The network for creativity
Join 1.25M professional creatives like you
Connect with clients, get discovered, and run your business 100% commission-free
Creatives on Contra have earned over $150M and we are just getting started
Back to feedPost
Moving into professional services is one of the most humbling transitions. Doesn't matter where you come from.
Corporate? You had a title, a team, structure. Now you're pitching yourself like none of it happened.
Business owner? You were the boss. Now you're managing five clients who all feel like your boss.
Both paths lead to the same place. Starting over in ways you didn't expect.
And both hit the same wall. Without systems for how you find work, onboard clients, and stay visible, things don't get easier. You just survive week to week.
The shift for me came when I stopped improvising and built structure around the basics. Finding work, onboarding, staying connected. I'm still figuring it out, but that changed everything.
The network for creativity
Join 1.25M professional creatives like you
Connect with clients, get discovered, and run your business 100% commission-free
Creatives on Contra have earned over $150M and we are just getting started
Related posts
me because i now work for myself again but i'm onboarding new clients, as i'm figuring out how i want operations to be managed, as i'm trying to do my taxes as i also need to actually do the work i'm being paid to doooo 😭😭😭😭 #help
Landing that first client is arguably the steepest part of the freelance journey. It’s the classic "chicken and egg" scenario: you need projects to build a portfolio, but you need a portfolio to land projects.
At Onfer Studio, we realized that the secret isn’t waiting for the perfect opportunity; it’s creating the evidence yourself:
Treat yourself as a client: Build your own brand with the same rigor you’d apply to a high-ticket contract.
Concept projects: If you don't have the client yet, solve a real-world problem for a brand you love and showcase your workflow.
Leverage trust: Often, that first "yes" comes from someone who already knows your work ethic, not just your CV.
It’s tough, and the ghosting/rejection phase is real. But once you break that first barrier, the momentum takes over.
I really can't wait to break the first barrier
Working with US 🇺🇸 and World clients as a designer from Argentina 🇦🇷 changed me more than I expected.
🤔 What’s something you had to adjust when working with clients abroad?
I thought the challenge would be the design itself. Bigger brands, faster timelines. But that wasn’t the hard part, it was communication.
I remember replying to emails with things like, “I’ll try to have it by Friday.” To me, that meant commitment. But over time I realized that in most abroad teams, that sounds uncertain. They don’t want “I’ll try.” They want “Yes, confirmed.”
It’s not about being cold. I had to adjust and be more direct. Once I did, everything flowed better.
Working across cultures hasn’t just made me better at design, but made me more decisive and more confident in how I communicate.
Thats interesting! any other insights you've had?
Trending
maxearnings
The next frontier of payments is live on Contra. How are you maximizing revenue?
micrographics
Micrographics started as utility - barcodes, packaging, instruction labels. How would you use them?
aidesignflow
AI tools are redefining how designer work. What does your workflow look like?
aivideo
AI video tools are moving at warp speed. What tools are you using?
whennotai
As AI accelerates, creative judgment matters more. What part of your work stays human?