Double Your Freelancing Podcast

Hosted by Brennan Dunn, Zach Swinehart

BusinessExplicit

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Episodes

153

Latest episode

Oct 2025

Language

EN-US

About the show

Better Clients. More Money. A Happier Life.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

October 20, 20251 hr 36 min

How Virginie is Scaling From Solo Freelancer To 100 Active Clients

In This Episode: Zach talks to one of his students, Virginie, who went from relying on word of mouth referrals → to signing 10 new clients in the past few months. You’ll get a behind-the-scenes look at how Virginie diversified her client revenue and is well on her way to her goal of 100 active clients. 🚀 What You'll Learn: The “lead-gen first” system that let her niche down with less risk How to build a predictable client-acquisition process without depending on referrals The mindset reframe that turns boring repetition into real business growth How to make outreach feel valuable and human, not spammy When to automate, systemize, and outsource to stay focused without burning out 💡 Ideal for Freelancers Looking to: Replace unpredictable feast-and-famine cycles with consistent client flow Learn how to niche down safely and validate before committing Escape the social-media grind and build a business that runs on systems, not luck Want to learn more about 200KF or join the waitlist? Check it out at: https://dyf.link/200kf 🌎 More Free Posts & Videos at: https://doubleyourfreelancing.com

September 29, 20251 hr 7 min

How Freelancers Can Fix the “Forced-Hire” Scaling Mistake

In This Episode: Zach breaks down how to escape the “panic hire” cycle by building a simple hiring funnel you can use before you hit capacity. This includes evaluating candidates in a standardized way, using structured rubrics to protect your client work, and using your project manager (not you) as the filter in the process. 🚀 What You'll Learn: How to build a repeatable hiring funnel so you can confidently hire the right team members before you desperately need them. The “feed more birds with one scone” content approach to building assets that simultaneously support hiring, onboarding, and client acquisition while you scale. A real-life case study of a freelancer “in the trenches” delivering epic value to clients with productized services without doing the fulfillment to build a scaleable business vs. just a freelancer who owns a job. Why your marketing and sales process should highlight the real cost of not using your proven system. The overall mindset shift to go from ad-hoc freelancing to structured systems that protect your reputation, scale your business, and give you more clients without burning out. 💡 Ideal for Freelancers Looking to: If you’re a six-figure freelancer sick of being maxed out on time, wanting to scale your business, and need to hire a freelancer (but are terrified of bad hires or losing client trust), this episode gives you the practical steps to hiring better. 👉 If you want to learn more or join 200KF Waitlist check it out here: https://dyf.link/200kf

June 16, 202517 min

How To Price Your Freelance Services in 2025

In This Episode: Zach breaks down a real-life pricing mistake and shows how a simple shift in positioning can lead to higher fees without changing the service offering. If you’ve ever priced “by the hour” or “per deliverable,” this video gives you actionable pricing tips to attract higher rates in 2025. 🚀 What You'll Learn: Why pricing per task keeps you stuck at low rates How to anchor your pricing to client outcomes When performance-based pricing makes sense—and what to watch out for 💡 Ideal for Freelancers Looking to: Escape low-paying, commodity-style work Close better clients with stronger offers Raise their rates with confidence

April 2, 202536 min

How Calista Solved The “Waiting For Referrals” Problem (As a New Freelancer!)

Full shownotes at https://dyf.link/episode150 In this episode, Zach talks to Calista from nimblecrafted.com about how she went from relying on low-paying referrals to building a confident, repeatable system for landing freelance clients. Over the past five months, Calista has transformed from a burned-out developer stuck in commoditized pricing to someone with real control over her business—without sacrificing her desire for a chill, creative lifestyle. You’ll hear how she overcame the unique challenges of freelancing from Indonesia, figured out a niche that actually excites her (gaming), and landed qualified leads through her very first outreach campaign. Zach and Calista also dig into: Why starting with the problem , not your skills, is key to crafting a high-value offer How to stay motivated through the messy, uncomfortable phases of business building The mindset shift that helped Calista stop underinvesting in herself A sneak peek at her early client wins—and how she’s validating a brand-new service What to expect (and avoid) if you're a new freelancer just starting out If you’re early in your freelancing journey or struggling to land clients without slashing your rates, this episode will give you both inspiration and a practical roadmap to move forward. You can learn more about 200KF course at https://dyf.link/200kf

March 26, 202524 min

How Devs Can Escape Commoditization in an AI Vibe Coder’s World

Full show notes at https://dyf.link/episode149 In this episode, Zach dives into how developers can escape commoditized pricing by aligning their skills with high-value business problems. Learn how positioning your expertise around solving specific problems can help you stand out, charge higher rates, and attract better clients. You'll discover how to shift from being a "keyboard for hire" to a problem-solving expert that businesses want to pay top dollar for. Zach also shares a real-world example of a developer who unknowingly nailed this positioning and how you can replicate it. You’ll also learn: Why reactive, commoditized freelancing leads to constant rate pressure The difference between subjective and objective value—and how to use both effectively A step-by-step framework for defining your ideal client profile (ICP) A proven outreach strategy to attract high-value clients without being spammy The power of attaching your work to measurable business outcomes If you're a developer looking to break out of the low-value pricing trap and build a high-paying freelance business, this episode is for you! More free content at https://doubleyourfreelancing.com

