🚧 The Six Figure Freelance Escape Plan 99.9% of All Freelancers Can Do Without Risking Their Existing Income...

A NEW and Exciting Way for Freelance Copywriters, Online Marketers, and Agency Owners To Take Back Their Time & Energy While Producing Winning Paydays

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The playbook for ditching client dependency and building partnerships that actually pay (without getting screwed)

I spent 10 years of my life being a client’s puppet.

Not because I was bad at what I did.

Actually, I was pretty damn good at it.

But looking back?

I was playing the wrong game entirely.

See, I got into freelancing for the freedom.

Wake up when I want.

Answer to nobody.

\Write my own paycheck.

Sounds good on paper, right?

Here’s what they don’t tell you...

If you don’t work, you don’t get paid.

Your calendar gets packed with calls and deadlines.

You’re juggling client work while hunting for NEW clients to keep the pipeline full.

You’re the captain of your own ship, sure...

…but you’re steering through choppy waters all by yourself.

24/7 with no one to relieve you from the helm.

And the worst part?

Lots of freelancers are drowning in other people’s priorities.

I had more than a few nights where I laid awake worried about that one big client dropping off.

Or that negative review hanging over my head like a guillotine.

One bad review from an unreasonable client could tank everything overnight.

This wasn’t freedom.

It was groundhog day disguised as independence.

But here’s the thing...

I figured out groundhog day.

A way to escape the deadlines, the demands, the scope creep, and the service work that felt like it would never end.

I’m gonna share the exact playbook with you right now.

(1) Perspective Shift: From Servant to Partner

Most freelancers think they’re in the service business.

Wrong.

You’re in the DEAL Making business. You just don’t know it yet.

Here’s the difference...

Service mindset: “How can I convince this client to pay me for my time?…”

Deal Maker mindset: “What assets are sitting around unused that I could put to work?…”

When you’re a service provider, clients call ALL the shots.

They make you jump through hoops. They know you NEED them.

And ya know what? They’re right.

But when you shift to making partnership deals?

You’re building partnerships.

You’re creating value TOGETHER.

Nobody’s the boss.

You’re both getting rich at the same time.

It’s like the difference between being a waiter and owning a piece of the restaurant.

The Action: Stop asking “Will you hire me?” Start asking “What’s sitting in your business right now that nobody’s using?”

(2) The Asset Hunt: Finding Gold in Other People’s Garages

Here’s what changed everything for me...

Companies have assets collecting dust everywhere.

• Email lists.

• Courses.

• Ad systems.

• Audiences.

• Buyers lists.

• Funnels that worked once but got abandoned.

These things are like classic cars sitting in someone’s garage.

The owner knows they’re valuable, but they ain’t got time to fix ‘em up and drive ‘em.

That’s where YOU come in.

One of my deal making buddies Frankie Fihn paid a guy $900 to GET his entire Facebook ad system.

• Working ads.

• Landing pages.

• Lead magnets.

• Follow-up emails.

The whole enchilada packed into a Google Doc.

Then he said something to my Frankie that blew my mind:

“I’ve had a few lawyers ask me for this recently, but I told them I don’t do it anymore. Now that you have it, I’m gonna tell them you do.”

He sent my Franki two clients at $2,500 per month each.

Do the math...

He paid $900 and got $5,000 in the first month.

Next month?

Another $5,000.

All because he acquired the asset first.

The Principle: If you have the choice between owning a system that generates $2,500/month or having a client who pays you $2,500/month, you’d rather own the system.

The system keeps producing.

Clients come and go.

The Action: Make a list of 10 people in your network.

Ask each one: “Is there any way I could use that?” Point to their email list. Their old course. Their audience. Their funnel that worked two years ago.

(3) The “Baking New Pies” Strategy

Don’t try to eat from the pie they’re already eating from.

If you try to eat from the pie they’re eating from, they’re gonna stab you in the eye.

Instead, propose creating something entirely new.

Here’s how I do it:

“Hey, I noticed you got a bunch of flour, and I’ve got some brown sugar, and there’s an apple tree over there. If you let me borrow your oven and your flour, I’ll bake you a pie. Can I have half of it?”

This approach works because:

• It doesn’t threaten their existing revenue

• It creates “found money” they weren’t earning before

• It doesn’t require them to change what’s already working

• It positions you as a creator of opportunity, not a competitor

Real Example: Partner has a 50,000-person email list but hasn’t pitched it in 6 months.

• You write five emails for a new offer.

• Split the revenue 50/50.

• They get money they weren’t making.

• You get paid without a client.

The Action: Stop trying to optimize what your partners are already doing. Create something new together instead.

(4) The Trust Problem (And How to Kill It Dead)

I’m not gonna lie to you...

When I first started doing rev share deals, it felt like walking a tightrope over a pit of hungry alligators.

• What if they don’t pay me?

• What if they screw me over?

• What if I do all the work and get nothing?

Valid concerns.

But here’s what changed the game: technology gave us tools to take back control.

In every deal I make now, I build in a fail-safe.

If payments aren’t coming through as agreed, the entire system shuts down.

