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First Year Freelancing


First Year Freelancing by Spruce Rd. | I’m recapping my first year in business as a design studio! I’m sharing the details on what I’ve learned, what’s worked (and not worked) for my business, and next steps for Spruce Rd. My goal is to provide a resource for you, if you are planning on transitioning to freelancing on your own.

Click above to watch the recorded workshop 🙂

This past year has gone by SO fast. I started my business in January of 2015, and have learned so much about my brand, working with clients, and starting a business. While it is fresh on my mind, I thought it would be appropriate to recap my first year of business.

I’m sharing my experience not to promote myself, or portray my business as any sort of success. My intention is to freely share what has worked best for me, with the goal of providing a behind the scenes peek for those interested in starting a freelance business. If that is you, I’ve been where you are sitting right now. Maybe you have a full-time job, and are freelancing on the side. Maybe your full-time job doesn’t allow contract work (I’ve been there too). So, I hope this workshop encourages you to pursue your goal, as well as portraying an accurate depiction on my first year.

Disclaimer: Everyone’s journey is different from each other. Chances are, if you start your business today you will have much more “success” than I have experienced. But, you may also end up with 0 clients. I mention this to share what has worked for me, may not work for you. I hope you find some sort of action steps for you to take based off of my experience :).

Let’s jump into the workshop! Here are a few notes to follow along with the recording above.

My story:

In case we are just meeting for the first time, or you need a refresher, I will give you a quick recap.

  • 6 years experience (in-house designer, and also at a design studio, as well as freelancing on the side) While I never intended to start my own business, I really gained the urge to work with more passionate entrepreneurs, and more specifically branding projects.
  • I am not an overnight success. Years of hard work, and it is still hard work.
  • I don’t want to provide a false lens at freelancing, and that it is the most liberating job. While I love it, first and foremost I want to be honest.
  • Quit my job, due to some questionable practices at the design studio I worked with.
  • NO overlap, I wasn’t allowed to freelance on the side due to my contract. (I don’t recommend this method, but will say it ended up okay)
     


First Year Freelancing by Spruce Rd. | I’m recapping my first year in business as a design studio! I’m sharing the details on what I’ve learned, what’s worked (and not worked) for my business, and next steps for Spruce Rd. My goal is to provide a re…

Timeline:

Above is a timeline of my first year freelancing, broken up by quarter. The clients represents the number of new clients. A few clients rolled over to the next quarter, purchased additional services in a different quarter, or had ongoing work. This timeline reflects the number of new clients added, in order to emphasize the increased reach.

First Quarter: 3 new clients, 27 blog posts. My focus during the first quarter was to start getting my name out there. Though it seemed that I was writing to no one, I kept at it and pursued my blog. Eventually this lead to my first client who found me online through Pinterest. Long story short, YES blogging works in attracting your ideal clients.

Second Quarter: 5 new clients, 29 blog posts. I continued blogging frequently, as well as launched my first lunch + learn workshop. I began contributing to the Elle & Co library of digital products. Collaboration made its way to a priority for Spruce Rd., and continues to do so today.

Third Quarter: 6 new clients, 12 blog posts. August was the first month where Spruce Rd. had more consistent leads (with the ideal clients). I launched my first paid workshop (Mastering content upgrades), and began collaborating with freelance designers for client projects.

Fourth Quarter: 5 new clients, 11 blog posts. This last quarter I continued to collaborate with fellow designers for client work. I launched Share-worthy Design (my first ecourse on graphic design + branding), and plan to continue adding to the course. I felt overwhelmed, and sought help in a wonderful virtual assistant who has made weekly tasks more manageable :).
 


First Year Freelancing by Spruce Rd. | I’m recapping my first year in business as a design studio! I’m sharing the details on what I’ve learned, what’s worked (and not worked) for my business, and next steps for Spruce Rd. My goal is to provide a re…

First Year Freelancing by Spruce Rd. | I’m recapping my first year in business as a design studio! I’m sharing the details on what I’ve learned, what’s worked (and not worked) for my business, and next steps for Spruce Rd. My goal is to provide a resource for you, if you are planning on transitioning to freelancing on your own.

