6 Rules Every Freelancer NEEDS to Follow to Get Clients You LOVE [Financial Freedom]
What if the real reason you’re not enjoying your freelance business is the clients you’re saying yes to?
If you’re underpaid or stuck dealing with difficult clients, you’re not alone. Many freelancers hit a point where growth starts to feel like burnout instead of freedom.
This episode speaks directly to that moment, showing you how to create a happy freelance business so it actually supports the lifestyle you wanted in the first place, while attracting clients you love working with.
By the end of this episode, you will learn:
How to confidently say no to the wrong clients and attract ones you genuinely enjoy working with
A smarter way to structure your client mix so you earn more without burning out
Practical rules to create a sustainable, fulfilling freelance business that feels aligned with your lifestyle
Press play now to learn the six rules that will help you attract better clients and build a freelance business you actually love waking up to.
Connect with Kiri, the host:
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Episode Transcript:
[00:00] Stay tuned to this episode where you're going to find six rules that you need to pay attention to in order to get clients you love. Welcome to the Freelance to Freedom Podcast. This podcast helps early freelancers learn how to get more clients with clear strategies that help your freelance business make more money in less time. I'm your host, Keri Mohan, founder of Flourishing Freelancer.
[00:21] Let's dive in. By the end of this episode, you're going to learn six rules for a happy freelance business that attracts the clients that you love to you, why you need to have a good mix of clients, and why you should be listening to your gut in almost every situation. Welcome back to the show. So I remember very clearly the day that I woke up and said, I don't
[00:46] love my business. And it was a combination of things. It was growing really quickly too soon without having the proper systems in place and structure in place on how to scale. It was taking on every client out there because I figured, oh, well, now I have subcontractors, and it's also me. I'll make sure I can do this right. And they were just, you know, people
[01:07] who are unhappy. I I had just had my daughter, so I I was definitely getting up early to get work done before she woke up. And it was, I think, 6AM, and this guy was central time. He was 5AM. And he had written me an email at, like, 05:05AM his time, 06:05 my time, just blasting me and the subcontractor he was working with and how
[01:27] subpar she was and how, you know, she her quality of work was horrible and etcetera, etcetera. And he had been referred to my business through someone else. And I just was reading that at 06:00 in the morning, no caffeine to me, and just ended up saying something to him that like, I was just trying to defend the subcontractor and understand more. And I think he just wanted me to be
[01:51] like, no. You're right. You're an unhappy client. Lesson learned, by the way. But I just was like, man, this stinks. I'm doing a lot of management. I am not happy. I need to figure this out. I burned my agency to the ground, and I started over. And this time, I was like, I'm going to be more selective about who I
[02:10] choose. It's gonna be just me for a while. And that is what I did. I did have, I wanna say, like, two more bad okay. Three after that. I had three clients that were pretty bad, but it wasn't all at once. They were all kinda staggered. And as time have has gone on, I've learned, you know, what are the rules for a happy freelance business and getting clients
[02:32] that you love? Right? And I came up with six, and that is what we're gonna be talking about today after that fateful day of waking up and realizing how much I hated running an agency and what I needed to be a solo freelancer and be happy in what I did. So number one, listen to your gut on prospect calls. Alright? Like, if you feel like it's a no, then it's probably a
[02:54] no because that client is probably not a good client. And don't be afraid to say no. Okay? Because you're gonna have an unhappy business, and you might be sitting here right now being like, I'd rather have an unhappy freelance business than be at my job right now, which I totally get, and I totally understand. But as time goes on and you become more successful, listen to that
[03:14] gut. Don't just go after the money because it's stressful, and there are people who could sue you. Like, I did have that with a client who brought a lawyer into the mix. And I was like, shoot. I don't have enough money. Even with all my savings that I had, and I always save with my business, what I didn't want to bring a lawyer into it.
[03:33] Right? So listen to your gut. And that was someone that I should have listened to my gut with. That woman definitely, for sure, should have listened to my gut because I remember thinking like, I don't know about this person. I don't know about this client. She seems like really high maintenance. So I threw out a ludicrously high number, and she agreed to it.
[03:50] And then I was kinda like, okay. Well, it'll be worth it. That'll that'll be, like, the fee for annoying me and being high maintenance. And, no, it was just it was not worth it. So number one, listen to your gut on prospect calls. If it's a no, then it's a no, and say no.
[04:05] Two, start prequalifying clients before you get on a call with them. Okay? Stop wasting your time with clients that are not a good fit. When I work with my students, I always make sure that they are prequalified clients with an intake form that has the right questions that shows that they are probably going to be a pretty good match by the time they get on the call.
[04:28] Alright? So there are questions you can ask to find out about how much money they might have. Is this the first time working with you as a freelancer? Is how many subcontractors are they currently working with, or do they have any employees? How long have they been in business? But there's also, like, the kind of red flag questions that you can ask on an intake form and keep it kind of
[04:46] vague and and use chat JBT and AI to help with this. Right? Like, how many emails do you think you'd send me a day? Do you like to be updated all the time on projects, or do you just let me work and do it on my own, etcetera? You know, like, stuff like that, then you can prequalify.
[05:02] And then you're really making sure that you're working with clients that you love and they're getting on the call with you before you even sign with them. You know that they're gonna be a good match. Alright? So that's a this is a really good way to do it. On that note, tangentially, only pitch to those you wanna work with.
