Hi, I’m Viraj Mahajan
an Author a Content Curator a Life Coach a Movie Producer a Dog Lover

10 Places to Look For Freelancing Gigs

See, I told you the last time… this is an effective headline 😀

If you are following me on LinkedIn, you know the tricks and tips I share during my sessions, impromptu Q&As, and chats. If you know me, you know that these skills I talk about have been acquired over the last decade, and most of the tricks and tips are working for several individuals.

I recently talked to one of my connections, and she told me that it is hard to get a job because there are hundreds and thousands of freelancers. I told her what I will tell all of you today — if you are honest with your craft and have updated yourself with all the latest skills, you should not be afraid of anyone or anything in life. Do you know who should be afraid here? Someone who started this freelancing journey six months back is wondering when they will get that six-figure income. Thinking for money is not bad — but only thinking about money and not doing anything is venomous to your thoughts.

So, why I said all this?

Very simple, I share client details as and when my team shares with me, and I think it turns out to be helpful to most of you out there. I will keep on sharing such client details and sheets with all of you, but you have to promise yourself a couple of things:

• You will always be motivated: It does not matter that your pitch got rejected or a client ghosted you out! It happens. Period. It happens to me even after starting my own writing agency. But I take these challenges head-on. I understand the financial stuff that we all face but understand that the financial problem is not going anywhere if you only think about it. Do you have a problem with a low balance in your account? Get up and do something! And the only way you can do anything in your life is by staying motivated. Even if this shit is not working out, call me anytime! We will sort it out together 🙂
• You won’t become THAT PERSON: We all know THAT PERSON, right? That person tried something for a couple of months, and when it did not work out, he blamed the game! That person stopped trying hard just because that person faced multiple rejections. That person stopped waking up in the morning for cold emailing or attending sessions because he was too tired from all the rejections. That person is not welcome here!

Now that we are done with our so-called TED talk, here are a couple of companies or websites where you can go and look for clients. To get into a good company or firm, you will require a couple of things:

• A freaking cool cover letter
• An awesome resume
• A great case study
• An amaazing personality!

I can dive into detail about these websites, but it would be great if you explored them from your side. It will help you understand what kind of job opportunities there are in the market and how you can apply here.

• Contra
• Twitter
• LinkedIn ProFinder
• Freelance Writers Den (https://freelancewritersden.com/)
• SolidGigs (// $21/month to subscribe but a great place to get jobs)
• Sonia Weiser’s bi-weekly
• MediaBistro
• WeWorkRemotely (https://weworkremotely.com/)
• YunoJuno (https://www.yunojuno.com/)
• SolidGigs (https://solidgigs.com/)

If you already know about these portals and are still facing issues, you need to work on your skills. Over the last two years, I have gotten around 28+ clients from all these places combined. You just need to work a little harder. Let me know if you find any difficulty with any of these portals. Like always, I am mostly always available 🙂

Until next week!

Baw-Baw

– V

I Am Not Finding Good Clients – What Shall I Do?

We all have asked this question ourselves at one time or the other. Sometimes, we come up with excuses and blame them on others (especially our luck). Sometimes we shut down the system and look outside the window only to blame ourselves! Trust me when I say this – we all have been there!

Finding a client is hard, but what’s harder is ensuring that they stay with us for a long. Yesterday, we ended a contract with one of the clients who paid well but was getting on our nerves. In my subsequent newsletter, I will discuss how to ensure that the client stays with you and help you grow as a professional.

Today, let us focus on finding the right client!

But before I jump to that, have you heard about the IKEA effect? This is something that I discuss with my full-time writers when I get them on board for CJ (those who dropped me a mail and said what CJ is, CJ Digitals is my writing agency named after the initials of my dogs). The IKEA effect states that people tend to value an object more if they make it themselves. More importantly, the IKEA effect talks about how we tend to like things more if we have put in extra effort to create them!

Understand that you will create hundreds and thousands of blog posts or content pages for your clients or agencies. But what you will love and admire the most is the content you have created for yourself — something that we call our portfolio!

A couple of days ago, I was on a one-on-one consultation call with a freelancer who asked me about the importance of having a portfolio. I told her the same thing that I am sharing with all of you here, ‘your portfolio is the start of your bread and butter (beer in some cases) – make sure it resonates with who you are, what you do, how you do it, what you did in the past, and what plans you have for future!’ 

