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One of the nice things about being a freelancer is preparing invoices for clients at the end of the month 😁😁
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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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
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.
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
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