What's your biggest takeaway?

In this episode of The Jump Moment, Matt Curtis walks through what it really looks like to start a freelance business. Whether you’re preparing to leave your job or already in your first few months as a freelancer, this episode outlines a 90-day roadmap to help you build in a way that is realistic and builds momentum.

Matt shares the 12-week framework he walks through in the Christian Creative group to help freelancers set a manageable building pace. If you’ve ever tried to cram an entire business build into a long weekend or holiday break, this episode will help you slow down, plan smarter, and building a way that gains momentum over time.

The 90-Day Jump Start Plan

Weeks 1–6: Building the Foundation

1. Discover Your Why – Identify what drives you and the people you’re called to serve.

2. Build and Price Your Offer – Connect your skills to your client’s real-world problems.

3. Short-Term Marketing – Create a plan to start sharing your offer right away.

4. Personal Systems – Build systems that help you protect you time outside of working in your business.

5. Contracts and Taxes – Understand simple contracts and tax implications as a business.

6. Professional Systems – Build workflows, client onboarding, and invoicing systems to support the operation of your business.

Weeks 7–12: Sustaining Momentum

7. Mid- and Long-Term Marketing – Build a marketing planning focused on mid-term and long-term investments.

8. Money in Business – Learn how to make wise financial decisions that protect your future.

9. The Heart of a Freelancer – Learn how to work well with clients, be gracious and humble, and create healthy boundaries.

10. Protecting Imagination – Prioritizing rest, creativity, and long term creative health.

11. Developing your Skills – Ongoing growth and development as a creative.

12. Evaluate and Pivot – Use a 90-day planning rhythm to review, refine, and set your next goals.

Resources Mentioned

• Traction by Gino Wickman — A powerful guide to building and running your business in 90-day cycles. Affiliate link: https://amzn.to/4a0fY7P
• Quarterly Workflow Worksheet — Matt’s free tool to help you plan and evaluate your next 90 days. Download.

Join the Christian Creative group on Skool.

Learn more about 1:1 coaching or find tools to help with your jump to freelance at https://www.lunchtimeheroes.co/coaching.

What's your biggest takeaway?

Recommended resource: The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More, and Change the Way You Lead Forever by Michael Bungay Stanier.

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In this episode of The Jump Moment, Matt sits down with Casey Watts, an educator turned consultant, speaker, and author, who helps leaders create meetings that actually matter. Casey shares how her career evolved from teaching to leadership to full-time business ownership—and how clarity became the guiding thread. She also opens up about the fears, financial hurdles, and support systems that made her jump possible. If you’re wrestling with fulfillment, regret, or the “right time” to take the leap, this conversation is for you.

Episode Highlights:

• Why bad meetings are often a symptom of a lack of clarity.
• How side hustles can reveal your through-line and shape your eventual business.
• The importance of knowing when you’re no longer showing up fully at work.
• Why regret is often the greater risk than failure.
• Two pieces of advice Casey would give her younger self.

About Casey:
Casey Watts is a passionate speaker, author, and thought leader in team leadership with over 20 years in education and 10 years of experience coaching educators, entrepreneurs, and leaders. She is the creator of the Clarity Cycle Framework, helping leaders bridge gaps, foster commitment, and create sustainable alignment. Casey is also the founder and host of The Catching Up with Casey podcast, where she and her guests bring clarity to the seemingly small things in leadership that make a big difference.

Connect with Casey:

Website: https://www.catchingupwithcasey.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catchupwithcasey

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catchupwithcasey

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@catchupwithcasey

Join the Christian Creative group on Skool.

Learn more about 1:1 coaching or find tools to help with your jump to freelance at https://www.lunchtimeheroes.co/coaching.

What's your biggest takeaway?

What if the key to unlocking success in your creative business isn’t another tool or strategy... but it's your schedule? In this episode, Matt Curtis explores how time management shapes both creative freedom and business growth for freelancers and staff creatives alike.

You’ll learn why your calendar might be the most important tool in your creative toolkit—and how managing your schedule with wisdom and intention can help you align your work with your values. Matt shares practical steps from his Tools for Christian Creatives series, including a simple, printable worksheet that helps you uncover where your time really goes.

Whether you feel like your day is out of your control or you’re struggling to stay disciplined as a freelancer, this conversation will help you manage reality, build sustainable habits, and protect the things that matter most—your faith, your relationships, and your calling.

Free Resource: Download the Weekly Schedule Planner mentioned in this episode and build your schedule your time with purpose.

Download now

Explore the Jump to Freelance community, 1:1 coaching, and more at jumptofreelance.com. Take your first step today!