00:00 making money with 3D is one of the
00:02 hardest things to do it's difficult and
00:04 no one really talks about it but if you
00:06 can get these five things right you'll
00:08 become an expert with freelance earn a
00:10 great living and be able to do what you
00:12 want when you want so in this video I'm
00:15 going to take my eight plus years of
00:16 experience and condense that down to a
00:18 five-step framework something I would
00:20 use if I was starting completely from
00:22 scratch with freelance today
00:25 this is the blueprint to starting off
00:27 right if you have no experience with
00:29 freelance and having a concise game plan
00:31 like this would have saved me loads of
00:34 time in the beginning so let's break
00:36 this down one at a time
00:39 if you're just starting with freelance
00:41 it can feel extremely overwhelming
00:43 there's a million and one things to
00:45 learn with no specific place to learn
00:47 from kind of like your first day in
00:51 hear me out when I started with
00:53 Minecraft it looked like this
00:56 there was no Playbook on what to do
00:59 where to go or how to do it I'm not
01:02 kidding you put this into Google nothing
01:04 there it was basically like a
01:06 free-for-all Sandbox and you were kind
01:08 of just happy to be there
01:11 with freelance it's pretty much the same
01:13 if I'm starting from scratch I don't
01:16 know what to do there's no clear pathway
01:18 to success and finding a proper Guide
01:20 online is like a needle in a haystack
01:23 that's why I've built out the Smith
01:25 framework each level represents a
01:28 crucial step in the freelance journey
01:30 and the very first level is potentially
01:32 the most important because getting this
01:35 right could be the difference between
01:36 earning 10 bucks and 10 000 bucks so
01:45 the first level is specialize starting
01:48 out we don't want to be a Wandering
01:50 generality we want to be a meaningful
01:52 specific for example when you watch
01:55 videos from your favorite creators on
01:57 YouTube you kinda already know what
01:59 you're in for there's a specific ethos
02:02 for the channel and the content topic is
02:07 mostly now we want to do this for
02:10 ourselves with 3D or in other words find
02:13 a niche and I know you're saying Smith
02:16 this is great but how do I do that well
02:20 it's actually really easy and bringing
02:22 this back to Minecraft for a second the
02:24 first thing you usually do in a new
02:26 world is find the perfect biome to build
02:29 your base unless you're a psychopath
02:32 going for the world record any percent
02:35 so in order to find the niche we first
02:38 need to explore and I like to use the
02:41 Dig method Step One is determine and all
02:44 you want to do is reflect on three
02:46 things what are you good at interested
02:49 in and passionate about
02:51 I'll go first I'm good at animation I'm
02:55 interested in products and I'm
02:57 passionate about energy drinks
03:02 I have a serious step two investigate
03:04 this is all about research and finding
03:07 proof that your Niche actually works if
03:10 your whole thing is I make 3D tacos for
03:13 traditional Mexican food trucks serving
03:14 locally in Brisbane CBD
03:17 might be a bit too specific instead you
03:20 could try something like I make hyper
03:22 real food printers for established
03:26 now we're cooking step three go you've
03:29 done the research your Niche has a solid
03:31 place in the market now you're ready to
03:34 get this thing going and since this
03:35 video is what I would do product
03:38 rendering or product animation would be
03:40 my Niche the pay is amazing it's easy to
03:43 learn and there's loads of clients
03:45 looking for these services so finding an
03:49 aspect of 3D and slowly dominating it
03:51 will make you a force to be record with
03:53 but this means nothing if you don't have
03:56 anything to show for it so how do we fix
04:03 becoming a master of a niche is not
04:05 something that's going to happen
04:06 overnight let alone your lifetime so
04:09 this is the stage to get your reps in
04:11 and build an online presence now the
04:14 easiest way to do this is to just set a
04:16 goal and stick to it for example if this
04:19 was me I'd be keeping myself to one
04:22 project per week per month that sets a
04:25 simple Cadence for me to follow it's
04:27 more than enough time to get something
04:29 decent done and within three months
04:32 that's already 12 great projects to put
04:35 again back to Minecraft
04:38 this is like building out your base the
04:40 house may be done but now we need to
04:42 expand our surroundings I'm talking
04:44 entry-level mob Farms beacons and of
04:49 jail cells I mean trading holes for your
04:55 in all seriousness I know everyone has
04:57 insecurities about doing this it's
04:59 natural but breaking this insecurity
05:01 will not only 10 extra quality of work
05:04 it'll also build your audience and
05:07 attracts clients don't worry we'll get
05:10 to that honestly if you're really
05:12 struggling to do this and are afraid of
05:14 what other people might think I can
05:16 guarantee you No One's Gonna judge your
05:19 work more than yourself
05:21 and hey if it really helps just like
05:24 yourself in the comments below I read
05:33 level three establish this is where we
05:36 need to hone our work down to the best
05:38 pieces we have and start building our
05:40 brand image you can think of this as
