Freelance Career Advice

I used to think that saying 'Yes' to every opportunity was the only path to success. This definition led me to a relentless chase for achievement, where 'No' was a word that simply didn't exist in my vocabulary. However, It wasn't long before this mindset led to a perpetual cycle of overcommitment, stress, and an inevitable sense of burnout. The toll on my well-being was evident, and paradoxically, my work suffered. The myth I held onto—that affirming everything would accelerate my career—was actually holding me back. I knew a change was needed. Only when I started embracing the power of 'No' did I begin to unlock higher levels of effectiveness and satisfaction in my career. This wasn't just about turning down requests; it was about affirming my priorities, respecting my limits, and ultimately, contributing more value in areas that truly mattered. To navigate this shift and build the skill of strategic “No," I turned to my friend Nihar Chhaya, an accomplished CEO coach with over 25+ years of experience. Nihar shared with me the following tips on how great leaders effectively say “No” (without burning bridges): 💬 "Let’s find another way to address this." ↳ Promotes collaboration and problem-solving. 💬 "I am unable to do it but I know [Name] can help." ↳ Suggests someone else who might assist. 💬 "I can't attend the event but thanks for the invite." ↳ Politely declines while showing gratitude. 💬 "Is there some other way I can support you?" ↳ Redirects the request while still offering assistance. 💬 "I can’t attend this meeting, but can I get the notes?" ↳ Declines while showing interest in staying informed. 💬 "I can’t join this project, but I can offer some advice." ↳ Declines participation while offering support. 💬 "Let’s set a different deadline that works for us both." ↳ Shows willingness to adjust and help with your limits. 💬 "Can we look at this again in a few weeks?" ↳ Keeps the door open for the future without a firm no. 💬 "Thank you for thinking of me, but I have priorities." ↳ Shows respect while setting boundaries. PS: Saying 'No' strategically prioritizes what matters to maximize our impact and supports our well-being. ---- Follow me, tap the (🔔) Omar Halabieh for daily Leadership and Career posts.

This post details how we went from having zero contacts at large brands to sourcing partnerships with execs at PolicyGenius, Instacart, SoFi, hims/hers, Ramp, TD Bank and more. I spent the first 10 years of my career on the publisher side, so we had a slight head start there. But when it came to sourcing brand deals, we started from zero. Whether you’re a founder, an SDR, or just trying to invest in your network, these 5 steps will get you there: 1 - Start with what you have. Look through your network for people tangentially related to your target industry. Literally sift through every current contact you have on LinkedIn. Ask them for coffee. Pick their brain. I was learning about the PR industry in parallel with building my network - each meeting helped form our roadmap, while also building a network. People like helping people, but they don’t want to feel used. Be genuinely curious. Do this at least 10 times^. Step outside your comfort zone. If 100% of people say yes, you aren’t asking enough people for coffee. 2 - Parlay into more conversations. Every conversation should end with “who else should I meet with?” If you're charming and your goals are clear, this will lead to new conversations. Follow up (show them you listened), but don’t be a PITA. Networking is a long game, don’t bug them every 3 days. At this stage you are planting seeds, not picking flowers. 3 - Ask for feedback, not sales. No one wants to be sold, but everyone wants to feel like their opinion matters. Don’t lead with “wondering if they’d be interested in our product,” but instead “I want to get their feedback on what we’re doing.” This will make you 10x more likely to land meetings. 4 - Create Content. My posting on LinkedIn has directly led to over 20 deals for Stacker. But they did not come from people sliding into my dms with “hey can we work with you?” It was through connecting with interesting people in the space, them evangelizing what we do, and 2 months later introducing me to someone that they thought could be a client. If you plant enough seeds, some will turn into fruit. Editor’s note - do this yourself. People can tell when you’ve paid someone to write for you, and it’s turning into a huge turn off. I think if I paid an agency to write my content, I’d have twice as many followers, but half as many meaningful deals coming through. 5 - Nurture. Just because a conversation doesn’t end with “wow I should intro you to this potential client” doesn’t mean it won’t be valuable long term. People like to help people that they like. So cultivate relationships, put out into the world what you’re seeking, and trust that its a process. This post is about building a network that will reap deals over the mid to long term. These are not tips for how to close deals next week. Is it frustrating that this takes time? Sure. But I guarantee that if you start today, you’ll be in a much better place a year from now. Building a network is a snowball - gotta start somewhere.

