Last week I was laughing with one of my clients over how long we’ve been working together.
It’s going on 4 years now that we’ve been building our businesses, sharing insights, and giving each other feedback on ideas. Honestly though, they aren’t just a client, they’re a partner.
They hit me up multiple times a year with a project they need support on or business they think I’d work great with. We don’t even do the same kind of work.
I’ve got a couple of these partners and they add thousands, if not tens of thousands of dollars to my income every year. If you’re not keeping an eye out for partnerships like that, this post will help you get started.
Strategic Partners = Stability
Marketing can be an uphill battle, but the right partners can have business rolling your way without you lifting a finger. That’s what stability in freelancing looks like, and it’s something you should keep in mind from day one.
How do you pull that off?
Well, first, stop trying to do everything yourself. I run into too many freelancers who try to offer everything instead of getting really good at providing value from one or two central skills. When you do that, you don’t just miss opportunity to establish yourself as an expert in your niche. You’re also killing your chances of plugging into the networks that keep your freelance business healthy before they even start to grow.
Second, people need to know you’re freelancing. I don’t mean just your cousins and random Twitter followers. I’m talking about other freelancers who are out here working the same way you are.
That can be people with the same skillset who pass off work overflow and clients who aren’t a good fit for them. They can be people of a different skillset who need support. They can be freelancers in the same niche who you grow with over the years.
That said, there are some general guidelines around who complements each other best. (I’ll be keeping this chart updated, so if you have partnerships that have worked for you, let me know what you both do and I’ll add them on!)
Writers
We’re going to start with writers because writing is everywhere and it’s frequently the skill set a lot of clients start with. It’s also rare that a client will just need writing. Usually they’ll need help with all kind of visuals and marketing support, so start building relationships in these skillsets:
- Content Marketers
- Designers
- Web Designers/Developers
- PR Pros
- Agencies
Web Designers/Developers
Clients seldom just need a better website. They usually need content to flesh it out, and even help driving traffic. Start making connections with…
- Writers
- Content Marketers
- SEO Experts
- Photographers
- Graphic Designers
- Marketing Automation Experts
Graphic Designers
I swear every freelancer needs a relationship with a good designer. It’s important to align based on style (i.e., corporate, wedding, real estate, etc.), but those relationships are what keep the designers I know busy. Make sure you’re keeping in touch with:
- Content Marketers
- Social Media Experts
- Writers
- Brand Consultants
- Web Designers
- Agencies
Marketers/Content Marketers
Modern marketing covers so much, that it’s impossible to offer complete services by yourself. Keep in contact with:
- Market Researchers
- Graphic Designers
- Writers
- Copywriters
- Brand Consultants
- PR Pros
Photographers
Photography can be challenging as a freelancer, but the world still needs custom images. Look for some of these freelancers in your niche to keep work coming in.
- Content Marketers
- PR Pros
- Brand Consultants
- Web designers
Remember that partnerships are relationships. Start contacting reaching out to other freelancers and having conversations about what they do and where you might have some alignment. Also, if you haven’t’ started building career-changing relationships with other Black freelancers, it might be time to try out your free month at the Academy.
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