Michael Satterfield is an Entrepreneur and Freelancer. He runs TheGentlemanRacer.com which has grown into an online magazine covering cars, art, fashion, and culture. In this Episode of ProChat with Vince Comfort, he talks about motivation and getting clients.
Question: Where are you from?
Answer: I was born and raised in California, but I currently split my time between Southern California and our newest location in Central Texas where I am building out a new showroom and design space. I am also in Denver, Colorado often as we have a showroom there for the clothing company.
Question: How long have you been freelancing?
Answer: I have been an entrepreneur since I was 14, so over 20 years, my first freelance photo assignment landed my photo on the cover of a regional magazine. Since then I have contributed to a number of publications and launched my own website. My work has been featured in A-Cars Japan, Hemmings, Road & Track, American Express Open, ManTripping, Cassidy Magazine, and other print and online magazines.
Question: Which is your favorite place to get freelance jobs?
Answer: I have found that most of them find me at this point, a lot of my work comes from word of mouth, be it creative work, or speaking engagements, and social media consulting. I have been really blessed to have been able to work with major companies like Sony, McLaren, Harley-Davidson, Piloti Shoes, and many others. Networking on social sites like LinkedIn has really generated a lot of leads for me and helped to keep me busy.
Question: Do you sometimes feel down, and unproductive? If you do, what do you think are the main causes in your case?
Answer: Everyone who works in the creative space has their down moments, it is impossible not to, from a story not connecting the way you wanted it to, to dealing with the business side of the client relationship which can be taxing. Sometimes inspiration can be hard to come by when you constantly have to create new content, it is easy to get burned out.
Question: What do you do get motivated again?
Answer: Rest is important, taking breaks to recharge is essential. I like to bicycle or go for a drive/motorcycle ride on a fun road. But also a lot of creatives who are focused on work never focus on feeding their inspiration, reading other works, visiting art museums, taking time to just reflect on other creators work is one of the best way I find to motivate myself.
Question: Which motivational speakers do you listen to?
Answer: I love Gary Vee, he is a by far the biggest influence on how I do business and focus on growing. He is very practical and focused on executing, execution is always the hard part for creative people who are constantly focusing on the vision of what they want to do. I also like Nick Vujicic and classic Zig Ziglar.
Question: What advice would you give to the new freelancer just starting?
Answer: Focus on producing good work, not large volume. If your work is good that will build a career that is sustainable. Also be selective on the jobs you take, if you can afford to, being highly focused on a niche or even a limited number of subjects or industries can actually result in finding more work.
Closing:
Thank you so much Michael Satterfield for your time and sharing with us.
TAKEAWAY #1: Focus on producing good work, not large volume..
TAKEAWAY #2: Rest is important, taking breaks to recharge is essential.
Check out Michael Satterfield on Facebook, and his website thegentlemanracer.com
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