Freelancing and Self Employment

4 agency owners. 3 hours of raw conversation. Every secret about scaling from freelancing to 7-figures (from beginner to advanced level) Beginner Stage: -Don't wait to be 100% ready. Start with broken skills but improve FAST -Work for free initially, but be strategic - ask for referrals in return -Create a strong portfolio by doing real projects (even if unpaid) -Take every opportunity to learn and upskill -Money shouldn't be your only motivator - focus on skill development Intermediate Stage: -Start taking your finances seriously - get a CA, track cash flow -Invest money back into the business (I waited 3.5 years for an office - big mistake) -Build systems before you need them -Get comfortable with delegation -Hire people better than you at specific skills Advanced Stage: -Over-hire slightly - it's better than being understaffed -Focus on building a strong team culture -Make your team feel valued beyond just salary -Invest in proper infrastructure (legal, accounting, tools) -Remember: Take care of your team, and they'll take care of your clients To sum it up: In the beginning, you focus on yourself. In the intermediate stage, you focus on the business. But in the advanced stage - you learn that true growth comes from focusing on your team's growth. The moment I switched from "How do I grow?" to "How do I help my team grow?" - everything changed. We shared all this in more detail in the podcast, link in the comments.

2 years ago, if you’d told me I would be working from my offline office in Bangalore, I would’ve laughed at you. Back then, I was building The Growth Square from scratch - no team, no office, no roadmap. Just a laptop, a spare bedroom, my cofounder and a crazy obsession with building something meaningful. Fast forward to today, we have a beautiful office and a 20 member team that’s growing faster than I could’ve imagined. And if you're trying to scale your freelancing practice or agency, these 5 lessons from my journey will save you years: 1. Don’t chase profit in the beginning. In Year 1, I poured every rupee back into the business — team, software, systems, setup. It felt risky then. It feels like a cheat code now. 2. Pick one niche and go deep. We didn’t try to serve everyone. We found one problem, solved it really well, and built repeatable case studies. Focused service = faster sales. 3. Ask for referrals (shamelessly). If a client loves your work, don’t just say thank you. Ask them: "Who else do you know who could use this?" This one line has brought us our best leads. 4. Expand from the inside. Talk to your existing clients. Understand where they’re stuck. Then build offers around their pain points. You’ll increase revenue without chasing new leads. 5. Get out of delivery. If you're still writing captions, editing reels, and sending invoices, you’re not building a business - you're running a job. Delegate fast. Your job is to build the company, not just fulfill the service. The best part? You don’t need to be perfect. You just need to be consistent, coachable, and a little shameless. If you're building something from scratch -  I'm rooting for you.

If I had 10+ years of experience as a GTM leader with deep expertise, here’s exactly what I’d do to build a high-income, low-stress business: Step 1: Niche Down The fastest way to get premium clients is to be known for solving one problem for one type of company. ✅ “I help B2B SaaS companies with $5M–$20M ARR scale pipeline efficiency.” ✅ “I work with Series B+ fintech startups to shorten deal cycles.” ❌ “I do GTM strategy for anyone and everyone.” Example: check out Lydia Flocchini LinkedIn profile who focuses on legal tech fractional work only and is killing it by niching down in one industry! Step 2: Simplify the Offer No more laundry list of services. Make it so clear that a CEO can repeat it to their board. 🎯 “GTM Advisory + Execution with a guarantee” 🎯 “90-Day Revenue Acceleration Sprint” Example: check out Shelli Ryan, APR, Fellow PRSA who is laser focused on her services. Step 3: Use a Framework (Build or Borrow) You don’t need to reinvent the wheel— …but you do need to give your work a name and a process. Frameworks turn expertise into assets: The GTM Operating System The Revenue Growth Blueprint Example: check out Sue Foley based in Australia build a global fractional business on the GTM Operating System Step 4: Join a Community — Don’t Go Solo Trying to build your fractional business in isolation is a slow, expensive mistake. The right community will give you: ✅ Referral partners ✅ Feedback on your offers and pricing ✅ Confidence from seeing what’s working for others Fractionals who grow fast don’t do it alone — they do it in a room full of peers who push them forward. Step 5: Announce on LinkedIn Your audience won’t hire you if they don’t know you’re available. Post your announcement with: ✅ Your niche + offer ✅ Why you’re doing this now ✅ How people can take the first step (course, assessment, or DM) Example: Check out Sarah Allen-Short’s post on her announcement on LinkedIn Step 6: Do 10 Calls With 1:1 Messages Forget mass outreach. Start with the 10 people most likely to hire you or refer you. Send a personal message, invite them to a conversation, and listen more than you talk. Example: Check out Don Drury’s video on how he is able to get qualified 1:1 meetings Step 7: Build a $250K+/Year Business With AI + EA This is where freedom happens - for real! AI handles research, content drafts, details that you rather not do EA (Executive Assistant) handles scheduling, DMs, admin, follow-ups Your time goes to the high-leverage work: strategy, client delivery, and relationship building. What This Looks Like in Real Life: ✅ 3–5 active clients at any given time ✅ $7K–$12K/month retainers or $20K–$30K projects The Takeaway: If you’ve already put in the reps as a GTM leader, you have everything you need to build a $250K–$1M fractional business. You just need: ✅ A clear niche ✅ A simple offer ✅ A framework ✅ A community ✅ A visible announcement ✅ 10 intentional conversations ✅ Leverage through Network + AI + EA love, sangram

