The Freelancer’s Toolbox, Part 4, Your Network

It’s been a little while since my last entry in this series, we’ve covered hardware, software and your workspace so now it’s time to look at your co-workers.

Co-workers you say? I thought freelancers worked alone? Well you’re partially right. We do most of our work alone, but we don’t do it in a vacuum. We do have to interact with other people even as freelancers. We have to deal with our employers, and also with other people who may have been hired to work on the same job. Put those two groups together, and you’ve got the basis of your network.

It’s not what you know but who you know and what they know about you.

Buyers talk, and so do providers.Buyers will tell each other about good providers and recommend them to their friends. Providers will see jobs they aren’t sure they can do and suggest them to their friends. If people aren’t suggesting jobs for you and recommending you for other jobs you’re missing out. You’re also spending more time seeking work than you have to.

Having a good network means you’re going to spend more time working and less time looking. It’s also going to benefit the buyers as well. They don’t want to spend more time than they have to finding providers, especially when they’re on a deadline and looking for a sub-contractor. If they’ve already got the work, they want to get someone doing it as soon as possible. If they have a list of go-to providers that’s going to make their lives easier, and being the person who makes someone’s life easier is one sure way to make sure they’ll keep giving you work.

This is one reason why I try not to lose my employer’s emails and also keep a reputation as a good provider. I’ve had people come to me with projects, including some pretty large ones, because they had either been in contact with my previous employers or read my feedback. They found my network, and the network drew the money to me.

It’s important to remember though, networking does NOT mean spending all your time telling everyone how wonderful you are and that they should hire you right away. It doesn’t work that way.

If you see someone running around yelling “Look at Me! Look at Me!” you probably turn your head and try your best to ignore them. Building a network works the same way. It grows from what you’re doing, not just from what you’re saying.

It’s also not a one-way street. You can’t build a network that’s all about you. It has to be about everyone. There’s a story in science fiction about a time when Philip K. Dick (who wrote the book that inspired the movie Blade Runner) was very broke, one day he received an unsolicited loan from Robert A. Heinlein (one of the biggest names in the field). The story goes that he used the money to procure a typewriter and was soon able to get back on his feet.

With the worst of his troubles behind him, Dick contacted Heinlein to see how he could pay back the loan. Heinlein told him not to, instead he said to “Pay it forward,” and help someone else in future.

When you’re working to build a network you need to remember to “Pay it Forward.”

Help others and let them help you. We’re all in this together.