finding clients as a freelancer

13: Finding clients as a freelancer: the pros and cons of the different routes

October 8, 2018

EPISODE 13: SHOW NOTES

This is a question I get asked a lot from prospective students interested in my overwhelmed to overbooked program.

Who doesn’t want clients, right?

We’ve got to have clients in order to get paid and in order to actually have a profitable business.

The good news is, there are lots of different routes to go to find clients… however, some of the options in my opinion kinda stink, while others are really profitable. And in this episode I break down the pros and cons of the different routes out there!

**This post about how to get started as a freelancer may contain affiliate links, which means if you click one of our affiliate links and decide to make a purchase, we receive a tiny commision from the seller at no additional cost to you. We only share products and services we have used, tested, and love ourselves!**

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Learn how to earn $3K a month+ as a freelancer working less than 25 hours a week even if you think you have no experience.

Yes — it is possible!

This FREE 5-day email course will teach you all about the freelance industry, so you can finally end the family vs. finances battle.

In this episode, we cover:

the four main ways to find clients
the pros and cons of each route
my experience with each
which route is the best

Resources and links mentioned in this episode:

What now:

Come tell me which route you are going to take! Put it out there, come set a goal in the facebook group, and let us follow your success!!

And please stay tuned, because next week we are talking about visibility with out spending a TON!

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You don't have to choose between being a working mom or a stay-at-home mom. I can help you do both!

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❓”If I started my business today, Micala how l

❓”If I started my business today, Micala how long until I land my first client & quit my job?” Let’s do the math together! ⬇️

Here is the formula I use to give students realistic timelines.

First you need to plan for about one month to build a solid foundation for your business. If you enroll in LFA you’ll need to set aside 15-20 hours to accomplish this, which is very doable over the course of one month.

Then after that add one month for every client you need to hit your income goals.

For example, Let’s say your income goal is $3000.

You set your initial hourly rate at $30.

A typical VA package is 25 hours. Times that by your hourly rate…. andEach package would be $750.

$3000/$750 = 4 clients to reach your goal.

One month + 4 clients = 5 months to realistically be at this goal.

So if you started today & only need FOUR clients to meet your goals, you could be there by mid to end of March! 🥳🥳

Not to mention you’d only be working 25 hours a week.

Need help getting your realistic timeline in place? Tell me your $ goal in the comments!

And then sit down, close your eyes, take a deep breath and imagine your *ideal, but real* day. If you get started today, you’ll be singing HOLY MOTHER OF MOSES in no time because YOU did it! 🍾🎉🤯

Talk about a glow-up! 🌟And the best part? YOU c

Talk about a glow-up! 🌟And the best part? YOU can do this, too!

👋Hi 👋 I’m Micala. Mom, wife, freelance VA turned course creator & podcaster. I used the skills I ALREADY HAD as a teacher to launch my virtual assistant business, and now I’ve taught thousands of women how to launch & grow their own successful, businesses on a schedule that’s REALISTIC for busy moms.

Interested in what YOUR timeline could look like and how long it could take you to replace your income and ✌️on your day job?

Here’s what I tell people. Give yourself one month to build your solid foundation (I teach this in LFA) and then add a month for each $1k you need/want to earn.

So if you need $3k a month you could realistically be there in less than 4 months!!

✅If you started today, you could be home with your family by Spring Break.

Inside my freelance training program, the Live Free Academy, you’ll work through EIGHT steps to build your freelance business. It’s entirely self-paced, so you can finish it all in just a few days or schedule it out over a month.

You also gain access to time-saving templates & tools, exclusive job leads, weekly coaching calls, and a student community full of support & encouragement. We won’t let you fail and we won’t let you give up.

If you’re READY to makeover your life (without dedicating every second of your life to work!), it’s time to launch your freelance VA biz. Link in bio to see all the deets + student results & enroll!

❌You know it’s FEAR, not facts when…. I use

❌You know it’s FEAR, not facts when….

I used to allow fear to control my life and my decisions. I had this pattern where I would get bursts and want to go outside my zone, but the second it didn’t work…I would just stop. Take it as a sign that it wasn’t meant to be. I would put myself out there less and less, and then stop trying new things altogether.

The only problem was…my life stayed the same. Crazy, right?! When you’re unwillingly to try, NOTHING CHANGES!

With A LOT of time and lessons learned, (& after successfully launching my freelance biz!) I’ve stopped being paralyzed by fear. Not that it ever fully goes away, but I’ve learned it’s part of the process. Not a sign that I shouldn’t move forward.

📝 And I’ve developed a framework for talking myself through this fear and sticking with it (even when I’m not an immediate, overnight success).

Swipe through to steal my fear framework and FINALLY get out of your own way!

Where do people *actually* find virtual assistant

Where do people *actually* find virtual assistant clients that are paying $25-$35+ per hour?

