Andy Strote

These books have helped agency owners and freelancers around the world. Maybe they’ll help you too. Link is in the bio.

#FreelanceFriends Gotta go guys. That was fun.

#FreelanceFriends ok since it’s open mic… oh yeah, I’m Andy in Toronto, ex freelance copywriter, agency owner, etc… Here’s my question. Has anyone integrated AI as part of your service offering? Not used it for your own research and checking, but actually promoted it as something you offer?

#FreelanceFriends Look who’s here early. What’s up?

#FreelanceFriends what really inspires me? Art. Seeing it, reading about it, which often gets into history. Going on another art trip in less than 2 weeks. 12 days in Venice for Art Biennale. Will be our third time. It’s every two years. Always come back from there, mind blown. It’s too much.

Hey #FreelanceFriends it’s Andy in Toronto, glad to be here. We’re talking about inspiration? Ok…

#FreelanceFriends Andy in Toronto here, late as usual…

A2 #FreelanceFriends Do I tell the world about it? Not in my freelance days. We worked a bit harder at it in the agencies. We also got on vendor lists which helped put us in front of the right prospects.

A1 Re celebrating wins, I’m terrible at it. I’m on to the next project. How terrible? When we sold our first agency to an IT company, do you think the four partners would get together for a celebratory dinner? Nah… #FreelanceFriends

#freelancefriends Andy, late but here.

A3 #FreelanceFriends Going forward, I think creative problem solving and strategic insights will be more important than the final creative delivery which can be done with AI. I know that’s overly general, and please stop throwing things at me! 🤣

#FreelanceFriends Andy from Toronto is here. Recent priorities, World Cup Soccer. France vs Morocco later today.

It had to be done. A little leaky lens distorted psychedelia for our indigenous friends celebrating the rising of the sun on the longest day of the year.

A1 #FreelanceFriends I think the biggest factor in smoother money relationships is that I had corporate clients right from the beginning. It was corporate budgets vs personal money. There’s a huge difference. Money is allocated, no emotions (not MY money), it’s just business…

#FreelanceFriends Hello it’s Andy from gently raining in Toronto. At least it’s not murderously hot like in Europe.

Indigenous ceremony to celebrate the sun rising on the longest day of the year. At Biidaasige Park, Toronto.

Symmetry in nature. It’s there if you look for it…

Bee getting busy doing what bees do…

This was 13 years ago. Wonder whether I should start riding again to get myself ready for next year. Always fun riding up and down Toronto’s expressways and raising money for the heart & stroke foundation.

Today is Bob Dylan’s 85th birthday. He’s still writing and touring. Thank your lucky stars you’re alive at the same time as Bob.

The redcoats getting ready for those Irish-American Fenians raiding Upper Canada. The raids happened in 1866. No coincidence that Canada was formed in 1867. Same as it ever was…

It’s 1866. You are Bob Buchan, stationed with the redcoats in Upper Canada. Your group is meeting in a barn. You’ve heard that the Fenians, an Irish group on the American side, are getting ready to stage a raid. Your goal is to drive the Fenians back. Your immediate goal is to survive the battle.

#FreelanceFriends Andy in the house for a change. Nice to be here with you all. Former freelance copywriter, agency copywriter, 2X agency founder…

Freelancers, what’s stopping you from forming a bigger company? A) I’m happy working solo B) I don’t have enough business to justify it C) I’m working on it, not ready yet For me it was a natural step going from solo freelance to my first agency. It’s not for everyone. You?

Freelancers, how are you using AI? A) Helping to generate ideas B) To improve my deliverable and save time C) I’d rather not talk about it Bonus question: Have you discussed the use of AI with clients? A) Yes, and they’re fine with it B) Yes, and they have a “no AI” rule C) No

Freelancers, when you first work with a client do you go over your terms and conditions with them? When and how you expect to get paid, timelines and schedules, ownership of materials or licensing, etc.? Don’t just tack it onto your estimate assuming they’ll read it.

Do your clients look forward to working with you? At my last agency one of our clients said that meeting with us was the most fun they have all week and they looked forward to it. What do your clients say about you? Are they having fun?

Have you heard the expression The Surface Area of Luck”? It equals the action you take towards your passion, times the number of people you communicate your passion and activities to. Luck = Doing x Telling Want to increase your luck? Do more, tell more. 🤷‍♂️

Freelancers, your network is everything. I know this isn’t news, but it’s worth repeating. When was the last time you called, texted, or emailed people on your list? Think of something relevant to say and touch base. Connections pay off.

