What I wish someone told me at the beginning

Starting a new business often feels like shouting into the void.

You launch your freelance service, that sponsorship program, or your new software feature... and crickets.

Here's what I wish someone told me in month one:

• Your business won't boom overnight. 

• Your audience won't flood in immediately. 

• Your new offer won't convert everyone on day one.

But here's what the successful do differently:

1. They build a consistent long-term strategy 

2. They execute against that plan daily 

3. They focus on relationship-building over time

4. They create systems that let their efforts compound

5. They stay patient and understand the journey

The freelancers making 6-figures? They've been building their business for 2+ years.

The founders with thriving communities? They've been creating content for 3+ years.

The companies with predictable revenue? They've been optimizing their systems and strategy for 4+ years.

Time in the game beats timing the game.

You're not behind. You're not failing. You just need a strategy you can execute against consistently.

I help freelancers, founders, and early-stage companies create sustainable growth strategies and execute against them for long-term success.

If you’re ready to get serious about defining what success looks like for you and building a plan to get there, let’s chat. Just reply to this email and we’ll set up some time.

And now a word from our sponsor, and this week’s list of hot jobs! 

Hot jobs

Instrument is seeking a Senior Technical Producer to lead a complex technical project and find paths forward that enable teams to create great experiences. You’ll drive every phase of the project lifecycle, partnering with clients, strategists, writers, designers, and developers. Pays up to $72/hour.

Optomi is seeking a Paid Media Operations Contractor to help manage and optimize campaigns during peak weekend periods and ensure seamless handoffs to weekday teams. The ideal candidate has experience executing cross-channel paid media campaigns. Pays up to $52/hour.

Tarina Tarantino is seeking a Freelance Meta Ads Strategist to manage and optimize their advertising campaigns across Facebook, Instagram, and Meta’s ecosystem. This role is focused solely on ads strategy, structure, targeting, and optimization. Pays up to $50/hour for 3-5 hours/week.

HELM Life is seeking two DEI-Informed Reviewers, Advisors, and Event Hosts for Hispanic Heritage Month and Diwali. Applicants must have knowledge of DEI topics with personal or academic knowledge of Hispanic and Latinx Heritage Month, or Diwali. Pays up to $50/hour for 2-10 hours/week.

Boxtop Marketing is looking for a Freelance Client Strategist to communicate with their clients and agency team / partners to identify marketing goals, implement strategies, and report on results. Your work will be primarily centered around Paid Search and Paid Social campaigns. Pays $35+/hour for 8-10 hours/week.

Prowess Consulting is looking for freelance Junior Graphic Designers to join their team. The ideal candidate will have experience with production design, Adobe Creative Suite (including InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator), and PowerPoint. Pays up to $35/hour. U.S. candidates in listed states only.

Houzz is looking for Freelance Writers to create Pro Spotlight features — engaging stories that highlight home professionals and their projects. They’re looking for a candidate that can commit to at least one weekly interview slot for a minimum contract of three months. Pays $250/story.

U.S. Ghost Adventures is seeking a Content Writer / Editor with a flair for the eerie and a passion for historical storytelling. You’ll take rough, skeletal scripts and transform them into chilling, captivating narratives that keep audiences spellbound. Pay isn’t listed — pitch away!

Stream Companies is looking for a Laravel developer to build a comprehensive web scraping service that automatically extracts vehicle incentives and special offers from automotive dealership websites and compares them with competitor stores' offers. Pay isn’t listed. Pitch your rate.

Londontown is looking for a Social Media Manager to drive content strategy and execution for their social channels (TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, Snapchat). Apply if you love crafting engaging content, spotting trends before they peak, and building communities that actually talk back. Pitch your rate!

At Harlow, we’re building a home for freelancers.

We’re here to help you at every stage of your journey, from getting your business off the ground and landing new clients to managing your task load and getting paid. If you want to build a sustainable business that works for you — and stay motivated and inspired along the way — then you’re in the right place.

Here are some additional ways we can support you:

Sign up for our growth accelerator where we’ll help tackle your biggest freelance challenges head-on in a one-on-one strategy session.

Bookmark our freelance job board. It’s updated daily and has tons of open gigs.

Try our all-in-one tool that helps you manage your freelance business (invoicing, proposals, project management & more).

Check out our resource center. It's chockfull of actionable advice to help you build a sustainable business.

Cheers - 

Samantha & Andrea