Podcasts about freelancing

Aujourd'hui, on retrouve Nelly, Justine et Nabil pour le troisième épisode de la saison 3 de

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Do you need a mission statement as a solopreneur? Carly and Joe finally found something they disagree on, and it turns into one of the most useful conversations they have had.Joe makes the case that most business mission statements are useless. They get designed by committee, framed on a wall, and never looked at again. Carly agrees on the business side but pushes back hard on the personal side. She believes every solopreneur needs a life first mission statement, one that answers how you want to spend your days, who you want to be present for, and what enough actually looks like.In this episode you will hear Joe's six questions for thinking through your life mission, Carly's three part approach built around naming your non negotiables, describing your ideal Tuesday, and defining success that does not need an audience. They also share a challenge to help you find one commitment that violates your ideal life and decide what to do about it this week.If you have ever felt your business slowly taking over your life, this one is for you.Leave a five-star review on Apple or Spotify, share this episode with another solopreneur, and subscribe on any platform, including YouTube.

Quand on passe sa journée à travailler derrière un ordinateur, c'est pas évident de mettre en place et conserver des bonnes habitudes pour sa santé physique et mentale. Pourtant, la sédentarité tue les entrepreneurs à petit feu. Il existe néanmoins des pratiques, simples, qui peuvent nous aider sans pour autant y passer notre vie.Dans cet épisode de "Young, Wild & Freelance", Thomas Burbidge accueille Camille Allene, neuroscientifique qui explore les liens entre le mouvement et la santé mentale, entrepreneure en vulgarisation scientifique, et surtout experte en santé physique et mentale, pour une discussion passionnante et détaillée sur l'importance du corps et de l'esprit dans le monde du travail.Camille partage son expérience personnelle face aux douleurs musculo-articulaires et aux défis de maintenir une bonne posture au quotidien devant un bureau. Elle explique comment des pratiques régulières comme l'exercice physique, le yoga et la méditation peuvent non seulement prévenir le burn-out, mais aussi améliorer la prise de décision et la santé globale.En plus de son expérience personnelle, Camille met en lumière des recherches scientifiques sur les fluctuations cognitives liées au cycle menstruel des femmes et l'importance de ces découvertes pour mieux comprendre et optimiser nos performances selon notre biologie. Ensemble, Thomas et Camille débattent des pratiques d'hygiène de vie, de la gestion des addictions et du déséquilibre entre vie professionnelle et personnelle - des thèmes cruciaux particulièrement pour les entrepreneurs.Avec des conseils pratiques, des échanges enrichissants et des anecdotes personnelles, cet épisode est une mine d'or pour ceux qui cherchent à équilibrer leur santé physique et mentale dans leur vie professionnelle.▬▬ L'invité du podcast : Camille Allene ▬▬LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/camille-allene-451152123/Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/allenecamille/Site : https://www.camilleallene.com/▬▬ Se repérer dans l'épisode - les choses qu'on cite ▬▬1. Étude parue dans Science sur les changements structurels du cerveau pendant le cycle menstruel :- Lien : https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scitranslmed.abd3620---Young, Wild & Freelance est un podcast hebdomadaire pour les entrepreneurs solo et les indépendants dans lequel Thomas Burbidge te partage toutes les clés pour créer, développer et structurer ton entreprise.Tu y retrouveras des interviews, des épisodes thématiques avec Thomas sur toutes les dimensions de ton entreprise (marketing, gestion, organisation, vente, finances, ...)Pour aller plus loin, retrouvez tous nos contenus pour les freelances sur :La newsletter : https://kaleidoscopehorizons.com/newsletterLe site media : https://kaleidoscopehorizons.com/le-media/mediaEt pensez à mettre une note de 5 étoiles sur le podcast

Aujourd'hui, on retrouve Nelly, Justine et Nabil pour le deuxième épisode de la saison 3 de En Route.Avec eux, on se donne rendez-vous tous les deux mois pour faire, au micro du podcast, un point d'étape sur leur activité freelance : ce qui a avancé, ce qui coince, et ce qu'ils veulent mettre en place pour la suite.Dans cet épisode, on parle de décisions pas toujours confortables, de nouvelles missions, et de la difficulté à garder le cap quand tout s'accélère.- Nelly raconte pourquoi elle a refusé une mission pourtant bien payée — et ce que ça dit de sa façon de travailler avec ses clients.- Nabil démarre une nouvelle mission qui sécurise son activité pour plusieurs mois.- Justine, de retour de vacances, essaie de remettre de l'ordre dans ses priorités… sans s'éparpiller.On parle aussi de prospection, de charge mentale, de prise de recul… et de ce que ça change, concrètement, dans leur quotidien.Mais je ne t'en dis pas plus. Tu auras tout le détail de leurs avancées et de leurs réflexions en écoutant l'épisode !Les références évoquées par Nelly, Justine et Nabil:La page Linkedin du Club des Acheteurs FreelancesLe salon SMXLe BNI (réseau business)Le Sommet des FondatricesChangeNOW

What if you could build a business that supports your life instead of consuming it? In this episode of The Life-First Solopreneur, Carly and Joe sit down with Francesca Ciucci, a marketing strategist and founder who has built a thriving global business across eight countries without a full-time team and without burning out.Francesca shares why she deliberately chose not to scale into an agency, how she structures her services to protect her time, and the systems she uses to keep work from taking over her life. She opens up about the loneliness of solopreneurship, the hidden challenges of the digital nomad lifestyle, and how her psychology background shaped the boundaries she lives by.You will hear honest conversations about burnout, saying no, fighting FOMO, and why the most important thing you can do as a solopreneur is be kind to yourself.Whether you are just starting your solopreneur journey or looking to realign your business with the life you actually want, this episode is full of wisdom and practical takeaways.In this episode, you will learnWhy scaling is not the only definition of successHow to build services that protect your time and energyThe systems and boundaries that make a life-first business possibleThe dark side of the laptop lifestyle and how to manage itWhy community matters so much for solopreneursHow to say no and let go of FOMOConnect with Francesca at francescaciucci.com and on LinkedIn.Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe, share it with a fellow solopreneur, and leave us a five-star review to help us reach more life first entrepreneurs.

