No class this Friday
Quick update: there's no weekly class for now. I'll post here if that changes.
KhanCircle
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Ali ShayanK
@alishayan·3h
@alishayan·3hA
Ali ShayanK@alishayan·3d
@alishayan·3dThis week's challenge: one message to someone who already knows your work
this week's challenge takes about 15 minutes.
send one message to someone who has already seen your work. a past client, someone you did a favour for, a friend whose page you fixed, a teacher who saw your project. not a pitch, just a check in.
new clients are the hardest ones to get. people who already know you are the easiest, and most freelancers never go back to them.
three steps:
write down three people who have seen something you made, paid or unpaid.
pick one and send a short message: ask how the thing you worked on is doing, and mention one small idea you have for it.
that's the whole message. don't attach a price list, don't ask for work.
if they reply, you've opened a second door that doesn't depend on any platform. if they don't, you've lost nothing.
good luck with it this week, Inshallah.
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Ali ShayanK@alishayan·Nov 2
@alishayan·Nov 2This week's challenge: one before and after
this week's challenge takes about 30 minutes.
make one small before and after for the kind of client you want. clients trust a sample far more than a skills list, and most people never make one because they're waiting for a real project first.
three steps:
pick one real business from your list (or any business in your niche) and find one thing that's weak. a messy homepage header, a confusing pricing section, an untidy spreadsheet, a bland Instagram post.
redo just that one piece. not the whole thing, one piece.
put the before and the after side by side in one image, with one line under it saying what you changed and why.
that's it. you don't have to send it to anyone yet. once you have one, it goes on your profile, your gig, or into your next message to a client.
good luck with it this week, Inshallah.
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Ali ShayanK@alishayan·Oct 30
@alishayan·Oct 30Class tomorrow, Saturday 3:30 PM PKT. Here's the agenda
weekly class is tomorrow, Saturday 3:30 PM PKT, on Google Meet. open Join Events here and the meeting link is there before we start: https://whop.com/khancircle/exp_gfAz250KML1lzN/app/
everything below came from questions you asked me this week:
cold email to US clients from Pakistan. one of you builds sites for renovation companies and wants more US work. we'll cover picking two or three cities instead of "all of America", finding businesses on Google Maps and Houzz, leading with one result, and when to send so you land in their morning.
ten real names. this week's challenge. why "looking for clients" goes nowhere until you write down ten actual businesses, and what to note next to each one.
be known for one thing. you don't need to go viral. we'll talk about being the obvious person for one kind of client, and what that looks like on your profile and posts.
sold hours have a hard ceiling. why charging only by the hour caps you, and simple ways to package your work as a fixed result instead.
you don't have to say anything, you can just turn up and listen.
see you tomorrow at 3:30, Inshallah.
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Ali ShayanK@alishayan·Oct 26
@alishayan·Oct 26This week's challenge: ten real names
this week's challenge takes about 20 minutes.
write down 10 real businesses you'd love to work with. names, not categories. not "clinics in the UK", but the actual clinic, with its website next to it.
most people say they're "looking for clients" without ever deciding who. a list of ten names turns that into something you can actually work on.
three steps:
pick one type of business that fits your skill.
find 10 real ones on Google Maps, LinkedIn or Instagram. paste the name and the link into a sheet.
next to each, write one thing you'd fix or improve for them. one line is enough.
that's it. you don't have to message anyone yet. once the list exists, the outreach gets a lot easier.
good luck with it this week, Inshallah.
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Ali ShayanK@alishayan·Oct 23
@alishayan·Oct 23Class tomorrow, Saturday 3:30 PM PKT. Here's the agenda
weekly class is tomorrow, Saturday 3:30 PM PKT, on Google Meet. open Join Events here and the meeting link is there before we start: https://whop.com/khancircle/exp_gfAz250KML1lzN/app/
everything below came from questions you asked me this week:
getting international clients for design and development. one of you does UI/UX plus web dev and wants clients abroad. we'll cover picking one niche, building one case study for it, and opening a pitch with what you noticed on their site instead of your skills list.
turning "small" skills into something businesses pay for. Excel, CRM clean-up and web research sound like data entry, but packaged as a result they're useful to any small business. we'll write a few gig lines live and talk about samples that win trust.
the follow-up most people never send. this week's challenge. why most replies come from the second message, and how to follow up without sounding needy.
build for the visitor at 2am, and using AI out loud. designing for the stressed customer on a phone, and how to tell clients you use AI without dropping your price.
you don't have to say anything, you can just turn up and listen.
see you tomorrow at 3:30, Inshallah.
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Ali ShayanK@alishayan·Oct 19
@alishayan·Oct 19This week's challenge: the follow-up sweep
this week's challenge takes about 20 minutes.
find 5 people who went quiet on you and follow up once. a client who stopped replying after your quote, a lead who said "let me think about it", someone who read your DM and never answered.
most replies don't come from the first message. they come from the second one, and almost nobody sends it.
three steps:
scroll back through your DMs, email or Upwork messages and pick 5 people who went silent.
send each one a short, friendly follow-up. no guilt, no "just checking in". mention one useful thing, like an idea for their site or a quick question about the project.
count how many replied by the end of the week.
that's it. one follow-up each, then let it go.
good luck with it this week, Inshallah.
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Ali ShayanK@alishayan·Oct 16
@alishayan·Oct 16Class tomorrow, Saturday 3:30 PM PKT. Here's the agenda
weekly class is tomorrow, Saturday 3:30 PM PKT, on Google Meet. open Join Events here and the meeting link is there before we start: https://whop.com/khancircle/exp_gfAz250KML1lzN/app/
everything below came from questions you asked me this week:
building a personal brand while you do cold outreach. one of you is doing Google Maps outreach and just started on TikTok, another is posting about new AI model releases. we'll cover what to post so local owners or clients actually stop, who you're writing for, and why the post that shows your own test beats the post that repeats the headline.
your niche in one line. this week's challenge. we'll fix a few real lines live: I help [one type of client] get [one outcome] with [your skill]. and why being known for one thing is what stops you getting undercut on price.
finding clients vs doing the work. which one is actually stuck for you, and the first move for each.
free tools to start with. for example free 2D animation tools, so nobody spends money before earning any.
you don't have to say anything, you can just turn up and listen.
see you tomorrow at 3:30, Inshallah.
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Ali ShayanK@alishayan·Oct 12
@alishayan·Oct 12This week's challenge: your niche in one line
this week's challenge takes about 15 minutes.
write one sentence that says who you help and what changes for them. not your skill, the result.
"I do WordPress" is a skill. "I build booking websites for clinics so they stop losing appointments on WhatsApp" is a niche.
the shape that works: I help [one type of client] get [one outcome] with [your skill].
three steps:
pick one type of client, even if you're not sure yet. you can change it later.
write the sentence. keep it under 20 words.
put it at the top of your Fiverr, Upwork or LinkedIn profile today.
if a stranger can read it in four seconds and know whether you're for them, it's done.
good luck with it this week, Inshallah.
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Ali ShayanK@alishayan·Oct 10
@alishayan·Oct 10Class today at 3:30 PM PKT
class is today at 3:30 PM PKT, about 45 minutes from now.
it's on Google Meet. open Join Events here: https://whop.com/khancircle/exp_gfAz250KML1lzN/app/ and the meeting link is there.
today we're doing pricing local work when you've never done it, charging for discovery and holding your number, getting paid from Pakistan, and picking one skill.
you don't have to say anything, you can just turn up and listen.
see you at 3:30, Inshallah.