My 15 Tips For Expanding Your Freelance Work Without Losing Clients

I have grown my freelance business from a part-time gig to a large company with over 20 employees in less than five years.

As an entrepreneur, I know how tough it can be to juggle multiple clients and projects at once, and I also know that many people think freelancing means working only for themselves or one person at a time.

However, it’s possible to grow your business while also maintaining strong relationships with existing customers; you just need some tips like these 15!

How to grow your freelance business beyond Upwork success

Takeaways
1. Identify your niche and specialize in your expertise.
2. Continuously improve your skills and stay updated.
3. Provide exceptional customer service and communication.
4. Network and build strong relationships with clients.
5. Offer value-added services to enhance client satisfaction.
6. Set clear expectations and realistic deadlines.
7. Always deliver high-quality work and meet client needs.
8. Seek feedback and learn from both positive and negative.
9. Manage your time efficiently and prioritize tasks.
10. Utilize online platforms and social media for promotion.
11. Consider collaborating with other freelancers or agencies.
12. Be proactive in addressing potential issues with clients.
13. Maintain a positive and professional online presence.
14. Create contracts or agreements to protect both parties.
15. Continuously assess and adjust your freelance strategy.

Table of Contents

1. Change Your Mindset

The biggest thing you can do to expand your freelance work without losing clients is to change your mindset. You see, I believe there are two kinds of people in this world.

The first kind of person is the one who sees himself as a slave to his job and his boss, a slave to his clients and their demands, and a slave to the income that all this requires him to produce.

He has never learned how to set boundaries or negotiate with others because he believes himself powerless it will be whatever it will be and all he can do is surrender himself for sacrifice.

The second kind of person sees herself as free from these things: free from her career; free from her work; free from her expectations; free even from her self-worth (however low it may seem).

This person realizes that everything comes down to two sides: what she wants (and doesn’t want) for herself and how far she’ll go to get it including leaving behind those who would hold her back and keep her small.

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2. Be Honest With Clients

As a freelance writer, you’re going to have a lot of clients. You may even have dozens or hundreds of them. But no matter how big your client roster is, it’s always important to remember that every single one of them is an individual with unique needs and expectations.

So when you accept an assignment, you must communicate those needs as clearly as possible throughout the process.

Be honest about your limitations: If you’re not very familiar with the topic at hand (or if other factors may complicate things), let your client know right away so he or she can decide whether or not this project is worth pursuing in the first place.

And remember: It never hurts to ask questions! Be honest about your expertise: It’s tempting to take on any job offer because we want money (and who doesn’t?), but if something seems outside our comfort zone then don’t be afraid to politely decline an assignment request;

Doing so won’t hurt our reputation it will only help us grow professionally and attract more high-quality clients in the future. Be honest about your availability: Sometimes we need time off work; sometimes there will be projects coming up soon that demand our attention over others;

Sometimes we just need some space from deadlines so they don’t overwhelm us mentally; whatever path each freelancer takes individually depends solely upon what works best for him personally (and his budget).

The important thing here is simply being transparent with clients so they understand why something may take longer than expected/planned before being completed properly without any confusion or miscommunication between parties involved later down line…

3. Don’t Ignore The Need To Scale

Scaling has been a big topic in the freelance world lately. It’s not just about how to scale your business, but why you should even bother scaling your business.

Don’t be afraid of expanding your freelance work and growing your skillset. Don’t be afraid of being a business owner and manager! Being an entrepreneur is hard but rewarding, so don’t let fear hold you back from building something important for yourself and others around you.

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4. Make Time For Other Things

You’ve heard it all before, but you really can’t put your work first if you don’t have time for other things. When I was freelancing full-time and working on my own business, I did not have a lot of time to hang out with friends and family.

It wasn’t that I didn’t want to spend time with them it was just that my schedule was too packed with client meetings and deadlines. This made me feel like a failure as a person because it meant that I wasn’t giving myself or others the attention they needed from me.

But then something amazing happened: after two years of workaholic madness, my body started having problems.

I had gained weight from stress eating (who wouldn’t?) and was drinking more than usual to cope with the pressure of running two businesses at once (and yes, alcohol is an unhealthy way to deal with problems).

