How I’ve Built a Million-Dollar Business in 3 Years Using the Power of Referrals

Learn the simple strategies this founder has used to encourage clients to recommend his work to others, leading to 70 percent of his agency’s business coming from inbound referrals.Landing my very first client was surprisingly easy thanks to the power of referrals. The startup I had been working for had just folded, and I turned to the network of marketing leaders I had built from that job and let them know the types of client work I was looking for: digital brand management, content creation, and paid media strategy. In no time, someone recommended me to a woman who was just starting to build her digital brand—and she’s been a client ever since. Fast forward three years, and my freelancing business has changed a lot: Now I operate as an agency, BURT., which employs 13 people and has helped more than 100 clients with their digital strategy, representing over $1 million in work. What hasn’t changed is that the bulk of that work—about 70 percent—has come from inbound referrals.I’ve found that referrals are the most powerful way to build a sustainable and thriving business (and it’s not just because I absolutely hate sales). It’s so much easier for a potential client to say yes to a multi-thousand dollar investment when it’s been pre-vetted and validated by a trusted source. Having a warm introduction can also reduce friction and make the initial sales conversation friendlier and more collaborative, rather than it feeling like I’m forcing our services down someone’s throat. So, the question I had to answer as I scaled from individual freelancer to business owner was: How can I fuel the referral fire? Here are three ways I’ve found to stay top of mind for folks and ensure they’re more than happy to recommend our team to others.1. Do 90