Easily one of the questions I get asked most often:
“John… everything you’re saying about freelancing sounds awesome. I want to start, but I don’t have any experience or anything to put in a portfolio… how can I get hired when I don’t have anything to show clients?”
My usual answer is…
“Get stuff.”
Meaning, you don’t have to do projects for clients to put them in your portfolio. In fact, one of the most famous painters of all time, Leonardo Da Vinci, did this all the time. One of his most famous “works”, the Vitruvian man (Google it)…
Wasn’t a commissioned work.
He sketched it in a notebook to show would-be patrons that he’d mastered the proper proportions of the human body — since realism was big at that time. A simple “doodle” in his notebook now sits in a prestigious museum in Venice.
Portfolios are simply about demonstrating what you’re capable of.
So, you can put anything that does that in there.
It’s good advice.
However, it’s not the only way to get hired when you don’t have any experience. In fact, there’s a method I teach to get clients that, strangely, seems to bypass all the vetting and “feeling out” that normally happens before a client hires you.
Every time I’ve done this, I was handed leads on the spot.
Never showed them my portfolio.
They barely even knew my name.
Yet, they’d want to hire me.
It was odd to say the least. Of course, I obviously can’t guarantee you’ll have the same results, but that was my experience with it (and several other family and friends of mine who I showed this to).
If you’re new and don’t have a portfolio or experience…
This could help you bypass all that and land your first client.
And, if you do a good job, one client can be all you need to get rolling — referrals, testimonials, now you have something in your portfolio, confidence, etc.
Anyway, up to you to figure out if that’s something you want.
But, I teach you this method in my Freelance Feast course.
I’m currently running an “Off-Site Launch Sale”… for those of you who like to own your training outright. The course is currently $134 off the regular price — but only until June 4th at midnight. After that, the price gets jacked back up where it belongs.
So, if you want it, time is short.
Link to learn more about the course and the sale is here: https://myjohn.us/feast
Later,
John
P.S. If you’re a patron of mine on Patreon, you already have access to this course (and all my courses) on Patreon here: https://myjohn.us/patreon.
