Prepare for constant battle.
Marketing for freelancers.
Everything I’ve learned.
A thread.
- Getting clients
- Pricing projects
- Negotiation
All the hard stuff, made easier.
- The clients you work with
- The projects you work on
- The pay you receive
All the important stuff, made better.
When demand outweighs supply, freelancing is freeing.
- Developer
- Designer
- Or writer
But the best doesn’t always get:
- The most work
- The best clients
- The highest pay
The perceived best often does.
This is when you’re at your most vulnerable.
Because you get complacent.
You might be busy now, but what about next week/month/year?
- Outsource
- Collaborate
- Pay forward
It’s a good problem to have, not a bad one.
Getting them to ask you is effective long-term.
- Make friends with people
- Demonstrate specific expertise
- Show proof of work
- Come recommended
- Do a good job
- Be discoverable (online and offline)
- Be authentic (don't fabricate)
- Be transparent (show results)
- Be accessible (help people)
- Be relatable (tell your story)
- Be brilliant (do great work)
- Be useful (spread value)
A good website with solid content opens up opportunities from all angles.
Makes you nothing to no-none.
Pick a position and stick to it.
- What’s in-demand
- What you’re best at
- What you enjoy most
- What makes you different
- What you can do for a long time
Look for the overlaps.
- Who are they?
- What do they buy?
- What are their problems?
- Where do they hang out?
And shiny object syndrome kills.
Stick to the plan and go long.
- Your website
- Your content
- Your email list
- Your social media accounts
Spend time curating them all.
Replace them with “this will”, “I can” and “I’m going to”.
More from All
The best morning routine?
Starts the night before.
9 evening habits that make all the difference:
1. Write down tomorrow's 3:3:3 plan
• 3 hours on your most important project
• 3 shorter tasks
• 3 maintenance activities
Defining a "productive day" is crucial.
Or else you'll never be at peace (even with excellent output).
Learn more
2. End the workday with a shutdown ritual
Create a short shutdown ritual (hat-tip to Cal Newport). Close your laptop, plug in the charger, spend 2 minutes tidying your desk. Then say, "shutdown."
Separating your life and work is key.
3. Journal 1 beautiful life moment
Delicious tacos, presentation you crushed, a moment of inner peace. Write it down.
Gratitude programs a mindset of abundance.
4. Lay out clothes
Get exercise clothes ready for tomorrow. Upon waking up, jump rope for 2 mins. It will activate your mind + body.
Starts the night before.
9 evening habits that make all the difference:
1. Write down tomorrow's 3:3:3 plan
• 3 hours on your most important project
• 3 shorter tasks
• 3 maintenance activities
Defining a "productive day" is crucial.
Or else you'll never be at peace (even with excellent output).
Learn more
How to be 5x more productive.
— Ben Meer (@SystemSunday) August 1, 2022
A best-selling author\u2019s 3-3-3 Method:
2. End the workday with a shutdown ritual
Create a short shutdown ritual (hat-tip to Cal Newport). Close your laptop, plug in the charger, spend 2 minutes tidying your desk. Then say, "shutdown."
Separating your life and work is key.
3. Journal 1 beautiful life moment
Delicious tacos, presentation you crushed, a moment of inner peace. Write it down.
Gratitude programs a mindset of abundance.
4. Lay out clothes
Get exercise clothes ready for tomorrow. Upon waking up, jump rope for 2 mins. It will activate your mind + body.
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1/ 👋 Excited to share what we’ve been building at https://t.co/GOQJ7LjQ2t + we are going to tweetstorm our progress every week!
Week 1 highlights: getting shortlisted for YC W2019🤞, acquiring a premium domain💰, meeting Substack's @hamishmckenzie and Stripe CEO @patrickc 🤩
2/ So what is Brew?
brew / bru : / to make (beer, coffee etc.) / verb: begin to develop 🌱
A place for you to enjoy premium content while supporting your favorite creators. Sort of like a ‘Consumer-facing Patreon’ cc @jackconte
(we’re still working on the pitch)
3/ So, why be so transparent? Two words: launch strategy.
jk 😅 a) I loooove doing something consistently for a long period of time b) limited downside and infinite upside (feedback, accountability, reach).
cc @altimor, @pmarca
4/ https://t.co/GOQJ7LjQ2t domain 🍻
It started with a cold email. Guess what? He was using BuyMeACoffee on his blog, and was excited to hear about what we're building next. Within 2w, we signed the deal at @Escrowcom's SF office. You’re a pleasure to work with @MichaelCyger!
5/ @ycombinator's invite for the in-person interview arrived that evening. Quite a day!
Thanks @patio11 for the thoughtful feedback on our YC application, and @gabhubert for your directions on positioning the product — set the tone for our pitch!
Week 1 highlights: getting shortlisted for YC W2019🤞, acquiring a premium domain💰, meeting Substack's @hamishmckenzie and Stripe CEO @patrickc 🤩
2/ So what is Brew?
brew / bru : / to make (beer, coffee etc.) / verb: begin to develop 🌱
A place for you to enjoy premium content while supporting your favorite creators. Sort of like a ‘Consumer-facing Patreon’ cc @jackconte
(we’re still working on the pitch)
3/ So, why be so transparent? Two words: launch strategy.
jk 😅 a) I loooove doing something consistently for a long period of time b) limited downside and infinite upside (feedback, accountability, reach).
cc @altimor, @pmarca

