Fending Off Feast or Famine Cycles ft. Shweta
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Feast or famine is one of the most talked-about challenges in freelancing—and one of the most feared. The income rollercoaster can be brutal, and it doesn't discriminate. Even experienced, successful freelancers hit stretches where work dries up, and they are left wondering where their next payment will come from.
In this episode, I'm joined by Shweta, a B2B tech writer and organic growth marketer who has been freelancing full-time since 2012. She's been through not one, but two famine cycles—the first during the pandemic, when both her writing business and her co-owned food business took a hit at the same time, and the second more recently, in 2024-25. Both times, she came out the other side, and in this conversation she breaks down exactly what helped her get through it and what she's doing differently now.
We talk about the financial systems she put in place after the pandemic wiped her out—including a percentage-based savings approach, multiple account buckets, and building a six-to-nine month nest egg—as well as the mindset shift that made all of it possible: treating your freelance work like a real business, and yourself like an employee worth investing in.
We also get into the guilt and shame that comes with dipping into savings, why the word "should" is worth paying attention to, and why a populated lead pipeline is the best insurance you can have.
In this episode:
* Why relying on one or two clients is such a common (and risky) pattern
* The financial books and systems that changed how Shweta manages her money
* How to think in percentages rather than fixed dollar amounts
* What a "slush fund" is and why it's different from an emergency fund
* How a projected income spreadsheet can shift the way you think and act
* Why it takes at least three months from first contact to first payment
* The lead pipeline as a famine-prevention tool
Resources mentioned:
* FOCUS Framework [https://shilalekh.substack.com/about] — Shweta's framework for freelance focus and financial clarity
* FOCUS Cash Flow Tracker [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1710Js2545bbj0ig3h6qYy4kdX-jENY6u/edit?usp=drive_link&ouid=105278205361036004414&rtpof=true&sd=true] — a spreadsheet for tracking projected vs. actual income
* Check Your Financial Health [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Y66M1L5_mdh6XhiYHS9sxUhdRkKbEP1q/edit?gid=128197586#gid=128197586] — a self-assessment tool
* The Chapati Framework for Famine Response [https://drive.google.com/file/d/13QIf79SNDVahRUlIbKpBQSiaP_BSzRML/view?usp=drive_link] — Shweta's guide for navigating a famine cycle when you're in one
* The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason — the book Shweta recommends to everyone
* FLX also has an income projection spreadsheet in the resource library — search "income" to find it if you're already a member.
About Shweta
Shweta is a B2B organic growth marketer for tech brands, from startups to mid-size companies, working through her solo consultancy, Shilalekh. Her writing has appeared in Forbes Advisor, Newsweek, and Huffington Post, and she is the author of four books spanning fiction and nonfiction. Alongside her solo business, she co-owns a food business with her husband, giving her hands-on experience on both sides of the freelance-client relationship.
Connect with Shweta on LinkedIn [http://www.linkedin.com/in/shwetaatbokaro] or explore her work at shilalekh.com [https://www.shilalekh.com/].
She also offers three free 30-minute chats for anyone who wants to pick her brain on writing, freelancing, or business — reach out via LinkedIn to grab one.
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Want more? Join the Freelance Success community for a free month at joinfreelancesuccess.com [https://joinfreelancesuccess.com]. You'll get access to our full resource library (including that income projection spreadsheet), live events, and a private community of freelancers at every stage of their careers.
