Teaming up with another freelancer can be a game-changer, transforming your solo venture into a more resilient business
SPECIAL REPORT
For years, the image of the lone wolf freelancer has been glorified. Yet, a growing number of freelancers are discovering a powerful strategy to scaling their earning power and diversifying their client base: collaboration with fellow freelancers.
For the naysayers who believe collaboration can’t be done, they only need to be reminded that a single freelancer’s capacity is finite. Sure, an AI agent can help in many ways, but there are only so many hours in the day. One freelancer may have many talents, but their skill set and network, while valuable, can only stretch so far.
But what happens when you combine forces with another professional? You broaden your collective expertise and expand your reach into new markets. It’s not just about splitting the workload; it’s about unlocking a new level of opportunity with someone local, or if your work is largely digital, on the other side of the world.
Case study: a freelance carpenter and a hunch
From kitchen able hunch to budding community: what every freelancer can learn from a lean launch
A new venture has emerged from an unlikely pairing: a brother-sister collaboration between a seasoned business builder behind the IMMA/Seed Collective and a skilled freelance carpenter.
Born from a “hunch” about a gap in the Italian construction market, this sibling duo opted for a refreshingly simple, free, and fact-finding approach to launching their idea, foregoing the usual costly and time-consuming build-out of a full-fledged platform. Their journey highlights the power of starting small to test demand and gather vital insights.
The carpenter brother had observed a growing struggle for construction companies to find freelance help, while simultaneously noticing an increasing number of solo craftspeople in Italy. He identified a market that was “rigid, slow, and expensive to hire” for traditional employment, yet ripe with available freelancers. His initial thought was to “build a platform. An app. Something big.” However, his business-building sister wisely suggested, “Let’s start small.”
Their strategy, executed over just a few days, was a masterclass in lean entrepreneurship:
Step-by-step: How the business was tested and came to life
If you are looking to collaborate with another freelancer or two, it’s worth having a chin wag about your combined skills and experiences with client pain points. Or even pain points experienced by fellow freelancers in their line of business. That’s how the freelance carpenter business idea was tested. To see if there was demand in the first place for a freelancer carpenter collective or jobs directory (the business idea is still in development).
Step 1: Check if the problem is worth solving
The first step involved a thorough assessment of the problem’s validity. Sitting at the kitchen table, they asked themselves: “Is this really a problem others feel? Are there enough people on both sides: solo craftsmen and companies? What’s the scale of this?” They researched the market data, posed questions, and even used AI to “check if there was evidence behind the intuition.” Their findings confirmed the hunch: “Yes, companies are looking. Yes, freelancers are rising. No clear, easy solution exists.”
Step 2: Find the easiest way to test
With the problem validated, the focus shifted to the simplest way to test demand. They consciously decided to “Forget the app. Forget the platform. Let’s test demand. Let’s make it real enough to click.” Their minimalist toolkit included:
- A one-page website (a simple Notion page) explaining the idea
- A brief Instagram story and WhatsApp status
- Personal messages sent by the carpenter to potential users
- A WhatsApp “community” instead of a full-blown platform
They framed this initial offering as a “founding circle,” enticing the “first 50 members [to] get free early access and help shape the project.” To maintain simplicity and avoid “red tape,” they decided against taking payments at this early stage.
Step 3: Build with what you have
This step was core to a lean approach, emphasising resourcefulness and speed over perfection. They “didn’t spend hours designing logos or a website” and “didn’t hire anyone.” The entire setup incurred “zero money” and took “about two hours a day over three days” to complete. This included writing copy, designing a landing page, creating visual assets (using Canva), setting up the WhatsApp group, and even creating a new Google account. The process felt “light, joyful, and fast,” as their objective was purely to “test interest” and “test ourselves, to see if we could do it without getting stuck in perfection.” As the business builder half of the duo quoted US tech billionaire and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, “If you’re not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you’ve launched too late.”
Step 4. Now we see what happens
With the foundational elements in place, the test went live. Within just “two days, [they] received 11 applications,” allowing them to gather immediate feedback and gain “insights on the idea itself.” While acknowledging that success is not guaranteed, the lesson learned is profound: “it’s never a failure if you don’t stop trying.” For them, “Entrepreneurship is just solving one problem after another and staying in the game long enough to get to something that works.”
Why a simple, free, fact-finding launch?
The decision to opt for a simple, free, fact-finding launch was driven by several key factors:
Minimise risk: By avoiding significant investment in development and design, they drastically reduced the financial risk associated with a new venture
Validate quickly: The lean approach allowed them to quickly test the core assumptions about market demand and the problem’s severity. This rapid feedback loop is invaluable for iterating and pivoting if necessary
Focus on the core problem: By stripping away the complexities of a full platform build, they could maintain a laser focus on whether the underlying problem resonated with their target audience.
Be resourceful: Using accessible apps like WhatsApp and Canva and their own skills meant they could get to market incredibly quickly, capturing early momentum and insights.
Embrace imperfection: The philosophy of being “embarrassed by the first version” underscores a willingness to launch, learn, and iterate, rather than getting bogged down in achieving an unattainable initial perfection.
While her brother’s business idea may not align with the IMMA Collective’s typical climate and social impact projects, she views it as “part of the same story.” She believes that “being able to work for yourself and still be connected to others is a form of climate resilience. It’s about adaptability, community and owning your craft.”
