How to Become a Freelancer in 2024 💸 the ultimate step-by-step guide to freelancing for beginners

Summary

In this insightful video, Dina, a seasoned freelancer, breaks down the essentials for starting a freelance business. She covers the initial hurdles like business registration and portfolio creation, emphasizing the importance of showcasing work to attract clients. Dina explains the differences between inbound and outbound marketing strategies for acquiring clients and shares practical tips on cold emailing and networking. She also discusses the mindset needed for success, the challenge of pricing services, and the value of leveraging existing connections. The video is a comprehensive guide for aspiring freelancers, providing actionable advice to navigate the complexities of freelancing.

Takeaways

• 😀 Freelancing is a simple concept where you offer a skill and get paid for it, but starting a freelance business can be challenging.
• 📚 The first step to start a freelance business is to handle the legal aspects like registering your business, which can vary by location.
• 🎨 Creating a portfolio is crucial to showcase your work to potential clients, and it can be done through social media or a personal website.
• 🤝 Both inbound and outbound marketing are essential to attract clients; inbound involves clients finding you, while outbound requires you to seek them out.
• 📧 Learning to send effective emails and using social media platforms like Instagram can help in reaching out to potential clients organically.
• 📈 Networking is a powerful long-term strategy for gaining clients and referrals, and it's not limited to formal business events.
• 💼 Having an abundance mindset is important when networking, as there is enough opportunity for everyone, even those in the same field.
• 🔍 When working with clients, it's beneficial to show your progress at different stages to get feedback and ensure client satisfaction.
• 💰 Invoicing and collecting payment are necessary after completing client work, and various platforms can facilitate this process.
• 🛠 Building a portfolio when you have no clients can be done by offering free services at events or creating sample work.
• 💰 Pricing as a freelancer should be higher than a typical 9-to-5 job rate, and it's essential to research industry standards and consider various factors.

Q & A

What is the basic concept of freelancing according to the video?

The basic concept of freelancing is that you have a skill that someone needs, and they pay you for that skill.

Why does starting a freelance business seem hard, and what kind of questions do new freelancers usually have?

Starting a freelance business seems hard due to various questions new freelancers have, such as how to price their services, whether they need to register a business, where to get clients, how to invoice clients, and whether they need contracts.

What kind of business structures did Dina mention for starting a freelance business?

Dina mentioned sole proprietorship, corporations, and in the US, LLCs (Limited Liability Companies) as possible business structures for starting a freelance business.

What is a portfolio in the context of freelancing, and why is it important?

A portfolio is a place where freelancers showcase their work to potential clients, allowing them to see the style and types of designs. It's important because it helps clients decide if they want to work with the freelancer.

What are inbound and outbound marketing, and how do they differ in attracting clients for a freelance business?

Inbound marketing is when clients find the freelancer through their website or social media and contact them. Outbound marketing involves the freelancer going out to find prospects and customers, such as networking and cold emailing.

How did Dina use networking to grow her calligraphy business?

Dina attended networking events, particularly those for women in business or entrepreneurs, and made connections. She also met friends of friends, which helped her gain referrals and eventually more inbound inquiries.

What is the importance of showing work progress to a client during a project, and how does it benefit the freelancer?

Showing work progress to a client allows for early feedback and the opportunity to make adjustments before the project is completed. This can save time and effort by avoiding the need to redo work after it's fully completed.

How can a freelancer invoice their clients, and what are some common platforms used for this purpose?

Freelancers can use invoicing platforms like Wave, Stripe, and PayPal, which are free to use but have standard transaction fees. Other options include using accounting software like QuickBooks for invoicing.

What strategies did Dina suggest for building a portfolio when starting a freelance business with no clients?

Dina suggested doing free work at events, creating samples at home, or offering free services to friends and acquaintances to build a portfolio. This helps in getting pictures and examples of work to showcase to potential clients.

How can freelancers determine their pricing, and what factors should they consider?

Freelancers should not charge based on a traditional 9-to-5 job hourly rate, as freelancing often involves more non-billable hours. They should consider industry rates, their experience, and the value they provide. Networking with others in the same field can also help in understanding appropriate pricing.

What is the benefit of reconnecting with old friends and acquaintances for a freelancer's business growth?

Reconnecting with old friends and acquaintances can open up new networks and potential clients. These connections can refer the freelancer to others in their network, expanding the freelancer's reach and opportunities.