Having a cool LinkedIn banner and sticky content may grow your following but it isn't a business strategy. Getting new business opportunities is more than popularity - it's about evidence. You don’t need a massive portfolio to build demand for your services but you do need a few undeniable proof points. That’s why doing a Value Audit and turning them into marketing materials is a must for all service businesses. Here’s how: 1. Document Your Results Review past clients and write down: • What tangible or emotional results did they achieve? • What changed for them because of your work? • Include any metrics or specific outcomes. 2. Collect Testimonials Don’t just ask, “Can you write me a testimonial?” Instead, guide them with questions like: • “What changed for you after we worked together?” • “What surprised you most about the experience?” • “Would you recommend me to others, and why?” 3. Define Your Differentiators What makes your process unique, effective, or more enjoyable? What do clients consistently compliment you on? What frameworks or insights do you bring that others don’t? Prove your value on paper, and your next client conversation will feel very different. This is the most valuable business strategy you can have and a must-have for every solopreneur, freelancer, or small business owner. Need help? Book a call with me in my featured section.

Success isn't about saying "YES" more... it's about saying "NO" smarter. For so many of us, the natural instinct in business is to say yes. Yes to more opportunities. Yes to more clients. Yes to more work. Because if you say yes, you’ll grow, right? But here’s the truth: Success is rarely about saying yes more... it’s about learning to say no smarter. In a recent conversation, a client in my community shared an insight that hit home: “The most successful people say no 10x more than they say yes.” It’s counterintuitive, but think about it. Your time, energy, and focus are finite. Every time you say yes to the wrong thing, you’re taking that away from the right thing: the clients the opportunities the projects that truly align with your values and goals. The Problem: Saying Yes to the Wrong Things The desire to say yes often comes from fear: Fear of missing out. Fear of financial instability. Fear that saying no will make you seem ungrateful or arrogant. But here’s what happens when you say yes indiscriminately: ❌ You end up working with clients who drain your energy instead of fueling your joy. ❌ You fill your schedule with projects that feel like obligations, not opportunities. ❌ You dilute your brand and messaging because you’re trying to be everything to everyone. This approach may fill your calendar in the short term, but it’s not sustainable. Worse, it can keep you stuck, spinning your wheels instead of moving toward the life and business you truly want. The Opportunity: Say No More, and Say Yes Better The courage to say no is what creates space for the right yes—the clients who energize you, the projects that excite you, and the work that aligns with your purpose. Here’s how to start: 1️⃣ Define What Matters Most Ask yourself: What type of client or project lights you up? What aligns with your values and goals? Clarity here makes it easier to spot what’s worth saying yes to—and what’s not. 2️⃣ Set Boundaries with Confidence Be honest about what’s not a fit. Saying no doesn’t mean you’re rejecting someone—it means you’re honoring your own priorities. For example: “Thank you for thinking of me, but this doesn’t align with the kind of work I’m focused on right now.” 3️⃣ Trust the Power of Discernment Remember, every no is a yes to something better—your time, energy, focus, and joy. Discernment isn’t a rejection; it’s a redirection toward what you truly want. A Final Thought: Saying no isn’t selfish—it’s strategic. It’s what allows you to protect: your time your energy your vision All for you and your business. Because success isn’t about how many clients you work with. It’s about working with the right clients. The clients who help you build the life and business you truly love. I'm curious... What’s one thing you’ve learned to say no to in your business? Drop it in the comments. I’d love to hear how saying no has made space for your best yes.

Portfolios don’t win you work. Stop designing portfolios. Start crafting love letters. Here’s what needs to be in your love letter: • An introduction to you, what you do, and why they should care • A brief teaser of your idea for them • Your hypothesis of what this solves for them • An easy way to get back in touch with you Most design freelancers and agencies treat their portfolio like an online junk drawer: a pile of projects, hoping “the right client” will connect the dots. There‘s a better way. A love letter is a specific pitch, custom built for one company through one person. It’s not about showing your range. It’s about showing your fit. A great love letter says: • I’ve studied your business. • I’m anticipating your needs. • I have ideas and skills to help you get there. • I’m already thinking and acting like your partner. Everyone with a portfolio is saying, “Here‘s what I’ve done.” Your love letter says, “Here’s what I’d do.” Here’s my simple template for making a love letter: 1️⃣ Pick a client you’d like to work with. (See how the first step is already more targeted than how you’d start working on your portfolio?) 2️⃣ Find someone who works there that can say “yes” to your pitch. Start with someone you know. If not, someone a friend knows.  If that fails, someone you share context with: same school, same town, same fandom, etc. 3️⃣ Do some research about what might be important to them. If it’s a public company, read their annual report.  If it’s private, listen to their podcast interviews, scour their LinkedIn posts, study their hiring pages. 4️⃣ Based on what you learn about them, make a 1-pager that pitches a specific solution to one of their problems. Not a case study of previous work.  Not your services menu. An idea.  A informed hunch.  A hypothesis they’ll want to respond to. Are they struggling to connect with a younger demographic?  Pitch a TikTok campaign with an influencer you know. Does their packaging suck?  Pitch a 1-week packaging redesign sprint. This is the most important sales strategy that almost every freelancer and agency overlooks. I’ve partnered with my friends at Wix Studio to show you how easy it is to make a love letter with one of their templates. Check out an example using one of their templates in the comments. Have you ever made a love letter for a prospect? If you have, how did it go? If you haven’t, what’s stopping you?

