How to start freelancing THIS WEEK

If you've been thinking about quitting your job and starting a freelance business, this video could be the spark.

I'm going to show you exactly how to go um from no clients and no clarity to a high value, scalable and sustainable

freelance business in seven days or at least how to get started. and not in like a theoretical uh motivational kind of way, but in a

step-by-step um here's exactly what to do each day kind of way. I'm going to show you uh the tools that you can implement, the strategies that you're going to be employing, the templates,

offers, and systems that six-figure freelancers are using right now um to build their businesses. No fluff, no uh

you know fake just believe in yourself type papum. Just real strategy for

type papum. Just real strategy for people who want to make money uh who want to work for themselves and who want to get going on this stuff, who who want to get going now, not a few months from

now. This is a proper master class. I

now. This is a proper master class. I

have no idea how long it's going to be, but it's going to be long. It's free.

It's detailed. It's deep. and it's

everything that I wish I had when I started freelancing. So, here's what

started freelancing. So, here's what we're going to cover. Uh, you'll learn how to pick a freelance niche that people actually pay for. Uh, you're

going to learn how to craft a freelance offer that feels like a no-brainer to your clients, how to create a portfolio even if you have zero client work, how

to land your first freelance job fast, and how to build a system um that helps you replace your 9 toive income without burning out. And more importantly,

burning out. And more importantly, you'll get the mindset shifts um that are going to help you finally stop asking for permission and start

building something that's actually yours. This is for people um who are

yours. This is for people um who are still in a job uh but are maybe dreaming of starting their own thing, building their own their own asset. Maybe you're

a designer, writer, marketer, a developer, a VA, a strategist. Or maybe

you're in sales, uh, or or a coordinator at a at a big corporation. Maybe you're

already on the freelancing side, but you don't have systems yet, or you've been thinking about starting. You're you're

already in that camp. Um, but you're paralyzed because you don't have the information uh that that's needed to simplify this process for you. This

video is going to walk you through that launch process. You'll leave with a road

launch process. You'll leave with a road map, but more importantly, you're going to leave with the confidence to take real action this week. I'm going to give you uh homework for each day of the

week. Um so that at the end of this

week. Um so that at the end of this process, you've got something that's actually going to work for you. Here's

the thing most people get wrong about freelancing. um they think they need a

freelancing. um they think they need a perfect website or a thousand followers on social media or a personal brand before they can make money. Not true. In

fact, I lasted 15 years in my freelance business without any of those things, without a website, without social media, without a personal brand online. What

you need is a clear offer, a valuable problem to solve, and a way to get in front of the right people to to position

that offer um in front of the right people. Freelancing isn't about building

people. Freelancing isn't about building a huge operation and a bunch of systems overnight. It's about building um a tiny

overnight. It's about building um a tiny system that gets you that first $1,000 client who then becomes a $2,000 client and then that leads to your $5,000

client. And then before you know it,

client. And then before you know it, you're free. So, you're ready to start.

you're free. So, you're ready to start.

Let's dive into day one. We're going to figure out uh exactly what kind of freelancer you're going to be. Oh, and

if you don't know me uh and you're wondering why the hell you should take my word for it, hi, I'm Jamie. I've been

freelancing for 16 years now, pro a little over 16 years now. I've grown a community of over half a million freelancers um on social media uh giving them advice on how to grow successful,

sustainable businesses. We have a

sustainable businesses. We have a freelancing program with over a thousand freelancers in there building their businesses together. A lot of my content

businesses together. A lot of my content is based on my experiences working uh for clients like Google and Netflix, but more importantly with dozens of other clients that nobody's ever heard of, mom

and pop shops and, you know, boring B2B companies um that that are more fun to work with and pay better than those those big guys. Anyways, okay, let's get going. Let's start with day one,

going. Let's start with day one, choosing your freelance lane. This is

how you decide what kind of freelancer you're going to be based not on the service that you provide, but on what problem you solve. You don't have to

have the perfect idea to get you started here, but you do need to decide um what kind of freelance work you're going to do and who you're going to do it for.

Here's how most new freelancers mess this up. they pick something um too

this up. they pick something um too vague like graphic designer um or something too broad like anything creative. That's how you end up saying

creative. That's how you end up saying yes to a bunch of work that you don't want and nobody um really knows like what good you are or like what you're there for. It also

makes um lead generation an absolute So, let's fix that. The best

freelance businesses um start with problem first thinking.

Business is the exchange of money for solutions to problems. And the more specific the problem you solve or the more painful the problem you solve, uh

the easier it is to find clients and the more you get to charge for it. So

instead of asking what services do I want to offer, ask what real world problems can I solve uh with the thing

that I specialize in and who wants those problems solved? Who's actively

problems solved? Who's actively searching for a solution to those problems? This is how you move from a

problems? This is how you move from a generic uh service provider to an easy yes. So,

grab a blank sheet of paper or open up a doc on your computer or something um and start by answering this first. What

skills do I already have that could help someone make money, save time, or remove risk? Those are the three things that

risk? Those are the three things that any client is actually going to be buying from you. And then the next thing that you're going to write down uh in that dock or on that piece of paper is

where have I already solved problems like this before? Um even if it's at your 9 to5. This could be writing, design, uh strategy, ops, uh marketing,

editing, doesn't matter. And then

finally, the last thing that you're going to write down is who do I naturally understand? Who do I naturally

naturally understand? Who do I naturally understand? um whether because you've

understand? um whether because you've worked with them or you've worked for them uh or you are them. This is your network. This is how you build trust and

network. This is how you build trust and this is how you scale a business quickly, right? This is going to be your

quickly, right? This is going to be your edge. A few uh common newbie mistakes to

edge. A few uh common newbie mistakes to avoid in this situation. Don't just pick your last job title um and try to sell

it as a service. It's uh it's lazy. It's

not going to work. Don't try and serve everyone, even if you technically could.

