Shift 6: From Chaos to Clean Systems That Scale (Solo)
Welcome back to the Six-Figure Freelancer Recipe! I’m Jaz, your pricing queen, and in today’s episode, it’s time to get real about a topic that’s anything but glamorous—but absolutely crucial to building that six-figure freelance business you dreamed of. Let’s talk about systems. If you’ve ever found yourself hunched over your laptop late at night, scrambling to meet bloated client deadlines, misplacing feedback, or wondering if you invoiced for that last milestone, you’re not alone. I know firsthand how easy it is to fall into the chaos of trying to manage every detail in your head, only to spiral into burnout and find there’s zero time left to actually grow your business.
In this episode, I’m breaking down the unsexy truth that separates stressed-out, overwhelmed freelancers from six-figure business owners: having a handful of simple, customized systems that truly work for you. You’ll hear about the common traps—like endlessly working longer hours, piling on productivity apps, and abandoning overcomplicated processes—and why these are just Band Aids, not solutions. Instead, I’ll share how to create foundational workflows and clear boundaries, so you can stop reinventing the wheel and start protecting your time for the big-picture, CEO-level tasks that will actually move your business forward.
Grab your copy of the free guide at creativebusinesskitchen.com/6figures, because I’m walking you through key questions to help you pinpoint the business areas causing you the most stress, and how to systemize or automate them—yes, even as a solo creative. We’ll reimagine your freelance future, one where your projects run smoothly, your inbox isn’t a source of panic, and you’re working less but earning more.
If you’re sick of Band-Aid solutions and ready to finally set up the simple processes that turn chaos into consistency (and free up time and headspace for the growth you actually want), this episode is for you. Plus, I’ll let you in on how to book a free taste test call if you’re ready to get personalized support—and tease what’s coming in our next episode. So, let’s stop glorifying burnout and start building the freelance business you really signed up for.
Transcript
Hey there. It's Jaz, your pricing queen, and welcome to episode seven of the Six Figure Freelancer Recipe, a bite sized podcast series for creatives who are ready to build the freelance business they actually left their nine to five for. So picture this. It's 11PM on a Thursday night. You're still working. Trying to meet the deadline for a client project that somehow expanded well beyond the original scope, and it has a deadline of tomorrow morning, one that you said yes to and regretted instantly. You cannot find the files that you need. You've forgotten what the client's feedback was, and you're not even sure if you invoiced for that last milestone.
Jaz [:This is the third night this week that you've worked late, and you're exhausted. Not to mention the next day you feel guilty because you simply cannot think straight. The issue isn't that you're disorganized or incapable, it's that you are trying to hold everything in your head while managing multiple clients and projects. And if you're like me, the traditional project management systems feel like overkill when it's just you running the show and just juggling all the jobs. But without systems, you're constantly recreating processes from scratch. You're forgetting that important details and deadlines need to be written down. And then as a result, you are probably over delivering because the boundaries aren't set. They aren't clear.
Jaz [:And then, ultimately, you're spending so much time in client work that you have zero time to grow your business. You've probably tried to solve this by working longer hours to catch up, creating that cycle of burnout. You're using random productivity apps without an overall system and then creating complex processes that you probably abandon after a week or a day, or you end up taking on fewer clients, limiting your income instead of fixing the actual problem of the entire situation. These aren't working because they are Band Aids, not systems. Working longer just delays the crash. Productivity apps without a big picture view only add to the noise or add to the to do list. And overcomplicated processes just get abandoned the moment things get busy. And the truth? Systems ain't sexy, but neither is burnout.
Jaz [:The difference between a stressed out freelancer and a 6 figure business owner is often just a handful of good systems that work for them. The key is working out what that looks like, what works for you, for your brain, for the way that you work best. If it's post its and processes written down to follow, do that. If you love an online planner, then that is your jam. A system is simply a series of processes that simplify or streamline a series of tasks. Don't feel like it needs to be perfect. Instead, develop this over time. So here's how we're going to make this last shift together.
Jaz [:Just like all the times before, I want you to think about the freelancer that you were before you picked up this episode and then the future freelance you that we're working towards. Old you used to keep everything in your head rather than writing it down or documenting it in a way that works for you. You were constantly overdelivering because you didn't have clear boundaries, and, ultimately, you had no time to grow the business because you were spending all your time working in the business. And you were probably overwhelmed because you were reinventing your processes with every single client. But future freelance you, they create project workflows that run themselves and implement clean onboarding boundaries and delivery systems. They also are protecting their time for high level CEO tasks that grow the business. And as a result, they're working fewer hours while delivering more value and making more money. Dreamy.
Jaz [:Right? Well, that's what we're doing. We're making this your reality. Now we're at the questions part of the free guide. And if you've made it this far without downloading, wow. Please head to creativebusinesskitchen.com/6figures and download this free guide. I'll also pop the link in the show notes. I'm gonna ask these questions. Take your time.
Jaz [:Think about them. And if you need to pause me, go for it. What part of my business makes me want to screen into a pillow? That's the first system to fix fast. What's something that I do every week that I could systemize or template today? If you've done it twice, you can template it. Where am I the bottleneck, and how do I fix it? If everything grinds to a halt without you, it's time to delegate or document or find a system that automates it. If I went offline for a week, what would break? Your business should work for you even when you're not working or you're staying solo. What's one system I could put in place that future me would high five me for? Keep it simple, checklists, canned emails, workflows. Done is better than perfect.
Jaz [:And just a reminder, we are living in the world of AI. If you find something that you can automate or process faster or connect your existing apps or systems to talk to each other and make this whole process more streamlined, then why wouldn't you? Now for the final action step of these six shifts. Identify one business area that causes you the most stress or waste the most time. Is it invoicing, quoting, onboarding, following up, client comms? Create a simple system for this one area. I want you to block out two hours this week to document your process and set it up. So that wraps up these six shifts. So where to from here? In the free guide that you have absolutely downloaded by now, you would see a future freelance you snapshot. This is an opportunity to capture on paper what future freelance you actually looks like.
Jaz [:What income are they making? What offers do they serve? What ideal future clients have they landed, and what's their weekly schedule looking like? So here's the deal. I want to be a big part of the reason why you reach that future freelance you just like I have for other freelancers that I've coached, taught, and supported who have been exactly where you are right now. And to do that, I need to know what that future looks like for you. If you're the kind of freelancer who wants this future, who's ready to explore where you are now versus where you want to be and bridge that gap, I'd like to invite you to book a free call with me. It's called a taste test call. And this is for freelancers who are already earning 30 to 75,000 annually. Those who are ready to grow without hiring a team, who are brilliant at delivery but stuck on the business side, and it's for those who take action but aren't information hoarders. This isn't a sales pitch.
Jaz [:This is a focused strategic taste test to help you bridge the gap between where you are now and the future freelance business owner that you will be for that business you're ready to build. I want you to send me over that future freelance snapshot, and I will send you back the booking link. And as a final bonus, I have something special in this next final episode for you, but you'll just have to dine to find out. Go on.
