Business Bootcamp for Freelancers
BBFF is a coaching program for ambitious freelancers. You know you’re good at the work itself. You've moved past the basics and had some good months.
You're grateful, you really are, but if you were being really honest, you'd admit to wanting to make more money in less time. You'd like to do more of the work that brings you joy too. Is that crazy?
No, it's not crazy.
Selling creativity is a weird business.
Freelancers have skills—writing or design, photography or software dev. We have knowledge—how to structure a blog post or design a landing page. We have taste—what makes a story good or logo bad. We have experience—which subject lines suck, which ones work and why.
Yet, none of this valuable cargo we carry solves the unpredictable income problem.
After a particularly bad project or fine cup of coffee, the following might occur to you:
- A 20% gain in skill doesn't add 20% to your income.
- The most talented people don’t always make the most money.
- Other factors must be at play, and other freelancers must know them.
Instead of trying to do everything on your own, someone who has been there, done that, could help you put all the pieces together faster.
Without the online research safari. Without the information overload. Without the months (or years!) of detours, dead ends, and lost income.
I should tack on without working longer hours too. That was the mistake I made the first time I "successfully" cracked six figures as a freelancer: feeding more and more of my time into the machine.
(Do you know what delivers on all the wrong promises? Hustling.)
If you prefer better strategy over longer hours, BBFF is for you.
At the end of the program you will have a clear, viable business plan. The short but manageable timeframe and weekly assignments provide just the right amount of friendly pressure.
Here are the key pieces you will create:
🔎 Your unique mix of skills, knowledge, and traits
🔎 The 5-8 key differentiators that dream clients value
🔎 Your client “diary” containing their pains and desires
🔎 The positioning cheat code that helps you win
🔎 Horizontal and vertical specialization
🔎 Juicy offers dream clients really want
🔎 Smart pricing
Meanwhile, your guide, this goober, is a six-figure freelancer who has already walked the path.
A writer in the first BBFF cohort told me I was “a combination of Ben Franklin and Matthew McConaughey.” I'll take it!
Though I sat in classrooms for thousands of hours, I never had a course called “How to Make Six Figures as a Freelance Writer.” I had to learn the hard way, by making a metric crapton of mistakes.
Thankfully, you don’t need to do what I did back in 2009 and 2010. You can do what I do now and pull the right levers (aka, the 6 P's): Positioning, Packaging, Pricing, Pipeline, Psychology, and Process.
Like a crowbar, these levers multiply your effort.
- Sell services based on skills
- Serve anyone with a budget
- No obvious authority
- Their value is hard to quantify
- Stray from their zone of genius
- Not building an audience
- Inconsistent with marketing and lead-gen
- Work harder with no standardized process or support
- Low Prices
- Sell offers based on special mix
- Serve specific niche
- Obvious authority
- Their value is clear
- Stay in their zone of genius
- Building an audience
- Consistent with marketing and lead-gen
- Work smarter by defining processes and building a team
- Premium prices
What People Are Saying
"After looking through websites of freelancers and consultants, I sought out Austin specifically. I needed to make the investment to take myself and the business seriously. Austin’s material got to the heart of what I was trying to uncover. I have already closed my first project doing exactly what I want to be doing."
"Business Bootcamp was just the right amount of friendly pressure, just enough to be really effective. I didn’t feel overwhelmed. The weekly homework and deadlines felt very doable, yet very intentional. I also appreciated the encouragement and kudos throughout the week. Having people to celebrate my wins with me felt really good."
"Whoa, Austin, did you make a hell of a thing! I am so glad I signed up. The weekly training and group calls lit a fire under my butt in the best possible way. I love that the feedback focused on what is already working and in really specific ways. That kept me motivated. Bravo, bravo, bravo, you business bard."
I’d like to show you how the 6 P’s solve the unpredictable income problem and make an outsized impact on your income, lifestyle, and freedom.
Will Rogers hit the nail on the head: “The goal isn’t more money. The goal is living life on your terms.”
I’d like for you to proudly make these statements...
I’d like for you to proudly make these statements...
- “I have a strong structure for my freelance business. I know who my dream clients are and have a system for putting my juicy offers in front of them.”
- “I really enjoy the work itself. Freelancing has started to feel more like play than work.”
- “I charge based on value, and I have gotten much pickier with the clients I work with.”
- “I now find it harder to relate to freelance friends who complain about their cheap or unfair clients. Um… does BBFF have an affiliate program? 🤣”
- “I have less stress and more money for saving, investing, and giving away.
- “I have a lot more freedom than I used to. I know my business is sustainable, and I’m excited about the future.”
