Photo by Andrea Cau

One of the big secrets of successful freelancing?

It’s simple. Find clients with money to spend on the services you offer.

That means if you’re a copywriter, they have a budget for copywriting.

If you’re a designer, they have a budget for design.

Too many freelancers get stuck with clients that don’t have real budgets. Often, they’re smaller clients who realize they need some writing, design, or development work done, but they haven’t planned for it.

Because they don’t have a budget set aside, they have to figure out where to get the money. They know they have budgets for rent, salaries, taxes, etc., so maybe they just take some money from general operating funds.

Naturally, they want to take as little as possible. So, their first question is often, “How much will this cost?” They want to know the cost even before the project is fully defined.

Rather than talking about the benefits of the project or the scope, you’re already talking about money. It’s a backward way of working.

Here’s how to refocus your business to attract long-term clients.

Working With Clients With Budgets

Here’s how clients with marketing and communications budgets work on projects.

Typically, at the beginning of their fiscal year, they define a budget for the year. It could be anything from $50,000 to millions. At the same time, they likely have a list of projects they want to complete with that budget.

They’ll prioritize their projects and start allocating rough budgets to them. They’ll often leave 10 – 20% of their budget open for contingencies that might pop up during the year.

Then, they’ll define their projects so they can create detailed briefs for creative partners. In their meetings with the creative teams, they may disclose their budget – “We’ve set aside $15,000 for this.” – or ask for an estimate based on the brief.

Then, typically, one of three things will happen:

The creative estimate comes back comfortably within the budget, and the project goes ahead.
The estimate comes back higher than the budget, which means that either the client has to allocate more funds or the scope is reduced to fit the funds.
The estimate comes back significantly under budget. After ensuring the scope has been met and nothing was left out, the project goes ahead, and the client has additional funds to allocate to other projects.

Clients With Real Budgets Don’t Ask You to Work for Less

Let’s face it: sometimes project estimates don’t match the budget. Professional clients fix this in one of two ways: either they get more budget or reduce the scope of the project to fit the estimate.

Amateur clients want to do it another way. They’ll ask you to keep everything in scope but reduce your estimate. In other words, do the job for less.

That’s the scenario you want to avoid. You can’t keep reducing your fees and stay in business.

If you keep coming up against this issue, you’re simply working for the wrong clients. Make a concerted effort to find clients who will pay you fairly. Those clients are out there. Find them.

I wrote how to define your offer, what do you do for whom, here.

How Much Should Things Cost?

If you’ve been working freelance for any length of time, you know that fees and rates are all over the map. There are no standards.

Some designers will create a logo for $100, others won’t get out of bed for less than $10,000, while international design firms charge millions.

Of course, just as the fees vary, so do the projects. For example, a logo project deliverable might be as simple as a rough sketch of a logo which will be finalized.

Larger design firms will do numerous explorations of fonts, colors, and shapes augmented by a report on trends and an overview of competitors’ logos. The biggest firms will support their recommendations with reports on cultural practices, historical precedents, and psychological insights into the various target markets for the logo.

Your job is to determine where you belong in this matrix based on your offerings, experience, and reputation/portfolio. That will help determine how much you can charge.

Regardless of where you fit in, your goal should be to find clients who are appropriate to your offerings and who will pay your fees without haggling or attempting to negotiate them downwards.

A Testimonial:

Shared, with permission, an email from a new agency founder who bought my first book. See the bold sentence towards the end.

Good morning Andy,

Happy 2025!!! It was great to connect with you on January 5th, 2024. I purchased your book, “How to Start a Successful Creative Agency,” in December 2023 and reached out via Twitter, hoping to discuss it further.

The insights you shared during our call were invaluable. I especially remember you mentioning celebrating your first $100k invoiced in your first year of business. That stuck with me and shaped my mindset throughout the year.

I’m thrilled to share that I just hit that same milestone! I secured a six-figure creative direction contract for 2025 in my second year of business. I owe a lot of this success to your advice. Your guidance to focus on the fact that small businesses have money to keep and big businesses have money to spend was a game-changer.

Thank you for sharing your wisdom and inspiring me on this journey. I look forward to staying in touch and keeping you updated on my progress. If you’re up for a catch-up call soon, let me know your availability.

Best regards,

Serge

Free 1-Hour Consultation if You Bought One of My Books

I’ve been doing this but haven’t publicized it yet. If you bought one of my books, I’m happy to chat on Zoom, Google, or whatever platform works.

I’ve done it for quite a few people and have enjoyed it. For some, it helps their business or solves immediate problems.

No proof of purchase is necessary. I’ll take your word for it (but I might ask you what you liked most about the book).

So, buy a book and get in touch. If you already own one of the books and want to talk, let me know.

On Bluesky, DM me at ‪@strotebook.bsky.social.

On Twitter, I’m @StroteBook.

On LinkedIn, I’m Andy Strote.

New Book For Freelancers

I’ve just published How to Become a Successful Creative Freelancer. It’s the essential business guide for freelance writers, designers, developers, filmmakers, and photographers.

Whether you’re just starting as a freelancer or have years of experience, you’ll learn a lot from this book.

It’s broken down into easy-to-understand chapters with strategies and tips you can use today. Not just “what to do”, but also “how to do it”.

It’s available now in Kindle ebook and paperback on Amazon.

Want to Grow An Agency like Serge? The Agency Book is For You

If you’re looking for tips on how to build and grow your agency, you’ll want to read How to Start a Successful Creative Agency.

Available at Amazon (Paper & Kindle), Kobo (ebook), Apple Books (ebook), and Gumroad (PDF).

The book is packed with useful information to help creatives start and grow their business.

Want a Free Taste First?

Sure! Sign up in the footer below for a free PDF of Chapter 14, Working With Clients.

This chapter covers essential areas such as Clients vs. Projects, Corporate Clients vs. Small Business Clients, How to Create an Opportunity Document, Benefits of Finding a Niche… and much more.

Questions?

If you’re on Bluesky, I’m ‪@strotebook.bsky.social. Ask me anything.

On Twitter, I’m @StroteBook. D.M.s are always open.

On LinkedIn, I’m Andy Strote. Ask away.

Find Clients With Money to Spend On Your Services