Around 2019, I decided to start freelancing as an engineer and marketer. I have built and run several CEO LinkedIn profiles and YouTube channels for customers who are not engineers. This journey has taught me that modern entrepreneurs must also become content creators, regardless of their profession.

In this blog, I'll be giving you the 4 lessons I’ve learned that can help you start your content creation journey as an entrepreneur.

Lesson One: You Need a Routine, Not Just a To-Do List

If you work remotely, from home, or have an office, this might sound familiar: you start your day with a cup of coffee, jot down your to-do list, and you're super pumped to get to work. But then, emails and messages pile up, and before you know it, you’re stuck in meetings - HORRIBLE! Something that annoyed the shit out of me when I started freelancing.

By the end of the day, you’re exhausted, staring at your untouched to-do list, wondering how you lost track of everything.

Creating a routine and sticking to it is crucial because you are 100% responsible for your time and how you spend it. Time blocking is a time management technique that can help. By dividing your day into smaller blocks for specific tasks using a calendar, you can focus your energy and achieve more.

Lesson Two: Your Income Will Not Be Consistent

Before I started freelancing, I imagined my income would be steady. Reality check: it wasn’t - it had more fluctuations than the Bitcoin price. My first six months saw drastic fluctuations, with "dry months" where income was sparse. Every freelancer and entrepreneur knows this period all too well—it’s the gap before your next project or sale, and it can last for months.

Here’s my strategy for surviving this: create a realistic monthly budget to manage your expenses and avoid increasing your expenses whenever your income goes up. Start building a savings safety net for the tough times because they will come. Additionally, diversify your income streams beyond client work. This could mean starting a YouTube channel (which goes back to the title of this blog), creating a course or consulting services to teach your skills. For instance, I began making tech-related videos on social media, which opened new doors for me.

Lesson Three: Create Your Top of Funnel

To attract (test) clients, they must see your work first. Having a great website is essential, but in 2024, it’s not enough. You need to drive traffic to it. Use your time to build and expand your online community, stay connected with more people, tell your story, and share your business and products.

Work on your social footprint. Every. Single. Day.

Sharing valuable information through your favourite social platforms is a fantastic way to establish expertise in a specific industry. When I first learned about the top-of-the-funnel strategy, I realised the importance of guiding potential clients from awareness to purchasing.

Your website, YouTube channel, podcast, newsletter, or social profiles are all channels to reach potential clients. You don’t need to start all of them; leverage the platforms you are comfortable with. Your next client could be watching or reading you right now.

Lesson Four: Learn to Say No

This might sound counterintuitive, but it’s vital. Turning down projects that don’t align with your goals is crucial to saving time and energy for more rewarding opportunities.

One of the most important standards you can learn about in sales and qualifying prospects is to define a "gold standard" to ensure profitability and spend your time and energy on people who deserve your attention and are worth working with.

If you’re bogged down with uninteresting projects, you won’t have time for that one exciting project that pays well and helps you build meaningful relationships with new clients.

In conclusion, modern entrepreneurship goes hand-in-hand with content creation. You can thrive as a freelancer and content creator by establishing a solid routine, managing inconsistent income, creating an effective top-of-funnel, and learning to say no.

If you are an expert, freelancer, or already a business owner who wants to scale to 5-6 figures per month, book a free consultation with our experts.