Again, specificity is rewarded, especially when you're getting started uh with a freelance business. And then

don't choose a niche um don't choose an avatar to solve problems for that isn't actively spending money. Um because

you're asking, you're entering a world of pain uh if if you go that route. And

always always always remember what we said at the beginning of this little section. People don't buy services. Uh

section. People don't buy services. Uh

they buy solutions to problems that they care about.

Oh, little extra credit. If you want to pressure test this idea fast, um go onto the job markets like Upwork or uh Fiverr

or Contra, what have you, um and search keywords related to the lane that you're thinking of choosing. Um ask, you know,

are people hiring for this? What kind of clients are posting RFPs uh like in Upwork for for something like this? What

words do they use um to describe their pain, to describe the problem that they're trying to solve? If you want, you can enlist Chat GPT in this effort.

Um just literally like copy and paste some RFPs, put it into ChatGpt and say, "This is what I'm trying this is what I'm trying to do here. Can you can you help me kind of map out um you know what

the what the most common problems are here uh for this niche? By the end of day one, uh you win if you have a working hypothesis for what your freelance lane

is going to be. Not your forever niche, not your dream brand that you want to work with, just a clear direction of where you're headed here because clarity creates momentum. Uh and momentum beats

creates momentum. Uh and momentum beats perfect every time. So, let's give you some homework for day one. First thing,

write down what skills you want to monetize. What is it that you know how

monetize. What is it that you know how to do that you want to put to work against a particular problem? Next,

brainstorm uh three to five types of people or businesses um that you want to help solve a problem. And I would, if I

were you, prioritize uh, you know, industries that are over represented in your network, right? If

you've got a bunch of friends and family in one industry, I'd give that industry a hard look because you're likely going to grow there um, much faster than if you just picked something that you've

got no network in. And then finally, choose one lane to commit to for the rest of this week, this 7-day uh, sprint to starting a freelance business. choose

one problem that you're going to solve, right? And tomorrow on day two, we'll

right? And tomorrow on day two, we'll take this positioning and turn it into an offer uh that makes it very easy for clients to draw a line from spending

money with you to getting some sort of a return on that investment, which is what you're looking for. We don't need to make this any harder than than it needs to be. All right, day two. Let's build

to be. All right, day two. Let's build

your freelance offer. Let's take um that niche from yesterday and turn it into an offer that people actually want to pay for. Here's what most freelancers say

for. Here's what most freelancers say when you ask what they offer. Uh if they even understand what an offer is, they'll say, "Oh, I do graphic design."

Or, "Yeah, nice to meet you. I build

websites." Or, you know, "What do you do?" "Oh, I I make logos."

do?" "Oh, I I make logos."

But when when they say that, I'll I'll let you in on a little secret. Here's

what clients hear. They hear, "Oh, I'm generic."

generic." Or, "Oh, I'm replaceable." Um, or uh, uh, I'm hard to justify at a premium.

Right? I, you don't need to spend that much money on me. I'm a commodity. Uh,

day two is about fixing that. It's about

turning your skill set into a solution because people don't buy services as we know from day one. They buy solutions.

They buy outcomes. Uh clients aren't hiring you for your skill. They're

hiring you to fix a business problem. So

ask yourself, what's the pain uh this client's trying to eliminate? And what's

the result that they would happily pay for? This is how you go from freelancer

for? This is how you go from freelancer to valuable business asset uh or as I like to put it, strategic partner. So,

let's build a minimum viable offer, something simple, um, sellable, profitable.

Use this three-part formula. Uh, first,

what problem do you solve?

Second, for whom do you solve that problem? And third, to what result do

problem? And third, to what result do you solve that problem? Let's write

those down.

You can either pause the video now and fill in those blanks now um or or do it after, but but flag that. That's a very important formula. What problem do you

important formula. What problem do you solve for who and to what result? Now,

here's how I've seen that play out just to give you some examples. Here's a good one. I write launch emails for new SAS

one. I write launch emails for new SAS products to help drive early traction.

Uh, another freelancer, I build notion dashboards for consultants who need to clean up their workflow or I do product photography for small e-commerce brands

so they stop losing um, attention on their landing page. You should be able to say your offer in 10 seconds or less like you're explaining it uh, to a buddy at a bar. If you need a paragraph to

explain what you do, uh, your offer is not ready yet. You got to simplify that bad boy. I guess at at this stage of the

bad boy. I guess at at this stage of the week, it we we might as well talk about rate as well. Um about about how to

price an offer. Here's a tip that you're not going to find in most freelancing videos. Um don't price what

freelancing videos. Um don't price what you what the market says you should price. Heavy air quotes on the market.

price. Heavy air quotes on the market.

Um, don't price what you need to survive. Uh, price what it would cost

survive. Uh, price what it would cost you to subcontract the job and live off the margin. Right? So, do a little

the margin. Right? So, do a little research to figure out how much it would cost you to hire another freelancer at your skill level um to get the job done

and then put a percentage on top of that uh that would get you the margin that you need uh to to live. So, if you want

to make 80K and you can take on um 40 projects a year, it's it's like a small productized offer um and you want a 25%

buffer for margin, you're not taking projects under $2,500.

Pricing this way gives you room to grow and it helps you build um what's called a business instead of building what's called a job, right? Because if you only

make money when you're at work, then you don't own a business, you own a job. You

need something that doesn't rely on you being at the desk to generate income.

