How many eggs/clients?

[Jamie8168]

How many "eggs" do you have?

I know everyone will have a different number but I'm just wondering on average how many eggs a full time freelance writer has. I have a goal to convert from a b&m job to working 100% at home but as a single mom and sole provider, I want to be completely prepared first.

Right now I have 3 big, 3 small.
I can make $600+/week with the big ones. The smaller eggs I only make about $15 each from them but I like to have them around just in case.

[danasurvey]

I have a couple of writing eggs and a number of non writing eggs. I agree with you that it's good to keep the small ones too. The more eggs you have, the better off you will be if you lose one.

[beanandpumpkin]

I write for one content mill when I need to fill in. This week, I need to fill in, but I'm filling up my June schedule rapidly, so I probably won't next month.

I was going against my own mantra and depending on one client for half of my income. I know, dumb!! I won't do that again; he recently hired a new intern and is depending on her to handle all that I handled, which was a LOT. So, maybe he'll be back and maybe he won't, but either way, I "lost" about $1,500 per month by not doing his projects anymore. Ouch! I've made up for it by getting new clients, but it was a harrowing month or two.

So for right this minute, I have: One mill (it's a high-paying one) and... four or five "regular" clients. That means that I write for them each month. I have one more who is signing up for July, and one very big project coming up in June with a longtime occasional client. I'm also marketing more and trying to find even more clients... honestly, I think that my sweet spot would be about 10 regular clients and a handful of occasional clients. I'm comfortable outsourcing some of my work when I need to (though I haven't needed to in a few months), so even though I only work about 20 hours per week, I would like to expand.

[jponorato]

right now I've got three clients. Four, if you count the one I haven't officially fired yet, because they're causing me too much stress for too little pay.

I would like to ramp up and get more clients. And it will happen. I said on Facebook a little while ago that I am going to make a decent living from this writing thing or I am going to die trying. I am unable to go back to the "regular workforce" for a variety of reasons.

[ErinHill226]

I usually have 2-3 clients at once now...but I am no longer full time. My income buys groceries (sometimes) and otherwise is for extras now that DH is working full time again. When I was the breadwinner, I tried to have at least 3-4 main clients at once. And preferably, I stayed in a position where any of those clients could, in theory, pay the bills if need be by allowing me to work more if I needed to. I also tend to keep some content sites (Scripted, Writer's Domain, etc...) in the background for sparse periods, and I picked up smaller, non-ongoing gigs week to week as well.

It's hard to answer this question, since it depends on how much work any given client can offer. But, at least a few who can offer a large chunk of the money you need. That way if one flakes, the others can fill in the gaps until you find a replacement.

[writermomtomax]

I am not full time, but I still try to make about $2000/month from writing. I have three main clients and one scribe type job, that is also freelance whenever I want. So I guess four main clients. Plus I have three content sites as back up. The one client pays about 2/3 of my monthly goal. But that could stop at any time. so I have the other smaller clients and content sites.

[melli3]

writermomtomax,

Wow! That is helpful information. I am fairly new to freelance writing. I have been approved at several content sites and have been making a little money. It is encouraging to hear that a decent amount can be made part time.

[jponorato]

Originally Posted by jponorato

right now I've got three clients. Four, if you count the one I haven't officially fired yet, because they're causing me too much stress for too little pay.

I would like to ramp up and get more clients. And it will happen. I said on Facebook a little while ago that I am going to make a decent living from this writing thing or I am going to die trying. I am unable to go back to the "regular workforce" for a variety of reasons.

I should have mentioned that none of my clients are content mills — I've been down that road and it was too high-stress for me, for too little pay. Perhaps I just ran in with the wrong ones. If there are actually good ones out there, then I'd love to hear about them, but then again, I've been reading in another thread about how jealously those secrets are guarded. And quite honestly, I don't have the time, resources or willpower to go nosing around for "good" content mills myself. If anyone would like to share, great. If not, that's fine too.

All of my clients are private people; one I've had for the entire year I've been freelancing; another is a referral from the first. Both of those are local, though I've never met either. Another I met on LinkedIn; he sent me an invite, and I responded. It went from there.

[Emilykf]

I have three regular clients, regularly get work on Elance and write for Constant Content when I have some down time. I've only recently set up my website so I'm going to be marketing my bum off and hopefully increasing the amount of private clients I have!

[Michael Levanduski]

I have four 'regular' clients who I write for all the time. Then a number of clients who contact me from time to time with work. I make about $2500-3000 per month freelancing part time.

I am looking to go full time with my writing, so I am actively looking for new clients right now, which is something I haven't really done in a couple years.

Also, I don't touch content mills.

Michael