Thread by @tom_hirst

Everything I've learned about freelancing.

A growing thread.

Being good at your job isn't enough.

Working for yourself requires many hats.

- Core skill
- Finances
- Negotiation
- Self-promotion
- Making connections
- Communication
- Project management

Get good at them all.

Take efficiency seriously.

Get fast quick.

Stop billing hourly as soon as you can.

Think about the value you can give, not the money you'll receive.

Not, "I can make £300 a day from my client".

But, "I can help my client get more sales".

Provide value and the money will come anyway.

Make your finances a priority from the start.

Hire an accountant.

Study pricing deeply.

- Hourly billing
- Daily billing
- Retainers
- Fixed price projects
- Value-based pricing

Learn about them all.

You don't have to use the same terms for every engagement.

Work for multiple clients.

Never sell all of your time to other people.

Hold some back for yourself.

Narrow down your service list.

If you target everyone with your services, you target no-one.

"You can't please all of the people all of the time".

Know who your ideal clients are.

Find out their problems.

Create services to solve them.

If it's obvious you need the work, prepare to be bartered with.

Scarcity increases perceived value if you have the credibility to back it up.

If you struggle to negotiate, you'll struggle to get paid what you're worth.

Know what other people charge.

Research your client before making offers.

If you lack confidence when speaking to clients on the phone.

Call more clients up.

Don't bullshit people.

They'll smell it a mile off.

Be honest about what you do best and what you don't do so well.

Taking "I just want to have a quick conversation to pick your brains" calls without prior commitment does nothing for you.

Treat them like your kryptonite.

Flexibility should be embraced,

But you can't be efficient with no structure at all.

Get a deposit.

If someone asks you to reduce your price, you have to reduce the amount of work.

Doing regular free favours for clients decreases your value.

Help people out, but don't be taken advantage of.

Being a yes-person is the easy route.

Being a constructive criticiser is the value route.

By doing a good job, you are far in front of many other freelancers.

Always ask for recommendations.

Social proof is powerful.

Stay relevant.

Don't be afraid to reinvent yourself if you have to.

Build an audience of people who might hire you.

Find where your ideal clients hang out online and interact with them.

Hold time back from project work to nurture this regularly.

Start a mailing list.

Build up a back-catalogue of work that clearly shows your expertise.

- Portfolio website
- Self-initiated projects
- Side projects
- Client work
- Articles
- Tutorials

When your skills glaringly obvious you're easier to hire.

Present yourself as the best beyond doubt.

Protect deep work at all costs.

Steer people towards using contact methods that you can control.

If you book 3 calls in a day at 10:00, 13:00 and 15:30;

You can't complain about low work output.

Book calls in bulk at the start or end of your day.

You can train people to stop calling you all the time by only answering pre-booked calls.

Your down time is just as important as your up time.

Don’t get bogged down in menial tasks.

Have systems for the small stuff that allow you to get through it quickly.

The more time you spend performing your highest value skill, the more money you’ll make.