Hi Reader,

Happy Friday!

I've been holding the first set of mentoring calls this week and it has been so fun helping others figure out how to get out of a rut and build businesses they love.

I'm also running the month-long pitching challenge as part of the final cohort of Pitch & Prosper next week which I'm super excited about because I'll also be joining in. Stayed tuned for an update on how that goes.

P.S. This week on Instagram, I shared a little activity you can do to figure out who your dream clients really are. 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 (a creator platform, an influencer marketing tool, and a SMS tool)

👉 I refreshed 2 pieces for Shopify

👉 I held 2 freelance mentoring calls

⏱ Approx hours spent on client work this week: ~26

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

💰 Total revenue this week: £5,400

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Check out my three practical courses that have helped 500+ people get more clients, earn more money, and create better content.

Friday Freelance Tip​​ ✨ ​

If you’ve been freelancing for a while, you’ve probably noticed there are two very distinct seasons in this business.

The first is what I call Seeking Mode, which is when you’re looking for new clients, pitching, sending DMs, updating your portfolio, and basically trying to get paid ASAP.

The second is Maintenance Mode, which is when you’re fully booked, juggling multiple clients, and feeling quietly smug because (for once) everything’s working.

What most freelancers don’t realise is that you never really graduate from one phase to the other. You just get better at switching between them, and at knowing which one you’re in.

We ALL move between the two throughout our careers, depending on the economy, our industries, our lives, and just our general situations. I've been in Seeking Mode a helluva lot, and I've also been in Maintenance Mode a helluva lot.

I've been going through this process a lot with the mentees I'm working with this month, so I thought I'd break it down for you here.

Phase 1: Seeking Work (the lean ol' system I use)

Seeking Mode used to terrify me.

I’d wait until my calendar was half-empty before doing anything about it, and by then, the panic had already kicked in. Now, I think of it more like a system, or an experiment, so it feels way less personal.

When I need more work, I start by looking at my recent client roster and asking a few honest questions:

• Which projects felt good?
• Who paid well (and on time)?
• What kind of businesses actually get what I do?
• What kind of businesses actually need what I do?

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Those answers form 2–3 client profiles I genuinely enjoy working with.

Then, I pick one company from each profile and use it as a reference point to find similar ones on LinkedIn, using “People also viewed” and “People also searched for” to build a list of around 50–100 prospects.

(Basically, I look up the company's page on LinkedIn, scroll down, and go down a rabbit hole of "people also viewed". LI does this cool thing where it shows you companies that match that profile, so you can easily find companies of the same size, in a similar industry, with a similar product/service).

I then send each one a short, personal note linking to a simple Google Doc that shows what I do, who I help, and any testimonials/proof.

I always end with something low-pressure like, “I can put together a short proposal for you if that helps?” Because, for me, the aim isn't to get them to sign a contract with me then and there, it's to get on their radar and gently introduce myself and my services.

If there's anything I've learned this year, it's that clients are waaaaay less likely to bet on someone they don't know or trust. So the key with this method is building that trust up slowly by showing you understand the needs of clients in that profile and can show you offer them what they need.

Then I follow up three times: at one week, one month, and two months (or the next quarter). That’s it. It’s not fancy, but it works.

Phase 2: Maintenance Mode (a.k.a. the long game)

Once your client roster is full, the temptation is to relax, but this is actually when you should be laying the groundwork for your future.

Maintenance Mode is about building visibility and making compounding connections. Each month, I aim to connect *meaningfully* with 5–10 people, the difference is I'm not selling them anything. Literally just reaching out, saying hi, getting on their radar, etc.

That could mean commenting on a founder’s post, chatting to another freelancer in DMs, or sharing a quick thought from my week. The aim is to keep my network warm so that when I do need clients again, I don’t have to start from scratch.

After a few years (or a few months, depending on how hard you go in Seeking Mode), you shouldn't need to pitch 50-100 people ever again. You've laid those early foundations and worked at building a network, so when you do need work, you have a warm pool of prospects you can reach out to.

If this sounds like a system that might work for you, I've recorded a whole podcast episode that goes into more detail. Listen to it here.

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!).

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As always, happy freelancing :)

Lizzie ✨

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