On vous recommande de regarder cet épisode en vidéo, sur Youtube ou Spotify, pour voir la démo en images.Dans cet épisode du podcat, Thomas Burbidge explore la distinction et les critères de ce qui peut représenter un "bon" d'un "mauvais" usage de l'intelligence artificielle pour les freelances et entrepreneurs indépendants.Il appuie son analyse sur son exemple personnel en montrant une démo d'un outil qu'il met à disposition de ses clients pour calculer leur business model à partir de leur besoin et comment il l'a amélioré grâce à des outils d'IA.Si tu veux toi aussi identifier comment réagir à l'arrivée massive de l'IA sur ton marché de freelance, notre bootcamp sur le sujet peut t'intéresser : https://kaleidoscopehorizons.com/bootcamp-iaPour acheter le calculateur de business model que Thomas montre dans la vidéo : https://kaleidoscopehorizons.com/calculateur-business-model---Young, Wild & Freelance est un podcast hebdomadaire pour les entrepreneurs solo et les indépendants dans lequel Thomas Burbidge te partage toutes les clés pour créer, développer et structurer ton entreprise.Tu y retrouveras des interviews, des épisodes thématiques avec Thomas sur toutes les dimensions de ton entreprise (marketing, gestion, organisation, vente, finances, ...)Pour aller plus loin, retrouvez tous nos contenus pour les freelances sur :La newsletter : https://kaleidoscopehorizons.com/newsletterLe site media : https://kaleidoscopehorizons.com/le-media/mediaEt pensez à mettre une note de 5 étoiles sur le podcast

You left your 9-to-5 for freedom, so why does your calendar still run your life?In this episode of The Life-First Solopreneur, Carly and Joe tackle a habit most solopreneurs don't even realize they have: building their business around the clock instead of around themselves. If you've ever filled an open time slot with whatever felt urgent (hello, inbox), this one's for you.Carly introduces a simple 3-step energy audit framework you can start using today:Step 1 – Identify Your High-Energy Windows Track your energy (not your schedule) for one full week. Rate each block of time as sharp, steady, or dragging. Don't judge it, just observe. You'll likely discover two to three genuine peak windows per day, and they may be shorter than you think.Step 2 – Match Peak Energy to High-Value Work Once you know your windows, protect them for the work that actually moves your business forward — strategy, revenue-generating tasks, relationship building. Stop spending your best hours on email, Slack, and admin.Step 3 – Structure Your Operations Around Your Rhythms Move recurring meetings, client calls, and contractor check-ins outside your peak windows. Batch low-energy tasks together. Communicate your availability to clients; it's a boundary, not an inconvenience. Build a daily template and default to it.Joe adds a power tactic: use Calendly (or similar tools) to create separate meeting types with different available time slots, one for high-energy meetings, one for everything else, so your schedule enforces your energy plan automatically.Whether you're a morning person or a night owl, this episode gives you a concrete system to stop optimizing your schedule and start optimizing your output.Challenge: Start your energy audit this week. One week of honest observation can reshape how you run your entire business.Key Topics: energy management for solopreneurs, life-first business, the ownership trap, productivity without burnout, scheduling strategies, solopreneur time management, peak performance windows

EDIT : Marie, avec qui je suis maintenant marié, n'est plus entrepreneuse à proprement parler aujourd'hui. Cette conversation fait quand même grandement sens même si nos réalités ont changé."J'étais tellement absorbée dans mon projet que je n'avais plus de place pour autre chose"Dans cet épisode de Young, Wild & Freelance, Thomas et son amoureuse Marie, entrepreneuse et naturopathe, explorent le lien complexe entre l'entrepreneuriat et les relations amoureuses et intimes. Ensemble, elles abordent une question essentielle pour de nombreux freelances : comment équilibrer vie professionnelle et vie personnelle lorsqu'on gère son propre business ? Peut-on vraiment réussir dans son activité tout en maintenant une relation épanouie ? Ou doit-on parfois faire des compromis pour préserver l'un ou l'autre ?Leur discussion explore la manière dont nos choix professionnels influencent nos relations et vice-versa, les défis uniques des différentes configurations qui mêlent entrepreneuriat et vie amoureuse, et comment les comportements genrés peuvent impacter notre manière de gérer cet équilibre. Ce dialogue authentique entre deux entrepreneures engagé·es offre un regard sincère et réaliste sur les défis que rencontrent les freelances pour s'épanouir dans le travail et dans leurs relations.▬▬ L'invité du podcast : Marie Le Troadec ▬▬▬▬ Les choses citées dans l'épisode ▬▬Le mythe de l'androgyne de Platon dans Le Banquet : https://www.philolog.fr/le-mythe-de-landrogyne-texte-de-platon/Les livres de Bell Hooks dont "La volonté de changer" et "À propos d'amour" : https://www.editionsdivergences.com/livre/la-volonte-de-changer-les-hommes-la-masculinite-et-lamour et l'autre lien https://www.editionsdivergences.com/livre/a-propos-damourLes livres de Rose Lamy dont "En bon pere de famille" : https://www.editions-jclattes.fr/livre/en-bons-peres-de-famille-9782709672450/Le podcast "Le coeur sur la table" : https://www.binge.audio/podcast/le-coeur-sur-la-tableLes cartes de la "School of Life" : https://www.theschooloflife.com/shop/connect-game/Hébergé par Ausha. Visitez ausha.co/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

Aujourd'hui, on rencontre Nelly, Justine et Nabil !Ce sont les freelances que je vais suivre tout au long de l'année 2026.On a désormais rendez-vous, avec ce trio, tous les deux mois pour réaliser, au

What does swiping right on a dating app have to do with growing your business? A lot more than you think.In this episode, Carly and Joe sit down with Colin Hodge, national bestselling author of Outrageous Startup Growth and founder behind one of the most talked-about dating apps of the last decade. Colin reveals how the same psychology that drives people to swipe, match, and keep coming back is the exact playbook solopreneurs can use to acquire users, build loyalty, and stand out without a big marketing budget.We cover why understanding your target user beats the build it and they will come myth, how to turn rejection into a resilience-building muscle, and why getting rejected from Microsoft was the best thing that ever happened to Colin's career. He breaks down the unfinished task principle behind every cliffhanger and progress bar, Cialdini's persuasion tactics you can use starting today, and how to create powerful social proof even before you have customers.Colin also digs into the double-edged scarcity mindset, why curiosity is an overlooked competitive advantage, and his TRUTH framework for building a brand that actually feels authentic. Plus, in a world flooded with AI content, he shares why sounding like a real human might be your biggest edge.Grab a notebook. This one is packed.In this episodeHow dating app psychology applies to business and startupsWhy you need to understand your user before you buildTurning rejection into resilience through exposureThe hidden cost of fitting into corporate lifeThe unfinished task principle and why cliffhangers workCialdini's persuasion tactics for solopreneursBuilding social proof with just one or two customersThe scarcity mindset as a superpower and a weightWhy curiosity uncovers hidden growthThe TRUTH framework for authentic brandingStanding out in the age of AIEnjoying the show? Leave us a five-star review, share this episode with a friend, and subscribe on your favorite platform, including YouTube.Life First. Then Business.

