My Cousin Recently Asked Me How to Get Started Freelancing, Here Was My Response
My cousin recently messaged me asking for help with her Upwork profile. She wanted to give freelancing a shot after working in customer service and the food industry for 10+ years.
I have spoken before about how much I dislike these Freelancer sites because I find them exploitative. In my experience, the best way to get started as a freelancer is by tapping into your local community. Below, I go into depth about the actions I would take if I wanted to get started as a freelancer (and was my actual response to her as well.) Hope it helps!
Tbh, I don’t recommend Upwork or any of those freelance sites. The reason is that you’ll be competing with people who have been on the site for ages and have tons of reviews, etc., or people who live in India and can afford to charge nothing.
I think it’s better to start with your inner network first.
First, though you’ll have to establish a product or service
I recommend reading 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferris and 100 Side Hustles. Between the two you should be able to come up with an offering. If you’re still unsure, ask your loved ones what they think you’re good at.
Once you have an offering, you’ll need an online portfolio, this will depend on your offering. Could be as simple as an Instagram or website or Facebook page. You’ll need to put a few case studies on there which means you’ll need to work for free or cheap in the beginning. For example, if your offering is designing meal plans for busy moms, you’ll need to offer your services to 3 or so moms for free or very cheap, in exchange for feedback and reviews.
Reviews are VERY important!! Best is to register as a business on Google Business. And then you can send the Google link to your clients and ask for a review.
Once you have a few case studies/online portfolio ad reviews, you can start marketing. I would start marketing to groups you already belong to. Like if you go to a particular yoga studio you can ask to leave some flyers there. You can also offer to co-host events to further establish your credibility.
There are other Bootstrappy ways you can promote your biz but TBH the things that work for me are
1. Google reviews, cannot stress this enough.
2. Website where I update at least twice a month with industry-related blog posts.
3. Light LinkedIn posting (1-2 times a week)
I’ve never had to spend money on advertising or promoting myself. People find me organically through Google searches and/or word of mouth. But that takes time to build…content marketing is not an instant gratification method haha there are other ways to grow faster though (ex. such as hosting community events, and having an ad budget)
The last thing I will say is to use ChatGPT to help you write content for your site or promo materials. No need to reinvent the wheel ❤️
Anything else you’d like to know about getting started freelancing and/or bootstrapping a business? Get in touch!
How to Apply Sliding Scale Pricing with the ASS Model
A housemate of mine is starting a somatic healing business and asked me to look at her offerings/website and give feedback. It is important to her to make sure that her offerings are accessible to anyone who might need it, so very clearly stated in the description of all her offerings that she operates on a sliding scale payment system and then gave a very generous range, 20 Eur per hour to 150 Eur per hour. Clients can decide what to pay her based on their financial situation.
Good idea? Here are my thoughts…
I think it’s GREAT when business owners offer accessibility options when it comes to payment. I myself have taken advantage of such offerings over the years when going through moments of financial instability - so I am in no way discouraging this practice. But…I also know that healers especially tend to undersell and devalue themselves. They want to help people so much and reach as many people as possible that they will literally give their offerings away even when it’s a financial burden to do so. But here is the thing you have to remember, Conscious Business Owners have bills too! And with the rising cost of living, it’s becoming even more important to figure out a fair pricing model, one that keeps YOUR bills paid and also promotes accessibility. Otherwise, you risk burning yourself out or going out of business, which is not good for anyone. And offering a very steep discount can actually backfire in the long run when building your brand because it will cause doubt in those who actually can afford to pay a higher rate. They will ASSume that you aren’t really good at what you do and spend their money elsewhere.
Here’s What To Do Instead
Instead of giving anyone and everyone the ability to choose how much they pay for your services, I recommend applying the Assigned Sliding Scale Model. With the ASS model (I can’t make this shit up — HAHA!) you determine the revenue you need to generate per day, week, or month, and then create assigned slots that ensure that you will be compensated fairly. So if you are a massage therapist and you determine that you need to charge €100 a session to keep the lights on and your family fed, then you can offer 1-€100 sessions per day, 1-€50 session per day, and 1-€150 session per day, for example. Once those slots are full, they’re full. You can use this pricing model as marketing, and say something like: “When you book a €150 session, you are supporting access to services to those who may have a hard time accessing these services otherwise.” If you are an advocate for a certain marginalized group (women, trans folks, or BIPOC, etc.) you can clearly state that your discounted rate is specifically for them. This works especially well if you host events, workshops, or teachings.