Let's make this real world, though, because you may make that calculation and think, "Nobody's going to pay me that much money uh as I'm getting started." Or you might take a look at

started." Or you might take a look at your network and say, "I've got no direct path to somebody that can pay me that much money in these first three months." That's fine. Think of this

months." That's fine. Think of this number as it's it's a goal. It's that's

the direction you're heading with your price. Maybe just put it at the top of

price. Maybe just put it at the top of the bracket when you present a budget range to a client. Just always remember when you're negotiating a budget to to negotiate the scope of work and not your

fee, but that's a whole other video. Um,

and then my last point on that topic is um, you know, don't price your wallet, price your clients. So, you know, if you're looking at your network and

you're thinking, gosh, who would pay that for for this? You'd be surprised, right? So, don't don't give up before

right? So, don't don't give up before you even get started here. Like, have a couple app bats at at that number, at that floor rate, what it would cost you to hire a subcontractor and and still

make your margin. Test it. See see what happens. All right, back to um

happens. All right, back to um talking about your offer. If you want to sound like an expert, uh here's kind of

a a a pro tip. Give your service a structure. Like give it give it some

structure. Like give it give it some branding, right? Like uh like a

branding, right? Like uh like a three-phase launch email system or brand clarity sprint or the visual upgrade

package, right? Um most freelancers have

package, right? Um most freelancers have a process uh but they don't they don't name it. Um, and when you name it, you

name it. Um, and when you name it, you own it. You're planting your flag in it.

own it. You're planting your flag in it.

It makes you look 10 times more professional. And if you can name it in

professional. And if you can name it in a way that conveys, you know, exactly what it is, uh, it's a it's an excellent kind of expert form of communication,

how how to how you communicate your uh, efficacy to a client. All right. So

today's homework, uh, your job today on day two is to package your offer in a way that's clear and valuable. So answer

these questions. What service are you offering? One. Two, who's it for? Three,

offering? One. Two, who's it for? Three,

what specific result does it deliver?

Four, what's the minimum you need to charge to hit your goals? And five, can you name your process or framework in a

simple way? Write your offer down using

simple way? Write your offer down using that fill-in- thelank sentence. I I

solve blank problem for blank person to blank result. And then get to work on

blank result. And then get to work on pricing and framework. And then on day three, tomorrow, uh we'll take this offer and turn it into a system. So you

can deliver great work without burning out because that's that's a crucial component to this whole thing is you want to be delivering uh you know at

phenomenal work um that encourages repeat business. All right, day three.

repeat business. All right, day three.

We're going to call this day design your process.

Today, you're going to build a simple, professional freelance process that makes clients trust you. Even if you have no clue, even if you've never done

this before, most freelancers waste weeks, if not months, on things that don't matter, uh, like a,

you know, like a banging portfolio or a website or if you can believe it, still business cards. But what you really need

business cards. But what you really need to book clients is a basic system like what happens when the client says yes.

How do you keep things moving? How do

you deliver in a way that inspires trust for future work? Which is the goal. The

foundation of any successful freelance business isn't landing new clients. It's

landing repeat clients. Uh that's where you get the trophy. So today we're going to build that. And no, you don't need fancy software. Um, you just need

fancy software. Um, you just need clarity. So, let's get on that. Stage

clarity. So, let's get on that. Stage

one, it's called onboarding. Onboarding

is what happens uh after a client says yes and before you do any work. You need

to make this experience smooth, confident, and repeatable. Um, as

humans, we remember the beginnings and the ends of things. So, this is the beginning of your working relationship with a client. You want to make it memorable for the right reasons. You

want to make it, you want to uh encourage them uh get them excited that they just hired made a fantastic hire.

So, here's what to include in this stage. First, a welcome message. Uh this

stage. First, a welcome message. Uh this

could be an email form or a Loom if you want to personalize it a little bit.

Dealer's choice. Next would be uh an intake questionnaire. Uh I've seen

intake questionnaire. Uh I've seen people use Type Form for this, a Google form, uh Notion as well. Um, and you use that to gather inputs from the client,

the things that you're going to need for the project, whether that be assets, billing information, contact information for, you know, relevant parties. U, it's

going to be different for every for every type of service and in every offer. And then lastly, um, you wanted

offer. And then lastly, um, you wanted the you want to deliver a kickoff date and a delivery timeline. And this is a production schedule um that includes when they're going to be seeing things.

uh that that they're going to need to assess and deliver you notes on and when their notes are due, right? It's it's a schedule. It's it's not just what you're

schedule. It's it's not just what you're on the hook for, but it's what they're on the hook for, too. When assets are due, when notes are due, um you know, and and what happens when any of that

changes, like if they're two days late on their notes, you know, that could have a week a week long impact on the final delivery schedule, right? So, you

want to get everybody on the same sheet of music about their responsibilities there. Pro tip, they don't expect fancy

there. Pro tip, they don't expect fancy here. They expect clarity. All right?

here. They expect clarity. All right?

So, keep this stuff as short and simple as possible. Remember, they're entering

as possible. Remember, they're entering a new world by working with you. You're

the expert. This is your realm. Um, they

don't know all the jargon. They don't

know, you know, the ins and outs of your of your profession. You want to keep it as simple and as as not terrifying to them as as humanly possible. So after,

you know, all said and done on the on the sales call front and and you know, payment comes in, just send a short email that says like, "Awesome, you know, I I'll send you a Google form today and and grab everything I need and

I'll have a first draft of you buy whatever, you know, check the production schedule attached." that makes you

schedule attached." that makes you instantly sound legit. Like, no jargon, no paragraphs of right? Those

are just all $2 words. Um, and you're you're letting them know what's coming down the pike. All right. Stage two of your process is pre-production. And

pre-production is all about um getting aligned before you waste time building something that's off strategy. This is

where you confirm the goal of the project. Ask clarifying questions about

project. Ask clarifying questions about their audience or tone or their brand.

