Robert Vlach

Robert Vlach returns to Wisepreneurs for a second appearance. He leads Europe's largest freelance community, supporting over 250,000 Czech professionals through the country's biggest open directory of freelancers, and wrote The Freelance Way — now published in English and used as the foundation for a university course at Masaryk University in Brno. Robert draws a sharp distinction between personal branding and a good name. Personal branding is a marketing discipline, borrowed from show business and often used to manufacture an image. A good name is something ancient and robust: it is created by other people talking about you behind your back, built over five to ten years of consistent, high-quality work, and cannot be faked. He quotes Charlie Munger: the peak of civilisation is not complicated bureaucratic systems but a collaboration of completely trustworthy individuals who rightly trust each other. The conversation covers why older professionals have an undervalued advantage — the…

Robert Vlach wrote The Freelance Way and founded Freelancing.eu to help independent professionals develop pricing strategies that match their actual expertise rather than competing on cost. He explains how experienced freelancers and consultants can move beyond industry-standard rates to pricing that reflects decades of accumulated skill. The conversation covers the specific challenges independent professionals face in defining their roles, navigating pricing norms that were set for younger or less experienced workers, and building financial structures that support lifelong independent careers. Drawing from his work with the European freelance community, he makes clear that underpricing is not a beginner problem — it is a systemic one that follows professionals through their entire career unless they actively unpick it. Wisepreneurs explores how experienced independent professionals position accumulated expertise and build sustainable practice.