The John Morris Show

How big boy marketers create buzz-worthy products and services. Learn more about Skillshare at: https://johnmorrisonline.com/skillshare

Some of the things you'll learn in this episode: *The no-shyte, everything goes to hell in a handbasket survival plan developed by a grumbly mountain man living who lives in a small mountain cabin in the woods. *How a broke truck driver slashed $42,000 in debt in a single year, bought his dream home and landed his dream job -- all while making less, not more, muney. You don't need to be "rich" to be financially free. *Why most savings accounts are not just useless but actually losing you muney -- and what to do instead. And a bunch more. Get the Full Episode: On Skillshare. It's Episode Two in my Let's Talk Freelance course. You can learn more about that course and the Skillshare free trial here: https://myjohn.us/ltf On Patreon. There you also get access to every episode of Let's Talk Freelance along with access to all my past courses. You can learn more about that here: https://myjohn.us/patreon

Gratuitous brushing of teeth, the alphabet, counting to ten... all before two years old! She is... inevitable! Learn more about Kings of Consulting here: https://myjohn.us/kings

My new course, Kings of Consulting is now live. You can learn more about the course and how to get access (including a free option) here: https://myjohn.us/kings

A courses that grows on its own and doesn't require you to constantly market and promote it. Learn more about Sane Course Creation here: https://myjohn.us/sane

The method I used to pay off my house, car, credit cards and student loans in just a couple years -- as freelancer. Get the course at https://myjohn.us/sane

My latest course, Sane Course Creation, is now down off Skillshare and for sale (at 80% off discount) on my site. This episode will tell you all about the course and the deal. Learn more about the course here: https://myjohn.us/sane

Just a heads up that Sane Course Creation is coming off Skillshare tomorrow morning. After that, it will only be available on website for probably around $150 or so. So, if you want it while it's essentially free, today is your last full day to get it on Skillshare. You can go here to get the exclusive 1-month free trial: https://myjohn.us/sane

The Joelsuf-inator drops a truth bomb about the state of online education. Get the Skillshare trial at: https://myjohn.us/sane

A skill, that when mastered, can allow to you create money almost at will -- as fanciful as that may seem. Get the Skillshare trial at: https://myjohn.us/sane

A legit way to create your own personal UBI. The money is one thing. The consistency and lack of time and energy required to earn it is where the value really is. Get the Skillshare trial at: https://myjohn.us/sane

Learning and training insights garnered from a CIA money man. Get the Skillshare trial at: https://myjohn.us/sane

Extreme teaching principles forged in the fires of war. Get the Skillshare trial here: https://myjohn.us/sane

What happened to all the famous internet marketers? Short-term thinking, short-term results... a short-lived business. Here's what happened (and how to avoid the same fate). Get the Skillshare trial here: https://myjohn.us/sane

Epic montages, slick transitions... style over substance... entertainment over education. Proof one of history's greatest thinkers would be disgusted at what online education has become. Get the 1-month Skillshare trial at: https://myjohn.us/sane

I was at the conference where the whole sneaky strategy was unveiled. I've worked with many of these same people and saw them do it first-hand. Here's what it is and how you can use it to get your start today. Get the Skillshare trial here: https://myjohn.us/sane

My new course, Sane Course Creation, will teach a deceptively simple way to crank out an online course -- that also makes it much easier to market and sell (even if you're a complete nobody). All the info inside this episode. Free 1-month trial of Skillshare is here: https://myjohn.us/sane

In this episode, I reveal 6 different ways you can potentially land your first freelance client even if you don't have a portfolio or any experience. Sponsored by ConfigCat: https://configcat.com

Is it worth learning PHP in 2021? I used to do an episode like this every year, but it all got a little boring. However, things have changed quite a bit in the last few years and I thought I'd re-visit this age old question: Is PHP Dead? Be sure to grab a free copy of my Upwork Essentials book (normally $32) here: https://myjohn.us/essentials

