One day while working remotely I felt like I was getting hot. After taking my temperature I had a fever approaching 102 and after getting a test it was revealed I had the dreaded COVID-19 Coronavirus. Thankfully I was able to recover and I wanted to share my experiences so you can hope to prevent yourself from getting COVID and how to manage your symptoms. *Please note I am not a medical professional and I am not providing any medical advice. If you are feeling ill please seek healthcare*...
Jan 12, 2021•14 min•Ep. 134
Are you confused about how to go about pricing for your creative services? Hourly pricing seems to be the go-to method for pricing creative work. I see why it is simple, easy, and understood by all; however, this pricing method significantly undervalues your worth as a creative. How do you determine the true value of a project? Value-based pricing is a method that can help the client understand the impact your work has on their business and allow you to price what is fair to you and the client. ...
Oct 07, 2020•20 min•Ep. 133
Recently I discovered the reason why Netflix went through the trouble of creating their own custom font. Turns out they paid $1,000,000 for it. However, when you examine this closer there's a blueprint for how creatives can charge a million for their services as well. Sites Mentioned: https://www.daltonmaag.com/studio https://www.similarweb.com/
Sep 26, 2020•16 min•Ep. 132
If you do not know who your audience is you won't know how to talk with them. The key to getting to know your audience is creating customer profiles. Resources Mentioned in this Episode https://www.google.com/ads https://www.google.com/analytics https://uifaces.co/ https://unsplash.com/ https://generated.photos/...
Sep 15, 2020•33 min•Ep. 131
BOOKS The Brand Gap: https://amzn.to/35aDPAx The Business of Expertise: https://amzn.to/2ZiyEuC More Books on Brand Strategy: https://kit.co/nathanallotey/learn-br... / TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Introduction 00:46 - What is Strategy? 02:45 - Overcome Imposter Syndrome 03:56 - Teach Everything You Know 05:19 - Write Case Studies 07:08 - Change Your Target Market 09:25 - Don't Offer Strategy First 11:32 - Branding Book Recommendations 12:55 - Conclusion...
Sep 08, 2020•14 min•Ep. 130
Before creating or designing anything for a client the first and most important step is to set the strategy. When offering a strategy session to a client what are the deliverables that the client can use after the discovery session that will impact their business for years to come? In this episode we walk through some of the deliverables you can offer the client once the strategy session is complete: Roadmap Brand Attributes Brand Voice Prioritizing Goals Customer Profiles Want to sell strategy ...
Jul 07, 2020•15 min•Ep. 129
The recent showings in the news of racism have now awakened the masses to what people of color have been going through for some time. I reflect on the color of my skin and explain what we can do to create lasting change beyond what hashtag is trending. Great websites and resources: https://blackswho.design/ https://peopleofcolorintech.com/ https://www.diversifytech.co/ https://www.blackgirlscode.com/ https://blkcreatives.com/ https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/...
Jun 09, 2020•25 min•Ep. 128
Brand Strategist Melinda Livsey shares her origin story of how she went from design order taker to brand expert. Now she gets paid upwards of $10,000 per strategy session for her thoughts alone, without doing any design work which requires pushing pixels. Melinda will help you get paid to think. Follow her: Twitter: @melindalivsey_ Instagram: @melindalivsey https://www.marksandmaker.com/...
May 12, 2020•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 127
With so many designers out there and websites where clients can choose the lowest price for design how do you rise above the competition and break free of becoming a design commodity. There are 3 things you can do today to stand out as a designer: 01:28 = Understanding the Creative Process 02:48 = Choose a Complimentary Service 04:42 = Partner with Other Creatives...
Apr 29, 2020•8 min•Ep. 126
Strategy is one of those words you hear thrown out all the time in a meeting but many times it is not clearly defined nor understood by all parties. Learning strategy is the first step in setting yourself apart as a creative professional. I read an article on strategy which had a huge impact on how I think about strategy: http://bit.ly/wtf-strategy
Apr 24, 2020•16 min•Ep. 125
I've seen this Fiverr commercial popup on my YouTube hundreds of times, however, I noticed a fatal flaw with the commercial and if you learn from this flaw it can be the key to standing out and making more money as a creative.
Apr 14, 2020•16 min•Ep. 124
In this episode of traffic talk, someone asked a question of what to do when a client they were speaking with on the regular suddenly "disappeared". Should they move on or wait on the client?
Apr 04, 2020•10 min•Ep. 123
With all that is going on during this global panic we have been restricted to our homes but what can we do with the time we have and how will it impact our businesses? Two main questions from the video: 4:50 = What have you been neglecting in your business? 6:10 = What will you do when the panic is over?
Mar 20, 2020•10 min•Ep. 122
I woke up in the morning, and with sleep still in my eyes stumbled to my desktop computer to check any messages that would call for my attention. I saw a new post in the Futur Pro Group, which knocked the sleep out of my eyes and immediately spurred me to look for a flight to Los Angeles. Chris Do, the founder of The Futur, posted an update mentioning that he would host an in-person meet up for networking, teaching, and an opportunity to use their studios to create content. For those unaware, Th...
Mar 04, 2020•10 min•Ep. 121
In this episode of traffic talk we look to answer a question about how to answer clients when they say your quote is too high. For more context here is the original question: Recently send out a quote to a prospective client and they said my quote was on the high side? How do I approach this nicely without giving too much discount? Freelancers out there, how do you price your services? I’m a digital marketer. Resources mentioned in this episode: https://nathanallotey.com/resources/10-must-ask-qu...
