Podcast
Freelance to Founder
Hosted by Millo · EN
Freelance to Founder is a call-in show helping real-life freelancers grow their businesses and escape the feast-famine lifestyle.
The podcast is hosted by Preston Lee, a former freelancer who has started, built, and even sold successful businesses of his own.
Preston is joined nearly every weekday by other expert founders, freelancers, and entrepreneurs to help you take your solo business to the next level.
You can submit your questions at FreelanceToFounder.com/ask
If you enjoy content from shows like The Futur, Being Freelance, The Accidental Creative, Smart Passive Income, or The Side Hustle Show, then you'll love Freelance to Founder.
Join us every weekday to take the next step on your journey from ... freelance to founder.
58episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
The Free Lead System Most Freelancers Ignore
3d ago00:20:39Tap to summarizeBremley is running a real business — four clients, $8,100 in monthly recurring revenue — and he wants to know how to scale it. He's already proven he can close. Now he needs the leads. Preston sits down with Dr. Noah St. John, the "Zero Friction Doctor" and bestselling author of 25 books, to walk Bremley (and every freelancer hungry for growth) through a step-by-step system for generating warm, qualified leads without burning cash on ads before you're ready. Links: Support our show sponsors -> https://freelancetofounder.com/sponsors Submit your own question -> https://freelancetofounder.com/ask Attend The "10X Your Freelancing" Summit -> https://10XFreelance.com (FREE) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →Why You Still Can't Stop Procrastinating
4d ago00:24:52Tap to summarizeDr. Noah St. John has spent his career helping Hollywood celebrities, professional athletes, and nine-figure CEOs break through the invisible ceiling holding them back. Now he brings that same framework to freelancers who know exactly what they want to build—but keep getting in their own way. Preston and Dr. Noah dig into the real reason so many freelancers struggle to level up: it's not a strategy problem, it's a habits problem. From dismantling the myth of willpower to understanding why your brain would rather doom scroll than grow your business, this episode is a practical breakdown of how to finally stop self-sabotaging and start moving. Links: Support our show sponsors -> https://freelancetofounder.com/sponsors Submit your own question -> https://freelancetofounder.com/ask Attend The "10X Your Freelancing" Summit -> https://10XFreelance.com (FREE) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →When Does Freelance Income Actually Get Consistent?
5d ago00:20:23Tap to summarizeKwame is wrestling with a question almost every freelancer has whispered to themselves late at night: when does the money actually get steady? Preston and Meredith Cooley—founder of Page and Purpose and a mentor for teachers stepping into copywriting—dig into what consistent income really requires: consistent marketing, consistent sales, and the sometimes-uncomfortable habit of reaching out to clients you've never met. They share what it takes to move from feast-and-famine cycles to a business with real, predictable rhythm. Links: Support our show sponsors -> https://freelancetofounder.com/sponsors Submit your own question -> https://freelancetofounder.com/ask Attend The "10X Your Freelancing" Summit -> https://10XFreelance.com (FREE) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →Stop Prepping. Start Getting Clients.
6d ago00:18:18Tap to summarizeDiego Morales is thinking about making the leap into freelancing and wants to know what seasoned freelancers would do differently if they could start over. Preston and Meredith Cooley—founder of Page and Purpose and a copywriter-turned-mentor for teachers—share the honest, practical lessons that most "how to freelance" guides get completely wrong. From skipping the logo obsession to the slow-burn reality of building a side business, this episode is a candid look at what actually matters when you're starting out. Links: Support our show sponsors -> https://freelancetofounder.com/sponsors Submit your own question -> https://freelancetofounder.com/ask Attend The "10X Your Freelancing" Summit -> https://10XFreelance.com (FREE) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →This Changes Everything About Going Solo
1w ago00:18:18Tap to summarizeAisha Raman wants to know the single biggest lesson you learn when you first go out on your own. Preston and Meredith Cooley—copywriter, educator-turned-entrepreneur, and founder of Page and Purpose—have a lot of ground to cover. From the sneaky pull of shiny object syndrome to the surprising difficulty of managing your own time when no one else is watching, this conversation gets honest about the real growing pains of building a freelance business. If you're in the early days of figuring this out, you'll find a lot to take with you here. Links: Support our show sponsors -> https://freelancetofounder.com/sponsors Submit your own question -> https://freelancetofounder.com/ask Attend The "10X Your Freelancing" Summit -> https://10XFreelance.com (FREE) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →No Time to Freelance? You're Wrong. Here's Proof.
