Coaching for freelancers
Coaching is an art form, and a privilege.
Let me help you regain your clarity and lessen the overwhelm you're feeling.
You're walking around a maze of your own building. And I'm carrying a stepladder. Together, we find the right place to stop, climb up and look around.
Why Coaching?
Being a freelancer or solopreneur is a rewarding and fantastic life!
You're your own boss. You pick the work you want to do and the clients you want to work with. And you get paid well for it.
Right?
Well, that's the ideal, but that isn't the only way freelancing can turn out for you. There are many things that can get in the way of that ideal.
It starts out with little nuisance challenges. Little bits of your day and your energy are siphoned off and you start to think in terms of the net good each day brings. Very soon, freelancing doesn't seem so fantastic anymore.
And then something big happens. It can be a major challenge or a major opportunity. Either one tips the balance of your day and you no longer have the clear vision you need. You might need some help, especially if overwhelm sets in.
"Your perspective on this matter is stunning and your words reflect pure wisdom."
Senior Software Engineer, Portugal
How I Coach
I can offer direct solutions to the challenges you are facing, especially if you are a freelancer. I've been freelancing for a very long time. My experience with clients, projects and effective productivity tools can help you.
As a freelancer, you have gained your own unique insights into clients and their businesses that will be different from mine. And you may find yourself as a result with various obstacles and opportunities, just like your own clients do. In these instances, you will find I am a very quick study.
We will leverage your knowledge and your perceptions with my style of problem-solving when there are multiple competing constraints and several unknowns. The number of times I have brought chemistry and ecological principles to bear in business and engineering problems may surprise you.
I offer a guided path to help you see options, unnoticed barriers and enough encouragement to keep you focused while you work through the issues and opportunities you are currently facing. I can be a sounding board, a constructive critic, and a watchful eye on your progress on commitments as you figure out what you are going to do.
Being a freelancer means that you must be good at many things, but truly great at only one thing: your chosen specialty. I have a productivity stack of tools and a system for handling my own business that is effective yet flexible. I will work with you to find (and implement, if desired) the same for you and your business.
Pricing
Introductory Session
30-45 minute Zoom call
Free !
- Let's chat about your work and some of the things you are currently struggling with.
- I'll give you some background on me.
- Now we can jump right into one of those issues you are dealing with so you can get a good grasp of how I do coaching.
- At the end of our call, if you think I have something to offer and I think I can help you, let's set up our first session (see below).
- Please note: There will be no sales pitch. If you got some clarity while we spoke and that is all you needed, then I'm happy.
Month Session
A month of support around an issue you want to resolve
- begins with a 1-hour Zoom call
- has unlimited email support (30 days)
- discounts for multiple consecutive months
- discounts based on need (send DM)
$ 200
USD
How paid sessions work
- I set sessions as once-a-month, stop-anytime, meetings of 1 hour duration that include unlimited follow-up emails during the same month
- We can, of course do more that one meeting a month if you need it ($125 USD each hour), but so far, most people don't need that frequency nor the full hour.
- We can also set up accountability mini-sessions on a weekly or bi-weekly schedule if that is what you need. These mini-sessions are typically brief (15 minutes). If that is of interest, send me a message or let's discuss in our introductory session.
If this is our first hour session,
- We'll go into some detail about the issue you are facing (the one from the intro session, or another of your choosing). Let's find the edges so we can really understand it.
- Then, we'll discuss in detail your motivations, constraints and any outside factors.
- Next, we'll dig into apparent solutions, unsuspected factors and unexpected opportunities. Basically, I will ask a LOT of questions based on my understanding of the issue(s) that I glean from you.
- Following the session, I will provide a summary and action items (both for you and for me!).
- What is expected at this point is for you to email me progress and/or questions that come up within the month of our meeting. I will respond quickly (usually the same day or hour) depending upon the time.
- If another session is wanted, we'll discuss whether it will advance the same issue(s), or whether you might just need me to revisit/keep you on track.
If this is a subsequent session,
- All of the items from the section above ("If this is our first hour seesion") apply here, but they are being refined (especially as they should be evolving).
- We'll review your progress on any action items and adjust according to circumstances and opportunities that have arisen.
- I'll discuss whatever things I've found since we last spoke/emailed that apply to your evolving situation.
- I'll continue to summarize our session, with any new action items.
- We can continue from month to month if you like (discounts available for consecutive months) or you can stop anytime. Every session is at your election.
Example Issues
- How to deal with scope creep
- How to write a win-win proposal
- Dealing with clients who are not communicating with you
- How to propose when the client does not know enough about the issue they want solved
- How to write a final report that leads to more work
- How to deal with boundary issues: emails that happen after hours and on weekends
- How to turn around a project where the client seems to have lost interest
- How to get paid, when the client doesn't think you are done
My Experience
I've spent 39 years (so far) developing custom software solutions for clients by myself. I've honed my craft to a fine edge.
In the beginning, I was a newly hatched fish biologist with an M.Sc. in Zoology from the University of Toronto (1984). To say I was naive about business was an understatement.
None of my family or friends had any business experience let alone any knowledge of the life of a solopreneur coder. Back then, it was the "school of hard knocks" every day.
But I learned - about business, about clients and their needs and most importantly, about myself.
So what good, you might ask, is 39 years of experience in the tech industry where things are completely out of date within a year?
The thing is, the tech changes but the struggles are the same. You will get very good at the tech - better than me, I suspect.
And I will help you with the rest of it should you get stuck, unclear or confused - especially with your dealings with clients and how to be productive as a solopreneur.
Bits of Wisdom
Listen to Episode 2 of mine and Eli Finer's podcast where we discuss my approach to clients and what has worked for me.
Interested in trying coaching?
- Book a sessionFree Introductory 30 mins
- Send me a DM on Twitter@frasergorrie
- Send me an emailfraser@frasergorrie.com
We can set up a free 30 minute chat on Zoom, Google Meet or Skype and see if I can help.
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