Hi Reader,

Happy Friday!

Just a quick reminder before we dive in today that I'm launching the new version of Workflow Wizard on March 3rd 🎉

It includes all the goodies of V1.0, like the customisable templates, tutorials, and scripts, but it ALSO includes a done-for-you Notion dashboard where you can manage literally every part of your business.

We're only launching to the waitlist first, so get yourself on it!

Quick tip: if you buy Workflow Wizard v1.0 NOW for £69, you'll be able to upgrade when 2.0 launches for LESS than it would cost to buy v2.0 brand new.

​Enrol here now and I'll send you an email when it's time to upgrade.

P.S. This week on Instagram, I shared how much I made as a freelancer writer in Jan. See my monthly income and expenses 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 2 pieces for clients (including Experlogix and a route optimization tool)

👉 I refreshed 2 pieces for Shopify

👉 I edited a draft for a client

👉 I was a guest on a freelance forum

⏱ Approx hours spent on client work this week: ~14

⏱ Approx hours spent on non-client work: ~1

💰 Total revenue this week: £3,900

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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​​ ✨ ​

January was weird.

For the first time in nearly two years, I didn’t hit £10k in a month. It wasn’t a disaster—just one of those natural slow periods that happen when you freelance.

But still, it threw me.

It does every time.

This is my 11th year and I STILL panic when it feels like the work's drying up (even if "drying up" means a client saying they'll get in touch next week or a signed SOW taking longer than usual to be approved).

I think it's the nature of the game.

Freelance workloads tend to peak and trough depending on the time of year. January, for a lot of businesses, is a regrouping month—budgets are being finalised, marketing teams are still waking up from the holidays, and projects don’t always kick off straight away. It happens.

Now, when I start to panic, I take DEEP BREATH, go for a walk, and then knuckle down.

Here’s what I did when things were quiet this January:

Reached out to past clients

I'm always nurturing relationships with past clients. For me, the end of a contract isn't THE END. It's the start of the next chapter. Client budgets and projects change all the time, so I like to stay on the radar of my past clients so I'm the first person who comes to mind when they need a writer.

In Jan, I reached out to a handful of past clients to ask if they had any content projects on the horizon that they might need a hand with. It led to three new assignments from two past clients.

Told existing clients I had capacity

People don’t always assume you’re available unless you tell them, especially if you tell them you have limited capacity at first.

This is often the case with a lot of my clients. When we start working together, I have limited space, but this can change over time. When I have more gaps in my calendar, I'll reach out to existing clients so they can get first dibs on those extra spaces.

Worked on a new digital product

Workflow Wizard 2.0 has been in the making for about a year, so January was spent finalising all those last-minute niggly bits so it's ready for the launch NEXT MONTH!

Refreshed my website

I had Hannah of Shiny Happy Digital work on the Freelance Magic website in Jan, bringing together all my free and paid resources in one place and creating podcast pages so I can get better at promoting the It's Fine, I'm a Freelancer podcast.

​See the new resources page here.

Made connections with content leads

I have a never-ending list of brands I reeeeeally want to work with. When I have spare time, I work my way through that list and connect with content leads and marketing managers at those companies.

This is often my first step in my warm pitching strategy, and I'll sometimes add a "do you work with freelancers?" to my connection request.

Prepped social media posts

I wrote a LOT of LinkedIn content in January that I'll spread out over the next few weeks/months. I'm always grateful to past me for doing this when I'm really busy with client work. It means I can just pull from a library of existing content and hit publish without having to worry about what I'll write every day.

Slow months feel scary, but they’re also a chance to set yourself up for a stronger year. If you’re in a lull right now, pick one or two things from the list and run with them. Your next busy season is probably right around the corner.

Luckily, March is looking GOOD. I have my regular client load, those three new assignments from past clients, and a new client starting next week.

This week, we have a B2B writer from Croatia sharing their numbers.

Where are you based? Zapresic, Croatia.

How long have you been freelancing? 8 years.

What do you do? B2B writer for HR (tech).

What was your revenue this year? $43,143.64.

This person freelances part-time as a sole trader and this wasn't their highest-earning year.

How much did you take as a salary?

$39,411.94. Tax is super low for the type of business I operate in Croatia so basically, 95% of my income is my salary.

How much did you pay in taxes?

$3,752.70.

What are your business expenses?

Besides taxes and Grammarly premium, almost nothing (no website).

Do you contribute to a pension?

Only the by-law required one (already calculated in my "taxes" section). I also invest personally in ETFS (10% of my post-tax income).

Do you have any hot money-management tips?

Save, save, save. Invest, invest, invest.

As always, happy freelancing :)

Lizzie ✨

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