In this episode of Better Business, Better Life, Debra Chantry-Taylor is joined by Nathan James, Creative Director at The Attention Seeker, to share his honest story on the EOS® system that changed a creative agency, & the lessons every entrepreneur can learn from failure, resilience & growth.Nathan's career began in London's creative industry in 1995, where he worked with some of the world's leading advertising agencies, including Mother & R/GA, before taking his expertise across Stockholm, New York, Amsterdam & eventually Auckland. Along the way, he built an impressive career creating campaigns for global brands & later launched his own content production & advertising business.Despite his creative success, Nathan's business ultimately failed. Poor financial management, inconsistent cash flow & the absence of a reliable sales pipeline led to bankruptcy. Rather than allowing the experience to define him, Nathan chose to learn from it. He openly shares the hard lessons he discovered about cash flow, networking, business strategy & the importance of separating creative talent from sound business management.Nathan eventually joined The Attention Seeker, where implementing EOS® transformed the way the business operates. With clear accountability, structured Level 10 Meeting® rhythms, transparent communication & defined roles through The Accountability Chart®, the agency reduced politics, strengthened collaboration & built a more profitable, stable business. Nathan explains why structure does not limit creativity. It creates the freedom for creative people to do their best work.Debra & Nathan also explore the importance of company culture & core values, discussing how transparency, daily recognition of team members & hiring based on shared values have helped create a high-performing team. Nathan shares why reporting to someone younger than himself became a valuable lesson in humility, proving that great businesses are built on merit, not hierarchy or ego.Throughout the conversation, Nathan offers honest advice for entrepreneurs who are facing setbacks. He encourages business owners to never stop learning, let go of ego & remember that material possessions do not define success. Instead, lasting success comes from building a healthy business, maintaining strong relationships & creating a life that is fulfilling both professionally & personally. CONNECT WITH DEBRA:    ___________________________________________         ►Debra Chantry-Taylor is a Certified EOS Implementer® | Entrepreneurial Leadership & Business Coach | Business Owner ►Connect with Debra: debra@businessaction.com.au ►See how she can help you: https://businessaction.co.nz/ ►Claim Your Free E-Book: https://www.businessaction.co.nz/free-e-book/ ___________________________________________       GUEST'S DETAILS: ► Nathan James – LinkedIn: https://nz.linkedin.com/in/nathanjames-cooper ► Website – attn:seeker : https://www.attnseeker.com Ep 283 Chapters: 00:00 – Introduction 00:38 – Nate's Background and Early Career 09:17 – Transition to Digital and Freelancing 17:27 – Joining The Attention Seeker 21:41 – Impact of EOS® on Business Structure 34:33 – Cultural Values and Team Dynamics 39:22 – Reducing Ego and Embracing Structure 47:37 – Lessons Learned from Business Failures 47:46 – Advice for Entrepreneurs

L'été, c'est le révélateur de ton business model.Si ton chiffre d'affaires s'effondre en juillet-août, ce n'est pas ton offre le problème, ni ton expertise : c'est ton modèle. Quand tu vends ton temps, tu ne factures plus dès que tu pars. Et tes clients, eux, partent aussi.Je suis passée par là. Ma première année en freelance, mon client m'a dit « on se retrouve en septembre » fin juin. Deux mois de CA en moins, sans même prendre de vacances. Aujourd'hui je pars six semaines et mon business tourne sans moi.Dans cet épisode, je te donne exactement ce que je fais (et ce que je ne fais surtout pas) en juillet et en août :→ Pourquoi je te déconseille formellement de prospecter comme un bourrin en août→ Le seul vrai KPI du solopreneur → Les 4 actifs à construire cet été → Les 4 briques de ton système IA → Comment j'ai collecté 700 leads en une semaine, entre deux vacances→ La différence entre une offre et un produit (et pourquoi ça change tout)→ Le stop and go : la compétence sous-estimée du solopreneurUn épisode pour te réconcilier avec l'été, arrêter de culpabiliser sur ton chiffre d'affaires de juillet, et sortir de septembre avec un business qui ne dépend plus de ta présence.Toi aussi passe l'été à construire au lieu de subir : profite de l'offre Solopreneur Summer et rejoins-nous dans l'Incubateur Solopreneur avant le 4 août !À lundi pour les épisodes quotidiens du Solopreneur Summer

Carly scrolls LinkedIn and sees a friend announcing new funding and a tenth hire. The comments are exploding. Carly feels a pang of envy, then realizes something odd. She doesn't actually want any of it.That contradiction is the heart of this episode. Joe and Carly dig into why solopreneurs still feel the pull of a scoreboard they deliberately walked away from, and what to do about it.In this episodeWhy wanting recognition doesn't mean you made the wrong choiceJoe's literal nightmare about a conference table full of new hiresThe difference between "rank me highly" pride and "I did good work" prideWhy nobody celebrates a casserole, a swim lesson, or an empty grocery storeThe question that settles it, would you trade freedom back for recognitionJoe's thought experiment borrowed from a friend who quit smoking cold turkeyYour challenge, write your own definition of recognitionIf you know someone building a Life-First business, send them this episode. Subscribe wherever you listen, and leave a five-star review to help more Life-First solopreneurs find the show.

