freelancers Archives

11 Female Freelancers Share How to Get Dream Clients

Posted on November 1, 2019August 19, 2021 by Josh

“What is your #1 tip to get dream clients?”

We asked 11 freelancers, creatives, and consultants from around the world to share with us how they land dream clients.

From strategists, to editors, content curators and marketing consultants, they’ve all dealt with the process of landing new clients. So, here are their best tips….

Monika Kanokova, Freelance Community and Content Strategist

“It’s actually pretty simple. Start a side project. Do something you love (and tell everyone) that you want to be hired for.” Connect with Monika: Website, Instagram, Twitter

Veronica Stoddart, Travel Editor & Content Marketing Consultant

“The most effective way to get dream clients — and the way I’ve gotten my best ones — is through networking. It seems obvious, but it really does work. A consultant’s best contacts are those they already know in their own industry. One of my favorite clients came via a professional colleague who approached me with a plum project, unsolicited. So take every advantage of your own network.” Connect with Veronica: Website, Instagram, Twitter

Madison Hanna, Founder of Curated Compass

“If you’re on a digital platform designed for a specific purpose, don’t be afraid to color outside of the lines and get creative with how you want it to work for you. I landed one of my dream clients through CouchSurfing. While I primarily use this app for what it’s designed for, housing and local cultural exchange, I was fortunate enough to attract the eye of my first client. I was clear in my profile description that I was traveling abroad as “a first-time digital nomad and was looking to connect with creative entrepreneurs who were in need of some PR/Marketing skills.” My client was in town for a coworking conference and while he wasn’t hosting, he was looking to connect with interesting folks working remotely. We met up for coffee, and two hours later, I had a job offer. Use your authentic voice whenever possible, and let people know what you’re all about, remember: there are no rules!” Connect with Madison: Website, Instagram,Twitter

Laura Oliver, Freelance Writer, Editor, and Digital Media Consultant

“It goes without saying that you need to work hard to build a good portfolio and make sure you have your wish list of dream clients ingrained in your mind or close to hand. But in addition, it’s worth pushing yourself too. When I launched my freelance business a mentor recommended a one-off, business launch email to my entire contacts book. No one minds getting an update like that – it’s a great way to reconnect with people and put your work at the front of their minds.”

“I also try to challenge myself and pitch to dream publications regularly – especially in new markets as this will help strengthen my business as well as satisfying a personal goal. Each time, I research the business and try to find the right person to speak with. Even if my pitch is rejected, sometimes it’s about making those contacts and learning how to improve your pitch for next time. There is such a thing as a good rejection.” Connect with Laura: Website, Twitter, LinkedIn

Lazarus Agency, A Digital Marketing Agency

“For us, visiting the client has been very helpful. I know that is impossible for most digital agencies. My partner and I were having beer at one of our favourite, small scale brewery. We were genuinely interested in their story and their process as we loved their beer. After talking for almost an hour and half about how they got started, their philosophy, and where they see themselves in the future , we got their business card. We are currently in conversation with them about next steps, but it’s amazing that showing interest in someone’s story can lead to better things. We also love their product so it is a win-win for us!” Website and Instagram.

Amy Ahrens, SEO Freelance Writer

“Honestly, my best clients are referrals from competent people that I have worked with previously! For clients that refer me often, I’ll send a handwritten thank you and Starbucks card or offer a freebie – like a blog post. It truly works wonders!” Connect with Amy: Website, Instagram, Twitter

Milou van Roon, Founder of Explorista Media

“My number 1 tip for getting dream clients is actually pretty boring: network! Make as many connections as possible. Get to know people. Help them. Don’t sell to them yet. Just go to events, do public speaking, keep a blog: make sure to expand your network and more and more people know who you are and what you do. People work with people they know and like. Eventually the work will flow naturally to you!” Connect with Milou: Website, Instagram

