Hi Reader,

Happy Friday!

I'm currently knee deep in renovating my bedroom and office, so I've been covered in paint and dust while doing all my client work this week.

Freelancing is great for the freedom it gives me to work around this kind of thing, but sometimes I think it'd just be nice to take a week off to paint, get paid for it, and not think about work at all.

Anyone else?!

P.S. This week on Instagram, I shared how much I made as a freelancer writer in January. 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 2 pieces for clients (An influencer marketing tool and Salsify)

👉 I refreshed 2 pieces for Shopify

👉 I did more outreach and LinkedIn posts for a client

⏱ Approx hours spent on client work this week: ~18

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

💰 Total revenue this week: £3,275

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Friday Freelance Tip​​ ✨ ​

Let's be honest for a mo... the word networking makes a lot of us want to crawl under a desk.

There's something about the whole concept that can feel deeeeeeply uncomfortable, like you're supposed to show up to an event, hand out cards, make small talk with strangers, and somehow magically convert all of that into paying clients.

Or worse, you open LinkedIn and feel the pressure to slide into someone's DMs with a message that's so transparently sales-y that even you cringe writing it.

The ick is real. And if you've ever felt it, you're not alone.

But the ick doesn't come from connecting with people. It comes from connecting with people in a way that feels transactional, performative, or like you're playing a character you don't actually recognise.

The moment nurturing starts to feel like a strategy rather than a genuine interest in the human on the other side... that's when it goes wrong.

I'm here to tell you (from experience!) that you absolutely can build relationships with dream clients in a way that feels natural, warm, and totally you.

Here's how.

Show up where they already are (in person pls)

There is nothing (and I mean nothing) that replaces the energy of being in the same room as someone. A five-minute convo at an in-person event can do WAY more for a relationship than six months of online engagement. For real.

But this only works if you go in with the right mindset.

Ditch the idea that you need to "work the room." Instead, give yourself one simple goal: have one or two genuinely interesting conversations.

Before you go, do a bit of research. If there's a speaker or attendee you'd love to connect with, know a little about what they do so you can ask real, curious questions.

And afterwards, I'd recommend following up the same day or the next morning while the conversation is still fresh.

Try coworking spaces

This one is underrated and incredibly low-pressure (and has worked wonders for me).

If your dream clients are entrepreneurs, freelancers, consultants, or small business owners, there's a good chance some of them are working away in a coworking space near you.

The beauty of coworking as a client-nurturing strategy is that it doesn't look like a client-nurturing strategy. You're just... working.

Over time, the people around you get to see how you work, what you talk about, what you care about. That kind of ambient familiarity builds trust in a way that a sales call simply can't replicate.

Joining a coworking space back in 2017 was honestly a gamechanger for my business.

I got to mix with other freelancers, which I'd never really done before, and I got quite a few referrals and recommendations from the people I met.

Sure, they might not have needed my services themselves, but when a client of theirs or a friend of a friend needed a content writer, they always recommended me.

But what if you don't live somewhere with good access to these kinds of things?

I speak to a lot of freelancers who don't live in London or near a big city with coworking spaces and events. So what can you do if you fall into this bracket?

There are still plenty of ways you can nurture clients!

Be a real human on LinkedIn

LinkedIn gets a bad rap, and honestly, a lot of it is earned.

The platform is drowning in recycled hot takes and humblebrags... and the spammy pitch game is REAL.

But LinkedIn can also be a genuinely brilliant place to build relationships with dream clients if you use it differently.

The single most underused tactic on LinkedIn is commenting thoughtfully on other people's content. Not "great post!" (please, never "great post!"). A real comment that adds something, like your own perspective, a related experience, a genuine question. Something that shows you actually read what they wrote and had a human reaction to it.

When you consistently show up in someone's comments with something interesting to say, you become a familiar face.

You're not pitching them. You're not asking for anything. You're just being a person who engages with ideas. And when the time comes that they need what you offer, or someone asks if they know anyone who does what you do, you'll be the name that comes to mind.

A few things that make this feel less like work: only comment on things you actually find interesting. Follow people you genuinely admire. Engage with content that you'd talk about at dinner. If it feels like a chore, you're probably following the wrong people.

And don't underestimate the power of a voice note or a simple, honest DM (once you've built a little familiarity through comments).

The most important thing you can do is change your mindset

The ick goes away when you stop thinking about nurturing clients as something you do to people and start thinking of it as something you do with people.

Dream clients aren't targets. They're humans who have problems you genuinely want to help solve. When you connect from that place (y'know, a place of curiosity, generosity, real interest) everything becomes waaaay easier.

This week, we have a B2B writer from Michigan.

Where are you based? Michigan, US.

How long have you been freelancing? 2.5 years.

What do you do? B2B writer for tech and SaaS brands.

What's your revenue? $50,000.

This freelancer freelances full time and this was their highest earning year.

How much did you take as a salary?

$43,000.

How much did you pay in taxes?

I'm a sole proprietor so my taxes go through my personal tax return.

What are your business expenses?

Around $400 a month.

I also spent money on business coaching. It was worthwhile and helped me figure out who my ideal client is. It was easier to make liveable money after that.
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Do you contribute to a pension or invest?

I haven't contributed since I started freelancing, but I worked on consolidating various retirement accounts into one account.

Do you have any hot money-management tips?

Just make sure you have enough available for rent at the beginning of each month! Keep expenses as low as possible. Learn who is NOT a good client for you and say no to those projects. Then you'll have time for the projects that pay well.

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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