I summarized 'How do you get work?' and four types emerged!

Starting as a freelancer is easy. Because all you have to do is decide, 'I'm going to work for myself starting today!'

The hard part comes after that.

Because you realize, '...Hey, nothing is going to happen unless I get work myself...'

Whether you've been a company employee or not, unless you've done 'sales,' you haven't really had the experience of getting work on your own.

And that's where the first wall appears.
It doesn't start unless you go get the work, right?

Even after you've managed to move past the beginner stage, 'how to acquire work' remains a persistent problem. It often comes up in conversations with friends who also work for themselves.

The other day, I was chatting away on Zoom with some of those friends.

The topic was 'Hunting, Farming, and Acorn Gathering.' It's a title that came from a discussion about how there are those who go out to hunt for prey (work) and those who sow seeds and harvest.

I've summarized the 'freelance work acquisition methods' that came up at that time by type, so I'm sharing them here!

So, which type are you???

4 Types of Freelance Work Acquisition Methods

I'll show you the diagram right away!

First, the horizontal axis.
The type that wants to go out and get work belongs on the right side of the diagram, and the type that prefers waiting belongs on the left side.

The vertical axis is the difference between working as an individual or placing yourself within a group.

When I named each image, they became 'Hunter,' 'Merchant,' 'Trapper,' and 'Farmer'! (What's with this Edo period vibe... lol)

Now, I will explain each one.

'Hunter' (Aggressive x Individual)

The Hunter decides, 'I'm going to get a project here!' and attacks using various methods.

Once the target is decided, such as 'I want to get a project from this company!' or 'I want to write for this media outlet!', they go on the offensive.

One of my friends I was chatting with on Zoom is a representative of this type, and they said, 'You have nothing to lose by reaching out!'

They also mentioned that if there's an opportunity to talk about work, they follow up by adding value, saying, 'If it were me, I could improve this and that in this way.'

Grasping exactly what the other party wants to solve and approaching them with that in mind is the key to winning work.

'The Trader' (Proactive x Group)

Traders dive into various communities to make themselves known.

They actively go to places where people who might need their skills are likely to be. It's recommended to attend not only online networking events but also in-person gatherings.

They create opportunities by talking to the person sitting next to them at a seminar, or get work from people they've become familiar with at a coworking space.

Advanced practitioners apparently go to seminars where people who might need their skills are gathered...!

In places where people gather, you need to be remembered as 'the person who does X' or 'the person who can do Y,' so the point is to keep your skills sharp.

'The Trapper' (Reactive x Individual)

Trappers scatter their achievements everywhere to promote themselves.

This is me.

I'm not good at being proactive, so I'm happy when people come to me. But since work won't come just by waiting, I set a lot of traps.

Spreading the word on Twitter that 'I wrote this' for an article I worked on is one of those traps (of course, with the premise that the client is also happy).

I also post things like, 'I was praised by a client for this! So happy,' because I want people to think, 'That's a writer who can do that' (plus, I'm just genuinely happy and want to talk about it).

Also, I post my work here and there on various social media. My note is one example, and I even have about five accounts on Instagram (and it's becoming unmanageable). I also have several blogs.

It's good to have your pathways well-organized so you can properly catch contact from future clients who might have seen you somewhere and thought, 'I want to ask them for work.'

'The Farmer' (Reactive x Group)

Farmers get work by deepening relationships in communities, on social media, and in the real world.

They let people get to know their character through social media and communities, and connections are made where people think, 'If it's this kind of work, I want to ask that person.'

There is a saying that 'to work is to make those around you comfortable,' and that is exactly it. By working, you make the people around you happy.

Sometimes, one job leads to another through the people you have worked with.

Also, I would like you to try reporting back to people who taught you something, saying, 'Thanks to you, I achieved these results!'

Not only do you feel good about achieving results, but the person who taught you will also be happy. If you report it in a place visible to others, such as a community or on social media, people will learn that 'that person can do things like this.' Of course, the reputation of the person who taught you also goes up.
There is nothing but good in it.

Let's build up our trust balance!

I'm sure everyone is a mixed type.

I think I am basically a Trapper type, but I don't just do that. I think I am about 5:4:1 in the ratio of Trapper:Farmer:Hunter.

I'm sure everyone is like that. You have a base type that you feel most comfortable acting in, and you mix in actions from other types in a good way.

That's why I think it's helpful to listen to people who are different from you.

I would be happy if you could tell me, 'I am a XX type!'

-- Postscript --

I conducted a survey on Twitter.
It seems that among my peers, the Farmer type is the most common!