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

Hint: Yes! This kickoff interview for the series was actually shot AFTER it was over!

In this kickoff interview, Zach and Maia look back on her biggest lessons learned, and explain the coaching series you’re about to follow her on.

(From her early days struggling and earning under $2k/month, all the way to 6 months later where she’s earning $14,000/month!)

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 Freelancing podcast series, focusing on Maia’s journey to a six-figure income, noting her recent success in surpassing the monthly goal.
• 2:00 – 4:00 — Maia confirms her first $8,333 month was in October. Zach highlights Maia’s rapid progress, achieving the six-figure goal in five months, and outlines the series’ structure.
• 4:00 – 6:00 — Zach discusses the purpose of the series, recognizing Maia’s engagement and progress in the community. Maia reflects on her initial reluctance to use Instagram and her shift in strategy after coaching.
• 6:00 – 8:00 — Maia shares her income progression, starting from around $2,000 per month before coaching, to a significant increase post-coaching, with a shift from design to coaching and consulting.
• 8:00 – 10:00 — Zach and Maia review her income trajectory over the past months, noting the introduction of staff expenses and the shift in income sources from branding projects to other avenues. Zach mentions Maia’s digital nomad lifestyle as a backdrop to her freelancing journey.
• 10:00 – 12:00 — Zach explains Maia’s financial breakdown, highlighting her shift to coaching for higher profit margins and her team costs for branding projects.
• 12:00 – 14:00 — Zach predicts Maia’s future income potential based on current trends and her secured client work for the upcoming months.
• 14:00 – 16:00 — Maia recounts her journey from university in New York to her first design job, emphasizing her self-taught skills and early professional experiences.
• 16:00 – 18:00 — Maia shares the value of her agency experience in shaping her career, discussing the importance of creative freedom and the role of a ‘bridge job’ in career growth.
• 18:00 – 20:00 — Maia advises on choosing a bridge job, stressing the importance of growth opportunities and trying different roles to discover one’s passion and direction.
• 20:00 – 22:00 — Zach recommends seeking a bridge job with opportunities for diverse experiences. Maia shares how her early freelance work with musician friends helped her learn client management.
• 22:00 – 24:00 — Maia discusses her readiness to leave her agency job, followed by a self-reflective sabbatical, and her eventual return to the professional world.
• 24:00 – 26:00 — Zach and Maia discuss the importance of a transition phase when starting freelancing, including side hustling and financial planning.
• 26:00 – 28:00 — Maia describes her initial challenges with Instagram marketing and how she adapted her approach to attract clients while maintaining her personal style.
• 28:00 – 30:00 — Zach explores Maia’s Instagram marketing strategy and its evolution over time. Maia reflects on her emotional state and struggles from joining the accelerator to the present.
• 30:00 – 32:00 — Maia shares her successful strategy of showing authority and building a community on Instagram, which significantly increased her lead flow.
• 32:00 – 34:00 — Discussing the emotional theme around July, Maia describes feeling a mix of newness and confidence, and the importance of mastering and systemizing her services.
• 34:00 – 36:00 — Maia highlights her aha moments: focusing on community building and mastering a few key services, leading to increased rates and service confidence.
• 36:00 – 38:00 — Maia discusses investing in a team, emphasizing training and the importance of building a supportive work environment that fosters growth and development.
• 38:00 – 40:00 — Zach and Maia talk about the importance of providing value beyond financial compensation to team members, seeing their roles as bridge jobs to their future careers.
• 40:00 – 42:00 — Zach compares his coaching to making micro adjustments in a flight path. Maia reflects on how Zach’s guidance helped her avoid spending excessively on a website and focus her business offerings.
• 42:00 – 44:00 — Maia discusses attracting diverse clients through personal branding, balancing product-focused and coaching-oriented clients.
• 44:00 – 46:00 — Maia shares her thoughts on avoiding burnout, emphasizing the importance of rest and not overworking in the first year of business.
• 46:00 – 48:00 — Maia advises on building a business with minimal effort, focusing on essential actions like social media engagement and simplified client onboarding.
• 48:00 – 50:00 — Zach reflects on giving advice to Maia about avoiding premature scaffolding in business, and Maia discusses her approach to running a community through simple tools like Telegram.
• 50:00 – 52:00 — Maia describes her active Instagram community engagement, emphasizing the importance of personal interaction and building genuine connections.
• 52:00 – 54:00 — Maia advises on the balance of creating Instagram content versus actively engaging with the audience, highlighting the value of stories for connecting with people.
• 54:00 – 56:00 — Maia emphasizes the importance of starting with stories on Instagram and gradually building a follower base through genuine interactions and relevant content.
• 56:00 – 58:00 — Maia discusses the strategy of gaining followers through direct, personal interactions and avoiding reliance on viral content for sustainable growth.
• 58:00 – 60:00 — Zach and Maia discuss the long-term investment in building a community on Instagram, contrasting it with the transient nature of viral content. Maia underscores the absence of a one-size-fits-all formula for Instagram success.
• 1:00:00 – 1:02:00 — Maia plans to continue training her team for more client-facing roles and looks forward to launching a course and developing products related to simple living and digital organization.
• 1:02:00 – 1:04:00 — Maia emphasizes the value of investing in coaching and courses, attributing much of her business growth to continuous learning and self-education.
• 1:04:00 – 1:06:00 — Discussing community importance in business, Maia notes the value of being part of a group for support and guidance, especially in the initial business stages.
• 1:06:00 – 1:08:00 — Maia suggests creating an “Accelerator Plus” program for more intensive, committed participants, drawing from her positive experience with personalized coaching.
• 1:08:00 – 1:10:00 — Maia shares her key takeaway: start small and build as needed, advocating for a minimal and practical approach to business development.
• 1:10:00 – 1:12:53 — Maia expresses gratitude for her business growth from zero to a six-figure enterprise, while Zach anticipates her reaching the seven-figure level in two years. They conclude the conversation with appreciation for the coaching journey and its impact.