It's the last episode before a well-earned summer break! I'm swapping the mic for some quality time with my son before he starts secondary school, because some moments matter more than deadlines. There'll be no new episodes in August, but I'll be back in September, refreshed and ready to go. Before I go, I want to hear from you: video episodes or audio only? Weekly, fortnightly, or monthly? Any guests or topics you're dying to hear covered? Drop me a message on Instagram (@emmacossey), pop into the Facebook group or Discord, or email hello@emmacossey.com . I'm genuinely listening and can't wait to shape the next chapter with your ideas. Enjoy the summer, and see you in September! This episode has been lovingly edited by Alicia at The Admin Den (and the wonderful Sarah has brought you the blog and Youtube), helping busy podcasters like me sound their best without lifting a finger. Alicia Cornell is a Virtual Assistant and Business Support specialist, based in Berkshire with over 14 years experience in improving business systems to truly work for the people using them. Alicia founded The Admin Den to support mothers running small businesses because she's one herself, and she knows exactly what kind of chaos that particular combination brings. The Admin Den team offers hands-on VA support, email marketing, social media content and takes on specialist projects (including CRM integrations, automations and training sessions) for businesses that need an extra expert pair of hands allowing clients to spend less time on admin and more time on the parts of their business they love. Connect with Alicia! Instagram | LinkedIn | Facebook | Newsletter | Get her free, printable Summer Holiday Planner which helps small business owners map out the school holidays without losing their business, or their mind, in the process. Timestamps: 0:00 Freelancers Tea Break: Welcome & Introduction 0:18 August Summer Break & Podcast Changes 0:31 Freelancing as a Parent: School Transitions 1:18 Access to Work Funding Cuts for Neurodivergent Freelancers 1:43 Future Format: Video Podcasts for Freelancers? 2:22 Community Feedback: What Freelancers Want 2:46 Thank You & See You in September Follow me on Instagram Follow me on Bluesky Email: hello@emmacossey.com  Come join us in the free Freelance Lifestylers Facebook group Want more support? Check out the Freelance Lifestyle School courses and membership. Join the Freelance Lifestyle Discord Community: https://discord.gg/RKYkReS5Cz Order my book: The Freelance Lifestyle: Your Friendly Guide to Starting a Freelance Business

Faire une pause choisie de son aventure entrepreneuriale : Comment faire une vraie coupure sans tout perdre ? | Interview Marlène Ferrero-VarsinoUne nouvelle discussion entrepreneuriat et santé mentale avec Marlène Ferrero-Varsino, consultante et accompagnante d'indépendants, qui raconte comment une « pause choisie » de 2 mois (avec des chercheurs en soutien) a littéralement transformé son activité... et sauvé son business !➡️ Au programme de cet épisode :Les vraies raisons pour lesquelles les entrepreneurs n'osent pas faire une longue pause dans leur activitéLe témoignage authentique d'une pause entrepreneuriale de deux mois : préparation, organisation, délégation et impact émotionnelComment anticiper la peur de la perte de chiffre d'affaires et préparer sa trésorerie en tant que freelance ou indépendantLe rôle de la coopérative et de l'intelligence collective dans la prévention du burn-out des entrepreneursDéléguer, automatiser, sécuriser ses clients : les secrets pour ne plus être indispensable à son businessPrise de recul, créativité, ressourcement : les bénéfices insoupçonnés de déconnecter réellement du travailLe mythe de la productivité et de la présence : (re)penser sa réussite et sa croissance en tant qu'entrepreneur.eComment rebondir après la pause et réinventer sa façon de travailler

Les freelances et solopreneurs qui font 500K ne travaillent pas forcément plus que toi. Ils ne font pas forcément mieux que toi. Mais ils ont arrêté de faire certaines choses… et c'est là que tout se joue.Dans ce dernier épisode de la série Taf Wax Relax, on répond à la question qui gratte : c'est quoi la vraie différence entre ceux qui passent des paliers et ceux qui stagnent ?Spoiler : c'est pas une histoire de funnel, ni de VLS.

You are the product. So why are you the last thing on your own to do list?Daffney Allwein has spent 20 years working with over 700 CEOs, executives, and high performers on what she calls a whole-person approach to health. Not the fluffy kind. She's talking physical fitness, nervous system regulation, and mental fitness, and how all three quietly decide whether your business grows or stalls.In this episode, Daffney joins Carly and Joe to unpack why solopreneurs fall into the productivity trap of optimizing themselves instead of their business, what's actually happening in the body of a stressed-out founder, and why the people who thrive are the ones willing to stop working in the business long enough to work on it.She also gets honest about the seasons that tested her own advice, including years of failed IVF, a first pregnancy, and moving an entire in person practice virtual during COVID. Her response every time? Double down on herself.In this episodeEat for joy, not for your feelings, and what that actually meansWhy the nervous system is a security system shaped by your environment, relationships, and geographyThe productivity trap that has solopreneurs billing every hour instead of building a businessThe real difference between people who thrive and people who plateauWhy bringing in the right person is an investment, not a line itemPostpartum, perimenopause, and the health gaps professional women are navigating with almost no supportWhy your brain physically rewires after having a child, and why "bouncing back" was never the goalBusy is an illusion, and the clock exercise that proves itWhy 15 minutes between meetings is enough, and nobody knows if you reapplied your deodorantCross training, marathon prep, and why doing the same workout daily breaks you down fastestThe quote on health that reframes everything about successConnect with DaffneyWebsite and free two-minute quiz: Lift Pro WellnessPodcast: Don't F*ing ShrinkIf this episode hit home, leave us a five-star review and share it with a solopreneur who needs to hear it.

