Free Tool
First 30 Days Planner
The first 30 days decide whether freelancing starts or stalls. This planner divides them into four weeks with a task for each week — and a pitch count that keeps the pipeline honest.
Runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you type leaves your device, and nothing is stored or sent anywhere. The output is a planning aid built from the figures you enter — check the results before relying on them.
What this tool does
Enter your skill, your hours per day, your target clients per week and the day you start. The planner returns a week-by-week plan: week one is setup and samples, week two is outreach, week three is follow-ups and the first calls, week four is delivery and the first invoice. Each week has a task list and a pitch target, because a plan without a number is a wish.
The pitch count is the honest part. Most new freelancers pitch ten people in a month and call it effort; the planner shows what ten pitches a week means over a month, and what a 5% reply rate returns. The plan is not a promise — it is a schedule that makes the effort visible.
Try it
Waiting. Fill in your skill and your weekly pitch target, then press Calculate.
How it works
The month is four weeks of seven days from the start date. Week one is setup and samples, week two is outreach, week three is follow-ups and the first calls, week four is delivery and invoicing. The total pitch count is the weekly target times four — the plan does not assume a reply rate, because a reply rate is earned, not promised.
The start date must be a real date in YYYY-MM-DD form. The week ranges are computed by adding seven days per week to that date, so the plan’s dates are exact for the month you choose.
Assumptions and limitations
A plan is a schedule. It is not a guarantee of clients.
- No reply rate is assumed. A 5% reply rate on 40 pitches is two replies; a 0% reply rate is none — the plan shows the effort, not the outcome, and the outcome depends on the pitch quality.
- Three samples are the minimum a client needs to judge you. Fewer and the pitch has nothing to point at; more and week one never ends.
- The hours are hours you can actually spend. Three honest hours beat six planned hours that never happen — put the number you will do, not the number you wish you would.
- The plan assumes one main skill. A second skill is a second plan, not a line in the first one.
Worked example
Example (illustrative inputs, not a real launch). Logo design, 3 hours a day, 10 pitches a week, starting 16 November 2026:
| Item | Figure |
|---|---|
| Total pitches in 30 days | 40 pitches |
| Week 1 | 16–22 Nov 2026 — Setup and samples |
| Week 2 | 23–29 Nov 2026 — Outreach |
| Week 4 | 7–13 Dec 2026 — Deliver and invoice |
Frequently asked questions
How many pitches should I send in the first month?
Enough to learn. Ten a week is the planner’s default because forty pitches in a month produce enough replies — and enough silences — to tell you whether the pitch works. Fewer and you cannot tell signal from noise.
Why does week one come before any pitching?
Because a pitch without samples is a claim without proof. Three samples and a rate you can defend make the pitch believable; pitching first and building later means the first replies arrive before you are ready for them.
What if I get a client in week two?
Good — the plan still holds. Do the work, then keep pitching in week three, because one client is a start, not a business. The plan’s week four is delivery and invoicing for exactly that reason.
Should I follow up on unanswered pitches?
Yes — once, after about a week, with one new sentence of value. Most replies come from the follow-up, not the first pitch. More than one follow-up to the same person is pressure, not persistence.