For anyone “circling your idea,” journey offers a powerful blueprint: “Write down what you’d do if you had only three days. Start by exploring if this is an urgent, expensive problem worth solving. Make a landing page, a story, a message, even a simple Google Doc. Share it with freelancers and your ideal customer to get early, quick feedback. Make it “small, let it be light and see what happens.”
Then create a simple video about what you’re hoping to achieve and what you’ve learned in the process to see if others are happy to have an initial chat.
The article continues below.
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The power of freelancer collaboration and why it works (most of the time)
Individually, a freelancer might be a brilliant copywriter. But what if they could offer clients not just content and sector knowledge, but also original stunning visuals, data analysis or a revived social media strategy? Using the case study’s tips, they could gather intel on which clients to pitch to and soon be marketing their collaborative pursuits.
For example, by pitching alongside a graphic designer, a data analyst and a social media manager, those three freelancers can pitch comprehensive packages, attracting larger, more lucrative projects that require diverse skill sets. And because they have lower overheads, they can be a competitive option for clients, especially startups.
That said, with the ability to take on bigger, more complex projects, each freelancer can command higher fees. No longer limited by individual capacity, they can all bid on work that previously felt out of reach.
Client diversification and risk mitigation are also benefits of collaboration. Relying on a small handful of clients can be risky. If one client scales back or moves on, your income takes a significant hit.
Freelancers who work together can share client acquisition efforts, bringing in a wider range of projects and reducing any one freelancer’s dependence on any single source. If one partner’s usual client dries up, the other might have work to keep the wheels turning. Or with all those minds working together, there is the opportunity to find a gap in the market based on every freelancer’s experiences and client pain points.
Plus, each project brings an invaluable opportunity for continuous learning. You can pick up new skills, learn different approaches, and refine your existing expertise by sharing insights and experiences. This organic professional development is far more engaging than a lonely online course.
Then there’s the social aspect of all of this, especially if you can work with local freelancers and meet up. Having collaborators to bounce ideas off, celebrate wins with, and even commiserate over challenges can do wonders for your mental well-being and motivation.
The other benefit is that you can pick and choose which projects you pitch for. If a freelancer is working on something else and not available, other freelancers can collaborate. Once you have gone through the process already, you know what works and what doesn’t.
The practicalities of freelancer collaboration
So, you’re convinced, but how does it work in practice?
The key to pitching and working with other independent freelancers lies in clear communication, defined roles, and a robust agreement and contract with the client. While individual contracts might be useful when going solo, a master agreement with the client which outlines the responsibilities and autonomy of both freelancers, is a must.
How will work be split up?
This will largely depend on the nature of your skills and the project. For instance, a writer and designer might split a brochure project with the writer handling all copy and the designer creating the layout and visuals. For larger, integrated projects, roles should be clearly defined at the outset along with timelines.
For example, if you have a freelance copywriter, a data analyst and a freelance web designer teaming up, when a client needs a new website with content, the writer takes responsibility for all the written elements: landing page copy, service descriptions, and blog posts.
- The web designer builds the site, handles the coding, and integrates the writer’s content.
- The data analyst will gather data, analyse it and write a report and provide spreadsheets and graphs to the writer to integrate into the copy and provide visuals for the web designer.
- The three will be obliged to communicate throughout the process to ensure a seamless flow regarding content and web design possibilities and constraints.
Payment, comms and admin: many models to choose from
Decide from the start if one person is the primary client contact or if both interact with the client on their respective tasks, copying each freelancer in any emails. A single point of contact can sometimes be smoother for the client.
Invoicing & Payments
Crucially, all payment terms should be agreed upon in advance and put in writing. Will one person invoice and then pay the other, or will separate invoices be issued?
Consolidating invoicing can seem more professional and convenient for the client. However, if one freelancer is going to be responsible for receiving and distributing payments, that should be factored into a separate agreement between the freelancers and also include admin fees to be added to any consolidated invoices.
One freelancer should not have more admin headaches from HMRC than the other, or be out of pocket when it comes to their time and money. The shared responsibility approach is often best. However, if one person is better at admin and invoicing than the other, then that should be discussed.
The 50/50 split payment is simple and effective if contributions are truly equal.
But then there is the contribution-based model, where if one freelancer, for example, brings in more leads or handles more of the client-facing work, their percentage might be higher.
Conversely, if one partner is providing a more niche or in-demand skill, their rate might be higher for that specific component of the project.
The project-based rates model would see each freelancer quoting their individual rate for their specific services within the larger project, and the client receives either one consolidated invoice or two separate ones from each freelancer. This allows for flexibility based on the scope of each person’s involvement.
Marketing
When it comes to marketing and business development, you can share the load of finding new clients and promoting your joint services. This could involve joint networking events, a website, collaborative content creation or social media posting. However, a single tone of voice should be decided.
Forming a freelance collaboration isn’t about giving up your independence; it’s about strategically leveraging combined skills and experience to build a more robust, diversified, and profitable freelance career. The next time you’re faced with a project that feels too big or you’re craving some professional camaraderie, consider the power of two.
Disclaimer:
- This article provides general information and insights into freelancer collaboration based on the experiences of IMMA Collective and broader industry observations. It is not intended as professional business or legal advice.
- Readers should conduct their own due diligence, seek expert counsel, and tailor strategies to their specific circumstances.
- While collaboration can offer significant benefits, success is not guaranteed and requires careful planning, clear communication, and robust contracts between collaborating freelancers as well as separate client contracts that include items such as payment terms, Statement of Work (SOW) and any additional fees and conditions.
Source: Twice the talent, double the traction: why freelancers should start pitching together –
