Starting the New Year with 0 Clients?

Helloooooooo,
Wish you a Very Happy New Year!!  🎊

I started my new year exactly how I wanted to— with a book.

I finished the book I was reading at 11:58 PM (lol), waited till midnight, wished myself a happy new year, and went straight to sleep.

I hope you too spent the new year just as you planned!

Now, let’s get back to business.

Or… do we even have a business this new year?

(Fuck, I’ve said “New Year” way too many times—sorry about that!)

Anyway, here’s where we’re at: moving ahead with zero clients.

(What happened? Check out my last newsletter.)

So, if you’re new here, just starting freelancing, or still hunting for clients… let’s figure this out together.

Step 1: Lock Down a Niche

I’ve chosen SaaS. I still need to get more specific within SaaS, but I’m working on it.

First, I asked ChatGPT for a list of five SaaS companies across different categories in the US, Europe, and India.

Then, I refined the list based on category and continent.

Here’s my final list:

The green cells mark companies I’ve already worked with. Having that in my portfolio helps me pitch better.

This is what I’ve accomplished so far. Not so far ahead of you ;)

Step 2: Curate a Portfolio

Right now, my portfolio is broad and generic—separated by industries but not SaaS-specific.

Over the last four months, I’ve worked with new clients whose projects need to be added.

This was supposed to be done before the new year, but, no one’s perfect.
I’ll wrap this up over the weekend.

Step 3: Find the Decision Makers

I’m targeting Content Heads, Marketing Heads, and Founders.

Use LinkedIn and company websites to identify them. Simple, right?

Step 4: Outreach

For India-based companies, LinkedIn messaging has worked well for me.
I’ll find the decision-makers and send my go-to message—the one that (almost) always gets a reply.

For international clients, LinkedIn isn’t as effective. So, it’s time to tackle email outreach.

(I suck at emails, but no more complaining. It’s time to figure things out!)

Back in my B2B Sales days, I used Apollo to find email IDs. The free plan was fine, but 50% of the emails were incorrect.

This week, I’ll explore better tools and share what works best in the next newsletter.
If you know of any good tools, I’d love your recommendations!

Step 5: Be Consistent and Follow Up

I’ll schedule follow-ups in a 3-5-7-day pattern.

If there’s no response, I’ll move on.

The key is to stay consistent, avoid disappointment, and most importantly never undersell yourself just to land a project.

Work Updates

Today, I sent a sample article to a client and have an inbound lead call scheduled for Monday.

Bonus Step: Start Posting on LinkedIn

If you’re not already posting on LinkedIn, start now!
LinkedIn has changed my life, and it can change yours too.

Here’s a LinkedIn template to help if you’re struggling with consistency.

Next week, I’ll also share updates on how these steps worked out and tips for creating and maintaining a portfolio.

Wishing you the best!

See you next Friday!

Love,
Nikita