This podcast helps ambitious freelancers get better results with less effort. We reveal the specific beliefs, principles, and practices that give you better leverage. Every episode contains no-hype, non-expiring ideas that you can use right away to make the freelance game more profitable and enjoyable.
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The Icing on the Cake is a UK wedding planning podcast, brought to you by me, Zoë, a wedding business consultant and freelance wedding venue manager. Today I work exclusively with wedding venue businesses across Wales, but prior to that, I had a very successful wedding planning company, based in Cardiff. After planning weddings for many couples in Wales and the South West of England for so many years, I wanted to share my thoughts, ideas and suggestions to help you to plan your perfect wedd ...
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Conversations, Not Confrontations: Learning the Art of Negotiation with Wudan Yan
48:21
48:21
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In this episode, Austin L. Church talks to journalist, freelance writer, and coach Wudan Yan about the art of negotiation. The driving force behind The Writers' Co-op, Wudan tells the story of her transition from journalism to freelance narrative writing and sheds light on the two different cultures with their sets of norms. Wudan goes on to share …
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The 4 Stages of Freelancing Explained | Part 2
21:10
21:10
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In this continuation of “The 4 Stages of Freelancing,” Austin L. Church explores the last two stages: Lifestyler and Diversifier. After they’ve navigated through the Moonlighter and Hustler phases, freelancers reach a level of maturity where challenges become more complex. Meanwhile, opportunities for growth and personal fulfillment expand. Austin …
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The 4 Stages of Freelancing Explained | Part 1
15:39
15:39
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You’ve surely heard of the corporate ladder, but what are the career progressions for freelancers? Those of us who sell creativity in some form usually freelance part-time at the start, and those who stick with it eventually think, “Hey, why shouldn’t I be one of those people who make money while they sleep?” In this episode of Freelance Cake, Aust…
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How To Stay Focused and Productive as a Freelancer (+ Free 30/60/90 Day Plan Template)
16:32
16:32
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In this episode, Austin explores the root problem freelancers face and the constant battle to ignore distractions in the midst of an overwhelming number of to-dos: marketing, client projects, website updates… No wonder many freelancers are burned out! The truth is, we don’t really want to get more done. No, we want to focus on the right things at t…
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10 Steps to Help You Use the Right “Packaging” to 4x Your Freelance Prices
13:07
13:07
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What if you could charge four times what you do now by making small changes to your freelance packaging? The freelancers who win consistently aren't always the most skilled or the hardest working. They’re the ones who focus on finding the right advantages, or “levers.” Packaging is one of those levers. If you've been in the freelance game for a whi…
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How to Sell Outcomes, not Hours: The Perfect 9-Word Response for Freelance Clients
12:19
12:19
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Hourly is by far the most popular freelance pricing model, and freelancers often get asked, "What do you charge?” Or, “What’s your hourly rate?” But when you think about it, time is never what clients want to buy. Read that again. Time isn’t really what clients want to buy. A patient getting heart surgery doesn’t want the surgeon’s time. She wants …
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7-Step Freakout Protocol for Getting Last-Minute Freelance Income
12:51
12:51
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One month, you're swamped with freelance work. The next, your project pipeline is dry. You try all the tactics you can think of. You cast your marketing net far and wide. You come up empty-handed. Meanwhile, those bills keep coming. It's no surprise that a lot of freelancers develop money anxieties! Irregular income and anxiety makes it difficult f…
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Art and Commerce Do Mix – Ditch the “Starving Artist” Mindset & Upgrade Your Limiting Beliefs About Money & Creativity
11:18
11:18
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Can you be successful at art and business? Can you sell your work without compromising your artistic integrity? We’re all familiar with the identity of the starving artist. The assumption that artists and freelance creatives must forego financial stability to preserve their creative integrity usually goes unchallenged. It’s taken as a fact of life,…
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Niching Down Is Really About Abundance Mindset & Strategic Simplicity
29:53
29:53
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To niche or not to niche, that is the question. Many freelancers have the "jack of all trades" mentality. To survive in the freelance business, we take on a variety of projects in a variety of industries. That's what Austin did for 6 years. As a generalist, he made freelancing harder on himself. After adopting more of an abundance mindset, Austin s…
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Less But Better - The Marketing Principle That Helps Freelancers Stay Consistent Even When They’re Busy
31:41
31:41
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In this episode, Austin shares the 20 Stories Exercise that helped him build a predictable flow of freelance income. He also goes over the 6 questions you need to uncover which of your current marketing strategies bring you your best, easiest money. Then, once you know where your best income is coming from, you can put his marketing ideas into acti…
