Why creatives don't need a large audience to build their own business online.
Reading time: 5 Min.
👋 Hey friends, Jimi here. Happy Friday and welcome to ✨this week’s edition✨ of Jimi’s Newsletter. Each week I’m diving into topics for creatives who want to work for themselves and get some freedom and control back into their lives.
Today, I’m going to show you why you don’t need a large audience to be profitable online.
In a world of paid followers, constant ads, and affiliate links, I’m going to walk you through a much cleaner approach. This will be focused on connecting you with the right people and finding your first clients so you can start being profitable online.
By connecting with the right people, your efforts will compound over the long term.
The problem is most people spend too much time on Linkedin, Twitter, and Instagram trying to grow their audience. What you need to do instead is focus on the work and finding the right clients in the right places.
Your ideal client is likely someone you’ve already met.
There are no tricks in this issue. Just some tactics to help you pick the perfect clients for your venture (assuming you have one already). If you don’t, this is still a great starting place for finding your first clients when you’re ready.
Your ideal client is someone:
You’ve already worked with in the past
Actively participating in online communities
Actively looking to “level up”
Here’s a simple plan I’ve used before to find them. Let’s jump in.
Step 1: Find your former coworkers
Leverage your network and connect with peers.
I had a mentor at my first internship who told me “The friends you make here will go off to work at other agencies and when you’re ready, you can go work there too.” the agency world is actually quite small. I used to run into former coworkers all the time when I started new roles in advertising. That’s because a referral is the easiest way to get into a new company.
Find out if your coworker’s department or team needs your services on a freelance or contract basis. You can even take this one step further and reach out to vendors from your last company.
Step 2: Join an online community
It’s critical to find your tribe. The best part about online Slack and Discord communities? There is no algorithm. They are run by people, which means you have a greater chance of your posts being seen by real people.
Many Twitter users with 500k followers have very low engagement because the algorithm doesn’t favor their posts. It’s well-documented now that most users will never see your post. Thankfully, joining an online community means you get to put your content in front of real people.
Step 3: Create micro resources
Digital products, UI Kits, Ebooks, Notion templates, there are so many paths to take here.
Pick one, and price it as an “impulse buy”. You can then link to this from your website and vice versa which can get you steady traffic to your website. If someone purchases a UI Kit and needs something more custom then you can point them to your services. Can’t afford your services? Point them to your UI Kit. This is a great way to gain authority on a topic and something you can promote in online communities.
Step 4: Inspire others to action
This one is mostly for my design friends.
Put your work up on design inspiration sites. Web design inspiration, logo design inspiration, whatever fits your niche. Most users of these sites go there because they need to level up their own site. If your design gets a lot of attention and they see you offer design services then that’s simply a match made in heaven. That work can get you a steady stream of leads for years if it’s successful.
TL;DR
Step 1: Find You Former Coworkers: Let your peers know you're available and see if they need help.
Step 2: Join an online community: Find your tribe and get your posts seen by real people.
Step 3: Create Micro Resources: Provide value with a low-ticket item for people who can’t afford your services.
Step 4: Inspire others to action: Get your work up on design inspirations sites and make it easy to contact you.
What I’m reading
That Will Never Work: The Birth of Netflix and the Amazing Life of an Idea
Written by the Co-Founder and first CEO of Netflix Marc Randolph, the book offers a first account of the birth of Netflix and how they got in early with the rise of DVDs. If you’re a fan of “Hatching Twitter” this is very similar.
Wrap Up
I’m starting a (free) Slack community for fellow creatives who want to become solopreneurs. Is that something you would consider joining?
Send me a reply and let me know the #1 reason you’d like to join.
If not, what has you on the fence about joining?
Lastly. I’m here to help. If you have questions after reading this don’t hesitate to reply to this email. It’s important for me to know how I may best serve you.
If you liked this newsletter please forward it to a friend you think may find it interesting.
Have a great weekend and see you next Friday!
— Jimi Filipovski