Normalize Being Proactive
Behind the scenes of a successful freelance business lies proactivity
If I had sat behind my desk and waited for my first client back in 2019 when I became self-employed it would have probably been a long wait.
I didn’t have a website, much of an online presence or even a brochure when I started my business.
Most freelancers don’t!
Most people don’t have years to perfect everything before starting out. Most of use learn on the job.
But you need income.
Proactivity is the answer.
I contacted everyone I knew within the first two weeks of being self-employed. The results were I was fully booked on client work within a month. I worked on my website and all that in the evenings and weekends. It was a long year!
Don’t be fooled by the “gurus”
I don’t much like gurus. They often give out misleading ideas or cookie-cutter advice. But you might have come across people who say “just post on social a few times and clients will come flooding in”, or other such “advice.”
The reality is that for every freelancer, especially in the early days, being proactive about finding work seriously pays off.
For one thing you get to control who you are talking to. You need to know your target audience. And you need to actually get in touch!
This doesn’t need to be cold pitching, before you ask. Although you can do this and expect some results.
Building your network
Building your network is something you can proactively work on as a freelancer. The more people you know, the more people will recommend you. The more they will ask your advice. The more they will help you.
I have proactively grown my network for the past 5 years. I have a few thousand connections on LinkedIn. I have attended countless networking events. I have hosted free talks. I have organised intro calls. I have asked for coffee dates. I have helped others.
The result on business was breathtaking.
I got invited to speak at events. I got asked to blog. I got given work.
Build proactivity in to your day
If you can shift into this :”I am proactively growing my business” it’ll help you grow your client base (and so income).
This might not seem like a big change. But if you really feel it you’ll see the difference.
You won’t keep waiting for stuff to happen. You’ll be making it happen.
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