Entrepreneurs love promises. Results come from patterns. Austin and Marc unpack why “actions speak louder than words” is more than homespun wisdom—it’s a working rule for choosing partners, clients, and collaborators without becoming cynical. Expect candid stories (including an investor publicly dressing down his assistant), red flags to watch for, and a dead-simple rubric:

Key Points

• Start people at zero, not negative-100. Assume positive intent, then trust but verify.
• Look for “tells”: delayed follow-ups, ghosted meetings, partial replies to multi-question emails—micro-signals of reliability (or not).
• Match access to actions: expand access when people keep promises; restrict it when they don’t. No drama required.
• Finish with integrity: if you’re in a misfit engagement, complete the contracted work cleanly or use a “cancel without cause” clause—then exit.
• Reset boundaries mid-project (response windows, meeting cadence, content handoffs) to “right the ship.”
• Automate your judgment with rules (e.g., no tight turnarounds for brand-new clients; no work without deposit). Stick to them.
• Reliability beats charisma: premium pricing and long-term trust ride on doing what you said, when you said.
• Self-audit matters: don’t become the person others can’t count on—communicate early, renegotiate timelines, and keep small promises.

Notable Quotes

• “Start everyone at zero—then trust, but verify.”
• “If they react badly to your rule, they just showed you who they are.”
• “People will tolerate a lot—except unreliability.”

Resources Mentioned

• Learn more about Marc Hyde: https://marchyde.com/
• Check out Marc's other website: Christian School Websites
• Learn more about Freelance Cake Community (for advanced freelancers): https://www.freelancecake.com/community
• Get 1:1 Strategy Session with Austin: https://www.freelancecake.com/freelance-business-coaching

Ever rolled your eyes at “You are the company you keep”? Same. But research (and real life) says proximity changes performance. In this solo episode, Austin digs into the research behind peer influence — from Greek philosophers to modern management studies — and shows how freelancers can use positive spillover to their advantage.

Learn how intentional community gives solo freelancers leverage: more focus, better systems, smarter strategy, and less burnout. Hear stories from the Freelance Cake Community and learn why joining the right group might be the best business move you make this year.

Key Points

• Positive Spillover is Real: Sitting near a high performer can increase your own performance by 15%.
• Community as Advantage: When you’re surrounded by people taking action, you’ll find it much harder to stay stuck or spiral into overthinking.
• Advanced freelancers need peers, not pupils: Once you’ve mastered the basics, you need people who challenge you—not just those asking for your advice.
• Freelancers can’t rely on osmosis: Without coworkers or office proximity, you have to choose your environment deliberately.
• Beginner vs. Advanced Needs: Free groups often serve beginners. Paid, private communities curate advanced freelancers who value time, accountability, and quality conversations.
• Beyond Advice — Real Momentum: The right group saves you from “meta work” (research paralysis) by giving you proven tools and templates so you can act faster.
• Bias Toward Action: When peers share wins, you’re inspired to take imperfect action too — and that’s how real growth happens.

Notable Quotes

• “You’re in the splash zone, so make sure what you’re getting hit with is motivation, not mediocrity.”
• “Deliberately create an environment where invisible hands push you onward and upward.”
• “Who you surround yourself with matters. Your environment matters as much or more than your habits.”
• “Communities aren’t just about leads — they’re about leverage.”

Resources Mentioned

• Kellogg School of Management Study on Positive Spillover
• Phoebe Dodds’ 100 Connections Challenge on Substack
• Freelance Cake Community
• Creator Science Lab
• Web Designer Pro

If you’re an advanced freelancer ready to trade burnout for momentum, join a private, paid community that helps you level up faster. Visit freelancecake.com/community to learn more and apply.

Hitting ~$330K should've felt like a win. Instead, it revealed the real bottleneck: complexity.

In this episode, Austin talks about how pruning services, projects, and obligations—less, but better—created the space for saner, more sustainable growth. You’ll get the tomato-plant metaphor (shoutout to Grandmother Martha), insights from Katelyn Bourgoin (“What should you stop doing?”), and even an Apple-style reset moment.

Plus, Austin walks through a practical 7-step Subtraction List to help you focus on the work that actually moves the needle.

(Feel free to grab the free worksheet under Resources)

What You’ll Learn

• Why “more” often makes things worse
• A simple metaphor to decide what to cut
• How world-class companies used subtraction to win
• The exact 7-step process to simplify your business now

The 7 Practical Steps

1. Take inventory
2. Find keepers (money, freedom, satisfaction, impact)
3. Compare results (what to double down on / stop)
4. Cut fluff (Do / Defer / Delegate / Delete + first actions)
5. Make a Don’t List (keep distractions from creeping back)
6. Create rules (avoid default yes—protect your best work)
7. Record decisions (build confidence and course-correct faster)

Resources & Links

• Grab the Subtraction List Worksheet: https://bit.ly/SubtractionListWorksheet
• Apply to the Freelance Cake Community: https://freelancecake.com/community
• Katelyn Bourgoin’s Twitter thread on subtraction: https://x.com/KateBour/status/1620795412641718318

If this helped you, follow for more systems, strategy, and sanity for advanced freelancers and creators.

Chapters

00:00 Hook — when “more” stops working

01:28 The $330K year (and why it didn’t feel like success)

04:22 Complexity: the sneaky saboteur

06:19 Grandma’s garden: prune for higher yield

09:11 What “growth by subtraction” really means

10:33 Focus beats variety (how to choose)

10:59 Example: Katelyn Bourgoin and “do less, better”

13:27 Example: Apple’s 2×2 and 97% cut

15:54 The 7 Steps: Take inventory → Record decisions

24:39 Summary & next steps

26:04 Invitation to the Freelance Cake Community