How I Went From a Freelancer to an In-House Manager

In 2021, I landed a client (Rezi) that pretty much changed the trajectory of my career. 

3 years later, at the start of 2024, I joined Rezi as an in-house editorial manager. I still work at this company to this day.

In this article, I’ll share how it all happened: why I made the switch, what led up to it, and how I went from freelance writer to full-time manager under Rezi’s CEO, Jacob Jacquet—who was once a client of mine.

Why I Decided to Join as an In-House Manager

In one word: structure. 

I joined as an in-house manager because I wanted to have more structure in my day. 

Some people say a 9–5 feels like a trap, and sure, I get that…

But what’s not talked about enough is how freelancing can make it difficult to switch off work mode, and more often than not, becomes even more time-consuming than a typical 9–5. 

With freelancing, it’s easy to end up working around the clock. You’re not just doing the work—you’re managing clients, chasing invoices, and juggling everything else. It can start to feel more like a 24/7 than a 9–5.

Here are a few more things about freelancing that I don’t think are talked about enough:

• Finding, landing, and keeping good clients is hard.
• Managing your own time can get difficult, and if you’re not careful, it’s very easy to burn out or overwork. 
• Freelancing requires more than just providing a service. You also have to consider admin-related tasks, such as invoicing clients, following up with prospects, and so forth. 

You absolutely have potential to make more money as a freelancer, but with that also comes more responsibilities. 

In my case, considering my personal goals and the fact that I’ve been freelancing since 2020, I grew tired of constantly being on the lookout for more new good clients. I wanted to invest more of my time into honing my skills as a marketer and prioritizing my own personal growth. 

To me, that meant upskilling by immediately applying everything I learn into the company I currently work for and leaving some room to work on my health and a few personal side projects. Working as an in-house manager aligned with what I wanted.

How I Actually Went From Being a Freelancer to an In-House Manager

Back in 2021 when I first started working with Rezi as a freelancer, I was hired for SEO content. At that time, here’s how I was providing value:

• Devising an SEO content strategy based on the company’s unique value proposition at the time. 
• Writing blog articles and website content to increase organic traffic and user signups. 

In just four months, I helped increase the organic traffic from 9,900 to 56,300. The average monthly user signup rate also increased by 30%. 

Because the results were so good from working together, Jacob, the CEO and founder of Rezi, continued to hire me. 

Over time, the results only increased, and so, when I was ready, I offered to work in-house as a manager so that I could do more and provide more value. And based on the results of my work, Jacob had no objections. 

It was at that moment when I then began working full-time as an in-house manager for Rezi at the start of 2024. 

Now, if I had to specify the exact reasons why Jacob had no objections to my offer of working in-house, I’ve listed each possible reason and will go through them below.

Prove the value of your work via results

Highlight the results that you helped your client achieve. 

For me, the main results were organic traffic and user signups. In the regular meetings I had scheduled with Jacob, I would clarify exactly what I’m doing, why I’m doing it, and any positive outcomes or results gained. 

You don’t always have to be in a meeting to show the results of your work. You could even just send over a screenshot of anything notable you see, like a traffic spike or page 1 rankings for a new article.

Always deliver on your promises (or even better, underpromise and overdeliver)

Simply do what you say you’re going to do.

Deliver your work accordingly to a good standard and in a reasonable timeframe. Don’t say you’re going to do something if you’re going to do it poorly or not do it at all. 

Be clear with expectations and make sure that, as a bare minimum, you always stick to what you say you’re going to do. It makes you come across as more reliable, and people always want to work with those who they can count on. 

You might be surprised with how unreliable some freelancers can be. I’m talking about missing deadlines, going MIA without notice, delivering half-finished work, ignoring feedback, overpromising and underdelivering, or suddenly ghosting at a crucial time. Don’t be one of those people. 

Have good and prompt communication

Again, you might be surprised with how difficult some freelancers can be to work with. 

At Rezi, for example, we’ve worked with quite a few different freelancers. Over time, we noticed some patterns started to show. 

Sometimes, we’d assign a test article and not hear anything back for days—even weeks—until the draft suddenly appeared. A few freelancers disappeared altogether, only to follow up weeks later as if nothing happened. 

Other times, we got the sense that we were just “another client” and not that important to the freelancer. There were instances where, even though we got the first draft back, we would notice that some of the most important details would be missing from the article despite providing the freelancer with a brief and discussing what we were looking for beforehand.

Keep your clients in the loop. And make sure to tailor your approach based on your client’s needs. 

If there’s a delay, say so. If you need clarification, ask early. Communicate promptly with your client(s). It especially helps with making yourself more visible and making sure that your commitment to providing value doesn't go unnoticed. 

Offer more value where applicable

I didn’t just write content. I was actively developing the content strategy, suggesting initiatives, and giving recommendations – most of which I was trusted to implement. 

Whenever you see an opportunity to provide more value, don’t be afraid to bring it up. If it’s something that would genuinely benefit your client, then clarify exactly how and why. 

Be consistent in all of the above

If you’re continuously doing good work, producing results, and showing good effort, then why would your client ever be against hiring you in-house if there was an opportunity for it?

When Making the Offer, Be Prepared and Make Sure the Timing Is Right

If you’ve done all of the above consistently, then the next step is to set up a meeting with your client where you make the offer to transition in-house. 

Before you have the meeting, make sure the timing is right. Don’t set up the meeting to discuss working in-house right after you messed something up, for example, or when your client might be going through something personal. 

Once you know the timing is good, then schedule and prepare for the meeting. Here’s the framework I used when I had the discussion: 

• Outline what you have been doing and what you’re currently doing.
• Highlight the most notable results from your contributions so far.
• Clarify the next step in how you can deliver even more value — e.g., working in-house allows you to dedicate more time into research, reports, audits, etc.
• Outline the list of new deliverables that working in-house would allow you to do. 
• Propose a fair rate of pay based on your value (not the most specific advice, sorry, but it’s difficult to ascertain how much you should charge because it varies for each person – set your rates accordingly and if needed, check industry standards).

Should You Go From Freelancing to Working In-House?

It’s certainly not for everyone, but it really depends. I’ll answer this purely based on my own experience.

If you have a solid roster of clients and you’re happy with where you’re currently at and what you’re currently doing, then moving in-house probably wouldn’t make much sense. 

However, if you want to prioritize upskilling and any other personal projects, then I believe you would benefit more from working in-house because you get to apply what you learn immediately for the company you’re working for, plus you have a set structure to manage your time for anything else you’d like to work on. 

Now, does this mean I’m going to completely quit freelancing?

Well, I don’t think so. It’s more like I’m putting it on pause for the time being. 

I could be freelancing in my spare time but I choose not to because there are other personal projects and goals I’d like to work on. 

Thanks for reading! If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me here on LinkedIn and I’d be more than happy to reply.