Applying Tips, Tactics, and Strategies In Your Freelance Business

Applying Tips, Tactics, and Strategies In Your Freelance Business

Author: Alvalyn Lundgren October 30, 2025 Duration: 20:45
Some key business challenges for freelance creatives include overcoming recurring problems and ensuring that daily practices are aligned with long-term strategy and purpose. We often resort to applying quick fixes which can be superficial rather than working to discover why the problems recur. 
Alvalyn Lundgren discusses the differences between tips, tactics, and strategies in growing a freelance business, and shares her experience of transforming her freelance business from serving low-value clients to high-value clients. She emphasizes that while tips provide quick fixes, they are superficial and short-term, whereas tactics are planned actions based on a strategic plan to achieve long-term goals. She highlights the importance of addressing foundational issues in business, such as mindset, mission, mechanics, and messaging, stressing the need for consistent, strategic actions to build a thriving creative business. The podcast encourages listeners to implement long-term, deep-dive strategies and focused tactics rather than rely on quick fixes, and to build consistent systems and practices to support their overall business mission.
 
 

Alvalyn Lundgren guides the conversation on the Freelance Road Trip Podcast, a space built for independent creatives navigating the winding path of running their own practice. This isn't about abstract theory; it's a practical companion for designers, illustrators, and photographers who feel the constant push and pull between their artistic drive and the realities of invoices, clients, and sustainability. Each episode feels like a candid conversation from the passenger seat, tackling how to protect your creative energy while building a business that doesn't burn you out. You'll hear honest discussions about pricing your worth, finding clients who respect your vision, and setting boundaries that allow both your work and your well-being to thrive. The whole point of this podcast is to merge that innate creativity with actionable strategy, moving beyond just getting by to building something genuinely fulfilling. Tune in for a blend of mindset shifts and concrete steps that help you steer your freelance journey with more confidence and clarity.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Freelance Road Trip Podcast
Podcast Episodes
Use Creative Briefs To Build Trust [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:45
Are you using a creative brief, also know as assignment or design brief, in your project development process? A brief can help you build trust with your clients for a variety of reasons. In this episode I share what a br…
Cultivating Limitless Success [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:08
How you think affects how well you do creatively and business-wise. What you think either hinders or promotes. We all struggle with limiting beliefs and negative thinking, but we don't have to embrace them. In this episo…
How The PRO Act Will Make Life Worse For Freelancers [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:02
The PRO Act, which is now included in the massive infrastructure bill, and the Worker Flexibility and Small business Protection Act, will make things very difficult for freelance creatives if it becomes law with the ABC…
Budgeting Smarts For Freelancers [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:26
Money is a necessary tool in business and life, and freelancers can embrace the budgeting process creatively. Budgeting is good stewardship, and enables you to maintain momentum when your income fluctuates month to month…
Contracts, Spec Work, and the Friends & Family Plan [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:26
Freelance creatives can often get stuck on smaller problems, odd requests, and indecision. To that end, I offer insights to questions listeners and readers have asked regarding working on spec (speculatively), contracts,…
Does Formal Design Education Matter? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 15:53
A young designer asked me if formal education makes a difference in becoming successful. Having earned a degree, and having taught part-time in a design program for 25 years in addition to my design work, I have some bia…
Why the PRO Act Should Scare You [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:20
Freelancers of all types should be concerned about pending labor legislation. The ABC test to determine independent contractor vs. employee status in California's independent contractor law is being pushed forward nation…
Things They Don't Teach You In Design School [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:22
Talent, passion and a portfolio will get you through school, but you can't build a business on them. There's a gap between school and making a living. The gap exists even if you didn't attend design school. Now more than…
For Better Results Add Pliability To Your Planning [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 11:32
Things don't always go the way you planned, especially when it's more than just you involved. Clients and colleagues will surprise you. Responding well whether you're in the middle of favorable or unfavorable happenstanc…
Should Freelancers Work With Family and Friends? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:43
Friends and family should not be in your "ideal client" description. Why? Because all sorts of unexpected things happen that can suck your time, stress you out, and make you wish you'd never said "yes." In the episode I…