Oliver

Getting less clients because of AI? I just landed a £15k project. Here’s how I’m still getting hired:

Heard good things

Worried about a dry month? There’s people here getting hired more than ever. The difference? They built something in the background during the good months (not waiting for the bad) That’s like trying to collect water once it stops raining. It’s content that compounds, a funnel that warms people up, relationships that generate referrals, it’s systems that help you land on people’s inbox or their ads.

How to find the 1 thing to work on next week Write down everything on your plate, all of it, even the stuff you've been avoiding. Then go down the list and ask one question for each.. "if this was done by friday, would next month look different?" Most of the list will be a no. tidying, tweaking, admin, stuff that keeps you busy & changes nothing. There's usually only one or two yeses, and it's normally the one you've been putting off the longest. Do that first thing tomorrow.

halloween is tonight.. If you’re trying to scare me, just know that I’m absolutely terrified of inbound leads.

My thoughts on life have changed a lot in the past year. 2023 I was always thinking about what I could become, who I can be. And when that’s limitless, it’s hard to choose. 2026 has been more about un-becoming everything that isn’t really me. Which is hard when we live in an era of constant dopamine and comparisons. So I’m making it a constant mission to learn more about myself and what I want.

4 years on Upwork & Leilani just caught her first cold client. $3,800 web design for a private clinic, 50% deposit already paid. For her, the best bit was when the client told her.. "I just wanted to work with you" For years she thought she needed a platform to get work. But now we’ve put in a proper system to get people to come to her 🤜

$60 t-shirt? No problem. $60 app? Let me read 300 reviews first.

You might not like this but if you decide on a target market, tailor your talk to them, up your prices, introduce a sales funnel, post about what you do and follow up with people, you'll grow faster than you ever have before.

I run an agency doing around $75k a month and I'm building my next thing out loud, with the people it's for. If you're a freelancer or run a small studio, tell me the one thing stopping you charging more. I'm reading every reply and it's going straight into what I build next.

Every now and then, people talk about making more than the average. And every time, we have the crabs in the bucket trying to pull them back down. This mentality is so dangerous.

Out of 10, your portfolio is about a 2/10 on how important it is. But I see people spend weeks trying to change it. I’ve closed $20k projects by just showing people 1 example of a project very similar to theirs.

I've sat on over 1000 discovery calls the clients who end up paying the most almost always ask about the process before they ask about the price if price is their first question, I already know how the rest of the call goes

What ive built in the last week. - My own version of the Manychat automation tool - A custom post scheduler for my content in house - A system that makes and posts trial reels for me - Moved 3 websites onto my own custom stack I’m a designer not a developer.. on a generational run right now

I just reviewed 3 of your websites. Most of them have a similar reason to why less people are buying from you, and it's not to do with the design. youtu.be/F5LILPBStD4

which one are you stuck on right now 1. getting enough leads 2. converting the leads you get 3. delivering without burning out 4. charging what the work's worth drop the number, I'll make content around the most popular one

remember this life lesson (1 min..) "People don’t buy your work. they buy your world" I watched a designer lose a client to someone objectively worse than him last week. but they went with someone else because they like the same music. which is kind of mad, but it's how humans like to move in the world. People buy because of 3 things: - their World.. the same people, places and interests that keep showing up, until you feel like you’re in on it. the regular coffee spot. the team. the little recurring bits. - their Conviction.. a clear way of doing things with a name, and something they’re openly against. not “I do design.” but “here’s how I do it, and here’s what I refuse to do.” - their Journey.. where they started, the low point, and proof other people followed the same path and came out the other side. your portfolio proves you can do the work. AI can put content out there for you.. BUT these three prove you’re worth choosing. it's a danger to outsource your personality to tools that take it away from you, you need to protect that

For those in ecom. Really interesting read.

Human made takes time, and time is a luxury.