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Your network is made of humans, not leads.
Want to know the best way to land clients? Is to stop forcing it.
My approach to life, even outside of my career, has been to try to add value and support to everyone around me.
Surprisingly, this has been the approach that has led me to unexpected clients multiple times over.
Networking is about being helpful and thoughtful.
Try it out! Either way, being a thoughtful person as well as a dependable freelancer is just as important.
I agree! I think a lot of people forget that relationships come before results. When you focus on genuinely supporting others instead of trying to “convert” them, the right opportunities seem to show up naturally.
Always so grateful for your support!
Thank you Destina 🙌
This is such a great post Amanuel!
It’s so true. The help-first approach has always worked better for me than chasing leads!
But how do you put that into practice when meeting someone new?
It always depends on the context I think. But if the conversation naturally flows towards work and you see a connection, then a follow up message asking to view their project or website is a good approach.
Yes
Glad it helped! Honestly, it’s one of those small mindset shifts that changes everything.
Great insight Amanuel!
Thank you Anastasia
I love the authenticity Amanuel - I love taking a human-centered approach and appreciate you championing this in your work. 🔥
Really appreciate that, thank you! I truly believe the human-centered approach wins long-term, both in work and relationships.
Absolutely well presented
Thank you Khunsa 🙏
Very very true! Totally agree it’s so valuable, great insight Amanuel
Thank you, I really appreciate that! I’ve found that focusing on being genuinely helpful and human in how we connect creates much stronger opportunities than any hard pitch ever could. Glad it resonated with you 🙌
Nice insight, Amanuel!
Thank you Haries 🔥
This is so real! Building a reputation around whatever network you can as THE person to go to for design is a great way to land clients. And most of the time, if you trust the process, the universe will land you your best projects in unexpected times. 😉
Love that, and I couldn’t agree more. Becoming the “go-to” person through consistent quality and reliability beats chasing attention. Appreciate you adding this perspective 😉
Yeah, going solely with the goal of leads and closing them doesn't build relationships
Exactly! Opportunities follow the connection.
Love this mindset. Networking works best when it’s real and adding value always comes back around!
Really appreciate that and I’m with you.
Great👍
Thank you Shahid 🙌
This is gold right here! Treating people like humans first and leads second is the real secret sauce. Your approach is so refreshing Amanuel.
Thank you! That really means a lot.
Exactly what I say to all of my friends!
"Price is what you pay, value is what you get."
Absolutely! It never gets old because it’s always true.
This is the kind of advice that sounds obvious, but only clicks after you live it.
People can feel when they’re being treated like a lead versus a human. The funny part is that once you stop chasing outcomes and just show up helpful and dependable, work finds you anyway.
Feels...
Exactly! You said it perfectly.
This is such a great post Amanuel!
Thank you very much 🙌
Interesting!
This is so true and such an important point of view. Great post!
Thank you very much 🙌
Your work is on another level! The way you handle visual hierarchy and editorial flow is exactly what I’ve been studying lately. I see your profile as a benchmark for where I want to be as a designer. consider me a huge fan and student of your process!
That truly means a lot 😍 thank you for the generous words. I’m still learning and refining my process every day, so hearing that it’s helping or inspiring others is a big win for me. Keep studying, keep building your own style and level will come faster than you think 🙌
thanks Amanuel
Aapki bat se m sahmat hu. Jabardasti krne se hum apne hi telent ki beizzati kr baithte h. Naa ki samne wale ke dil m apne hunor ki ahmilyat samjha pate h..
Wow this looking good
Giving value is so underrated but its a great way to showcase your expertise. Thanks for sharing this was really helpful.
Appreciate that! Thank you 🙌
Couldn’t agree more! Well said
Thank you, Yanis 🙌
This is the kind of mindset that builds both trust and long-term work.
Yes, that's true.
i am currently doing this...i hope it turns out well
Wishing you all the best, Onamma 🙌
thank you!
i am currently doing this, i hope it turns out well
Please can you enlighten me more on how your got client 🙏🙏
@Amanuel G. Really to the point and insightful!
ngl, this is kinda dope
This is so true. The best projects I’ve seen come from trust built over time, not forced pitching. Being helpful and dependable compounds in ways you don’t always see immediately. Great reminder
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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10+ real-estate websites later, I’m still trying to solve the same problem:
How do you turn good work into actual clients?
Over the past year, I’ve been building my freelance journey through platforms like Upwork and Contra.
I’ve built my portfolio.
Created mobile-responsive experiences.
Designed premium real-estate experiences.
Built landing pages, property platforms, dashboards and full-stack web applications.
And I’ve continuously improved my work.
But I haven't closed my first freelance client yet.
That has forced me to question almost everything.
Is it my positioning?
My outreach?
My proposals?
My visibility?
The platforms?
Networking?
Timing?
Or some combination of all of them?
The more I explore freelancing, the more I realize that technical ability is only one part of the equation.
Building is one game. Distribution is another. Trust is another. Networking is another.
And there is no perfect formula.
I’ve received plenty of familiar advice along the way improve your profile, send more proposals, network, stay consistent.
But what I’ve been looking for is something deeper:
What actually makes a stranger trust a freelancer?
Why do some conversations turn into opportunities while others disappear?
How important are relationships and referrals?
How much does timing matter?
And what are successful freelancers doing that isn't obvious from their public profiles?
I’m still figuring that out.
Meanwhile, I’m continuing to build.
Some of the work I've created:
• Auram Estates
• Aurelia Estate
• Noctara Residences
• Aurora Orbit Explorer
• Urban Threads Studio
These are my own projects and experiments built to demonstrate what I can create.
My focus is real-estate businesses: agents, brokers, builders, developers, investors and agencies looking for premium websites, landing pages, property platforms, dashboards or full-stack web applications.
I'm currently open to working with real-estate businesses.
And if you're a freelancer who has already crossed the gap between “I can build” and “people actually pay me to build” I'd genuinely like to hear what changed for you.
No generic advice.
What actually worked?
Freelancers, you probably don't need another skill.
You probably need to get better at the skill you already sell.
I see freelancers constantly adding:
Another tool.
Another certification.
Another service.
Another platform.
And somehow, their profile still isn't getting the attention they want.
At some point, learning more becomes a distraction from getting better at what you're already offering.
For me, that's been a big lesson with online course creation.
Knowing Kajabi, Thinkific, Teachable, Podia or another platform is useful.
But knowing how to actually structure a course, organize the student experience, build the website and make everything work together is what really matters.
So I'm curious:
Would you rather become really good at ONE service or offer 5 different services?
I'm choosing one. 👇
The hardest part of freelancing isn’t the design work. It’s the silence.
Proposals left on read. Client budgets vanishing. Weeks where the pipeline looks completely empty.
If you’re a freelancer sitting in that quiet space right now, feeling like your skills aren't landing, take a breath. It’s a cycle, not a permanent address.
The market doesn't owe us clients, but our persistence will always beat a temporary slump. When the inbound work slows down, use the room to build:
🛠️ Build that passion project you've parked.
📱 Redesign an app you hate using.
🔄 Revamp your own portfolio.
The best projects usually show up right after you stop panicking and start building for yourself.
To my fellow freelancers: What are you working on while waiting for the next big client? Drop it below, let’s look at each other’s work. 👇
