For most of my career, the majority of my business has come from word of mouth. Someone sees my work, recommends me to someone else and eventually that recommendation turns into another project. I don’t take those relationships for granted, but I’ve always believed you can’t build a sustainable business by simply waiting for the phone to ring.
“Be seen or get passed by” was my motto in college.
There is an anxiety that lingers as an entrepreneur and it starts to hover over you like a cloud when you rely fully on word of mouth. I’ve seen clients change jobs, budgets disappear, and companies change direction. Sometimes great working relationships come to an end for reasons that have nothing to do with the quality of your work.
There’s an answer to this. Get better at selling.
If your referrals stopped tomorrow, would you know how to find your next client?
Putting on My Sales Hat
On off days, I research companies that could use my support, competitors to current clients, brands that are new and interesting to me, or that look like they could be good to connect with down the line. I want to find people whose brand needs an answer to a problem I can solve.
I’m looking at what these companies do, the projects they’re already producing, who their customers are, and where an outside production partner might be valuable.
For example, I came across a construction company that already publishes a series of written stories about the people behind its projects. My first thought wasn’t necessarily that they needed a promotional video. It was whether those existing stories could become a film series and how these stories fit into their overall marketing strategy.
The point is learning how to recognize opportunities before someone comes looking for you.
Here are the steps to follow from a founder doing his own business development:
Know who you are and what problem you can solve. It’s 2026. If your pitch is “I can make cinematic content” or “Professional level storytelling,” let me be clear: find a new one.
Re-engage the people you’ve already worked with. Reach out to anyone you worked with in 2026 and let them know you enjoyed the project and want to keep the relationship going in 2027. If it’s someone you’re already very close with a brand, or you’re in a current/recent project with someone, skip them for now. Here’s the email I’d send:
Subject: Working together in 2027
Hey [Name],
Hope all is well! I was thinking back on [project] and wanted to say again how much I enjoyed working with you on it.
As I look ahead to 2027, I’d love to keep working together on [specific partnership, collaboration, or type of project]. If something is coming up on your end, or you want to talk through ideas, let me know and we can set up a quick call.
Thanks again,
[Your name]
Note: Please alter to fit your voice and style of business.
3. Ask yourself what else you can contribute. Besides being good at your skill, what else can you bring to a team?
Note: This is very important for freelancers who operate as a personal brand.
Being good at delivering a service and being good at selling that service are two different skills. You have to meet people, stay connected, understand what they’re working on, and sometimes be willing to introduce yourself to someone who has never heard of you. If you want to build a business that lasts, you can’t afford to ignore the second skill.