Grow your business, make more money, and enjoy your freedom.
Hey Mr. Freelancer and Ms. Consultant, are you ready to grow your business, make more money, and enjoy your freedom? Keep reading...
I'm going to share a little secret with you right off the bat.
Business isn't effortless for anyone. Elon Musk, Richard Simmons, your grandma—everyone has to work at it.
The skills that got you into freelancing or consulting aren't the ones that will help you grow your business, except perhaps for creativity.
Business isn't effortless for anyone. Elon Musk, Richard Simmons, your grandma—everyone has to work at it.
The skills that got you into freelancing or consulting aren't the ones that will help you grow your business, except perhaps for creativity.
The bad news is that you have no shortcuts. No one trick or tactic can fix the feast-or-famine problem. No wave of a wand or dash of fairy dust can set you up for life.
The good news is that you can learn good principles, practices, and processes. And implement them. And build a sweeter business for yourself.
That is what this Freelance Cake course contains: 22 core audio lessons distilled from over my 10+ years of observations, triumphs, and screw-ups.
👇Scroll down to check out the full course outline. 👇
👇Scroll down to check out the full course outline. 👇
The 22 lessons come with a full complement of PDFs, templates, worksheets, email scripts, cheat sheets, guides, spreadsheets, and checklists, as well as a tutorial video and questionnaire.
My goal?
I want you to count you among the 1,000,000 freelancers and consultants whom I have helped make $100,000.
Now, for an uncomfortable truth...
The skeptics among you will be thinking, “Riddle me this, why did it take him a decade to figure out the business side of freelancing and consulting?”
Um… because this stuff is hard?
I was a smart kid. I made perfect grades in college and graduate school.
But some good those diplomas did me when I needed to navigate finding clients, pricing my services, negotiation, service agreements, and, oh, you know, actually getting paid.
Ask a freshly minted M.A. in Literature about Beowulf, and he’s good. Ask him how he should break up with a low-paying client, and he’s hurting worse than one-armed Grendel.
Business is a game, but many of the rules don’t make sense at first.
High quality is not the number one concern of many, if not, most clients. Look around you. You don’t have to hunt far to find crappy copywriting, sloppy code, ugly design.
My point is that skill and fine craftsmanship are not enough. That is the uncomfortable truth... Simply being good at what you do is not enough.
Somebody out there is earning three times as much as you doing work that is half as good. The question then becomes, “If freelancers and consultants making six figures aren’t all flat-out better, then what are they doing differently?”
"Okay, Mr. Smarty Pants, you've got my attention. Spill the beans."
You have to be smart and strategic in how you work on your business, not just in your business. It comes down to repeatable process.
Repeatable process has helped me grow my business, make more money, and enjoy my freedom. I consistently make six figures and live the lifestyle I want.
Now, I will not tell you that life is perfect. My youngest son recently brought home a hot helping of RSV from somewhere. Naturally, this happened right before we were headed to the beach. Where can you buy a nebulizer at 9pm in Knoxville, Tennessee? #parentingjoys
I will tell you that it is nice to have an emergency fund and to not have to worry about medical bills.
I will also tell you that having freedom, flexibility, and financial upside is addictive. I can go on my kids’ field trips if I want to. I can surprise my wife with a long weekend trip without needing anyone to sign off.
I can go on a run at 2pm.
I can work longer or shorter hours, as needed, and the smarter I work, the more money I make. Notice I chose the word “smarter,” not “harder.”
What smarter looks like in action is paying close attention to these 6 focus areas:
- Psychology
- Pipeline
- Positioning
- Pricing
- Packaging
- Process
More business and more money become more freedom—if you do it right.
I want you to do it right.
Freelance Cake is very much a headphones-on, then hands-on, type of experience.
Freelance Cake is very much a headphones-on, then hands-on, type of experience.
I created an audio course to meet the maximum number of people where they already are: at the gym, on the train or bus, between meetings, on a plane, or in the pickup line at your kid’s school.
You must be able to access Freelance Cake content anytime, anywhere, on any device. Why?
Businesses do not grow in a laboratory, but out in the real world when we're figuring things out on the fly.
You squeeze in your learning on the edges, in the small margins.
Want to know a secret? It is easier to learn and grow when you are also being entertained.
So I have endeavored to make Freelance Cake fun.
Who will benefit from Freelance Cake?
See if any of these statements rings true for you…
- You want to get more freelance clients, but you're not sure how to get them predictably.
- You've been freelancing for awhile now, but you feel like your growth has plateaued. You are feeling a bit stuck.
- You're making enough money as a consultant to cover your bills, but it's starting to feel like a job. What happened to the financial upside? What about having more freedom and flexibility and actually *spending* it on travel and passion projects? Whatever happened to planting a fragrant friggin’ herb garden?
- Finally, Freelance Cake is for those of you who have already experienced some of the funemployment lifestyle perks, but you still want more. The profits and the fun quotient still need some TLC.
Freelance Cake can help you build a profitable business you love. Not because the money is so important of itself, but because of what the money represents.
For me, it boils down more dance lessons, fishing trips, helping out people in need. I want to see more freelancers and consultants be in a financial position to say “yes” a whole lot more often.
