Guest Post: Rekindling a Freelance Network
Leveraging people you know to land projects that inspire.
Today’s guest post is by Brianne Sanchez. Find her at Brianne Sanchez Collaborative Services!
When I found myself suddenly rekindling my dormant freelance writing work after a decade in the nonprofit sector, I approached building a business like establishing a strong campfire. As a lifetime Girl Scout, I've always taken pride in my fire-starting abilities. There's something magical about tending a spark and turning it into a roaring blaze. I set out to create and sustain a self-employment strategy that would feel bright enough but wouldn’t burn me out.
I wasn't starting from scratch. I’d moved to Des Moines, Iowa for a staff writer role at The Des Moines Register. That first journalism job involved interviewing interesting young professionals and community leaders who were working to make central Iowa a more vibrant place. (Best beat ever, for a new kid on the block.) I wrote about entrepreneurs, artists, chefs, and do-gooders. Their stories inspired me to get more deeply involved in my community.
Early into my time at the paper, Gannett introduced furloughs. My husband worked as a news designer for the same employer, which felt financially precarious. I decided to pivot and pursue a master’s degree in public administration, with an emphasis in nonprofit management. Throughout my years working in higher education and foundation settings, I continued to contribute to the city's glossy magazine as “side hustle.” At the same time, I expanded my professional network through my career growth and volunteer involvement. Then, 2020. Need I say more? The pressures of parenting young kids and working full-time during a pandemic forced my hand.
Striking a Match
Stepping into full-time freelance in the spring of 2021 was scary, but I knew it could give me the flexibility and autonomy I craved. Could it pay the bills, too? The rates I was earning for writing occasional profile stories and features couldn't replace my salary. But those clips and some of the relationships I'd built gave me enough material to get, well, glowing.
A good fire draws people in and lights them up. During my first few years of full-time freelance life, I’ve been amazed by how leveraging “loose ties” has turned into so many exciting projects. I didn’t need to go deep into the woods to “collect the kindling” for my freelance writing career. I could look around and invite people I knew into conversations about how I might help meet their needs:
One of the women I interviewed way back in my early reporting life became an incredible coach and cheerleader as we collaborated on ghostwriting projects.
After seeing I’d gone solo via LinkedIn, an entrepreneur I met at a global summit for TEDx organizers invited me to help him with pieces he’d publish as part of the Fast Company editorial board, and client projects that translated to long-term contracts.
After reconnecting over a virtual coffee, someone I knew through launching the Des Moines chapter of the Young Nonprofit Professionals network hired me as a writer for a learning and development curriculum his organization was revamping.
A former editor at Dotdash Meredith I shoulder-tapped to let him know I had freelance availability put me back on the publisher’s radar. This led to multiple bylines in newsstand titles and integrated marketing projects.
A grant writer from my nonprofit network hired me to edit her boilerplate copy.
A woman I knew when she was a college student connected me to a corporate marketing team in need of white papers, blog posts, and ebooks. They became an excellent “bread and butter” retainer client.
Former colleagues have hired me to develop content marketing posts highlighting business leaders and creatives who moved to the state, and to write articles for an alumni magazine.
Those people knew me and trusted me. When I deliver, they refer me. (I’m failing to resist a pun here about getting s’more work!) Because so many of these projects have come from folks I’ve intentionally kept in my orbit, I have genuinely enjoyed each of these collaborations. And, yes, I can set my schedule to pick up my kids from school and host their former “pandemic pod” friends for a weekly Harry Potter-themed playdate.
Following Warm Leads
For freelancers who are cold pitching and failing: Think about the warm introductions people in your network might provide. Networking can feel like a weirdly self-serving activity, but it delivers the oxygen your fire needs. It’s not about salesy direct messages. Think more along the lines of nurturing the organic network of people who you’ve come to appreciate over the course of your career—even going back to college, or earlier. (I’m a proud member of the #MizzouMafia, BJ ‘07.)
Set aside time to take people out to coffee and have a one-on-one conversation about what you’re each excited to be working on, struggling with, and on the lookout for. Any good journalist is a great listener, and that can be a superpower for sustaining a powerful network. Ask good questions and deeply consider how you can support them in reaching their goals. Even if it means connecting them to a different resource.
A few weeks ago, someone introduced me to a young woman she knew who offered a similar blend of communications and social impact-oriented services. Instead of seeing this person as competition, I got curious about how we might complement each other as collaborators. It was a great conversation. When a client of mine sent me an RFP with a note “saw this and thought of you,” I reached out to that young woman to see if she’d want to take the lead on developing a proposal for the project. Whether or not we’re awarded the contract, this is fresh fuel for the fire.
