Madi 💫
The most common question I hear from freelancers, both those new to independent work, and those with years of experience, is: how do I find quality clients?
It's a great question, and one that doesn't have a straightforward answer.
New freelancers often flock to popular freelance platforms to find work, but those opportunities are usually short-lived and underpaid. To find meaningful work, you have to invest in making connections.
A long-term client is worth more than multiple short-term clients. Long-term and recurring clients are the people who will keep coming back to your services, and refer you to future opportunities.
The experts know best: In Contra's State of Independence report, Moe Amaya, co-founder of Monograph, had this to say:
While initial client leads are the hardest to get, all my subsequent leads came from existing client referrals. Do good work and build relationships.
Do good work and build relationships 👏 Period.
One of our favorite phrases at Contra is: Your network is your net worth 🤝
What does that mean, exactly? It doesn’t mean going out and networking 🤮 It means, like Moe said, building relationships.
Networking doesn’t have to be dull and stale; you can connect with people who you get along with and who do the work you do (or aspire to do.)
The most important thing is to know what you are looking for in a community. Ask yourself the following questions:
For freelancers, it can be hard to find community, since a lot of the work is done solo. Here are three ideas for meeting other independent workers
Remember: opportunities come and go, but the relationships you build stay with you.
Keep in touch with past clients and check in with them periodically to see if they need anything that you can help with. Do the same with your freelance friends.
Let people know when you have availability for projects. Past clients and other freelancers are great people to work with, and to get referrals from.
On the flip side, when you have too many projects coming your way, or projects that don't fit your skillset: refer those opportunities to your own network! Pay it forward and maintain that good freelancer karma 🌀
2021