Chapter 2 of 8 · 4 practices · 4 min · 3-question quiz
Find clients on purpose
Clients rarely find a new freelancer by accident. Use platforms, your network and direct outreach together, and track what actually brings work.
Start: Go out and find clients instead of waiting to be found4 practices in this chapter
- 1Go out and find clients instead of waiting to be foundPaul Graham's essay on doing things that do not scale is written for startups, but its core point fits new freelancers exactly: "You can't wait for users to come to you. You have to go out and get…
- 2Treat freelance platforms as one channel, and learn their rulesUpwork, Fiverr, Toptal and Contra each work differently. On Upwork you send proposals to job posts; on Fiverr buyers find your gigs; Toptal screens freelancers before matching them with clients…
- 3Start with people who already trust youYour first paying clients often come from people who already know your work: a former manager now at another company, a classmate who started a business, a teacher who knows local firms, an agency…
- 4Qualify leads before you invest hours in themNot every lead is worth a proposal. Spending three hours on a detailed quote for a client with a tiny budget, no decision power or a vague idea is a common way new freelancers lose a week.
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