] And being able to sell your worth to those people who aren't really dialed in quite yet. And that is [00:11:00] so incredibly difficult to do, especially as women and moms, who are just kind of conditioned to, not think highly of what they do or we take for granted the skills that we have. So, I definitely don't want those messages to fall short of listeners ears for sure.

The Breakthrough Freelancer Program

[00:11:22] Angela: But you mentioned your mastermind. Can you tell us a little bit about your complete breakthrough freelancer program? Because I find that so interesting, and I love that you're helping freelancers kind of bridge that gap. And it sounds like, begin to like turn on the engines of running a business. 

[00:11:43] Amy: Yeah, it's interesting because it serves that market, like people who are new for turning on those engines.

[00:11:49] And then it serves people, well, let me, let me back up for a sec. 

[00:11:52] Angela: Yeah, sure. So 

[00:11:53] Amy: if I may. 

[00:11:54] Angela: Yeah, no. 

[00:11:55] Amy: Let me tell you this in a more linear fashion. So, so [00:12:00] I already told you like this thing about like not having the business skills, right? Right. Like you don't need as well. And so the other thing, so like one thing is people don't have that puzzle, that puzzle figured out.

[00:12:12] The other thing is that people don't know or often don't realize is like whatever gets you from zero to sort of like stable income, like whether that's like 4, 000 a month or five, like, you know, five, six, like money, you can, you can start to like live on, right? And rely on what gets you from zero to there is not what gets you from there to the next spot, right?

[00:12:31] Like it's way different work that gets you started, that gets you then to your, your next level. And so there's different ways that you will. You said iterative process, it's, there's different ways that you'll look at this through different eyes once you have experience. And so what I was trying to do, so what I, what I did in, in my mastermind is it was, it was very exclusive, 12 people.

[00:12:51] I ran alongside all of that, like pretty close. And at first it was like, well, let me see if I can take what I have done. I'd done it in one on one coaching. [00:13:00] Now, can I do this in a group and teach people this? Because I'm very much a believer in not cookie cutter. My belief is let's find out what's right for you and then let's pursue that.

[00:13:12] And so, so it ended up being really successful. I mean, we ended up being able to get people where they needed to be individually, but inside of a group setting. And so I ran that back to back for, for a few years. And then what I, what I wanted to do was make this information accessible to people who either didn't get the point of masterminds yet, which, you know, took me years.

[00:13:34] I was like, I'm not parting with my money. Are you crazy? That much money? It's like either the people who don't like, aren't ready for masterminds or just don't have the money. They can, they flat out can't afford it. And so I kind of joke that this is like my 8, 500 mastermind minus the 8, 000. So, so it's sort of, it's sort of the off the shelf version of everything that you need to do to build a business.

[00:13:54] And, but I do it in a, or I've aimed to do it. I hope I've achieved it in a really approachable [00:14:00] way. So everything is bite sized and it's not intense. This isn't like MBA school and we're not getting out calculators and doing numbers. We're talking about what do you want and what do you want your business to do for you and deliver for you?

[00:14:13] Because my big message is, you know, if you're going to be bold enough, So like, you're running a business, let's be bold enough and take the time enough to like, bend it to your will, like, make it work for you, make it give you what you need financially in the time you have. And that's, that's what I'm helping, helping people to do so that, you know, so not only do they make the money that they want, but they actually enjoy rolling around in it.

[00:14:37] Cause like, this is your life. This is what you're doing. And especially for women. And I think for moms where this is their side thing, it's like, this is your thing. Often this is like where you feel you and you feel empowered. And it's like, it's, it's the, like, might be the only thing that's just yours even, you know?

[00:14:53] And so. So I think, I think it's really important to like, you know, love it up properly. 

[00:14:58] Angela: Right. 

[00:14:59] Amy: So [00:15:00] it loves you back. 

[00:15:01] Angela: No, absolutely. And it is really kind of shocking how little people kind of think that they get to create a business and a life that suits them instead of a business kind of running their life.

[00:15:20] And so, I mean, I'm particularly interested in that and I do a lot of work around that and it's so important people have been kind of conditioned that you need an MBA to start a business and, you know, while that might be great. You know, I think that these kind of core things around the planning and the building a business that suits your life is just so important.

Empowering Freelancers to Think Like CEOs

[00:15:45] Angela: So what are some of the things that we can kind of help our listeners start to empower themselves to see themselves less as freelancers and side hustlers and more as [00:16:00] CEOs of their own business? 

