Freelance to Founder
Freelance to Founder is a call-in show helping real-life freelancers grow their businesses and escape the feast-famine lifestyle. The podcast is hosted by Preston Lee, a former freelancer who has started, built, and even sold successful businesses of his own. Preston is joined nearly every weekday by other expert founders, freelancers, and entrepreneurs to help you take your solo business to the next level. You can submit your questions at FreelanceToFounder.com/ask If you enjoy content from shows like The Futur, Being Freelance, The Accidental Creative, Smart Passive Income, or The Side Hustle Show, then you'll love Freelance to...
10
Don't Charge by Hour or Project. Do this...
<p>Lanya has a freelance project in front of her, she’s estimated the hours, and her client is open to either hourly or project-based pricing—so now what? Preston and Clay make the case that the real question isn’t hourly vs. project-based at all. It’s about understanding the value you bring to the table and pricing accordingly. From the mechanics of asking the right discovery questions to the mindset shift that separates six-figure freelancers from the rest, this episode breaks down the art of value-based pricing in a way that actually makes sense.</p> <p>Support our show spo...
Remove Pain from Recurring Revenue
<p>Erica is a web and graphic designer who invested in a coaching program built to turn designers into full-service marketers—complete with monthly retainers, ad campaigns, and recurring revenue. The strategy looked great on paper, but as she started executing it, something felt off. The project work still lights her up; the repetitive marketing tasks do not. Now she's wondering if she has to keep doing work she doesn't enjoy just to hit six figures, or if there's another way. Preston and Clay dig into why following someone else's exact blueprint can quietly lead you away from the work yo...
The Best Marketing Tactic to Get New Clients
<p>Matt runs Barrow Studio, a brand identity and strategy agency in Bristol, UK—and he's drowning in advice. Every newsletter, YouTube channel, and podcast promises a different "marketing golden ticket": build an email list, go all-in on social media, launch a course, appear on podcasts, host a podcast. The result? He's done none of it, and his agency still runs almost entirely on word-of-mouth referrals. Preston and Clay untangle the overwhelm and lay out a clearer, more honest framework for building a marketing system that actually fits where your business is right now.</p> <p>Support our show sponsors → https...
Overcoming the Fear of Networking
<p>Brittany runs her own design studio and knows she needs to get out from behind her screen and start meeting people face-to-face. The problem: she’s shy, and local networking feels downright terrifying. Preston and Clay walk her through exactly how to break into the local business world without pretending to be someone she’s not—from joining a BNI leads group to an unexpectedly genius $100-a-week community stunt that opens doors without a single sales pitch.</p> <p>Support our show sponsors → https://freelancetofounder.com/sponsors</p> <p>Submit your own question → https://freelancetofounder.com/ask</p> <p>Check out Clay's b...
Things Are Getting Messy
<p>Emma Clark runs Clark Content Co. and has spent years managing projects from her inbox and a few spreadsheets—until now. With two contractors on board and plans to hire more, things are getting messy fast. Preston and Christine Olivas break down why defining roles and responsibilities is the real foundation of any good system, and share the surprisingly lean tech stack that keeps Christine's 25-person team running smoothly across complex, fast-moving agency engagements.</p> <p>Support our show sponsors → https://freelancetofounder.com/sponsors</p> <p>Submit your own question → https://freelancetofounder.com/ask</p> <p>Learn more about guest co-host...
The Power of Trusting Subcontractors
<p>Omar has built something worth protecting—a roster of loyal clients who hired him as a freelancer and trust him personally. Now he’s growing Vision Craft Studios into a full agency, and the hardest part isn’t finding new clients. It’s handing off the old ones. Preston and Christine Olivas, founder and CEO of No Single Individual, dig into what it really takes to transition client relationships to your team without breaking the trust it took years to build.</p> <p>Support our show sponsors → https://freelancetofounder.com/sponsors</p> <p>Submit your own question → https://freelancetofounder.com/ask</p> ...
Is This Cheating?
<p>Layla from Bright Horizon Media has built something real — a small social media marketing agency with two part-time team members and real momentum. Now she's facing the question every growing agency owner hits: how much of your client revenue should you give to your sub-contractors? Is it cheating to charge high and pay low? Preston and Christine Olivas dig into the art of agency pricing, the mindset shift around articulating value, and why who you target matters just as much as what you charge.</p> <p>Support our show sponsors → https://freelancetofounder.com/sponsors</p> <p>Submit your own ques...
Drowning? Here's the Fix.
<p>Christine Olivas scaled from solo freelancer to leading a 24-person operation—but the path wasn't as simple as just "hire when you're busy." Preston and Christine dig into one of the most misunderstood decisions in freelancing: when to bring someone on, who to bring on first, and how to avoid trading one grind for another. If you're turning down work and losing sleep, this episode will help you figure out whether you're ready to grow—or just ready to burn out faster.</p> <p>Support our show sponsors → https://freelancetofounder.com/sponsors</p> <p>Submit your own question → https://freelancetofou...
Do Clients Care About 'Expertise'?
<p>CodeCrafter is talented, working hard, and building something real—but a nagging voice keeps whispering that he's not expert enough to charge more, land better clients, or call himself a professional. Preston digs into one of the most common mental traps freelancers fall into: waiting to feel ready before they act. This episode breaks down how to reframe what expertise actually means, why your clients don't need the world's best—they need someone who can solve their specific problem, and how to start building confidence not by knowing more, but by doing more.</p> <p>Support our show sponsors → https...
Subcontracting = Invisible?
<p>Subcontracting can feel like a smart move—until you realize your business is quietly disappearing into someone else's brand. Sound familiar?</p><p>In this solo episode, Preston digs into a question from Garrett, a 30-year-old nonprofit consultant who's starting to wonder: am I building my business... or just theirs? He's been subcontracting for a seasoned consultant, and the lines between "partnership" and "being swallowed up" are getting blurry fast.</p><p>Merge, stay, or go solo? Preston walks through how to test your market without blowing up a valuable relationship, set real boundaries before resentment kicks in, and ma...