Kimberly Erin, Travel Blogger

“Be as personable as you can be within professional borders. There is nothing wrong with sharing a little personality with your clients, it helps to build trust between you and them. As human being, I believe we are attracted to a warmer tone than cold and robotic. Don’t be a robot, show them who you are.” Connect with Kimberly: Website, Instagram, Twitter

Evie Smith, Founder of Rebellious PR

“I think my two biggest tips in getting a dream client is that a) they do something you love and believe in. b) You jive with them – you can see a harmonious partnership or the opportunity to learn and grow with them.” Connect with Evie: Website, Instagram, Twitter

Jenn Sharp, Freelance Journalist

“Growing my personal network has been key to my success. I always pay attention to what people/businesses in my city are doing, and approach them with ideas for a communications strategy if and when it’s applicable. Clients have come out of interviews I was conducting for a different organization, too. There are usually people who need help with some kind of communication/media strategy – they just don’t know it yet!” Connect with Jenn: Twitter, Instagram

Julianne Pepitone, Freelance Journalist

“The best clients are those who are responsive, professional, and clear about their desires. So I hold myself to those standards! I pride myself on being reliable (which shows in my filing projects ahead of deadline), easy to work with (I want my client to know that when they hire me, it’s as good as done..and done well), and clear in my communications. Conduct yourself as the consummate professional and you will attract clients who do the same.” Connect with Veronica: Website, Twitter

Want more freelancing tips or just getting started freelancing? Check out our Resources for even more tip

Managing Travel and a Freelance Career, How She Does Both

Posted on July 18, 2019 by Josh

At Behere, we’re constantly inspired by the amazing women in our community. We’re thrilled to feature some of their stories and share how they’ve made traveling while working possible. From unconventional roles, to starting businesses abroad, these women have made exploring new places a priority. They share their biggest learnings, favorite memories, and advice for someone thinking about traveling more.

Today’s community feature, Jen Pellerito, spent 6 weeks this summer traveling and living in Europe. Originally from Michigan, she loves to travel and has made it a priority. After spending a month in Lisbon, she’s already planning her next adventure. Read how she manages fulfilling her love of travel, plus full-time freelance career below.

You travel a lot, what do you do for work that allows you to?

“I’m a freelance copywriter, journalist and social media manager, and I also run a travel blog! I went full-time freelance about two years ago after realizing I could earn more than I was making in my 9 to 5 job. Freelancing is wonderfully liberating because I can manage my own workload, set my own hours, and work remotely. While there are drawbacks (having no employer contribution to my benefits), ultimately, the ability to maintain a well-balanced quality of life makes it worthwhile for me.”

How has living abroad affected your work?

“I strongly believe that changing up your normal routine and environment promotes creativity and inspiration. For someone in the creative field like me, I value having new surroundings every once in awhile to keep ideas fresh. When life looks the same day in and day out, it’s too easy for me to get “stuck in a rut.” Oddly enough, even working in a different time zone than some of my clients helps moderate anxiety and the constant pressure to always be ‘on’.”

How did Behere help you on your journey?

“Behere allowed me to find community while living abroad, which was a huge help while transitioning to a new city. I was able to start my month out in Lisbon having a friend in my city host, Paulina, who showed me around and answered all the questions I had. It made a big difference to have a network already built in a new city. Right away, I had places to go, people to hang out with, and I felt like I belonged.”

Finally, what’s your #1 piece of advice for someone who’s thinking about traveling long term?

“Do it!

Bite the bullet and get out there. Long-term travel has now become my favorite — if not the only way — I ever want to travel again. When you’re short on time, there’s so much pressure to “fit it all in.”

Seriously, FOMO is the worst! Long-term travel gives you the opportunity to catch a breath, sink into a culture and reflect on your own life at home through a different lens. I learned more about myself and the direction I wanted to take in my life by stepping back and gaining distance. Traveling for a longer period of time is one of the greatest gifts I have given myself.”

Connect with Jen on her blog: jenontherun.com, IG @jp_ontherun, Twitter @jp_ontherun or Pinterest jp_ontherun.

