Land Your First Freelance Client: Write Successful Proposals & Manage New Clients: Launching a Successful Freelance Business, #4

By Ashley Simpson

How do you get your very first freelancing client? 

Many new freelancers have sharpened their skills and set their businesses up for success, but they don't know how to get that very first client in their inbox or on their roster of clients.

In this new book in the series, you will learn how to:

• Start your business for $100 or less.
• Build out a profile and portfolio.
• Narrow down your niche.
• Find clients that are a perfect fit for you.
• Write a detailed proposal that wins more jobs.
• Handle client relationships and contracts.
• Establish work-life balance and stay organized.

This book takes you through all of the early steps required to run a successful freelancing business from the outset. If you are ready to start taking on client work, this is a must-read title that will help you secure that very first paying client.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ashley Simpson
• Release date: Nov 24, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223183013

Book preview

Introduction

Iremember with extreme clarity the first time a client said they wanted to pay me money to do the job that I loved more than anything. It may not have paid much and it may not have had long-term feasibility for me to quit my day job, but I built an entire career around this one moment. Not only was I a freelance writer, but this day also marked the beginning of a long, sustainable career writing the things that interested me most. Not every job has been easy or desirable when you consider the overall outcome, but every single one has taught me something about sales, marketing, and valuing my skills in the marketplace. What can you do to land that first major freelance client so that you, too, can start to build a career doing what you love?

Getting your first client is an important milestone. Every six-figure freelancer started in the same position: no clients, no reviews, no word-of-mouth advertising, and no leads on a particular job that was just perfect for their skills. Everyone starts at the bottom and must work their way up to a steady stable of clients who are ready and waiting for your talent to fulfill the work they need to keep their own business running and growing. Your first client may not be your highest-paying client and it may not even be a relationship you pursue long-term. Instead, you should view it as a stepping stone to a more successful career months and years down the line. Approach this early job with gratitude and enthusiasm and you won’t go wrong.

Your first freelance client doesn’t come around by accident. It takes lots of preparation and planning to create a business model that allows you to thrive. Be prepared to invest time into these early stages of your business if you want to reap the rewards decades from now. In this book, we will cover everything you need to do to get that very first freelance client and keep them coming well into the future. Everything you need to do is included here from building a profile to setting up a portfolio, from writing proposals to spotting problematic clients at the outset. Landing clients is more of an art than a science, and we delve into the things you need to do to start a six-figure business.

What would it mean for your business if you could just land that first client? If you are able to delight them with your work by going above and beyond their expectations, chances are that this job will also lead to a five-star review. Now, your profile shows that you have some experience as well as social proof that you do a fantastic job. Your next client will see that when you bid on their new job, setting the cycle to repeat itself again and again. One client is all it takes to lay down the foundation upon which you can build an entire business. The truth is that your first client is the hardest one to get because you lack both social proof and a track record of success. You will have to put in more prep work to prove yourself, but don’t despair if it takes you a little while to really gain momentum. Keep working hard on the items included in this book, and you will eventually find the perfect client who is willing to take a chance on you.

While this book is great for those just getting started, you might also use it as a resource to revisit when you don’t have enough steady client work to sustain you. By stripping your business back to its basics, you can gain more forward momentum, tailor your offerings to match the market, and write proposals that are fresh and new. Getting clients doesn’t have to be rocket science, but it does require hard and consistent work to keep the wheels on the whole vehicle. If you are finally at a point where you want to grow your business and maybe consider leaving your day job behind, revisit the contents of this book to make sure you have the greatest chance of success in finding clients on tap whenever you need them.

This book focuses on helping you sign a contract with that first client, but it certainly won’t be your last client if you adhere to the guidelines found here. Everything here is the groundwork you need to follow if you want to take this freelancing gig from a side hustle to a full-time income. If your goal is to set yourself up for six-figure success, you can’t go wrong with the guidelines found here that will reveal the basics that you can build and expand upon as you go. Not only will we cover what you need to do upfront, but we will also dive a little deeper into how you can apply those lessons after you secure that first client.

If you have ever wondered what exactly it takes to convince someone to pay you for your work and to build a lucrative side hustle, this book is your answer. Are you ready to learn what it takes to get your new business off the ground? Let’s dive in and help you get started with successful proposals and portfolios that prove your expertise to a waiting audience.

Start Freelancing for Less than $100

Maybe you have always wanted to start a business but thought you needed tremendous amounts of startup capital to get off the ground. Think about all of the things a business needs to find paying clients: office space, overhead costs like electricity and internet, new technology like laptops and tablets, and even accounting assistance. Approaching your business or side hustle with this more traditional framework in mind destines you for failure because your overhead will outweigh your earnings during these early days of your career. Instead, you need to make sure your side hustle (or full-time gig) is as lean as possible and minimizes the outlay of capital necessary to get things running.

The good news is that you can likely start your freelancing career on less than $100. Most people have all of the items and services they need in place to kickstart a new career. Think about it: you likely already have the internet and the tech necessary to do the job you most desire to do. If this is your passion, chances are that you invested in the tools to practice this at a hobby level. That means most people already have everything they need. In this chapter, we will cover the bare minimum needed to pursue this side hustle as well as a few nice-to-have items if you have room above and beyond a $100 investment.

Internet and Phone Line

THE MOST BASIC THING you need if you plan to work online is, of course, the internet. While this is easily considered a necessity, you should also note that you don’t have to have the most advanced connection to the internet. Faster speeds are great for gaming and streaming, but you’ll be using it in a more rudimentary way for sending emails, searching for jobs, and maybe a few video chats