7 Unexpected Ways to Get Clients When You’re Starting Out or Stuck

Whether you’re at a point where business is slowing down and you’re looking to hit refresh and jumpstart yourself into a new market of clients, or you’re a new designer, trying to build your portfolio, sometimes you need to step outside of your comfort zone to expand your business. 

Leveraging Social Media

Social channels are a free tool that you should be using to your advantage. While the time investment it requires of you to be on them may not be free, you can structure this in a way where you can win at it. If you’re slow in your business and you have the time, it would be wise to devote an hour a day to create engagement on your social media channels through reels, videos, and stories. If you’re not creating stories, you’re not at the top of your clients’ feeds and you’re not sharing enough about yourself. Stories aren’t just behind the scenes of your business, they’re behind the scenes of your life, and they allow potential clients to find you for their connection to you in addition to your design work. 

Where Else To Look

While you might be used to looking for clients in your specific, ideal markets, you should never discount the potential of looking elsewhere to refresh your options. There are opportunities in all types of places, even through sites such as HomeAdvisor, Angie’s List, Thumbtack and Bark. Admittedly, a lot of that business is low-end, but there are opportunities possible when you align yourself with them, put the right criteria in place, and know what you’re looking for. You have to be willing to do whatever it takes, such as putting yourself out there through doing home expos or seeking opportunities for show houses.

One of the ways I got my practice off the ground quickly was by teaching busy professionals. These were not students looking to be designers, they were on their own career paths and looking to learn about design so they could do something in their own homes. And they would often come to me at the end of six weeks and ask if I would work with them on their homes because I had built that trust. 
The opportunities for surprises make all different types of avenues worth exploring to find clients and projects you may not have found elsewhere.

If you want to learn more about The Affluent Creative and hear more of my tips to find clients when you’re starting out or stuck, check out www.melissagalt.com/ac017