Surviving (and Thriving) as a Freelancer When the Worst Happens
From COVID-19 to Client Catastrophes – Here’s How to Keep Your Freelancing Business Going
Yes! Even Now.
Freelancing can be a tough gig. Sometimes, you’re at the mercy of clients. There aren’t many employment protections (and even when there are, it’s often too time-consuming and expensive to use them). You don’t get employee benefits like healthcare, vacation days, and a 401(k).
But now? Well, now it’s not even a whole different ballgame.
We changed stadiums and started playing water polo on Mars.
(Of course, there are super awesome benefits to freelancing – otherwise, why would so many people choose to do it?)
So, how does a consultant, freelancer, or online gig worker survive? And, even more importantly, thrive?
With a few simple steps and a lot of hard work.
Sorry, no “get rich quick” schemes here.
It’s not complicated to get your freelancing business thriving right now – in many ways, it’s super simple.
But let’s not sugarcoat things. It’s not easy.
Largely because it’s SUPER uncomfortable.
5 Ways Freelancers Can Thrive When Others Are Only Surviving
Cold Outreach Still Works
Beef Up Your Skills
Network Like Your Life Depends on It
Eat Some Crow / Ask for Help
Take Care of Your #1 Asset: Yourself
1. Cold Outreach Still Works – But Spam Does Not
InMail, email, direct messages… All of these cold outreach strategies still work during COVD-19 and a recession. But spam? That will hurt your business more than usual during a crisis.
(First off, what are cold audiences? Cold outreach relies on reaching out to people you’ve never chatted with before. Sure, you might have some acquaintances in common, but these are prospects that you haven’t interacted with before. Warm leads are people you’ve networked with, who downloaded your free e-book, or who have reached out to you. Hot audiences, on the other hand, have shown that they’re interested in you and your services and are about ready to make a decision.)
In times like these, “spray and pray” is a recipe for disaster. You need to customize your outreach to the specific target in mind. No “Hi [FIRSTNAME]” messages. Don’t rely exclusively on automated outreach tools. Tone-deaf form emails are going to be more aggravating to prospective clients or customers when the world is on fire.
As a freelancer or a consultant, you need to give real value to your prospect – and you need to provide it before they can find the delete button.
One strategy I use is to inject humor early on – you can 100% acknowledge that this is a cold message. Mention something you have in common (e.g., we both got our Digital Marketing Certification from Cornell University). Then, I discuss something they did – congratulate them on an award they won, answer a question they had in a social media post, or start a discussion about their latest blog post.
Once they respond, start giving them free value or advice and build a relationship. Only then should you pitch your services, tying them into a direct business result that they need.
Pro-Tip: Follow up again and again. I find that message 5 or 6 is the sweet spot for getting responses.
2. Beef Up Your Skills
As a freelance professional, you need to keep your skills sharp. More so than full-time workers. And, unlike full-timers, there’s no one nagging you to get the latest training done. It’s completely up to you.
For free resources, check out your local library. I have an old beat-up Kindle that I can directly download books to from the Brooklyn Public Library’s Overdrive platform. It’s AMAZING. The Freelancers’ Union Blog offers some good topical content. And there are always Facebook and LinkedIn groups where you can interact with other consultants to learn the craft from others. There are also free certifications that are available – every year, I re-up my Google Ads certification to keep me sharp.
I also love LinkedIn Learning (formerly Lynda). They offer a free trial, but if you pay for a LinkedIn subscription like I do, you have free access to a ton of courses. I most recently finished one on Project Management as I’m managing a distributed team for one of my clients.
There are, of course, a lot more paid resources that you can make use of – as your skills increase, it does get harder to find free resources that give you the depth of knowledge that you need. I’ve purchased courses from online marketing gurus and enrolled in courses like AdSkills and got my Digital Marketing Certification online from Cornell University.
Moral of the story? Always. Be. Learning. As a freelancer, your education is up to you.
3. Network Like Your Life Depends on It - Your Livelihood Definitely Does
Okay, most of us hate networking. I get it. You put on a dog and pony show hoping you somehow connect to a stranger and maybe, just maybe, they know someone somewhere you may need your product or service.
Sounds like a big yikes to me!
But, even as an introvert, I have come to LOVE networking. The key? Trying to connect with cool people with no expectations. The problem now? In-person networking has largely disappeared (and even if it was available, I certainly wouldn’t go – even with a mask).
What’s a guy to do? Time to get creative.
Now, more than ever, freelancers have access to a ton of online tools to network. From apps like Shapr and Bumble Bizz to video-conferencing happy hours, there are plenty of replacements for in-person networking.
Consider spending some time on Twitter and LinkedIn as well – they’re both great platforms to connecting with others. On Twitter, I regularly interact with colleagues, companies, and other freelancers in a comfortable, fun-loving atmosphere. LinkedIn is a bit more buttoned up, but you should feel free to comment on the posts of your friends, coworkers, and clients. Just remember: Any bot can say “great post.” You have to add some value for this to really work.
Finally, don’t forget about old friends, colleagues, clients, customers, and other contacts. Brushing up on your relationships is important at all times, but especially now as so many people feel isolated and alone.
Pro-Tip: Leverage the post-office. Everyone loves to get real mail – and many businesses have set up mail forwarding.
4. Eat Some Crow + Ask for Help
Now’s the time to leave your pride at the door. If you’ve burned bridges in the past, time to repair them. Yes, that might mean admitting your fault and sincerely apologizing. No one’s perfect, and it’s important to your reputation (and your business) that you make right your past mistakes.
Or, you need to forgive someone else. At times like this, being bigger person will make your bank account bigger (ignoring, of course, that being a good person is its own reward). After all, hating someone is like swallowing poison and hoping the other person will die.
Don’t forget to ask for help!
Whether it’s from a mentor, a fellow freelancer, or me (shameless plug: I do coach freelancers), it’s high time you swallowed your pride, embraced the vulnerabilities that make you human, and ask for some help. I know I certainly wouldn’t be where I am today without the help of my friends, colleagues, and coaches.
Everyone is struggling right now in one way or another. But we’re not all struggling at the same thing. For me, it’s workload – I have way too much to do in too little time, so it’s been hard to relax, regenerate, and navigate these changes. For others, it’s too little work. Or problems working when their kids are up and about. Or technical problems that they wish someone – a real live human, not a chatbot – could help them with. Align your strengths with others weaknesses, and vice versa.
Ask other people what they need. Whether or not you believe in juju, karma, or what goes around comes around, honestly helping others WILL help you in the long run. It’s not a short-term, “make it rain” strategy, but it will pay off for you.
(Maintaining relationships can be considered working a warm audience. A hot target is someone that’s interested in buying – you may just need to follow up monthly until they have the cash on hand to hire you.)
Pro-Tip: Reach out to those folks in your corner regularly. No one likes that dude who only contacts you when he needs something.
5. Take Care of Your #1 Asset: Yourself
And finally, rest and recover. You need true relaxation now. Whether that’s candles in the bath or tunes on a blanket in the sun, you need to rest and replenish yourself. That’s one of the keys to surviving (and thriving) in times like these.
You can’t afford to burn-out right now – so take care of yourself!
Pro-Tip: Gravity. Blanket. (Or, in my case, a very heavy dog.)
More Tips and Tricks: Budding consultant? Here are 5 Steps to Get Started as a Freelancer. Business owner? Check out these 6 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Hire a Freelancer.