Five Personal Projects That Will Help You Find Clients
Posted July 28, 2010 in Marketing
Are things slow in your freelancing business right now? Are you in the middle of a “famine” phase?
If so, resist the temptation to stay in bed all day. Or run around in a panic because you have few or no client projects to work on.
Rather, think of this as the time to get some of your own projects done. Consider this “free time” you can use to get better in your field and to make your portfolio and resume more impressive.
By staying busy with personal projects, you avoid stressing out over your lack of work (and income). Instead, you can focus on improving your skills and improving your chances of landing better clients.
How?
Here are five personal projects you can work on right now to make yourself more attractive to prospective clients.
1. Create a Report, White Paper or Case Study
You don’t have to be a freelance writer to write a short report. Even if you’re a photographer, designer or programmer, a text document is still an excellent way to demonstrate your expertise.
Think of past projects you’ve completed. What lessons did you and your clients learn that would be valuable to prospective clients as well? Do you have a success story that demonstrate how the application of a certain principle in your field can help others?
Write it down into a brief report, nothing more than 12 pages in most cases. If you have a hard time writing, record yourself speaking and then have the audio transcribed. Barter services with other freelancers for transcription, editing, design and lay-out, if necessary.
If you must mention specific individuals or companies in your report, make sure you get their permission first.
After you have your special report, keep it handy to give to prospects. Send a digital copy when you send a “cold” email. Or offer it for free in your print ad. Have hard copies to give away when you attend networking events. If you have a blog or site, give the report away in exchange for people’s contact information.
2. Update Your Blog/Site
Take a long, good look at your blog/site. Is it updated? Does it communicate effectively with your Ideal Client? Are your work samples and testimonials fresh? Does your services page still mention work you don’t do any more?
If you blog, now’s the time to write posts in advance and pre-schedule them. That way, when the client projects start pouring in, your blog won’t get neglected.
Make sure your posts either directly or indirectly promote your services. You don’t have to be hard-sell about it. Simply write the types of blog posts that attract clients.
Promote your blog. Offer to write guest posts on other blogs. Leave thoughtful comments in blogs that your Ideal Clients read. Click here to get more ideas for increasing traffic to your blog.
Also revisit your site’s design. Is it still attractive and easy to navigate? Or does your site need a new look? Maybe your site needs a slight redesign or a total overhaul. Get to it now.
And don’t forget to look under the hood of your site. Update your plugins. Delete the ones you don’t use anymore. And, most importantly, make sure your site is regularly backed up.
3. Work on Your Dream Project
Is there a dream project you wish somebody would hire you to do? Don’t wait. Give the project to yourself.
Let’s say, for example, that I’ve always wanted to write a sales page and split test it to death. I could either quickly create an information product or buy resell rights to an existing one, write a sales page, split test different elements of it, and document the results.
Not only will this sales page be a new addition to my work samples. I’ll also have real-life proof of what elements convert better. I could even create a free or paid report out of the split tests. And, finally, I could make some passive income on the side (more on that later).
4. Volunteer for a Non-profit
Another excellent way to use some freelancing down-time is to find non-profits that need your services. Give them your services for free. If they’re happy with your work, ask for a testimonial and referrals.
You don’t even have to ask for anything back for your volunteer work. What goes around, comes around.
5. Set Up Passive Income Streams
This is my favorite way to use free time. If you write, learn to set up affiliate sites. Or write a few articles, put your affiliate links in the resource box, and publish them in article directories.
Or create your own products to sell, such as icons, graphics, website templates and WordPress themes. If you’re a programmer, create a script you can sell. Or a mobile phone app.
None of these things will probably be enough for you to quit freelancing. At least not right away. However, it’s reassuring to know you can earn an income in other ways… even if all your clients disappeared.
Moving Forward
Of course, you shouldn’t attempt to do all of these things at once, even if you have zero clients at the moment. Just start with one. Finish it and then move on to the next.
Share Your Personal Projects
I doubt you’ll get to do every single thing on this list before your work load picks up again.
In the meantime, do share: how do you keep busy during the lean times? What personal projects would you pursue if you didn’t have to do client work?
Image by amarette
Related posts:
- How To Find Hidden Traffic And Use It To Get More Clients
- Four Ways To Find More Personal Time
- MarketMeTweet: Will It Help You Find Clients on Twitter?
- Five Simple Tactics to Find New Clients
- Got A FaceBook Profile? You May Find This Interesting
About the author: Lexi Rodrigo is the creator of The Savvy Freelancer, a blog that's all about achieving creative and financial freedom through freelancing. Check out Lexi's free guide, 31 Days to Start Your Freelancing Business (or Make Yours A Better One).
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49 Comments
Jordan Walker
July 28th, 2010 at 8:38 amDuring lean times, I enjoy any thing other than computers. These are the times for vacations and generally catching up with friends and family.
