Happy November Everyone,

We hope you’re on the tail end of a good budget season.

It’s not just you. We’re all dealing with a frothy market. I say frothy because the wind is blowing in multiple directions at once. Some are seeing record interest. Some are struggling to convert interest to customers. And the economy as a whole is seeing conflicting news. Shipping giant Maersk laid off 10,000 workers. We’re still hearing about tech layoffs. Freelance leader Mickey Pelletier recently wrote about his layoff journey.

So what can you do as freelance leaders? Our recent Freelance Trend Tracker gave some insight. It showed two key insights for how leaders are navigating this uncertainty.

First, it showed the importance of client relationships. I talked about this in a recent keynote. When asked how can freelancers and platforms navigate budget freezes and consulting/external-talent freezes, my answer was simple, “those with strategic level relationships are okay, those with transactional relationships are first to go”. UK freelancer Ebony Storm Halladay said it best this month, “Freelancing feels different in 2023. Transactional contracts have been replaced by strategic partnerships”.

Second, it showed the importance of Enterprise. We have two data samples, one polling the general public, and one polling marketplaces we know are doing well. The key difference was that those doing well had a clear Enterprise strategy and planned to increase their priority on Enterprises for 2024.

So for you, how can you build strategic, Enterprise relationships? We’ll cover that in this newsletter, along with your typical view of the freelance world.

Also we hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!