Episode Summary Michelle opens with the question a lot of solo PR pros have been quietly asking themselves: if I call myself a communications generalist on my website right now, am I costing myself money? Karen's answer is immediate — not 'am I?' but 'you already are.' What follows is a data-driven, practically grounded conversation about the specialization economy: the growing body of research across the freelance and independent consulting world in 2026 that shows generalists getting squeezed and specialists pulling away. Karen and Michelle aren't just reporting a trend — they're translating it specifically for PR and communications practitioners who've never had anyone apply this research to their work. The episode covers the bimodal income distribution hiding inside freelance averages, the vertical-horizontal framework for finding your niche, four common objections to specializing (with honest answers to each), a three-question filter for identifying your niche, and the metric-capturing habit that makes specialization pay off over time. This is a conversation for the solo practitioner who has 'I do everything' on their website tonight — and might be ready to change it. Episode Highlights [00:03] The Opening Question That Frames Everything: Michelle opens before the intro music with a direct question to Karen: if she calls herself a communications generalist on her website right now, is she costing herself money? Karen's answer: not 'am I?' but 'you already are.' The episode's premise is immediate and personal — and Karen and Michelle make clear they're talking to themselves too. [01:05] The Specialization Economy: What the Data Shows: Freelance and independent consulting data in 2026 is pointing in the same direction across multiple sources: generalists are getting squeezed and specialists are pulling away. The average US freelancer earning rate hides what Karen calls 'a canyon' — generalist content and writing on the low end, specialists in high-demand niches billing well over $100 an hour on the high end. Almost nobody is actually earning the average. The floor is dropping for generalized skills; the ceiling is rising for specialized ones. Karen's framing: the middle — 'I'm pretty good at a lot of things' — is where people get stuck. Note: some figures referenced in this episode are still working through the show's verification process; sourcing details will be linked in the resources section as they are confirmed. [04:13] Why Specialization Wins: The Practical Case, Not the Philosophical One: The argument for specializing isn't philosophical — it's structural. A generalist PR consultant competes with an enormous pool of other generalist PR consultants. Someone who specifically handles crisis communications for mid-size healthcare systems competes with a much smaller, more identifiable group. Smaller pool, higher rates, and — critically — the client doesn't have to explain their industry from scratch. That last point is underrated: starting a client engagement already fluent in their world, their vocabulary, and their stakeholders is worth real money. Karen also flags a related shift: companies are increasingly requiring proof of impact before hiring specialists, not just portfolios. That proof is much easier to produce when you've done the same kind of work for the same kind of client repeatedly. [06:40] The Vertical-Horizontal Framework: What Niching Actually Means in Practice: Karen and Michelle push back on the idea that niching just means picking an industry. The framework showing up across freelance research: pick a vertical (the industry — healthcare, legal, fintech, sustainability, professional services) and a horizontal (the service — media relations, crisis management, thought leadership, internal comms, funding round communications). Your niche is the intersection. Examples drawn from recent guests: Sharon Toerek does IP and marketing law for independent agencies. Kara Ryan came up through healthcare communications and built an advisor-led, AI-powered practice on top of that. Both dialed in the vertical and the horizontal. The practical test: once you say your niche out loud, it should stop sounding like a limitation and start sounding like a positioning statement. [09:06] The Filtering Benefit Nobody Talks About Enough: When you're specific, the wrong-fit inquiries mostly stop coming in. You stop getting the 'can you also just quickly help with our internal newsletter' request from an industry you don't want to be in. Positioning does some of your qualifying for you before the discovery call even happens. Karen and Michelle note this is deeply connected to scope creep — a topic worth its own episode. [10:02] Specialization Is an Income Stability Conversation, Not Just a Rate Conversation: Once you're known for a specific thing, you stop pitching one-off projects and start getting asked to stay. Broader freelance data shows a large majority of hiring managers plan to lean more on freelance and fractional talent for ongoing work — and that shift toward retainers happens specifically because specialists make ongoing relationships easy to justify. Nobody keeps a generalist on retainer. The FinTech thought leadership expert stays. The practical consequence: niching is often what makes the retainer conversation possible in the first place, and retainers solve the feast-or-famine cycle that most solo practitioners experience. [12:41] Four Objections — With Honest Answers: Karen and Michelle work through the four most common pushbacks they hear in the Solo PR Pro community. One: I'll turn away good work and go broke. Honest answer — there is a real ramp-up period of roughly six to twelve months; don't torch your existing client base overnight, shift new business conversations while honoring existing relationships. Two: my market is too small. Counter with math — a few hundred mid-sized healthcare systems in the country, you only need a handful of retained clients for a full solo practice; smaller pool of competitors is not the same as a smaller pool of clients. Three: I'll get bored. Flips the other way — as a generalist, every new client is a cold start; as a specialist, the energy goes into strategy instead of orientation. Four (the quiet one): what if I pick the wrong niche?  [16:16] The Three-Question Filter (Plus an Unofficial Fourth): A practical framework for identifying your niche. Question 1: Where do you already have an unfair advantage? Past industry experience, a network, credentials, lived experience — something that means you start ahead of a stranger walking in cold. Question 2: Where's the budget? You can be brilliant in a niche that simply doesn't spend on PR. Healthcare, legal, financial services, B2B tech consistently show up as categories with real comms budgets. Question 3: Can you say it in one sentence — and does that sentence make a stranger say 'I know exactly who needs you'? If it requires three qualifying clauses, it's not sharp enough yet. The unofficial fourth: are you willing to hold the line publicly? Your website, your LinkedIn, your pitch all need to stay consistent or the positioning won't do its work. [18:11] Running the Filter Live: The In-House Bank Example: Karen and Michelle run a hypothetical listener through the filter: six years in-house at a regional bank, now doing a bit of everything for small business clients. Unfair advantage: already fluent in financial services vocabulary, compliance, and regulatory relationships — most PR consultants would need a year to learn that. Budget: financial services and fintech are consistently well-funded for communications. One sentence: 'I help community banks and credit unions navigate media and regulatory communications.' Karen: say that at a conference and watch how fast someone says 'I know someone who needs that.' [20:28] How to Prove It's Working: The Metric-Capturing Habit: For every engagement going forward in your niche, capture one number — one sentence, one metric, one outcome. Not a dramatic case study, just: 'Positioned the founder as a category expert; three inbound press inquiries within a month of the first byline running.' Build a running document, whether in Notion, a notes app, or wherever your system lives. Michelle: build it into your closeout process for every wrapped engagement, and into every campaign, not just every full client relationship. Karen: future you will be very grateful. Related Episodes That Solo Life, Episode 343: Sharon Toerek on Legal Protection, IP, and Building a Specialized Practice That Solo Life, Episode 341: Kara Ryan on Going Solo After 20 Years in Healthcare Comms Resources & Additional Information Doers Circle: The Future of Freelancing in 2026: 8 Trends Solopreneurs Can't Ignore Venture Lab: 10 Freelancing Trends in 2026 (Rates, Niches, and Client Expectations) Solo PR Pro membership community: soloprpro.com That Solo Life podcast website: thatsololife.com Host & Show Info That Solo Life is a podcast created for public relations, communication, and marketing professionals who work as independent and small practitioners. Hosted by Karen Swim, APR, President of Solo PR Pro, and Michelle Kane, Principal of Voice Matters, the show delivers expert insights, encouragement, and practical advice for solo PR pros navigating today's dynamic professional landscape. Listen to all episodes and catch up on previous conversations at thatsololife.com. Did this episode inspire you? If you found value in this conversation, please take a moment to leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform. Your feedback helps us reach more solo pros just like you! Don't forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode.

