Start. For. Free.
1 Oct 2025 · 0 min
0:29
Freelancers should start by taking free or cheap work to build a portfolio and credibility. Once you have proof of expertise, you can move upmarket to bigger clients who pay more for similar effort.
Freelancers should start by taking free or cheap work to build a portfolio and credibility. Once you have proof of expertise, you can move upmarket to bigger clients who pay more for similar effort.
Start for free. You typically have to earn your way into bigger customers. And so this is why it's normal for people to consistently go upmarket because they realize that the work it takes to do to serve bigger clients is about the same. But the thing is, is that to get the trust of bigger clients, it takes more experience and more know-how. So saying like, I have zero experience and I'm going to start taking Amazon down as a client is super unlikely. You're going to want to start with smaller businesses and work your way up. And if you don't have any experience, this is why I advocate for starting for free.