It's not just the esoteric "you'll be happier" stuff... it's the practical "you'll perform better and make more" stuff, too. And, I'm telling you... sitting here on the other side... it's the key to everything -- as hyperbolic as that might sound. Here's how to actually DO it. Download Upwork Essentials: https://myjohn.us/essentials

A few years back, my wife and I uprooted our entire lives and sold our 2,000-sqft home in Omaha to move to "hillbilly heaven" in southern Missouri and build our version of a "tiny house". A small-ish, 800-sqft home on 3.5 acres. Backed up to a lake deep in the Ozark Mountains. And when I say "we built"... I mean WE built it. My little brother and I did almost everything... from digging the trenches for the water and electrical to building the custom, gabled roof, running the electrical -- all of it except for the siding. That's the one thing I hired a contractor for. Anyway, as you can imagine, it was an intense affair -- especially considering I did it while still managing several freelance clients, running a 6-figure business and homeschooling my kids. And, I quickly learned... All the good-sounding nonsense you get from most of the productivity "experts"... it's cute. It's probably all well and good if you're trying increase your productivity by 10 or 20% -- get a "little extra" done throughout the day. But, on day 115 of 18 hour days... Filled with intense mental work during the day... And even more intense physical work at night. All the fluff and nonsense goes out the window. You get to the brass tacks of what productivity is really all about. And no quaint little "checklist" or "mental exercise" is going to get your a** up to go dig that 100-ft trench in the pouring rain. The things that "work" in those moments... Are much, much deeper. They strike at the core of who you are AND what you truly want in life. Had my vision for the 2nd half of my life not been as grand as it is... I don't think we'd have ever finished. It was that grueling. Anyway, this all speaks to what's called "Nature's Quintessential Secret". The secret to nearly limitless productive power. It's like walking around with a secret no one else knows. You see people all around you struggling and suffering in their daily lives -- when you know the answer is so simple. It's right in front of them. In fact, they had it when they were a child. But, lost it somewhere along the way. And, now just refuse to recognize it. People's brains get so warped by all the "rules" we learn from parents, teachers -- hell even a lot of the business "gurus" out there. When the thing that matters most is right there for you to grab hold of -- and change everything in your life. Think of it this way... What's the one universal "rule" every teacher, guru, expert will tell you about achieving success? "Massive action", right? That to get anything you have to act -- and you have to act intensely. "Put in the work", "hustle"... all that. Can you do that if you're constantly dealing with procrastination? Or uncertainty? Doubt, fear, lack of motivation? No. These are all constraints on how productive you can be. And, all the little programs and exercises are just nibbling at the edges. To really cure all of these symptoms, you have to get to the *root* problem. And that's what "Nature's Quintessential Secret" is all about. Anyway, I know how this all sounds. But, once you see it... like really see it... you'll realize that, if anything, I'm downplaying it. Because I know this sounds like I'm about to tell you aliens from planet Zatar are gonna beam you up to their ship... You just need to drank this poison to "ascend". Haha. In any case, this is the principle underlying Part 1 of my new course, Freelance Feast. It's about figuring out your "quintessential" service. It's maximizing the action you take and what you achieve by breaking through those constraints. Uncovering your "essence" and tying that to a commercially-viable service. It's the only way to maximize your potential. Earn as much as you're capable of... And, more importantly, BE truly happy. Anyway, like I said, it's in Part 1 of my Freelance Feast course. That first part of the course is now up on Skillshare. It's Lesson #3 here: https://myjohn.us/feast.

