This episode is a Q&A episode that answers some lingering questions from listeners. Wudan dives into: tangible steps to take to break into different streams of writing, how she landed her first client, creating a budget that accounts for the ups and downs of freelancing, staying ahead of deadlines, and how she plans out her week.

It's been 10 years since Wudan started freelancing, and she's learned a lot of lessons over the past decade. Now, she's running three businesses simultaneously. Most of us will probably just run one business at a time. However, for those who want to break the mold and take on the ambitious prospect of starting another company and running them simultaneously, Wudan gives you a peek behind that curtain.

Over the past year, we've heard from many listeners who are curious about scaling up their freelance businesses into an agency. Agencies can allow freelancers to take on bigger projects that they might not have the capacity to do alone. They can also attract more well-known clients, because those big-namers want to work business-to-company, rather than business-to-individual with a freelancer. But what does it actually take to go from solo freelancer to agency owner?

Starting a new publication or production network has long been a big dream for many freelance journalists. Some have become disenfranchised with the status quo of how publications are run and are contemplating striking out on their own. Others see an opportunity to fill a niche that's been overlooked. But what does it take to bring a new media company from idea to execution?

If you've been on LinkedIn lately, you may have noticed bios that include a “fractional” C-level job. Traditional C-suite jobs can be all-consuming, require deep expertise, leadership and ownership, to a certain extent. For many freelancers, we probably don’t imagine holding a C-suite position, besides being the CEO of our own businesses.

So — what’s the hype over these fractional C-level positions?

Typically, when you strike out on your own and launch a freelance business, you play it safe and start with what you know. If you previously worked at a marketing agency, you might offer services like copywriting and content marketing. You might target clients in that niche. After all, that’s where the bulk of your professional network — your potential first clients — may be.

As a freelancer, the topic of diversification may be on your  mind. The freelance market is what it is, and the pool of freelancers continues to grow - so we need ways of differentiating ourselves from others. You may be wondering how to level up in your business by offering new services, looking to a new client base, or both! But how can you do that in an intentional way?

What if we told you that all freelancers are leaders?

The idea might seem counterintuitive at first: After all, freelancers provide services or products to our clients. We’re not leading or managing a team in that very conventional sense.

But leadership isn’t just about managing a team. It’s how you position yourself, how you talk about yourself, and how you show up every day in your work.

Career transitions often lead to some element of fear. For freelancers, this could be a fear of rejection or of losing stable income. Or it might show up as a little voice in your head that says: “But what if I fail?” Fear is meant to protect us, yet it can also hold us back from trying new things and thinking expansively about our businesses.

In this episode, Nicole Tsong joins Wudan to talk about confronting this fear while making big career swings.

Welcome to Season 8! We’re calling this year the “Year of Expansive Thinking.” This season will focus on how to think big about our businesses, ourselves, and what we think is possible.

In the first episode, host and executive producer Wudan Yan answers questions from guest co-host Pam Moore about her businesses.