Map Your Freelance Future: A Goal Setting Guide for 2023
We all have our own unique reasons for freelancing. Some of us want new income streams. Some of us crave flexibility and autonomy. Some of us side-gig it to save up for that next epic vacation. Some of us are rebelling against corporate structure and micromanagers.
No matter your reason or path, we’re here to help you meet your goals in 2023 and beyond. The beauty of freelancing is that it gives each of us the ability to build a business that truly works for us. A business designed with our needs and desires at the core.
We’ve compiled our best and most helpful content below to guide you on that journey. Simply choose the goal that best aligns with where you’re at now — and where you dream of being next year — and we’ll share our best advice on how to get there.
As always, we’re rooting for you and your continued success.
Build a strong business foundation
You’re at the beginning of your freelance journey and need some help building your business from the bottom up. We’ll guide you through how to set-up your biz, early mistakes to avoid, how to market yourself and more.
Set better freelance boundaries
You’re done overcommitting and burning out and you’re ready to protect your time and energy next year. If you’re nodding your head right now, we’re here to help you learn how to break up with bad clients, embrace work-life harmony, protect your mental health and recognize the signs of burnout early.
Make more money
Your business is humming along, and now you’re looking to grow your income and fluff up your bank account. We’ll take you through how to repackage your services, raise your rates, get paid faster and have the tough conversations to elevate your business.
Build your network
Freelancing can be isolating. If you’re craving more connection, and want to focus on building up your referral network, it’s time to double down on community. We’ll guide you through what communities exist for freelancers, who to follow on social, and why camaraderie is so important for solopreneurs.
Land your ideal clients
You’ve built your foundation, have landed a few projects, and now you’re ready to find those dream clients. We’ll help you figure out how to source new gigs, perfect your pitch and how to get a deeper understanding of who your ideal client is and why.
Build a strong business foundation
If you’ve landed here because you’re on the brink of launching your own freelance business, congrats! Freelancing is on the rise—and for good reason. In order to help you set the right foundation for your biz, we’ve compiled these resources.
We’re here to help you figure out how to structure your business for your greatest ease and benefit.
Freelancers have to wear a ton of hats – and that can include the “legal” one. Go from “I don’t know what I don’t know” to getting “legally legit”.
We’re here to help guide you along and give you all the advice you need to get your freelance website up and running.
Stefan Palios shares with us why first-year freelancers should focus on building the right foundation.
Claiming expenses is critical if you want to save money come tax time. Here are some of the top expenses that freelancers can claim to make the biggest dent in their tax bill.
We put together this freelancer 101 guide to walk you through six additional steps you can take to launch a successful freelance business.
Set better freelance boundaries
If you’ve been struggling with setting up boundaries and protecting your mental health and schedule, you’re in the right place. We’ve pulled together these resources to help you understand, establish and keep better boundaries.
Here are some contract tips, red flags, and even a “break-up template” so if you have to part ways with a bad client, you’re ready.
Melissa King, a freelance content marketer and writer, shared how she builds her schedule to protect her mental health and boundaries.
Too much work and not enough time or focus is a recipe for burnout. Here are some freelancer-backed tips on how to avoid burnout, from setting boundaries to taking vacay.
Work-life harmony means that work and life fit into each other in a complementary way. Here are five tips from Afoma Umesi to help you achieve harmony.
Nidhi Kala teaches you how to protect yourself and your freelance business from dreaded scope creep.
Make more money
If your freelance biz is cruisin’ and you’re ready to take your bank account up a notch or two, you’re in the right spot. Read on for advice on how to make more money freelancing.
We guide you through how to reposition your packaging and raise your rates confidently so you can get paid more.
Here are a few simple (but impactful!) recommendations to help you prevent and avoid late and missed payments.
We walk through the major moments when you should raise your freelance rates, then share some pro tips on how to do it confidently.
If you want to grow and scale your business, extra help might be necessary. Here’s what you need to know before welcoming a virtual assistant into your business.
Before you slash your rates at the first sign of client pushback, try these tactics for navigating common scenarios and chatting money with your clients.
Build my network
Networking and referrals make the freelance world go ‘round. If you’re looking to build up your community and make stellar connections to help push your business forward, look no further.
Freelancing can be a lonely venture. But it doesn’t have to be. Here are some of the top freelance communities out there.
Since Twitter is such a thriving spot to connect with other freelancers, we thought we’d give you a starting list of awesome humans to follow.
We have some networking suggestions that can make the whole experience a lot more pleasant and set you up for long-term success.
We talked to Codi Johnson about how to build a personal brand that lands. Check out her take.
Elise Dopson gives her tips about finding and cultivating community as a freelancer, and shares why it’s been so vital to her career.
Source more (and better) clients
The right clients can make all the difference when it comes to the longevity of your freelance business. Read on to figure out how to identify, pitch and close those ideal clients.
If you’re ready to give cold pitching a try but are still feeling unsure, use these strategies to confidently, and more effectively, connect with potential clients.
Here’s a big, juicy list of all of the places where we’ve successfully picked up a gig or two, plus the ones we’re seeing our community lean into.
Niching advice from a slightly different perspective. Matt Saunders guides you through how to identify where you can provide the most value.
Twitter has helped Rosemary Egbo land some of her most successful projects, and she shared some tips with us on how to use social to acquire new clients.
We chatted with Stefan Palios about his method for identifying and landing new business. Read on for his pro tips.