What is most important when you’re self‑employed?

Know your why, design a life‑work balance that fits you, build reliable systems and automations, and stay connected to peers and partners to avoid isolation.

Where and how can freelancers find clients and assignments?

Define your ideal client, network (online and offline), leverage referrals, use niche freelance platforms and social media (LinkedIn, Instagram), and do targeted direct outreach to potential clients.

What advice would freelancers give their younger selves?

Start sooner, accept imperfect beginnings, do the boring jobs that teach you what you dislike, learn taxes and finances early, and seek mentors to accelerate learning.

What questions would freelancers ask experts?

Common asks include how to negotiate confidently (emails and meetings), how to structure taxes and insurance for protection, and how to craft marketing that speaks the exact language of target clients.

What are freelancers most proud of and why do clients like working with them?

Freelancers are proud of reliable delivery, creative problem solving, and the ability to coordinate complex projects. Clients value calm professionalism, clear communication and real results — often recommending them by word of mouth.

How have freelancers coped with down moments or crises?

They used slow periods to learn new skills (marketing, automation), leaned on networks for ideas and referrals, built financial buffers, and reframed setbacks as lessons leading to new opportunities.

Elina jutelyte - 7 january 2025

What 30 European Freelancers Say About Their Solo Businesses

Friendly, practical and a little bit of tough love — from someone who’s been there and wants you to thrive.

As a senior freelancer or solopreneur you’ve already chosen freedom: the control over who you work with, when you work, and what impact you create. But freedom comes with trade-offs — unpredictability, administration, and the need to keep marketing and skills fresh. Below I distil the most important lessons, practical tactics to find clients, reflective advice I’d give my younger self, questions I’d ask experts, and stories about resilience and pride from the freelance life.

For this article we spoke with 30 experienced freelancers and solopreneurs across Europe and asked the same six questions to learn what really matters in independent work.

The questions we posed were:

What is important for you as a self‑employed person?
What advice could you give other freelancers about where and how to find clients and assignments?
What would you recommend to your younger self at the start of your freelance career?
If you could ask an expert one thing, what would it be?
Tell us what you are mega proud of / why clients like to work with you (your success story).
Have you experienced a down moment in your career and how did you cope with it?

Below are the distilled answers — practical, honest and proven insights from real freelancers who’ve built resilient, meaningful solo businesses.

What matters most when you’re self‑employed

Know your why and live by it. If the work aligns with your values and goals, you’ll attract the right clients and resist burnout.
Design life‑work balance on your terms. Don’t let societal schedules define your rhythm — choose what works for your energy and family life.
Build reliable systems. Automations, clear processes and good collaborators make your business run even when you’re overloaded.
Stay connected. Freelancing can be lonely — your energy often comes from teams, peers and partners. Nurture those relationships.

Where and how to find clients and assignments

There’s no single place magic — mix strategies and be strategic about where you show up.

Start with your ideal client profile: sector, company size, decision‑maker, budget, typical problems. Hang out where they hang out.
Prioritise networking and referrals. Word of mouth remains the most reliable pipeline: be visible, helpful and accessible.
Use targeted platforms for your discipline (translation, dev marketplaces, design, events).
Combine social media and content: LinkedIn for B2B, Instagram for visual services, and thoughtful content that demonstrates your approach and results.
Do direct outreach — personalised messages to potential clients explaining the value you bring (not just asking for work).
Attend both online and in‑person events where your clients are. Be useful: offer insight, give feedback, and follow up.

Systems and automations that make life easier for solopreneur

Calendar and booking automations (reduce back‑and‑forth).
CRM simple tools to track leads and follow-ups.
Project templates, brief forms and onboarding checklists.
Invoicing, contracts and tax workflows (get an accountant or specialist).
Reusable asset libraries and SOPs so repeat work gets faster.

Questions they would like to ask experts

To a psychologist or negotiation coach: How do I ask for what I want confidently — in email and in person — without feeling pushy?
To a tax/accounting expert: How can I structure my freelance finances and insurances to protect myself from health and income shocks?
To marketing pros: How to speak the exact language of my target clients so my marketing converts?

Why clients like working with me (and what I’m proud of)

Handling unexpected challenges with ease, coordinate teams efficiently, and keep complex projects running smoothly.
Helping clients step out of their comfort zone, achieve growth, and celebrate small wins along the way.
Clients value my genuine, approachable style and long-term, trust-based relationships.
I bring diverse experience and unique methods, experimenting to deliver tailored solutions.
I focus on work that matters, helping clients and myself overcome limits, embrace flow, and achieve real results.

Advice to my younger self

Start sooner. You don’t need perfection to begin — learning in public accelerates growth.
Do the boring jobs if they teach you what you actually dislike — they’re useful data.
Build a financial buffer and learn taxes early. Financial literacy saved many peers from early failure.
Invest in mentors and people who will hold you accountable. You don’t have to figure everything out alone.

Down moments in freelance business and how to cope

Everyone faces valleys: cancelled projects, health issues, market shocks (hello COVID‑19). Strategies that work:

Use slow periods to learn — marketing, automation, business development. Invest time in skills that compound.
Stay socially connected — isolation fuels doubt. Speak to peers, partners and mentors.
Reframe failures as lessons. Be action‑oriented: reflect, decide a next step, then act.
Build financial and insurance safety nets where possible. When health or personal crises hit, having buffers (savings, cover) eases the pressure.

Practical checklist for freelancers to act on tomorrow

Define your ideal client in one paragraph.
Pick two places they spend time and show up there this week (LinkedIn group, niche event, industry forum).
Automate one repetitive admin task (booking, invoicing or contract signature).
Reach out to three past collaborators for a casual catch‑up — not to sell, just to reconnect.
Book a short session with an accountant or insurance broker to review protections.

Freelancing is equal parts craft and craftiness: do great work, systematise the grind, and nurture the human connections. You’ll have tough seasons — but you’ll also have deep satisfaction from meaningful work done on your own terms. Keep experimenting, be kind to yourself, and let your network do the heavy lifting of recommending you. You’ve got this.

Do you wish to learn more about how to run your freelance business as a pro? Join Freelance Business Community and Academy.