[00:16:02] Amy: Yeah, it's, it's a really, it's such a good point. And I, you know, and I think the thing that you said, I just want to repeat that you said people don't know, right?

[00:16:10] Like, they don't know that they can take control. And I feel like, I think there's a lot of there, there's, there's, there's sort of competing messages. Like, you know, there's all this internet stuff of like, oh, you know, get rich overnight and everything's easy. And like, the reality is like, no, it's not easy at all.

[00:16:24] And we, and we know that, and we know that it's true. And so, you know, First, first thing is like ignore that message and know that like it's hard work, right? It's really rewarding work, but it's, but it's work. And so if you're struggling, like, you're probably in the right place because, you know, it can feel that way.

[00:16:39] Sometimes, especially. If you're figuring things out. But I really think the thing you hit on earlier is the key. It's like, think like a business owner, like you own a business. And it's funny, like MBAs, I think MBAs like set you up for, there's nothing entrepreneurial that they teach you in MBAs as an MBA.

[00:16:57] Like you come out very. [00:17:00] I don't know. It's very different thinking. What I like to teach is entrepreneurial intelligence. And that's like, how do you, how do you work for yourself and make things work and still be delivering like great, great product and great value to your client? And so I think it's starting, it's, it's sort of valuing yourself enough, I think, to think like a business owner and think through like, okay, I deserve to choose who my clients are and work with clients who respect me and pay me well and value and value my work.

[00:17:27] And that's a choice. And people don't know that it's a choice. And so like, that's what I'm, I'm trying to teach them. Like, here, here are the ways that you can level up and here are the ways that you can, like, let's even think about like, who is an ideal client for you? How do you serve people? What do you, what do you like?

[00:17:42] And let's, let's try and let's try and align, let's try and align what you, what you deeply want with what your everyday looks like. So that's the first thing I think is. is respecting yourself enough or believing in yourself enough to, to, to [00:18:00] be, to be a business owner, like step into those, into those shoes.

[00:18:03] And I think, I think it is kind of stepping into shoes. It's like, you know, you, you, you did that when you first decided you were going to sell X, right? Like, Oh, I'm good at X. I'll sell X. But like, let's refine that now to, I'm really good at X, I'm going to sell X and I'm going to make a great living and build a secure future.

[00:18:19] Mm hmm. Yeah. And I think so many times, you know, we were talking about client care and taking care of our clients. That doesn't mean taking care of every client who doesn't respect our boundaries or doesn't fit into what we need and want. So, you know, we really do get to set that tone. And sometimes you just need to have.

[00:18:45] Angela: A few clients that aren't the best to kind of get that, I know. Okay. That's definitely not the person I want to serve. So that's okay too. That's really [00:19:00] important. In fact, I mean, because sometimes we don't know what we want, but we know what we don't want. Right. Right. So like, so like filtering up to what you want by eliminating what you don't want is a really big process and to know too that that's not personal.

[00:19:14] Amy: You know, when your clients are jerk, they're a jerk. I mean, you know, or they're treating you badly or they're disrespecting you or they're nickel and diming you or they're scope creeping you. It has nothing to do with you as a contractor. It's like, you know, This client's a jerk. They're a bad client, you know, and you know, I, I, I like to think of us as problem solvers, right?

[00:19:34] Like the client has a problem. We have a solution, but like, I don't want to solve everyone's problem. Some problems I don't want to solve. You know, or some people I don't want to solve them for. So, well, I mean, you know, I was thinking about what you said earlier in, in kind of realizing the ease that you can bring to your client's life is so important.

The Importance of Problem Solving

[00:19:59] Angela: [00:20:00] And you talk about being a problem solver when you really are dialed in to what problem you solve for your clients and what you do well, you're golden. You're golden. Thank you. Yeah, you are. And, and, and I mean, and that's what people want. That's what we all want, right? We want somebody who really cares, who's going to like get invested and care about an outcome and wants to solve the problem, you know, and you can see it, you know, you're like, you can feel it or see it when someone like, like they start leaning in and it's like, Oh, we can do this or that.

[00:20:31] Amy: Or if you thought about this and it's like, okay, that's the start of the spark. Right. And the funny thing is, is it is usually something that you find very easy and intuitive. And that's what's so surprising. It's like, really?

