u/Old_Reindeer_9327

Having notification issues - is this a common problem?

Can't seem to make them work.

Thanks

I recently had a conversation with a freelance videographer who has been shooting for about ten years. Strong portfolio, documentary work, corporate projects, outdoor brands, and a stint as part of the camera crew on a major music video. Technical ability was clearly not the issue.

What was inconsistent was his income. A decent project would appear every few months, then things would go quiet, and there was no reliable way of knowing where the next one was coming from.

When I asked how he currently finds clients, the answers were referrals, friends of friends, creative Facebook groups, someone he met at an event and the occasional email to a past contact. None of that is wrong, and most of it is how good work actually gets passed around, but all of it is reactive. He was waiting for opportunities to appear rather than running a process that creates them.

That is where a lot of freelancers confuse experience with momentum. You can spend a decade getting better at your craft, but if you aren't consistently starting conversations, building relationships and putting offers in front of people, the business still resets to zero at the start of every month.

The question I asked him was simple enough: if you had to get one paying client this week, what would you actually do?

It sounds basic, but it forces specifics. Instead of "I want more clients" you have to name who you would contact, why they would care, what problem you would solve for them, what you would offer and how many conversations you would need to start to make one of them land.

His six month goal was around €5,000 a month, so we worked backwards from it. That might be five clients at €1,000, two at €2,500, one larger retainer, or some mix of project work and something recurring underneath it. Once the number is specific, the weekly activity required stops being a mystery.

The other shift was separating inbound from outbound. When inbound is strong, work comes to you through reputation, referrals and the content you put out. When inbound is weak, outbound has to carry the load, which means personalised emails, industry events, approaching local businesses, reconnecting with old contacts, sometimes just turning up at a company in person.

Most creatives avoid that side because it feels less productive than editing, researching gear or rebuilding the website. Those tasks are comfortable precisely because nobody can reject you while you're doing them. You can spend an entire week working on your business without starting a single conversation that could turn into revenue.

The most talented creative doesn't always win the best projects either. More often it goes to whoever is visible, easy to work with, reliable and in the room when the opportunity comes up. I have watched less talented people secure far bigger contracts because they were better at building relationships and explaining the commercial value of what they do.

So I'm curious where people sit on this. Is inconsistent work mainly a lead generation problem, or are freelancers right to think a stronger portfolio will eventually generate enough inbound on its own?

I started with just a camera, taking on pretty much any project I could to build experience. Like a lot of people, I undercharged, worked long hours, and thought that becoming a better filmmaker was the key to growing a successful business.

Over the last few years, I’ve been fortunate enough to build it into a six-figure production business. Along the way, I’ve had the opportunity to work with some incredible clients, win industry awards, and build a reputation that I’m genuinely proud of.

One thing I’ve realised is that getting to six figures had much less to do with camera gear or editing than I expected.

The biggest lessons came from sales, pricing, communication, client relationships, positioning, and building systems that allowed the business to grow.

Now I’m focused on the next milestone: seven figures.
For anyone who’s actually scaled a production or videography business to £1M+ in revenue, what changed the most between six and seven figures?

• What became your biggest bottleneck?

• What did you stop doing yourself?

• Was the biggest shift hiring, sales, marketing, operations, or something else?

• Looking back, what advice would you give your six-figure self?

I’d really appreciate hearing from people who’ve been through that journey.

Thanks in advance!