#36: So you quit your job. Now what?
How to get your first freelance client and kickstart your freelance career.
So you did it. Hell yes. Now what?
If you still want to work your ass off, yet want freedom and flexibility to make an impact on your own terms, freelancing might be great!
Good News: Clients spent over $1 trillion dollars on freelancers last year, and this number will only increase.
Bad News: Freelancing isn’t easy. The number of freelancers is higher than ever (over 60m in the US alone). And while getting your first client might be quick, a sustainable freelancing career is hard.
Some of you will have an easy time getting started. Most of you won’t. And that’s okay!
Hopefully these 3 steps will help you get started today.
Here’s my challenge for you: Land a client in the next 72 hours.
TL;DR
Step 1: Identify your outcomes - Analyze your past 5 years of experience and pick 2-5 outcomes you enjoyed and excelled at.
Step 2: Find your ideal clients by reaching out to 15 connections in your existing network, then search your unique tags on Twitter or LinkedIn.
Step 3: Win the deal by scoping your outcomes, customizing your portfolio, and making it easy as hell for clients to get started.
Sadly…the cold hard truth: Clients really don’t care about your website, your executive summary, or your proposal. They care that you can solve their exact problem on time and on budget.
Lastly…please dear god skip any contracts or proposals until the invoice is signed. Coaches and management tools will tell you to send a Statement of Work (SOW) or Proposal. That’s because they need a lead gen tool.
Also BIG news!
Want to accelerate your freelancing journey?
We’re teaming up with Venture L and Alison Grade of the Freelance Bible to deliver a 5 week accelerator starting August 1. We’ll be accepting only 10 freelancers. Each freelancer will be ready to take on $5k+ projects after the 5 weeks. Ideal candidates are freelance creatives ready to tackle the business mindset.