I think this post is a treasure trove of good advice. I’ll have to do some deeper reading of this as the advice seem solid.
Since I’ve quit my last job in 2018 I feel like I’ve tried it all when it comes to revenue sources:
* consulting - still my main source of income
* writing a newsletter - brings about $400-$600 a month but there are some dry days on the horizon
* selling newsletter merch - I’m in red every month with only one t-shirt design
* evaluating EU project proposals - nice side gig 1-2 times a year
* writing a course with a publisher - after 3 months I’m nowhere near getting a good return of investment on the time spent but it was fun and I’d do it again
* writing an influencer posts on LinkedIn - was a one-off thing but paid really well
I feel like doing too many things at one could be a problem for me and focusing on a subset of things could bring better results.
If you are in a position to work for yourself then I would highly recommend it.
My experience has been that word of mouth is by far the best way to win new clients. It's a warm introduction, everyone involved has some social incentives to behave appropriately, and the lead normally has a rough idea of pricing from the person that referred them.
That being said, this isn't advice. It's an admission that being lucky enough to have a few seed clients land in your lap (and taking that opportunity) is the optimal way to start consulting (imo).
Initially I had a lot of luck on UpWork and managed to find some clients that I worked with for over a year. Initially, I was getting 90% of job requests from Upwork and 10% from my blog and LinkedIn, but about year ago the proportions flipped the other way round.
Since I’ve quit my last job in 2018 I feel like I’ve tried it all when it comes to revenue sources:
* consulting - still my main source of income
* writing a newsletter - brings about $400-$600 a month but there are some dry days on the horizon
* selling newsletter merch - I’m in red every month with only one t-shirt design
* evaluating EU project proposals - nice side gig 1-2 times a year
* writing a course with a publisher - after 3 months I’m nowhere near getting a good return of investment on the time spent but it was fun and I’d do it again
* writing an influencer posts on LinkedIn - was a one-off thing but paid really well
I feel like doing too many things at one could be a problem for me and focusing on a subset of things could bring better results.
If you are in a position to work for yourself then I would highly recommend it.