Share examples, um, samples or references to make sure that you guys are all on the same page when it comes to implementation. Think of this as your

to implementation. Think of this as your like quality insurance step, right? It's

how you prevent those awkward like, oh, this isn't this isn't what we were this isn't what we were hoping for conversations, right?

that that a lot of a lot of creatives uh you know desperately try to avoid in the early days. Get their sign off on

early days. Get their sign off on direction here um before moving on to the next step. Uh you want approval on pre-production. I always tell my

pre-production. I always tell my clients, you know, I want to iterate on the cheap side of this project, right?

because it's it's very easy to iterate um and handle notes when we're like working with a draft like a pencil sketch. Um and it's a lot more costly in

sketch. Um and it's a lot more costly in time and dollars to iterate uh on the other side of the project when everything's been produced and

everything's locked. Um, you know, and

everything's locked. Um, you know, and and changing something uh means, you know, unpacking all this work that's already been done, making that small change, and then redoing all the work

that you'd already done. Stage three of your process is production. And this is where the work happens. And this is also where most freelancers disappear. You

don't need to update your client, you know, every hour. Um, but you do need to keep them confident that the project's moving. there's a lot of invisible work

moving. there's a lot of invisible work that's likely going to be done um that you know is happening but your client doesn't know what's happening. So to

them they just dropped a bunch of money in your lap um signed off on you know uh pre-production and then you disappeared.

So let's hedge against that in this stage and include uh a midpoint check-in. You know just send them

check-in. You know just send them something like hey this is just a quick update. Everything's on track. we're

update. Everything's on track. we're

going to get you uh delivery on Thursday and and when that happens, you'll have 3 days. Uh standby. We're working hard for

days. Uh standby. We're working hard for you. And then also what helps is just a

you. And then also what helps is just a basic project tracker. So they can they they don't have to rely on your communication. They can just check in

communication. They can just check in whenever they want. Um this can be hosted on a notion or a Trello uh or even just kind of a an automated email that you send with a checklist. Pro tip,

go ahead and create that checklist um of steps for for each problem you solve, for each thing that you offer. Make that

checklist now so you don't have to do it every time uh you land a new client. All

right, stage four. Um the final stage in your process is delivery.

The project isn't done when the file is sent. the project is done when the

sent. the project is done when the client feels like the job was handled end to end, right? So, here's what to

include here. Obviously, a final file

include here. Obviously, a final file delivery um you know, in a nice clean Google folder or drive or, you know, transfer file, whatever, whatever, you

know, you want to use there. and then a wrap-up email that includes what you delivered, a short thank you, and then optionally, but you know, if if you're

asking me, uh, definitely a short pitch for the next gig, right? Um, this is something that you ideally have teased

during the project. Maybe you've had a quick 5, 10 minute meeting about it before delivery. Um, but you know,

before delivery. Um, but you know, what's the next thing? What's the next problem that they're likely going to be solving once you hand them this thing?

What is it that, you know, once once your client has the website, then what do they have to do? What's the next pro problem they have to solve to make more money or or save more time um or

mitigate more risk, right? Or once you hand them the logo, then what do they what are they going to do with that logo? What problem do they have now that

logo? What problem do they have now that you can solve? Um so in that final email, tease that next that next project. say, "Let's act." Oh, you know,

project. say, "Let's act." Oh, you know, I like to act as if it's almost we've already decided that we're going to go ahead with it, right? You know, I deliver the final and then say, "And

then let's let's schedule something for Thursday to chat about this." You know, just get it on their calendar. Optional

uh bonus things to do here at the delivery stage would be to ask for a testimonial. um you know if if you can

testimonial. um you know if if you can just send them a quick kind of guided link to you know hey answer these three questions and then th those answers are great you know for your testimonials and

you could also ask uh for a referral though that's not my favorite go-to um especially with a firsttime client.

Usually I'm asking for a referral on like the third or fourth project with a client but figured I'd add that into your your bonus moves here. So today's

homework, today's goal was to to create your your delivery process using four stages. So in a doc, um let's write

stages. So in a doc, um let's write those down. First, you know, item number

those down. First, you know, item number one, what happens when a client says yes? That's your onboarding stage. Item

yes? That's your onboarding stage. Item

number two, uh how will you align before you get started implementing? That's

your pre-production stage. Item number

three, what will your production flow look like? when will you update your

look like? when will you update your clients? Um, how are you internally

clients? Um, how are you internally going to go about delivering um this product? And then number four, how will

product? And then number four, how will you wrap the project professionally?

What does your delivery look like? I

want you to have this stuff buttoned up before you have your first client. Um,

you know, I don't want you laying this track in front of the train. I don't

want you thinking, you know, oh what what was I supposed to do here? and

like no, have it all written out. You

know, it's again, take that take that off your plate. Um, you know, you've got your process figured out. So, when you do land a client, uh, you just read the instructions. Okay, stage one, I'm going

instructions. Okay, stage one, I'm going to do this, and then stage two, I'm going to do this, and stage three, I'm going to do this, and stage four, I'm going to do this. And at the end of those four stages, uh, I'm going to have this client ready for a second project.

I'm going to get paid again. Don't build

something fancy. Just build something that works. You'll already be ahead of

that works. You'll already be ahead of 90% of freelancers. Trust me. Now,

tomorrow, day four, uh I'm going to show you how to create um an advanced portfolio, even if you've never worked with a client before. Um that's going to

be a major asset for you uh when it comes time to start generating your own leads. All right, day four. Today, we

leads. All right, day four. Today, we

are building a portfolio. No clients,

no problem. I'll show you how to build a portfolio uh that hooks attention and that gets results um so that we can remedy that whole no clients thing. Uh

if you're sitting around waiting for a client before you build a portfolio, you're likely going to be sitting there for a very long time because

it's tough. It's the the first few

it's tough. It's the the first few months of freelancing is tough. It's

tough to find your first few clients.

Um, it's nearly impossible to do it without any examples of what the end result of working with you looks like.

Most freelancers wait too long to build something that proves that they can actually do the thing um that they're asking for money for. And as a result,

they they feel really stuck and they feel helpless, essentially powerless um in this in this journey. and you know then they they head to the internet to

talk about it and it scares other people off from from ever getting started. So

uh let's let's fix this here. Here's the

truth. You don't need client work to prove your value. You just need evidence that you understand the problem that you're solving and can deliver a real

solution. And today

solution. And today we're going to build exactly that.

