Michelle Schulp on running an independent business

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In this episode, Matt Medeiros wraps up the season interviewing Michelle Schulp from Marktime Media In Minneapolis. Michelle is an independent designer and front-end developer who works with many agencies and other freelancers. Michelle’s background is in design and she is well known as a WordCamp Speaker. She loves teaching design and sharing her knowledge with the WordPress Community. Michelle also is the Director of Technology at AIGA Minnesota.

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Michelle Schulp on running an independent business



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00:48:17





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What you will learn from this Episode:

• Michelle made a deliberate choice to stay independent and not own an agency. She realizes the challenges of managing other people in a business. (2:40)


• Being an independent freelancer allows you to stay flexible for traveling and working remotely. (3:54)


• There is a lot of overhead and “crap” when running a business. (4:04)


• If you make business decisions based on why you went into business in the first place you can be very successful. Ex: Your priority is to have more time for your family. (4:44)


• The reason to travel and speak at events allows you to teach and volunteer by giving back to the community. (7:07)


• 95% of Marktime Media’s business comes from referrals or being known for teaching at WordCamps. (8:00)

Business Growth and Success:

• Your personality or personal brand separates you from the crowd. (9:34)


• The differentiator in the WordPress space for independent freelancers now comes from service. You must be able to communicate and be responsive to the client. (10:40)


• Sometimes your brand is just not for everybody and it is best to qualify your business when working with a client. (12:18)


• Clients can try to nickel and dime you and make multiple changes when you are first starting out. You can just ac...