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Pricing Is Branding – Using the Psychology of Pricing to Attract Better Clients & Shape What They Believe About You
14:46
14:46
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"What do you charge?" A potential client named Andrew asked Austin that question when he first started freelancing. Austin had just been laid off from his job at a marketing agency, and he chose $40 per hour as his rate because his agency had billed out his time at $85 an hour. If he charged half, then maybe clients would feel like they were gettin…
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3 Freelance Goal Setting Questions to Keep Your Business Moving in the Right Direction
13:58
13:58
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Freelancing is hard work. There are so many moving parts in your freelance business: project management, marketing strategies, setting your freelance rates, you name it. With all those priorities flying around, all that noise and motion, it’s easy to get off track. It’s easy to keep saying yes to crazy clients and boring projects. It’s easy to forg…
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How Debt & Desperation Led to Value-Based Pricing & Selling Strategy
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18:47
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Are you getting paid to uncover pains and problems your clients don't know they have? If not, you're probably in the same situation as Austin was: juggling multiple ventures, meeting with clients, and helping them get clarity around their problems (but not getting paid for that). Discovering that his family was back in debt made Austin realize that…
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The Good Kind of Cheating - How a Positioning Statement Makes the Freelance Game Easier to Win
15:33
15:33
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Freelancing isn’t easy, but many of us make it harder than it has to be. Working harder often doesn’t… work. Spending more time on the wrong things won’t produce better results. The way to break out of the freelance hustle is to ask what six-figure freelancers do differently. For starters, they remember that the Pareto Principle, better known as th…
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22. Zoë takes centre-stage - quite literally - as we hear her top 10 tips for planning your wedding, a talk she delivered to a wedding fayre in Cardiff last autumn. Plus listener Emma asks whether a comedian would be appropriate entertainment at her wedding. This is the final episode of Series 2 - Zoë will be back later in the year. Big thanks to A…
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21. With passport in hand, Zoë speaks to Trish Griffiths from travelcounsellors.co.uk about stag and hen do's, destination weddings and honeymoons. In fact, If you're not tempted to elope by the end of this episode, we'll be amazed! Plus Zoë answers listener Danielle's question about prioritising her budget.…
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20. We've all seen Jennifer Lopez do it but is it worth making room in your budget for a wedding planner? Zoë is joined by fellow wedding planner, Bernadette Chapman - who runs dream-occasions.co.uk and also the UK Alliance of Wedding Planners - to talk about how booking the right person can take the stress out of your day.…
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Lights, Camera, Action! Wedding Videos with Richard Shelton
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41:29
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19. Videographer and podcast presenter, Richard Shelton, talks about the evolution of wedding videos and tries to convince us all to make the videographer one of your first bookings. Plus Zoë answers listener Charlotte's question on when to send invites to overseas guests. Richard's podcast is Our Week in Video: https://apple.co/2DMj7d3 (Apple) / h…
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18. Time to get out of your PJs and down to your local wedding fayre for a Sunday full of ideas and inspiration. Zoë is joined by Amy Nation from events company, Eternity With Love, to discuss how to get the most from a wedding fayre. Plus, Zoë runs through the possible venues for a same sex wedding.…
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Behind the Scenes at a Wedding Photoshoot
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39:40
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17. We're out on location as Zoë and her business partner, Hanna, undertake a luxurious styled photoshoot, that will hopefully get picked up by one of the UK wedding bloggers. We meet the suppliers who make these kind of shoots happen and hear from Kat and Claire, our wedding bloggers from the last episode, on what they're looking for from styled s…
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16. Two of the real trendsetters of the UK wedding industry sit down for a chat with Zoë. Kat Williams, who runs Rock n Roll Bride blog (www.rocknrollbride.com) and Claire Gould, who runs the English Wedding Blog (english-wedding.com) talk real weddings, styled shoots, trends and whether blogs are replacing the traditional glossy magazine. Also thi…
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How To Make Your Speech Worth Raising A Glass To
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31:43
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15. Communication coach and Director of Talk Skills, Gavin Hill-John gives Zoë some valuable advice for best men, fathers of the bride, grooms and, in fact, anyone making a speech at your wedding. Also in this episode, what do you do if your DJ wants to play his own music?By Zoë Binning
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CHRISTMAS BONUS: Winter Wedding Pros and Cons
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6:52
