Four places to find new clients this month
Everyone who sails their own ship knows that the search for new clients never really stops. Sure, there’ll always be word-of-mouth recommendations and those retainer clients to keep things ticking over nicely, but you’ll always have one eye on where your next client is coming from when you work for yourself. Whether the work is a bit thin on the ground right now or you’re debating how realistic it’d be to take your side hustle to self-employment status, here are some of our favourite places to find new clients this month.
You might think that LinkedIn is just a place for receding middle-aged sales managers to peacock against the competition but it’s a real goldmine for creatives and freelancers. If you’re on LinkedIn, the chances are it’ll be the first thing that comes up on Google when people search your name so make sure your profile is up-to-date and that it does you justice. Build up your endorsements, dip in and out regularly to stay active on there, connect with people you’d love to have as clients and join groups in your industry area.
Upwork
Upwork gets some stick for its low rates but there’s gold to be found amongst the garbage. What’s more, the companies actively seeking freelancers from there tend to be very varied, so you can really mix things up on the subject front. There’s also a tendency for Upwork clients to end up becoming more long-term. It’s worth considering those lower rates if there’s an inkling that you could snare a retainer client out of it eventually.
Networking
And so the audible groans rang out. We get it, nearly nobody likes networking, but it’s a necessary evil if you’re just starting out and want to get your business in front of many prospective clients at once. We like to network first thing in a morning so that we can get breakfast out of it too. And nothing leaves you feeling quite so smug as smashing a networking event before most people are even out of bed. If the thought of more formal networking really freaks you the F out, join us for Helm’s chilled Doncaster.Digital events on the last Tuesday of the month or look at websites like Meetup for other laidback ways to mingle.
Co-Working
We like to think of co-working as networking with a room full of people you already know and actually quite like. While it’s not really the aim of the game, co-working tends to organically create referrals between those who share a space. We’re biased but some pretty special work partnerships have their roots in Helm’s Doncaster co-working space. We’re a cracking bunch as well, you should probably come and meet us.