Freelancers : Should you get paid for meetings? Yes. But some clients don’t want to pay for meetings. So, don’t have “meetings”. They’re “working sessions”, “planning sessions”, “presentations”. Don’t break out separate line items. Wrap them into your deliverables. Get paid.

Freelancers: you should have a structured on-boarding process. Clients should understand how you work and what you expect of them. At the same time, you should learn about how their business works. Know what to expect of each other. Do it early. Fewer arguments later.

Freelancers, if potential clients sometimes tell you you’re too expensive, that’s ok. You’re not right for everyone. If they ALWAYS say you’re too expensive, you’re talking to the wrong category of clients. You need to work your way up to bigger clients with dedicated budgets.

Inside Frank Gehry’s LUMA Tower in Arles, France. Gehry at his playful best. Slides? Of course, a Gehry trademark.

Freelancers: find your groove. What kind of projects are your favourite? What type of clients do you like the most? Think of size and niche. Now make a concerted effort to find more of those. Be specific about what clients you want and go after them. It makes life much easier.

#FreelanceFriends Late to the show. Andy in cloudy, rainy, but warmish Toronto. Freelance copywriter, 2X agency founder, 2X author, etc 🤷‍♂️

Freelancers, do you have a client you should fire? One that is more trouble than they’re worth? One that you dread hearing from? They nickel and dime you, then take forever to pay? Fire them. Want to do it indirectly? Tell them you’re too busy for at least a month. That works.

Freelancers: have money talks early. When clients brief you, ask for a budget. What are they thinking? Is it $500, $1,000, or $2,500? Find out early. Don’t waste time writing a $2,500 estimate if they’re thinking $500. Get comfortable with money talk. It’s just business.

Freelancers, how long do you keep clients? Do you have any from when you first started freelancing? I kept clients for years. It made my life much easy. Steady work, less hustle and grind. If clients leave quickly, ask yourself why. Fix whatever it takes to get repeat business.

Freelancers: Every estimate should include payment terms. Figure out what works for you. Could be 50% deposit, 50% on completion. Maybe progress billing for bigger jobs: 33%, 33%, 33%. Old school, net 10 days or net 30. Also, you don’t have to give every client the same terms.

Freelancers, every estimate should include Terms & Conditions. At the very least it should address revisions. Eg: Includes up to two rounds of revisions. Further revisions will be quoted in advance. Don’t let a client try to reduce the estimate by taking out revisions. 🚩🚩🚩

Freelancers, when did you last update your portfolio? Make sure you have all your best work up there for potential clients to discover. Dedicate a few hours every week for updates to create the strongest possible portfolio.

Freelancers, there’s one important criteria when you’re looking for new clients: Simply, do they have the capacity to give me repeat business? If the first project goes well, will there be more? Too many freelancers get “one and done” clients. It’s a tough way to grow.

Freelancers, let’s say you estimated a project at $3,000. The client comes back with a budget of $2,000. What do you do? Reduce the deliverables to fit the budget. You could have avoided this though. How? Ask for the budget at the beginning. Get comfortable with money talk.

Freelancers, all of your estimates should include a defined number of revisions. I always included two. Anything beyond that was estimated and billed. Don’t be tempted to reduce your estimate by cutting out revisions. There are ALWAYS revisions and you should get paid for them.

#FreelanceFriends are you getting the porny girl using our hashtag? Hilarious!

#FreelanceFriends Late to the show again. 🤷‍♂️

Freelancers, make sure you get written briefs from your clients. Some people think they can just “tell you” what they want. That leads to nothing but trouble. A written brief lets you think about it, ask questions, get clarity. Don’t start without one.

Freelancers: How do you handle estimates? Do you write your own quotes? Do you use contracts that have been written or vetted by a lawyer? Do you have kill fees, validity for limited times, etc? What works for you?

Freelancers: If you have a few money disagreements with clients, it’s normal. But if you often disagree on fees, terms, revisions, etc, there’s something wrong. Either: You need to tighten up your estimates to include more financial terms Or You need new clients Maybe both

Freelancers: How many clients do you typically work for at the same time? 1 – 3 4 or 5 More than 5 What works for you?

Freelancers: How close do you get to your clients? I always tried to be “business friends” where we got along well and saw ourselves working together to get projects done. Me on the creative side, them doing all the client jobs. Some freelancers want it strictly business. You?