Need a quick injection of cash? If so, I'm going to show you an "old faithful" you can lean on to get work... TODAY. And, what you need to do in order to get hired. R2 Protocol course here: https://r2protocol.com

If you're doing everything you were told, but clients just are pulling the trigger and hiring you, you're likely missing this piece of the puzzle. 5-Figure Formula course is here: https://pages.johnmorrisonline.com/5ff

I find a lot of freelancers are scared to take on large projects with big budgets and well-known clients. "What if something goes wrong?" But, the truth is, they're often just as disorganized as you and I. Often moreso. This story illustrates it perfectly. Get the 13 Tactics training free here: https://13tactics.com

Everybody says they hustle. Fewer actually do. I want you to meet the 67-year-old woman running circles around the "kids" 20-30 years younger than her -- the perfect example, in my opinion, of what hustle REALLY looks like. 5-Figure Formula course here: https://5figureformula.com

In every niche, 20-30% of the consumers do NOT buy based on price. That's been studied to death. The question is... how do you FIND these clients and convince them to hire you. In this episode, I walk you through a live example of tens of thousands of high-end clients you can find online in less than 5 minutes. And, a real-world example of how to convince those clients to hire YOU. The free 10K Client Blueprint is here: https://the10kclient.com A Simple Formula to Ethically Grow Your Freelance Business During a Crisis https://johnmorrisonline.com/grow-freelance-business-coronavirus/

If you've been feeling overworked -- working long hours for little money. Or, frustrated… trying to get over the hump and go freelance full-time. Or, you just straight up want to make more money freelancing. Then, you'll want to dig into this training because I'm going to show you a NEW way of thinking about your services -- specifically WHAT service you offer and WHO you offer it to -- that can double, triple, even quadruple what you're making right now. Without changing anything about YOU… How talented you are. How big your portfolio is. How many client reviews you have. But instead… making some simple tweaks to how you package and present your services and WHO you're offering them to… that let you charge significantly more than you are right now… Because you'll be catering to what I call 10K clients. I'll show you who those clients are and how you can find them in your freelance niche or market -- regardless of what kind of freelancing you do. 10K Client Blueprint: https://the10kclient.com 5-Figure Formula: https://5figureformula.com

"I want to freelance, but I have no experience." I get this question a lot. How do you START freelancing when you don't have a portfolio or any past projects to help you get hired? Good news is you can. Because credibility is only ONE of nine factors that go into hiring decisions. I'll show you how to use the other eight to get your first few clients and start building that credibility to get even more clients. And, how you can build a 6-figure freelance income with just two small projects per day.

There's only three things you need to do to turn your side hustle into your main hustle. They're not sexy. They're not glamorous. They won't make you hot and sweaty when you hear them. But, they DO work. Learn more about the 5-Figure Formula here: https://5figureformula.com

I'll show you a super simple way to beat out even more experience freelancers for clients that doesn't require changing anything about YOU. You don't have to get more experience, a better portfolio, more client reviews or even become more talented. It's all in how you PRESENT your services -- that makes clients want to pick you over the thousands of other freelancers who offer the exact same service.

A lot of people think things are just going to go back to normal once this pandemic is over. But, as Maria Bartiromo points out, that's simply not the case. If anything, the Coronavirus pandemic is accelerating what was already happening with the digital economy. There ARE things you can do to not only survive the pandemic, but to come out the other stronger and poised to grow even bigger. That's what we discuss in this episode.

Two years ago, I started making my life and my business "apocalypse-proof". Back then, I got laughed at. I had family members who called me crazy to my face. Today, they're not laughing. This episode I share the things I did to pandemic-proof my business and survive the Coronavirus.

“Change your math, change your business, change your life.” Those are the very first words in Dan Kennedy's book, Almost Alchemy. So, too, as a freelancer. Your math often determines your outcomes. But, as Dan points out, there's a "gaggle" of folks out there try to obscure and confuse the truth in order to sell you their wares. This episode, we talk about those folks and the math that really matters.

Shortly after I divorced from my first wife, I found myself going down the rabbit hole of the online PUA/dating/seduction world. And, to be honest, it helped me in a lot of ways. A lot of weird stuff. A lot of stuff that I tried and it failed miserable. And, a few things that worked. I remarried, have 3 kids with my second wife and we're going on 14 years, now. In any case, when I started freelancing, I noticed the parallels between dating and selling. And, there's one "technique" I learned from the online dating world that I've used to devastating effect when negotiating with potential clients. That's what I cover in this episode.