A portfolio isn't just a collection of screenshots. It's proof that you know

screenshots. It's proof that you know how to solve the problem that your leads, the people that you you want to

give you money, um are already thinking about. So, think of your portfolio as a

about. So, think of your portfolio as a set of case studies, not a gallery.

Right? There are there are a few very straightforward objectives that we're trying to hit here. Your goal is to show

what the problem was, what you did to solve it was, and what the outcome was.

And you can show this even if you made it up. That's the majesty of of personal

it up. That's the majesty of of personal projects.

If you don't have any client work yet, do this instead. Choose a realistic prompt from the real world and solve it.

So, for example, if you want to work with independent restaurants, um, redesign a local cafes signage and

menu. If you want to work with creators,

menu. If you want to work with creators, uh, write landing page copy for a course that doesn't exist yet. If you want to work with B2B startups, create an

onboarding sequence for a fake SAS product. If you're if you're coming up

product. If you're if you're coming up empty, um you know, if you can't think of anything, here's a pro tip. Go to

Upwork, um or go to Contra and scan the RFPs there, uh and and just act like you got one of those jobs and go do it. You

could also do these things for yourself, right? Treat yourself as the client. Let

right? Treat yourself as the client. Let

yourself be the case study. Um if that makes sense for your offer.

Here's how to frame personal projects like a pro. First and foremost, um, label it clearly. You don't want to try and pull one over on anybody. Uh, most

people looking at it will know. So, call

it out. Just say this is a personal concept project or spec work or, you know, uh, a problem solving sample. You

know, put some branding behind it, but label it clearly. Then explain who it's for, what the challenge was, and how how you approached it. Um,

and as a bonus, use like mock data or context from real world examples to make it feel grounded. So, you know, if you don't have primary data yet where, you

know, some freelancers who've been at it for a little bit will be able to say, "Hey, my clients see a 28% boost in XYZ when they do this." Right? So, you don't

have that yet. Um, but you do have the internet and you can do some secondary research and see what industry norms are. You know, usually if you include a

are. You know, usually if you include a VSSL on a landing page, what does that do um to click-through rate, you know, or you know, if let's go back to the

menu example for the restaurants. It's

like do the research to see what certain designs do what how they translate to um you know increased ticket sales or increasing the value of a table at the

restaurant. Clients don't care if you

restaurant. Clients don't care if you were paid for it. They care if it looks like you can solve their problem. Uh so

optimize for that. So where do we host this thing? Um don't get stuck building

this thing? Um don't get stuck building a website. All right. It's just like

a website. All right. It's just like unless you're a developer and it's like a you know an afternoon of work for you.

Um but likely if you're a developer you'll get precious with it and it'll be two months of work for you. Don't get

stuck, right? Keep it simple. My my

portfolio uh lived in a folder on Google for for the majority of my career. Other

people use Notion, some people use Figma. Uh some people use um the

Figma. Uh some people use um the LinkedIn featured section where they and they'll pin their best projects there.

That's an interesting move. But the

objective is getting this done as quickly as possible. Optimize for speed here. Uh choose choose one that makes

here. Uh choose choose one that makes sense for you. Oo, pro tip. Uh pair each sample with like a one paragraph case study. And if you can um add like a 30

study. And if you can um add like a 30 second loom explaining your process like how you how you worked through that problem just add a little personality to

the whole thing. So today's homework um choose one to two sample projects based on the problem that you solve um and the niche that you solve it for. Right? So

either come up with those on your own or or you know do your research on Upwork or Camp or what have you. um solve a real problem using your freelance skill

set. So just make make that thing today,

set. So just make make that thing today, right? Hopefully you're watching this

right? Hopefully you're watching this video in the morning. Make that thing in the next 24 hours. Uh don't get too precious with it. Just just make an example of your solution and then add,

like I said, a short write up, a a short paragraph. Who's it for? Um you know,

paragraph. Who's it for? Um you know, why you did the things you did and and what the results of that solution were.

And then finally, package it in a notion page or a Google folder or, you know, a LinkedIn resources or what have you.

Okay? Get all that done because tomorrow we're going to use this portfolio to activate your network. Um, and I'll show you how to start getting work from

people you already know using using these assets, even if uh and potentially especially if they don't seem like your ideal clients yet. All right, it's day

five and we're talking about activating your network. You don't need to find

your network. You don't need to find strangers to hire you. You just need to let other people that already know you

uh know how to send work your way. Most

freelancers start too cold. Here's what

most do when they start. um they build a portfolio, maybe post uh once or twice on LinkedIn and then start scouring job

boards like Upwork and Contra um where you're renting their lead generation efforts rather than, you know, going uh going to the effort of building your own

lead generation engine. And look, that can work. Um, but if you skip activating

can work. Um, but if you skip activating your network, you're missing out on the easiest way to land gigs when you're just getting started freelancing. Like,

bar none, hands down. So, today's goal is going to be simple. We're going to reach out to people who already know, like, and trust you, and we're going to give them a way to help. So, let's be

real. You already know people,

real. You already know people, and those people know people.

And if we want to be dramatic, those people know people. So, you're one introduction away from your first or next client, but only if they understand

um what you do and who you help. So, the

goal today isn't to beg for work. It's

to activate people who are already in your corner, who want to be supportive and turn them into your referral army.

