As we’ve mentioned, “scaling” a service business can be one of the biggest challenges with this business model. In fact, it’s a sticking point that keeps a lot of people away from freelancing altogether. But if your goal is to get big or even to just avoid trading time for money your whole life, there are lots of ways to scale a service business. If you’d like to learn more about starting a service business and connecting with your first clients, check out this in-depth interview with Abbey Ashley . Abbey’s claim to fame is she booked enough virtual assistant work during her maternity leave that she didn’t have to back to that job she hated when her leave was up! Abbey also put together this killer free training on how to launch and grow your freelance business. 1. Raise Your Rates Can I tell you about a side hustle that’s close to home? My wife runs a wedding photography business with her friend on the side from her day job as an engineer. In photography, portfolio sells. If you don’t have the pictures to prove you’re any good, it’s going to be hard to land high-value clients. To combat this, my wife, Bryn, and her partner priced themselves ridiculously low to get business when they were just starting out . They did their first wedding for $200—split between the two of them. But it made sense; at that point, they didn’t have any wedding pictures to show prospective brides. For those brides on their wedding day, they were taking a big risk going with these two rookie photographers. Today they charge around $4000 for a wedding—a 20x increase in price for the same work. This has allowed them to scale up their income from their side hustle, all while working fewer events. That’s one way a freelance business can scale. 2. From One-to-One to One-to-Many Another way to scale a freelance business is to change the model. If you’re working with clients one-on-one, is there a way to transition to a group model instead? Years ago, doing this took Daniel DiPiazza’s income from $18 an hour as a tutor for a big tutoring company, to $1000 an hour when he started hosting his own test prep classes. Related: How to Start a Tutoring Business: How I Earn $1000/week Tutoring for the ACT In New York, Nagina Abdullah is a weight loss coach for busy professional women. (She lost 40 pounds herself and had everyone asking how she did it!) On the side from her day job in consulting, she began working with clients on an individual basis. She charged premium rates from the beginning: $5000 for 6 months of coaching. She reasoned her clients needed that high price point for accountability. “When it hurts a little bit to pay, people actually follow what you’re saying,” she told me. On top of that, she needed to make it worth her while. But as a busy mom with two kids, […]
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