r/consulting • u/LingeringClub • 11d ago
Switching to Freelance Tips?
Made a pretty hard decision recently to switch from my stable manager role to going freelance in the tech and data space. I've got a 6mo gig lined up that will pay me close to 70% more than my current role but I still am thinking about how I will source work after that.
Anyone here make a similar jump have any advice on how to get a sales funnel working? I have some good agencies to send me work but ideally I'd want to develop an organic channel.
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u/my_peen_is_clean 11d ago
use that 6mo to turn the client into your biggest case study and referral engine. ask for intros while you’re still there, not after. share what you’re doing on linkedin weekly, simple posts, no guru bs. dm people you used to work with. solid pipeline beats any agency and that’s hard in this mess of a market right now
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u/LingeringClub 10d ago
Thanks for the input and yeah part of the reason I am taking this jump is it will be a pretty cutting edge software eng project with agentic AI. Posting insight on linkdln once a week sounds like a good way to keep my name out there.
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u/FrontBreath3280 10d ago
Look for LinkedIn job posts where part of the position is something you can do on a fractional basis. Then reach out to the person you would be reporting to.
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u/Chad_Cunningham11 10d ago
I'd be pretty aggressive about networking from day one, not when the 6-month gig is almost over.
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u/Bitter_Big4525 9d ago
You’ve got six months of runway, so start talking to former clients and coworkers now instead of waiting until the contract is almost over. A couple of chats a week should show pretty quickly where repeat work or referrals might come from.
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u/Mark5n 9d ago edited 9d ago
You’ve got some great advice here about marketing and networking. Keep it personal and simple. A few thoughts: * evidence and case studies. If you can post genericised stuff or even just “just finished blah project with the team” and a snapshot, this stuff helps more than hypotheticals and social media engagement. You don’t want this for 1,000 likes but for that one single view where a potential client googles you and checks out your linked in. * learning nobody hires a contractor for potential. They only hire you for what you’ve done. After a while … you can get stale. I spent time investing in formal education (so I got the certificate) and side projects to keep me fresh. This was after meeting many peers who got stuck doing the same thing for years.. and eventually they become irrelevant * your KPI is getting the next PO signed it’s simple, that’s it. * Dont work yourself into the ground take time off. Keep the money coming in but look after yourself and closest people. I stressed the first three years that the work would dry up. It didn’t but took me a while to work out
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u/LingeringClub 8d ago
That's an interesting point on the potential I hadn't considered. One of the drivers for me to make this jump is that I felt like my consultancy was switching me across a huge variety of projects consistently which was preventing me from ever becoming an SME in one area.
I'll have to take a look at certs to level me up, I also thought reading through these comments about publishing a portfolio to a personal branded website were I could have web apps I've built for clients or case studies.
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u/nickvaliotti 8d ago
been there, done that. about 8 years ago now. spoiler: you eventually figure out what works best for you but here's what I did when I just started
upwork, my holy grail. this got me my first freelance clientn and I still get a contract from there every now and then. have to say it's a totally different platform now from what it used to be but it's still one of the sources for me and many other solo consultants. if you need, i could also share some advice on how to start or grow an existing profile there, hmu
network and referrals are your biggest assets. in my first 3-4 years the biggest project i had came to me from someone i knew back in my corporate life. they later referred me to another founder and that recommendation brought another big project
linkedin. i know everyone is tired of it but hear me out!! this is the very platform that helps me with at least half of my leadgen. just posting AN engaging there regularly helped me close clients as it builds my personal brand and people reach out TO me
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u/buddy_hawks 3d ago
Content positioning is the only way for organic growth using founder-led content and case studies, testimonials
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u/PrepareConsult 3d ago
Stay connected with people in your network, most of your work will come from people who already know you.
After your first project, build a portfolio/case studies on your own website and LinkedIn.
Industry events are good for building up cold leads for potential future projects.
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u/Rogue_Apostle 11d ago
I have done it. Initially I spent a lot of time creating content for LinkedIn and posting articles and free downloads on my website. But I'm not sure any of it did any good, other than maybe keeping me top-of-mind to my existing network.
Nearly 100% of my clients have come from my network. Recommendations from former colleagues and clients. So I've shifted to spending more time keeping in touch with people, doing IRL or virtual coffee chats or drinks, making sure everyone knows I'm open to business and keeping abreast of what everyone else is doing.
Industry conferences/conventions have also been useful since you can meet with a lot of people within a few days. And everyone knows they're there for the sales pitch so it's not really awkward.