I think it’s a nice day to spend my coffee break in the open area of Koufu. I thought I would take the time to reach out to people in my network, start working those relationships as I (re)build my own referral network. The other thing that I used to be rather good at as a freelancer was establishing a working referral network. As a freelancer, I’ve never been a fan of self-promotion. It is also why I felt most comfortable doing the work, and then using it as a way to “demo” and “showcase” my skills to others. On top of being really good at building these project showcases, I was also good at creating a personal/professional network of people who would from time-to-time help spread the word about who I am and what I can do. Some of my best breakthroughs as a freelancer actually came about through this referral network.
If I’m being totally honest with myself now, ever since things broke down in 2018, I’ve also dropped the ball when it comes to establishing and maintain the network connections that I had worked really hard to build. Like most relationships, when we stop working on it, over time, it breaks down. Today, in much the same way as attempting to build a better portfolio (v2.0), I’m also aiming to build a better, stronger referral network. And I know that this will take time.
The very first step though, is to keep things real. Over the past 8 years, I have been working extremely hard to build myself into someone that other people can trust. I wasn’t always successful, but eventually I did make it happen. As I have now learned, the best way to build real trust with others, is by first being real. Not only with them, but also with ourselves. That also means holding my character and integrity up to a higher standard. It is something that I’ve successfully done in recent years, so I like to continue to build upon that solid foundation.
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