The Venn diagram I live by

A couple of years into freelancing, I got an inquiry on my website from a potential client. 

(This was thrilling for me at the time because up until that point, I had primarily done cold outreach to land clients.)

I eagerly opened the email and learned they were interested in hiring me to write a case study for their cybersecurity company. 

My stomach dropped and that giddy feeling I had quickly turned into fear and doubt. I had zero experience with writing case studies and knew next to nothing about the cybersecurity industry. My gut told me this was not the project for me and it didn’t make sense to say yes. 

So, what did I do next? 

I replied, “Yes I can do that! When do you need it?”

The Lesson

It should come as no surprise to learn that this was a mistake. I spent hours frantically Googling things like “what is phishing” or “difference between malware and ransomware.” 

And while the project technically paid well, my effective hourly rate was so low because of how much time I spent on it. Fortunately, the client was happy with the end result. But the project was so stressful for me that I had to pass the next time they reached out. (I now know I should’ve referred them to another freelance to begin with — lesson learned!) 

Early in my freelance career, I definitely lived by the mentality of “say yes and figure it out later.” This was how I was able to get a lot of experience and figure out what I’m good at and actually enjoy working on. BUT it also led to me saying yes to projects and clients that weren’t a good fit, which cost me a lot of time, stress, and money. 

The Solution

To avoid a similar situation, I came up with a solution.

This poorly drawn Venn diagram is the gut-check exercise I now use when evaluating new client opportunities 👇

Easy = Is this something I’m good at?
Enjoy = Is this a topic/task I enjoy? 
Earn = Is this a rate I’m happy with?

The ideal client or project will land smack dab in the middle, meeting all three criteria (which my longest-running clients do). But I’ll take on projects if they meet at least two. 

Why? 

I’ve learned that I can’t go wrong with any of these combinations. 

An “easy” project with a good rate is a no-brainer. The projects and clients that fall under this category are the ones that match my niche: writing SEO blog posts for B2B MarTech companies. This is the type of work I do most, so I’m really comfortable with it and have an established rate. 

On the flip side, if a project checks off the “enjoy” and “earn” buckets, but isn’t necessarily “easy” it’s probably something more challenging but still fun. 

For example, a couple of years ago I helped an existing client with a big website and SEO project. It involved migrating a ton of blog posts to a new website and optimizing them with more technical SEO than I was used to. While it wasn’t my usual writing task, it was fun to be challenged and learn a new skill along the way. Plus, because it was for an existing client, I already knew what the rate would be and was happy with that, too. 

Finally, I also say yes to projects that are easy and enjoyable but fall short in the “earn” category when the type of work is fulfilling for me. This consideration allows me to work with small businesses and local publications that don’t often have a big budget (but whom I have a big place in my heart for 💛). 

The Takeaway

I have a much stronger niche than I did when I first started freelancing, so that alone helps me narrow down which projects I take on now. 

But there are still times when I internally go back and forth about whether or not a potential client is a good fit. I always come back to this Venn diagram to remind myself what I want to prioritize from my work. This framework has helped me say “yes” or “no” to projects pretty quickly.

I highly recommend creating your own version of this Venn diagram if you struggle with saying yes to everything like I did. These specific categories feel right for me and my freelance business. But yours could look different! Think about what you value from work, how you want to feel when doing the work, and the types of clients you work well with. 

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✍️ On a Personal Note

Here’s what I’m up to lately in life, work, and everything in between.

• Doing: Lots of running! I’m getting ready to run my first 10K in April with my dad 🥹

• Planning: I want to start a new series for the newsletter that involves other freelancers’ stories. I’m not sure exactly how that’s going to look yet but connecting with other freelancers is one of my favorite parts about writing this newsletter so I’m excited to do more of that.

• Reading: Just finished The God of the Woods by Liz Moore and LOVED it. Highly recommend! Now I’m speed reading Bye, Baby by Carola Lovering before it’s due back at the library.

I’ll be back in your inboxes on February 18th 💌 In the meantime, let me know what you’re working on and how I can help!

Rough Draft is a bi-weekly newsletter where I share tips and musings on creating a freelance career from scratch. Subscribe here. You can also find me on LinkedIn, Twitter, Threads, or my website. 👋