Hi Reader,

Happy Friday!

One of the biggest lessons freelancing has taught me is this: you don’t need to have it all figured out to make progress. Some of the best decisions I’ve made in business started with “I’m not sure if this will work, but let’s give it a go.”

It’s easy to get stuck thinking you need a perfect offer, a polished brand, or a rock-solid plan before you try something new. But often, clarity comes after action, not before. You learn by doing. You grow by experimenting. And you evolve by giving yourself permission to try, tweak, and try again.

So if you’re staring down a new idea or wondering if it’s “too late” to shift gears, take this as your sign to just start. Even small steps count.

P.S. This week on Instagram, I explained why freelancing is easier when you stop trying to sell yourself. See what it is here. And don't forget to give me a follow for regular tips and tricks!

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

👉 I wrote 2 pieces for clients (Shopify and Salsify)

👉 I refreshed 2 pieces for Shopify

👉 I had a discovery call for a big new project

👉 I sent a proposal to a new ghostwriting client

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

⏱ Approx hours spent on non-client work: ~2

💰 Total revenue this week: £2,450

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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​​ ✨ ​

I've noticed a shift in the enquiries I've been getting over the past couple of months.

Since the start of 2025, I've received fewer enquiries for standard SEO content and more enquiries for thought leadership pieces and ghostwritten social content.

Most noticeably, I’ve been getting a lot of inquiries from CEOs and business leaders who want help building their personal brands on LinkedIn.

Not the kind of “I want to go viral every week” stuff, but thoughtful, consistent content that actually connects. The type of work I enjoy, and the type that feels very… 2025.

And it got me thinking about something we don’t talk about enough:

Freelancing means constantly evolving.

We have to. What worked two years ago might be dead in the water today. Between AI tools taking on the straightforward stuff and Google playing constant whack-a-mole with search results, the landscape is shifting under our feet.

Which means branching out, testing new services, and diversifying our income is more important than ever.

So how do you figure out what to offer next?!

Here’s what’s been helping me lately:

Listen closely to the asks

I didn’t sit down one day and decide to offer LinkedIn ghostwriting for execs. I just started noticing a pattern in my inbox: “Do you help with thought leadership?” “Could you write LinkedIn posts?” “I’m trying to show up more, can you help?”

Sometimes your next move is buried in the DMs or the offhand client comments. Pay attention.

Look at what’s happening in the world

SEO is volatile. Budgets are tight. AI is everywhere. Clients are looking for strategy, storytelling, and brand-building more than ever. Services that help them stand out (without a full rebrand or massive spend) are in demand.

Test before you commit

You don’t need to launch a whole new service overnight. Try it with one client by offering it as a paid add-on. Say, “Hey, I’m trialing this, want to be a beta tester?” You get data, they get a discount.

I actually did this with my first ghostwriting client. It was a client I'd worked with for many, many years, so it was a safe bet. They were switching direction and wanted to build up their personal brand in this new arena, so I offered to help them do that (for payment, obviously).

Notice what energises you

Not everything has to be a pivot. I know some freelancers hate the thought of writing "thought leadership" content for CEOs (honestly, I really hate the phrase thought leadership, but I'm still trying to find another way to say it that everyone "gets").

Sometimes you try something and never want to do it again. Other times it lights a spark. Follow the spark, even if you don’t know where it’s going yet.

Think like a product studio

What would happen if you treated your freelance business like a mini lab? You don’t have to sell yourself, you can sell ideas, templates, content kits, audits, workshops, newsletters. You can make things once and sell them over and over.

I just want to clarify that I'm not suggesting you chase every shiny object. Not at all. It’s more about giving yourself permission to shift, test, and evolve.

Some seasons of freelancing are about doubling down. Others are about planting new seeds.

If you’re in a seed-planting season right now, I see you. It can feel risky. Vulnerable. Like you’re starting from scratch again.

But you’re not.

You’ve already built trust, systems, and experience. You’ve already done hard things. This is just the next chapter.

And if you’re in a “what am I even doing” week, you’re not alone there either.

All of it counts.

What’s something you’ve been curious to offer—but haven’t tested yet? Hit reply and tell me. Let’s swap notes.

This week, we have Abigail Lister sharing her finances with us.

Where are you based? York, England, UK

How long have you been freelancing? About 4.5 years full-time, a little while part-time before that.

What do you do? I position myself as a generalist, but the majority of my work is in education/technology.

What was your 2023 revenue? In the 2023-2024 tax year it was £32,035.

Abigail freelances full time and this was her highest earning year.

How much did you take as a salary?

My salary is just everything minus expenses + taxes - around £25,000.

How much did you pay in taxes? Taxes were around £5,500 - this is income tax and National Insurance (NI) plus a bit for student loan repayments.

What are your business expenses?

About £100 a month. Main regular expenses are writing courses, freelance insurance (which is high because I do work for US clients) and then tech: Slack, website hosting, Grammarly Premium.

Do you contribute to a pension?

Yep - I try to pay about 12% of each month's earnings into a personal pension. I would recommend PensionBee - easy to use and they have a Climate Plan that prioritises sustainable investments.

Do you have any hot money-management tips?

Put money aside for tax each month into a high-interest savings account with monthly interest payments! I see it as a little gift each month (even if it's just the price of a coffee!).

As always, happy freelancing :)

Lizzie ✨

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