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Amber Secrest60 million freelancers are flooding the market, but Tarzan Kay found a way to stand out. How? Writing emails. She commands top brass prices from her VIP client roster, including noteworthy figures like Amy Porterfield, Ingrid Arna, Don Brown and more. Kay enjoys an enviable three day work week that rakes in multiple six figures in annual revenue. I sat down with Kay to get the inside scoop on how she built a you economy business with over five revenue streams.
Crouch: Tell me about your business.
Kay: I am a copywriter who also teaches freelancers how to run more profitable businesses and attract better clients. There are a lot of very talented freelancers that are really struggling, almost solely because they think of themselves as freelancers. It's a really problematic word.
Crouch: Why do you think that the word freelancer could be holding people back from making the money that they deserve?
Kay: If you think about yourself as a freelancer, you don't run yourself like a business. Freelancing is perceived as something that you do after you lose your job. It is presumed that you are not a serious business. You are not a business owner. It's very different.
Crouch: How does that affect the way that people pay you?
Kay: First, it affects the way you price yourself. When you think about yourself as a business, you have (lots of) expenses. When you think about yourself as a freelancer, you think, “Okay, so $25 dollars an hour, which is X number of hours per month, so this is my salary." You forwards calculate rather than backwards calculate.
Crouch: Can you give me an example?
Kay: For example, I need $120,000 a year to run my business, plus I would like to earn $250,000. Let's backwards calculate what I need to charge by the day. That's the difference between how a freelancer thinks and a business owner thinks.
I just started paying myself a salary, which was a huge leap to be on a budget. Until recently, my spending style is to just buy whatever I want. I'll just make money. But I had like this massive a-ha!
I was shopping the other day and I would pick something up and ask, "Do I want to buy whatever want, or do I wanna grow my wealth today?"
Crouch: That subtle shift puts everything into perspective. What brings money into the business?
Kay: The top source of revenue is my one to one client work, which is day rate only; next would be affiliate promotions followed by my own courses. Some of them are running in the background, and some of them are only launched annually or semi-annually.
Crouch: You have tiers in your income. Regarding your one to one client work, you mentioned that you offer a day rate only. What is a day rate package?
Kay: I got to a point when I was getting many more leads than I could handle. And I was saying no to people and referring out a lot. Typically when I'm doing projects, there is a wait time minimum of six weeks, possibly up to three months. But day rate solves all of that. Clients get what they need way faster by booking me for a solid day.
Crouch: How you started to position the day rate as the obvious choice for your clients?
Kay: Seeing the value, I transitioned over completely. It's the easiest sale in the world because I have legitimate scarcity and I actually cannot offer anything else. At the end, there's no only one offer: a day rate.
Crouch: How do you segment your work week to give you the freedom to prioritize your own projects?
Kay: Currently I only work three days per week. My day rate availability is one and a half days a week. That's my limit. When I need a day for myself, I book myself into my calendar the same way I would book a client. I treat myself like a client.
Crouch: How do you get over the scarcity place of doing anything for anyone because you need the money?
Kay: It is important that you are consistently being visible in front of the people who you want to be your clients ; actively putting yourself in front of these newer, better clients.
Crouch: How did you decide what your day rate would be?
Kay: I did a couple days at $1000 and I rose it increments of $500 dollars over the course of two years until I eventually got to $3000 dollars.
Crouch: How do you sell it?
Kay: I don't do sales calls anymore and I don't negotiate. I keep in touch with my email list regularly. Email is my main source of marketing. (My assistant) is my gatekeeper of my calendar and she answers those emails.
Crouch: You are now in such high demand that you don't talk to the customers who book you for $3000 dollars first?
Kay: Yes. The leads that I get are excellent. They are pre-sold and we close almost every single one of them.
Crouch: How do you position yourself as the obvious premier option in your market?
Kay: We discuss how they will get a return on investment. If I don't think they will get return on investment, I have said, "This probably isn't for you right now." To me it's so obvious. People need implementation. That's what I'm offering.
Crouch: What has been the biggest needle mover in helping you set up a day rate system like this?
Kay: I consistently write really good emails. And I always position myself like a superstar. My whole brand is the product of what I call celebrity marketing. I market myself like a star; when people come to me, they are willing to pay $3,000 a day because they want Tarzan.
Crouch: The results speak for themselves. You scored VIP clients like Amy Porterfield and recently spoke on stage with her, Jasmine Star, and Marie Forleo. If people want to try offering a day rate, what are the first steps they should take?
Kay: All you need is a lead and a sales call booked. Just start.