Are you feeling the need for adventure now? Learn more about how Behere can help make it a reality. Check out our locations below!

Words by Jen Pellerito and images by Emanuele Siracusa.

These are 20 of the Best Free Tools for Freelancers

Posted on March 29, 2019 by Josh

With so many tools and resources out there for freelancers, we put together a list of the best free tools for freelancers.

As more and more people become freelancers, there’s always new tools popping up. So we’ve put together this list of the best tried and tested tools – both classic and new – to help you on your freelance journey. Check them out below!

The Best Free Tools for Freelancers

ADMIN & ORGANIZATION

For organization and storage: Google Docs, Sheets, Drive and Cal

Good old Google has fantastic tools to stay on top of your tasks, share documents and photos with clients, and keep track of your budget and expenses. We recommend adding deadlines into your GCalendar as well to never miss one!

For storage and sharing: Dropbox

Share large videos and photo files with clients with a link. Create separate folders for different clients and stay organized. The free plan has up to 2GB or you can upgrade for more.

For automation: IFTTT

IFTTT, or “if this then that”, is one of the best task automation tools around. They integrate different apps and platforms together easily. You just select an app or platform, and a ‘trigger action’ that causes an event in another (or the same) application.

INVOICING AND TIME TRACKING

For it all: AND CO

AND CO literally does it all; send proposals, invoice, get paid and manage your time and tasks. After their acquisition by Fiverr, their app became free and it integrates with apps you already use – it’s a winner.

For creating contracts: Bonsai

With Bonsai you can create a free Freelance Contract with a great template and they have simple e-signing. Contract, sorted!

For Invoicing: Wave

Create professional invoices, for free! You can custom invoices and it is fast and easy to create them. No more spending hours creating invoices!

For time tracking: Toggl

You can keep track of your hours and productivity by logging your time with Toggl. Freelance writers who charge by the hour can share reports with clients to increase transparency on where you spend your time.

SCHEDULING AND CALLS

For scheduling calls: Calendly

No more going back and forth on finding a time for a call. With Calendly, create a free link and set the hours you’re available. Plus, it integrates with your Gmail Calendar so no need to update it every time you add something in your calendar.

For easy time zone crunching: Every Time Zone

It’s a headache to look up and calculate time zones every time you’re trying to schedule a call. Every Time Zone gives you a simple visual to see where your time lands in everyone else’s day.

For video calls: Gruveo

If you have a strong internet connection, Gruveo is a simple tool for video calls. You don’t need to install anything – just name your own conference room, get a unique link, and share that with your clients.

For recording interviews: Rev Voice Recorder

Rev Voice Recorder is a handy app for recording your video calls or in-person interviews. It’s free to record and save audio files, and you can pay for their service to transcribe your calls.

CONTENT CREATION AND SHARING

For SEO and keyword research: Answer the Public

Use Answer the Public to research SEO and keywords. It’s a powerful tool to see simple visualizations of search data. This tool finds questions that people asks on forums, blogs and on social media.

For improving headlines: CoSchedule’s Headline Analyzer

Perfecting your headline is half the battle. Headline Analyzer lets you check your headline’s score by length, use of emotional or powerful words, and readability.

For typing faster: TextExpander

Looking for shortcuts? TextExpander helps you abbreviate commonly used phrases, email addresses, and signatures with keyboard shortcuts. Freelance writers who are part of a remote team can share messaging with your teammates so they can also take advantage of your snippets.

For making your content shareable: TweetDis

This app helps you highlight text in your articles so people can Tweet it with one click. People love tweeting what makes them look good to their followers – quotes, insights, stats, and ideas.

For scheduling content: Later

Plan in advance, create captions, add hashtags, schedule and forget about it! Plan and schedule a month’s worth of social posts then use Autopost to schedule them at the best hours and never forget about sharing your content again.

For design (for non-designers): Canva

Use this if you want to add graphics and beautiful designs to your articles or marketing materials. Canva is a simple tool for making amazing designs. Play around with photo filters, icons, and fonts and drag-and-drop your assets into existing templates.

