The 6-Figure Freelancer Podcast | Freelancing | Entrepreneurship | Clients | Finances | Motivation | Personal Development | M Avani Miriyala

After 243 episodes, The 6-Figure Freelancer podcast is coming to an end.
Manifesting your future is something that I talk about regularly, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t follow that advice myself, as I move from being a six-figure freelancer to a seven-figure CEO. 
In this final episode, I want to say thank you to all of you who have listened and supported this podcast, as well as talk a little bit about why I’m ending the show and what’s next for me and my team. 
“I'm sure one day I might go back and listen to all my podcast episodes, see how I've changed as a public speaker, as a podcaster, as a teacher, as someone who shares things with people. You know, it's going to be so cool to see how I've changed and how I've grown. And I'm glad that this little place on the internet can be that archive, that little memento from the time where I ran a multiple-six-figure agency.” ~ @AvaniMiriyala
Main Takeaways When something is out of alignment, recognize it, and take the steps needed to fix it.  I’m no longer a six-figure freelancer which is why I’ve decided to end this chapter of my life.  Sharing is a huge part of learning. I’ve learned so much from the process of making and sharing this podcast. Every time we share something or teach something to someone else, we learn it even more, and that is a magical process. As you move into different patterns of your life, it’s important to protect your energy, set boundaries, and invest in yourself so that you can show up for your team.  Links Podcast Royale Stay in Touch Follow Avani on Twitter Follow Avani on Instagram Follow Avani on LinkedIn

Selling a business is something many entrepreneurs dream about. While some are content to own and operate their own business for the long-term, others set out with the goal to eventually sell or exit the business to pursue other interests. But just because you’re ready to sell your business doesn’t mean it’s the right move or that the process will be easy. 
Josh Hall, the founder of Josh Hall Design, joins me today to talk about how he built and sold a design business, and the journey he took to get to this point in his career. 
As with many web designers, Josh’s path was a seemingly unlikely one. He started out as a cabinet maker for custom tour busses while he was also pursuing a career as a musician. But when the financial crisis in 2008 hit, he was laid off from his job and started diving into design as a way to create his band’s merch. 
Through word of mouth, Josh was getting freelance design gigs, which turned on a lightbulb for him: he could actually make money doing the design work he enjoyed so much. He started researching business concepts and marketing and his business took off. 
Now that Josh has sold his design business, his focus is on creating courses and a community to help coach other web designers on how to create and run a profitable business. 
In this episode, Josh and I talk about his perspective on selling a business, how to put the right barriers in place while building a business, and what to look for when you are thinking about changing paths. 
“For anyone who's interested in selling a business, I heard this analogy a while back and I love it. They call it income vines. It's like you're swinging from vine to vine. And if you're going to leave this vine and jump over to this one, you want to make sure it's strong and you're not going to go plummeting to the ground.” ~ Josh Hall
Main Takeaways There’s no right path. Everyone does their job differently and everyone can create their own futures and carve out their own niche. Look for red flags that are telling you to change direction. There’s no rule that says you have to stay married to your business forever.  When you sell something, it has to be able to work without you. If you’re building a business and it’s all about you, it will be hard to sell.  Be cautious when you quit your 9-5 job for your personal business. If you don’t put barriers in place and schedule appropriately, you might end up working 24/7 instead. If you plan on selling your business or otherwise exiting, make sure the new “vine” you’re planning on swinging to is strong enough to meet your financial needs.  Links and Important Mentions Josh Hall Josh Hall Web Design Courses Built to Sell: Creating a Business That Can Thrive Without You by Josh Warrillow  Josh on Facebook Josh on YouTube Stay in Touch Follow Avani on Twitter Follow Avani on Instagram Follow Avani on LinkedIn

Even though this year has been full of challenges, there’s still much to be learned that we can apply to how we move into next year. 
There’s a lot to be thankful for, especially the growth and resilience that have emerged from the obstacles we’ve all faced in the past year, and I want to spend some time talking about how you can take that growth and build on it moving into the next year. 
"I challenge you to ask yourself what version of you emerged from the ashes in 2020? What version of you are you moving into this new year with? There's a lot of stuff that we all need to learn. A lot of challenges do lie ahead of us, but we are much better equipped now than we were 365 days ago.” ~ @AvaniMiriyala
Main Takeaways Think about the person you are going to be one year from now and start working backward from there.  To realize a reality where you are a new person, you need to start acting, thinking, and believing like it now.  If you are focused on where you want to be, you don’t need to worry because if you surrender to life, it will take you there.  Links and Important Mentions Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear The Surrender Experiment: My Journey into Life's Perfection by Michael Singer Stay in Touch Follow Avani on Twitter Follow Avani on Instagram Follow Avani on LinkedIn

The concept of overflow is similar in some ways to the concept of abundance. It’s the idea that the natural state of your life can be an overflow in all areas. To truly embody the concept of overflow, you have to decide to sit in that space and expect that overflow. Overflow of money, of health, of relationships, of love, of support, or whatever it is that you’re desiring.

