Helping ambitious freelancers build faster than their competition

Hey y’all – I’m Kris. Nice to meet you!

With 13 years in the freelancing game I’ve encountered it all.

The great clients, the not-so-great clients, the projects that brought me joy and fulfillment, and, well, the opposite of that.

After 4 years as the Founder of Zanate Ventures, our Austin, Texas based content studio, the business is flourishing and I’m looking forward to helping ambitious freelancers succeed as well.

My goal with The Strategic Freelancer is to help you build your freelancing business with more ease, and faster than I have.

Arming yourself with the tools, tactics and techniques to advance with confidence and avoiding the roadblocks that slow momentum for so many folks out there.

So what does that mean?

First things first.
Let’s check out the Painful 11.

Finding the right clients.

Finding the right clients to work with, especially when you’re first getting started is a massive challenge.

Setting your pricing.

It’s far too easy to under-price yourself in the market and get taken advantage of if you don’t know your ‘floor’ and ‘ceiling.’

Showcasing your work properly.

Showcasing the right work samples, even if you’re just getting started, can make the difference in the most competitive situations.

Building a brand that kills noise.

After a while most freelancers’ brands start to look and feel the same. Building a brand that ‘kills the noise’ isn’t easy.

Learning how to use AI.

AI is here to stay. Whether or not you like it, using it effectively helps you separate from your competition.

Improving your communication.

It’s hard to know how often to update your clients on where things stand and what could be going better, but it’s so important to master.

Not knowing your ‘working rate.’

When you haven’t backed down your ‘working rate’ it’s easy for scope to creep and to start losing money in your projects due to leakage.

Not having income pillars.

You may have one source of income coming in – likely transactional – but your other three income pillars are missing.

photo of man wearing hooded jacket in front of body of water

Feeling lonely and isolated.

It’s easy to feel like you’re totally alone as a freelancer – isolated from the world – and building community isn’t easy.

Protecting your mental health.

Knowing how and when to establish your boundaries is a substantial challenge, but is a non-negotiable as your business grows.

Being true to yourself.

You hear all the time that you need to be authentic both online and off – but it’s sometimes easier said than done when you’re freelancing.

low angle photo of man standing near light pole pointing down

Helping ambitious freelancers build faster than their competition

Hey y’all – I’m Kris. Nice to meet you!