How To Land Your First Client for Online Work

Ma hustler most wako na hii issue wakianza biz: Employer most wanataka experience na huezi get hio experience kama hawakupei job.

In this guide, I’ll walk you through practical steps to find and secure your first online client.

Ready to start your online journey? Let’s dive in.

By the way MESH is a free community for Kenyan hustlers like you. Share your story and struggles, and get the support you need to build a successful hustle.

Wa-Kenya most dream yao ni ku-work work online for clients abroad. MESHERS wanatushow that international clients pay better and treat you with more respect.Cheki hapa

But that dream is not where most of us start – it is something to work towards.

Client wako wakwanza mostly ni msee around you.

So, before uanze kutafuta work online, ask in your family, friend group, and local community if anyone needs help. Identify services or products they need, and see how you can provide them with the resources you have at home. This isthe best way to make legit ... in Kenya

Your local church might need a social media page, either Facebook Instagram ama Twitter, or your school could use help with social media advertising. Unaeza charge a small fee for hizo services

BUT Never work for free, even at the start.

Once you’ve delivered a couple of small projects, think about joining an online community. At MESH, we have 150,000 Kenyan hustlers building successful biz’s. And many of them hire within the community when they need help.

Use these first projects to build your portfolio. Hizo projects umekua ukiwork on.

A portfolio is a page where you share examples of your work, so business owners and clients know what you do and if you’re good.

Kama wewe ni web designer, you need to show examples of websites you’ve designed. If you want to do social media marketing, you need to demonstrate how you’ve grown pages and accounts on Insta, TikTok, and Facebook.

Your portfolio should include results from your work and how it helped a business, and positive reviews or comments from your first clients.

Store your portfolio online so it’s easily accessible and ready to share.

Read More:How to create a portfolio f...

Once ukona some experience and a small portfolio, you need to decide what services you’ll offer and how much to charge. Businesses hutaka kujua exactly what work you’ll deliver and what it will cost them so they can decide quickly to hire you or not.

And by showing your prices upfront, you “screen” clients faster. “Screening” is a word for filtering good and bad clients quickly.

Here’s what to do:

⏺ Define Your Services: List the specific services you offer and their prices. For example, "Social Media Management - Sh2,000 per week" or "Website Design - Sh10,000 per project."

⏺ Freelancer Math: Calculate your rates based on your financial needs. If you need Sh5,000 a week and plan to work 20 hours, you need to charge Sh250 per hour.

⏺ Pricing and Offers: Be clear about what your services include and set realistic prices that reflect your skills and experience.

Landing your first clients is only the start of your online work journey. Now, you need to keep your clients. Kupata client na rahizi but kuwamaintain ndio stress.

Good client relationships huwa built on trust and reliability. When clients trust you, they’re more likely to give you recurring work and recommend you to friends.

So, some quick step to happy your clients happy:

⏺ Communicate: Inform clients immediately if there are any delays or issues. For example, kama kwa biz yako hakuna stima, let your client know and provide a new delivery time.

⏺ Manage Expectations: Clearly outline what you can deliver and when. Stick to deadlines and keep clients updated on your progress.

⏺ Be organized: Provide professional invoices, reply in a timely manner, proofread your work so there’s no errors, and plan your days and weeks ahead of time.

⏺ Get Referrals: Ask satisfied clients for referrals or testimonials. This is the secret weapon of successful online workers.

Avoid common pitfalls that can harm your reputation and hinder your progress.

1.Sign up to freelance platforms: While platforms like Upwork can be useful, competition is incredibly high and standing out is difficult.

2.Outsourcing: Avoid outsourcing work too soon. These tactics can backfire and damage your credibility if someone you hire does bad work or commits plagiarism.

3.Shortcuts: Be wary of shortcuts like buying fake reviews or using unauthorized tools that violate platform policies.

4.Overpromising and Underdelivering: kuwa realistic about about capabilities zako na deadlines. Overpromising inaeza lead to underdelivering which will harm your reputation na lead to dissatisfied clients.

5.Underpricing your services: Avoid setting prices zako too low, najua unaeza kuwa tempted ndio u-atract more clients. Hii inaeza lead to being undervalued na inaeza result to clients who are looking for cheap labor rather than quality work.

Succeeding at online work requires patience and honesty. While you might be in a rush to make some shillings, focus on long term goals and take your time to build a successful business.

Landing your first client might seem challenging, but with the right steps, you can do it. Start by identifying local opportunities, practicing your skills, creating clear offers, and maintaining good client relations.

Ready to take the next step?

Read How to Build a Portfolio That Gets You Hired as a Kenyan Creative hapa

Join MESH for more resources and support on your journey to online success.