90.99% of all my freelance work has come from referrals. Ok so that's not an exact figure, but it's close. I've landed one client from a cold email and another through Upwork. The rest: All high-quality referrals. Since many of you asked, I'll tell you how. Here are three things I consistently do to get referral business: 1. Give referrals. I stopped trying to be everything for everyone a while ago. I realized that if I do my best work and tap other people to do something I don't specialize in, it's a win for everyone. If we've worked together on a project or developed a relationship (and I know that you do good work), then you're on my list. I'm constantly giving referrals and pointing leads in the direction of folks who I know can get the job done well. More importantly: they're lovely to work with. This creates goodwill. It also keeps me top of mind with my referral network. When a job that matches my skillset comes across their world, who they gonna call? Not ghostbusters. 2. Maintain a system for building relationships. This "system" for me is nothing more than an AirTable spreadsheet, where I list my contact's name, what they specialize in, their ideal clients, and notes from our most recent conversation that'll help me deepen the relationship. That last column is the most important. During all of my relationship-building calls (a.k.a. networking), I take note of things that are top of mind for the person I'm speaking with. Maybe they just had a baby. Maybe they bought a house. Maybe they're about to launch a new product or service. Then, I put a date on the spreadsheet for when I want to reach back out and check in with how it's all going. I genuinely care, and having a check-in system ensures I'm following through on building the relationship over time. 3. Create strategic relationships. Beyond the relationships I naturally build with people I work on projects with or friends of friends in my network, I'm strategic about whom I spend my time talking to. By that, I mean connecting with people who provide adjacent services. For me, that means people who do PR, design work, paid ads, email marketing, social media management, etc. These are all folks who provide complimentary services to my content strategy work. We don't compete—we compliment. That's a beautiful referral ecosystem right there. There's more to this, but these things will get you started if you're not already strategically using your network to get ideal clients and projects. Was this helpful or should I go deeper here?

The hardest part isn’t learning to “sell.” It’s learning to stop. Most professionals think they need: ❌ Better pitches.  ❌ Sharper closes.  ❌ More aggressive follow-ups. But the clients who become long-term partners? They usually say the same thing: “I didn’t feel like you were trying to sell me anything.” That’s the paradox of professional services.  The less you sell, the more you grow. Here are 7 ways to go from selling to helping: 1. Stop Being the Expert → Become the person who asks better questions → Show them paths they haven’t considered yet 2. Make It About Them → Start every conversation with their world, not yours → Make their success your primary concern 3. Speak Their Language → Drop the consultant-speak entirely → Sound like a human having a real conversation 4. Stop Pushing Your Timeline → Let urgency come from them, not from you → Respect their decision-making process completely 5. Show Clear Value → Show how your work connects to their goals → Talk about impact they can actually measure 6. Focus on Outcomes → Get specific about what winning looks like → Align everything you do with that vision 7. Stop Chasing Every Lead → Say no to opportunities that aren’t the right fit → Invest time where it creates lasting partnerships Here’s the truth: The shift isn’t complicated.  But it requires patience. But when you stop measuring success by this quarter’s  numbers, you’ll start building relationships that thrive. So, the question isn’t whether you can sell. It’s whether you can resist the urge to. Which of these shifts has made the biggest difference for you? ♻️ Valuable? Repost to help someone in your network. 📌 Follow Mo Bunnell for client-growth strategies that don’t feel like selling. Want the full cheat sheet? Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/e3qRVJRf 