Most people tend to equate skill with value with price. More skill, more value, more price. But, that's not always the case. And, it it has important implications for choosing what freelance services you should offer. Here's a better way to look at it.

“Universal truths”. That's the inescapable reality of all this. Some people seem to think they can compartmentalize their success. Be a great developer, but a sh!@#y human being. Be a successful freelancer with a terrible work ethic. Etc.. Life doesn't work that way.

I got this question from Ryan: "Thanks a lot for your resources online. I just want to hear your insight about job transition from a regular job to freelancing. Which is better? To quit a job and work full time as a web design freelancer/entrepreneur? Or start taking free project first while working on a regular job, and only quit when I already have paid projects? Or at least if you still remember when you started, how long it took before you get paid projects after offering free projects to clients? I'm actually in the stage of job transition and I'm 100% ready for web design. However, I'm hesitant to quit my job because maybe it will take many months or a year before getting paid projects. I know my question is a case to case basis but by hearing your experience and advice will enlighten me a lot! Thank you so much!" It's four things. When I started freelancing, I tried to make the transition to full-time a few times. And, I had a couple false starts. Which are demoralizing. I definitely had my moments of "Should I just give up on this freelance thing?" But, finally, I was able to make the switch and never look back. And, it's been almost 10 years now that I've been full-time from home. What I learned from that are four things you can do to not only make the transition easier and less anxious, but also much more likely you'll make it successfully the FIRST time. I cover those four things in this episode.

Creating proposals is the key selling activity for freelancers. It's like writing a sales letter for a copywriter. Or, building a pitch deck for a sales person. It's what makes or breaks you when getting hired. And, a lot of people will give you paint-by-numbers, step-by-step "systems" for writing proposals. And, that's great. But, I want to give you the "art" of creating winning proposals. Things I started learned way back in my days doing face-to-face sales and adapted to how I get freelance clients. So, if you want to master this fundamental skill -- one that can allow to write your own check, essentially -- give this episode a listen.

Make six figures as a freelancer? Gimme a break. Even just writing that in the subject line makes me want to vomit in my rum and Co-- I mean, coffee. You don't want wanna make six figures. You'll be over-worked and miserable. You have to sell your soul, ruin relationships and kiss your client's feet. Seriously, run away... That's what they say, anyway. It's so weird to me. Everybody wants it, but nobody wants to talk about it or admit it. And, the people who've done it get all sweaty and awkward when it comes up. Why? Anyway, I don't care. I'll say it if nobody else will. I've made six figures freelancing. It wasn't an accident. It didn't just fall out of the sky and I'm "so blessed"... yada, yada, yada. I made it a goal. I came up with a plan. I worked my arse off to attain it. And, it felt good as hell the first time I did it. It didn't make me miserable. I didn't sell my soul or become a graveling "yes man" to my clients. It, frankly, was great. Is that bragging? So, be it. Don't care. It's the truth. Now, the question is how? Okay... simple question for you. How many hours do you need to bill in a year and at what hourly rate... in order to make six figures? If you don't immediately know the answer, then, right now, your 6-figure "goal" really is just a pipe dream. You don't have a plan. And, without a plan, it's not just gonna happen. So, that's the first thing... DO the math. Know your numbers -- what you need to charge and how many hours per week you need to bill. Then, you can focus on building up your clientele and fees to hit those numbers. Having THAT is 90% of the answer to actually getting there (write that down). Next thing is a little does of reality. It doesn't matter what freelance services you offer... there are 1000s of other people who do the exact same thing you do. Why should I hire you over them? Oh, you're "better"? Meh, they all say that. You're cheaper? Meh, this guy over here charges even less. You're more reliable? That's what she says, too. Give me something real. Something tangible. Something that means something to me. Not this vague sales-speak. Every freelancer I talk to says that stuff. What makes you truly unique? What makes you special? Remarkable. You get what I'm driving at here? If six figures is your goal, it's not just gonna happen. You've gotta have a plan and you've gotta have compelling reasons why you're worth it to the clients that are going to get you there. How, do you do that? That's what I cover in this episode of the podcast.

