Coaching series: Can Zach get this beginner freelancer (Maia) to a 6-figure income ($8,333/mo) within 6 months?

Follow their journey through the ups and downs and watch them grow!

Milestones from today’s episode:

• Reflecting on Maia’s journey to success and achieving a 6-figure business
• Starting small and the power of minimalism in birthing impactful ventures
• The importance of feedback loops and the art of refining ideas through initial experimentation

Coaching highlights from today’s episode:

• The transformative power of belief, both in oneself and in the potential of others, as a catalyst for achievement
• Simplicity and focus in the pursuit of ventures and achieving results with minimal resources
• Reflecting on the journey, overcoming challenges, and celebrating milestones along the way

Original coaching call recording date: 12/04/2023

Want to get one-on-one coaching from Zach?

The DYF Accelerator community includes weekly live 20-minute one-on-one Zoom coaching with Zach that follows the same format as you saw here.

You’ll also get access to our huge library of all past coaching calls, along with a text-based community and weekly accountability check-ins.

Click here to learn more »

Check Out Maia’s System for Creating a Visionary Mindset

Maia created a task manager and second brain on vision — every time she mentions anything she’s doing in Notion, this is the system + framework she’s using. Click here to check it out »

AI-Generated Summary:

• 0:00 – 2:00 — Zach introduces the final episode of the podcast series, celebrating Maia’s journey from early stages to a six-figure income goal. He mentions the disclaimer about not guaranteeing similar results for listeners and promotes the DYF Accelerator community for coaching.
• 2:00 – 4:00 — Zach and Maia recap her journey from January 2023 until now, detailing her income progression, starting with about $2k in January and reaching around $14k in November. They discuss her transition to working with a team starting in August and the changing composition of her income sources.
• 4:00 – 6:00 — They further break down Maia’s income streams, including coaching clients and branding projects, noting the varying profit margins. Zach emphasizes their success in achieving both the six-month and six-figure goals, projecting a take-home pay of around $130k based on current trends.
• 6:00 – 8:00 — Zach highlights the stability of Maia’s income for December and January, even without new clients, due to revenue from projects onboarded this month. They reflect on the evolution of Maia’s rates, scope, and project pacing throughout the year.
• 8:00 – 10:00 — Maia provides a brief backstory of her journey, from dropping out of college in New York to working at a print shop, where she honed her design skills. She details her transition to a design agency, gaining experience with major clients like L’Oreal, and her subsequent remote work experience in Berlin, Mexico, and Rio de Janeiro.
• 10:00 – 12:00 — Maia discusses her experience at an agency, emphasizing the importance of working in a supportive environment to hone skills and gain insight into successful business operations.
• 12:00 – 14:00 — Zach and Maia explore the spectrum of creative freedom in agency jobs, with Maia highlighting her varied responsibilities and creative autonomy.
• 14:00 – 16:00 — The conversation delves into the significance of a “bridge job” for aspiring freelancers, balancing creative flexibility with skill specialization based on individual career goals.
• 16:00 – 18:00 — Maia recounts her decision to take a sabbatical after leaving her agency job, emphasizing the importance of self-reflection and financial preparedness before starting a new venture.
• 18:00 – 20:00 — Zach and Maia reflect on her journey since joining the accelerator program, discussing the initial challenges and subsequent transformations in her business landscape and emotional state.
• 20:00 – 22:00 — Maia reflects on her initial struggles living in Morocco, feeling lost about where to start her business due to overwhelm and uncertainty about using Instagram for promotion.
• 22:00 – 24:00 — Zach and Maia discuss her early success in getting clients from Instagram by posting about her experiences in India and maintaining high-quality content.
• 24:00 – 26:00 — They explore Maia’s Instagram strategy, focusing on stories to promote her design services and using a low-key approach to lead generation.
• 26:00 – 28:00 — Maia talks about her evolving emotional state, from feeling overwhelmed to gaining clarity and building confidence in her services, leading to an influx of leads.