Kako izgleda kada u momentu kada ti propadne dugoročan projekat, ostaneš bez ičega, a samo nedelju dana kasnije dobiješ poziv za zvanični Star Wars - samo zato što si odlučio da nastaviš dalje i nikada ne odustaneš?

Par hasard, à midi, seule dans un resto parisien, YouTube me sort une vidéo d'une influenceuse américaine qui liste les 10 trucs qu'elle a faits pour "manifester" sa réussite. Je clique pour me moquer. Et je réalise que je les fais toutes ! Sauf que moi, je n'appelle pas ça de la manifestation. J'appelle ça du gros bon sens.Cette année est mon année record : 347 000€ encaissés HT sur les 6 premiers mois, 5 semaines de vacances déjà prises, et un mois en août avec mes enfants. Du coup : est-ce que c'est parce que j'ai "manifesté" que j'ai atteint mes objectifs ? J'ai testé ces 10 techniques une par une, et je te dis lesquelles marchent vraiment quand on est freelance ou solopreneur - et à quelle condition.Dans cet épisode on parle en vrac : d'un stage de surf aux Maldives que j'ai réservées sans avoir le niveau, d'un surclassement en business class, d'un mojito à 30€ qui a transformé mes commerciaux quand j'étais directrice commerciale, et ce qui m'a vraiment coûté cher dans ce voyage (et ce n'était pas l'argent).

Does choosing a life-first solo business mean you're lazy? Carly and Joe say absolutely not, and in this episode they explain why.They dig into where the lazy story really comes from, tracing hustle culture from chill seventies hippie vibes to the money-obsessed yuppies of the eighties, and how that conditioning taught us to equate visible sacrifice with worth. From the outside, a life-first business can look like doing less, fewer hours, no team, no big launches. But the truth is the opposite. Laziness is the avoidance of effort. Life-first is the intentional allocation of effort.Carly shares a personal story about her and her husband seeing downtime completely differently, and how fifteen years of his perspective reshaped how she views rest and efficiency. Joe brings his own history of sleeping in the lab and feeling accomplished for it, and why he calls that mindset a warped one he still works to overcome.The conversation also gets honest about the flip side. Sometimes life-first becomes a costume for fear or procrastination. The hosts share the gut-check questions every solopreneur should ask to make sure a boundary is really a boundary and not just avoidance of something hard.The takeaway is simple. Lazy has no plan. Life-first is all plan, all design.In this episodeWhere hustle culture actually came fromThe real difference between lazy and life-firstWhy dinner with your family can count as your workThe gut check to know if you're avoiding hard thingsHow to redefine success on your own termsIf this episode spoke to you, share it with a fellow solopreneur and leave us a five-star review!

Peut-on vraiment faire tourner un business de freelance ou de l'infopreneuriat en boycottant LinkedIn et Instagram ? 4 mois après avoir coupé les ponts, je vous partage mes doutes, mes chiffres et un gros dilemme stratégique.On a tous déjà eu envie de tout couper. En février 2026, j'ai sauté le pas : j'ai quitté les réseaux sociaux pour préserver ma santé mentale. Spoiler : mon entreprise tourne toujours, mais la réalité du marketing m'a rattrapé.À l'heure de lancer mon nouveau projet (un Bootcamp IA éthique), la théorie marketing se frotte à la pratique : hors des réseaux, toucher l'intégralité de son audience relève du parcours du combattant. Je décortique avec vous les concepts de découvrabilité, de couverture d'audience, et l'importance vitale de la répétition dans un monde où l'attention de vos clients est ultra-sollicitée.Un épisode indispensable pour repenser votre stratégie de communication sans y laisser votre santé mentale.☕ Au programme de cet épisode de podcastL'illusion de la Newsletter face à la puissance de frappe de LinkedIn.La différence fondamentale entre découvrabilité et taux de couverture.Pourquoi vos clients ne voient (vraiment) pas vos messages et comment y remédier.Comment gérer le dilemme moral de l'IA et de la visibilité en 2026.⏱️ Chapitrage00:00 - Introduction : 4 mois sans réseaux sociaux, le bilan01:45 - Pourquoi je doute aujourd'hui (Le dilemme de Juillet)03:20 - Freelance : Pourquoi la création de contenu reste indispensable05:10 - Découvrabilité vs Couverture d'audience : Le schéma magique07:45 - Ma newsletter suffit-elle à remplacer LinkedIn ?09:30 - La dure réalité du marketing : La règle de la répétition12:15 - Cas pratique : Lancer un Bootcamp IA sans vendre son âme14:40 - Conclusion : Vais-je revenir sur LinkedIn ? Vos avis m'intéressent !---Young, Wild & Freelance est un podcast hebdomadaire pour les entrepreneurs solo et les indépendants dans lequel Thomas Burbidge te partage toutes les clés pour créer, développer et structurer ton entreprise.Tu y retrouveras des interviews, des épisodes thématiques avec Thomas sur toutes les dimensions de ton entreprise (marketing, gestion, organisation, vente, finances, ...)Pour aller plus loin, retrouvez tous nos contenus pour les freelances sur :La newsletter : https://kaleidoscopehorizons.com/newsletterLe site media : https://kaleidoscopehorizons.com/le-media/mediaEt pensez à mettre une note de 5 étoiles sur le podcast

Tous les freelances / solopreneurs utilisent les mêmes outils IA. Alors comment expliquer que certains gagnent jusqu'à 50 000€ grâce à l'IA, quand d'autres font peanuts ?Dans ce nouvel épisode Solo Nation (spécial Taf Wax Relax

