Michael Elliott went from $3,000 to $100,000 in freelance revenue in four months. He breaks down five steps: pick a skill in demand, build proof of work in niche groups, message 10-20 prospects daily with value first, close by asking questions then staying quiet, and focus on monthly retainers over one-off gigs.
I had $3,000 and a newborn baby. A mate came around my house. He'd left the same agency that I was working at a year before me. He looked at me dead in the eye and he said, seeing you in the same position is the exact reason that I left. I handed in my notice the next day. 4 months later, I'd surpassed $100,000 in revenue freelancing. It wasn't talent, it certainly wasn't luck, it was a structure that most freelancing advice conveniently leaves out because it's boring, and well, boring doesn't sell courses. So today I'm running you through 5 steps that I use to make it— pick a skill that pays, closing deals on a call— but more importantly for you, the mistakes that nearly derailed the whole thing before it started. Step 1: Follow demand, not your passion. Every guru says follow your passion, but in most cases, your passion doesn't pay the bills. Demand us. When I started, I was not special. Bad grades, small town in England, 9 to 5 that I hated. But I'd spent time at an agency. I'd watched businesses hand over thousands a month for services that I was already doing. So I didn't sit around guessing. I asked one question: what skill do I already have that people are paying for right now? For me, it was running ads. I wasn't the best in the world, but I'd done it. I'd seen what worked, and I knew businesses were spending money on it every single day. And here's what nobody tells you: your first clients aren't paying for 10 years of experience. They're paying for someone who will do the work and actually care about the end result. That bar is a lot lower than what you think it is. But knowing a skill and getting paid for it, they're two completely different things. That gap is where most freelancers die. Step 2: Build trust before you need it. Freelancers compete on price. People with a name, they compete on trust. I wasn't just Mike who runs ads. I started showing up in all the different Facebook groups that were related to Google Ads, posting what I was learning, what was working, what flopped. Not to go viral, to be visible to the people that could take my services. Two freelancers message you, same skill, same price. One has a completely empty portfolio. The other has years worth of data, video testimonials. Who do you trust? It's not even close. I've had clients say that I hired you just because you seem real. In a world full of people faking it, that is a cheat code. You don't need thousands of followers. You don't need thousands of individual videos. You just need 30 posts that prove that you do the work. Trust builds slowly and then all at once. But you don't just sit there waiting for clients to come to you. Step 3, one of the most important ones: how to get clients without looking desperate. Because this is what people do. Most beginners, they go to Upwork, they send 50 copy and paste testimonials, they hear absolutely nothing, and decide that freelancing doesn't work. That is not a strategy. That is a lottery ticket. What works is this: message 10 to 20 business owners every single day without fail. Respectful, specific, you know, not, hey, I do marketing, let me know if I can help you. The move that changed everything for me was this: give value first. I'll build this for free in exchange for a video testimonial. That testimonial becomes proof. Proof then builds trust, and trust builds sales. Your first 3 wins matter way more than your first 3 payments. If you do this while posting content in the groups that are related to your industry and your service, you've got people coming to you and you're going to them. That is not hustle, that's a system. And the difference is systems, they grow. Hustle burns out. 80% of that $100K came from Facebook groups. I'd won a few small jobs, a couple of hundred bucks each, but then I landed a $2,000 a month retainer with a $2,000 sell fee. $4,000 hit the bank in one go, and I knew— not hoped, I knew— I could do this on my own. But someone says yes, now what? This is where most freelancers fail. Step 4 is close on the call, not after it. Sales calls are not about convincing, they're about understanding the problem. The reason you're there in the first place is because they need your service. Ask 3 things: what are you struggling with, What have you tried? And what would a win look like to you? And then you stop talking. People trust those who listen. So when they ask how much, say your price and stop talking. That silence feels awful. Don't fill it. Every word after your price makes you look less sure of it. When they say yes, send the invoice on the call. Not tonight, not tomorrow, now. Because guys, hear me on this one. Early on, I'd finish calls feeling great. I felt like I'd done everything right. I'd send the invoice later that night, the next morning I'd hear nothing back. I'd be wondering, where's this client gone? The energy can literally disappear overnight. In fact, it does every single time. Close it whilst you're both still there and in the zone. And step 5, the mistake that nearly cost me everything. I avoided sales calls for a few days because projects scared me. They were larger than I was used to, $150K a month ad spends, etc. It probably cost me $25K during this period. I over-explained pricing because I felt like I needed to justify charging anything. I pushed too hard in messages. I burned people that I should have been patient with. But the one that really hurt— I took on a client that I knew was wrong. Red flags everywhere. From day one, the conversation felt off. Their expectations didn't match reality. I tried to explain it, but it wasn't going in. But I took them anyway because I wanted the money. They charged back, disputed the payment, tried to get the work for free. That taught me something that I carry to this day. Not every client is one you want, and a bad client doesn't just cost you money, they stop you from winning the good ones. While you're firefighting someone who is never going to be happy in the first place, the right clients are there hiring someone else. But here's the real reason that I hit £100,000 in 4 months. I wasn't selling my time for money. Every client that I signed was a monthly retainer, recurring revenue. Instead of quoting a one-off project, I offered to manage it ongoing for a monthly fee. The same work, predictable income. That means month 2, you're not starting from zero, you just top up what you already have. That's the difference between freelancing as a job and freelancing as a business. Once 2 or 3 of those stack up, something clicks. You stop wondering if it's real. So guys, pick your skill, go all in, post in the groups, reach out to business owners on LinkedIn. If you do one thing after this video, send 10 messages today, not tomorrow, today. That's how it starts. That's how the fire is lit. If you haven't started yet, comment the skill that you're thinking about starting in the comments, and I'll tell you if there's demand. If you're already freelancing, drop your monthly number. No judgment. Now, if you got value from this video, you're gonna love this one right here. If you haven't yet, hit subscribe, like, and I'll see you in the next one.
