7 Things to Do Your First Year Freelancing
By Monica Wallis, Copywriter and Founder of Copy That
So, you’ve quit your corporate job to go freelance? Congrats! As you take the entrepreneurial plunge, there are 7 steps for a successful first year. As someone 1.5 years into their own freelance journey, I would’ve loved to have this guide myself. Say goodbye to working for others and hello to the unparalleled freedom that is freelance.
Pinpoint Your Skills
First, identify what you’re good at. If a corporate marketing job had you creating designs in Canva on the side, perhaps you got really good at that and want to pursue it full-time. Maybe you’ve been writing blog posts in addition to your full-time job (like me) and thought to yourself, Why can’t I do this on my own?
It may be helpful to make a list of your skills, attributes and qualities that could be marketable. Some things that come to mind:
copywriting, content writing or editing
graphic design
marketing or branding strategy
creating social media posts in Canva
writing LinkedIn articles
taking lifestyle photos of your friends and family
creating Instagram reels and TikToks
producing short, documentary-style films
designing emails in Flodesk or Mailchimp
It’s not only important to consider what you’re good at, but what you actually ENJOY doing. If your manager had you doing a ton of things in addition to your role—likely due to a small team strapped for resources—now’s your chance to take on projects you have real passion for.
Finally, your audience and desired industry. What’s great about freelance is it never gets dull; whereas in a corporate setting, you may be working on the same account, same industry or same product day in and day out. With Copy That, I get to write about Bundt Cakes one day and Black history in Oakland the next. Every day is different, but you need to define your niche and present yourself as the authority in those spaces.
2. Get Advice
This one was huge for me. I immediately sought out other freelance copywriters. I emailed and set up calls, asking things like:
What have you found to be the most successful method for finding clients?
Any online groups you’re a part of?
How many clients per month do you typically juggle/recommend?
Would you mind taking a look at my pricing structure and/or website?
What do you wish you knew in your first year?
Any software or platforms you recommend that have been crucial to conducting your business?
Any extra work you have that you can’t take on and need to pass off?
You may be wondering Where do I even find people to contact? The Freelancing Females Facebook group is a great place to start, but I’ve also found success in searching for other solopreneurs on LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok and freelance-related podcasts. Also, read! A book I purchased during my first month freelancing was 6-figure freelance copywriter Alex Fasulo’s book, Freelance your Way to Freedom: How to Free Yourself from the Corporate World and Build the Life of Your Dreams. Once you find someone you admire, subscribe to their email newsletters, webinars or YouTube videos. For copywriting newsletters, I recommend Ashlyn Carter, Marie Forleo and Jasmine Williams. P.S. You can sign up for Freelancing Females’ newsletter here!
Going off the whole community idea…not everyone in your life will understand your decision to quit your full-time job when you don’t have something immediately lined up. That’s okay! “So you quit working?” “Wait, what do you do?” “Are you scared?!” might be some initial responses. While the lifestyle is certainly on the rise, freelancing is still a new concept to many and it can feel lonely at first. Like Freelancing Females, there are a ton of freelancing groups out there to stay connected—join them! I have found solopreneurs to be a supportive, open, friendly community of people.
3. Get Official
I’m not an accountant or tax advisor, but what I can share is what’s worked for me.
First, I came up with a business name. I had a running list of ideas that were punny and related to writing words, and “Copy That” felt right. After conducting a search to ensure its availability, I went on over to LegalZoom to open my business as a single-member LLC. This way, I knew I could conduct business properly while protecting myself as an individual, having everything separated from Monica Wallis as a person and my business entity. LegalZoom made the process super easy, and a few business days and a small fee later, I was approved and open for business.
Pro tip: Create a full LLC name and a “doing business as” (DBA) name for your business. For instance, my LLC name is “Copy That Creative, LLC” and I regularly do business as “Copy That” for brevity purposes. This is something that will need to be created, recorded and approved as well (can also all be done via LegalZoom).
Once your business name is up and running, I highly recommend opening a business bank account. Again, this way you can keep everything separate and organized from your personal life. Do some research to find the best small business bank that works for you in your area—here’s a good list to start with. I personally use Bank of America.
4. Branding is King Queen
Once I had the “Copy That” name down pat, the first thing I did was call up a former designer co-worker to help create my logo, color palette and fonts. To get inspired, create a Pinterest board with your go-to aesthetic and re-pin images that speak to you. They don’t even have to be related to your field—just keep an open mind and start pulling whatever you’re immediately drawn to.