[00:20:54] Angela: But that's why you're in business. Yes. And here. 

Recognizing Your Superpowers

[00:20:57] Amy: Oh, I'm so glad you said that because like one thing [00:21:00] I like I see all the time. Is we just miss what we're good at or what comes easy to us because it's like, Oh, who would pay for that? Or who cares? Everybody can do that. Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no. Yeah, it's like, that's probably, it's probably your superpower.

[00:21:14] Angela: Mm hmm. Yeah, I had people telling me various things about myself for years and completely discounted it and thought it was silly and No, no, no. But, you know, it has turned into me kind of really going, Oh, okay. You know, as I serve people and it's like, Oh, this really is helpful. What kinds of things, you know, as a military spouse, I traveled all over the country.

[00:21:44] I was the go to person. So my, my first business well, not my first business was I have a travel agency because I so easily know this is what you need. This is where you need to go. This is the restaurant you go to, [00:22:00] you know, and I just totally discount it. Like who needs that? They have Google. But the average person spends 20 hours planning a vacation.

[00:22:09] You know, do some people want to do that? Yes. But a lot of people don't, the people who value their time don't want to do that. So exactly, 

[00:22:22] Amy: exactly, exactly, exactly, exactly that. 

[00:22:25] Angela: Or just the way that I take care of my clients, no matter what business I'm working in, like you've found that that was something that people needed to learn.

[00:22:36] And I thought, doesn't everybody know how to do this? Doesn't everybody know?

[00:22:44] Amy: It's shocking. It actually is shocking. So there's, there's two things that shocked me. Actually, I guess that's, I shouldn't say that's shocking. It's surprising. Anyway, the people don't understand that, that, that really. Surprises me. 

The Value of Reliability

[00:22:56] Amy: I'm so shocked at how unreliable people can be. 

[00:22:59] Angela: [00:23:00] I had a reporter call me last week.

[00:23:02] She reached out to me. She needed an expert. She wanted to know if I would have a short conversation with her. And I said, sure, I have a really tight schedule today, but I'll talk to you for like 10 15 minutes. She was like, thank you so much. You don't know how many people just don't respond to emails or phone calls.

[00:23:20] I'm now her go to expert. She writes in travel and I'm her go to expert. Boom. 

[00:23:29] Amy: And how hard was that? 

[00:23:31] Angela: So easy. 

[00:23:34] Amy: Right. But, but you have to be of that mindset or you'd miss the opportunity. Right. I mean, yeah, I love that. I love that. Yeah. 

[00:23:42] Angela: But it is. And, and, you know, we, we also have this cognitive bias to overcomplicate things and, and to kind of think things are, They need to be difficult, but they really don't.

[00:23:55] They so don't. 

[00:23:56] Amy: Yeah. It's such a good point. We really do. I don't, I don't know why. [00:24:00] It's like, why do we think things have to be difficult and why do we like default to negativity about ourselves, right? Like, what, what is that wiring? 

[00:24:08] Angela: Our brains are 44 percent negative. No, 44 times more likely to focus on the negative as opposed to the neutral or positive.

[00:24:22] It's a safety mechanism. Your brain keeps you safe. And is looking for potential threat, whether it's a wooly mammoth or, you know, recording a YouTube video,

Positioning Yourself as an Expert

[00:24:39] Angela: it's, but let's say you're in a position to know what your strengths are, or at least some of them, you know, you're going to learn as a business owner over time, more and more strengths that you have. But it's so important to position ourselves as an expert and an authority. So how [00:25:00] can we begin to do that once we're like, Oh, okay, here are some things that I'm good at.

[00:25:07] Amy: Yeah, yeah, it's a great question. And, you know, I said earlier, like, put your stake in the ground. I think the best way is to stand for something. It's a little scary for people. But you can, you can, you can just keep it super, super simple. Cause here's the thing. I think we, we all come into like, like run right up against the imposter wall when, when we're going to go and put something out into the world that we think it's like, who am I to say this?

[00:25:32] It's all been said already. And we all think that at every level. And it's true. Right. I mean, who am I to say this? And it's all been said already. I mean, that's all true. And so what, because the thing is like your potential clients. They just want to know that you think something, and that you are bold enough to say what you think.

[00:25:49] They don't care if 28 other people think the same thing. They're not looking at those 28 people, they're looking at you. And so, you know, I, I like to think of like having some [00:26:00] kind of anchor piece or statement, and it could be anything. I mean, it could be an article, it could be a one minute video, it could be an audio, it could be whatever you're comfortable.