The sales stop.

Everything comes to a screeching halt until the issue is resolved.

This simple mechanism gives me control.

And control means security.

For example, if I’m sending emails from someone’s list, I control the conversations when they hit my gmail account.

No payment?

They get bossy or start acting like a boss?

The conversations stop.

And the sales stop.

Suddenly, you’re not at someone else’s mercy anymore.

But here’s the flip side for our partners.

If we get control of something that means we’re also taking something off our partners plate.

If I set up a Gmail to forward sales conversations to…

…that means our partners don’t have to send the emails or focus on closing the sales.

So this works for BOTH of us.

The Framework:

• Never hand over the keys until payment clears

• Control the distribution (emails, ads, content)

• Set up payment triggers before launch

• Have a kill switch you can flip instantly

The Action: Before any deal, ask yourself: “What do I control that makes this work?”

Then make sure you keep controlling it until you’re paid.

(5) The “Coffee Date Without Pressure” Approach

Most people approach potential partners like they’re pitching.

This creates pressure.

White-knuckling situations where you feel like you gotta convince them of something.

Here’s the better way...

I never go into these conversations like I need to pitch anything.

I don’t need to pitch anything.

If I’m white-knuckled, I feel like I’m trying to convince them of something, and I’ve lost my stance.

Instead, I approach with:

• Curiosity: Genuine interest in their business and challenges

• Exploration: Joint discovery of possible opportunities

• Potential vs. Promises: What MIGHT be possible, not guaranteeing outcomes

• Honesty About Uncertainty: Results can’t be precisely predicted

This completely changes the dynamic from adversarial to collaborative.

What I Actually Say: “Hey, I’ve been looking at your business and I’m curious about something. You’ve got this audience/list/system that looks like it could do more. Would you be open to exploring if there’s a way we could test something small together? No big commitments, just see if there’s something here. Or is it a totally dumb idea?”

The Action: Next time you’re talking to a potential partner, remove the word “pitch” from your vocabulary. Replace it with “explore.”

(6) Start Small and Test (The Risk Reversal)

Wanna know the fastest way to get someone to say yes?

Make it stupid-easy for them to say yes.

Don’t propose a six-month partnership with complex rev shares and legal agreements right out the gate.

Instead: “Let’s do three to three to five posts or three to five emails test. We’ll have it figured out. We’ll know what the potential upside is or isn’t at that point.”

This testing approach:

• Reduces their perceived risk

• Provides real data instead of opinions

• Builds confidence for larger projects

• Creates excitement when they see actual results

I’ve generated $529,026 in sales from a 5 email campaign to someone else’s list. But I didn’t START there.

I started with three emails as a test.

The Action: Take your big deal idea and cut it down to the smallest possible test.

What’s the 3-day version?

The 5-email version?

The single-post version?

(7) Remove Service Delivery From the Equation

Here’s the misconception that keeps freelancers trapped...

They think rev share means they’ll always be on the hook for service delivery.

Meeting demands.

Answering emails.

Jumping through hoops.

Nope.

Once you figure out how to set up deals that don’t require you to trade time for money, it’s a game-changer.

I’m not getting paid to write emails. I’m getting paid to make sales.

Big difference.

When you acquire an asset or create a system, you’re building something that runs.

You’re not providing ongoing service.

You’re not on call.

You’re not at someone’s beck and call.

• You create it.

• You launch it.

• You collect your cut.

• Your partner delivers the goods.

Then you explore a possible “2nd date” to go deeper.

The Reality Check: One lucrative partnership can pay MORE than 10 or even 20 clients combined. And you’re not drowning in service work to make it happen.

The Action: Next time you structure a deal, ask yourself: “How can I create this once and let it run?”

Build the system. Don’t become the system.

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Your Escape Plan: The Next 4 Weeks

Don’t try to do everything at once.

That’s how freelancers copywriters, online marketers, and agency owners stay stuck.

Week 1: Look at it with a NEW perspective. Step outside the service provider funnel. Be open to seeing things like a deal maker. Make a list of people you know who have unused assets. Even previous customers.

Week 2: Reach out to 3-5 of those people. Not to pitch. Just to explore. Ask what’s sitting around unused in their business.

Week 3: Propose ONE small test with the most promising conversation. Three emails. Five posts. Something small.

Week 4: Set up your control mechanisms and fail-safes BEFORE you do any work. Make sure you can flip the kill switch if needed.

Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.

Because here’s what I’ve learned after ditching client dependency...

The people winning at this game aren’t the ones with the biggest portfolios or the best reputations.

They’re the ones who understand that deals beat clients.

Every. Single. Time.

You already have everything you need to make your first deal. You’re just looking in the wrong places.

Time to change that.

In your corner,

~ Tony

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Ready to dive deeper into exactly what I use to produce multi-six figure partnership deals? Everything I just shared comes from my book Deals Over Clients where I break down the complete playbook for moving from client work to partnership deals without getting screwed. Grab your copy on Amazon and start building your escape plan today.

P.S. Which strategy hit you hardest? Which one are you gonna implement first? Drop a comment below and let me know.