pro tip

pro tip

Project pricing and the five ways to increase your profits

Get some invaluable advice that will help you shape your pricing and increase the money in your pocket. In this Masterclass I originally gave to Design Buddies, I show how to price your projects to give you more money and more time.

Seniors, juniors and you mid-weights in between, get some invaluable advice that will help you shape your

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A confession for potential subscribers…

I have a confession and I hope you can forgive me...

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Which portfolio website is right for you?

I once met a freelance designer who didn’t have a portfolio. This blew my mind. How can a professional creative not have a folio? Was

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Break Free from Perfectionism!

A plague exists amongst the creatives of today. It hides in the shadows, waiting for us. It knows when you pick up your pen. It

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7 questions to create your promo strategy

Even if you do it every day for clients, creating a strategy for yourself is one of the hardest things to do as a freelancer.

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How to create a contract

First off, nice one! It’s great to come to this stage 😀 When I got my first contract I felt very profesh! You may be

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Never chase late payments again..

How does it feel when you have to chase a late payment? A bit weird?Does it make your stomach churn? You never be the debt

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If you’re not yet back in work mood after the holidays..

If you’re not yet feeling the 2023 work vibes.. It’s all good. Me neither.. The winter break shows how all these work rules (and maybe

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Why you should unfollow those inspiration accounts

Sometimes I think it’s lovely to have someone tell you what you should do When I’ve felt unsure, insecure, when the imposter syndrome was hitting

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How can you achieve more of what you want?

So you wanna set your goals huh? Well I’m here to help! Here’s a video I made talking you through the challenges I see freelancers have

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Stop putting other people’s opinion before your own

How free do you actually feel as a freelancer? How often do you let other people’s opinions (or imagined opinions) effect your decisions and actions?

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When did you last invest in yourself?

I don’t mean, investing in your business or something nice for the house. I mean, when did you last invest in you? Like improving areas

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How to get paid – Let me (pretend to) run your finance dept

As a freelancer you wear many hats in your biz One of the most important is getting paid! But it’s not easy to be the person delivering a service and chasing payment So let me do it for you! Create a new email address, orwell@yourURL.com and pretend I run your payments Swipe n I’ll show you how! Just pretend you’re

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How the mentoring programme works

I’ve got a programme that I’ve refined over my years as freelancer It’s helped me at every stage of my career from sidegig freelancer to director It works like this... Happiness More time More money Calm mind That’s the results But what does it actually mean for the freelancers I work with? Growth Systems Audience Basics Basics We can’t build

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How to spot a time waster

How to spot a time waster They're vague about what they want They say they have no budget They don't engage with your process They agree to the price but want to delay payment They ask you to copy someone else's work They try to micromanage you They have unrealistic expectations They're quick with deadlines but slow with payments What's

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Steal my process for staying in touch with potential clients

Not every person who needs your service is ready to buy It’s your job to be first in their mind when they are But how can you stay in touch without feeling like you’re being pushy? Swipe and I’ll show ya... When you contact them, focus on solving their problem Steal my process Make a list of potential clients you’ve

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When they ask you to work during your holidays, copy this

A client wants you to work during your holiday time? We can't have that! Copy this script and politely let them know you won't be available given the opportunity clients will... steal your you time holiday headspace check your emails convince guilt working don't let them do it you give so much you deserve your holiday recharge recentre expand your

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Manage your ego and learn to be the sidekick

Every hero story needs supporting characters They’re the people the hero couldn’t succeed without Batman has Robin and Alfred Beyoncé had Kelly and Michelle Pharell has N*E*R*D Carol Davers has... well she’s Captain Marvel so... Being a sidekick isn’t an insult, it’s a role you take when you realise you can’t be the hero in every story The truth is

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Your identity iceberg explained

Your identity is made up of many things Not all of them can be seen on the surface This is how we all experience each other When we start out in business, these are the things we see and admire about others We see people’s actions, decisions and behaviours and we copy them, hoping they will bring us the same

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How I became a £500 per hour designer

When I first started out as a freelancer making money was tough I was inexperienced with a small folio and I didn’t know how to convince people to hire me to design their branding... So I created Startup 101 A basic brand package that covered the main forms of comms for new companies in my area Logo Business card Letterhead

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How to avoid getting screwed when projects go wrong

Life would be great if it all went to plan... But often times it doesn’t... And in business, if you haven’t planned for a bit of mess You can get screwed! Luckily, planning for a few mistakes is easy to do Swipe and I’ll show you how... +20% That’s it, that’s the secret Plan the project Work out how long

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Things always take longer than you expect, and that’s okay!

