How To Get Freelance Work Using Zero Dollars?

Instead of publishing an interview as I normally do on Thursdays I want to answer a question that I’ve been getting here at Life Of The Freelancer as well as my other site – The Itinerant Entrepreneur’s Journal, which is all about Internet marketing strategies that convert.

This is a question that is highly relevant for those new to freelancers, or those that are going through a famine cycle with their business.

That question is this:

How can you market when you have no money and no budget?

The answer is simple, and one many won’t want to hear: network like crazy and don’t stop. If you have no money, and don’t want to borrow some money to try to ramp things up, then the only other asset you have at your disposal is time.

Let’s look at this in more detail.

The #1 Key To Networking

There is no secret to networking in general, but there’s a lesson I’ve learned over the years – building relationships takes time, they take work, and they take giving. No relationship is one-sided, and none are formed over night. Networking is not a “get money and work fast” strategy, however in the long run it pays off.

That’s not to say that you cannot get fast work via networking. If you run into someone that has an immediate need for what you offer you’re golden. Otherwise, you’re looking at developing the relationship over time.

With that said and proper expectations in place, let’s look at the two forms of networking: online and offline.

Offline Networking

I think online networking is the easiest so we’ll look at that second.

There is a huge amount of value to meeting people in person that online networking just doesn’t give you. In fact I think it’s the only shortcut in all of this. When you meet someone you can see if you really click, and you can get to know the person at a deeper level.

Networking in your peer groups (people that do the same thing as you, for instance programming, design, writing, etc.) is good and you should definitely do it, but don’t spend a majority of your time there. Unless people in the group are going to become your customers in some form, then these places should take up very little time. Yes that sounds mercenary, but I ‘m trying to help you get money here, not friends.

So where to go…

Here’s a short list of places I’ve used to get work:

Meetups (non peer-group): look for complimentary meetups for your industry. For instance, developers need designers, writers need editors, etc.

Co-working spots: these places have people in many industries, some of which could use your services

Business conferences: if you’re technical awesome, many business people are not. For this to be effective though you have to speak business. Start going off about code or CSS or something technical and you’re screwed. The main question here is- what’s in it for them?

Tech conferences: if you’re in tech in some way, shape or form, these can be great places to find subcontract gigs

Local Tweetups: how many people in how many industries use Twitter? Right. They also meet offline too.

Unconferences: unconferences are unstructured events where the attendees are the speakers. The biggest one in many cities is BarCamp. These unconferences are great places to network and show your expertise.

Startup Weekend: there is no better way to show your talents than to join a group of people and start a business over a weekend. I met a now good friend of mine Scott Scanlon at one such event. Scott and I have been trading ideas ever since, and the help and advice he’s given me is worth more than money.

This list should get you started.

The point here being though is to get out and go meet people.

So what if you’re shy, introverted, or just won’t go anywhere? You’re talking online networking now my friend.

What To Do When You Need Money Fast

If you are really strapped for cash there are a few things you can do:

Start making a lot of calls: call up the companies that could subcontract to you and ask if they have any workFigure out inventive ways to use sites like Fiverr.com to get leads from customers. I recently did this for the UEJ by offering my SEO report – typically $79 – for $5 for two weeks only. I ended up getting much more work from a few of the $5 customers.

Look for a part-time job to tide you over: I know you don’t want to hear this one, but you gotta do what you gotta do. Suck up your pride and just do it. The alternative is getting into massive debt as you attempt to sustain a business that isn’t making money. I ended up $30,000 in debt back in the day because of my pride – don’t let that happen to you.

Do not stop marketing: I cannot stress this enough and it’s something I see freelancers fail to do over and over again. As a freelancer you are a marketer, a sales person, a finance person and the production person. Without marketing no one knows about you, with out sales you don’t make money, without finance you can lose your shirt, and without production there is nothing to be sold. There is no choice between these 4 things – you have to do all of them, all the time. 

So What Do You Think?

What do you think of the ideas I have here? Have you used these to get more business? What did I leave out that you’ve used?

Let’s discuss it in the comments below.