Lately, we've been getting a ton of questions about LOIs, discovery calls, and landing new clients. So today we're talking about how to nail the discovery call. We run through how to weed clients out so you’re not wasting your precious, unpaid time to take these calls, plus how to best prepare for them – yes, they really are like mini freelance job interviews – and beyond.

We're running some older episodes while we take this spring and summer season more slowly! This week's re-run is our very first money-related episode ever published! Your money mindset determines every aspect of your freelance writing and editing business. It's also a key to long-lasting success: Making good money allows you to live a life based on what you value, and it provides the stability needed to make good art.

Today we’re bringing you a new episode about approaching slow seasons. You know what we’re talking about: Those lulls in freelance work after all your projects are filed. You’re busy and then… very little happens.

As we take this spring and summer more slowly, we're currently replaying some old hits! This one is from July 2021. Building a freelance career can feel directionless; there are no set rules about where to go. But Jenni and Wudan have both built their own careers (and helped other people craft theirs) by pivoting when they hit moments of confusion or frustration. We’re calling these moments inflection points. An inflection is a slight change in tone, and every person will encounter many inflection points in their freelance business (and in their life!) over time.

In this episode, we'll talk about what kinds of things to do if you're thinking about buying property, how to make sure your team is working for you and supportive of your business, and barriers you may face as a self-employed person looking to take on a loan.

It's an oldie but a goodie! We're currently releasing episodes at a slower cadence and re-sharing some old favorites. In this 2020 episode, Jenni and Wudan address the question they get asked most frequently by aspiring and full-time freelance writers alike: How and where do you find good freelance writing assignments?

Today we’re talking about a subject that’s near and dear to Jenni's heart: getting laid off. At this point, being laid off feels like a rite of passage, particularly in the media space. Jenni herself was laid off in 2018 as part of a restructuring at her job, and she knows from personal experience how grief-filled the experience can be as you grapple with your work identity, anger, loneliness, and so much more.

This week on the show, we’re talking about yet another issue we may all run into: being people pleasers. In some ways, people-pleasing feels inherent to being a freelancer. After all, we get hired by our clients, and then we help clients with their projects. Or even if we’re pitching journalism stories, we’re still creating a story for someone else. We’re in the business of keeping our clients happy by creating good products. But being a people-pleaser can also harm our businesses. It can make us afraid of pushing back, negotiating, or appearing difficult – but that means we don’t get what we need. After all, it’s likely many others are saying yes to whatever their clients need. So if we don’t, we wonder: won’t I get discarded? In this episode, Jenni and Wudan dive deep into why we tend to people-please as freelancers, the harm it can cause our freelance businesses, and ways to unlearn this habit.

Today we're talking all about how to take an extended leave from your business when you’re preparing for a baby, surgery, illness, or any other kind of caretaking.

Today we're talking about how to stop yourself from overbooking your freelance assignment roster. And we know, that description may raise a doubtful eyebrow or two – but we promise you, it’s possible!