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Some of you have skills other people need. Some of you need skills other people have. This is where those two groups meet.
Whether you're offering design work, development, consulting, writing, or anything else—this is the space to make those connections. The key is being clear about what you offer, what it costs, and what results people can expect.
Types of Services People Offer
Design services: UI/UX, branding, illustration, motion graphics, web design. Usually project-based or hourly.
Development services: Web apps, mobile apps, browser extensions, APIs, integrations. Can be hourly, fixed-price, or retainer.
Marketing services: SEO, content writing, social media management, email campaigns, community building. Often retainer-based for ongoing work.
Consulting: Strategy, product feedback, technical architecture, growth advice. Usually hourly or day-rate.
Creative services: Video editing, podcast production, copywriting, 3D modeling. Project-based pricing common.
How to Structure Service Offerings
Be specific about what's included. "Website design" is vague. "5-page responsive website design including homepage, about, services, blog, contact—2 rounds of revisions—delivered in 14 days" is clear.
Include your process. How do people work with you? Do you need a discovery call first? What info do you need from them? What's the timeline from start to finish?
Show previous work. Portfolio links, case studies, before/after examples. Doesn't need to be fancy—even screenshots with brief context work.
Contra - Portfolio platform specifically for independent work, includes payment processing
Read.cv - Clean way to present your work and skills
Pricing Your Services
Fixed-price projects work when scope is clearly defined. Good for specific deliverables like "logo design" or "landing page."
Hourly rates work for ongoing or undefined scope. Typical ranges:
Use Bonsai hourly rate calculator to find market rates for your skills and location.
Retainers work for ongoing relationships. Monthly fee for set number of hours or deliverables. Provides income stability.
Value-based pricing charges based on impact, not time. If your work generates $50K value, charging $5K makes sense regardless of hours. Harder to quantify but potentially more lucrative.
Freelance Rate Calculator by Millo - Helps determine what to charge based on expenses and desired income
Writing Service Posts That Convert
Lead with results, not process. "I'll help you get more email signups" beats "I'm a conversion rate optimization specialist."
Include specific past results when possible. "Increased client's organic traffic by 140% in 6 months" is more compelling than "I do SEO."
Address common objections upfront. If you're new to freelancing but have professional experience, say that. If you're in a different timezone, mention your overlap hours.
Make it easy to take next steps. Link to booking calendar (Calendly, Cal.com), email address, or contact form.
Platforms for Offering Services
Contra - Commission-free platform for independent work
Upwork - Largest freelance marketplace, competitive but high volume
Fiverr - Package your services as specific offerings starting at different price points
Toptal - Vetted network of top freelancers, higher rates but selective
Twitter/X - Many people find clients by being visible and helpful in their niche
Building Trust as a Service Provider
Testimonials matter enormously. Ask every client for a short testimonial. Written is good, video is better.
Start with smaller projects to build trust before landing bigger ones. A $500 trial project often leads to $5K ongoing work.
Offer guarantees when possible. "If you're not happy after the first week, full refund" removes risk for clients.
Be responsive. Reply to inquiries within 24 hours, ideally much faster. Responsiveness signals professionalism.
Trustpilot or Clutch for collecting and displaying reviews
Managing Service Work
Use contracts for everything. Bonsai or HelloSign make this easy with templates.
Get deposits upfront. 50% to start is standard for project work. Protects both parties.
Track time even for fixed-price projects. Helps you understand profitability and quote accurately next time. Toggl or Harvest for time tracking.
Invoice promptly and clearly. Wave for free invoicing, FreshBooks for more features, Stripe Invoicing for simple one-off invoices.
Scaling from Services to Products
Many successful products started as services. You see recurring problems, build solutions, productize them.
Create templates or processes you can reuse across clients. Reduces your time per project, increases profit margin.
Package your knowledge. Turn repeated consulting advice into a course, guide, or template you can sell.
Build tools to automate parts of your service. Eventually the tool might become your main product.
The line between services and offers is blurry here—offer whatever helps you build, helps others solve problems, or both.
