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Behind every freelancer is their non-negotiable toolkit.
Some things are essential for execution, while others… are mostly emotional support.😂 🐈
The most important part of my toolkit - that helps me execute and manage my projects- is my systems. It was the game-changer in my freelance career. 🖌️
What would you recommend in your toolkit?
Love the cat 😂
My support system 😂
Ahhh yess Lo-fi is great 🥳
Lo-fi carries half my projects, not gonna lie 😂
When your cat understands design tool better that clients 🤣
My clients understand hierarchy. My cat understands vibes. 😂
That’s just the “focused” version… you don’t wanna see peak chaos 😭
I relate to the tabs for sure!
Closing tabs feels like deleting potential.
Having 50 open tabs is very relatable!
It starts with “just one more reference” and suddenly it’s 87 tabs deep 😭
Goat for the cat 😂🫶🏻
Thank you! She also appreciates it
I like the emotional support animal 😂
Me too 😍
All those tabs are giving me anxiety, but theLo-fi is a must!
Systems are truly the real game-changer in freelancing. Once you build strong processes, everything becomes smoother and more scalable.
For consistent execution, my non-negotiable is a personalized project management system complemented by a dedicated creative space.
Agreeee
Brilliant work
This is Nice👍
The Lo-fi Playlist and the cat are non-negotiables — that's just facts! Systems for project management are truly the backbone. The Client Onboarding Hub detail is chef's kiss for any serious freelancer.
Lo-fi is a must! But yes it really is the backbone 💪
Lmao the cat 😂
lo-fi playlist for the win. Although my playlist choice is very dependent on how i am feeling at that moment
Still figuring it out
cat - for sure
The emotional support tools part is too real 😭 Coffee and lo-fi are technically stakeholders at this point.
The music playlist is mandatory
Awesome
Absolutely 🙌
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July so far...
✅ 2 projects delivered
🤝 1 project cancelled (but wrapped up smoothly thanks to a clear contract and good communication)
📦 New packaging work already in progress
☕ Plenty of coffee
Actually nothing booked for August and reaching out to get new clients!
A good reminder that not every project is meant to be finished.
Having the right processes in place makes the highs (and the unexpected lows) a lot easier to get through.
I built Varelo into a small agency. A team of 4.
I thought that was the goal. It sounds good when you say it out loud. "I run a team." "I have people working for me." For a while I believed that was the version of this business I actually wanted.
Then I looked at the last few months and noticed something. I had barely designed anything myself. The team did the design work. I did project management, client calls, keeping things moving. All useful, none of it the reason I started this in the first place.
So I sat with that for a while and got honest with myself. What I actually love is sitting with a client, understanding their vision, and turning that into something real. A website, a brand, a feeling. That process is the entire reason I got into this. Not managing a team. Not scaling headcount. The making.
So I am going back to that. Varelo is becoming a freelance studio again, me doing the design work directly with clients, not handing it off and checking in later.
If you are a business owner with a real vision for your website and you want to work directly with the person actually designing it, not passed between account managers, send me a message. Let's see if we are a fit.
Well done… praying you get the best out of this decision 🤗
Congratulations on the milestone! One thing that stood out to me is your point about completed projects becoming a different kind of proof. It's a great reminder that consistency, delivering quality work, and earning trust matter just as much as having a polished portfolio.
9 years of design. First Contra Labs project. Here's what happened.
A week ago I got accepted into Contra Labs as a Brand Designer. This week I completed my first paid project through it.
What's changed since my last post:
Discovery score is now 122, top 5% of creatives...