In this episode, I talk through how to experience overflow. This is a good place to start as you begin planning your goals and growth areas for next year.
"That means tapping into and embodying [overflow]. When I say embodying, I mean, feeling the feelings I will feel in my body, actually feeling it in my gut, that abundance, that overflow, that excitement, that peace, that knowledge.” ~ @AvaniMiriyala
Main Takeaways Abundance is putting yourself in a mental state where you physically feel your desires and you are always adding to the mental state that your desires will manifest. It’s called overflow because you are constantly adding with each action you take to your end desires and eventually everything overflows. Your goals become reality because of everything you’ve put into this mental state of abundance.  Show up, dress, act, talk like your goals have already come to life and you will see your mental state overflow. Links and Important Mentions Amanda Frances Stay in Touch Follow Avani on Twitter Follow Avani on Instagram Follow Avani on LinkedIn

Getting started as a freelancer or with self-employment of any kind can feel like a big risk. There are many unknowns that often become roadblocks. Fear of taking a risk and failing can be debilitating without the right mindset. 
Chris Misterek, the founder of Self-Made Web Designer, joins me today to talk about how you can give yourself permission to take risks, and how you can reframe your mindset to help you feel empowered rather than fearful. 
When Chris got started in web design, it was out of necessity — he wanted to bring in more income for his family. But within his first 18 months as a freelancer, Chris more than doubled his full-time salary. He knew he had made the right decision, and never looked back.
Chris credits much of his success to taking the leap — jumping in and consuming as much information as he could to both build his portfolio and knowledge base. 
A couple of years ago, Chris decided to go back to full-time employment as a designer. And he noticed that the biggest thing holding most people back from starting a side hustle wasn’t a lack of talent, but fear — fear of failure, risk, the unknown, etc. 
Knowing he’d been through all of that before and that his experiences could be helpful, Chris launched his coaching business, Self-Made Web Designer. 
In this episode, Chris and I talk about how he got started, the pivotal moment that led him to make the jump into web design, and how you can overcome imposter syndrome and get started! 
 
"Winners lose a lot more often than losers. Give yourself permission to fail, and do it a lot. Because you're going to learn a lot of things from those mistakes. And one day you're going to be able to look back, and it might be really slow, progress might be a lot slower than you would hope, but you're going to look back and you're going to realize, you just scaled this mountain.” ~ @ChrisMisterek
Main Takeaways Some people are more risk-averse than others, and that’s ok. But don’t look at nudges toward self-employment as bad. It’s empowering! For those just starting out with self-employment, know what you want to accomplish and let those goals drive your decisions. But don’t let it hold you up for too long; jump in and figure out the details later. Have the mindset of being able to pivot and shift to attain your goals, even if it means dropping clients.  Do something for another designer or freelancer that you wish someone would have done for you.  Links and Important Mentions Self-Made Web Designer Late Bloomers: The Power of Patience in a World Obsessed with Early Achievement by Rich Karlgaard Chris on Twitter Chris on Instagram Stay in Touch Follow Avani on Twitter Follow Avani on Instagram Follow Avani on LinkedIn

Proposals drive freelance and contract businesses. But how do you know if your proposals are any good? By the time you present a proposal to a potential client, you should know enough about their pain points and goals that you can create something your prospect can’t say no to. 
I’ll share my proposal builder with you, but we’ll also discuss how you should organize your proposal and what you should include that will help your prospective clients see the vision of where you want to take them, and trust that you can get them there.
“The moment they can see [your proposal] laid out, a clear plan in front of them, they will say ‘wow, this person knows exactly what they’re doing, I need to work with them ASAP.’” ~ @avanimiriyala
Main Takeaways A good proposal does one thing really well: it shows how you think. If you can communicate what your thought process is, you’re going to land more clients.  When someone hires you, they want to know you can problem-solve to get the solutions they might need.  Help potential clients visualize the completed project with a plan laid out in your proposal.    A proposal is a critical component of gaining the trust of your prospective client. Show them you know exactly how to execute on their goals and the path you plan to take to get there. Links and Important Mentions Proposal Builder Stay in Touch Follow Avani on Twitter Follow Avani on Instagram Follow Avani on LinkedIn