Hi Friends,
Well, that’s a wrap . . . for now! As I shared in Tuesday’s
, last week my podcast pause announcement went live for both shows after nine years and 700+ episodes.It’s a strange feeling, and I can’t bear to listen back just yet. After publishing three episodes a week for the last two years, it’s bizarre not to have any recording sessions on the horizon, or a reason to jump on the mic to share what’s on my mind.
At the same time, I do feel a sense of true spaciousness opening up, creating room for exciting new opportunities to arise—and some already have (more on those soon).
While I will be sad not to bring fresh episodes to your earbuds every week, I truly want to say thank you so much for being here. This only represents a small fraction of listeners, but I was genuinely touched receiving the Spotify Wrapped for Podcasters stats at the end of 2023, after I knew I would be pausing in February.
Among Free Time listeners: for 423 of you this show is in your top ten on Spotify, for 247 it’s in the top five, and for 57 it is your number one show in Spotify—the highest honor!! I was shocked to see even one with so much other incredible audio out there.
For now, I’ll continue sharing updates here on
, at (twice a month curated link round-ups), alongside personal business essays at — but even these formats will be up for reimagining!Now onto this week’s round-up + Plus extra goodies over the paywall rainbow at the end . . .
⚙️ Tips & Tools
I had so much fun learning from Joey Coleman about his “I am not a bank” philosophy for ensuring clients pay on time. Now I just need to re-listen a few dozen times so I gain the courage to uphold these boundaries!
Here are three of my favorite takeaways from episode 269:
Don’t raise your prices just for the sake of raising them; however, as your expertise and capabilities and the cost of living and costs of running your business increase, there is a necessary understanding that prices will go up. Right before Joey hits send on a proposal, he often stops, goes back to the original contract and raises the fee by ten percent.
Price is something you pay at the grocery store; investment is something you are going to do to grow your operation and make it better. When speaking with potential clients, use the latter phrase: “You will invest with me to grow your returns, and it will continue to pay dividends.” As a service provider, you need to be clear on the return on investment that you’re promising.
Invoicing: Clients must pay 100% in full, 30 days before the event. To hold the date on the calendar is worth minimum of fifty percent. Remaining fifty percent is due thirty days before the event. Remember: contracts are written at the pinnacle of the relationship when everyone is most excited to work together.
“Once I have stepped on stage and given the talk, there is no reason other than their integrity and the contract for them to ever pay—let alone in a timely fashion. Before I get on stage, they want to make sure I get on stage.”
📆 Upcoming Events for Paid Subscribers
🔗 The link to register and attend is below the paywall in the footer of this email.👇
🎙 March 7 at 12pm ET— live podcast taping with Todd Sattersten is the publisher and owner of Bard Press, on strategies for hitting The Magic Number of book sales. This will be a follow-up conversation to our Free Time podcast episode 268.
🎁 With the Free Time book approaching its two-year bookiversary on March 22, 2024, I encourage you to grab your copy if you haven’t already! For a limited time, I’m re-opening the launch BOGOGO campaign (Buy One, Get One, Give One) if you want to 🎁 give the gift of free time in 2024 :D
💻 May 15 — Office Hours hang: ask me anything about a question or challenge in your business, and get extra input from fellow Heart-Based Business owners!
🎟️ Want to join us for any or all of the above?
We’d love to have you! Upgrade to a paid subscription here »
💬 Quote
“The work of the mature person is to carry grief in one hand and gratitude in the other and be stretched large by them. How much sorrow can I hold? That’s how much gratitude I can give.
If I carry only grief, I’ll bend toward cynicism and despair. If I have only gratitude, I’ll become saccharine and won’t develop much compassion for other people’s suffering. Grief keeps the heart fluid and soft, which helps make compassion possible.”
—Francis Ward Weller via
💭 Questions
In what ways is the world—and your business—stretching you large at the moment, pulling you in seemingly opposite directions? What would integrating these two poles of experience offer you?
📝 Permission
Embrace contradiction and what Scott Belsky calls the messy middle.
🍩 Recent at Rolling in D🤦🏻♀️h with Jenny Blake
🎙 Recent Episodes
Free Time:
270: 🌈 Taking a Quiet Sabbatical and Pausing the Podcasts — For Now . . .
269: “I am not a bank.” Strategies for Getting Corporate Clients to Pay on Time with Joey Coleman
268: Strategies for Surpassing “The Magic Number” of Book Sales with Todd Sattersten
264: 🦧 What to Do When You Lose Your Biggest Client: Part One, Part Two
Subscribe wherever you listen here »
Thank you for being here reading and listening!
❤️ With Gratitude,
P.S. Extra Goodies Over the Paywall Rainbow 🌈💰
🔐 Thank you to our generous paying subscribers who help sustain Time Well Spent! Upgrade to unlock this week’s make-you-smile memes as a token of my gratitude ☺️