The Freelancer's Teabreak

After years of very gentle bullying, I finally got Jo Shock onto the podcast! Jo has been the magic behind my business for over a decade, and she's the person everyone in the Freelance Business Lounge gets sent to the moment anyone mentions systems and CRMs. In this episode, we're talking all things CRM: what they actually are, when you need one, what to look for, and how to avoid getting dazzled by shiny software. If you've ever lost track of a lead in your inbox or wondered whether a spreadsheet is still cutting it, this one's for you.
Timestamps:
0:00 Meet Jo, the magic behind my business
1:00 Jo's journey from editor to VA to systems specialist
2:15 Why everyone in the Lounge says "talk to Jo"
3:00 What is a CRM?
4:55 Taking the mental load off
5:20 When do you actually need a CRM?
6:50 The basics every CRM needs
8:15 The hidden bonus: useful client data
9:00 Starting with free tools
9:40 All-in-one tools vs specialist tools
11:15 Why your software should feel nice to use
12:05 Automations without losing the human touch
13:15 Don't forget the ICO data protection fee
14:00 Ready-made vs build-your-own CRMs
15:30 Bespoke services, packages and bolt-ons
18:20 Why Jo sent me back to LinkedIn
18:50 Jo's free resources
19:55 Building up from a basic system
21:45 Getting your tools to talk to each other
23:10 Where to find Jo
23:55 Jo's top tip: start with your process
24:25 The lure of shiny things
Find Jo at Streamlines Virtual Support: streamlinesvirtual.com, where you can also sign up for her newsletter and grab her free resources. And connect with Jo Shock on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jo-shock. 
The Speedy Client Management Software Audit: resources.streamlinesvirtual.com/client-management-software-audit






 

Streamline Your Client Admin & Care checklist: https://resources.streamlinesvirtual.com/your-client-management-checklist






 

Her newsletter: https://resources.streamlinesvirtual.com/sign-up
 
My stuff






Check out the website: www.freelancelifestyle.co.uk
Follow me on Instagram: www.instagram.com/emmacossey
Email: hello@emmacossey.com
Want more support? Check out the Freelance Lifestyle School courses and membership: https://freelancelifestyle.podia.com/
Join the Freelance Lifestyle Discord Community: www.freelancelifestyle.co.uk/Discord
Order my book: The Freelance Lifestyle: Your Friendly Guide to Starting a Freelance Business: https://link.amazon/B01qhTzb3

Let's talk about bookending your freelance day!
Flown (affiliate link)
https://flown.com/register?join=emma-cossey-dfa56 
Follow me on Instagram
Email: hello@emmacossey.com 
Come join us in the free Freelance Lifestylers Facebook group
Want more support? Check out the Freelance Lifestyle School courses and membership.
Join the Freelance Lifestyle Discord Community: https://discord.gg/RKYkReS5Cz
Order my book: The Freelance Lifestyle: Your Friendly Guide to Starting a Freelance Business

This week, we dive into the topic of part time freelancing around a job. Pour yourself a cuppa!
Follow me on Instagram
Email: hello@emmacossey.com 
Come join us in the free Freelance Lifestylers Facebook group
Want more support? Check out the Freelance Lifestyle School courses and membership.
Join the Freelance Lifestyle Discord Community: https://discord.gg/RKYkReS5Cz
Order my book: The Freelance Lifestyle: Your Friendly Guide to Starting a Freelance Business

Your onboarding forms might be the most underrated bit of marketing research you own. This week's episode is a quick admin prompt: dig out your client questionnaires and look at what people actually say when they explain why they chose you. I share what I discovered when I did this myself (spoiler: I'd been talking about the wrong thing on my sales page), plus some easy ways to spot the patterns, from good old-fashioned highlighters to AI and word clouds.
Follow me on Instagram
Email: hello@emmacossey.com 
Come join us in the free Freelance Lifestylers Facebook group
Want more support? Check out the Freelance Lifestyle School courses and membership.
Join the Freelance Lifestyle Discord Community: https://discord.gg/RKYkReS5Cz
Order my book: The Freelance Lifestyle: Your Friendly Guide to Starting a Freelance Business

...I'm going back to having the podcast as audio only.
In this episode, I share what I learned during my experiment to offer the podcast as a video format too.
Follow me on Instagram
Email: hello@emmacossey.com 
Want more support? Check out the Freelance Lifestyle School courses and membership.
Join the Freelance Lifestyle Discord Community: https://discord.gg/RKYkReS5Cz
Order my book: The Freelance Lifestyle: Your Friendly Guide to Starting a Freelance Business