Every client will push try to push the scope of your freelance projects. It's rare to find one that won't. And, if you let them, not only will they walk all over you and take advantage... it can cause a project to fall apart and both sides end up unhappy. So, it's your job to manage scope. Not just for you, but for the client, as well. How? There's four things that you can do... from how you sell your services, through the project and even to months AFTER the project has ended to keep scope (and clients) in check AND generate repeat business. If you do these four things, not only will your "pushy client" problem likely go away, but you're more likely to have existing clients coming to you for repeat business. Anyway, I cover two of the four in this episode.

The very first thing you need to do when you start freelancing is figure out what YOUR niche is. But, a lot of people miss the mark when explaining exactly what that is, why it's so important and how you know if you've got it right or not. So, that's what I'm going to give you in this episode... the 3 criteria to KNOW you've got the perfect niche FOR YOU.

Your portfolio will make or break you. It's usually the first thing a client will look at and it's the main thing they'll use to decide whether to hire you or not. So, nailing it is critical. In this episode, you'll learn how to create a portfolio that gets the attention of your client and convinces them to hire you.

You're one freelance service away. All it takes is just ONE properly packaged and priced freelance service to jumpstart your freelance career. And then, you never look back. And, all things you imagined for yourself when you decided to freelance can come true. For me, it was Michael Hyatt. After his project, I had people knocking down my door to hire me. And, I stumbled into creating the right service offering to take advantage of it. I got more work and made more from that one package than anything else in my freelance career. And, the notoriety from it landed my all sorts of other freelance jobs. So, it really can just take getting it right once. And, of course, that's the big problem. HOW do you get it right? The big thing here is NOT to guess. Mainly, because you don't have to. There's all kinds of freely available data that'll help you figure out how to productize your services, how to package them and what features to include, what premiums to offer along with your services and how to price them to maximize your earnings. It's all there. You just have to know where to look. And, that's what I show you in this episode.

This episode is about how to rank in Google for your key freelance search terms. The keywords that will bring you targeted visitors looking to hire someone. Can you imagine what would happen if you ranked #1 for a search term that got 6,600 searches per month and was all people wanting to hire someone right now? That's the idea. And, it breaks down to two steps: 1. Create a piece of long-form, cornerstone content designed to rank high for these terms AND pre-sell your services. 2. Create shorter supplemental content that links to your cornerstone content and builds up is link value and thus its ranking in Google. That's what every serious SEO and blogger is out there doing right now. But, for us freelancers, it's easier because our search terms are often riddled with blatant ads. So, ranking good content is often a lot easier on these terms. Of course, details matter. WHAT topic should your cornerstone content be about? How should you write it to both rank and pre-sell your services? What should your supplemental content be about? How do you link in a way you don't get Google-slapped? All that. That's what I cover in this episode.

In this episode, I walk you through your first steps as a freelancer to get started on the right foot, get clients and start building your freelance business. Full premium version of the episode is on Skillshare here: https://letstalkfreelance.com

Stories are naturally entertaining and will make your content more engaging... yes. But, that's not the POINT. The point isn't for your audience, it's for you. It's to get hired more and sell more of your freelance services, product, etc. That's why YOU need to do it. I'll show you why in this episode. If you're ready for the next level, enroll in my course, Turn Content Into Clients. Learn how to get free access to it here: https://content2clients.com

Here's the link to the contest: https://www.instagram.com/p/BzIgmXIg-QI/ Here's the link to the course: https://content2clients.com One of the first questions you might have is WHY content marketing? In this episode, I'll show you some eye-opening statistics on content marketing's effectiveness. Plus, my own personal experience and why I call content marketing the "great equalizer".