On top of this, all came some serious health issues a chronic pain condition called fibromyalgia coupled with an autoimmune disorder called Hashimoto’s thyroiditis which resulted in autoimmune-related infertility (which means if you’re wondering why there aren’t any kids here yet…well…you got your answer).

I had hit rock bottom physically and though this wasn’t exactly great news for anyone involved, it did give me pause enough to see what kind of life I wanted going forward: one where my health suffered due to overwork or one where we lived healthy lives together?

5. Set Boundaries Around Your Time

Setting boundaries around your time is a really important aspect of expanding your business as a freelancer.

You need to know that you can say no, but also say yes sometimes too. If a client asks you to do something outside the scope of their original project, it’s okay to get paid extra for it if they’re interested in buying more of your time.

I also think it’s important not to be afraid to ask for help when you need it.

If there are tasks that are getting in the way of completing work on time or keeping up with invoices or whatever else, then find someone who can help out with those things so that they don’t become roadblocks when trying to grow your freelance career!

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6. Learn To Say “No” Too Bad Projects

In the early days of your freelance career, you may be tempted to take on any project that comes your way. But over time, you’ll learn what types of projects make sense for your business and which ones don’t.

You shouldn’t feel guilty for turning down work that doesn’t fit into what you’re trying to achieve with your work as a freelancer. If a potential client wants something outside of what’s reasonable for them or their budget, it might be best not to take them on at all.

It is possible to say “no” without burning bridges and if they are serious about hiring you in the future, they’ll contact you when they have another project they can afford and schedule around!

7. Become A World-Class Communicator

Use body language to convey confidence and enthusiasm. Your body language can either make or break your message, so you must understand how it affects others.

If you stand up straight with your shoulders back, people will notice that you are confident in what you have to say.

If they see a slumped posture or crossed arms, they may assume that you don’t believe in yourself and think less of the words coming out of your mouth (even if they are true).

Use voice inflection to convey confidence and enthusiasm. When speaking on the phone or in person, remember that tone is everything!

Try using an upbeat tone when speaking about something positive for clients; but if there has been an issue or delay with a project, try using a calmer voice so as not to come across as hostile or upset.

You want clients to feel like they can trust both the quality of service they receive from you and their ability to do business together long-term so don’t blow it by being too informal!

8. Eliminate Busywork By Automating Where You Can And Contracting Out When Possible

I don’t want to sound like a broken record, but the key to finding more time in your day (and week and month) is to eliminate busy work. This means automating where you can and contracting out where possible.

I’m going to assume that if you’re reading this article, you’ve already done some of this work yourself.

If not, here’s a good place to start: pick one task that’s taking up too much of your time right now perhaps it’s booking travel or setting up meetings, and try using an online tool or hiring someone else for it instead.

9. Automate Where Possible

If certain tasks repeat themselves regularly (scheduling client calls), use an app like Calendly so that scheduling becomes automatic rather than requiring your input each time (plus it makes sure everyone gets an appointment at the best time for them).

Set up an email autoresponder so that once people book their appointments through Calendly, they’ll get instructions about what will happen on their call with links back into your calendar if needed later on down the road when making changes etcetera…!

The possibilities here are endless: send follow-up emails automatically after each meeting; create templates for different types of proposals; integrate Google Calendar reminders with other tools like Trello so they pop up as part of workflow processes instead….you get my point 🙂

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10. Focus On What Makes You Money/Happy/Fulfilled (Not Less Money/Miserable/Dissatisfied)

One of the most common mistakes I see people make when trying to grow their freelance business is that they focus on what makes them money, rather than on what makes them happy and fulfilled.

It’s important to remember that there are many ways to make money as a freelancer, but there are only two ways to be happy: working on things you love or working with people you love. If you enjoy your work, but it doesn’t bring in much money, then go ahead and do it anyway!

That’s the whole point of being self-employed you get to set your schedule and decide how much time/money/effort goes into each project (and which ones get done at all). And if you don’t enjoy your work?

Then don’t do it! Find something else that does make you happy whether it’s making more money or saving face by quitting altogether

11. Remember That You Are Running A Business, Not Working A Traditional Job

Don’t forget that you are running a business, not working a traditional job. You are the CEO and you have to consider yourself responsible for the direction and growth of your company.

This means that while there may be times when you feel like shirking off some responsibilities, this will only hurt your business in the long run.