4/ https://t.co/GOQJ7LjQ2t domain 🍻
It started with a cold email. Guess what? He was using BuyMeACoffee on his blog, and was excited to hear about what we're building next. Within 2w, we signed the deal at @Escrowcom's SF office. You’re a pleasure to work with @MichaelCyger!
5/ @ycombinator's invite for the in-person interview arrived that evening. Quite a day!
Thanks @patio11 for the thoughtful feedback on our YC application, and @gabhubert for your directions on positioning the product — set the tone for our pitch!

1/OK, data mystery time.
This New York Times feature shows China with a Gini Index of less than 30, which would make it more equal than Canada, France, or the Netherlands. https://t.co/g3Sv6DZTDE
That's weird. Income inequality in China is legendary.
Let's check this number.
2/The New York Times cites the World Bank's recent report, "Fair Progress? Economic Mobility across Generations Around the World".
The report is available here:
3/The World Bank report has a graph in which it appears to show the same value for China's Gini - under 0.3.
The graph cites the World Development Indicators as its source for the income inequality data.
4/The World Development Indicators are available at the World Bank's website.
Here's the Gini index: https://t.co/MvylQzpX6A
It looks as if the latest estimate for China's Gini is 42.2.
That estimate is from 2012.
5/A Gini of 42.2 would put China in the same neighborhood as the U.S., whose Gini was estimated at 41 in 2013.
I can't find the <30 number anywhere. The only other estimate in the tables for China is from 2008, when it was estimated at 42.8.
This New York Times feature shows China with a Gini Index of less than 30, which would make it more equal than Canada, France, or the Netherlands. https://t.co/g3Sv6DZTDE
That's weird. Income inequality in China is legendary.
Let's check this number.
2/The New York Times cites the World Bank's recent report, "Fair Progress? Economic Mobility across Generations Around the World".
The report is available here:
3/The World Bank report has a graph in which it appears to show the same value for China's Gini - under 0.3.
The graph cites the World Development Indicators as its source for the income inequality data.

4/The World Development Indicators are available at the World Bank's website.
Here's the Gini index: https://t.co/MvylQzpX6A
It looks as if the latest estimate for China's Gini is 42.2.
That estimate is from 2012.
5/A Gini of 42.2 would put China in the same neighborhood as the U.S., whose Gini was estimated at 41 in 2013.
I can't find the <30 number anywhere. The only other estimate in the tables for China is from 2008, when it was estimated at 42.8.