Give them the words to use, give them the supplies uh to go out there and help you cuz that's what they want. So,

here's a simple, no cringe, as the kids would say, script uh that gets you leads without sounding desperate. Hey, name, I wanted to share something I'm working

on. I'm officially offering specific

on. I'm officially offering specific specific service for type of client to help with type of outcome. Uh, if you know anyone who could use help with that, feel free to connect us. No

pressure at all. You can just forward this email. Uh, just wanted to put it on

this email. Uh, just wanted to put it on your radar. So, what that might look

your radar. So, what that might look like uh for a for a designer, it could be like, "Hey, Jen just launched my freelance design offer. Um, I'm working with small food and beverage brands to

upgrade their packaging and product visuals. If you know anyone in that

visuals. If you know anyone in that world, I'd love an intro." And then you include a link to your notion or your Google Drive or wherever you decided to host those one or two examples of what

you do. Um, and and encourage them to

you do. Um, and and encourage them to just forward that email, right? There's

it's it's no effort on their part. they

get to help you for the low low price of clicking the forward button and typing in uh a friend's name. An an important thing to note here um this is not a mass

email blast. It's a targeted

email blast. It's a targeted um friendly check-in onetoone. So each

one of these emails should be constructed should should be handmade, right? Don't just copy paste. Uh, you

right? Don't just copy paste. Uh, you

want each one of these emails to feel personal, um, to reference personal things from your relationship with that person. You don't want them to feel like

person. You don't want them to feel like they just got a mass a mass text that 50 other people got. Start with um, old

co-workers, family members, friends, uh, past clients from any previous work, even your 9 to5. uh LinkedIn connections

who are active uh who you know internet buddies who you've had conversations with over the years. Make your goal to

send um like like 10 to 20 messages.

Definitely not one, definitely not 100, somewhere somewhere in the middle there, right? because you want to be optimizing

right? because you want to be optimizing for quality of messaging and make sure that you're actually activating members in your network who likely have a few

people that they could throw your way.

And then even if no one responds immediately, trust me, they're noticing.

They're they're keeping watch. Keep

these people warm. Um you can do that a number of ways. You can post uh projects to LinkedIn. Post strategies and

to LinkedIn. Post strategies and insights to LinkedIn. Uh we have a video on on the YouTube channel that has uh a lot more detailed LinkedIn tips. So

definitely go check that one out. It's

all about networking, I think, is is the video. Uh share client wins and

video. Uh share client wins and takeaways. comment on their content uh

takeaways. comment on their content uh on social media so they they get used to seeing your face um and they're recommended some of your posts on social and sending quick congrats when they

post big news. Remember, people want to help, but they forget your job is to remind them that you exist, but in a generous way, not in a needy way. You're

not, you know, Oliver Twist with the hat out, please can I have some work? Um

you're somebody who's out there making it happen. um and who's supporting them,

it happen. um and who's supporting them, you know, in in their journey and, you know, who who they're probably out there trying to find a way to support back.

Today's homework, uh first, yikes, write your three-part uh network message.

Second, make a list of 15 to 20 people that you can send it to. Third, send 10 messages today. um you know, reply to

messages today. um you know, reply to any warm leads right away. And then

finally, uh post one of your portfolio projects on LinkedIn or Instagram with a short caption that's just like, "Hey, just wrapped up this sample project. I'm

really excited to be kicking off this journey. Let me know if you know you

journey. Let me know if you know you know anyone who's trying to solve this problem, right?" Because remember,

problem, right?" Because remember, people are buying solutions to problems. They're not buying, you know, whatever whatever your portfolio piece was. And

then tomorrow, we're going to dig into cold leads. uh and how to use job boards

cold leads. uh and how to use job boards like a pro because a lot of people are are uh misusing and then I'll give you a copy uh paste template uh that we use to

actually get replies over on a on sites like Upwork. All right, day six. We're

like Upwork. All right, day six. We're

we're trudging right along here. Today

we're going to talk about using job boards uh without wasting a whole bunch of time. You don't need to live on

of time. You don't need to live on Upwork. Uh you just need to know how to

Upwork. Uh you just need to know how to use it the smart way. So, so you can land uh work without, you know, selling your soul or or at the very least without selling your your calendar.

Here's what everyone gets wrong about job boards. Most freelancers either

job boards. Most freelancers either spend hours scrolling through Upwork um and never reply to anything because they think they're unqualified or because

they're only getting, you know, like trash jobs on the Upwork feed. uh or

they apply to everything and they burn out after, you know, 15 ghosted proposals. Um you know that they never

proposals. Um you know that they never got a reply. They they they paid money for the connections and nothing. Uh

radio silence. So here's the truth.

Jobboards work um if you know how to use them strategically, not desperately. So today we're gonna

not desperately. So today we're gonna show you how to scan job boards the smart way. uh give you some DM messaging

smart way. uh give you some DM messaging tips uh for sounding like a human that can get the job done and help you

identify and win uh high trust jobs or and jobs that you know actually develop into bigger relationships with clients,

not just like race to the bottom gigs that you probably hear a lot about when people mention these platforms. Upwork, um Contra Fiverr.

These sites are all databases.

You can use them to see what kind of work people are actually hiring for. Um,

spy on pricing expectations, steal real world language for uh, your offer page, for your case studies, um, and for your messaging uh, when you reach out to

these people on on the platform. A pro

tip uh when it comes to searching on these platforms, don't just search by skill. Like so don't just like filter by

skill. Like so don't just like filter by graphic designer and then that's what you get. Search by problem, right? Like

you get. Search by problem, right? Like

uh like search for like launch strategy or customer onboarding or content repurposing like what you you get a

sense of the language that your ideal clients are using to find your solution.

um and search for that as opposed to what your service is. That's also where you're going to find the clients who know what they want, by the way. Uh and

those are the guys that are most likely to to pay uh real money for real help.

