🚀 Freelancing 101 Cheatsheet

This cheatsheet summarizes the contents of this video: a step by step guide to starting a freelancing career.

🔍 Figure Out Your Unfair Advantage

💡 Unfair advantages are skills, experiences, or resources that give an individual a significant edge over others in achieving success or reaching their goals, often stemming from circumstances beyond their control or exclusive opportunities.

⚠️ Don’t skip this step! It’s extremely important for a long-lasting successful freelancing career.

Your unfair advantage could stem from:

👔 Work experience

😊 Personality traits (e.g., compassion, attention to detail, patience)

🧠 Domain expertise (e.g., coding, drawing, woodworking)

📚 Learning ability

🔎 How to Identify Your Unfair Advantage

Reflect on your skills and experiences
Ask friends and family for their perspective
Consider your personality traits and how they might benefit clients
Think about areas where you learn quickly
Read “The Unfair Advantage” by Ash Ali and Hasan Kubba for more insights

💼 Transform Your Unfair Advantage into a Marketable Skill

After you figure out your unfair advantage, it’s time to make it into a marketable skill.

graph LR
    A[Unfair Advantage] --> B{Combination}
    B --> C[Work + Quick Learning]
    B --> D[General + Specialized]
    B --> E[Very Specialized]
    C --> F[e.g., Software + AI]
    D --> G[e.g., Operations for Chiropractors]
    E --> H[e.g., 3D Jaw Models]

💡 Pro Tip: Browse Reddit and Facebook groups surrounding your niche to see what people are saying they want.

📚 Recommended Books

“The Unfair Advantage” by Ash Ali and Hasan Kubba
“So Good They Can’t Ignore You” by Cal Newport

🐦 Two Birds One Stone: Portfolio and Your First Gig

💼 Portfolio is everything. Doesn’t matter if you already have lots of work experience on your resume.

Think about these key questions:

🤔 How do I showcase myself and my unfair advantage?

🎯 Based on the type of work I’m going for, how do I show that I have the skills and experience my potential client would want?

⏳ Spend a lot of time building your portfolio because that is almost always the first screen

💡 Pro Tip: Change your portfolio projects depending on the specific project you are trying to land. Clients will hire the freelancer with the most relevant experience.

⚠️ Don’t just do personal projects by yourself! Go out and offer to work on real projects to put on your portfolio.

Btw I built this website using Quarto and you can also build portfolios with it too. It’s an open source free alternative to website builders.

Some Quarto portfolios to take inspo from: Dr. Daniel Kapitan (source code),Vistales (source code), Hamel Husain, Samal Naqvi

🔧 Platforms

💼 I personally prefer not to use platforms like Fiverr and Upwork as a freelancer because margins are very thin and sometimes people can be difficult to work with. But they can be very beneficial!

Consider using platforms if:

🏞️ You have a completely blank portfolio. It’s a good way to start building your portfolio.

🚀 You have a rare skill that is in high demand (e.g., building AI chatbots).

💰 You can undercut people’s prices (e.g., building websites like this one using Quarto, which is way faster and cheaper).

🌍 You’re from a developing country because generally developed country clients pay better than local clients.

🤝 You just want to expand your network.

🌱 Sourcing Clients & Scaling

💼 Initially, you might need to work for free and handle challenging situations. The goal is to build a system that continuously attracts clients, allowing you to be selective.

Building Systems:

flowchart LR
    A[Start] --> B[Initial Projects]
    B --> C{Build System}
    C --> D[Manage Relationships]
    C --> E[Outreach]
    D --> F[Repeat Clients]
    D --> G[Referrals]
    E --> H[Attend Events]
    E --> I[Post Content]
    F & G & H & I --> J[Selective Clientele]

💡 Pro Tip: At events, you’ll meet potential clients like fractional operations companies, editors, investors, and lawyers. The networking opportunities are invaluable!

⚠️ Caution: Building a robust client network takes time, but it’s worth the effort. Eventually, you’ll have the luxury of choosing your clients.

📚 Recommended Books

“The E-Myth Revisited” by Michael E. Gerber
“The Dip” by Seth Godin
Social media marketing tutorials on YouTube

☝️ All The Other Tips

🏢 Setting up a Company

In the US, consider an LLC; in Canada, a C-corp. These structures offer legal protection and tax benefits. ⚠️ But remember: Don’t get bogged down with this initially. Focus on landing your first client!

💰 Pricing

In the beginning, getting paid at all is a win. As you gain experience, align with industry standards. I genuinely often just start with just describing my situation to ChatGPT.

💡 Pro Tip: You can try asking clients for their budget first to gauge expectations.

📚 Recommended Read: “Never Split the Difference” by Chris Voss

🔍 Prevent Scope Creep

Clearly define what you will and won’t do eg. you will only do website maintenance for 1 month before switching over to a month-by-month retainer.

🌟 Reputation Management

Remember: Your reputation is everything in freelancing.

🔑 Key Strategy: Underpromise and overdeliver.

