This week’s guest was actually a listener request AND she also happens to be host, Whitney Dahmer’s, bestie. Briley Richard is a freelance agricultural communicator based outside Wichita, Kansas, who has built a thriving business rooted in writing, photography, graphic design, and social media – almost entirely through word of mouth and networking. She grew up in southern Louisiana showing Brahman cattle, found her way to Texas A&M’s Ag Communications program, and after stints at the American Angus Association and an advertising agency, took the leap into full-time freelancing two years ago.

This episode is honest, funny, and genuinely useful — whether you’re in ag comm, considering going freelance, or just trying to figure out what you’re building toward.

In This Episode:

• How Briley discovered Ag Communications as a degree path through a Brahman Association leadership program
• Why Texas A&M’s program is particularly writing-focused — and why that foundation matters for every kind of communicator
• The “you can do anything for a year” rule her mom gave her (and how it shaped every career move since)
• What she learned working at the American Angus Association and an ag advertising agency before going freelance
• Why she recommends new grads work in an office setting before going out on their own
• The loneliness of the creative review process when you’re solo — and how she works around it
• How her business evolved to focus on fewer, longer-term clients (and why that feels more sustainable)
• Pricing your work as a first-time freelancer when there’s no guide anywhere on the internet
• Setting up business accounts, tracking expenses, and finding a CPA before tax season hits
• Saying no to projects (and how to do it in a way that still serves the client)
• Managing travel — the highs, the time zones, and the honest conversation about what it means for the future
• A “Queenies & Weenies” segment inspired by The Toast podcast

Resources & People Mentioned:

• Nikki Morgan — financial advisor (Texas-based)
• Tonic Site Shop / Jen Olmsted — website templates for ShowIt + newsletter worth subscribing to
• Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See — Briley’s book of 2024
• The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo — bonus rec
• The Secret Lives of Marjorie Post — another listener favorite