So, let's talk about how to apply once you find uh that that match, once you find that good job. Uh nobody wants to read a six paragraph proposal. In fact,

um you know, usually it's the shorter proposals that win. put yourself in the client's shoes. Um, and if you can, I I

client's shoes. Um, and if you can, I I advise that you actually do engage with Upwork as a client. Like po post a job on Upwork um to understand what it is

the client is experiencing. Um because,

you know, likely they've got 20 to 70 applications. Now, imagine you've got 40

applications. Now, imagine you've got 40 applications to get through and you open up application number 28 and it's six paragraphs long. Are you even going to

paragraphs long. Are you even going to bother at that point? are you just going to move on to the next one assuming that you know in those 40 applications a third of them probably would fit the

bill. Uh so you're just kind of looking

bill. Uh so you're just kind of looking for a vibe match at that point. So what

people are looking for in those proposals is confidence, clarity, um and a reason to book a call with that

freelancer. So use this uh cold pitch

freelancer. So use this uh cold pitch framework. Feel free this in in this

framework. Feel free this in in this instance it is a little more quantity over quality. So feel free to copy and paste something like this. Um

hi insert client name. Just read your listing. This sounds like something I'd

listing. This sounds like something I'd be great for. I've helped similar business or industry here. Uh solve

similar problem by doing quick summary of what you do. I have a few ideas just from reading the post. Would you be open to a quick call or a Loom walkthrough?

Right. So, what you've done there in what was that? Uh, one, two, literally three sentences um is in a short and confident way demonstrated that you have

a history of solving the problem they're trying to solve. Uh, and you've pushed the conversation ahead. Let's get on the phone, you know, let me get in the room with you. Um, so we can strategize

with you. Um, so we can strategize together. That way you can demonstrate

together. That way you can demonstrate what it's like working with you and what you're like as a strategic partner, right? because there's not much you can

right? because there's not much you can do with text in a message. You want to get them you want to get them on a phone or you want to at the very least uh get

get a loom sent over. If you apply to five to 10 jobs intentionally with that level of intentionality um where you're really getting you're really getting

specific about matching offer to need, you will get replies. You don't need 50 jobs. You don't need to shotgun blast up

jobs. You don't need to shotgun blast up work. Um, you just need two or three

work. Um, you just need two or three people to say, "Yeah, yeah, I think this guy gets it. I think this girl gets it.

I think I I think we should give this person a shot put under work." And

remember, on these platforms and and in life, once you land one job, you're no longer untested, right? You

now have a real world example of you um solving a problem. You have a testimonial, you have workflow, you have momentum. Um, and don't forget that on

momentum. Um, and don't forget that on uh, you know, any platform, uh, it's the people with the real world

examples that tend to win. It's the

people with the high review counts or or a good number of testimonials um, that that usually win. So, you know, if you

optimize for that uh from the get-go, uh you're going to do pretty pretty well. So, today's homework, um first,

well. So, today's homework, um first, pick one or two platforms to dominate, right? So, rather than try to get really

right? So, rather than try to get really good at them all, uh pick like Upwork and Contra. Um you know, and and go all

and Contra. Um you know, and and go all in on those two. understand how uh you know how those platforms work, what the clients are looking for, what the

platform rewards um and start optimizing. Search your niche on those

optimizing. Search your niche on those platforms um in the way we talked about.

Use the proposal template uh that we just discussed and apply to at least three jobs. All right, you got to do

three jobs. All right, you got to do that today. If possible, record a one

that today. If possible, record a one minute loom for each of those proposals.

um that says here's what I do. Uh here's

why and here's how fast I can get started. And you know, no pressure, but

started. And you know, no pressure, but like use use that one minute to demonstrate your personality a little bit. Uh you know, not not saying goof

bit. Uh you know, not not saying goof off or anything, but like you know, demonstrate that you're going to be a pleasure to work with. Um but above all that you're going to be an excellent

strategic partner, right? I mean,

honestly, by sending a loom, you're you're already standing above most uh most of the people they're probably engaging with. So, that's going to do a

engaging with. So, that's going to do a lot of that work for you. Um, but, you know, use use that opportunity to talk like a strategic a strategic partner

talks. All right. And now tomorrow, day

talks. All right. And now tomorrow, day seven, uh we'll take everything that you've built, your offer, your process, your sample work, um and launch your

freelance presence on social media. So

I'll show you how to use social to build trust, to build, uh you know, a lead generation essentially, not just to build a follow count and likes. uh cuz

there are people that have plenty of that that have none of what you're actually looking for over there. So, uh

get to it, do your homework, and uh I'll see you on day seven. Okay. Today, we're

going to make your freelance business real in the eyes of the internet. Let's

be honest, a lot of new freelancers are secretly freelancing. They're waiting

secretly freelancing. They're waiting until they have more clients uh or more work to tell the world uh what they're up to. But today's the day that you put

up to. But today's the day that you put it out there. You tell the world, "Here's what I'm offering. Here's who

I'm helping, and here's how to work with me." You're not begging. Uh you're just

me." You're not begging. Uh you're just making it easy for people to understand what it is you do and how to hire you, which is the important part. Um social

media isn't about being loud. It's about

being understood. Most people won't remember your job title, but they will remember your specialty. So instead of posting that you're available for freelance work um you know and you're

you're excited to be on this journey uh post about how you've helped e-commerce brands clarify their visual identity through strategy and design or you know

post about insights from that industry and how if you were to have a client that had this problem here's how you would solve it. Um, you know, and if anybody reading that post has this

problem, here's how what I would suggest you you do to to eliminate it. Use

hooks. Use a hook that calls out your client, their problem, and their dream outcome, right? So, somebody who's in

outcome, right? So, somebody who's in your ideal, your target niche, uh, will will stop what they're doing and watch the video or read the post because you

say, "Oh, oh, this this one's for me.

Let's see what this person has to say.

Okay, let's see if there's anything here that I can uh that I can pick up and put to work for my business. Let's talk

about what the post today. Here's your

launch post formula built for Instagram uh and LinkedIn called a three-part format. Uh the first is what you're

format. Uh the first is what you're offering. You know, after 5 years as a

offering. You know, after 5 years as a blank, I'm officially offering this service and here's the problem that I'm solving and here's how I'm solving it.