Outlines

00:00

🤔 Starting a Freelance Business: Challenges and Initial Steps

Dina, a full-time self-employed professional with four years of experience, addresses the complexities of starting a freelance business. She outlines common concerns such as pricing, business registration, client acquisition, invoicing, and contract management. Dina shares her background in calligraphy and art, where she provided various services and products, emphasizing the universal needs of freelancers like client acquisition strategies, portfolio development, and payment collection. She advises on legal business structures like sole proprietorship or LLCs, and recommends researching or consulting with local business owners for guidance. For those in Canada, she suggests using the 'owner' website to simplify business registration.

05:01

🎨 Building a Portfolio and Finding Clients as a Freelancer

The speaker discusses the importance of creating a portfolio to showcase work to potential clients, suggesting social media and a personal website as effective tools. She warns against relying solely on freelancing websites like Fiverr and Upwork due to low pay and high competition. Dina then explains the difference between inbound and outbound marketing for attracting clients, advocating for outbound marketing as a proactive approach to find clients through networking and sales. She shares her experience with cold emailing and using social media platforms like Instagram to initiate contact with potential clients, recommending HubSpot's sales email templates as a resource. Networking events and building genuine relationships are also highlighted as long-term strategies for client acquisition.

10:02

🔍 Navigating the Freelance Landscape: Strategies and Mindset

Continuing the discussion on freelancing, the speaker shares insights on networking, suggesting that it's not limited to formal business events but can occur in social settings as well. She emphasizes the value of building connections and the long-term benefits of trust and referrals. Dina also talks about the importance of connecting with peers in the same field, even competitors, to foster a sense of community and mutual support. She shares personal strategies, such as leveraging online platforms like LinkedIn and Zoom for networking, and the practice of reconnecting with old acquaintances to expand one's network. Additionally, she touches on the mindset of abundance, trusting that there is enough opportunity for everyone, and the practical approach of showing work progress to clients to ensure satisfaction and avoid rework.

15:02

💼 Invoicing and Pricing Strategies for New Freelancers

The speaker provides guidance on invoicing clients and the option to collect a deposit before starting work. She mentions common invoicing platforms used in North America, such as Wave, Stripe, and PayPal, and accounting software like QuickBooks. Dina then addresses the challenge of building a portfolio without prior clients, suggesting offering free services at events or creating samples at home as a starting point. She also discusses the issue of pricing as a freelancer, advising against setting rates based on traditional full-time job salaries. She recommends researching industry standards and using resources like womenwoofreelands.com to understand market rates. The importance of networking for understanding pricing norms and the value of connecting with peers in the industry is reiterated. The speaker concludes with advice on leveraging personal connections and social media to find clients and grow a business.

Keywords

💡Freelancing

Freelancing is the act of working independently rather than being employed by a company. It is central to the video's theme as it discusses the challenges and strategies for starting and maintaining a freelance business. The script mentions various aspects of freelancing, such as the need for skills, client acquisition, and self-employment.

💡Portfolio

A portfolio is a collection of an individual's work that showcases their skills and accomplishments. In the context of the video, it is essential for freelancers to create a portfolio to demonstrate their work to potential clients. The script provides examples of how the speaker built their portfolio, even without initial clients, by doing free work at charity events.

💡Inbound Marketing

Inbound marketing refers to strategies that attract customers to a business through content marketing, search engine optimization, and social media. The video explains that inbound marketing involves customers finding and contacting the freelancer, which is a less likely scenario for new freelancers but becomes more common as they establish their presence.

💡Outbound Marketing

Outbound marketing is the opposite of inbound marketing; it involves actively seeking out potential customers through methods like cold emailing, networking, and attending events. The script emphasizes the importance of outbound marketing for new freelancers to proactively find clients and build their business.

💡Networking

Networking is the process of building and maintaining professional relationships. The video highlights networking as a crucial strategy for freelancers to make connections, gain referrals, and find clients. It provides examples of how attending events and making friends can lead to business opportunities.

💡Cold Emailing

Cold emailing is the practice of sending unsolicited emails to potential clients or customers. In the script, the speaker shares their experience with cold emailing as a method to reach out to prospects and offers advice on using email templates to make the process less intimidating.

💡Pricing

Pricing refers to the process of determining how much to charge for services or products. The video addresses the common struggle freelancers face in determining their rates, emphasizing the importance of not undervaluing their work and considering factors such as experience and industry standards.

💡Imposter Syndrome

Imposter syndrome is a psychological pattern where individuals doubt their accomplishments and fear being exposed as a 'fraud'. The video mentions this concept as a barrier to setting appropriate prices for one's work, suggesting that freelancers must overcome self-doubt to value their services correctly.