• 28:00 – 30:00 — The conversation shifts to Maia’s journey of learning and transformation, including the importance of community engagement, mastering her services, and increasing her rates based on demand and confidence.
• 30:00 – 32:00 — Maia discusses her investment in building a team, emphasizing mentorship and accountability, reflecting on the importance of team building in her journey.
• 32:00 – 34:00 — Zach and Maia discuss the value of building a team and providing mentorship to team members, reflecting on their own experiences and the importance of fair compensation.
• 34:00 – 36:00 — Zach reflects on his role as a coach and the importance of making micro-adjustments in business, prompting Maia to contemplate where she’d be without guidance.
• 36:00 – 38:00 — Maia reflects on the impact of her personal branding on attracting clients and the differentiation between Basecamp and Essence clients.
• 38:00 – 40:00 — Zach and Maia discuss the significance of personal branding on platforms like Instagram and the inherent trust it builds, transitioning into a discussion on avoiding burnout and the value of mentorship.
• 40:00 – 42:00 Maia discusses avoiding burnout when starting a business, emphasizing the importance of rest and listening to one’s body. She advises building a sustainable business from the beginning and shares strategies for managing workload and making sensible decisions.
• 42:00 – 44:00 Maia highlights the significance of simplicity in business building, recommending focusing on essential tasks and creating a streamlined process. She elaborates on specific elements required for business growth, such as social platform presence and client communication.
• 44:00 – 46:00 Zach reflects on the effectiveness of Maia’s approach and acknowledges the value of simplicity in business strategies. They discuss the importance of avoiding premature scaling and emphasize the benefits of essentialism in focusing on what works best.
• 46:00 – 48:00 Maia shares insights into her successful community-building efforts on Instagram, emphasizing genuine social interaction and personalized engagement. They discuss the high engagement rates resulting from Maia’s relational approach to social media.
• 48:00 – 50:00 Zach seeks advice on time allocation for Instagram activities, prompting Maia to outline a gradual approach, starting with personalized interaction through stories and gradually incorporating content creation and engagement. They discuss the significance of building genuine connections over focusing solely on follower growth.
• 50:00 – 52:00 Maia advises spending about 2 hours engaging with potential followers by liking, following, and messaging them on Instagram, while also posting basic content about the page’s purpose to establish an identity.
• 52:00 – 54:00 She recommends genuine interaction with individuals whose content you admire, aiming for about 100 followers before worrying about viral content, emphasizing the value of building a community over seeking immediate virality.
• 54:00 – 56:00 Maia and Zach discuss the importance of investing in education, coaching, and community in the first year of business, emphasizing the significance of learning by doing and implementing what’s learned.
• 56:00 – 58:00 Zach explores Maia’s plans for the future, including consolidating her time, training her team, launching a course, and creating products, while Maia reflects on the value of community and coaching in her entrepreneurial journey.
• 00:58:00 – 01:00:00 They conclude by discussing the importance of overcoming fear through action, with Zach sharing a mindset shift hack to combat fear by framing it as excitement, aligning with Maia’s perspective on pursuing dreams despite fear.
• 01:00:00 – 01:02:00 — Zach and Maia discuss ways to reproduce the commitment level seen in their coaching sessions within a larger community setting.
• 01:02:00 – 01:04:00 — Maia suggests creating a tiered system within the accelerator, with a higher commitment level for participants willing to engage intensively for six months.
• 01:04:00 – 01:06:00 — Maia emphasizes the importance of starting small and gradually expanding, rather than focusing on a grand launch.
• 01:06:00 – 01:08:00 — Zach discusses the benefits of narrowing focus to one core offering, making it easier to communicate and engage with potential clients.
• 01:08:00 – 01:09:21 — Zach and Maia express gratitude for their journey together, highlighting Maia’s impressive growth and the positive impact of their coaching sessions.