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Hair and make-up consultant, Kate Ventress, married her husband Sean five days before Christmas. In this exclusive bonus snippet, Kate lists some of the money-saving advantages to getting married in the winter - and some practical tips to work around some of the major disadvantages. You can hear a full version of this interview with Kate Ventress i…
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14. What are the top tips you need to consider to have a Christmas or winter wedding? Zoë speaks to hair and make-up expert, Kate Ventress about her Christmas wedding three years ago. We also hear Zoë's seven ideas to make your winter wedding magical and we also answer another one of your big day questions.…
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13. Peony Lim is a model, stylist, creative brand consultant and world renowned blogger. She joined Zoë to talk about the way the wedding industry in the UK is changing - and about her own recent big day. Also, Zoë answers another listener question - do you need to have a theme for your wedding? Do you have a question about your wedding preparation…
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12. The seven hot new US trends that Meghan Markle could bring to the forthcoming Royal Wedding; Zoë visits the new wedding venue that once saw the world's first million pound cheque being written; and she gives her views on who should sit at the top table at the wedding breakfast.By Zoë Binning
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1.11 Zoë hears stories from former brides and grooms about the one thing they wish they'd done differently on their wedding day. Plus all the advice you need to make sure you avoid similar scenarios.By Zoë Binning
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1.10 Zoë runs through her Top 10 tips to get your wedding day music to hit the right note. Advice includes what you can and can't play at your ceremony; whether to have music in your wedding breakfast; what a band will require from you; and what to consider for that first dance.By Zoë Binning
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1.9 Zoë O'Sullivan from the Vale Cake Boutique in Barry, South Wales speaks to Zoë about the different styles and flavours of wedding cakes. We're talking chocolate cake, lemon cake, victoria sponge, the traditional fruit cake, plus advice on dessert tables, fake tiers and groom's cakes. WARNING - This podcast will make you hungry!!!…
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BONUS: Zoë gives her lowdown on all types of wedding favours (or wedding favors if you're on the other side of the pond) including miniatures, candles, chocolates, gift bags for children, selfie sticks and disposable cameras.By Zoë Binning
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1.8 Zoë gives the lowdown on the different types of wedding stationery available. Also, what to include on your save the date cards, invitations and RSVPs. And the stationery you're going to need for the day itself, including table plans, name cards and menus. Plus, Zoë gives you her take on whether to allocate seating to each of your guests.…
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1.7 Zoë is joined by Beth Forbes-Simpson, owner for Forbesfield floral design studio in Cardiff, to talk about the latest trends in wedding flowers, ideas for floral arrangements and a sense of how much wedding flowers cost.By Zoë Binning
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1.6 It's all about finding the wedding dress of your dreams this week, as Zoë speaks to wedding dress shop owner, Aoife O'Gorman, about styles of dresses, fabrics, designers and accessories. Plus, what should you be wary of if you buy your dress online.By Zoë Binning
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1.5 Once you've got a venue and a date sorted, the first supplier on your list should be a wedding photographer. Zoë is joined by Roz and Kirsty, from Roz and Kirsty Photography in Swansea, to discuss the steps you need to take in booking a photographer that's right for you.By Zoë Binning
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Styling your Wedding (and my love hate relationship with Pinterest)
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26:58
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1.4 What do you want your big day to look like? Feel like? Everything from colours to table names will say something about you as a couple, so in this episode, Zoë and her business partner, Hannah Bousouf, give you ideas on how could add some real style to your wedding. Plus there are some words of warning about getting your inspiration solely from…
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1.3 You've been dreaming of this day since you were little. But will you have enough money to have the kind of day you've been planning your whole life? As your attention starts to turn to the bank balance (or at least, it should do), Zoë takes you through everything you need to know in order to bring your big day in on budget - and the common pitf…
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The 6 Secrets To Picking The Perfect Wedding Venue
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1.2 It's all about location, location, location in this edition, as Zoë lets you into her six secrets for making sure your wedding venue is right for you. Plus everything you needed to know about church, civil and humanist wedding ceremonies.By Zoë Binning
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The First 5 Things To Sort For Your Perfect Wedding Day
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1.1 Congratulations! You've just got engaged! Enjoy the warm glow of this truly magical moment. But when you put the champagne flute down and finally stop staring at the ring, what do you do next? In the first of a new series, experienced wedding planner, Zoë Binning guides you through the first five things to get sorted to make that wedding day pe…
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