Where work comes from.
WHERE WORK ORIGINATES
Past colleagues and employers Referrals from existing clients Other freelancers passing work on Professional networks and communities Online platforms Direct approach
Visibility: writing, speaking, sharing work
WHY PAST COLLEAGUES MATTER MOST AT THE START
They know your work and they need no convincing.
WHAT TO DO BEFORE LEAVING EMPLOYMENT
Tell people what you will be doing.
WHY REFERRALS FROM OTHER FREELANCERS MATTER
They receive work they cannot take, and they pass it to people they know.
WHAT TO ESTABLISH
Relationships with others doing similar or adjacent work.
WHY NOT COMPETITORS
Independent workers refer to each other constantly.
WHAT ONLINE PLATFORMS PROVIDE
Access to clients without a network.
WHAT THEY COST
Commission, price competition, and no client relationship of your own.
WHAT TO ESTABLISH
Whether they are a starting point or a permanent channel.
WHY IT MATTERS
Platform-dependent freelancers have no business of their own.
WHAT TO BUILD ALONGSIDE
Direct clients and your own reputation.
WHAT VISIBILITY PROVIDES
Clients approaching you rather than you approaching them.
WHAT TO DO
Publish work, write about your subject, answer questions publicly.
WHY SHOWING WORK MATTERS MOST
It evidences capability that description cannot.
WHAT TO MAINTAIN
A portfolio of actual work, with permission.
WHAT TO ESTABLISH
Consistent effort on finding work, even when busy.
WHY WHEN BUSY
Stopping produces the gap that follows.