Freelance FactFile
July 28th, 2010 at 8:43 amAugust is always a busy time for me, so I don’t have any ‘lean’ moments just now. Everyone seems to want stuff for September launches….
kathryn barlow
July 28th, 2010 at 9:12 amLean times can be scary, but it happens to everyone and as long as you’re doing your best to promote yourself and give back to the community – things should turn around.
Great tips though, taking the time to get those things done that you always say you’re “too busy” for will take weight off your shoulders you didn’t realize you had!
MFC Designs
July 28th, 2010 at 9:57 amDowntime can also be a great time to learn new techniques, styles, or new programs you’ve been dying to try! Sometimes the “leaner” times can be way more productive then when you are flooded with clients / projects.
drew smith
July 28th, 2010 at 11:55 amWhen I have a slower period I love to catch-up on my blog and I find working out helps keep me from stressing out.
As always great tips here!
Lexi Rodrigo
July 28th, 2010 at 12:30 pmThanks for your comments everybody! Good to know everybody takes advantage of slow periods to recharge and become better freelancers :-D
Susan
July 28th, 2010 at 2:02 pmI used some of my downtime to create an eBook, but the trouble with some of these personal projects is that they get pushed to the bottom as soon as new paying work comes in, so if you want those personal projects to pay off, you need to make them a priority, even when you have paying clients.
Another great use for downtime? Reconnecting with former clients (maybe taking them out to lunch if they’re local or sending a friendly check-in email) and cultivating new ones.
Rasmus
July 28th, 2010 at 2:04 pmI agree that lean times can be very productive – and personally satisfying, if not in an immediate financial way. I like to take the opportunity of downtime to work on expanding my network as well (non-profit volunteering is a good way to do that). I attend local meetups and events that apply to my business, that kind of thing.
McConnell Group
July 28th, 2010 at 3:01 pmThese are some great tips, goes well with the being bold post a few days back, really your work is what you make it, try to use your time productively and most things will come to you,
Shawn
Ankit
July 28th, 2010 at 6:37 pmI like the idea. We can also perform these things in our slow time.
Stephanie
July 28th, 2010 at 7:46 pmI’ve started on my very first personal project and I’m excited about it! :D I just need to get through the technical stuff though… they kept me up all night.
Great tips by the way! They’re all more worth our time than just lying around the house.
Kavyansh
July 28th, 2010 at 7:55 pmSlow time = time to recharge with skills. Thanks for sharing.
Nick - Bitten By Design
July 28th, 2010 at 8:21 pmDowntime? What downtime? Can I have some of yours please?!?!?
The only time I seem to have free during the day is my commute to and from work. This being the only ‘spare’ time I have to work on additional projects I have been using it to work on a book idea (my insights into Graphic Design) it wasn’t long before I noticed I had put thirteen chapters away!
It isn’t set to a deadline so I can keep working on it when I have time to make it the best it can be without external pressure of a deadline. (and to be able to put it aside when I am not in the mood to write is a BIG bonus to the quality of the writing)
If I did have spare time to do designs, I would be building passive streams through icon designs to sell on brandstack, istockphoto and the like.
Guliwer
July 29th, 2010 at 1:44 amHaving 1 or 2 personal projects which would give you some monthly income is must!
I would not have started freelancing without having them.
At least it helps you in your down times to cover your expenses, such as phone bills, internet, office etc.
BebopDesigner
July 29th, 2010 at 3:11 amThese are the things that I try to do on my free time. Luckily I haven’t had that much free time yet, but I do force myself into getting some space for the sake of sanity.
Writing posts and set them aside.
Read all those books I’ve been buying but haven’t got a chance to grab.
Personal photography projects
Brilliant post! thanks for sharing
Mario Ocon
July 29th, 2010 at 7:31 amDuring slow times I take up something that is unrelated to design that stills taps into my creativity. It helps me from burning out and keeps my work fresh. Right now I’m starting a photo a day project.
James
July 29th, 2010 at 11:08 amThis resonated with me because I have just come out of a busy period and I’m now heading into the usual summer slump (everyone seems to go away in August).
Here are the ways I like to keep busy:
I write loads of blog posts (storing some for the busier times) so I can keep up posting consistency.
I have a network of websites which allow me to experiment with SEO techniques so I usually have something I can be doing – this certainly helps to keep me busy. SEO is one of those infinite topics where you can always learn, explore, and experiment.
I have also decided to take a holiday – in my mind, there is no sense worrying about client work being a little thin on the ground – it seems to be the same every year because people go on holiday so this year I figured I would do the same. South of France, here I come (for most of August) I can do work from there if I need to (I have a rule and an agreement with my family that I never turn down work for personal reasons!) but otherwise I plan to enjoy myself, relax, read a few books and come back in September ready to blast SEO work for clients.
As a tip to anyone new to freelancing, I would say it is crucial to keep yourself busy, not only for your own sanity but also because the people around you will spot if you’re not busy and may start to draw you away from your work – which is going to be problematic when client work picks up again. The same boundaries should apply in the quiet times as in the busy times – you are still at work after all!