[00:26:08] It's like, just like, say what you stand for. And then start, then take that stand and then start speaking from that and I know it's, it's really hard. It's really, really hard to start. Because I think we feel really self conscious and we feel really, probably mediocre or really bad at it. And the thing is, it's like, here's the grace of it.

[00:26:30] When you start, no one's paying attention, right? You think like the whole world is waiting and you put this thing out and then you're like, Oh, crickets, nobody cares. It was my own. It was my own obsession. But no, but it's true. The hardest thing is to get started. And so I think like it's it's really it say something if you want to be an authority and you want to be seen as an expert, just like own what own what you think.

[00:26:54] Don't worry about being eloquent. Don't worry about being like polished or perfect. Like it's be [00:27:00] real and raw and, and, and, but, but, but be willing to represent your craft and your talent. And, and let me, I just want to add a little caveat there. Cause I mean, we've all been raised and particularly us as women, you know, not to blow our own horn and not to make too much noise and that all of these things, and it's like, then you get in business, it's like, blow your own horn and tell everyone how great you are.

[00:27:18] And you're like, what? You know, I mean, we've like, not only do we not know how to do it, we've been taught not to do it, right? So it feels really, really, really uncomfortable, like radically uncomfortable. And you know, if you're going to be successful in business, you got to learn to speak up. I mean, you just do.

[00:27:35] And even if you're quaking in your boots, like find, find someone to hold your hand, you know, find a best friend, find a colleague, a coach, a mentor, whatever. It's like you owe yourself that. And it is really hard. And, you know, I mean, I'm a coach. I've had, I have a coach, you know, my, my coach, my coach sees me through and tells me, You know, tells me about my capacity and what I should and shouldn't do.

[00:27:56] I don't know. I can tell you. I don't know for me. 

[00:27:59] Angela: Yeah. [00:28:00] No. I mean, that's so important. I mean, whether it's finding out what your superpowers are or, you know, you always need to have somebody that can reflect back to you, you know, what you can't see because we all have blind spots for sure. So I think that that's so important.

[00:28:20] And I know we're running up a little against time and with. You know, all my guests, I want to talk to them forever, but I know listeners have limited time and limited capacity. 

Scaling Your Freelance Business

[00:28:30] Angela: I would love to hear your thoughts on any Frank Lancers that are listening, that are having a hard time with scaling their businesses and trading time for dollars and trying to figure out how to, you know, scale and grow in that situation.

[00:28:48] Amy: Yeah, I think, I think the thing to do is to look at a couple of areas of your business because, you know, there's probably, you want to look at your pricing, for one thing, and you want to look at your timing. [00:29:00] And what I mean by that, and I'm not an advocate, honestly, of people working by the hour at all.

[00:29:06] Yeah. I, I'm really into project pricing and I think the only way you can do a project price is to actually know like what's something, how long something takes you. And so one, and this is, you know, it's funny because you asked earlier, like, like, how can you sort of get into an entrepreneurial mindset?

[00:29:21] And I think this is an onerous task, but this is, this flips everyone into, into understanding this. If you time, how, how long it takes you to do a thing, it takes longer than you think it always does. That won't surprise anyone. Right. But it can be shocking. Like, Oh, I thought I'd been 20 hours and I actually put 40.

[00:29:37] And then you look at what you're charging and what you need to do is figure out like, is it livable? Is it workable for the income that you want to make? And if it isn't, it's not like, Oh, too bad on you. It's like, no, we need to re engineer. Your business model. And so I think the thing to look at is, you know, what are you actually making?

[00:29:55] What do you want to be making? And can you make that, [00:30:00] you know, is that possible with either like your current client base or your current offers, which serve similar clients? Or do you need to, you know, do you need to switch your focus? Do you need offers that are more expensive, or do you need clients that are different that will pay more, you know, for the same work?

[00:30:15] And so there's a lot of different things to look at, I think, and, and it's, it's, and that's kind of why I've tried to systematize this, because it's really hard to know. Like, what do you, like, is it my positioning? Is it my niching? Is it my offering? Is it my pricing? It's like, Okay, well, let's just look at everything really quickly and see like, where, which lever can we push on?

