Category Archives: Running the Biz

Ed Gandia

#115: How Chelsea Baldwin Booked Her First Five-Figure Month (Without Driving Herself Crazy)

Someone recently commented on our Facebook page that the words “high-income” and “writing” don’t belong together. According to this gentleman, it’s impossible to earn a great living as a writer. Unless, of course, you get lucky …
Read more

Ed Gandia

How to Diagnose Your Freelance Business Like a Great Mechanic

My grandfather (pictured on this page) was a top-notch auto mechanic. He could determine what was wrong with your car simply by listening to your engine and asking you a few questions. This was way before …
Read more

Ed Gandia

The Three-Bucket System for Organizing Your Week

It’s Monday morning. You’ve had a fun weekend and are ready to tackle the workweek ahead. But as you look at your list of projects and upcoming deadlines, you struggle to figure out what you should …
Read more

Ed Gandia

#111: How Kevin Casey Uses His Freelance Income to Travel Five Months a Year

Most of us view freelancing as a way to make a living. It’s a way to pay the bills by doing work we enjoy — and doing it on our own schedule and on our own …
Read more

Ed Gandia

Are You Following the ATM Rule?

There’s something you must do in your first conversation with every prospect. You need to talk money. You don’t necessarily need to quote a firm price. And you don’t need to get into every detail of your …
Read more

Ed Gandia

#110: Tanya Brody on Losing Her Day Job and Starting a Freelance Business from Scratch

If you have a day job, what would you do if you got downsized? Would you look for another job? Or would you use the opportunity to launch your freelance business? That’s exactly what happened to Tanya …
Read more

Ed Gandia

How to Get Your First Set of Samples

There's a cost to starting any business. Freelance writing or copywriting is no exception. So if you have no samples or no experience, there's nothing wrong with giving away your services in order to get both. But …
Read more

Ed Gandia

#109: My Checklist for Getting Your B2B Copywriting Business Off the Ground Successfully

If you’re struggling to get your B2B / commercial writing business off the ground, this episode is for you. I detail my seven steps for launching a successful freelance writing or copywriting business quickly and more …
Read more

Ed Gandia

The Real Reason to Keep Prospecting

We tend to think of prospecting as something we do to land client work. And while that's true, there's another equally important reason to prospect: Choice. Sure, prospecting for clients regularly ensures that you have a steady stream …
Read more

Ed Gandia

#107: How to Handle Stressful (and Sensitive) Client Conversations With Grace

I don’t enjoy having difficult conversations with clients. I bet you don’t either! But just because it’s not a fun pastime doesn’t mean we should always avoid these conversations. Very often the way to solve (or even avoid) …
Read more

Ed Gandia

An Important Lesson from the World’s Best Restaurant

What's your favorite restaurant? Mine is Bern’s Steakhouse in Tampa, Florida. I’m not alone. John Mariani, one of America’s top food critics, has called Bern's Steakhouse “the most remarkable restaurant in the entire world.” Why is Bern’s so …
Read more

Ed Gandia

#104: WordPress or Squarespace…Which One is Right for Me?

For a long time, it seemed like WordPress was the only way to go. It certainly wasn’t the only option for freelancers who needed a website. But it seemed as if it was the only practical …
Read more

Ed Gandia

10 Years of Self-Employment: Here’s What I’ve Learned

He was wearing his “Thomas the Tank Engine” pajamas that morning. I can’t remember if the character on the shirt was Thomas. Maybe it was Gordon or Percy. All I remember is how much he loved those …
Read more

Ed Gandia

#103: How Freelance Writer Jennifer Gregory Took Her Income to $100,000 in 6 Simple Steps 

North Carolina–based freelance writer Jennifer Gregory has had quite a ride over the past 18 months. She took her business to the six-figure level in 2015. But then shortly after, she lost some of her anchor clients. And …
Read more

Ed Gandia

#101: My Biggest Takeaways From the First 100 Podcast Episodes

When I launched the High-Income Business Writing podcast in April 2013, I was stepping into the unknown. I was excited. And I was nervous. I was excited because I’d successfully launched other services and products, such as …
Read more