Hi Reader,

Iiiiiiit's Friday!

I've felt incredibly overwhelmed this week. I'm away for a week in September and a week in October and, even though I love the freedom freelancing gives me, it still feels like a mad rush trying to get everything done in time so I can actually *enjoy* my time off.

P.S. I shared my July income and expenses on Instagram last week (it was my best month in business EVER).

Anyway, here's what I've been up to this week work-wise:

👉 I wrote 5 pieces for clients (including Salsify, Circuit, Whop, and Klaviyo)

👉 I refreshed one piece for Shopify

👉 I ran a private 1:1 session with a fellow freelancer

👉 I had a call with someone who's going to help me out!

⏱ Approx hours spent on client work this week: ~23

⏱ Approx hours spent on non-client work: ~2

💰 Total revenue this week: £5,320

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Check out my three practical courses that have helped 500+ people get more clients, earn more money, and create better content.

Friday Freelance Tip​​ ✨ ​

There are SO many things we could be doing for our businesses every single day.

We could be posting on Instagram, cold calling companies, going to events, sending pitches, guest posting, talking at conferences, networking with other freelancers, applying for callouts on job boards, and engaging on LinkedIn.

But if we did alllllll of that every single day (and, really, who has 1,430 hours available to do that?!), we’d never get any actual work done. You know, the stuff that pays the bills.

So it’s no surprise that one of the most common questions I get from my fellow freelancers is “What should I focus on?”.

It’s a very valid question, and my answer is always the same: it depends.

Helpful, I know, but hear me out.

Where you focus your energy is not a constant. Or, at least, it shouldn’t be.

It completely depends on the state of your business (are you fully booked or fully panicking?) and where you want to put your energy.

Because (sidenote) this is what we sometimes forget. When we put our energy into things we don’t actually enjoy doing, we end up having less energy than if we put our energy into things we like (and that obviously work).

So, if you’re currently thinking, “okay, what should I focus on? Please help”, ask yourself these questions (and be honest).

What’s working?

Go back through your most recent client calls and enquiries and identify where they originated from. This is a useful exercise to do on the regular and is often pretty eye-opening. You might find that a strategy you’ve put little energy into has actually reaped the biggest reward (so ka-ching, you can invest MORE energy into that and get even better results).

This is also a good opportunity to look at what’s not working, because we’re not here to flog a dead horse.

If you’re spending upwards of two hours a day on LinkedIn but aren’t getting much traction at all, is it worth continuing to pump your precious energy into it? Sure, you might just need a switch up of strategy, but in the interim it’s worth trying something else.

The more energy we put into something that isn’t working, the less energy we have to assign to things that do move the needle.

Where’s your business at?

What’s the current state of your business? Are you completely over capacity and keep taking on new work and hating yourself (hello, it me)? Are you panicking at the lack of work coming your way? Are you happily treading water?

Take stock of where you’re currently at, because this has the biggest impact on where you should expend your energy.

• Fully-booked and overwhelmed? Pare things right back. Put your energy into low-effort passive tactics like touching base with old clients, replying to a few posts in a Slack channel, and sharing a couple of posts a week on LinkedIn.
• Panicking at the lack of work? It’s time to put your energy into things that get instant results. This calls for “active” marketing methods, like pitching, responding to job callouts, and attending networking events. I’d recommend setting up as many calls as you can and focus on landing 1-2 clients so you can get back to a place of not panicking.
• Happily treading water? If you’re enjoying where you’re putting your energy right now, you can absolutely keep at it. But if you’re ready to change things, you can take inspiration from the two points above depending on which direction you want to go in.

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​What are your short-term goals?

Think about what you want to achieve this month. Do you have a monetary goal in mind? Do you want to land one more client? Do you want to work on building your online presence? Your short-term goals should inform your energy output.

For example, if you have a monetary goal you’re about to fall short of, employ those active marketing strategies to land another client. But if you want to build your online presence, put your energy into networking on social media and creating a few core promotional posts to share throughout the month.

What are your long-term goals?

This goes beyond what you want to do this month and instead looks at the bigger picture of what you want to do with THIS LIFE.

Do you want to work as few hours as possible so you can spend the rest of your time tending to your garden or practicing your breakdancing skills ready for the next olympics? Do you want to talk at events around the world and be a Big Time Influencer? Do you simply want a business that makes you enough money to book a family trip each year?

Long-term goals vary wildly from freelancer to freelancer, but they’re a good place to start if you feel a bit lost about what you should be doing.

For example, if you’d rather be gardening, there’s not point building a huge, influencer-level social media following.

But if you want to travel from stage to stage giving Big Adult Talks, then it could be a good shout.

I’d really recommend sitting down and jotting a few answers to these questions. Because, ultimately,

I can’t tell you where you should be focusing your energy (nor can anyone else, really), because we’re not you and we don’t know your business or your dreams.

Just know that where you put your energy can change on a day-to-day basis.

One day it might make sense to engage a bit on LinkedIn, while the next you might feel the pull or need to pitch five prospects. That’s the beauty of freelancing. We can turn those passive and active methods on and off as and when we need them.

When you’re busy, hit that passive button and work on building your online presence and staying connected to clients and fellow freelancers.

When you’re roster's feeling pretty flimsy, target those active marketing strategies, like pitching, applying for call-outs, and really putting yourself out there.

This week, we have a from Alexandra (Zanny) Merullo Steffgen — a travel journalist and copywriter.

Where are you based? Fort Collins, CO US 🇺🇸

How long have you been freelancing? On and off for 10 years.

Full-time 2018-2019 and 2021 through now.

What do you do? I’m a travel journalist and copywriter for both B2B and B2C

What was your 2023 revenue? $66,393

Alexandra operates as a sole trader and It was the highest earning year.

How much did you take as a salary? $59,032

This is how much I kept after expenses. I don't have employees or subcontractors, so get the full amount.

How much did you pay in taxes?

It's complicated because I filed taxes jointly with my husband who drove for Uber last year so payments were for both of us (and he also has a W2 job), but my estimated tax payments each quarter were around $3,000.

What are your business expenses? In terms of services and equipment, I think it works out to about $100-$300 a month.

My monthly expenses vary greatly because I take several international trips each year for my work, meaning I spend a big chunk on travel every few months. This includes bigger expenses like a hotel and meals when I arrive in a foreign destination before a conference to hunt down stories, or the expensive outdoor gear I bought for a tour I wrote about.

Do you contribute to a pension?

Just started a Roth IRA this year! 💪

What else do you do with the money you earn freelancing?

I have an account with Acorns and put any leftover money in a high-yield savings account.

Do you have any hot money-management tips?

I would definitely recommend stashing any extra cash from good months in a high-yield savings account--I've had a $12,000 month followed by a $2,000 month, so I always save when the money is coming in!

As always, happy freelancing :)

Lizzie ✨

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