A Year Into Freelancing, Still Struggling to Get Clients

A fledgling freelance photog writes:

I am writing this because I can’t sleep atm. It’s almost a year ago that I made the jump to kickstart my dream as a freelance photographer. So I began, calling up the magazines and business I really wanted to work for and booked some small successes in the beginning. 

Then, I tried a new approach of offering small businesses a free shoot. I started to make as much personal work as I could and promote them on Instagram. I also started going to business meetings where (small) business owners would meet to network and chat.

This went surprisingly well and I met a new business which wanted to cooperate. Which we did! And it was great. We met up a couple of times to discuss a big promotion project but there was one minor problem.. because they just started they didn’t have the funds to pay me so we agreed to do the first one for free. (Which sounds crazy now but I really wanted to work with them as it felt like a good opportunity to get more work.)

Sadly the second assignment came and with it the excuses. They told me that doing this one also for free was ‘a good investment into myself’. I told them some not very nice things which you probably can imagine since I spend weeks with them planning, working things out for the first project without even asking for a penny!

And that is where I am now.. Currently recovering from surgery, broker than ever. Do you mind to share some advice?

Can you see the problem?

Everything our photog friend here tried, individually, is not wrong. Reaching out to businesses, using social media, going to business meetings, even offering “the first one free”.

These things can all work.

But, it’s not the WHAT.

It’s the HOW.

Let me say it another way.

There’s a REASON I send out daily(ish) emails. A reason I have 500+ or so videos on YouTube. A reason I have 400+ blog posts on my blog. Facebook posts, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc, etc.

There’s a reason for all of it.

And, it’s NOT to get clients.

That’s a benefit, but it’s not the goal. It’s much, much more than that. It’s about creating the one thing that gets clients to beg YOU to work with them. The one thing that keeps them from jerking you around when they DO hire you. That makes it clear, without you saying a word, that you are NOT going to do any work for free.

It’s about the most important thing  you can learn to create as a freelancer:

AUTHORITY.

When you establish authority, that YOU are the expert on the topic in question, that YOU know how things should be done and that YOU have a following to prove it…

Clients don’t just hire you.

They don’t just pay your fees without question.

They don’t just come back to you again and again.

They also FEAR YOU.

And, a little bit of fear is healthy. It keeps them in check and puts an end to all the jackassery that clients are capable of. In fact, most freelancers can break their careers into “before authority, after authority”.

Once you get it, your entire paradigm changes.

But, until then, you’ll always feel like you’re struggling.

In any case, authority isn’t something you need to “hope and wish” for. It can be consciously created. And, that’s the real secret to my Turn Content Into Clients course… why 92% of students have said it exceeded their expectations.

Because it’s not really about something as banal as “creating content to get clients”. On the surface, sure… but it’s really about establishing authority, making YOU the expert clients hope they can hire. So you can virtually write your own check as a freelancer.

And, NEVER beg for work again.

Of course, it’s not for everybody. Some people just don’t have the wherewithall to see below the surface and draw out those kinds of deeper lessons. And, those people will always struggle as freelancers.

But, if freelancing is in your soul.

If you’re doing this “come hell or high water”.

Then, I’m confident it’ll be just what you need.

Anyway, you can get access to the course for free over on Skillshare. All the details on the course and how to get free access are here: https://content2clients.com.

Later,

John

P.S. If you have questions about the Skillshare offer, I made a page that explains it in detail here: https://johnmorrisonline.com/skillshare

Join 7,700 Other Freelancers Who've Built Thriving Freelance Businesses

Over 7,700 other freelancers have started thriving freelance businesses using the information on this blog. Are you next? Subscribe below to get notified whenever a new article is posted and create your own success story:

You might also like

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Pinterest
John Morris

JOHN MORRIS

I’m a 15-year veteran of freelance web development. I’ve worked with bestselling authors and average Joe’s next door. These days, I focus on helping other freelancers build their freelance business and their lifestyles.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Join 7,700 Other Freelancers Who've Built Thriving Freelance Businesses

Over 7,700 other freelancers have started thriving freelance businesses using the information on this blog. Are you next? Subscribe below to get notified whenever a new article is posted and create your own success story:

Success Stories

Ready to add your name here?

Tim Covello

Tim Covello

75 SEO and website clients now. My income went from sub zero to over 6K just last month. Tracking 10K for next month. Seriously, you changed my life.

Michael Phoenix

Michael Phoenix

By the way, just hit 95K for the year. I can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve taught me. You’ve changed my life. Thank you!

Stephanie Korski

Stephanie Korski

I started this 3 days ago, following John’s suggestions, and I gained the Upwork Rising Talent badge in less than 2 days. I have a call with my first potential client tomorrow. Thanks, John!

Jithin Veedu

Jithin Veedu

John is the man! I followed his steps and I am flooded with interviews in a week. I got into two Talent clouds. The very next day, I got an invitation from the talent specialists from Upwork and a lot more. I wanna shout out, he is the best in this. Thanks John for helping me out!

Divyendra Singh Jadoun

Divyendra Singh Jadoun

After viewing John’s course, I made an Upwork account and it got approved the same day. Amazingly, I got my first job the very same day, I couldn’t believe it, I thought maybe I got it by coincidence. Anyways I completed the job and received my first earnings. Then, after two days, I got another job and within a week I got 3 jobs and completed them successfully. All the things he says seem to be minute but have a very great impact on your freelancing career.

Sarah Mui

Sarah Mui

I’ve been in an existential crisis for the last week about what the heck I’m doing as a business owner. Even though I’ve been a business for about a year, I’m constantly trying to think of how to prune and refine services. This was very personable and enjoyable to watch. Usually, business courses like this are dry and hard to get through…. repeating the same things over and over again. This was a breath of fresh air. THANK YOU.

Waqas Abdul Majeed

Waqas Abdul Majeed

I’ve definitely learnt so much in 2.5 hours than I’d learn watching different videos online on Youtube and reading tons of articles on the web. John has a natural way of teaching, where he is passionately diving in the topics and he makes it very easy to grasp — someone who wants you to really start running your business well by learning about the right tools and implement them in your online business. I will definitely share with many of the people I know who have been struggling for so long, I did find my answers and I’m sure will do too.

Scott Plude

Scott Plude

I have been following John Morris for several years now. His instruction ranges from beginner to advanced, to CEO-level guidance. I have referred friends and clients to John, and have encouraged my own daughter to pay attention to what he says. All of his teachings create wealth for me (and happiness for my clients!) I can’t speak highly enough about John, his name is well known in my home.

Sukh Plaha

John is a fantastic and patient tutor, who is not just able to share knowledge and communicate it very effectively – but able to support one in applying it. However, I believe that John has a very rare ability to go further than just imparting knowledge and showing one how to apply it. He is able to innately provoke one’s curiosity when explaining and demonstrating concepts, to the extent that one can explore and unravel their own learning journey. Thanks very much John!

Mohamed Misrab

Misrab Mohamed

John has been the most important person in my freelance career ever since I started. Without him, I would have taken 10 or 20 years more to reach the position I am at now (Level 2 seller on Fiverr and Top Rated on Upwork).

Join 7,700 Other Freelancers Who've Built Thriving Freelance Businesses

Over 7,700 other freelancers have started thriving freelance businesses using the information on this blog. Are you next? Subscribe below to get notified whenever a new article is posted and create your own success story: