Hey Reader,

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I was on a call with a fellow freelance copywriter last week. She's riding the Struggle Bus right now 🚌 with finding her first clients and managing chronic Lyme disease.

I've been there too.

As a freelancer just getting started, it often takes longer than we would like to get clients, start delivering great work, and get that gravy train moving. 🚂 (hm, lots of transit metaphors today.)

But in my experience, there's a shift that happens once you get your first real client.

• Your first test project, that leads to another project, that maybe even leads to a retainer 🙌
• The first chance to prove your skills and knock it out of the park (aha, a sports metaphor!) ⚾
• The first project that can turn into a case study for future clients to see the value you bring to their business 🤓

The gap between zero clients and one client is always the biggest bridge to cross—once you're on the other side, it feels a lot easier to cross the next one.

Once you've proven to yourself that it can happen once, it's easier to believe it can happen again. And believing in yourself is a surprisingly large part of this client acquisition equation.

If you practice my ideal client outreach strategy (the "buy and hold" method), that first client project will ideally turn into multiple projects and a long-term relationship you can grow with over time. Reducing your need for lots of new clients all the time. Ironically, it then becomes even easier to attract more clients effortlessly.

If you're at this beginning stage right now, Reader, you gotta hang in there. Keep looking, keep connecting. You're not looking for ten clients, you're looking for The One who will get you over that zero-to-one threshold.

And when you find that one, come back and let me know so I can celebrate you. 🥳

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Always in your corner,

Amanda

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P.S.

We're coming up quick on the halfway point of 2025 😮 isn't that crazy? If you still want to start building a business that puts your health first this year, there's no better time to join Health First Freelancer. Our monthly theme for June is Business Tools + Resources, aka getting the right tech in place to facilitate your business. (And most of it is free!) If you have questions about whether HFF is a good fit for you, you can always reply to this email and I'll get back to you personally. :)