There is a common misconception out there than a regular job is more stable and reliable than starting your own freelance business. While there are certainly advantages to a regular job, the freelance route can be recession resistant because you are not relying on a single income source. By having multiple clients, you can ensure that you have some money coming in each month.
For better or for worse, your client list is going to change over time. You’ll gain new clients, but you may lose old ones. Maybe your client has to cut back on his budget and he can’t afford to pay you or utilize your services quite as much as he once did. This kind of scenario comes with the territory and that’s why you should work hard to maintain your relationships regardless of the circumstances.
Freelance income has a natural ebb and flow to it, so what do you do when your income takes a significant dip? What do you do to replace that work quickly so that you don’t have to fight your way through the famine stages? It can be as simple as just asking for more work.
No, this won’t work every time and it won’t work with every client, but your single best source of freelance jobs is your existing client base. If you are already contributing to their company blog, for example, ask if they need some help in other areas like press releases and corporate communications. It really depends on your areas of expertise and their particular needs.
Through networking and touching base with past clients, I have been reasonably fortunate in finding additional work. Either they come to me or I can get steady work from past clients, so it’s not as necessary to apply for work elsewhere. I still look around from time to time, but it’s far from my main source of work.
There is so much more to the business of freelance writing than just writing. A very big part of the business is client acquisition and client retention. Thankfully, it seems that everyone has been happy with me thus far.
Do you need a writer? Feel free to drop me a line via the contact form and we can iron out the details.
Do you find most of your clients online or locally?
The problem I always had was finding reasonably priced writers locally. Sometimes, you need a local writer familiar with the local area to do content. I had one for a while, until she was offered a full-time job by a company and quit her freelance work.
Most online for me. I write mostly about social media and tech, so that’s pretty location-independent for the most part.
I think that your method works for more than just writing. You need to always keep your regular clients aware that you are there and have more to offer than they think.
That’s the way it is with computer consulting also.