05:42 decorating your base in Minecraft we
05:45 want to take this from a day one build
05:49 essentially sprucing up the place adding
05:52 our best resources to the builds and
05:54 making it look good
05:56 really good this is also known as your
05:59 portfolio now remember at this stage
06:02 we've got a decent catalog of work but
06:05 it doesn't scream hire me
06:07 so to get there we need to do a few
06:10 things and really there's only three
06:12 steps to making a killer portfolio Step
06:15 One is Select we want to choose three to
06:18 five of our best pieces and set them
06:21 aside for our portfolio
06:25 step two build now I'd want to create at
06:29 least two Flagship projects something
06:31 that blows my previous work out of the
06:34 water and shows my skill set to the best
06:36 degree possible for the timeline on this
06:39 I'd give myself two months
06:41 these are going to front run my
06:43 portfolio and be the first thing a
06:45 client sees so there's no room for
06:47 shortcuts step three showcase I've got
06:50 my amazing work but now I need to show
06:52 it honestly there's no right or wrong
06:55 way to do this I'd recommend just making
06:57 a simple website with Squarespace or
07:00 even something like B hands you don't
07:03 need to overthink this part the main
07:05 goal here is to just create a concise
07:07 and enjoyable viewing experience if I
07:10 set my potential client something like
07:14 you already know they're going to close
07:16 that tab block me and get a restraining
07:19 order whereas if I send them something
07:24 now there's still two bar levels to the
07:26 spief framework and pulling this next
07:28 one off right is the key to getting
07:31 bigger and better clients seriously I
07:34 wish someone told me about this concept
07:36 sooner so what is it
07:42 alright level four Advance at this stage
07:45 we've got the absolute Basics done life
07:48 is good but it can be better
07:51 now I'd want to start leveling up and
07:53 getting better more sophisticated armor
07:58 look I I have an addicted my base looks
08:01 sick but my character I don't want to
08:04 settle for wooden tools and leather
08:06 armor I want that netherride set but to
08:09 get there you have to grind like really
08:15 don't even get me started on beacons
08:18 that's what the point I'm trying to make
08:21 here is level four is all about
08:23 upgrading your character or in this case
08:26 you this is the concept of skill
08:29 stacking I love talking about this
08:30 because it's like a cheat code that
08:33 anyone can apply and once you understand
08:35 how it works it's a game changer let me
08:38 give you an example two Freelancers are
08:40 going after the same job it's a tech
08:42 startup looking to visualize their
08:44 product freelancer one has a singular
08:47 skill stack they're amazing at 3D
08:52 whereas freelancer 2 they can do
08:55 modeling texturing animation coding
09:00 she wouldn't get at you not only can
09:02 this guy do the job but he can also
09:04 solve all these other problems in a
09:06 comprehensive package which by the way
09:08 lets you charge more having this kind of
09:11 Versatility in your tool belt is
09:13 invaluable it's like having a fully
09:16 Enchanted armor set and the other guy
09:18 has featherfully and hey if you're stuck
09:22 with how to start this whole skill stack
09:24 thing Derek Elliott who's an industry
09:26 Pro just released a bunch of classes on
09:29 skillshare who's also sponsoring this
09:32 video you probably know skillshare for
09:33 their classes in photography and cooking
09:36 but I bet you didn't know they have
09:38 hundreds of career Focus classes as well
09:40 and at the theme of skill stacking this
09:43 is amazing there's classes on
09:45 freelancing graphic design but most
09:48 importantly blender I highly recommend
09:51 any of Derek's classes but if I had to
09:54 choose it'd be the advanced 3D animation
09:57 this is honestly incredible it takes you
10:00 through every everything you need to
10:01 know and by the end of it you'll have a
10:04 killer piece for your football here I've
10:06 used skillshare for years and it's truly
10:08 a fantastic way to build your skills
10:10 deck if you want to try it out well
10:12 skillshare has hooked me up with an
10:14 amazing offer for you the first 1000
10:17 people choose the link below will get a
10:19 one month free trial of skillshare using
10:21 that link seriously helps support the
10:23 channel and it lets me do this whole
10:25 YouTube thing for free for you click
10:28 that link and thank you so much to
10:30 skillshare for sponsoring this video
10:36 finding clients is one of those magical
10:39 Mysteries that apparently everyone in
10:42 their dog wants to know about seriously
10:47 you got problems so there's a few ways
10:50 to do this and I've had success with all
10:52 of these approaches but I want to focus
10:54 on one method which is broken and it all
10:57 starts with villages
11:01 I promise this will make sense will you
11:03 trade with a villager your goal is to
11:05 get emeralds this is their currency and
11:07 it lets you buy stuff some trades are
11:10 better than others but ultimately
11:13 nothing here is amazing
11:15 even if you find a trade that seems good
11:18 it quickly falls apart and you're back
11:21 to square one these types of Trades are
11:23 similar to another Marketplace I know
11:25 which I think we've all tried at least