Think: What colors reflect what you do and who you serve? Perhaps you’re a photographer for sustainable, eco-friendly brands—go with green, earthy colors and fonts that communicate that. Personally, I chose a light purple, lavender-adjacent tone as my primary color because 1) my alma mater is TCU (go frogs!) and 2) I mainly work with women in industries like food + beverage, beauty, destination, lifestyle and retail.
Next, you’ll want an updated website/portfolio. This is crucial, and I repeat crucial to your freelancing journey. You can send prospects a resume or Google Doc link with samples all day long, but what truly sets you apart is having one place where your best work is collected. A few tips when creating your website:
Display your best work that reflects what you actually want to work on, in industries that interest you
Use platforms like Wix or SquareSpace that have great functionality for beginners
Include a form or area where prospects can contact you
Use picture(s) of yourself—people are a lot more likely to remember a face than a bunch of words on a page
List the types of services you offer
You have your website and branding—great! Now it’s time to get social. Build your social media base on platforms where you know your prospects will be. One of the things that’s helped me remain consistent in posting is the idea that I don’t have to be on every. single. platform. Instead of trying to do all the things, I’ve told myself if I can post on Copy That’s Instagram and LinkedIn at least 1-2 per week, I’ll be in good shape. As long as you’re sticking with it and creating content that you believe in and that’ll influence your followers, you’re on the right track. What I do is keep a running list of social content ideas, so that when a random idea pops into my head, I’ll have a place for it all. Here are some social content ideas to help get your freelancing account started:
A quick introduction of yourself, your brand, your past + how you got started as a freelancer
Why you quit your corporate job
Weekly tips related to your niche or skill set
Testimonials from people you’ve worked with
Inspirational quotes
Recent business and project updates
Hot takes on the freelancing world
P.S. Canva has been my saving grace for creating beautiful designs on social.
5. Create Your Pricing
This one is pretty straightforward but is obviously essential and the number one thing prospects will be asking you for on calls. Do some research for your industry to see where to start. Things to consider are how long you’ve been in the field, what you offer, any sort of packages, additional rounds of edits and beyond. Freelancing Females has a wonderful pay transparency sheet here.
6. Get “Out There”
It’s time to begin prospecting, yay! Keep a running list of target brands and businesses you’d love to work with. Find them on LinkedIn or email. For collecting email addresses, I use a tool called RocketReach. You simply paste the LinkedIn profile of your desired recipient into the search bar and it pulls up profiles, then you can grab their email address. Voila! Prospecting is as simple as that.
But not really.
Be prepared to be ignored, ghosted and told We’re not hiring freelancers but we’ll definitely keep your information on file. That’s part of the job. Remind yourself why you started and don’t give up! It’s all a numbers game; the more brands you reach out to, the more opportunities you’ll get.
I’m a member of the Freelancing Females Talent Directory, where they post freelancing jobs on the regular. You can find their job board here.
It’s also a good idea to reach out to people in your network who you’ve worked with in the past, or brands you admire on social media. Take note of these businesses and follow up regularly (it’s all about the follow-up, trust me).
In this outreach of cold emailing and sliding into the DMs, make sure to include the link to your new-and-improved website or portfolio.
7. Track Along the Way
Something I wish I had done as soon as that first invoice came in: created a Quickbooks account. I was doing virtually zero tracking of my business finances—expenses, income, you name it—none of it was accounted for. It wasn’t until about a year into my business that I signed up for Intuit by Quickbooks, where all my invoices are sent, my business bank account is linked and my cash flow forecast is easily accessible. Several platforms do this, but as long as you’re tracking it somewhere, you’ll be glad you did so from the get-go (especially when tax season rolls around).
Bonus Time! What NOT to do your first year freelancing:
DON’T forfeit having a routine. If Tuesdays and Thursdays are your work-from-a-coffee-shop days, great! If you only take meetings on Monday afternoons, stick with that. You’ll get into a much better rhythm this way.
DON’T say yes to everyone, everything and every opportunity simply for the sake of having clients.
DON’T keep the wrong clients for too long—again, just to have clients.
DON’T beat yourself up in slow seasons. These are a reality and build character as a small business owner!
The Building Blocks of Solopreneur Success
If you’re thinking of ditching your 9-to-5 to pursue your freelancing dreams, these 7 steps are a great place to start. Branching out on your own can be scary, but trust me—it’s SO worth it when you get that first high-paying client. Over the past year, I’ve worked with some amazing brands, created copy I actually enjoy writing and learned tons along the way. Above all, give yourself GRACE. Starting a business is not for the faint of heart. Reward yourself when you hit that big milestone, get that dream client or crush a tough project. Cheers to you, friend!