When you first start off as a freelancer, every new opportunity feels like luck, and you’re grateful just to be making enough to pay your bills.
If you’re not there yet, it may seem hard to imagine that one day you could be so busy that you have to say no to new business.
But when that time does come (and I know it will, since you are here trying to build your business every week), you’ll want to be ready to take the next step to grow your business and go from “me” to “we”…
The problem:
You’re having to say no to projects because your workload is full.
There’s no time to develop new leads because you spend all of your time on client work.
The benefit of solving it:
You de-risk your business.
And your growth stops being dependent on your calendar.
Why what you’ve tried has failed:
You are only one person.
And no matter how many productivity tools or AI apps you use, there is only so much one person can do.
Here’s how to solve it:
Subcontractors.
Hiring subcontractors is widely practiced in businesses, like agencies, and allows you to take on more projects and still maintain the high quality of work your clients expect from you.
But the last thing you want to do is be searching for a rock star subcontractor to help you at the last minute.
So whether you feel like you’re close to needing subcontractors or not, you want to start looking for them now.
Head to your usual networking places (FB, LinkedIn, etc.) and start building relationships with people who could be good subcontractors.
Send them a message saying you are a fan of their work and would love to have a quick meeting to get direction.
Get an idea of how they work to make sure, when a project does come your way, what their production schedule is.
Remember, a subcontractor is not “on call” for you whenever you need them (otherwise they would be an employee!), so don’t stop with just one option.
You should have a full bench of suitable freelancers to choose from if your top picks are too busy.
When it comes to pricing, look to make a 25-50% margin.
Don’t forget, opportunity is a valuable product.
While you’re not executing the deliverables in the same way, you are still bringing A LOT to the table:
Anyone could be a designer or hire a designer.
But not everyone has built a design business that generates leads.
And chooses the right subcontractors.
And leads said contractors effectively to get the best work out of them.
Even with the help of subcontractors, it’s your creative ship, and you’re the captain.
You have to set expectations and a production schedule for the subcontractors, and if they fail to deliver, you are on the hook.
So over-communicate and check in often (without micromanaging) to make sure the project goes smoothly.
Just like a good client, you want to have subcontractors that you can work with again and again.
So treat them well and recognize when they go above and beyond for you.
Once you have built a process with subcontractors that is scalable, there are no limits to your business.
Best,
Jamie
Make moves with your freelancing business before the end of Q1:
→ Build a $10K+/month freelancing business with my proven 3-pillar system inside The Freelancing Program ($59/month).
→ Get the competitive edge with daily templates, frameworks, and freelance market intel from Workforce 3.0 ($4.99/month).
→ Hit your freelancing goals this year with a customized, step-by-step game plan that we’ll create during a focused 1:1 coaching session ($750) with me.