[05:19] So if you're working on pitching and you're going out there, don't just pitch to anyone and everyone. Really research them. See them like, okay. This is someone I could see myself in their business, and I think I'd really wanna work with them. Because if you're gonna be spending energy and time pitching people and cold pitching, which can be a drain on you emotionally, make sure it's with
[05:38] someone that you would love to work with. Alright. Number three, find a marketing channel that you love. Right? Like, find one that lights you up and that you're going to enjoy marketing on that channel because marketing is the number one burnout, I think, for a lot of new freelancers. It's so fun setting up the website. It's so fun brainstorming with ChatGPT or working with a coach and changing what you're
[06:01] doing and making sure that or like using my reflection method or something like that. Right? And making sure that you are getting to a point where your business looks really professional and will attract high income clients. Yippee. Yes. But then you have to market it, and you have to market yourself, and you have to market your business, and you have to just you know, it's just tiring.
[06:20] It's really tiring. So make sure you have at least one marketing avenue that you love to go to. Maybe it's LinkedIn and posting on LinkedIn. Maybe it's doing the TikTok videos or the reels or Instagram. Find one that lights you up right now. For me, it's Substack, and I'm really enjoying long form writing. It's been a long time since I indulged in long form
[06:41] writing. And for a long time on LinkedIn, I would have to pare down, pare down, pare down, and it was frustrating to me. So I'm enjoying Substack right now as my marketing channel that lights me up. I've got seven subscribers. I'm not really there right now for marketing specifically to gain followers. For me, it's to improve my writing and to write what I want.
[07:02] And then eventually, I'm gonna use it as a marketing machine. So if you wanna find me, the Kieri Mohan, I would love you to subscribe. Number four, raise your rates. Right? Like, says that. But, you know, you have experience. You have the skills from your corporate past, and people are gonna pay for that. Now you need the confidence, though, to charge what you're worth.
[07:23] Right? You need that confidence. And when you raise your rates, you're gonna have a happier business because you're not in this, like, mode of trying to get any and every client because the small amount of clients you have are paying you a lot of money, and they're making it worth your time, and you're not working overtime. And I think that took a while for me to realize.
[07:43] And my business was way happier because even when I lost a client, I was still making quite a bit from the other clients that I could spend time trying to replace that client and find a really good match. Right? And it's just this life of ease when clients are paying you more and you have less. It's just less for your brain to remember, less hurry, less hassle,
[08:06] all of that. Number five, have a good mix of clients. Right? Retainer and project based clients, different personalities. And the reason I say this is because it will prevent boredom. And boredom is the antithesis of having a happy business and getting ideal clients that you love. Like, my clients are so different and so all over the place. Right? Like, I have one on the West Coast who's very
[08:36] nice but can what's the right word? She can skirt around the issue at hand, so I have to kinda read between the lines to see what what's making her unhappy or happy. And I have another client who's so super straightforward. Like, he no joking around. Just this is what he needs, and it's just easy because it's like there's no guessing at all. Right? I have had clients that need
[08:58] a little bit more flattery than others. I have had clients that have mental breakdowns on the phone, which it's like, for me, though, this kept it exciting, and this kept it interesting. And I do recommend that you have a good mix of those retainer based clients who are consistent, project that come in and out that need your services, and just these these different personalities as well. When you're able to mix it
[09:22] up in your client base and what you're doing, you will not be bored, and that will be happy. And you're gonna get clients you love, and you'll be happy, and your business will be happy. Finally, number six, network with other freelancers, either in the same profession as you or not. It doesn't matter because often when I was freelancing, there were all these other people that sometimes needed to be pulled into the
[09:43] mix. And I had recommendations because I had worked with, like, bookkeepers and accountants and copywriters. So it's good just to know as many people as you can. Right? You never know when someone's gonna refer you or like me, be part of building a company and know that their client needs to level up and have different people. Right? I highly, highly recommend doing that because that's extra arm of your business
[10:08] that's gonna support you too when you need help. And that creates a happy business too. You shouldn't be doing it alone. And trust me, coming from someone who did it alone for a while, it's not it it lends more to the unhappiness. Imagine if I could ask people questions when I was scaling or when I had the unhappy clients, I didn't. It was all just me.
[10:29] And I was young, younger too. So a lot of my friends were just starting their careers in corporate, and I had been in corporate, like, for a little bit. But I think it it made such a difference when I started connecting with other freelancers and getting to know them. So to recap, what are my rules for happy freelance business where you can get clients you love? One, listen to your gut on
[10:49] all those prospect calls. Two, try to prequalify clients as much as you can so you're not wasting your time. Three, find a marketing channel that lights you up so you don't get burned out from marketing. Four, raise your rates. Make sure that you have a smaller amount of clients that pay you more. Five, have a good mix of clients, whether it retainer, project based, personalities.
[11:11] Make sure that you're not getting bored. And number six, network with other freelancers. Alright? It's so important. Don't do it alone. And that is the magic mixture stirring my pot and my cauldron of a happy freelance business and getting clients that you absolutely love and adore to work with you. Stay tuned for Thursday, the tip of the week. We're gonna be talking about a strategy and tip you need to work
[11:34] better with clients. Next week, we're talking about how to quit your job and get from side hustle to full time freelance career and the steps it takes to get there. And that's gonna be really exciting as well. So my name is Kyrie Mohan. I'm the founder of Flourishing Freelancer. I would love to chat with you about your freelance business, and you can find a link in the show notes to set up
[11:57] a free call with me. And I look forward to chatting with you. Are you struggling to get the income you desire as a freelancer? Download my money mapper for a clear view of the earnings you need to achieve your dream salary. It calculates monthly income while factoring in taxes, expenses, and the best part is that it grows with your business to include contractors and a SEP IRA.
[12:20] Head to the link in my show notes to calculate what you should be earning to start increasing your income.