November 15, 202428 min

How To Get Paid For Project Discovery, with Laura Elizabeth

👉 Full show notes at https://dyf.link/episode148 In this episode, Zach talks to Laura Elizabeth, co-owner of Double Your Freelancing and creator of Project Pack . Laura is talking about how she does “paid roadmapping” for her clients, often charging upwards of $6,000 for ONE roadmap. In this episode, we’ll discuss what paid roadmapping is, why freelancers should consider doing it, and common mistakes to avoid. This is a valuable episode if you’re currently doing free proposals and want to learn how to get paid for them instead. 🌍 More free content at https://doubleyourfreelancing.com

September 30, 202449 min

“I can't get past €10k/month Freelancing…” — Solving $100k→$200k/yr Bottlenecks, With Delia Monk

Full show notes at: https://dyf.link/episode147 In this episode, Zach talks with copywriter Delia Monk about some of the “bottlenecks” she’s been running into as she tries to scale from a low-six-figure soloist to a small agency. Delia has great stats about the efficacy of her skills, including… ☑️ Getting a client’s sales page from 3% → 12% application rate (a.k.a. 4x’ing it) ☑️ Doubling open rates for her long-term retainer client who has her work on emails …But she feels she’s maxed out her rates and that delegating work is eating so much into her margins that it’s not worth it. In this episode she and Zach explore this and uncover opportunities to keep moving forward and address this bottleneck. If you’re in a similar position to Delia, where you’re having trouble breaking through the mid-100k-bottleneck, you’ll probably REALLY enjoy $200k Freelancer: https://dyf.link/200kf

September 23, 202415 min

How To Use “Runway Reduction Anchoring” To Charge More

Full show notes at: dyf.link/episode146 n this episode, Zach talks about a sneaky positioning technique freelancers can use to instantly charge more. 👉 Learn how to raise your rates and work with better clients in our free “Charge What You’re Worth” course: https://dyf.link/offer Links from the episode: ~~ $200k Freelancer Build a machine that generates clients – predictably and controllably – and grow your freelance income to $200k/yr+ https://doubleyourfreelancing.com/200kfreelancer/ ~~ Others: Double Your Rates Toolkit - https://doubleyourfreelancing.com/rates-toolkit Double Your Freelancing Rate - https://doubleyourfreelancing.com/rate Crappy Canva illustration from the video - https://www.canva.com/design/DAGRA99z-X8/E0WWZ_0VDe3K3BxZ8GWEbQ/view?utm_content=DAGRA99z-X8&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=editor

September 9, 20241 hr 6 min

Mastering Your Freelance Offers: A Guide to Creating High-Impact Freelance Services

Full show notes: https://dyf.link/episode145 In this episode, Zach dives into the key elements of crafting irresistible freelance service offerings that drive high-value outcomes. Discover how to structure your service offerings to emphasize measurable ROI, making your work more appealing to potential clients and helping you command higher prices. You'll learn how to differentiate between demonstrable, subjective, and commoditized service values and why focusing on ROI-driven outcomes can set you apart in the crowded freelance market. Whether you’re just starting or looking to refine your offers, this episode will guide you through creating a scoring system to evaluate the impact and ease of delivery of your services. I also talk about: The "freelance service offering thermometer" and how to categorize services by their demonstrable, subjective, or commoditized outcomes. The importance of defining your niche and aligning your offer to high-value problems. How to use a service offering scorecard to evaluate and refine your freelance services. The role of ROI demonstrability in client acquisition and how to showcase early wins. Strategies for selecting KPIs that reflect the impact of your work without being overly reliant on client actions. Tune in to learn how to create compelling freelance offerings that clearly demonstrate value, resonate with clients, and set you on a path to sustainable growth. Don’t miss an opportunity to grow your freelance income to $200k/yr+! Learn more at dyf.link/200kf

September 2, 202428 min

How To Get to $200K/Yr With Automated, Value-First Outreach at Scale

Full show notes: https://dyf.link/episode144 In this episode, I share the strategy of Automated, Value-First Outreach at Scale and how it can help freelancers reach $200K/year. Discover how you can balance the scalability of automated cold outreach with the personal touch that clients appreciate, turning a traditionally spammy approach into a value-driven method that gets results. You'll learn how to build outreach campaigns that not only send hundreds of emails at scale but also make each recipient feel like the message was crafted just for them, without spending hours on manual personalization. This episode is perfect for freelancers looking to scale their client acquisition process without sacrificing the quality of their outreach. I also talk about: The concept of "free personalization" and how it transforms cold outreach from impersonal to engaging at scale. Tools and techniques to set up automated outreach campaigns, including email scraping, personalization tactics, and sending infrastructure. How to avoid spammy outreach pitfalls and ensure high deliverability of your emails. The step-by-step math behind sending volumes, inbox management, and setting up sending domains. Strategies to validate your target market and refine your messaging for maximum impact. Tune in to learn how to leverage automated outreach to scale your freelance business, connect with high-value clients, and build a sustainable revenue stream without getting bogged down in manual work. Don’t miss an opportunity to grow your freelance income to $200k/yr+! Learn more at dyf.link/200kf