Dec 14, 2019•18 min•Ep. 120
As we enter the holiday season and many people get into goal setting mode, I want to draw your attention to the fact that it is okay to take a moment, reflect not he year and be thankful for what you have thus far. Don’t get so caught up in what YOU WANT that you forget what YOU HAVE. Gratitude and thankfulness make you value your interactions with others and make you overall more appreciative. This video is a remake or update to similar video that I created 4 years ago: https://youtu.be/DCidoxl...
Nov 29, 2019•7 min•Ep. 119
A rookie freelancer has landed their first client and they are debating on whether or not they should let their client know they are the first client they ever had. For context: Should I Let them know they're my first client? An opportunity to freelance recently fell in my lap and I'm not sure what to discuss with my first client. I've read the sidebar when it comes to pricing and scope (still working on it), but I don't want to ask for too much $$$ and underperform and vice versa. I also have t...
Nov 02, 2019•16 min•Ep. 118
If you're looking to positioning yourself as an expert there are two core elements that serve as necessities to positioning: pricing and perception. Both must be used in order for any brand to be positioned for high-value clients.
Oct 26, 2019•17 min•Ep. 117
A videographer agreed to create a video for a client. After viewing the first draft the client wanted to completely start over even though the client signed off on the storyboard. Rather than start from scratch the freelancer refunded the client and wants to know how to prevent this in the future. Question Giving a client a refund, did I do something wrong? Context: I charged a client $1500 for a full day of shooting (4k) and editing, in addition to 3-4 hours of marketing work. He gave me a 50% ...
Sep 27, 2019•25 min•Ep. 116
Recently the chicken sandwich challenge was a craze that hit social media and the battle between Chick-Fil-A and Popeyes raged on. Looking at this example we see a strong example of marketing versus branding.
Sep 13, 2019•12 min•Ep. 115
A freelancer lost a client due to their lack of organization and trying to juggle too many clients at once. They ask about some ways they can improve their organization so this doesn't happen in the future. Project Management Tools: Basecamp: https://basecamp.com/ Asana: https://asana.com/ Trello: https://trello.com/ *All three tools listed above have a free tier available.
Sep 06, 2019•22 min•Ep. 114
There is an age-old debate on which is more important marketing or branding. Those which a marketing background tend to have a bias toward marketing versus designers who tend to have a bias toward branding. The truth is everything comes down to how you define marketing and how you define branding. These two are not in competition with one another but are compliments. There is no way you can implement marketing without branding, and a brand can only grow if it utilizes marketing in the right way....
Sep 03, 2019•17 min•Ep. 113
How can you find out the unique audience and skill you can offer clients? Some people call this a niche. Once you combine your hobbies with your past education and an industry-specific problem you will have a unique value you can offer clients.
Jul 19, 2019•19 min•Ep. 112
Some more context: "I have been speaking with a potential client who is having issues with their website. Their current developer costs a lot of money and when they implement updates functionality of different aspects of the site break. I gave them some bullet points of what’s wrong with the site. I was emailed by someone in upper management asking for a list of things wrong with the site for them to give to their developers to fix. Have you had this happen and how should I respond? I’m not in t...
Jul 12, 2019•19 min•Ep. 111
I was watching a video on YouTube and the person in the video was an animator. They were discussing how they and others with similar channels review animation, movies, comics and sometimes illustrate and animate popular characters. I live in a state of constant anxiety, I could wake up one day and the channel I worked so hard to build has been demonetized. This is our livelihood and how we eat... Here’s the thing: The Platform has the Power You may have built up your channel and provided enterta...
Jul 06, 2019•27 min•Ep. 110
Episode Notes: https://freelancejumpstart.tv/78 In this episode a designer suggested that his friend meet up with him and they strategize how to increase their online presence and create strategy so they can compete online with their competitors. After a verbal agreement the friend took the advice and strategy but then hired another designer who was cheaper. Who's in the right? Productized Consulting: https://nathanallotey.com/tv/064-productized-consulting-with-jane-portman/ Looking to level up ...
Jun 01, 2019•18 min•Ep. 109
The 5 Ways to transform you portfolio are: Copy Other Agencies Show Your Process Add Visual Storytelling Using Mockups Your About Section References in this episode: https://nathanallotey.com/tv/059-freelancer-vs-consultant-vs-agency/ https://nathanallotey.com/tv/067-never-call-yourself-a-freelancer/ https://nathanallotey.com/tv/068-your-job-title-matters-cory-mccabe-interview/ I used to believe if I focused on having great skill that was enough to attract clients. As long as I could prove I wor...
May 27, 2019•38 min•Ep. 108
Do you feel like you have no creative control when completing projects for clients? Be a professional, not an amateur. Looking to level up in your freelance business? You may need Creative Coaching: http://nathanallotey.com/coaching DISCOUNT CODE: PODCASTFOLLWER Freelance Jumpstart Podcast on iTunes: http://nathanallotey.com/itunesaudio Free Course on How to Double Your Worth: http://respectandvalue.com — Like the content? Donate to the Cause: http://nathanallotey.com/donate...
May 15, 2019•15 min•Ep. 107
For this episode of Traffic Talk we look at the answer the question: My client has taken my beautiful work and ruined it with their suggestions! What can I do? How to Stop Endless Client Feedback: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ppc7VUswe5w Speak Up for Your Work: https://youtu.be/IZtFFcx5_3w Thanks for the Feedback (Book): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0143127136/ — Looking to level up in your freelance business? You may need Creative Coaching: http://nathanallotey.com/coaching — Like the c...
Apr 03, 2019•15 min•Ep. 106
Normally I use January as a planning month but as I plan I wanted to share with you what is on my mind as I move forward in 2019 toward the goals I would like to accomplish.
Jan 19, 2019•17 min•Ep. 105