This is the link to learn more about getting free access: https://content2clients.com. Here's the description of the course: When I first started freelancing, I had no idea how to get clients. No plan for how to grow my business. I didn't know what worked and what didn't. I took any client I could get, worked on projects I had no passion for, worked with clients I couldn't stand and was terrified month to month: “Where will the clients come from?” “Will I make enough to pay my bills?” “Will it always be this stressful?” And then, I discovered content marketing. And, I learned how to build a funnel. I figured out what things to say and how to attract high-paying clients. Clients I enjoyed working with, who valued my work and fit my personality. Projects I was excited to work on. I ended up working on projects for Inc. Magazine. Bestselling authors like Tim Ferriss. Lewis Howes. And Michael Hyatt. People I'd never imagined I'd get to work with when I first started. More than that, I finally had a plan and a system. I knew what worked and I knew how to consistently to create content that brought clients in my front door. And, I knew how to scale my business to create the lifestyle I wanted. And, that's what I've done since. So, this class is simple. I'm going to share with you what I've learned about using content to get clients. How to write your sales pages, creating your lead magnet, building your landing pages, coming up with content ideas, how to product your content, how and where I re-purpose content to get maximum value out of each post, posting to social media, which platforms to focus on and more. Every step to building your marketing funnel and creating content to get clients. You'll walk away from the class with: - The exact content marketing funnel blueprint I use - My "Big 3" to ensure my content is always valuable - The dead simple formula I use to guarantee my content is always unique - My "10 Questions" services sales page formula - The 6 components I use in every one of my email optin landing pages - The 5-step process I use to create all my content - How I turn 1 blog post into an entire week's worth of content This changed my life. I'm a nobody. A poor kid from a town of 200 who grew up living in a trailer home. If you'd asked my classmates, most would've figured I'd be dead or in jail by now. When I started freelancing, I didn't have a big network to tap into. I didn't have parents who could help. I didn't have college friends or a fraternity to leverage. It was just me and my keyboard. So, I can show you how to get started freelancing from absolute scratch. Without a bunch of awkward networking. Without doing a bunch of free work. Without being tied to any one platform or network. And, without having to spend 16 hours a day looking for work, wondering where clients are going to come from and constantly stressed out, worried you're not going to make it. So, if you're ready to start strategically growing YOUR freelance business, let's get started. Link, again, is https://content2clients.com

I've made a lot of mistakes in my 15 years as a freelancer. Some that held me back or kept me limited for years. And while I think, most of the time, that experience is invaluable. Certain mistakes should be avoided at all cost. They're simply too debilitating. And, the only valuable lesson you learn from is "not to do do it". These are those mistakes and what I've learned over the years to avoid them.

Do you want to sell more and be able to charge more for your freelance services? Have you ever come across a product or service that just felt like it was made for you? You saw it and just HAD to have it? When you did, did you really need to be sold on it? Probably not. You knew you wanted it the instant you saw it. That's no accident. A lot of time and research went into that. And, as a freelancer, the more irresistible the offer you put in front of potential clients, the more you'll sell those services and the more you'll be able to charge. Wouldn't it be great if there was a place you could just get all the answers you needed to figure out what your services and your offers should be in order to be irresistible like this? There is. Fiverr. And, in this video, I'm going to show you how to use it to figure out what services you can offer clients and how to build your packages... without guessing what will or won't work.

Back when I was just a freelancing tadpole… I was working a 9-5 at a local pizza joint. I'd spend my days slinging pizza and my nights working on client projects and trying to build my freelance business. I had more than my share of “all-nighters” in those days. So, I can 100% relate to this question I got from Jan: “My problem is that I do not have much time to build my own website and so portfolio or blog as doing lots of clients work while having 9-5 job but I know it is dead important. I think that there a lot of developers stuck like me – doing work for others but lack of time for personal promotion. That would be actually a good topic for a blog post if you will, how to escape clients work and start your own promotion and build an online presence.” This episode is the things I learned to get me over the hump and go freelance full-time.