How I Landed My First $1000 Client Without Outreach and Inbound Leads

Six months ago I quit my job and became a full-time freelancer. As someone who has always been in a job, this was new. Where do I get clients? What skills should I pick?

My journey wasn’t one of instant success, but the last six months have taught me important lessons that can help you land bigger projects and higher-paying clients just like me!

In 2024, I decided to take writing seriously. My first client was my teacher and mentor who I was learning writing from. She asked me if I would write scripts for her life coaching channel on social media. At that time, I wasn’t confident, but I threw myself into it, reading her book, watching her TEDx talk, and analyzing every article she’d ever published to understand her voice. I wrote 10 scripts. She approved 8 without changes and made minor edits to the last two. The validation came in a simple message: “I love how you write.”

But do you know what helps you make more money? Observation. Noticing the challenges of clients and trying to help them where you can. While working on my $150 gig, I noticed she was struggling to post regularly on her social media, so I offered to take over her social media management for an additional amount. To my surprise, she agreed, and my scope of work broadened. Within weeks, I was not only managing…