First let me tell you where NOT to go:
❌Upwork
❌Fiver
❌Virtual Assistant Agencies Like Belay

Why?

I’m glad you asked.

Typically these sites are associated with finding the cheapest bid possible. Not to mention, the VA agencies (like belay) require you to be available and work during business hours, which defeats the freedom & flexibility part of freelancing. 👎👎

For the past 5 years+, I’ve been teaching & helping my students (over 2500+) in the Live Free Academy land clients through a variety of ways and you can find my recommendations in the reel above.

Facebook groups were my personal favorite route to take to land freelance clients, but the FASTEST way students are landing clients right now in 2022 because the demand is 🔥🔥🔥is their personal network.

Now before you say, but Micala I don’t know anyone who is hiring a virtual assistant let alone has a business! Hear me out..

A simple way to leverage your personal network is to JUST start telling people you know what you are doing!

In fact you can even steal this script below.

The next time someone asks you “What’s new…” instead of replying the usual same old same old say, “Hey actually I’m starting a business as a virtual assistant! I’m learning from this super awesome girl on IG Micala Quinn. Do you know her? Anyways, you wouldn’t happen to know of any business owners who need a virtual assistant would you?”

Simple as that.

They might know of someone, they might need someone, or they’ll have you top of mind when someone they run into happens to mention needing support in their business and YOU get the referral!

Not ready for this yet? Save this reel for when you are!

If you found this tip helpful, I’m sharing so much more in my workshop on Monday, so save that seat now. The link is in my bio @micala.quinn.

You’ll walk away from the training with a concrete plan to start your virtual assistant business so you can earn $3k a month, working less than 25 hours a week.

P.S. if you’re reading this and happen to be an established freelancer tell us below how you’ve landed your clients?! ❤️❤️

Except…it wasn’t fun. Like, at all. ✋ WHAT

Except…it wasn’t fun. Like, at all.

✋ WHAT is fun about being ordered around like a child — told where to be & what time & for how long?!

✋ WHAT is fun about working around someone else’s schedule, by someone else’s rules?!

✋ WHAT is fun about being away from your family for 8+ hours every day & giving half your paycheck to daycare each month?!

✋ WHAT is fun about someone else determining that you’re only worth a 2% raise once per year. And feeling LUCKY to get it?!

✋ WHAT is fun about wearing REAL PANTS every day?!

OK, ok. I could obviously go on & on but I think you get my point. If you’re completely over ALL this & more, it’s time to try freelancing!

When I started freelancing as a virtual assistant 7 years ago, I was able to TRIPLE my teacher take-home pay…working less than 25 hours/week! Yep — let’s just say it didn’t take me too long to tell my old job (& life!) goodbye forever!

Now it’s your turn! Join me for a FREE, live workshop on Monday at noon CST for YOUR step by step plan to making $3K/month working less than 25 hours/week as a virtual assistant. This is real, possible, & proven!

💫💫Save your seat now from the link in my bio or micalaquinn.com/VA-IG, then let me know. What do you/did you hate the most about working a “traditional” job?!

#igreels #instareels #freelancemoms #freelancemomlife #virtualassistantcommunity #virtualassistantservice #virtualassistant #womaninbusiness #ladypreneur #flexiblejob #workfromhomemommies #workfromhomemomma #bizowners #actiontakers #beyourownboss #biztips #businessstrategy #workfromwherever #dreambigorgohome #buildyourbusiness #fempreneur #businessmentor #onlinebusinessmanager

Can you help keep my secret?! 😉 I decided to s

Can you help keep my secret?! 😉

I decided to share this and talk about this directly because this is something I keep hearing from other moms… I just want a remote job. I don’t want to start a business.

And i hear you. It wasn’t my original goal to start a business.

It wasn’t even on my radar to be honest. I was *just* a teacher. Only men in suits with capital start businesses or people with these really awesome ideas. I had neither.

I was just a mom who wanted to be at home with her kids & still bring home a paycheck.

But the issue I faced is there is no job out there with the true flexibility a mom needs.

Especially one that brings in a decent income.

And I know it can sound intimidating for some to start a business, but if you’re not finding what you want in corporate or in the traditional work force, it might be time to create that for yourself.

If that’s you, make sure you save your seat (link in my bio @micala.quinn) in my upcoming workshop on Monday October 17 all about how to get started as a virtual assistant! 🙌

Yes it was scary to start. I even started and stopped several businesses before getting started as a virtual assistant.

And while this was never my goal, starting my business (and not giving up) has been the hands down best decision i’ve ever made… or at least one of the top contenders.

If you’re already an established freelancer, can you give some encouragement to the women in the comments about getting started?

Were you nervous about starting, but did it anyway?!

I know your stories will help other see just how possible this is!