I see a crash coming because I have not consistently prospected for clients to fill my pipeline. Sure, I have a few clients now, but what about later?
Prospecting is essential for building a successful freelance business, and waiting until all work is gone before prospecting leads to an inconsistent workflow. This is a challenging way to have a freelancing business. The key, I am discovering, is to commit to prospecting every day instead of only focusing on doing the actual work assigned by the clients. Right now, I’m working IN my business but not spending enough time working ON it. I must do both.
Slowly, drip by drip, I can become a category of one rather than one of many and establish a reputation. This will take time. This involves doing exceptional, even “quirky” work that stands out as mine. I’m not there yet. But the first step towards achieving this is developing the discipline to prospect every day, and that offers me a path to narrow into smaller markets to do work that is not seen as a commodity.
I can build a sustainable and fulfilling freelance career by doing these things. Until then, I keep my day job.
