Hey! 

One of my favorite quotes in business is one I live by as a freelancer. 

"You don't rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems." -James Clear

Systems-forward thinking can be a bit uncomfortable for people new to freelancing, especially if you come out of employment where goals get a lot of emphasis and are often passed down to you from other parts of an organization. 

As freelancers, a systems-forward perspective is a critical mindset shift. It not only gives us a strong foundation, but also keeps us on the simplest and most effective path to growth and adaptation. 

This month, we’re going to be talking about developing and keeping a systems-forward mindset, especially early in our freelance journey. 

What are systems? 

Systems are the connected processes in your freelance business. They accomplish certain tasks and create outcomes depending on how they’re set up. These outcomes can align with your goals or they can work against them. 

Some examples include:

• Lead generation
• Client intake
• Output/Work delivery
• Content creation
• Customer marketing
• Bookkeeping 

Pretty much everything in your business will fall under some sort of system, which is why mindset around them is so powerful. 

It’s tempting and even natural to step into freelancing with a task- or goal-first approach—largely because this is normal or often even rewarded in employment. And that makes sense. 

As employees, we’re only responsible for pieces of any part of one system. 

As freelancers, we have the ability and even responsibility to influence all of them. If that sounds daunting, take a step back. Next week, we’re going to talk about why systems are actually freeing. 

If you want to talk about your understanding of freelance systems, come join our Discord to share what you’re seeing and to learn from others in this community. See you there!

Megan (Nutmeg) 

Want to get the most out of your employment experience? Grab your free Employment Value Extraction worksheet here.

Looking for freelance inspiration? Check out some of my favorite Black freelancers here.