[00:30:33] Where's, where's the room to grow? But if you don't know which things to look at, it's hard. I also, I have a a free course called breakthrough clients. 

[00:30:42] Angela: Oh, nice. 

[00:30:43] Amy: Any of your listeners want to figure out who your ideal client is and who you should be serving and where you can find those people. I go into some good depth on that.

[00:30:51] And I think that's a really good place to start because, you know, It's like we've been talking about all along. There are different people with different expectations and that'll, it'll help you to [00:31:00] get, figure out like, Ooh, how will, how can I get into that pool of people who spend more in my profession?

[00:31:05] Like, who are they and what are they looking for? And then you can go, Oh, do I want to offer that? Yep. Tick, tick, tick. And then suddenly like you have a new positioning and a new alignment and a new pricing. And that's, I know I made it sound like zip, zip, zip, but you know, it kind of can be, if you know which things to look at.

[00:31:21] Angela: Well, I always say we're a mindset shift away from a completely different business or a completely different life. And that's what's so important about this conversation or working with a coach or trying out a new course. You have no idea the ideas that somebody might have that's going to give you a mindset shift on, A new creative offer or, you know, a new place to research or it, which is another thing that you talked about that is so important that I think so many business owners skip over.

[00:31:54] It's just research, you know, they feel like they're going to get caught by the [00:32:00] competitor police or something. It's like, take a look at what other people are doing. It's not copying, but just see what's happening. I mean, these are your peers. So yeah. Yeah. 

[00:32:15] Amy: And I think, you know, what I found too in the freelance space, in most professions, people are really generous with their knowledge.

[00:32:21] I mean, they're your peers, like look at them, you know, ask people questions or, you know, I mean, be gracious and, you know, don't, you know, we don't expect anyone to spend a whole ton of time, but like, 

[00:32:34] Angela: yeah, I think it's everything. And I'm like.

[00:32:41] Amy: Oh, honey, you haven't, you don't have that kind of time and neither do I. 

[00:32:45] Angela: Yeah.

[00:32:46] No, this has been such a lovely conversation and I know that you have so much more to help our listeners dial in where they want to be in their businesses. 

Final Takeaways and Connecting with Amy

[00:32:57] Angela: And so, If you had a [00:33:00] takeaway or a few takeaways that you want listeners to have from this conversation, what do you think that would be? 

[00:33:08] Amy: What would I take tell you to take away?

[00:33:10] I think, I think one really big thing that we sort of danced around, and I didn't say it this directly, is think of your clients as partners, not adversaries. I think that's really important, you know, they have problems, you have a solution, you get to choose again if it's a problem you want to solve.

[00:33:25] Another thing that I would say is you are an expert, so please own it. I mean, really, if you're, you know, if you have the courage, if you've done one project and landed one client, I mean, you have an expertise, that's why you're here. So, you know, I just always feel like people want us to confer expertise, so we confer.

[00:33:42] You are an expert, right? There's no, there's no like school you can go to. So we're conferring that. And that's it. Like you, you, you had the courage to like, to start a business. So please like continue to step into that courage, be bold. Cause it'll serve you really well. You got this. 

[00:33:59] Angela: Yeah. [00:34:00] And sometimes, you know, just hearing that from somebody else, I think we'd know that, but hearing it from somebody else just really helps.

[00:34:08] So I love that. We all need to hear that on an ongoing basis. 

[00:34:14] Amy: Yeah, we do over and over and over again, 

[00:34:16] Angela: right? Unfortunately, we didn't get a lot of time to talk about your podcast, Business Badassery, which I love that name. Such a great name. Other than definitely checking that out. Where else can listeners connect with you?

[00:34:35] Amy: Yeah. Thanks for asking. So my website, amyposner. com, I've got a weekly newsletter called the Breakthrough Beat, and I put out all kinds of pithy actionable stuff. And I'm on LinkedIn. I'm on LinkedIn a lot. And I answer questions there. I'm really easy to reach. I'm very accessible and I like to answer questions so you can find me easily.

[00:34:54] Angela: I love that. Thank you, Amy. It's been a wonderful conversation. I feel like I'm going to be [00:35:00] unpacking it and like so much good stuff came from this conversation. So thank you so much for joining me today. 

[00:35:06] Amy: Thanks for having me and thanks for what you're doing in the world. This is great. Really appreciate it.

[00:35:11] Angela: I thank you so much. It means a lot.

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Angela Masciulli

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