💡Invoicing

Invoicing is the process of issuing a bill to a client for work completed or services rendered. The script discusses invoicing as a necessary step in the freelancing process, mentioning various platforms that can be used for this purpose and the importance of collecting payment from clients.

💡Referrals

Referrals are instances where one person recommends a product, service, or individual to another. The video suggests that building a strong network can lead to referrals, which are a valuable source of new clients for freelancers.

💡Self-Employment

Self-employment is the state of working for oneself rather than for an employer. The video's speaker shares their experience as a full-time self-employed individual, offering insights into the challenges and strategies relevant to those considering or starting a freelance career.

Highlights

Freelancing is a simple concept where you offer a needed skill and get paid for it.

Starting a freelance business can be challenging due to various questions about pricing, registration, finding clients, invoicing, and contracts.

Dina, with four years of full-time self-employment, shares her experiences in freelancing, including calligraphy and art business.

The importance of business registration and legal structure depending on the country is emphasized.

Creating a portfolio is essential for showcasing work to potential clients, often through social media or a website.

Freelancing platforms like Fiverr and Upwork are mentioned, but sustainability and competition concerns are raised.

Inbound and outbound marketing strategies for attracting clients are explained, with a focus on outbound marketing for new freelancers.

Cold emailing and direct messaging on platforms like Instagram are suggested as effective outbound marketing tactics.

Networking events and building connections are highlighted as long-term strategies for client acquisition.

The value of meeting people in the same field, despite competition, for referrals and support is discussed.

Online networking and utilizing social media for business connections are encouraged.

The process of working with a client includes showing progress at 30% and 70-80% completion for feedback.

Invoicing clients and considering payment platforms like Wave, Stripe, and PayPal are covered.

Common questions about freelancing, such as building a portfolio without initial clients, are addressed.

Strategies for overcoming self-doubt and determining pricing for freelance services are shared.

The importance of not undervaluing one's work and staying within industry pricing standards is stressed.

Reconnecting with old friends and acquaintances on social media as a method for expanding business networks is suggested.

Transcripts

[Music]