Whether you're offering design work, development, consulting, writing, or anything else—this is the space to make those connections. The key is being clear about what you offer, what it costs, and what results people can expect.
Types of Services People Offer
Design services: UI/UX, branding, illustration, motion graphics, web design. Usually project-based or hourly.
Development services: Web apps, mobile apps, browser extensions, APIs, integrations. Can be hourly, fixed-price, or retainer.
Marketing services: SEO, content writing, social media management, email campaigns, community building. Often retainer-based for ongoing work.
Consulting: Strategy, product feedback, technical architecture, growth advice. Usually hourly or day-rate.
Creative services: Video editing, podcast production, copywriting, 3D modeling. Project-based pricing common.
How to Structure Service Offerings
Be specific about what's included. "Website design" is vague. "5-page responsive website design including homepage, about, services, blog, contact—2 rounds of revisions—delivered in 14 days" is clear.
Include your process. How do people work with you? Do you need a discovery call first? What info do you need from them? What's the timeline from start to finish?
Show previous work. Portfolio links, case studies, before/after examples. Doesn't need to be fancy—even screenshots with brief context work.
Contra - Portfolio platform specifically for independent work, includes payment processing
Read.cv - Clean way to present your work and skills
Pricing Your Services
Fixed-price projects work when scope is clearly defined. Good for specific deliverables like "logo design" or "landing page."
Hourly rates work for ongoing or undefined scope. Typical ranges:
- Entry level: $25-50/hour
- Mid-level: $50-100/hour
- Senior/specialized: $100-250+/hour
Use Bonsai hourly rate calculator to find market rates for your skills and location.
Retainers work for ongoing relationships. Monthly fee for set number of hours or deliverables. Provides income stability.
Value-based pricing charges based on impact, not time. If your work generates $50K value, charging $5K makes sense regardless of hours. Harder to quantify but potentially more lucrative.
Freelance Rate Calculator by Millo - Helps determine what to charge based on expenses and desired income
Writing Service Posts That Convert
Lead with results, not process. "I'll help you get more email signups" beats "I'm a conversion rate optimization specialist."
Include specific past results when possible. "Increased client's organic traffic by 140% in 6 months" is more compelling than "I do SEO."
Address common objections upfront. If you're new to freelancing but have professional experience, say that. If you're in a different timezone, mention your overlap hours.
Make it easy to take next steps. Link to booking calendar (Calendly, Cal.com), email address, or contact form.
Platforms for Offering Services
Contra - Commission-free platform for independent work
Upwork - Largest freelance marketplace, competitive but high volume
Fiverr - Package your services as specific offerings starting at different price points
Toptal - Vetted network of top freelancers, higher rates but selective
Twitter/X - Many people find clients by being visible and helpful in their niche
Building Trust as a Service Provider
Testimonials matter enormously. Ask every client for a short testimonial. Written is good, video is better.
Start with smaller projects to build trust before landing bigger ones. A $500 trial project often leads to $5K ongoing work.
Offer guarantees when possible. "If you're not happy after the first week, full refund" removes risk for clients.
Be responsive. Reply to inquiries within 24 hours, ideally much faster. Responsiveness signals professionalism.
Trustpilot or Clutch for collecting and displaying reviews
Managing Service Work
Use contracts for everything. Bonsai or HelloSign make this easy with templates.
Get deposits upfront. 50% to start is standard for project work. Protects both parties.
Track time even for fixed-price projects. Helps you understand profitability and quote accurately next time. Toggl or Harvest for time tracking.
Invoice promptly and clearly. Wave for free invoicing, FreshBooks for more features, Stripe Invoicing for simple one-off invoices.
Scaling from Services to Products
Many successful products started as services. You see recurring problems, build solutions, productize them.
Create templates or processes you can reuse across clients. Reduces your time per project, increases profit margin.
Package your knowledge. Turn repeated consulting advice into a course, guide, or template you can sell.
Build tools to automate parts of your service. Eventually the tool might become your main product.
The line between services and offers is blurry here—offer whatever helps you build, helps others solve problems, or both.