11:31 Fiverr the way these marketplaces are
11:34 set up kind of put you in a lose-lose
11:36 position it's generally low value work
11:39 from low value clients now at the end of
11:41 the day there's thousands of people on
11:43 here betting against you so it's quite
11:46 literally a race to the bottom
11:49 are you seeing the similarities yet
11:51 so if this is the problem
11:54 what's the solution
11:58 specifically zombie villages
12:02 please hear me when you find these guys
12:04 in the wild they're on the attack
12:06 they don't know you and you don't know
12:09 them but with a bit of love golden
12:12 apples and excruciating pain
12:15 they become your friend the moment they
12:18 switch into a working role the trades
12:22 do you see what I'm getting out here the
12:25 zombie villager is your client and
12:27 curing them is the solution this is what
12:30 I call the Value method it takes three
12:33 steps here's how you do it step one find
12:36 all we're doing here is finding people
12:39 to contact and luckily if you followed
12:41 level 1 you should already know where to
12:44 look so this part will be easy step two
12:47 give once you find your client we want
12:50 to give him stuff I'm talking potions
12:53 and golden apples for example this
12:55 company sells dog bowls it's a pretty
12:58 simple design and it's right up my alley
13:01 so now I'd want to give and this is just
13:05 offering to do something for them kind
13:07 of like a zombie villager so go to their
13:10 profile find something relevant and use
13:12 that to make a custom message do not
13:15 skip this step if you burst into their
13:17 DMS saying I bake 3D give me money
13:19 you're gonna go nowhere quick instead
13:23 you could use a framework like this
13:25 introduce question offer proof it
13:30 doesn't have to be complicated and this
13:32 is something you'll get better at over
13:34 time now if you're doing this with like
13:36 three brands and saying smeeve this
13:41 the key here is to just do this at scale
13:45 I'm talking like 100 to 1000
13:49 per month now listen I know that sounds
13:52 insane but realistically you're only
13:55 going to convert one percent of these
13:57 people which at the bare minimum means
13:59 one high quality client this is
14:02 literally all you need to get started
14:04 and it sets you up perfectly for step
14:06 three trade once they've said yes to the
14:10 offer the hard work is done
14:12 all you need to do now is over deliver
14:14 and give them the golden apple as soon
14:17 as they take that from you we now have
14:19 an st villager to trade with or in this
14:22 case a client since you've already given
14:25 a ton of value they know that you can
14:27 deliver and it makes asking for these
14:29 next three things so simple number one
14:33 straight up this is the time to ask them
14:36 for work whether they know it or not
14:38 we've just solved one problem in their
14:40 business but now they're gonna see a
14:43 bunch of new problems crop up for
14:45 example maybe they need some product
14:47 animation for vertical ads or maybe
14:50 their website has terrible stock images
14:52 whatever it is you can identify the
14:55 problem and Pitch the solution we've
14:58 already got a foot in the door so an ask
15:00 like this is pretty easy to say yes to
15:03 but smeef what if they say no well this
15:06 is where we pivot to networking I'm
15:09 talking about referrals maybe they don't
15:12 have a budget for your service right now
15:14 but odds are they know someone who does
15:17 and to ask them you can send them a
15:19 simple message like hey thanks for
15:22 working with me do you know anyone else
15:24 needing my services if so would you mind
15:27 passing my info along thanks a bunch and
15:30 looking forward to working with you in
15:31 future this is the simplest and 5
15:33 fastest way to increase your reach to
15:36 high quality clients not only is it
15:38 frictionless for the client to do but
15:41 it's also one of the most common ways to
15:43 earn extra income with your business now
15:45 I know you're saying smeef what if they
15:48 say no to this as well don't worry
15:50 there's still one more thing we can ask
15:52 and this is potentially the most
15:54 important testimonials
15:56 when you look at big Brands online they
15:59 usually have a section where people can
16:02 in our case we want this specifically
16:05 for our portfolio to get that all you
16:07 need to do is ask for a simple review on
16:10 their experience it'll look something
16:12 like this the reason why this is so
16:14 powerful is because it solidifies you as
16:17 an authority in the space you have real
16:20 work from a real brand with a real
16:24 review each time you do this your proof
16:26 of work in the industry increases and
16:29 this will ultimately Skyrocket your
16:31 career but smeeve what if they say no
16:34 look if they're not willing to do any of
16:37 these things you probably gave them a
16:39 red apple instead of a golden apple and
16:42 at this stage I'd just kill them
16:49 now let me be clear
16:52 I'm not an expert or master that knows
16:55 everything but the Smee framework is
16:58 something I've found success with and
17:01 it's something I know for a fact that
17:03 you can too so all of this is great but
17:06 there's still one massive problem I see
17:09 a lot of beginners make when pricing
17:11 their work and to fix that you'll want
17:14 to watch this video right here