--- title: "🚀 Freelancing 101 Cheatsheet" format: html: theme: cosmo toc: true toc-depth: 3 number-sections: false code-fold: true code-tools: true css: styles.css include-in-header: - text: | <script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/mermaid/dist/mermaid.min.js"></script> <script>mermaid.initialize({startOnLoad:true});</script> --- This cheatsheet summarizes the contents of this [video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utPBI1qitJU): a step by step guide to starting a freelancing career. ## 🔍 Figure Out Your Unfair Advantage ::: {.callout} 💡 Unfair advantages are skills, experiences, or resources that give an individual a significant edge over others in achieving success or reaching their goals, often stemming from circumstances beyond their control or exclusive opportunities. ::: {.warning} ⚠️ Don't skip this step! It's extremely important for a long-lasting successful freelancing career. ::: ::: Your unfair advantage could stem from: ::: {.emoji-list} 👔 Work experience 😊 Personality traits (e.g., compassion, attention to detail, patience) 🧠 Domain expertise (e.g., coding, drawing, woodworking) 📚 Learning ability ::: ::: {.callout} ### 🔎 How to Identify Your Unfair Advantage 1. Reflect on your skills and experiences 2. Ask friends and family for their perspective 3. Consider your personality traits and how they might benefit clients 4. Think about areas where you learn quickly 5. Read "The Unfair Advantage" by Ash Ali and Hasan Kubba for more insights ::: ## 💼 Transform Your Unfair Advantage into a Marketable Skill After you figure out your unfair advantage, it's time to make it into a marketable skill. ```{mermaid} graph LR A[Unfair Advantage] --> B{Combination} B --> C[Work + Quick Learning] B --> D[General + Specialized] B --> E[Very Specialized] C --> F[e.g., Software + AI] D --> G[e.g., Operations for Chiropractors] E --> H[e.g., 3D Jaw Models] ``` ::: {.callout .tip} 💡 **Pro Tip:** Browse Reddit and Facebook groups surrounding your niche to see what people are saying they want. ::: ::: {.callout .book} ### 📚 Recommended Books - "The Unfair Advantage" by Ash Ali and Hasan Kubba - "So Good They Can't Ignore You" by Cal Newport ::: ## 🐦 Two Birds One Stone: Portfolio and Your First Gig ::: {.callout} 💼 Portfolio is everything. Doesn't matter if you already have lots of work experience on your resume. ::: Think about these key questions: ::: {.emoji-list} 🤔 How do I showcase myself and my unfair advantage? 🎯 Based on the type of work I'm going for, how do I show that I have the skills and experience my potential client would want? ⏳ Spend a lot of time building your portfolio because that is almost always the first screen ::: ::: {.callout .tip} 💡 **Pro Tip:** Change your portfolio projects depending on the specific project you are trying to land. Clients will hire the freelancer with the most relevant experience. ::: ::: {.callout .warning} ⚠️ Don't just do personal projects by yourself! Go out and offer to work on real projects to put on your portfolio. ::: Btw I built this website using Quarto and you can also build portfolios with it too. It's an open source free alternative to website builders. Some Quarto portfolios to take inspo from: [Dr. Daniel Kapitan](https://kapitan.net/) ([source code](https://github.com/dkapitan/dkapitan.github.io)),[Vistales](https://vistales.github.io/Home/_site/) ([source code](https://github.com/Vistales/Home)), [Hamel Husain](https://hamel.dev/](https://github.com/hamelsmu/hamel/)), [Samal Naqvi](https://forbo7.github.io/](https://github.com/ForBo7/forbo7.github.io)) ## 🔧 Platforms ::: {.callout} 💼 I personally prefer not to use platforms like Fiverr and Upwork as a freelancer because margins are very thin and sometimes people can be difficult to work with. But they can be very beneficial! ::: Consider using platforms if: ::: {.emoji-list} 🏞️ You have a completely blank portfolio. It's a good way to start building your portfolio. 🚀 You have a rare skill that is in high demand (e.g., building AI chatbots). 💰 You can undercut people's prices (e.g., building websites like this one using Quarto, which is way faster and cheaper). 🌍 You're from a developing country because generally developed country clients pay better than local clients. 🤝 You just want to expand your network. ::: ## 🌱 Sourcing Clients & Scaling ::: {.callout} 💼 Initially, you might need to work for free and handle challenging situations. The goal is to build a system that continuously attracts clients, allowing you to be selective. ::: **Building Systems:** ```{mermaid} %%| fig-width: 8 %%| fig-height: 3 flowchart LR A[Start] --> B[Initial Projects] B --> C{Build System} C --> D[Manage Relationships] C --> E[Outreach] D --> F[Repeat Clients] D --> G[Referrals] E --> H[Attend Events] E --> I[Post Content] F & G & H & I --> J[Selective Clientele] ``` ::: {.callout .tip} 💡 Pro Tip: At events, you'll meet potential clients like fractional operations companies, editors, investors, and lawyers. The networking opportunities are invaluable! ::: ::: {.callout .warning} ⚠️ Caution: Building a robust client network takes time, but it's worth the effort. Eventually, you'll have the luxury of choosing your clients. ::: ::: {.callout .book} ### 📚 Recommended Books - "The E-Myth Revisited" by Michael E. Gerber - "The Dip" by Seth Godin - Social media marketing tutorials on YouTube ::: ## ☝️ All The Other Tips **🏢 Setting up a Company** ::: {.callout} In the US, consider an LLC; in Canada, a C-corp. These structures offer legal protection and tax benefits. ⚠️ But remember: Don't get bogged down with this initially. Focus on landing your first client! ::: **💰 Pricing** In the beginning, getting paid at all is a win. As you gain experience, align with industry standards. I genuinely often just start with just describing my situation to ChatGPT. ::: {.callout .tip} 💡 **Pro Tip:** You can try asking clients for their budget first to gauge expectations. ::: ::: {.book} 📚 Recommended Read: "Never Split the Difference" by Chris Voss ::: **🔍 Prevent Scope Creep** ::: {.callout .warning} Clearly define what you will and won't do eg. you will only do website maintenance for 1 month before switching over to a month-by-month retainer. ::: **🌟 Reputation Management** Remember: Your reputation is everything in freelancing. ::: {.callout} 🔑 Key Strategy: Underpromise and overdeliver. :::