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Writer's pictureJohn Brandt

zeeee 3 dumbest freelance mistakes I made

A freelance “rookie” hit my DMs on Twitter the other day and asked me about the biggest mistake I made.


Whether you’re a rookie, seasoned vet, or just fap about freelancing all day, this can help you.


So let’s talk about ze 3 biggest freelance mistakes I made:


1. Stopped lead gen


When I started freelancing, I had no Plan B.


By the time I quit my j-o-b, freelancing was brewing in my mind for months. I knew I had to try it or else I’d live with regret for the rest of my life.


I quit my job with no clients, no testimonials, and no real proof that quitting my job was a good idea.


So I had to hustle. And I had to use dirty hacks to save a few bucks on software.


For example:


I made a bunch of fake email accounts and signed up for different Hunter.io accounts so I could find mf’s emails and cold email them.


I used a free cold email tool instead of automating it.


And I scoured every single page in Google for my niche-related searches.


I probably spent 20 hours a week doing this “budget-friendly” lead gen.


It sucked.


I hated it.


But it worked.


In fact, it worked so well, that I was making the best money of my life just a couple of months in.


This is where I made my first (and biggest) boneheaded mistake:


I stopped doing lead gen.


By this point, I had a roster stacked with clients. I wrote more copy a day than any other time in my life. I made more moolah than I ever had. And I already despised lead gen, so stopping was easy.


It took a couple months, but this caught up with me.


One of my clients ghosted me.


A couple other ones were just one-time projects vs retainers. So the well dried up.


And I had nobody new in my pipeline because I stopped lead genning a couple months prior to this point.


I felt it in my bank account — but still hated lead gen.


That’s when I automated my lead gen. Bought the software that was too expensive for me when I started. And how I spend less than 5 hours a week on lead gen today (but still do lead gen).


Alright, next mistake…


2. Offering every service under the sun


When you’re starting, it makes sense to hop on every project that comes your way.


But it’s a good way to burn out, too.


Besides focusing on email, I also helped with social media, blog posts, product descriptions, the whole 9 yards.


And while it helped in the moment, it cost me much more in other opportunities.


Plus, I hated doing some of this client work — especially the type of client work that paid literal pennies.


Looking back, I still might make this same mistake. Because I needed cashola — remember, I didn't have a job or Plan B to fall back on. But I would’ve tried to outsource it faster.


Why?


These lower priced projects not in my unique skill set drained my energy and creativity.


As for the final mistake…


3. Picking the wrong niche


This is the first mistake I made.


And it’s a funny story:


I thought I’d target chiropractors in my hometown. (Which is one of the poorest cities in the US of A.)


I cold emailed 100 or so chiropractors around me…


And not one of them replied.


Not even to tell me to fvck off or something.


Not.


One.


Response.


Ouch.


But here’s the thing…


None of these mfs were sending emails anyway. If someone did respond… not only would I have to sell them on me, but I’d have to sell them on the idea of email marketing itself.


And I sucked at selling back then.


Anyway…


After getting a 0% response rate, I changed my niche.


And the rest is history.


If you avoid these mistakes, you have a good chance of being successful.


If you have a business with a proven offer… and need help sending profitable emails consistently, book a discovery call. Maybe we can work something out.

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