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Welcome to the 8th edition of Expert•ish Freelancer, a newsletter that helps you launch or elevate your freelance writing business. Every other Friday, get tips tools, and insights based on my 35⁺ years as a freelance writer.

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As I moved into a foundational yoga posture—Warrior 2—the instructor guided the class with small cues. She wanted to ensure we were actively engaging our bodies from head to toe instead of just standing there passively.

Hips facing to the front. Arms raised, pointing towards the front and back of the room, parallel to the floor. Palms face down. Shoulders relaxed and down. Pelvis tilted in. Right knee aligned over right ankle. Left foot back at a 45º angle.

Each little tweak made a big difference in the end result—a strong posture with a fully engaged body. We built on each small action, step by step, gaining momentum and achieving strength. In the end, we all felt like strong warriors, proud of the foundation we’ve built. 

And this approach—small changes making a big difference—really resonates with me both on and off the mat.

I see how this works in my freelance business, too. I’ll explain below in this issue’s Freelance Focus.

Today’s newsletter dives into how you can gain momentum in your business with small tweaks.

🔍 Key Takeaways: 

• Prioritize and focus on one key area of change at a time.

• Take small, achievable steps to make progress and build momentum.

• Stay flexible and adaptable.

Freelance Focus: Building Momentum in Your Freelance Business

When I used to get overwhelmed or when business was slow, I’d think, “That’s it, I’ve got to totally OVERHAUL my freelance business! This just isn’t working.” But then I snap out of it, realizing that I don’t need a total freelance makeover. I just need a few tweaks to slowly build momentum and make a big difference.

I might tweak my marketing efforts, my project calendar, my client communications, or the types of projects I want to work on in the next six months. I might fine-tune my workflow, my niche, my processes, or my boundaries. I’ve found that, even after 35 years, my freelance business is not on autopilot. Seasons change, my preferences change, the industry changes, the economy changes—everything is always in flux.

Whether you’re just launching your freelance business or you’re a seasoned pro, you’ll experience lulls in your business when, for whatever reason, it loses steam. 💨 The best you can do is adapt, tweak, and build momentum on what you’ve created. Know that this has happened often in my decades of freelancing. So. Many. Times.

Forget “The Big Overhaul”

Do any of these scenarios sound familiar?

• You’re having difficulty staying motivated and focused.

• You’re feeling burned out.

• You’re struggling to maintain a consistent income.

• You’re lacking clarity on your next steps for business growth.

• You’re feeling overwhelmed by the idea of a total business overhaul.

Freelancers often face periods of stagnation, where projects seem scarce, income dips, and motivation dwindles. This naturally eats away at your mindset, too. (What’s wrong with me? I don’t have what it takes to run a successful business. Maybe I should just quit freelancing altogether and get a “real job.”)

It's easy to feel overwhelmed by the pressure to constantly evolve and grow your business—especially when you’re bombarded by so many “instant freelance success stories” on social media. 🙄 You might struggle with marketing, managing client expectations, or finding a niche that truly excites you. These challenges can leave you feeling stuck and unsure of the next steps to take. But focusing on “the big overhaul” can be counterproductive.

The Power of Small Tweaks

You already know that generating a consistent income is crucial for financial stability. And that having clear goals and actions leads to focused growth. And that it takes motivation for productivity and success.

But how do you pull it all together to build the momentum that leads to success? Sometimes it might feel like you’ve got to change everything about your business. That’s likely not even close to reality. You probably do a lot of things well. But you might need to make some small changes to see improvements.

Think of how you master a new skill. You don’t become an expert all at once. Instead, it takes practice, tweaking your techniques, and repetition—not sudden bursts of effort. 🏃‍♀️Think of a marathon runner who achieves success through steady pacing, practice, fine-tuning efforts, and endurance—not sudden sprints. You get the gist.

As you try to gain momentum, avoid the common pitfall of trying to change everything at once. Overhauls can be super stressful and unproductive.

Build Momentum One Step at a Time

Below, I’ve outlined a few key ideas I’ve found helpful over the years to build momentum. Honesty, this has worked for me 100% of the time. You might find something that works better for you, but let this serve as a great starting point when you need to build momentum in your freelance business.