in theory freelancing is a very simple

concept you have a skill somebody needs

your skill they pay you for the skill

that's all but why does it seem so hard

to start a freelancing business and

you've probably clicked into this video

for this very reason you want to either

start a freelance business or you have

already started a freelance business but

you're struggling with all the different

kinds of questions that new Freelancers

have like how do you price yourself do

you need to register a business where do

you get clients what do you do to

invoice clients do you need contracts

stuff like that if you don't know me my

name is Dina and I have been full-time

self-employed for the past four years

and out of these four years a lot of the

times I was a freelancer I had a

calligraphy and art business where I was

offering my calligraphy services to

individuals companies I did on-site

calligraphy I taught public and

corporate calligraphy workshops and I

even sold home paintings to Realtors and

I'm like not a painter at all I've also

dabbled a little bit in social media

freelancing right now if you're trying

to start a freelance business and you're

trying to get into writing or graphic

design video editing being a VA being a

website designer or an artist or a

calligrapher this video will apply to

you even though my main freelancing

business was my calligraphy and art

business because all Freelancers need to

have similar things in place you need a

way to get clients you need to have a

portfolio and invoice your clients and

collect payment the first thing you need

to do when you're starting a freelance

business is get all the business

registration legal stuff out of the way

so depending on where you are located

and how businesses are structured in

your country you can start a sole

proprietorship or you can start a

corporation if you're in the US there is

also something called an LLC that you

can look into these kinds of business

structures are very different and if you

have no idea what I'm talking about you

need to do some research on this stuff

okay and if you're feeling really lost

you can ask some business owners in the

same area where you live on how they

structured their business if you're in

Canada like me there's actually a very

helpful website that can help you start

your sole proprietorship or register

your corporation and that is called

owner I use owner to register my

Corporation and it was such a simple

process so you can check it out below if

you reside in Canada the next step in

starting a freelancing business is to

create some kind of portfolio I will say

though the majority of people probably

need to have a portfolio but if you have

a lot of connections or you have big

guts you might not even need a portfolio

so first of all what is a portfolio a

portfolio is basically a place where you

are showcasing your work so that your

potential clients can see what is it

that you do what is the style what are

the kinds of designs and they can use

this information to decide if they want

to work with you probably the most

common way to create a portfolio is to

have some kind of social media presence

and a website I know there are websites

like Fiverr and upwork like these are

freelancing websites but I actually

think those websites are not the

greatest if you want to have a really

sustainable full-time freelancing

business because there are so many

people on those kinds of websites

charging really really low prices and

there's a lot of competition okay you

might have a lot of questions at this

point about what social media to use how

do you actually build a portfolio so I

have some specific tips for your

portfolio that I'm going to share at the

end of this video but I want to give you

an overview of the steps you need to

take first the next step after you have

built some kind of portfolio is to get

clients obviously there's a difference

between inbound marketing and outbound

marketing so you can look at it this way

with inbound marketing the customer

comes in to you maybe they're finding

you through your website or your social

media but they're the ones contacting

you and asking about your services

without bound you are going out to look

for these prospects for these customers

you are going to networking events you

are reaching out to people you are

co-emailing people so those are the two

types of ways to get clients you can

think about how you can get people to

come to you that's inbound marketing and

how you can go out and find your clients

at the start of a freelancing business

it's probably less likely you're going

to have people come to you directly

unless they know what you're doing and

you've been doing it for a longer time

so the best strategy is to do outbound

marketing and do outbound sales you are

going out to find your clients with

outbound you might feel like it's really

scary to email somebody that you don't

know and you don't know what to say but

it doesn't have to be this way you can

totally learn how to send really a

effective emails a couple years ago when

I started to sell paintings and do

on-site calligraphy and corporate

calligraphy workshops it was really

scary for me to contact people I did a

ton of research and actually I remember

coming across one of hubspot's blog

posts that came with some email

templates so I found them for you and in

my video description I have a link to 25

proven sales email templates one of them

that I've used a ton in my business is

the cold email template that starts off

with some recent information that you

saw about them so you can see this email

starts off with recently I noticed that

you company accomplishment

congratulations and this works because

it shows that you're paying attention to

the prospect a really good way you can

apply this to Instagram is actually

replying to somebody's Instagram stories

so it doesn't seem so salesy and like

you planned the whole thing it just

feels more organic that something

prompted you to reach out another one I

love is this one where you send a really

short email asking to talk to the right

person it doesn't come off as too salesy

and it's really easy for the other

person to deal with you and I have used

this a ton of course with these

templates you should change the tone

depending on how you act actually sound

in email or DMS but just reading through

these templates and explanations of why

certain things work in certain emails is

going to help you a lot so check them

out below and thank you to HubSpot for

always looking out for us and providing

us with these free resources other than

cold emailing and cool dming people

another really great way you can do

outbound sales and outbound marketing is

actually to go to networking events

networking is probably the method that I

would say has worked the best for me but

it is a long-term strategy you are not

going to get results right away because

you really need to build these

connections with people and then you

meet their friends of their friends and

it's going to take some time for people

to know you and trust you and give you

referrals and think about working with

