The whole blog in one list, twelve posts to a page.
Leads and follow-up
A new client forms an opinion of you in the first 30 days, long before the final deliverable. This checklist covers the welcome email, contract, deposit, intake questions, kickoff agenda, check-in and first-month review, step by step.
9 min read
Getting paid in the Gulf
Your first client almost always comes from someone who already knows you, not from a cold bid on a marketplace. This guide covers the 30-message plan, a free portfolio that books work, what to charge, and how to run the first project so it turns into a referral.
Leads and follow-up
A proposal is the first piece of work a client sees from you, not a bid. This post gives a seven-section template, explains what each section must say, shows how to price in options, and sets out when to follow up. It also puts realistic close rates beside the folklore.
9 min read
Leads and follow-up
Scope creep rarely starts with a client taking advantage. It starts with a small extra request that gets a polite yes. This post covers why it happens, the three contract lines that prevent it, and five scripts to use when it shows up anyway.
8 min read
Leads and follow-up
Upwork changed its freelancer fee in May 2025, Fiverr still takes 20%, and Toptal rejects most applicants. This comparison runs take-home on a $3,000 project, says who each platform suits, and shows when direct billing beats all three.
8 min read
Leads and follow-up
Plenty of small businesses run client work out of Notion. This post covers what it does well, the seven places it strains once you have several clients, a simple test for when to move client-facing work elsewhere, and how to keep Notion for what it is good at.
8 min read
Leads and follow-up
Zoom bought Bonsai in late 2025 and said the product would stay standalone. This post sets out what was announced, what Bonsai's plans cost today, which fears have and have not played out, and a practical plan for current and future users.
8 min read
Getting paid in the Gulf
A plain reference for freelancers and small business owners on self-employment tax in the US, National Insurance and Self Assessment in the UK, retirement limits, quarterly payments, and the records every country asks for. Figures come from the IRS, SSA and GOV.UK.
7 min read
Getting paid in the Gulf
A $3,000 invoice from a client in another country costs very different amounts depending on how it is paid. This post runs the numbers on Stripe, PayPal and Wise using their published fee pages, and says when each one is the right pick.
8 min read
Leads and follow-up
WhatsApp is a fine place to say hello and a poor place to run a client project. This opinion piece covers five ways chat quietly costs you money, how to move clients to a portal without a fight, and what to keep in chat.
8 min read
Quotes and proposals
Most freelancers set rates by guessing what feels fair. This guide builds a floor rate from take-home pay, expenses, tax and billable hours, shows where to find market numbers, and explains when to move to project and value-based pricing. It uses 2026 US and UK tax figures.
9 min read
Leads and follow-up
When a client does not answer "let me know what you think," the cause is usually effort and uncertainty, not rudeness. This post explains why open feedback requests stall, what the research on choice does and does not show, a four-step fix, and a reset email for when you have already been ignored.
8 min read
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Guides for service businesses, from the first inquiry to the final payment. Written by the team behind Delivvo.
