What are freelance clients really buying?


Hi Reader,

Happy Friday!

I'm FINALLY starting to get new enquiries rolling in.

January is a notoriously slow month for me and my business, but this year it's felt like it's taken a little longer for things to pick back up. My existing clients didn't start dishing out briefs until mid-January and I'm only just starting to get inbound leads.

But at least things are looking up.

How about you?

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 the freelance workflows that save me HOURS each week. Discover them all 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 3 pieces for clients (including a WFM tool and a CRM integration)

👉 I refreshed 2 pieces for Shopify

👉 I edited a draft for a client

👉 I held a Q&A session with a fellow freelancer

⏱ Approx hours spent on client work this week: ~16

⏱ Approx hours spent on non-client work: ~4

💰 Total revenue this week: £3,750



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How to work less and do more of what you love

In the latest episode of the It's Fine, I'm a Freelancer podcast, I share how I transitioned from working 12-14 hour days on content mill pieces to a more sustainable 20-hour workweek with higher-quality clients.

I also share practical strategies like the "Joy Audit" to help freelancers identify fulfilling projects, and offer actionable advice on gradually phasing out draining work while maintaining financial stability.


Friday Freelance Tip​​ ✨

When I started freelancing, I charged £20 per blog post.

I didn’t think much about value. I thought about time. A post took me an hour or two to write, and £20 felt fair.

Then I raised my rates.

At £100, then £250, then £500 per post, I had to ask: What exactly are my clients paying for? It wasn’t just the words. It was my experience. My ability to tell a compelling story. The fact that I understood their industry better than most.

But here’s where it gets interesting: at some point, I wasn’t just selling my skill. I was selling me.

Freelancers tend to go through a three-stage pricing evolution:

  1. Selling time – "I’ll do the work, and you’ll pay for the hours I put in."
  2. Selling skill – "I’ll do this work better/faster than others, and you’ll pay for that expertise."
  3. Selling identity – "You’re hiring me because I am me—because of my perspective, reputation, and the unique way I solve problems."

This third stage is a strange, powerful place to be. Because when people hire you for you, pricing stops being about time or deliverables. It becomes about trust.

And yet, it comes with its own set of existential questions.

Okay... so what happens when your work is you?

If you’ve ever felt personally rejected when a client turned you down, this is why.

When we move from "I write blog posts" to "I am a sought-after expert in content marketing," we’re no longer just selling a service. We’re selling our worldview, our reputation, our authority.

And that’s both freeing and terrifying.

Because if your work is an extension of you...

✅ You attract people who want what you bring to the table, not just someone who can do the task.
✅ You can charge more—not because you work harder, but because your name carries weight.

But also...

❌ You might feel like every critique, every rejection, is about you rather than just the work.
❌ You risk turning yourself into a product, which can be exhausting.

So, how do you balance the benefits without losing yourself in the process?

  1. Know what you’re really selling. If clients choose you over a dozen others, it’s probably not just about skill. Lean into that—but on your terms.
  2. Set boundaries. You are not your work. Your expertise is valuable, but your entire identity shouldn’t revolve around your career.
  3. Raise your rates accordingly. If you’ve reached a point where people hire you for your name, your experience, and your unique take, your prices should reflect that.
  4. Detach your self-worth from client decisions. Just because someone doesn’t hire you doesn’t mean you’re not good. It means they weren’t the right fit.

This is really important RIGHT NOW

Freelancing is shifting.

As AI takes over more tasks, who you are is becoming as valuable as what you do. Clients want experts with perspectives, not just someone to tick a box.

Which raises the ultimate question: At what point does freelancing stop being about work and start being about influence?

Because if clients are buying your name, your thinking, and your way of seeing the world… are you still a freelancer? Or have you become something else entirely?

That’s the conversation I want to have.

Let me know: Do you feel like you’re selling your time, your skill, or your identity? And how do you feel about it?

This week, we have Hsing Tseng, a freelance B2B writer sharing her numbers.

Where are you based? Colorado, USA.

How long have you been freelancing? 2 years.

What do you do? B2B writer for SaaS brands.

What was your revenue this year? $90,000

Hsing freelances full-time as an LLC and this was her highest earning year.

How much did you take as a salary?

$73,765.

How much did you pay in taxes?

$8,661 in personal tax, $3,620.39 in payroll tax.

What are your business expenses?

$680 and $400 to a UX colleague of mine.

Do you contribute to a pension?

I'm straight winging it, dawg. I put $50 into a Roth IRA every month and that's it LOL. Would not recommend.

Do you have any hot money-management tips?

Keep money in the business as savings! You never know what expenses might come up, or how much extra cushion you'll need, especially if you're an S corp running payroll (like me).

As always, happy freelancing :)

Lizzie ✨

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Friday Freelance Tips ✨

Want a sneak peek into what it's really like being a freelancer? Spoiler: It's not all sunshine and rainbows. Every Friday, I share a tip I've learned from painful personal experience, plus everything I've been working on that week. Join me (and 4,000+ fellow freelancers!) on a behind-the-scenes adventure! 👇

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