I’ve closed 250+ clients through cold email. 5 Cold email rules I use to land clients. 1. 𝗔 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗠𝗨𝗦𝗧 2. Stop talking about yourself 3. 𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 4. Follow up relentlessly 5. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 This is how I'm able to book calls and get new clients at will. So, let’s dive in more to each point now: 1. 𝗔 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗠𝗨𝗦𝗧 Honestly, it doesn't matter how clever your subject line is or how polished your CTA looks. IF your offer sucks, your email will NEVER convert. Using offer strategies like pay-by-results takes off all the risk from clients. They either pay nothing or get a good result. 2. 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 Unless your name is: → Steve Jobs → Jeff Bezos → Elon Musk Prospects will not care about you or your credentials. All they want to know is what you can do for them. Make sure your emails clearly state that. Swap out self-centered phrases like: "I'd love to talk more" “I’ve worked with X” “I know we could help you” With: "Would you be open to a conversation?" "Here’s how we can help your team achieve X” "Companies like yours have seen these results:" It seems small but makes a huge difference. It shows you're focused on them and their needs, not just trying to boost your ego. 3. 𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 People's inboxes are a war zone. You've got 3-5 seconds to make an impression before they move on to the next 10 cold emails. You need to keep your emails short and sweet. A one-liner like: "Hi Christian, are you using Klaviyo inside your business?” can work well. It's quick, relevant, and gets people to respond. 4. 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝘂𝗽 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗹𝘆 Getting ghosted sucks, but it's part of the game. If someone shows interest and then disappears, follow up ENDLESSLY. (Or until you get a “no”) I’ve booked calls and closed clients months + dozens of follow-ups later. I use a CRM to stay on top of things and keep my follow-ups consistent. Each time you follow up, be sure to add a new bit of value. For example this might be email 2 and 3 of my sequence: 2 - “Hey (name) filmed the video going over X strategy I mentioned so you can see it live” 3 - “Here’s the free tool I used to carry out X strategy” And always, always be respectful. Persistence will pay off. 5. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 So you've done all the hard work to send a quality cold email and the prospect, interested, decides to check you out. What do they do? They Google you, browse your website, look for case studies, and stalk your social media. This is why having consistent content and engagement on your account is so crucial, It proves yourself to be legit and an authority in your niche. Remember, the more content on the internet about you the more clients will believe in you and your service.

I used to feel like my freelance income was a constant 🎢 rollercoaster. One month I'd be swimming in projects, the next I'd be scrambling for work. Then, I implemented these five strategies to smooth out the peaks and valleys: 1. Land Retainer Deals: Ditch the project-to-project hustle. Offer monthly content packages to build predictable income and long-term client relationships. 2. Niche Down: Become the go-to expert in a specific industry (think "healthcare tech copywriter" vs. "general blogger"). 3. Implement the 50% Upfront Rule: No more starting projects without a down payment. Secure your income before lifting a finger! (Note that this doesn't work in the journalism world.) 4. Create "Productized" Services: Offer packaged deals (like "4 blog posts/month + SEO optimization") for streamlined pricing and easier renewals. 5. Adopt the 70/30 Rule: Maintain a balance of steady, recurring income (70%) with exciting new projects (30%) to fuel your growth. While I still experience some flux from month to month, it's not a huge dip. 👉 Interested in more tips like these? Snag your *free* subscription to Expert•ish Freelancer. 🔗 Link is in the comments. #freelancing #freelancer #freelancewriter #freelancelife

Half of my freelance writing clients are new to me each year. Here's how I usually get them.👇 1. I reach out first. I email past clients, editors, and freelance friends to let them know when I have availability. Waiting for work to fall into my lap has never been my jam. 2. I market myself like it's a job. Over 100 emails and LinkedIn intros between January and March one year resulted in $10,000 in new freelance work by the end of Q1. Consistency (and a thick skin) made all the difference. 3. I follow up. There is money in the follow-up. One client I kept in touch with since November hired me for $3,000 worth of work by spring. Another recent client got back to me since the fall with writing opportunities. It's all about timing. 4. I nurture relationships without asking for anything. A quick "hi" or a check-in email can keep you top of mind. Not every message has to be a pitch. Feel free to simply reach out and mention an article you liked that went live on their site or appeared in a new issue. 5. I show up consistently. I post on LinkedIn 3-5x a week because that's where my potential clients hang out. Even if editors don't comment, like, or vote in my polls, several tell me that they enjoy reading my posts when they've later reached out with assignments. (I'm also slowly building on Inst @dianakellyleveyfreelance if you want to say hi there.) 6. I send pitches. And I track them. If an editor adds me to a writer pool on Contently, Skyword, or a similar platform, I send ideas their way when they have pitch calls. Persistence matters. I find that even if my pitches aren't 100% landing, editors appreciate the effort and reward me with an assignment eventually. 7. I turn in great work for the clients I already have. Turning in strong, clean, engaging work helps me stay on their radar and often leads to more assignments (or referrals). What are your favorite ways to find new freelance clients? #freelancewriting #b2bwriter #b2c #contentmarketing