How can you implement the IKAE effect into writing or other freelancing jobs?

The IKEA effect would suggest that clients value the strategies, visions, missions, and goals you have played a part in building. 

Next time you pitch to a client, talk about the things you helped build! Your portfolio should shout about your work so that your client will say, “Oh, you made this happen? I think you are the right person for us!”

If you are not able to find relevant clients, this is what you should do:

• Create a portfolio: If you have not worked for anyone yet and are just freelancing in the early days/weeks/months/years, write for yourself and share it on your blog/medium.
• Stay active on LinkedIn: LinkedIn is more than just connecting like-minded people. This is a great place to get inbound leads. Participate in my 30-day writing activity that would help you write over 24,000+ words in a month, boosting your confidence and improving your network (you might get good paying leads as well).
• Skill Up: If not today, then when? If not now, then how? Right? Today is the perfect day to skill up your freelancing game! Learn new things! Instead of putting Kesariya on repeat, this is the right time to listen to some great coaches and mentors.
• Create Case Studies: Create multiple case studies in and around your learning and previous gigs. As I say during my classes, case studies are the perfect way for your client to know how easily you can solve the problem! It also helps them understand what you did as an individual to resolve a given set of problems! Remember the IKEA effect? The client will see and learn how you build something from scratch!
• Be Confident: Even if you are not getting clients or projects, do not be disheartened! It happens to everyone. This is a serious game, and only those who know how to swim against the tides can survive! I understand the money factor (we all have bills to pay!) and how easily we make the fist to hurt ourselves with those sharp nails, but that is not the way ahead — learn from your mistakes and skill up this game!

And if you want to bitch about some client or discuss some project, I am here!

Until the next time, Baw-Baw!

– V

Shall I Quit My Full-Time Job For Freelancing?

I hear this question from different full-timers who struggle to soar on two boats. Most of the time, full-timers see how some ‘so-called’ freelancer is earning, making them wonder, ‘Shall I quit my full-time job and get into freelancing?’

In this newsletter post, I will help you understand when you should or if you should quit your full-time job for some freelancing gigs.

First thing first, do not quit your full-time job just because you see others making a ton of money because:

• Those numbers presented by ‘so-called’ freelancers can be fake or manipulated.
• Those who seriously earn a good amount (6-7 figures per month) are into this industry for a long time! They have considered freelancing as their full-time job. Understand the similarity?

The reason for being so blunt here is to make you understand that full-time jobs help pay the bills! You work at a company because you have some caliber and expertise, and you get timely payment of the same. As long as full-time jobs make you emotionally and physically happy, you should have solid reasons to back your thoughts of quitting it!

I have seen full-time writers and graphic designers who quit their well-paying jobs just because they saw someone (mostly someone their younger) making more from the comfort of their homes! I have seen the same writers and graphic designers struggling to pay the rent or EMIs and questioning their decision to quit their full-time job.

Now that you have decided and found a good solid reason to quit your full-time job to pursue freelancing, here are some of the tips that you should follow:

• When you are already employed, try to look for some freelance gigs that you can wrap during your free time or during the weekends. This way, you will taste the water before actually diving into it!
• Try to take small projects initially, as it would be easier for you to submit them on time while focusing on your mental and physical health.
• Check out your finances and see what would happen if you quit your full-time job today and do not get any freelancing gig for a year. I am not scaring you. Just presenting the hard-fact truth here! Learn how you will manage everything — medical bills, room rents, EMIs, etc.! 
• Once you get constant in-bound projects, try to learn how fast and effectively you can deliver them!
• During the weekends, when you don’t have projects, try to learn/master some new skills. Dedicate 4-5hrs to it and execute it in the days to come!

See, freelancing is a great way to move ahead in your career, but it can only work if you handle it just like your full-time job! As a freelancer, you are going to be a salesperson, a marketer, an operation head, a writer, a project manager, and more! You will need to learn all this and more and have to upscale yourself every day!

Once you have mastered all this, you will realize how beautiful this journey can be!

If you are struggling to choose between a full-time job or full-time freelancing, remember — I am just a call away! 

– V