#038: From $5 to a Viable Writing Business: How Nathan Collier Is 'Grouponizing' His Way to Success

I'm NOT a fan of websites like Elance or oDesk. But occasionally I'll meet a writer who has launched a successful freelance business using these services. Nathan Collier is a perfect example. Nathan launched his freelance writing business on the side last summer. And in just a few months he's been able to land a handful of decent-paying clients using Elance. Here's the really impressive part. He's done this by "Grouponizing" his services. In other words, rather than subscribing to the notion that every project must be at least somewhat profitable, Nathan is willing to work at a loss in order to prove himself to the client. Once the client sees the quality of the work, he then proposes other projects at higher margins. In this interview, Nathan details his strategy and how it works. He explains how to pick the right prospects to work with. And how he builds the value and makes it almost irresistible to hire him at higher rates. The notes that follow are a very basic, unedited summary of the show. There’s a lot more detail in the audio version. You can listen to the show using the audio player below. Or you can subscribe to this podcast series in iTunes.