The more transparent you are about WHY you are offering an assigned sliding scale the more likely your clients will rally with you in a social-justice-minded private practice.
So there you have it - a fair way to offer sliding scale pricing while also ensuring that your lights stay on and you can feed yourself and your family!
Have you used the ASS model in your business? How did it work out for you? Let me know!
How Much Should I Charge for My Services?
How much should I charge for my services?
This is a question I get a lot when working with clients, especially if they are just starting out.
Unfortunately, there is no magical one size fits all formula to follow. All I can say is this….do your research.
If you have checked out my Youtube Channel or taken one of my website workshops, you know that I am a big proponent of stalking your competitors (or if you are anti-capitalist… your collaborators) in order to find out how THEY are doing things. Specifically, you can also find out exactly how much they are charging for similar services, products, or packages. If their prices aren’t listed on their website (ideal scenario) you can also reach out and pretend to be an interested customer (more skeezy scenario). Or you can just be radically transparent and tell them what you are up to. You can also reach out to virtual communities and ask people what they charge. Keep in mind though, that your rate depends on a LOT of factors such as market value (how much is your product or service worth in your specific region), how much time it actually takes you to create the product or service, how much time it takes you to do the administrative stuff associated with running your business, how much it costs to employ someone to help, etc.
While there is not a magic formula, the following tips can help you figure out best practices.
First, realize that EVERYONE has the ability to define and nurture their desired niche market and make them fall in love with you. If people fall in love with your brand (YOU) and your values, they will be willing to pay MORE than the market value (within reason). My values happen to be that I want to make website building accessible to ALL people not just those with deep pockets. That means my products and services are going to be LESS than the market value. But that' doesn’t mean I am undervaluing myself. This brings me to point #2….
If you are giving away your services for a very low amount and are left feeling depleted, deflated. agitated, or burnt-out - you are not doing anyone any favors. Don’t beat yourself up about it, but definitely don’t do it again. Instead, do this…
Work backward when determining what to charge initially. First, determine your desired hourly wage (don’t forget to factor in the extra costs that freelancers or self-employed people have to face such as health insurance, monthly bills, and expendable income), Then, determine how long it takes you to do your thing. If you are a massage therapist, it’s going to be pretty obvious, but if you are designing websites, it might be a bit more difficult. Make sure to include the time you will spend writing emails, and having meetings- this all counts as work!! So, let’s say my desired hourly wage is 50 euros an hour. And it takes me about 6 hours to build a nice website for a client plus another 2 hours for meetings and follow-ups— I would quote them at 400 euros. I might also add a few hundred dollars for any unexpected occurrences that come up. It’s up to you if you want to break it down for your client. Some folks want to be super transparent.
Now - if you are just starting out, it’s normal to be confused about pricing. There will be a period of time where you will just be experimenting to figure out how much you need to support the lifestyle you desire. Just make sure to log your hours so that next time you know whether you should raise or decrease your prices (although I wouldn’t recommend decreasing your prices if you are having no problems getting customers to pay you for your services.
I hope that helps!
I’d love to hear what services you are thinking about providing to your clients and how much you are going to charge. Feel free to send me an email here.
Ask Yourself These Questions for Clarity Surrounding Your Business & Offerings
On my contact page, I ask folks to fill out a questionnaire that will help me dive deeper into their desires for wanting to bring this website project forward. My hope is that by answering the questions, my potential clients will also gain some clarity on the products they are offering and who they hope to help in the process. Plus I love to read the responses :)
I came up with this questionnaire a few months ago when I found myself in a very anxiety-fueled transition phase. I had just spent half a year building a non-profit but found myself feeling consistently overwhelmed and unfulfilled. Looking back I think I was approaching burnout. Either way, it was exhausting and taxing on my nervous system. Months prior I felt like I was FINALLY on the right path, that I was aligned with my greater purpose and passion. My job was to help others gain life-changing skills and take control of their lives. How cool is that?