Pie chart of client referral sources

This chart shows how new clients came to Spruce Rd. As mentioned in the workshop video, a good chunk of these referrals are attributed to my blog.

Social Media: 31.5%
Content Marketing: 15.9%
Friends/Family: 15.9%
Referral: 31.5%
Trade Work: 5.2%

Content marketing

Content marketing is the key to what jump started my business. Through blogging (and guest blogging) I was able to quickly reach my ideal clients. For my business, blogging has allowed me to 1) establish myself as an expert, 2) Increase traffic to my site, and 3) attract my ideal audience.

Collaborations

One of the most impactful resources in my business has been collaborating with others. Whether it is an informal collaboration (no income directly involved), or a business relationship. I am a part of a “mastermind” group, which I can’t even begin to quantify its impact in my business. Having a support of industry friends has encouraged me, pushed me forward, and provided valuable feedback for my brand. I’ve learned SO MUCH from the other ladies I collaborate with. I highly recommend a group like this to anyone who starts a business! The value is priceless, and you will walk away with some great friends as well 🙂

Looking forward

Now that this year has come to a close, I’m looking forward to what next year has in store! I’m planning on continuing the lunch + learn workshops. I hope that you have enjoyed them so far, and are looking forward to attending them more frequently starting in January!

I’m also planning on releasing a few select products + workshops to the Spruce Rd. shop. As with everything else in my brand, I will ensure these are high quality products, and not just thrown together. My goal is to be a resource for design + branding advice, as well as those eager to begin freelancing. With that in mind, feel free to let me know if you have any ideas!

I’ve also changed my design packages (more on that soon!), to better reflect my holistic perspective on branding. Rather than simply providing the starting point for small businesses, my goal is provide the branding, collateral (packaging, marketing materials, etc), custom styled brand photography and illustration. My goal is to provide a cohesive experience for businesses looking to move away from the DIY duct-tape branding, and ready to take their brand to the next level.

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  1. Natasha

    How did you go about finding a mastermind group? I’ve tried at least twice but it seems like people don’t want to commit to it. Thanks for sharing about your process!

    1. Jamie

      Hey Natasha! Ours just formed pretty naturally, so I’m not sure I have the best advice on forming a mastermind! I would just recommend reaching out to a few friends online that seem to be in a similar spot in their business. Just test it out for a month or so to see if it sticks :). Best of luck!

  2. Jen

    Hi Jamie,
    I just found your blog through one of ByRegina’s Facebook posts. I love the recap of your first year in freelancing and the transparency in showing exactly where your traffic came from.

    You mentioned that mastermind groups was the most impactful thing for your blog. I was wondering if you would mind sharing how you found your mastermind group?

    Thanks!

    1. Jamie

      Hey Jen! Thanks for stopping by :). I think I mentioned it in the video, but the mastermind group sort of happened accidentally! If you are looking to start one, I would just reach out to a few people who seem to be in a similar spot in their business and see if they would be interested. Best of luck!

  3. Marianne // DYOB

    Oh my goodness Jamie, you’ve only been at this for a year?? I had no idea, I just thought I had jumped on the bandwagon late. I love your honesty in this recap and am so happy to see you’ve found success in your freelancing so quickly. Well deserved, you are ONE talented lady!

    1. Jamie

      Aw thanks so much Marianne! I’m loving everything you are about too, and always love the constant encouragement!

  4. Sasha-Shae

    Thanks Jamie for sharing the recap again and the video. It was an awesome L&L, and thank you for answering my questions via email 🙂
    Looking forward to the day when I can actively say I have a full year of freelancing under my belt. Here’s to hoping I can thrive and succeed, much like you and the other inspiring ladies in our community of designers.

  5. Dondrea Owens

    Thanks, Jamie, for being so transparent in your first year journey. It’s so encouraging to see your progress, especially as I’m taking my business full-time this year. Hoping to have some time to focus on your class a bit before the end of the year! 🙂

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