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Freelancing isn’t just about delivering work—it’s about managing relationships. One key tip is to set clear boundaries early, especially with demanding or toxic clients. Not every client is a fit, and learning to say “no” professionally protects your energy and your work quality.
Retention comes from consistent communication, delivering value, and under-promising but over-delivering. For beginners, the biggest lesson is patience: growth takes time, mistakes happen, but every experience teaches you how to handle clients better and build a sustainable freelance career.
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
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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.
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
Current mood: Survived another project. ☕️😅
Just finished a deep-dive content strategy project, and I have three major takeaways for my fellow freelancers:
Clients can smell fear. (Just kidding... mostly.)
Always clarify 'ASAP'—because my ASAP and their ASAP are rarely the same time zone.
Taking a real lunch break actually makes the afternoon work better. Revolutionary, I know.
What’s a lesson you have to re-learn every single project?" 🤔
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