How to make ₹1 Crore/yr as a Freelancer? | The Ultimate Blueprint for Freelancing @AyushWadhwa

There are two main paths for growth after starting as a freelancer:

Continuing to evolve as a better freelancer or building an agency.

Building an agency is as very risky. It involves significant administrative burden, expenses (like salaries and real estate), and a constant pressure to secure work to cover costs.

Agencies can easily take on too much work and recruit based on peak loads, leading to difficulties and potential losses when work decreases, as it's hard to lay off employees quickly.

While it can lead to different kinds of opportunities and scaling, it moves the individual away from the core execution, which might not suit everyone.

The freelancer path to growth requires a "very, very hard thing" that many people cannot do: dropping a client.

To grow income and level up, a freelancer needs to free up time, which often means letting go of existing clients, even if it temporarily reduces income.

This is seen as taking "one step back for two steps forward".

The newly available time shouldn't immediately be used to find new clients, but rather to re-assess and upgrade skills.

There are several key strategies for success in freelancing:

1. Choosing a Domain
2. Getting Started and Broadcasting Work
3. Client Acquisition
4. Pricing
5. Charging Premium
6. Client Service
7. Getting Feedback and Testimonials
8. Scaling as a Freelancer

Focus on creative free-lancing services. These services are in high demand because every company is becoming a "media company" and increasing content creation drastically.

Domains are categorized by their barrier to entry:

• High Barrier
• Medium Barrier
• Low Barrier

These services typically require significant capital investment or prior experience/trust before a client will hire you.

It's difficult to get initial freelance gigs directly.

Examples of Domains/Services:

Performance Marketing, Video Production

Potential Income/Growth:

These can be high-paying services

Might require starting with a job in the field to gain experience and trust before freelancing

These fields require renting equipment, convincing clients to invest more, or collaborating with others.

The initial hurdle is higher than low barrier but lower than high barrier.

Examples of Domains/Services:

Video Production, Cinematography

Potential Income/Growth:

These fields have high potential. Video editing for podcasts and ads shows significant price increases.

Suitable for individuals who can potentially access or rent necessary equipment or have connections.

These are services that require minimal initial investment beyond a phone and internet.

They are presented as the most accessible starting point.

Examples of Domains/Services:

Content Writing, Designing, Video Editing, Social Media Management, LinkedIn Management.

Potential Income/Growth:

Starting rates can be around ₹1000-₹2000 per social media design, potentially earning ₹40,000-₹80,000 per month.

Video editing can start lower and scale significantly with experience and complexity (e.g., podcasts, ads).

Ideal for those with limited capital but access to a phone and internet

Start with small projects, even for family or friends.

Be "shameless" about broadcasting your work.

Share everything you do on all possible platforms (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, etc.).

You never know where your first opportunities will come from.

Good work coupled with broadcasting leads to referrals.

Focus on addressing client objections.

A primary objection is often wanting to see previous work.

A powerful technique is to take a potential client's existing work (like a LinkedIn post, thumbnail, or video) and show them how you would make it better.

When sending your portfolio, make it extremely easy to access (e.g., directly clickable links in the email, curated links, attach your best work first).

Write "hard to ignore" subject lines for emails, like "I Have Made Something For You"

Understanding the market is crucial.

Join communities of freelancers (like WhatsApp groups) and directly ask others about rates for specific services.

Research on platforms like Upwork can provide additional data points and help determine a broad range.

Once you have a range, honestly assess your own portfolio and skill level to position yourself within that range.

While starting cheap can help build a portfolio, avoid undervaluing yourself; the goal is to eventually charge market rate and then premium.

Pricing requires continuous attention and adjustments based on market conditions.

Merely doing "good work" allows you to charge market rate.

To charge premium, you must go "above and beyond".

This involves incremental efforts that yield exponential benefits.

Examples include adding value beyond the core service, like understanding a client's broader business needs (e.g., how web copy affects sales), or performing small, thoughtful actions that make the client feel valued and supported.

This is emphasized as the "actual work" of freelancing, even more important than acquisition and selling.

The core principle is to make the client experience "frictionless", similar to a five-star hotel.

Practical aspects include:

• Proactive Communication: Reply promptly to client messages (not 24 hours later).
• Onboarding Process: Have a clear process to inform the client about how you work and what to expect.
• Educate the Client: Don't assume the client understands technical details or industry processes. Explain things clearly without jargon.
• Manage Expectations

Ask clients for "feedback" rather than just "testimonials".

Ask specific questions like

• "What did I do right?"
• "What did I do wrong?",
• "How can I make it better?

to get actionable insights.

Make it easy for busy clients to provide feedback, perhaps by drafting a message for them to approve.

If the feedback is positive, ask permission to use it on your website or social media.

Once time is freed up by dropping a client, focus on improving your skill and building a "T-shape skill".

This means having deep expertise in your core service (e.g., editing) but also gaining a broader understanding of related areas that impact the client's goals (e.g., an editor understanding social media growth, hook writing, or basic design principles).

Understand the impact of your work from the client's perspective (e.g. increases views, or drives sales)

Incorporate this understanding into your pitches.

Growth requires patience and strategic upgrading of skills.

Instead of just listing "bad clients," define what makes a good client.

A red flag is a client who expects a "perfect imperfect relationship" – they are disorganized or late but expect perfection from you.

Other signs include poor briefing, expecting immediate results while delaying payment, and excessive micromanagement, which shows a lack of trust

A framework is suggested to evaluate clients based on five criteria (CRMBV)

• C - Creativity: Does working with them allow you to do highly creative work that enhances your portfolio?
• R - Relationship: Is there a strong relationship, potentially built over time? Sometimes you might do a favor for someone who supported you early on.
• M - Money: Do you need the money from this project?
• B - Brand Building: Will associating with this client elevate your brand or signal your capabilities (like working with a big name)?
• V - Visibility: Will the client provide visibility or credit for your work (e.g., mentioning you in captions)?

A client matching three or more criteria is considered great.

Two out of five is decent.

One out of five is acceptable only if you need the money.

A client who matches none (no creative freedom, no money, no relationship, no brand lift, no visibility) should be avoided.

This framework provides a clearer way to assess a client's potential value rather than just focusing on their flaws, as "humans are imperfect" and most clients will have some issues.