Things always take longer than you thought We all have our own shit going on and work at our own pace. Life gets in the way! So when it does... Go easy on yourself! Decide what you want, keep getting better every day and the life you want will come

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8 ways to stay happy in your work

1. Plan days around things you like Every day I make time for things that make me happy. Thing like reading, drinking tea, plyaing my music loud, going out for a walk and talking to my friends give me a boost that helps me stay happy day to day. Even on a bad work day, make time for something you

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It’s okay to be a hack

Note every client wants your best work. If they want it, they might not be able to afford it. Sometimes they want a copy of what you've done before, sometiems this is people's whole careers. So when it comes to this situations, my advice... Be a hack. Lower your standards Set your limits Scope creep

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Change your payment terms – Free email script

Changing your payment terms can feel scary... Clients have an expectation of when they’ll pay and you don't want to do anything that will make them stop working with you But ask yourself, do you want to be in a relationship that you’re scared to change for fear of what the other person will do? Thought not. So swipe and

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So you’re a perfectionist…

Does this sound like you? "I procrastinate because I have high standards and I’m worried I won't meet them" Seems legit. Swipe and let’s test it... List all the things you've ever made Like, ever! Circle the ones you liked Circle the ones that other people liked Circle the ones you made money from Circle the ones you had fun

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6 ways to kick procrastination in the butt

Make a fuck this shit list It’s a list of things you hate doing and don’t want to have to deal with... Prioritise Use a weekly schedule check my feed to steal mine... Set app timers If you, like me can’t be trusted, set an app timers and let your phone cut you off when you’ve had too much It

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Copy my work schedule

Experience has taught me 1. How a work week goes affects my mood 2. The weeks I plan are better than the weeks I don’t 3. If I don’t plan I will forget things and stress about them So to make sure I do everything my biz needs me to do, I have a two week schedule Swipe to see

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Six more books that will make you a better freelancer

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What to do when they say “There’s more work coming”

You’re setting a benchmark You’re telling them you’ll work for cheap and it’s gona be mega hard to get that price up to your regular rate So what can you do instead? Oh yeah, we got ideas.. 1. Say no You don't work for cheap and their promises don't pay your bills Your rate is your rate. If someone can’t

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Still haven't found what you're looking for?

If you like this

I have more for you!

I work 1-2-1 with ambitious freelancers to help them gain confidence, growth and control in their business.

What people love the most is that we cover lots of practical stuff that you can easily implement in your business to see rapid and sustainable change.

Interested?

About Orwell

Orwell McGubbins is a designer and Art Director based in Berlin.

He has spent his career working with NGOs, charities, schools and social businesses, supporting people to develop themselves and make the most of life.

Today he continues this work by helping creative freelancers gain the skills and confidence they need to be great at what they do.

He enables people to create the life they want by creating the business they need.

Feel free to contact him on LinkedIn but don’t call without an appointment. He might be socially minded but he’s also a millennial, they hate that.

I am super grateful for the help Orwell has given me, he streamlined my chaotic thinking and been an absolute game changaaaa to my confidence!

I love that he always guides me to the answer of any queries, rather than answering them straight out - it makes learning much more engaging!

This has been the absolute best thing I’ve ever done for my career 💖💖

Working with Orwell has been a life changing experience for me. He's the voice of reason I use with my clients but can't ever give to myself and he's a wicked guide when it comes to overcoming the mental hurdles that pop up.

I can't recommend him enough if you are sick of overworking and being under paid. You deserve to have a life and enjoy your work. Just hire him.

Orwell's mentoring has been invaluable for me in the last few months as I continue to grow my business. He has a wealth of experience to pull from, he's eager to see his students succeed and he's generous with his time.

You're in good hands with this guy.

Orwell has helped me see sense and build confidence in what I'm doing. I knew nothing about pricing, about defining my worth and seeing my value.

He's helped guide me before important pitches and meetings and encourages me to keep going when I'm not feeling the best. I feel more clear in my messaging and the actions I need to take to progress to where I want to be.

He's brilliant!

Mentoring with Orwell has helped me grow my business into areas that I didn't even know about. I’m working fewer days, making more money and scaling at a quick rate. Could not recommend Orwell enough!

Master Yoda with better banter!

Orwell has helped me develop my own marketing plan from an organic approach. I have learnt many valuable lessons from him.

He’s helped me gain confidence in launching my own business and leaving employment forever!

I really enjoyed working with Orwell, he guided us and helped develop our brand and our voice. His understanding, expertise and organisation has left us in a better place.

We now understand the importance of making strategies for various parts of our business and are still carrying on what we were taught.

It was a pleasure to work with Orwell, I really appreciate what he has done for us and know he’ll do the same for others.