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July so far...
β
2 projects delivered
π€ 1 project cancelled (but wrapped up smoothly thanks to a clear contract and good communication)
π¦ New packaging work already in progress
β 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.
greatππ
what tip can you give to someone new on this platform
Love the transparency! Just curious, how do you usually reach out to new clients when your schedule is open?
Well it's very difficult now that they have closed my Fiverr account, because I was reached out more often there than I do here hahaha on Contra, I check open jobs and just apply to the ones that resonate the most! Hopefully something lands.
hahaha let's get them!!
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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Does anyone actually use client portals?
I think they can be really useful, but only when they are simple.
Clients usually do not want another complicated tool. They just want one place to find files, updates, feedback, and approvals without searching through email or WhatsApp.
What has your experience been? Do your clients actually use a portal?
Keeping files, feedback, updates, and approvals in one simple portal sounds ideal. Which of those four do your clients struggle to find most often?
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.
Thats a decision only a vision owned man can make, i understand and feel your point, big respect!
a piece of advice from a designer who started at 12 and is still figuring it out at 21:
the work matters. but so does the rest.
take breaks.
go outside.
close the laptop.
stop waiting until the project is done to feel okay. it's never fully done.
charge what you're worth. say no to bad fits.
pick clients you actually want to work with.
learn the idea behind the design.
learn the offer.
learn why it works.
and talk to people. other designers, other freelancers, people doing something completely different.
it helps more than any course.
you don't have to have it all figured out at 21. or 25.
or ever, probably.
just keep showing up and doing good work.
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