But a few months deep into the project, I found myself having major communication problems with my co-founder and feeling the most disempowered I’d ever felt in my life.
To help me get out of my own way, I sought out a channeling empowerment coach. I couldn’t afford her services (I was co-founding an NGO and getting paid zilch while still hustling/freelancing in my spare time to pay the rent.) Though her prices were out of my budget, I felt a good vibe with her on the initial consultation and asked if she would want to engage in a skill swap. Turns out, she was in need of a website and was willing to work with me in exchange. Score!
After a few weeks of working with her, the anxiety grew more intense and I could no longer pretend it was a normal part of co-founding a nonprofit. Though I initially started empowerment coaching with the hopes of overcoming my self-doubt and widening my perspective, I actually realized something much different. This wasn’t the path for me AT ALL. And so I made the very tough decision to walk away from the project.
Through the process of helping my coach build out her site, I realized I actually enjoyed the process a lot. So THIS was what it was like to like your job! Though I’d always built sites for clients on Squarespace, I’d never considered it something I could focus on full time. Nor did I realize that website building can actually be as impactful, as co-founding a nonprofit because you are helping others share their gifts and healing abilities. It was then that I decided to zone in on helping demystify and lessen the cost of the website building process especially for healers, conscious business owners, and non-profits - so that they can share their gifts with the world.
Below are the questions I started jotting down while trying to gain clarity around my new career focus. Answering them helped me define my target market and understand why I was doing what I was doing. I hope they help you too!
Why do you want to bring this idea forward?
Why haven’t you been able to bring it forward so far? What are your biggest challenges? Why do you want to bring this idea forward?
How do you want to feel once your offerings are available?
Who is your dream target market?
How do you hope your clients’ lives will change after your offerings are made available?
What is your biggest fear surrounding this project?
Dream up an ideal client testimonial. What did they say about the process/working with you? How did their life transform? What was their pain point and where are they now?
And for inspiration, here were MY original answers to the questions above.
Why do you want to bring this idea forward?
To help healers, artists, nonprofits and conscious business owners reach a wider variety of people, heal more people, bring light into the world. To drown out the fear and darkness.
Why haven’t you been able to bring it forward so far? What are your biggest challenges?
I never realized THIS was my thing. I thought I needed to be part of a team to make a big impact. I suppose I had imposter syndrome. No clarity. Distracted easily. Swept into someone else’s dreams because I didn’t trust my inner longing. My biggest challenges are NONE- I’m doing this. I hope to stay connected to my why and inner trust.
How do you want to feel once your offerings are available?
I want to feel like my talents and skills are helping others break free from their conditioning, feel confident, feel inspired to uplift others. I want to feel like my existence helps someone else feel comfortable in their skin and not alone. I suppose I want to feel not alone. I want to emanate joy and love.
Who is your dream target market?
My dream client is a healer, energy worker, author, intuitive, coach, therapist, yogi, or masseuse with conscious awareness and nonprofits.
How do you hope your clients’ lives will change after your offerings are made available?
I hope they’ll feel more confident and excited to share their gifts. I hope they’ll feel excited to share their website. I hope they’ll earn tons of money doing what they love and change others’ lives in the process.
What is your biggest fear surrounding this project?
My biggest fears are not embarking on it at all, losing momentum once I start, falling victim to self-doubt, overworking myself, or burning out.
Dream up an ideal client testimonial. What did they say about the process/working with you? How did their life transform? What was their pain point and where are they now?
“I didn’t feel comfortable putting myself out there. I started to develop healing abilities but didn’t feel I had the right to. I also didn’t feel it was right to ask for money in exchange for readings. I still felt like this couldn’t be a legitimate job. After working with Nicole, I was able to gain clarity around my offerings and confidence about pricing. She helped me realize that money is an energy exchange and that it was necessary to charge for my services so I didn’t burn myself out. My business is thriving and my clients are using their new insights to transform their lives.”