As a freelance writer, I have it easy. When someone asks for samples of my work, I can send them a link. My skills are right there on the page, with my name on it.
But a lot of the solopreneurs in my network don’t have the same experience. Take a marketing strategist, for example. They put a lot of thought into a detailed quarterly plan for an existing client, but there’s no way to share that work with a prospective client.
The challenge for consultants, strategists, coaches, and other service providers is that the work sits inside someone else’s business. It might be protected by a nondisclosure agreement, or it shows up as an outcome rather than an output.
{“blockType”:”mv-promo-block”,”data”:{“imageDesktopUrl”:”https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2025/11/work-better-1.png”,”imageMobileUrl”:”https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2025/11/work-better-mobile-1.png”,”eyebrow”:””,”headline”:”u003Cstrongu003ESubscribe to u003Cemu003EWork Betteru003C/emu003Eu003C/strongu003E”,”dek”:”Thoughts on the future of work, career pivots, and why work shouldnu0027t suck, by Anna Burgess Yang. To learn more, visit u003Ca href=u0022https://www.workbetter.media/u0022u003Eworkbetter.mediau003C/au003E.”,”subhed”:””,”description”:””,”ctaText”:”SIGN UP”,”ctaUrl”:”https://www.workbetter.media”,”theme”:{“bg”:”#f5f5f5″,”text”:”#000000″,”eyebrow”:”#9aa2aa”,”subhed”:”#ffffff”,”buttonBg”:”#000000″,”buttonHoverBg”:”#3b3f46″,”buttonText”:”#ffffff”},”imageDesktopId”:91457605,”imageMobileId”:91457608,”shareable”:false,”slug”:””,”wpCssClasses”:””}}
If that’s the case for you, you can still build trust and demonstrate results, even when you can’t point to a finished product on a portfolio page. It just takes a different approach to showcasing your expertise.
Build visibility through content
Creating content about your area of expertise makes your thinking tangible even when your work isn’t. Writing, posting, recording short videos, or speaking about your field shows people that you know what you’re talking about.
You might also guest on a podcast your ideal client already listens to, which puts your expertise front and center. You’ll reach an audience that you might not otherwise have access to, and you can also let potential clients see your personality.
Unlike other types of content, your goal isn’t to go viral. You’re building a body of evidence around who you are and what you do. Posting on platforms like LinkedIn is a long game (and sometimes feels like you’re not reaching anyone), but consistency has a compounding effect. If you share useful insights, you become the one others think of when they need that kind of help.
Show the process, not just the result
When you can’t show the finished product, you can show how you think. With your content, break down your approach: what you look at first, the questions you ask, and how you make decisions or provide recommendations. A potential client may not be able to see your past deliverables, but they can see your reasoning—and that’s what they’re looking for.
I think of this as connecting the dots: translating what you’ve done into a narrative a client can see themselves in.
A simple formula for content works well here: an anonymized version of what you did for a client.
“A person/company came to me with X problem.
I looked at Y and Y.
Based on my experiences, I recommended Z approach, which achieved ABC result.”
You can craft these as written social posts or videos of yourself talking through the problem/solution.
Let your clients do the talking
For service providers, the client’s words often carry more weight than anything you could show on your own.
Case studies are amazing, but they’re often a lot of work (for both you and the client). You don’t need to go down that path unless you’re selling really high-ticket services. Instead, ask your clients for testimonials.
Try to get your clients to provide specifics: what it was actually like to work with you and (ideally) a concrete result attached to it. A testimonial like “Her work contributed to a 30% increase in qualified leads” is much more impressive than “Great to work with.”
A few good places to put testimonials:
- LinkedIn recommendations, where they’re public and tied to your profile
- Your website, where prospects land when they’re trying to learn more
- Proposals, right at the moment when a client is weighing whether to say yes
If you work with companies, ask whether you can put their logo on your website. It’s an instant trust-builder. I have a clause in my contract that states I can mention a client publicly (unless the client says otherwise).
Trust is the real deliverable
Even though I have a portfolio showcasing my work, I know that clients consider more than my writing abilities. They also have to trust that we’ll have a good working relationship and that I have a process for delivering what they expect. For strategists, coaches, and consultants, it’s even more important to talk about your results, even when you can’t “show” the result.
Many, many types of service providers have to earn a potential client’s trust without a portfolio of specific deliverables. The ones who are most successful have figured out how to communicate their expertise.
{“blockType”:”mv-promo-block”,”data”:{“imageDesktopUrl”:”https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2025/11/work-better-1.png”,”imageMobileUrl”:”https://images.fastcompany.com/image/upload/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit/wp-cms-2/2025/11/work-better-mobile-1.png”,”eyebrow”:””,”headline”:”u003Cstrongu003ESubscribe to u003Cemu003EWork Betteru003C/emu003Eu003C/strongu003E”,”dek”:”Thoughts on the future of work, career pivots, and why work shouldnu0027t suck, by Anna Burgess Yang. To learn more, visit u003Ca href=u0022https://www.workbetter.media/u0022u003Eworkbetter.mediau003C/au003E.”,”subhed”:””,”description”:””,”ctaText”:”SIGN UP”,”ctaUrl”:”https://www.workbetter.media”,”theme”:{“bg”:”#f5f5f5″,”text”:”#000000″,”eyebrow”:”#9aa2aa”,”subhed”:”#ffffff”,”buttonBg”:”#000000″,”buttonHoverBg”:”#3b3f46″,”buttonText”:”#ffffff”},”imageDesktopId”:91457605,”imageMobileId”:91457608,”shareable”:false,”slug”:””,”wpCssClasses”:””}}