you so you don't have to go to events

that are like specifically networking

events there's a ton of different ways

you can Network obviously there's

in-person events and I would say my

favorite ones to attend and the ones

where I've made the best connections are

the ones where it's like women in

business or entrepreneurs okay even

events where it's not really businessy

stuff so for example like a jewelry

making Workshop or if you're going to

the gym to do yoga or a Zumba class you

can Network there you don't have to go

to some kind of business event to

network what networking really is is

just basically making friends networking

is not a one-way relationship it is

truly like you having business friends

and it's mutually beneficial so with

making friends it does take some time to

get it started but once you have a good

Network and you've built this through

going out doing some Outreach outbound

work you will find that you will get

more inbound inquiries oh and another

tip I have for you is when you are

networking it's actually really good

idea to try to meet people who are

trying to do the same thing as you I

know you might think oh my God why would

I make them they're like my competition

but when you meet other people who are

like you so for example for me when I

was doing my calligraphy business it was

so useful to know other calligraphers

because they like they say my ass so

many times like for example if a

customer inquired about me doing

something but then I couldn't because I

am like not available or something I

just refer the customer to another

calligrapher or let's say I'm doing a

project and I really don't know what

calligraphy pen to use I would just ask

my calligrapher friends so it is so

beneficial to know other people who are

doing the same thing as you even though

they're trying to look for the same kind

of customer as you it's just so

beneficial to have these connections

because they can refer you they can help

you if you need help you can ask them

about specific things or for example

like if there's some kind of event like

they might ask you hey do you want to go

with me so actually you get access to a

lot more knowledge and people and in

general it's just nice to even just talk

about strategies for how to get clients

with your business friends who are doing

the same thing as you a really important

mindset I had to have when I was doing

my calligraphy business this was there

is enough opportunity for everybody and

I had to have this abundance mindset or

else I would just be so scared of

meeting anybody something I forgot to

say is for networking it doesn't just

have to be in-person events it could

also be online networking through using

social media like Instagram or LinkedIn

and also attending like online events

like Zoom events stuff like that oh a

trick when you're going to zoom events

is like if you can see the participant

names I usually just screenshot

everybody and then I go to LinkedIn and

then I search them up and then I'll

message them and like you went to the

same event right so it's really easy to

mesh stitch them and be like hey like I

was also in this event like I was just

looking at who's there and I found your

LinkedIn profile and I see that you do

this this well actually I do blah blah

blah blah blah and this is you know and

then like something interesting can ask

them a question really easy to connect

with people if you have a prompt the

next step in your freelancing business

is once you have your first client you

are gonna do the client work obviously

right but I do have a tip for you so

when you're just working with a client

don't just do the work and then at the

very end once you're 100 done with the

work show the client what I actually do

and what I found works the best is

actually to do 30 of the work first show

The Client you just like send a picture

or send kind of like a it depends on

what you're doing right it could be an

outline it could be a draft of what

you're doing let's say I'm doing a

calligraphy piece I would send the draft

and pencil of like the layout and

everything send it to the client after

I'm done 30 and just show the client hey

I'm working on this this is what it

looks like so far and this is great

because in the initial stages before you

spent so much time doing the client work

you can get feedback on your work most

of the times the client will come back

and be like oh my gosh this is great or

like could you just fix this one little

thing and then you are saving so much

time if you're able to like fix

something before you've actually

finished the whole thing and then you

might have to like start all over so I

show the client at the 30 Mark and then

also around when I'm like 70 to 80 done

like when I've almost done the thing I

like sending it to them and just saying

hey I am almost done this is what it's

looking like so far I'm just gonna do

the finishing touches and then we're

done so with art specifically I liked

having like two check-ins before I

finished the whole thing but I would say

it depends on what you are doing and if

the client is so busy then maybe you

don't want to check in so many times but

I think it is helpful especially at the

start of working with a new client you

want to check in more and then after

you've established a relationship and

maybe you're working multiple projects

then maybe later on you don't have to

check in as much because they know what

you're doing next up after you finish

the client work is to invoice the client

you can also collect a deposit before

you start on the client work so that is

also very common as well but you will

have to find a way to invoice your

client depending on where you live that

will dictate what kind of invoicing

software you can use but for me in

Canada and I think generally for North

America there is wave stripe and PayPal

so these are all free to use they just

have the standard 2.9 plus 30 cents per

transaction fee this is standard across

the board they're going to have that fee

but there are also a lot of other

invoicing platforms like for example if

you use an accounting software like

QuickBooks then you can also use your

paid accounting software to collect

payments so congratulations on getting

your first client and getting paid now

I'm going to answer some commonly asked

questions about becoming a freelancer

the first one is Dina how do you build

portfolio if you have no clients it's

like a chicken and egg thing like how

can I have a portfolio if I don't have

my first client so to give you an

example in my calligraphy and art

business I really really really wanted

to do on-site calligraphy on-site

calligraphy is where you are hired by

Brands and event organizers or stores in

the mall to sit there and make custom

calligraphy gifts or like custom cards

for customers that come in and I just

thought this was like so cool but the

thing is how could I get these things if

I have no experience if I don't have

pictures of me doing on-site calligraphy

if I haven't worked with any stores

before so what I actually did was I

searched for charity events in Vancouver

and I reached out to a bunch of charity