It’s easy to lose sight of this when you’re juggling multiple projects at once and taking on more clients than you can handle and it’s important to remind yourself often that no one else is going to take care of those things for you unless they’re paid a lot of money (and even then…).

Remember: You are responsible for your success! You need to be happy with how things are going even if it doesn’t always look perfect from an outsider’s point of view;

As long as everything seems manageable and organized within your workspace then there’s nothing wrong with where things stand.

If anything does seem out of control then take time out later today or tomorrow morning before anyone else arrives so that whatever issue needs addressing gets resolved first thing after everyone else arrives at work too…

12. Outline Your Workflow Process And Stick To It…And Don’t Be Afraid To Improve It As You Go Along!

If you’re not sure what a workflow process is, it’s the way that you do your work. For example, your workflow process might be:

Make a list of clients and projects.

Create an invoice for each client based on their project’s estimated hours.

Create invoices when you finish each project or at the beginning of every month (whichever comes first).

Send an invoice to your client when they approve it via email.

If this is how you currently work with clients, then fantastic! But if not…don’t worry!

It’s normal to do things differently as our businesses grow and change over time and there are so many ways to tweak our processes to make them more efficient while still maintaining excellent client relationships and giving us plenty of time left over for other activities (like yoga).

13. Become A Problem Solver, Not Just A Designer

My first tip to you is to focus on the problem, not the solution. I’ve found that when we’re given a specific brief or project, it’s easy to get caught up in our heads thinking about how to design something that will solve the client’s problems.

However, if we focus more on understanding what their problem is and asking questions than simply setting out with our design software, we’ll find ourselves coming up with better designs faster and making our clients happier in the process!

Don’t be afraid to ask for help. If there’s something you don’t know how to do or need help with, ask someone who does know-how!

This can lead down some great rabbit holes (like learning how copywriting works), but being able to say “I don’t know” isn’t always bad; sometimes it means taking yourself out of your comfort zone and learning new things along the way!

If nothing else, this will make you better at communicating what needs doing (and why).

14. Invest In Learning Marketing Skills So You Can Win More Clients

Freelance work is a numbers game, and if you don’t have the right tools to win the business, it’s easy for your competitors to steal away your clients. In fact, according to Inc., over 6 out of 10 businesses lose substantial revenue due to poor marketing practices.

Don’t be one of those people! You don’t need a degree in marketing or PR to learn how these things work; there are plenty of free (or cheap) online courses available that will teach you everything from copywriting basics to advanced paid advertising strategies.

15. Make Client Relationships Stronger By Sending Quarterly Updates On Your Business, New Websites You’ve Built, Speaking Engagements, Etc.; Never Make The Presence Of Other Clients Indirect Or Hidden

The most important thing you can do when you start working with a new client is to make sure they feel like you are their only client.

If they think they are one of many, or that your job is a favor to them and not something you enjoy doing yourself, then they will feel like this relationship is not worth keeping long term.

To send updates regularly or quarterly even that detail what’s happening in your business and how it may affect them.

Let them know about new websites and apps you’ve created for other clients, speaking engagements, awards won or other things that might be of interest to them as well as any changes in payment terms (for example more upfront payments).

Never mention another client at all; use indirect language instead such as “a different project” or “another service.”

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Conclusion

I hope this post has given you some ideas for how to expand your freelance work without losing clients. The key is to make sure clients are kept in the loop as much as possible and always focus on building trust between both parties.

FAQs

What are the best ways to increase my freelance productivity?

Enhancing freelance productivity can be achieved by implementing effective time management techniques, setting clear goals, and creating a distraction-free workspace.

How can I build a strong client base as a freelancer?

Building a robust client base requires networking, showcasing a strong portfolio, providing excellent service to existing clients, and seeking referrals.

How do I attract potential clients as a freelancer?

To attract potential clients, focus on creating a compelling online presence through social media, professional websites, and engaging content marketing.

What are some essential tips for successful freelancing?

Some essential tips for successful freelancing include setting fair rates, maintaining open communication with clients, continuously improving your skills, and meeting deadlines consistently.

How can I balance freelancing with a healthy work-life integration?

Achieving a healthy work-life integration as a freelancer involves setting boundaries, scheduling downtime, and prioritizing self-care to avoid burnout.

Costantine Edward

Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.