LANDING CLIENTS

For putting yourself out there: Fiverrr

Create a profile for free, share your skills, then get found by thousands of people on the platform. A great way to start out and have early clients find you. Plus you can get reviewed and build up a portfolio.

For growing your portfolio: Behance

Specifically for freelance designers, create your Behance portfolio, find others you like and start building a following. Use Behance to find inspiration, and grow your portfolio.

For following topics and news: Feedly

Follow topics of interest and the latest blog posts with Feedly. Organize your topics in collections and see popular articles in one place and bookmark articles to read later.

Made the transition to freelance and want to travel while working? Find vetted private apartments, plus places to work, and workout, around the world here.

The Founder of Freelancing Females’ Top Tips to Freelancing

Posted on March 25, 2019 by Josh

Are you considering freelancing? Welcome to the world of being your own boss! It’s a rewarding, challenging place to be. So we asked Freelance expert and founder of Freelancing Females, Tia Meyers, for her top freelancing tips.

Create your portfolio
- The resume is practically dead in the freelance world. Portfolios can help bring your work to life and allow your personality to shine through. Set up a portfolio site (I recommend Webflow and Squarespace) with a clear title of roles you want to be hired for, examples of your work, testimonials and a point of contact.
Build out a contract
- No matter how small the job, always use a contract and ensure it is signed upfront. If you’re wondering where to start, here’s a great contract creator (www.freelancersunion.org/contract/). Additionally, in my contracts I outline the scope to always reference back to, my hours of availability and the ways you can get in touch with me. You’ll be thankful when you start receiving 11pm “emergency” phone calls with questions that could easily be answered by Google.
Start when you’re ready
- Before you decide to throw your papers into the air and yell “I QUIT” there’s a few steps you need to take. Transitioning from a full-time job to freelance is quite a big change. You are now responsible for every aspect of your business. So it’s time to set yourself up for success. Line up your clients, save for at least 3 months of expenses (there are slow times) and get ready to market yourself.
Tell everyone!
- No one will know you are available for work until you tell them. Friends, family, previous coworkers, LinkedIn, and Facebook are your new best friends when it comes to finding clients. People get busy and sometimes a simple follow-up email can open up an opportunity you otherwise might have missed.
Stick to your rates
- Calculate your rate accurately from the start and present it with confidence. Keep in mind that you should also take into consideration new expenses like healthcare, taxes, etc. When it comes to freelance work, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all for jobs or projects, so it can be difficult to figure out pricing. Don’t be afraid to ask friends what they’re charging to better understand industry averages. You can also refer to Freelancing Females rate sheet to access over 2,000 freelance rates.
Trust your gut.
- Even if a prospective client is making you a too good to be true offer, but something still feels off, it is okay to walk away. One of the highlights of freelancing is getting to choose who you want to work with and what you want to work on.
Automate your processes
- Your time is highly valuable and the less you spend on the mundane tasks, the better.
Learn to say NO
- Each new project defines you as a business owner, who you attract and the path you’ll go on. Save your “yeses” for the opportunities you are passionate about and that will help move you and your mission forward.
Take time off
- You do not always need to be hustling. Give yourself those much needed days off. You won’t be able to do your job well if you don’t give yourself some time to rest and reset. & remember, the beauty of freelance is the flexibility.
Enjoy it.
- You choose this path for a reason, and make sure to remind yourself of that when it feels like a struggle. Take time to celebrate every small win, because they are all allowing you to continue on your freelancing journey.

If you found Tia’s tips helpful, and want to better set yourself up for success in starting out your freelance business, this is a great article with actionable tips for getting started. Good luck and happy freelancing!

Tia Meyers is the founder of Freelancing Females, a global community of over 20,000 freelance women. Their mission is to support women on their journey of redefining their 9-5 by building resources, sharing vetted jobs, and offering mentorship and community. Find them on IG @freelancingfemales or FB @freelancingfemales.