I have already started building a pipeline of work to be done on my return in September and I have managed to do this through allocating ‘sales’ time in each day in the sense that I take sales very seriously and as much a part of freelancing as the SEO work I do.
Another tip for keeping busy is to surprise clients with a little freebie (normally when I mention this to people, the room is fairly divided on whether this is good practice or not) but here goes:
I might hit up a client that has provided me with plenty of work during the year, take a look through their website and spot a few ways I could improve their SEO further (produce a mini report) and drop it over to them in a casual way “I just noticed…”
If I can fix a few things or sort something out for them then I will. They are delighted, it reminds them about what I do AND I always include an upsell in the freebie so the report might quote them for how much it will take to do something. More often than not I get some extra work out of them, maybe now, maybe in a few months when they’ve had time to digest!
Finally, I usually see myself through the quiet periods because I have a few clients on retainers. I’d say this is the number 1 rule of a successful freelancing business – these monthly invoices can really help you through the lean times!
Amy L. Scott
July 29th, 2010 at 11:24 amThanks for the great suggestions; I hope to be able to implement some of them. When I have slow times I try to escape from the computer for a while, but I also spend time brushing up on my skills. Right now I’m also working on new copy and design for my website, but it’s been slow going: As someone else mentioned, it’s difficult to keep personal projects going if you haven’t finished them before the work starts rolling in again!
Steve Atkinson
July 29th, 2010 at 10:13 pmAnother thing to do during downtime is to do more Networking.
Bakari
July 30th, 2010 at 12:54 amI’ve started another short PDF guide book, which I think is a great way to way to build book writing experience and learn advance word processing and desktop publishing skills.
Behzad
July 30th, 2010 at 7:15 amGreat suggestions. I tend to take online courses and learn new software’s. Even when outsourcing It would be good to know that the end product is like and be able to edit or work on it myself later on.
ameetkarn
July 30th, 2010 at 10:39 pmreally good sum of stuffs one can opt for during famine time…some i follow…some are new to me…def points to ponder
Andrew Cooper
August 1st, 2010 at 5:41 amBrilliant article, Lexi.
Some freelancers will never find that they have any down / free time and some will of course be fretting about not having enough paid work but this article highlights some brilliant suggestions and ideas for filling them gaps in. I’m the type that constantly keeps myself busy whether it is through paid work or not, so although I don’t see myself as having any down / free time I currently do the following from your list:
# Write case studies on existing client work for prospective clients to read
# Guest blog on other Websites as well as writing on my own blog
# Working on 2 of my “Dream” projects (one is a Web project and another is a Software Application project)
# Volunteer Web work for non-profit organisations as well as ordinary volunteer work that has nothing to do with IT
# Somehow finding the time to write 7 eBooks and contributing to a print book as a co-author
Not enough time in the day for all these things! ;)
Neil Lewis - Enterprise Freelance Fair
August 4th, 2010 at 12:07 pmI think it is a really good idea to keep your own project going even when you are really busy!
There are a couple of reasons for this…
Firstly, on your own project you can be more experimental and that allows you to try out new things and find out what works.
Secondly, if your client work slows down, you should feel motivated and excited – more time on your own project.
Thirdly, if you are (say) a designer and you want to start offering SEO – you can only really do this if you have a case study – in which case, your project becomes your case study
Lastly, if you are keeping a blog, you’ve got to keep it fresh – and again, your own project will help that.
Br
Neil
Antwon Davis
August 12th, 2010 at 1:16 amI enjoyed reading this post. It made me pull up a few personal projects that I have sitting on my computer screen that I’ve let drift to the back. I’m in a position to pursue all five personal projects that you recommended. Thanks for the refreshing reminder.
Duncan
September 21st, 2010 at 3:00 amExcellent advice there. Thanks.
I’m setting up two passive incomes at the moment (one website and one book), but I love the idea of writing a report. I’m going to have to think on what though as we mostly do product design and in the freelance world, that’s pretty niche.
Maybe I’ll write a report about that then! ;)
Gail Keith
May 24th, 2011 at 12:08 pmGreat blog! I have been a freelancer for 7 years and it took half of that time to realize being busy wasn’t the same as being productive. Now, I welcome some of the slow times so I can line up my own marketing. Lord knows, when I have a huge client load, the first thing I neglect is my own marketing. Now I have some balance. My other secret is learning to treat my business like my best client . . .after all, its my business that pays the bills, not the client’s.
Willena Eichberg
January 31st, 2012 at 7:13 amReally wonderful info can be found on website . “You don’t get harmony when everybody sings the same note.” by Doug Floyd.
Fletcher Kilson
April 2nd, 2012 at 8:11 amEveryone loves what you guys are up too. This kind of clever work and reporting! Keep up the excellent works guys I’ve added you guys to my own blogroll.
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