@Jean is right: great show!!! I've found it very interesting and worth reading. I guess it can be useful for all the freelancers out there looking for advice in order to plan their working strategies, which is crucial when it comes to going through the freelancer activity.
Thanks for sharing.

Glad you liked it N

This was a great show. I just recently attended a business expo in my area and heard a lot of what Steve was saying as to relevant content on your site/blog. And not just tweeting sales pitches but relevant and valuable content.

Thanks,
Jean
@jpdesigntheory

Jean - Absolutely. It is all about content :)

In the interview you guys discussed the idea of being an "Angel" Freelancer: providing creative services to a new business in exchange for equity. As a consultant who works primarily with start-ups, wanted to throw in my two cents.

Evaluating whether a business is promising and has the potential for success is difficult. Deciding to forgo upfront payment for equity can be a risky (and tiring) endeavor. If you look at the model that VCs use, they usually invest in many different companies, knowing most will fail, but on the assumption that every now and then they will hit a home run that will fund the other ventures (and have enough left over for a nice profit). Unless a freelancer is willing to put in that level of commitment, it's a better idea to charge for your services, than use that money to invest.

Monetary investments are usually much more straight-forward as well. You put in X for a Y share of the company. With services, it's tempting for them to keep coming back to you for additional work ("We just have a few changes for the website" or "We need to write another press release"). And now that you have a stake in the business, it's hard to resist supporting your investment with "free" work.

There are always the rare exception. And I've given a few "donations" of my time here and there to support new businesses, but more in the interest of goodwill versus considering it an investment. If you go into these deals with the expectation of upside, you could end up tired, broke, and disappointed.

Keep up the good work!

Mark - Appreciate you taking the time to leave your thoughts.

I absolutely see the complications/downside vs. revenue potential/long term benefits upside.

It seems to obviously depend on the people, the deal, etc.

Some friends of mine are the founders of Growth Partner (http://www.growthpartner.com) where they invest marketing services into certain companies for equity and other deals.

Realize, they run some very successful businesses (several on the Inc. 500) so they can afford to take some risks without worrying about basics.

I love how they are pushing the envelope.

However, of course like everything, it isn't for everyone.

Thanks for posting this great interview!

Big takeaway for me: Don't expect overnight success - building a sustainable and profitable business (freelance or otherwise) takes time and persistence.

Glad you enjoyed it and that is a KEY takeaway. Business building takes time :)

David, thanks for having me on, this was fun!

Great having you on, Pete.