Predictable freelance income boils down to your offers and your marketing.
59 million Americans freelanced in some capacity in 2020. And that’s just the U.S. With more freelancers coming online every day, now is not the time to blend in. Now is the time to stand out.
Some freelancers will get the best clients. Why not be one of them?
BBFF offers a path to scaling up your most joyful, profitable work:
BBFF offers a path to scaling up your most joyful, profitable work:
Pick the level of training and support that is right for you.
This is the backbone of the program that covers the following: 1) Find Your Mix, 2) Show Your Authority, 3) Create Your Offers, 4) Rework Your Pricing, 5) Nail Your Marketing, and 6) Build Your Pipeline.
When we've got a cohort going, you can get in on all the shenanigans, including weekly live group calls and the private Circle group.
This is the backbone of the program that covers the following: 1) Find Your Mix, 2) Show Your Authority, 3) Create Your Offers, 4) Rework Your Pricing, 5) Nail Your Marketing, and 6) Build Your Pipeline.
on the homework you submit.
This is the stripped down version of the Business (re)Launch level. After Week 01, Week 03, and Week 06, we discuss your progress, figure out how you can overcome roadblocks, and set your new priorities.
- Ask as many questions as you like, and we’ll respond ASAP (usually in 24 hours).
- Companion workbook to keep all assignments in one place
- Finish the bootcamp in 6 weeks and we’ll celebrate 🍾 with a complimentary coaching call to tie up any loose ends.
I send you an onboarding questionnaire in advance. You pull back the curtain on your business and goals. Then, in the Kickoff Workshop, we identify your best opportunities—i.e., low-hanging fruit—as well as any obstacles or sources of stress. We combine our insight and expertise to create an actionable Growth Plan for your freelance / consulting business. The roadmap covers specific goals you will meet and steps you will take during and after the BBFF core program—e.g., replacing the income from your current job, hiring a virtual assistant, making yourself location-independent, growing your LinkedIn network. etc..
45 minutes every 2 weeks for 6 months. We discuss your progress, figure out how you can overcome roadblocks, and set your new priorities. I will also help you get out of your head and process sticky situations.
All my cheat sheets, checklists, email templates, and playbooks as needed. For example, how do you ask for testimonials? Do you have a solid process for getting really juicy sound bites from past clients? What does your introduction request email template say? Do you have scripts for cold email outreach? I can save you time and wasted effort by hooking you up with stuff already proven to work.
- We'll put particular emphasis on your beliefs, principles, and habits.
- Ask as many questions as you like, and we’ll respond ASAP (usually within 24 hours).
- You get access to all my best resources & IP.
Our Guarantee
If you don’t see the value, get a refund.
BBFF is a big financial decision for most freelancers. If you find yourself stalling and overthinking this decision, I have a solution for you.
Take this advice from Automattic co-founder Toni Schneider: “Make reversible decisions quickly, and irreversible ones, deliberately.”
BBFF is a reversible decision. Buy it. Try it for 3 weeks. If you don't see the value by that time, quit. I'll give you a full refund.
I love hearing from BBFF clients who go on to have a record year.
I began developing this program in May 2018. Robert Cross was my first guinea pig, and he has become a repeat client.
Another Business (re)Launch client, Jake, landed a $165,000 consulting engagement in 2021. Check out what Jake had to say and success stories from other BBFF clients too.
"Austin helped me figure out how I should be spending time and finding new project leads throughout the week. He was key in helping me land one 3-month retainer worth $25,500 and another 12-month retainer worth $165,000."
"Austin is an incisive thinker. Together, we were able to rework my products and pricing which was instrumental to the growth of my business. By shifting to productized services, I was able to generate $60,000 in new business in five weeks."
"Austin is a weird, wonderful combination of Ben Franklin and Matthew McConaughey—good, solid business sense steeped in the finest Southern chill. I'm leaving this program with a clear, viable plan. I have the confidence that comes with knowing I can provide for myself. Thanks for helping me kick-start my freelance career, Austin. You're the best!"
"Before working with Austin, I charged too little. I had no lead tracking system. A pipeline? Haha. LOL. Starting over using the 6 Ps has already set me up for success. The after picture couldn't be more stark. I've quintupled my old rates! Without Freelance Cake and working with you, I wouldn't be here. That's a fact."
"Austin was the first business coach I worked with (back in 2017), and I can confidently say one meeting with him changed the trajectory of my life."
Thoughts?
Intrigued but still on the fence?
Book a free 20-minute call with me, and let’s talk through any concerns you have: