Careers at the End of the World: Reimagining Ambition, Work, and Your Job Search in Unprecedented Times Episode 59: From Side Hustle to Steady Work: Proven Strategies to Attract and Keep Freelance Clients
Episode 59: From Side Hustle to Steady Work: Proven Strategies to Attract and Keep Freelance Clients
If you’ve ever wondered “Where do clients actually come from?” – we’re breaking it down for you. Whether you’re freelancing, consulting, building a service-based business, or exploring a portfolio career, this guide helps you understand how people really find and hire you.
You’ll learn what actually works to attract clients (and what doesn’t), how to build relationships that lead to paid work, and the simple systems that make it easier to generate consistent opportunities. Jenn walks through approachable, real-world steps like sending an introductory email, hosting or joining workshops, tapping into referrals, showing up in aligned communities, and creating a supportive professional ecosystem.
This episode is about clarity, confidence, and finding a sustainable way to grow your client base without relying on complicated funnels, constant posting, or high-pressure sales tactics.
Episode Highlights
- How freelancers actually find clients — the real sources that work in 2025
- Why referrals outperform websites, social media, and traditional marketing
- The simple email script that can kickstart your freelance or consulting pipeline
- How to use workshops, communities, and “other people’s audiences” to get discovered
- Turning past employers, colleagues, and friends into paying clients
- What to say when talking about your services so people actually understand and hire you
- Why building a portfolio career requires consistent relationship-building, not sales tactics
- The essential systems every freelancer needs: a simple CRM and data-driven habits
Episode Timestamps
- 00:00 — Freelance Market Trends: Why More People Are Exploring Independent Work
- (search terms: freelance market trends, independent workers, job market shifts)
- 03:12 — Career Support Opportunities: Retreats, Coaching Bundles & Community Resources
- (search terms: career coaching, professional development retreats, job search community, career resources)
- 08:07 — Finding Your First Clients: How Service Providers Get Hired
- (search terms: find your first clients, client acquisition, service providers)
- 11:06 — Referral Strategies That Actually Work for Freelancers and Consultants
- (search terms: referral strategies, freelance referrals, consulting clients)
- 12:18 — Audience-Building 101: Using Networks, Workshops & Community Visibility
- (search terms: audience building, professional network growth, workshops, visibility)
- 16:33 — Industry Peers as Partners: Tapping Into Collaborative Networks
- (search terms: collaborative networks, partnership marketing, freelance networking)
- 20:04 — Turning Past Employers Into Clients (and Pitching Project-Based Work)
- (search terms: turn employer into client, project-based work, fractional roles)
- 26:48 — Systems That Support Growth: Simple CRMs & Tracking What Matters
- (search terms: freelance CRM, business systems, client tracking tools)
Resources and Links
- Revive Your Career Session or Bundle
- Work Wonders Careers Job Search Community
- Connect with Jenn on LinkedIn
- Sacred Structures: A Retreat Day for the Capricorn New Moon
- Episode 56: How to Create Income Without a Corporate Job: Portfolio Careers, Self Employment and Other Ways to Make $$
- Episode 57: What to Do When Your Industry Is in Crisis: Resume Strategies and Job Search Tips to Help You Pivot Careers in a Tough Market
Credits
Podcast editing by Vienna DeGiacomo, Good Story Branding