Hi Reader,

Happy Friday!

In case you didn't know, this is a great time of year to connect with new potential clients and put yourself out there. Lots of companies are planning their Q1 campaigns and are on the lookout for freelancers to help.

I often find the lead-up to Christmas is one of my most fruitful times of year in terms of landing more work, so here's your reminder to make the most of it 😉

P.S. This week on Instagram, I shared some things I DON'T do as a relatively successful freelancer. Check it out here. And don't forget to give me a follow for regular tips and tricks!

Here's what I've been up to this week work-wise:

👉 I wrote 5 pieces for clients (an influencer marketing tool, a route optimization tool, and a SMS tool)

👉 I refreshed 2 pieces for Shopify

👉 I held 3 freelance mentoring calls

⏱ Approx hours spent on client work this week: ~28

⏱ Approx hours spent on non-client work: ~3

💰 Total revenue this week: £4,600

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Friday Freelance Tip​​ ✨ ​

Something I love about working 1:1 with freelancers is how often I end up learning just as much as I’m teaching.

When you zoom out far enough, there are ALWAYS patterns, and this month was a very clear reminder of that.

I've been working closely with 5 freelancers in this month's mentoring slots and despite them all having very different businesses and different backgrounds, there are some common themes running through our sessions.

Here are the biggest insights I’m taking away from October’s sessions:

Most “confidence problems” aren’t actually confidence problems

I saw this multiple times this month. Freelancers rarely feel nervous about outreach when they actually know who they’re contacting, why that person is the right fit, and what outcome they’re offering.

The wobble tends to come from not knowing what you're offering and who you're offering it to and not understanding how your work creates value.

Once we carved out clear client “buckets” (complete with their pain points and goals), outreach suddenly felt easier, almost obvious even. Mostly because it didn't really feel like "pitching" in the traditional sense anymore. It felt more like just starting a conversation.

Retainers that feel secure can quietly (and quickly!) become cages

One of the biggest patterns this month: freelancers taking on “bridge” clients that solved short-term cashflow, but then silently blocked space for better clients.

It's difficult to see how much a client might be holding you back when you're in it (trust me, I've been there many times!). But showing these freelancers what doors they were closing by continuing working with these soul-sucking, time-consuming clients was a real eye-opener.

Agencies aren’t always the safety net they seem

This actually came up a LOT.

Agencies can be great for removing the burden of finding clients, but the trade-off is usually less money (often half the true budget), zero relationship with the brand, and no real visibility into the value you're offering.

One freelancer realised she was doing all the work while the agency took the same fee just for “existing in the middle.” That’s the moment a lot of people decide to build direct client relationships instead of subcontractor ones.

I'm not saying working with agencies is bad, per se, they can be great as a bread and butter, schedule filler type situation, but it's easy to get comfortable when working with them.

Alignment is really key to doing this long term

Every person I worked with this month told me in one way or another that they didn't just want more work, they wanted the right work.

Whether it was wanting sustainability-focused brands, smaller-but-values-led companies, or founders who actually get creative work… the red thread was the desire for meaning and fit, not volume for the sake of it.

And this makes sense. When you're doing work you enjoy, it feels easier and there's also less convincing needed.

I've worked with every single freelancer this month on creating stronger positioning and messaging, which will ultimately help them figure out what they want to do and who they want to help. Which, in turn, means it's easier to filter out bad fit clients and find the ones you really want to work with.

Networking feels different when the goal is simply connection

This was a massive mindset shift. When freelancers approached people as peers, not prospects, everything felt a lot less forced.

The antidote to “desperate energy” is simple: Become visible before you need the work. This is the foundation of the warm pitching method I teach. When you simply think about it as connecting and building relationships rather than trying to get a six-month contract signed immediately, there's waaaaay less pressure.

And you often get better results too. Companies today are stretched incredibly thin, and it's highly unlikely they'll commit their dwindling budget to a six-month contract with someone they've never met or heard of. But they might commit to a 1-hour workshop where you can show them what you can do for them.

When I'm speaking to these freelancers, I'm constantly reminded that freelancing gets a gazillion times easier when you stop trying to build a business for everyone and simply lean into the intersection of passion and demand.

But it also becomes way less complicated when you treat it like a relationship building exercise. The more connections you have, the more work opportunities there will be.

We need more Freelance Money Diaries entries! I'm forever grateful to anyone who shares their finances with us (you can do it totally anonymously!).

Click the button below to do yours!

As always, happy freelancing :)

Lizzie ✨

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