Right? again, money for solutions. Talk

about who it's for. Um, it's designed for this specific type of client. Uh,

you know, who are trying to solve this problem or hit this goal. And then talk about what to do next. If you're that person or you know that person, shoot me a DM. I'm happy to strategize. I'm happy

a DM. I'm happy to strategize. I'm happy

to talk talk tactics on this stuff with you. And then pair this with something

you. And then pair this with something visual. pair this with a piece from your

visual. pair this with a piece from your portfolio um from your ca one of your case studies or hell even just a picture of you. You know on LinkedIn that's more

of you. You know on LinkedIn that's more real estate. If you if you pair text

real estate. If you if you pair text with a photo you take up the whole screen right um it's more real estate and on Instagram I mean people are on Instagram for visuals so make something that's visually um attractive something

that people are going to want to look at. A lot of freelancers ask me what

at. A lot of freelancers ask me what platforms they should be active on. Um,

and it's probably not the answer that you want, but the answer is going to be different for every offer. Everybody's

got, you know, it's it the answer is it's whatever platform your ideal client is most active on, right? So, if that's LinkedIn, for most people it is

LinkedIn. Um, you know, great. That's

LinkedIn. Um, you know, great. That's

where you're going to go be valuable.

and post post, you know, content that's savable and sharable. The answer is Instagram. That's where you're going to

Instagram. That's where you're going to go be valuable and content and post content that's savable and sharable. But

the answer might be Reddit, right? So,

you go to Reddit and you play the game of Reddit. Um, the answer might be

of Reddit. Um, the answer might be Facebook. So, you go to Facebook and you

Facebook. So, you go to Facebook and you go uh get active in the appropriate Facebook groups for for your niche. And

the goal isn't to post every day. It's

to start building awareness and trust in the rooms that matter, right? get good

at that and then post every day. Uh

because once once you're good at that um you know then you can optimize for scale and for quantity and it is I mean there is a direct correlation between how much you put on social media and how much you

get back uh from that effort. So you

know when you're ready uh go for it. Um

but but until then master the art of being valuable on social media where your ideal clients are. Try this rhythm.

one launch post today uh that's very solution centric that's you know problem forward uh one project breakdown or mini

case study uh next week again you're not just posting a portfolio piece you're creating something of value uh from that portfolio piece something that people

will save and share uh and then one you know this is what I do who I help reminder post every two to three weeks and then in between those posts get

active in the comment sections uh that your industry is active in. That's where

the magic's really going to happen when you first get started on social media, right? The party's not on your page, the

right? The party's not on your page, the party's not on your posts. Um you have to go to where the party is and that's, you know, the top 25 influencers in your niche. Um you know who who are your

niche. Um you know who who are your ideal targets, who are your ideal uh target clients following and engaging with. go there and engage in those

with. go there and engage in those comment sections and be valuable in those comment sections a few times a day. Set aside, you know, three or four

day. Set aside, you know, three or four 15 minute blocks a day to go to that platform and and engage in in different comment sections. So, today's homework,

comment sections. So, today's homework, uh, write and post your launch announcement on whatever social platform you've deemed uh, most

active in your niche. DM your network a link to that post. Uh it's another way to activate your network. You know, you should you've already sent a bunch of them emails. Um a a DM on that platform

them emails. Um a a DM on that platform is is probably a little less intrusive.

So, feel free to go real broad here. Um

link them all to that post and encourage them to engage with it and and you know, tag uh people that that they think might be interested in it. Choose one to two platforms to stay active on going

forward. Like plant your flag in, you

forward. Like plant your flag in, you know, LinkedIn and Facebook or LinkedIn and Reddit. um and decide that you know

and Reddit. um and decide that you know those are the places that you're going to show up every day and engage uh in comments and show up you know at least once a week uh with a new piece of content that you're going to post. And

then lastly, start thinking uh in terms of content buckets like what what type of content is actually going to be valuable to your target client? What

problems do your clients have? Um what

wins can you showcase that would be valuable to your clients? what beliefs

or or hot takes um can you share that would stimulate conversation, you know, in the industry, but again, that would somehow be valuable. Measure everything

against that and we'll call it there.

That's your full week. And tomorrow

isn't just day eight, it's day one of being a real freelancer. Let me close this out. You don't need to wait until

this out. You don't need to wait until you feel ready. You just need to take the first few steps. Let's pause for a second. You just watched I don't know

second. You just watched I don't know how long this video is going to be. An

hour, hour and a half of of someone showing you exactly how to start and scale a freelance business from scratch.

You chose a lane. Uh you built an offer, created a portfolio, reached out to your network, launched your presence, and now you're in motion. If you've been stuck

for weeks uh or months thinking, I just don't know where to start.

Well, now you do. What makes a freelancer successful isn't talent. It's

follow through. There are more talented people than you uh doing worse than you and less talented people than you doing better. Why? Because they they took

better. Why? Because they they took messy action. They showed up every week.

messy action. They showed up every week.

They built real relationships. They

solved real problems and they refused to wait until they're ready. Um because

that's not a real thing. Freelancing

isn't about perfection. It's about

action. Here's what's possible. In 30 to 90 days, if you stick with this, you land one to two clients, solid clients, you start earning real revenue. You

refine your offer. You make it better.

You build reputation. You start getting referrals. and you start seeing what

referrals. and you start seeing what it's like to be in control, uh, in charge of your time. From there, you stack projects, you build systems, you

scale, you quit your 9to-5 if that's your goal. You become the go-to name in

your goal. You become the go-to name in your niche. It starts with one week

your niche. It starts with one week just like this. If this video helped you, here's what I'd love. Could you

drop a comment and just tell us what your biggest takeaway was? um and and what action you're taking today, like what was your day one action? And then

could you subscribe? I post freelancing master classes like this every week. Um

and you know, growing the audience helps us uh make even more of these. And then

lastly, share it. Send this to a friend who's stuck in the still thinking about it phase or somebody who who you know you think could be doing a little better. And if you're serious about

better. And if you're serious about building a real business out of freelancing, bookmark this video, re-watch it, use it like a blueprint, because you don't need a course. You

need a client and a system and a few weeks of of bravery to prove to yourself that you can do this. You've already

started. You're here.

Keep going.