Focus on one key area

If you’ve ever set the common goal of trying to live a healthier lifestyle, you know how hard it is to make major changes all at once. You’re setting yourself up for failure if you simultaneously try to change your diet, your exercise routine, your sleep habits, and your stress management techniques. Pick just one area to focus on. Make progress. Then build on that momentum to focus on another area.

To gain momentum in your freelance business, start by identifying one key area you want to improve. Perhaps it's your marketing strategy—are you consistently reaching your target audience? Or maybe it's time management—are you effectively prioritizing tasks and meeting deadlines? Alternatively, you might focus on client relations—are you maintaining clear, consistent communication and meeting client expectations? By pinpointing a specific aspect of your business to work on, you can implement targeted, incremental changes that will gradually build momentum and drive overall success. 

Take small, achievable steps

I learned early on that I needed to regularly market my services to build and sustain momentum. I made one small change that really made a huge difference. Instead of viewing marketing as an activity I did sporadically when I had time, I added it to my calendar as a recurring appointment called “Marketing Morning” every weekday, from 8:30 a.m. to 9:00 am. ☕ (Note that I’m sipping my coffee, in my PJs, watching Good Morning America while I do this.) 

There’s no deep thought involved here—it’s just an easy habit I set up for myself. I even included a few possible marketing tasks in this daily appointment (think sending LOIs, connecting on LinkedIn, and following up with past clients) in case the caffeine hadn’t yet kicked in and my brain couldn’t generate a coherent marketing idea this early in the morning. 😂

Create a flexible action plan

You’ve got to embrace adaptability and create a path forward that can evolve. Don’t be married to an idea that just isn’t working. (Think of the iconic line from Mean Girls: "Stop trying to make fetch happen.“ Let go of the futility!) And don’t think you can create one plan that will span for years. You need to remain flexible and quick to adapt (or agile, in “corporate speak”).

One example in my own freelance business? I felt exhausted from constantly pitching editors, mostly at consumer media outlets. I just wasn’t landing editorial assignments as often as I used to. And the pay seemed lower than in years past. Was it me? My pitches themselves? The specific media outlets I was pitching? The imploding media industry in general? The economy? Probably a combination of several factors. I took a step back and realized too much of my efforts focused on trying to land editorial work—previously the bread and butter of my business. So, I shifted some of my focus to other areas I’ve had success with previously—namely, copywriting, pitching B2B outlets, and content marketing.

The result? Not only did I eliminate the exhaustion, but I also boosted my income and broadened my customer base. 

One Final Tip

Don’t underestimate the power of self-care in keeping a positive mindset. A strong connection exists between well-being and productivity. If you’re stressed, overwhelmed, lacking focus, experiencing self-doubt, or something similar, it will impact your mental and/or physical health. And this will affect your attitude, your confidence, your quality of work, and/or your client relationships. If left unchecked, this trickle effect will sink your business. 

By now, you know that I’m a big fan of yoga. I got into it later in life—during the pandemic—as a way to exercise, ease my stress, and get out of the house. (I practice at a local studio and made some new friends there, too!) Plus, I typically try to attend a 4:30 p.m. class, so this gives my workday a hard cut-off time. I’m done and out the door by 4:00 p.m.

Find your own ways to practice self-care, keep a positive mindset, and lean hard into work/life balance. Act like your business depends on it. Because it does.

High/Low

⬆️ High: I’ve noticed a big uptick in clients reaching out to me with projects, which means way less pitching and following up on my end. #ComeToMama

⬇️ Low: I got (uncharacteristically) super stressed out recently when I experienced tech difficulties with a video team interview I had scheduled with two Canadian experts. #NotAFanOfMSTeams

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Up Next

• Behind-the-scenes peek at how I use LinkedIn to win clients

• Making LOIs (Letters of Introduction) work for you

• Building relationships with clients

Thanks for allowing me into your inbox!

I look forward to sharing my freelance journey with you, and I look forward to hearing about yours. I’m just here as your guide. Take what works for you, and tweak it to your needs. Rinse. Repeat.

I’ll be back in two Fridays with another edition of Expert•ish Freelancer.

In the meantime….

Be kind. Do good. Give thanks. 😊

With gratitude,
Lisa

P.S. I would LOVE to hear how you’ve implemented any of the ideas in Expert•ish Freelancer and found success. Please share your win with me! I’m at [email protected].