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Start Here
6I need to raise rates
Raise rates with less fear: anchors, packaging, negotiation scripts, and scope boundaries that keep prices true.
Open I need to raise ratesI'm already freelancing but inconsistent
Stabilize the machine: pipeline, delivery, admin habits, and pricing boundaries.
Open I'm already freelancing but inconsistentI'm leaving my job
Make the transition without panic: runway, offer, pipeline, and the first client outcomes.
Open I'm leaving my jobI need more/better clients
Build lead flow you control: positioning, outbound, referrals, partnerships, and a weekly pipeline rhythm.
Open I need more/better clientsI want the freelance game playbook
A guided path through the real games inside freelance work: credibility, fit, pricing, scope, payment, retention, and capacity.
Open I want the freelance game playbookI'm scaling to agency-of-one
Increase capacity without chaos: delivery standards, subcontracting basics, QA, and margin discipline.
Open I'm scaling to agency-of-oneCodex
17Set freelance rates
Set freelance rates with a repeatable system: floor math, packaging, hourly vs project vs retainer, negotiation scripts, and scope control.
Open Set freelance ratesHow to negotiate freelance rates: outside options, concessions, and when to walk
Negotiate freelance rates without bluffing: set a floor and target, strengthen your outside options, and trade scope instead of price, with email scripts.
Open How to negotiate freelance rates: outside options, concessions, and when to walkValue-based pricing
When value-based and project pricing beat hourly, how to estimate an outcome's value with the client, and how to price, present, and defend three options.
Open Value-based pricingCold email for freelancers: templates, follow-ups, and rules
How to write freelance cold emails that get replies: research, a 4-part structure, five templates, follow-ups, reply-rate tracking, deliverability, and the legal rules.
Open Cold email for freelancers: templates, follow-ups, and rulesFreelance tax deductions: what you can claim
A practical guide to the business expenses freelancers can deduct: the ordinary-and-necessary rule, home office methods, 2026 mileage rates, equipment write-offs, health insurance, half of self-employment tax, the QBI deduction, UK allowable expenses and simplified expenses, Canadian home and vehicle rules, Australian fixed rates, and record keeping.
Open Freelance tax deductions: what you can claimGetting paid internationally
Compare bank wires, Wise, Payoneer, PayPal, and Stripe for clients abroad, see how exchange-rate markups work, and learn the tax forms and VAT/GST basics.
Open Getting paid internationallyHow to choose freelance projects: concentration, capacity, and optionality
Score freelance projects on effective hourly rate, client concentration, proof, and capacity before you say yes, with a worked example and decline scripts.
Open How to choose freelance projects: concentration, capacity, and optionalityChoosing a freelance business structure
Compare freelance business structures in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia: what changes for tax and liability, when to switch, and what to ask an accountant.
Open Choosing a freelance business structureResearch
1Game theory for freelancers: reading guide, glossary, and evidence notes
A plain-English research guide to the concepts behind credibility, pricing, scope, payment, retention, and scaling in freelance work.
Open Game theory for freelancers: reading guide, glossary, and evidence notesTools
10Freelance Rate Calculator
Calculate freelance hourly and day-rate floors from your annual pre-tax income target, billable capacity, overhead, and buffer.
Open Freelance Rate CalculatorNegotiation Prep & Concession Planner
Plan a freelance price negotiation before the call: set your target, floor, option set, tradeables, and walk-away point, with a worked example and scripts.
Open Negotiation Prep & Concession PlannerFirst 30 Days Freelancing Checklist
A week-by-week checklist for your first month freelancing: set up your offer, outreach, pricing, invoices, and scope documents without busywork.
Open First 30 Days Freelancing ChecklistClient Concentration & Capacity Scorecard
Check how much your freelance business depends on one client: revenue share, meeting load, mental load, and replaceability, with a worked example.
Open Client Concentration & Capacity ScorecardDiscovery Call Agenda
A five-part discovery call agenda for a 30-45 minute first call with a prospective client, with the questions to ask and how to turn notes into a proposal.
Open Discovery Call AgendaDiscovery Call Checklist
An interactive checklist for prepping, running, and following up on discovery calls so they turn into scoped next steps.
Open Discovery Call ChecklistFreelance Proposal Template
A practical freelance proposal template with section prompts and follow-up email scripts so prospects move from call to clear yes/no decisions.
Open Freelance Proposal TemplateQuote to SOW Checklist
A checklist to turn discovery notes into a scoped quote and a lightweight SOW with boundaries, review windows, and payment terms.
Open Quote to SOW ChecklistRadar
6Raise your freelance rates for 2027: notice, numbers, and a script
November and early December are the window to set 2027 rates. Check notice clauses, size the increase from utilization, close rate, capacity, and costs, then send clear written notice and plan for pushback.
Open Raise your freelance rates for 2027: notice, numbers, and a scriptTwo full-time jobs vs freelancing: a better alternative to overemployment
A comparison of dual-job work, freelancing, fractional roles, and reusable products, with U.S. data through September 2026 and a plan for testing demand.
Open Two full-time jobs vs freelancing: a better alternative to overemploymentFreelance demand tracking: leads, replies, and decisions
Track a few signals you can measure in 10 minutes a week. Don’t change strategy based on one bad week. Use your close rate and lead flow to choose the next move.
Open Freelance demand tracking: leads, replies, and decisionsAI in client work: disclosure, confidentiality, and who owns the deliverables
Client contracts increasingly ask about AI use. Learn what to disclose, how to keep client data out of the wrong tools, what the U.S. human-authorship rule means for IP clauses, and a sample AI-use clause.
Open AI in client work: disclosure, confidentiality, and who owns the deliverablesHow to read Radar briefings
Radar is for timely changes. Each post answers what changed, who it affects, what to do this week, and where the evergreen Codex page lives.
Open How to read Radar briefingsMaking Tax Digital for Income Tax: 2026 to 2027 checkpoint for UK sole traders
UK sole traders on Making Tax Digital for Income Tax send their second quarterly update by 7 November 2026. Review the update calendar, first-year penalty rules, the 31 January 2027 bill, and the £30,000 threshold from April 2027.
Open Making Tax Digital for Income Tax: 2026 to 2027 checkpoint for UK sole traders