events and said hey I'm a calligrapher

like I can do on-site calligraphy for

free like I I'm gonna provide all the

paper and everything and I actually did

a couple of those at the start and I got

some really great pictures of me

interacting with people and I use this

to build my portfolio nobody has to know

that this was not a shop this was not

you being hired and eventually I got

hired to do some really cool on-site

calligraphy events another example is

when I had the idea to sell home

paintings to Realtors I'm not a painter

but I thought wouldn't it be cool let me

just try this business idea out so I

reached out to a couple Realtors and

then I said hey I'm trying this new

thing do you want like a free painting

for your next house sale and so I did

like maybe two or three of them and then

I had these paintings of homes that I

could have in my portfolio and all my

social media and then Realtors actually

started to ask me if I could do these

paintings for them and in the end I made

500 from painting when I'm not even a

painter so what I'm saying is if you

don't have experience go out and build

yourself a portfolio through doing free

events free work or you could literally

just make samples of your work at home I

know there's always like a debate going

on between should you do free work or

should you not do you need to charge for

your value I think at the very beginning

if you don't have a portfolio you kind

of like you need a way to start off and

the best way the easiest way to do that

is to do some free work you can't do

free work forever obviously next

struggle that a lot of Freelancers have

is not knowing how to price themselves

and I struggled with this a lot at the

beginning too because I thought I

haven't been doing calligraphy for like

five years I've only been doing it for a

couple months how can I charge this

price and there was a lot of imposter

syndrome and self-doubt as well the

first thing is do not charge what you

would be making at a nine to five job

working eight hours a day because as a

freelancer when you split up your day

you are not working on client work every

single hour of the day for eight hours

right maybe you're only doing one or two

hours that day the rest of the time you

are networking you are working on your

social media you're doing activities

where you're not getting paid so with

freelancing your rate is always going to

be way higher than your hourly rate in a

typical nine to five job when I first

started freelancing I found this really

really great resource by

womenwoofreelands.com they got a lot of

Freelancers to submit what they charge

and honestly this is so interesting to

look at and you can see by industry how

many years people have been working and

you can see what they are charging

you'll see there are some that are like

twenty dollars some that are a hundred

two hundred dollars so with freelancing

rate it can range a lot oh yeah and then

with upwork or with fiverr.com some

Freelancers are charging like you know

five dollars or ten dollars an hour

right so when you're coming up with your

pricing there are several factors to

consider you also don't want to charge

too low or else you'll be bringing the

entire industry down that's why with my

calligraphy business I actually talk to

a lot of calligraphers around my area

about what they charge for example for

like on-site calligraphy the going rate

is like minimum I would say 100 all the

way up to 250 depending on what you're

doing like if it's a really specialized

skill like engraving where you need more

tools you need more skill then you would

charge higher if it's doing calligraphy

on paper cards or something that may be

100 150 so that is the range I would

stick to and it is so useful remember I

said making friends with people who are

doing the same thing as you is so useful

because you can also ask about pricing

it's not good for one person to charge

so high one person to charge so low and

then maybe that customer is reaching out

to two people it's best to stay within

the range within your industry another

reason why I like the networking method

so much is because a lot of the times

like your potential customer has a lot

of options of who they want to work with

for example I'm looking for a video

editor and I'm sure there's thousands of

video editors online but the most recent

one that I'm working with is somebody

that I actually know in real life and

even though I'm paying a little bit more

than what I want I don't mind that

because I really like this person I

enjoy working with person and I know

that their quality of work is going to

be good so you'll find that some people

are flexible on price if they really

like you oh and another trick I have for

reaching out to people and putting

yourself out there on social media is

actually like okay if you don't really

have business connections what you can

do is when you're just scrolling on your

social media like Instagram or Facebook

you can reconnect with your old friends

like for example your high school or

your college friends your acquaintances

and the easiest way to do this is like

let's say you are just scrolling and

then you see somebody posting about

something and you think oh this is kind

of interesting like maybe somebody

posted something about their dog and you

haven't talked to them in years but a

really easy way you can get reconnected

is actually to reply to whatever they

post and be like I just ask a really

simple question like oh my gosh your dog

is so cute like oh I actually just got

dog myself like obviously depends on

like if you can find something similar

or something interesting and then you'll

be able to start a conversation that way

and then if you feel like you really

want to connect with this person like

you actually really want to reconnect as

friends then you could have a coffee

chat go out for lunch or something and

then when you're talking to them more

like they're obviously going to ask you

hey what's new with you then you can

share about your new business with them

and the thing is all of us we all have

like at least a hundred people in our

Network right so when you reconnect with

your old acquaintance you are opening up

the door to 100 more people so let's say

I'm trying to do graphic design and then

I tell my acquaintance I just started

this graphic design business and then

maybe like two weeks later she's talking

to her other friend and then the other

friend needs some graphic designer for

something and then she's like oh my gosh

well I was just talking to my friend

Dina she just started graphic design

business so don't underestimate the

value of your current connections so I

know this is a lot of information that I

just gave you but I really want you to

take it slow starting a business is a

process and it will get easier the more

you work on it right now if you're

feeling lost about invoicing and

contracts I do talk a lot more about

that in this video it is an older video

though it's kind of cringy but it's

still very informational so watch that

next if you want to learn more about

invoicing and contracts as a freelancer

foreign