Aujourd'hui, on retrouve Nelly, Justine et Nabil pour le quatrième épisode de la saison 3 de

What do you really stand for, and how could knowing the answer transform your business?In this episode of The Life-First Solopreneur, Carly and Joe sit down with Paul Ingram, a 30-year faculty member at Columbia Business School and author of What Do You Really Stand For? (Harvard Business Review Press). Paul makes the case that authenticity, not niching, is what makes a personal brand compelling, and that authenticity flows directly from clarity about your values.Paul doesn't just talk theory. He walks Carly through a live "laddering" exercise, using something as simple as summer plans with her kids to surface her real values, all the way up to her "chief executive value." Along the way, he shares research showing that leaders primed with their own values were rated as more authentic and more worthy of trust.In this episode:Why authenticity is called the gold standard of leadership, and how values unlock itThe "triad" laddering exercise to discover your top values on your ownHow to work with clients whose values differ from yours (without friction)Using your values as a defense against burnoutThe daily card-in-the-wallet ritual Paul uses before every workdayHow values clarity builds pricing confidence and makes saying "no" easierWhy "it's better to travel with hope than to arrive"Whether you're wrestling with your calendar, your pricing, or which platform to pour your energy into, this conversation offers a concrete tool for cutting through the noise.Grab Paul's book What Do You Really Stand For? wherever books are sold, and find him by searching "Paul Ingram Columbia Business School."Enjoyed the episode? Leave a five-star review, share it with a fellow solopreneur, and subscribe on your favorite platform, including YouTube.

For generations, American duck hunters have traveled north to hunt Canada's prairies. Freelancing opportunities, especially, seemed endless. But times are changing. Saskatchewan recently imposed number-of-day restrictions non-resident hunters, Manitoba instituted a draw system for non-resident freelance hunters, and Alberta has tightened the number of hunting days for non-residents.  Rob Olson explains what's driving these changes, growing pressures, land access, resident opportunity, illegal outfitting and what it all means for North America's greatest waterfowl destination. Whether you hunt Canada every fall or hope to some day, this conversation offers important perspectives on where prairie waterfowling--and beyond--may be heading.   Visit the Legendary Brands That Make MOJO's Duck Season Somewhere Podcast Possible: MOJO Outdoors  Alberta Professional Outfitters Society Benelli Shotguns Bow and Arrow Outdoors Create the X Habitat Management App Ducks Unlimited  Flash Back Decoys GetDucks.com Migra Ammunitions onX Maps  Use code GetDucks25 to save 25% Sitka Gear SoundGear Use code GetDucks20 to save 25% Tom Beckbe USHuntList.com   Like what you heard? Let us know! • Tap Subscribe so you never miss an episode. • Drop a rating—it's like a high-five in the duck blind. • Leave a quick comment: What hit home? What made you laugh? What hunt did it remind you of? • Share this episode with a buddy who lives for duck season.   Want to partner? Have or know a story to share? Contact: Ramsey Russell ramsey@getducks.com

Do you struggle to shut your brain off at the end of the workday? If you're a solopreneur working from home, you know the feeling...the laptop closes, but the mental tabs stay open. That one unanswered email. That task you're not sure you finished. That phrasing you second-guessed.In this episode, Carly and Joe dig into why solopreneurs struggle to detach more than anyone, from the missing "boss" who signals the day is over to the always-on myth that equates availability with success. Carly shares the memory of a dad who worked 40+ years and was never once seen working at home, and asks how any of us can recreate that boundary from a home office.Together they walk through building a personal shutdown ritual, including:The brain dump to clear loose tasks from your headThe tomorrow list so your brain stops rehearsing overnightA two-minute review to close the day psychologicallyPhysical and mental transition cues that signal "work is over"The parking lot technique for intrusive thoughts during family timePlus, your challenge for the week: design your own three-to-five-step shutdown ritual and try it for five workdays.Because nobody reaches the end of their life wishing they'd answered one more email.Enjoy the episode? Leave us a five-star review on Apple or Spotify; it helps us reach more life-first solopreneurs. Subscribe on your favorite platform, including YouTube, and share this with a friend whose brain wanders at happy hour.

Yevhen Tarasenko, CMO and co-founder of Apptonomy, joins Apptivate to discuss how app store optimization is evolving in the age of AI. After more than a decade in ASO, Yevhen shares how the discipline has changed from a keyword-focused practice into a broader challenge of app discoverability across app stores, search engines, Reddit, and large language models. The conversation explores the limitations of traditional ASO workflows, how AI is changing the way marketers analyze visibility, and why app teams need to think beyond rankings and metadata to succeed in a world increasingly shaped by AI recommendations and automated discovery. Questions addressed in this episode How did Yevhen get started in ASO? Why is app store optimization still so manual? What inspired the creation of Apptonomy? How can AI automate parts of the ASO workflow? What is AI discoverability and why does it matter? How are large language models changing app discovery? Why is Reddit becoming increasingly important for app visibility? What were the biggest AI and ASO themes at MAU Vegas? How should app marketers prepare for AI-driven search and discovery? What advice would Yevhen give someone entering ASO today? Timestamps (0:05) — Introduction to Yevhen Tarasenko and Apptonomy (1:10) — Getting started in ASO and the early days of app discovery (3:00) — Building ASO teams and thinking systematically about growth (3:54) — Freelancing, automation, and the origins of Apptonomy (5:00) — How Apptonomy was founded through a LinkedIn article (8:21) — Why ASO remains manual and repetitive in 2026 (9:34) — AI discoverability and visibility across LLMs (10:39) — Reddit, online presence, and app recommendations (11:48) — Measuring discoverability and reporting results (12:29) — MAU Vegas observations and industry trends (13:12) — AI's impact on ASO and app discoverability (15:00) — Advice for marketers entering ASO (17:21) — Resources, communities, and where to find Yevhen (18:15) — Closing remarks Quotes (4:17) “AI changes every month. Now we're using Claude, next month we're using ChatGPT or something else, and the quality standards with AI are not quite there.” (8:21) “ASO, even in 2026, is still very manual and boring, and people are tired of doing the same thing all over again.” (18:28) “AI will not replace ASO anytime soon. The human touch will be needed for at least 3-5 years.” Mentioned in this episode Yevhan on Linkedin Apptonomy