How do you pivot from full-time to freelance? Get clear on your offer, identify your ideal customers, and create a contract to protect yourself. That's what matters most in my humble opinion. Yes, there are so many other aspects to consider and get in order, but those are the most important. Creating a logo or a website certainly can't hurt you, but initially, it'll take time away from getting the foundational elements in order. After twelve years freelancing, it's clear that like any career, this path is an iterative process that you continue to build upon every year. So in the very beginning, prioritize the tasks that'll help get you up and running (money in the door), and then from there you can continue to fine-tune. At the start of my time freelancing, this looked like doing research on how other freelance writers structured their projects and pricing to inform my offer. From there, I reached out to marketers in my network letting them know I'm offering freelancing writing services and cold pitching agencies for work. I had a lawyer from a past employer create contract templates for me across different kinds of offerings that I still use to this day. It's messy in the beginning, but what matters is you've got the foundations down and get momentum going so this kicks off as a viable career. If you've made the leap, what were the first steps you took as a freelancer? #freelance

Paritosh Anand, Anik Jain, & Vedika Bhaia open up about their freelancing journeys. And it’s pure gold ✨ Ayush Shukla brings these experts together in an insightful conversation about: • Finding your first client. • Turning freelancing into a full-time career. • Building and scaling your own agency, etc. Packed with actionable tips, this interview is a must-watch for anyone looking to dive into freelancing. Here are the key takeaways and lessons I learned 👇 📌 Who should start freelancing? • If you want to play the long-term entrepreneurship game, freelancing is step one. • If you have decent knowledge of a skill & want to work on your own terms. 📌 How to pick the right skill? • Experiment with different things to discover what you’re good at & passionate about. • Use the hit-and-trial method to find your niche. 📌 How to master a skill? • Learn from YouTube, blogs, and books. • Consume content from experts and recognize patterns. • Take online courses on platforms like Udemy or Coursera. • Build proof of work through passion projects to test & showcase your skills. 📌 How to get your first client? • Start by working for free to build case studies & gather testimonials. • Use cold emails to reach out to anyone directly. • Build a personal brand. Put yourself out there, & clients will come to you. 📌 How to build a core team? • Hire for intent and values. • Skills can be taught, but attitude can’t. • Spend time with your team and build a strong culture. 📌 How to keep clients happy? • Overcommunicate: Provide regular updates to make clients feel heard & important. • Overdeliver: Exceed expectations to make clients happy & ensure they return. ------------ If you found this helpful, share it with someone who’s starting their freelancing journey ♻️

The first 6 months of my freelancing journey: I earned €500 a month. I struggled to find clients. I questioned my skills. And honestly, I felt like giving up more times than I’d like to admit. What changed everything: I stopped chasing clients and started building a trusted freelancing brand. The kind that draws clients to you. Here’s how you can do it too: 1. Your content is your portfolio. ✔️ Share lessons you’ve learned. ✔️ processes you follow, and small wins. ✔️ Teach something valuable instead of just selling. 2. Build and refine your skills ✔️ Clients pay for expertise ✔️ Every project is a chance to level up. ✔️ Focus on improving both technical and soft skills. 3. Master negotiation ✔️ Understand what the client truly needs. ✔️ Don’t undersell yourself to "close the deal." ✔️ Be clear on what is that you bring to the table. ✔️ Confidence grows when you’re ready to say no. 4. Network with intention ✔️ Engage with potential clients daily. ✔️ Build relationships with fellow freelancers. ✔️ Nurture connections—they lead to referrals. The goal isn’t to be just another freelancer. Be the freelancer clients trust and refer. PS: Need more tips? Grab my freelancing cheatsheet (500+ freelancers already have it) here: https://bit.ly/3LWwyZ7