👊 Yes to your husband quitting the job he hates.
👊 Yes to sending your kiddo to private school.
👊 Yes to finishing your EP.
👊 Yes to taking the bucket list trip to New Zealand.
👊 Yes to self-care and spending more time to spend on the people, passion projects, and worthy causes you love.
"That sounds great, Austin. Are you full of crap?"
I certainly hope not. I think I’m full of gratitude for how far I’ve come? I know I’m thrilled to finally be pushing this Freelance Cake course out into the world. I’m a freelance writer and brand strategist living in Knoxville, Tennessee, with my lovely and patient wife Megan and our two boys, one girl, and rad minivan. My family is the reason I’m so gung-ho about freelancing.
I want to watch my kids grow up. I want my kids to say, “Go away!” not “Why is Dad always gone?” My family and my faith are my motivation for constantly improving my business and myself.
The freedom to choose my hours and move things around in my schedule is way more valuable to me than the supposed “security” that a 9-to-5 job offers. The only problem is, working for someone else really isn’t more predictable or secure.
I learned that the hard way back in April 2009 when I got laid off. My boss called me into his office on a Friday and told me with tears in his eyes that he had to let me go.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do without you,” he said. “You’re indispensable.”
“Uh… clearly not!” I thought.
I woke up the following Monday with $486 to my name and no clue what to do next. I didn’t really know what “freelancing” was. I had no freelance clients. I had no clue how to run my own business. I had never taken a single business class.
Talk about a great start! (That was sarcasm.)
Things were really scary for awhile. By the grace of God, I was able to quickly scrape together enough projects and money to pay rent and utilities.
Seven months later, I landed a $2,900 per month marketing retainer, and my eyes opened. That first year I gave myself a raise. I made 24% more as a freelancer than I would have if I’d kept my 9-to-5 job! Along the way, I made a surprising discovery: I liked business, and I was good at it.
Oh. A poet good at business? How strange.
A richer, fuller vision for my calling began to emerge: helping to create a bigger middle class of artists. I want to teach 1,000,000 creatives how to make at least $100,000.
Just think about how much money all those creatives will give back to their friends, families, communities, churches, and favorite causes! Or let me rephrase that: I believe the way I can exponentially increase my positive impact in this world by help you build a profitable business around work that doesn’t feel like work.
Will you allow me to participate in your transformation?
That may sound a little weird, but it is certainly less corny than saying I want to help make your dreams come true, which is also true. Ha! Like smart athletes, smart business owners stick to the fundamentals. That’s what I teach.
I hope you’ll invest in Freelance Cake and allow me to help you on your journey.
Still not convinced?
That's okay. Check out this "Meet the Teacher Night" audio. It will give you a sense of my teaching style. Or, you can scroll down to check out the full course outline and read the FAQs.
Testimonials
“I now have writing clients in cities across the nation. My income tripled over the last month. You gave me everything I needed to get started, and your blog posts keep encouraging and inspiring me. Thank you!”
Amy N.
“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 hourly rate.”
Elissa W.
“The way you explain things made me feel like I was getting personally coached by a New York Times best-selling author. I recommend this course to anyone doing consulting, writing, design, coding, or other freelance work.”
Mitch P.
What's included?
1 video
87 files
Contents
Introduction
Positioning
Competitive Landscape for Freelancers & Consultants - FreelanceCake.com.csv
705 Bytes
Packaging
Pricing
Pipeline
Psychology
The Charisma Myth: How Anyone Can Master the Art and Science of Personal Magnetism by Olivia Fox Cabane
Process
Bonus
FAQs
How is this course different than other freelance courses?
I like some of the other courses out there. In fact, some of the course creators are my friends! But I did see some gaps.
There’s a lot of talk about what you should be doing and where you should end up, but the step-by-step process was missing.
For example, I’m not going to tell you, “You really ought to sell productized services.” I’m going to say, “Here is the exact sequence of steps you need to take, and here is the worksheet that will walk you through each step.”
For example, I’m not going to tell you, “You really ought to sell productized services.” I’m going to say, “Here is the exact sequence of steps you need to take, and here is the worksheet that will walk you through each step.”
What happens if I don’t like the course?
Just let me know within the first 30 days, and I will give you a full refund. Keep in mind, however, that 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.
What if I have a question about something the course doesn’t cover?
We’re going to do 2 live Q&A sessions when I’ll be happy to answer your questions.
What if I want some one-on-one help?
I offer private coaching. We can find a package that makes sense for you. Email me at hello@austinlchurch.com.
Testimonials
"Working with Austin was key for me and my work. He 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, effectively doubling my rate. Thats a big win in my book."
Robert C.
“I made at least $20,000 more after taking your advice and raising my rates. Thanks again.”
Stuart J.
"I'd been working with Austin for three months when a prospect asked me to provide a 90-day plan before signing a retainer contract. Austin had recently coached me on productizing my services, so I told the prospect I would be willing to provide a plan for a fee. Not only did they agree to pay for strategy, but they also signed the retainer agreement before I even delivered the plan. As my biggest client retainer to date, I now almost have more freelance work than I can handle."
Kate J.
If a poet can learn how to be a smart businessman, then so can you.
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.