1w ago00:21:59Tap to summarizeA Reddit question sparks a conversation that hits close to home for thousands of side-hustling professionals: a full-time teacher wants to know how to balance a demanding classroom career with landing and serving their first freelance clients. Preston sits down with Meredith Cooley—former 17-year educator turned full-time copywriter and teacher-to-freelancer mentor—to dig into the real, unglamorous work of building something on the side when your day job leaves almost nothing in the tank. From mindset shifts to a surprisingly simple paper-and-pencil time audit, this episode is a practical guide for anyone trying to grow a freelance business without quitting their day job first. Links: Support our show sponsors -> https://freelancetofounder.com/sponsors Submit your own question -> https://freelancetofounder.com/ask Attend The "10X Your Freelancing" Summit -> https://10XFreelance.com (FREE) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →No Portfolio, No Problem… Here's Where to Start
2w ago00:12:13Tap to summarizeTharun is ready to take the leap into freelancing—but one question is standing between him and his first paycheck: how do you actually land that very first client? Preston and AJ Cassata from Revenue Boost share their own origin stories (a bagel shop, a school yearbook, a wave of cold calls) and break down the two simplest moves any new freelancer can make to get that first client through the door. No complicated funnels, no elaborate lead gen systems—just smart, human approaches that actually work when you're starting from zero. Links: Support our show sponsors -> https://freelancetofounder.com/sponsors Submit your own question -> https://freelancetofounder.com/ask Attend The "10X Your Freelancing" Summit -> https://10XFreelance.com (FREE) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →More Clients, Less Freedom — What Went Wrong?
2w ago00:17:06Tap to summarizeShalimdar quit his 9-to-5 as a UI/UX designer, went full-time freelance, and hit a new income high. The problem? He's working more hours than ever—and still doesn't feel like he owns his time. Preston and AJ Cassata from Revenue Boost dig into exactly why this happens and walk through a practical framework for diagnosing where your time is actually going, what to cut, what to automate, and what to hand off—so you can stop trading every hour for a dollar and start running your business like a founder. Links: Support our show sponsors -> https://freelancetofounder.com/sponsors Submit your own question -> https://freelancetofounder.com/ask Attend The "10X Your Freelancing" Summit -> https://10XFreelance.com (FREE) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →Always Chasing Clients = You're Doing This Wrong
2w ago00:19:16Tap to summarizeTamer put it bluntly on X: one week he's scrambling for leads, the next he's buried in work with no time to look up. It's the defining tension of freelance life—and it doesn't fix itself. Preston and AJ Cassata from Revenue Boost unpack why the feast-famine cycle is really a marketing problem in disguise, and what it actually takes to build the kind of predictable lead flow that makes growing an agency feel possible instead of reckless. Links: Support our show sponsors -> https://freelancetofounder.com/sponsors Submit your own question -> https://freelancetofounder.com/ask Attend The "10X Your Freelancing" Summit -> https://10XFreelance.com (FREE) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →Why Premium Clients Aren't Finding You
2w ago00:22:18Tap to summarizePoivino runs a design agency and he's hit a ceiling—his local clients don't pay what his skills are worth, and he knows it. He wants to break into the premium market: higher-budget clients, international companies, serious engagements. Preston and AJ Casada from Revenue Boost break down exactly how to make that leap, from building a digital presence that passes the credibility test to running targeted cold outreach campaigns that speak directly to the clients you actually want. Links: Support our show sponsors -> https://freelancetofounder.com/sponsors Submit your own question -> https://freelancetofounder.com/ask Attend The "10X Your Freelancing" Summit -> https://10XFreelance.com (FREE) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transcribe →