Si tu te demandes si lancer une formation en ligne vaut encore le coup en 2026, ou si les "revenus passifs" qu'on te promet partout sont une vraie promesse, cet épisode Solo Nation (spécial Taf Wax Relax

What if the goal was never balance, but harmony?In this episode, Carly and Joe sit down with Dan Scott, founder of Spotlight Advisory Group, a former big-firm lawyer who walked away from the traditional career path to help creatives and entrepreneurs build lives around purpose instead of paychecks.Dan breaks down why "work-life balance" is the wrong goal, how financial freedom means having enough money (not the most money), and the planning mistakes that keep talented creatives broke. He also gets real about the sacrifices of entrepreneurship, why ownership beats a paycheck every time, and what Taylor Swift's catalog buyback can teach every solopreneur about building wealth.In this episode:Balance vs. harmony, and why the difference changes everythingThe moment fatherhood (and a divorce) pushed Dan to bet on himselfFinancial freedom redefined: enough money to live your purposeWhy "making it" as a creative doesn't require going viralThe #1 money mistake creatives make (aspirational spending)Why ownership, not income, builds real wealthMoney is a tool, not a goal: escaping the financial hamster wheelDan's favorite success quotes, from Steve Jobs to his ownConnect with Dan Scott: Website: spotlightadvisorygroup.com Email: info@spotlightadvisorygroup.com Instagram: @DanScottSpotlightEnjoying the show? Leave a five-star review and share this episode with a fellow solopreneur building a life-first business.

Could your years of experience open the door to a new way of working? The show explores the rise of fractional leadership and why it could offer a fresh career path for experienced professionals. Plus, tips on dressing for the job you want, the latest Instagram features aimed at Gen Z and an update on Meta's smart glasses. And in the Legal Hour, freelancing after leaving a job, debt, missed mortgage payments and why you really should read the fine print before signing a contract.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Les vacances en freelance, c'est souvent une illusion.Dans cet épisode, je te montre les 3 goulots qui t'empêchent de vraiment décrocher. Je te raconte comment la préparation de 15 jours de stage de surf intensif m'a forcée à regarder en face les 3 blocages qui empêchent les solopreneurs de vraiment couper.Et ce que j'ai mis en place pour les régler avant de partir :

You're having a great week. Clients are happy, work is steady, and you took the afternoon off. Then you open your feed and see another solopreneur bragging about their 50K month and their brand-new contractor. Suddenly, your good week feels like a failure.In this episode, Carly and Joe unpack the comparison trap and why solopreneurs are uniquely vulnerable to it. With no colleagues, no performance reviews, and no external benchmarks, it's easy to measure your real life against someone else's highlight reel. Spoiler: a lot of what you see online is baloney; nobody can fact-check a 50K month claim.Joe shares why trading his Lexus for a Hyundai changed his happiness level by exactly zero, and why "stuff" never delivers the fulfillment it promises. Together, they lay out a practical detox: audit your inputs, define your own normal, build a personal scorecard, and find a comparison community optimizing for the life you actually want.In this episode:Why comparison is a distorted measuring stick, not jealousyHow hustle culture and the "four-hour work week" flex are both trapsThe lifestyle inflation trap and spending to signal success you don't feelJoe's Lexus-to-Hyundai reality check on material thingsA step-by-step feed detox to protect your mental well-beingHow to build success metrics rooted in your life first goalsIf you've ever let someone else's chapter 10 make you feel behind in your chapter 3, this one's for you.Enjoyed the episode? Leave a five-star review, share it with a fellow solopreneur, and subscribe on your favorite platform, including YouTube.

Most solopreneurs think delegation is something you earn after hitting a revenue milestone. Claire Giovino, co-founder and CEO of 50hrs.com, says that belief is exactly what's keeping you buried in your inbox.In this episode, Claire breaks down "attention design," the practice of building your business around your energy, not just your time. She walks us through the energy audit you can start today (no budget required), why your inbox should be one of the FIRST things you delegate (even though it's usually the last), and the eliminate → automate → delegate framework that helped her hand off 90% of her business.We also dig into the difference between being busy and being productive, "sneaky procrastination" (looking productive while avoiding the one thing that actually grows your business), themed workdays, and why Claire hasn't needed an alarm clock in years.What you'll learn:How to run a 1–2 week energy audit and match your hardest work to your energy peaksWhy "only I can answer these emails" is a myth, and why fresh eyes often do it betterThe eliminate → automate → delegate framework for buying back your timeWhat to hand off first when you're doing sales, fulfillment, admin, AND contentHow themed days (social Mondays, SOP Tuesdays, call-only Wednesdays) kill context-switchingThe 6-month goal question that beats every 10-year planConnect with Claire:50hrs.com: book a free discovery call with Claire or her co-founderplaybook.50hrs.com: free playbook for hiring and training an assistant yourselfLove the show? Leave a 5-star review, share this episode with a fellow solopreneur, and subscribe on your favorite platform, including YouTube!

We obsess over income minimums (rent, bills, the baseline we need to survive) but treat the top end as infinite. In this episode, Carly and Joe challenge the "always more" mentality and make the case for setting an income ceiling in your life-first business.They dig into why more money almost always comes with strings attached, and why "enough" isn't a number, it's a measure of what each next level of income will cost you in time, health, and relationships. Carly shares a practical way to calculate what a genuinely good life actually costs (vacations, retirement, the coffee shops and live music you love...no yacht required), and Joe tells the story of turning down a million-dollar deal at his last startup because it didn't fit the focus.You'll learn:Why an income ceiling matters as much as an income floorHow to define "enough" without picking an arbitrary numberA framework for weighing new income opportunities against what they'll cost your lifeHow a ceiling unlocks the freedom to say no, take risks, and choose meaningful workThe honest caveat: a life-first business still takes hard work and sacrifice to buildThis isn't anti-money; it's anti-earning-at-the-expense-of-everything-you-value. If your business exists to support your life (not the other way around), this episode is for you.If this resonated, share it with a fellow solopreneur, subscribe on your favorite podcast platform, and leave us a five-star review; it helps other life-first soulpreneurs find the show.