I wish someone told me this. Freelancing is a tough world, not many people will understand. But it's a freeing experience when we decide to become one! I have received some questions about how I started my freelancing journey. It’s my Friday slow day, but I want to make this count. So I thought I might share it here… In case you're new to freelancing, here are some insights you can take from me ↓ Don't have experiences + portfolio? ↳ Learn online or find a mentor ↳ Create a mock project ↳ Work with pro-bono clients (first) Build ICP? ↳ Do your market research ↳ Create your customer segmentation ↳ Describe your ICP in detail Details = include demographics, psychographics, behavioural, geographic, technographics, challenges, motivations, and goals. Pricing your services? ↳ Do your research on which pricing positioning you want (skimming / premium / economy / penetration) ↳ Build your package unique offer (or hourly) - your choice! Where + How to Find Your Dream Client ↳ Pick a platform you want to serve (focus on max.2) ↳ Determine your push & pull method (inbound & outbound strategies) ↳ Craft a winning proposal to pitch. Note: I used to send a one-pager I curate for brands specifically on how I can help them. How to "WIN" in Discovery Call ↳ Make sure to pre-qualify them through questions before the call ↳ Study + understand their pain points, create a timeline ↳ Propose your solution + include a clear term & condition Build these in advance: - Portfolio (can be free website/pdf/portfolio platform) - Outreach Template - Client Profile Template - Package Offers Template - Following-up Email Template Also, you don't need a fancy website when you start, or all premium apps for your journey. To be honest, when starting out… My most expensive mistake is to pay a premium for everything. But now... I don't. I use a lot of free tier of apps. I don't pay extra for things I don't need. And I'm wiser with money management. I hope this eases you in your journey. P.S. What was one thing that made you decide you want to be a freelancer?

5 TIPS to transform your Advisory Firm. Before: Struggling to scale and land high-ticket clients After: Thriving practice with premium services and ideal clients Practical Transformations: Streamlined Operations 1. Implemented automated financial reporting 2. Reduced client onboarding time by 50% 3. Tip: Use templates for recurring processes Enhanced Service Offerings 1. Introduced cash flow forecasting as a standalone service 2. Developed a "CFO Strategy Day" package 3. Tip: Bundle services for higher perceived value Confident Premium Pricing 1. Raised rates by 30% for comprehensive packages 2. Introduced value-based pricing for projects 3. Tip: Implement a tiered pricing strategy (e.g., Silver, Gold, Platinum) to cater to different client needs and budgets. Attracted High-Value Clients 1. Narrowed niche to SaaS and E-commerce companies $5M-$20M in revenue 2. Leveraged case studies to showcase expertise 3. Tip: Use LinkedIn to share client success stories Scalable Systems 1. Implemented a CRM for lead tracking 2. Created SOPs for all core services 3. Tip: Invest time in documentation for future team scaling Key Takeaway: The toolkit provided a clear roadmap for strategic, sustainable growth. Result: Revenue increased by 150% in 6 months!

Avoiding this mistake could’ve helped me scale from 0 to $1 million in 1 year. When I first started my agency, I focused heavily on clients, sales, and output, thinking that was the way to scale. But what I didn’t realise was that I was still thinking like a freelancer. My blind spot was team development, and investing more here would’ve let me scale faster. If I could go back, here’s the advice I’d give myself: 1. Lower your profit margins Most small agencies target 80-90% profits, but that’s a red flag. LOWER your margin to 50% and reinvest the rest in your team. 2. Don’t hire only freshers I was more comfortable working with people my age, and their salaries were lower - so I thought this was a win-win. But hiring some experienced people improves efficiency and quality. 3. Delegate real responsibility, not just tasks I’d stop continuously overlooking things and empower my team to take ownership, letting them grow as leaders. 4. Focus on team upskilling I’d host in-house webinars with industry experts who’ve actually solved the problems we’re facing - learning from them it is the best way to grow. 5. Introduce weekly “Power Hours” Every week, the team gets together to share one thing they’ve learned. It creates a culture of collective growth where we learn from each other, not just from the top down. 6. Make decisions faster, even if imperfect I used to overthink decisions, waiting for perfection. But acting fast lets you test ideas quickly, you can figure out the rest along the way. Guys, remember - building an agency is not about your service. It’s about your people. A well-trained, emotionally invested team will always be your agency’s biggest asset. When they grow, you grow. What would you redo if you could start your career over? #agency #entrepreneurship #lessons