Welcome to The Loaf - a weekly newsletter sharing money tips & business strategies for creators & freelancers
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Whether you run a business or you're trying to grow an audience, a newsletter should be a core piece of your marketing strategy.
Why?
It's algorithm-proof and it's a more intimate way to communicate with your desired readers. You can nurture potential clients with relevant content, curate content that your audience would enjoy, or share your journey, building a stronger connection and a potential income stream.
If you've been subscribed to The Loaf for awhile, you know I'm a huge fan of Josh Spector and his content. It's some of the most valuable stuff that I've read and his latest workshop, The Newsletter Booster, is no different.
It's a 60-minute video session that gives you 30 specific things you can do in 5 minutes or less to get more newsletter subscribers. It includes ways to optimize your signup page, social media accounts, relationships, and content to attract people who will love your newsletter.
This isn't an affiliate link, and you can check it out here.
Business: How to Supercharge Your Website's Contact Form (And Attract Better Freelance Clients) [article]
I’m a big fan of the intricacies in business.
Like having a proper landing page on the redirect after someone subscribes to a newsletter. Or having copy that tells someone what happens after they schedule a call with you (or whatever your CTA is).
Small things matter in today's cluttered digital world and this article will help you create a contact form that will ideally lead to more (and better) inbound inquiries.
Money: 18 Simple Tips, Tricks, and Misconceptions About Money [thread]
This is one of the best threads I've ever read.
Nathan Barry is the founder of ConvertKit (the thing I'm using to write and send you this email) and he's had firsthand experience in managing money as a creative business owner.
A few takeaways:
Topic of the week: How do I know when it's time to outsource?
If this question was prompted from feeling overwhelmed with too much work, it's probably time to start outsourcing some things.
We just made our first hire for AllStreet in April and while it's only a part-time role for now, we hired before we truly needed to.
Talking with other business owners, we repeatedly heard that one of the biggest mistakes they made early in their career was not hiring sooner and not outsourcing less impactful tasks.
Waiting to outsource may not seem like a big deal.. until you realize how much time and effort can go into getting someone up to speed.
If you wait too long, you may be so bogged down with work that you don't have time to evaluate candidates, teach them your processes, and then hand off tasks.
But if you outsource too early (or for the wrong things), you may burn through excess cash that could've been better used elsewhere.
It can be a tough choice to make, especially if you don't have a ton of extra funds in your business, but these are a few times when it makes sense to start offloading some tasks:
Graham Stephan and his YouTube channels are a perfect example of this.
Because he's the face of the channel, he can't give up the time it takes to record videos. But he can give up some of the tasks that go into creating a video from start to finish, which would let him spend more time on the important things (recording videos, research, and building the brand).
So he brought on an assistant a few years ago to help with editing & partnerships and has since hired another assistant to support the growth.
Take some time to think about the things you do day-to-day that can't be done by someone else, list them out - and then do the same thing for tasks that someone else could do. After that, do some research around potential costs and standard rates to determine if the cost of outsourcing is worth the time saved.
If you're spending money in business, it should almost always make you money back in some form.
You may not see a direct profit from a hire but you may be able to spend more time on something like business development, which could then lead to more business and more income.
If there's an important piece of your business that you're not particularly "good" at and you're only doing it because you're doing everything, you may see a lot of benefit from outsourcing.
This could be marketing, content writing, bookkeeping, or operations - but you need to be self-aware and know where you're lacking so that you can fill those gaps with necessary talent.
Unless you plan to be a solo business forever, you're going to hire at some point.
You may not feel the pressure to bring on additional support, but sometimes it just makes sense if you can afford it. Affording it can be as simple as knowing that you have enough income each month to pay yourself and to set aside money for taxes, so excess income could be used to reduce your time spent in the business.
Think: If outsourcing a few things gives you back 10 hours a week, even though you can easily do the tasks, how would that affect your life? Could you spend more time with family? Could you pursue some other passions? Could you grow your business even more?
When it comes to outsourcing, think less about the direct costs and more about the opportunities that more time could open up. Business is a long game, not a short-term profit play.
📚 How to successfully market a book release
🎥 A complete breakdown of YouTube CPMs
👀 5 ways to manage risk as a freelancer
🚀 What it takes to build a successful creator business
📈 4,400+ free customizable Notion icons
Freelance Finds: How to market yourself during your first year of freelancing
Keep creating,
Treyton DeVore
