Zainab Idris: Building your freelance network

Meetups and networking events in specific niches aren’t new in Sri Lanka, particularly when it comes to tech-related sectors. But dedicated spaces for freelancers aren’t something you see every day, especially given the interest. In Sri Lanka, there are reportedly around 150,000 freelancers, according to a 2022 ICTA survey. However, even as the sector shows promise amid Sri Lanka’s growing digitalization ambitions, efforts around facilitating the ecosystem often seem lacking.

For instance, what does it take for a freelancer to connect with other like-minded freelancers in Sri Lanka? The answer for Zainab Idris was simple – host your own meetup. What started off as a mere series of interactions on LinkedIn, morphed into an offline collective with hopes of fostering a shared space for freelancers. Enter The Freelancers Networking Event.

Inception 

Back in 2020, Zainab was an undergraduate student when she discovered her passion for marketing. She joined Surge Global’s marketing team in 2021, serving as a Social Media Manager for over two years at the company. By March 2024, she decided to make a switch, going from a corporate role to a full-time freelancer. 

“I was new to the whole thing. So I started reaching out to people who have been freelancing for a while,” says Zainab. Over the next few months, Zainab started building a rapport with her connections online. Before long, requests for an actual networking event started coming in and after gauging interest on LinkedIn she decided to make it happen. But making plans online is one thing, actually bringing people together is another, especially when you’re doing it for the first time. 

By 18 November, the idea came to fruition with 60 attendees at the inaugural Freelancers Networking Event. “I had about 100 people reach out to me wanting to attend the event. But we had to turn some of them down because we couldn’t house everyone at the venue,” says Zainab. She points out that the hope is the next event will be hosted at a larger venue that can accommodate everyone.

By the freelancers, for the freelancers 

The first edition of the Freelancers Networking Event revolved around a few key areas; building a standout portfolio, strategies for retaining clients, the ins and outs of increasing your rates, and personal branding. As Zainab puts it, the idea was to focus on common, but important themes at the first event, particularly given that attendees’ freelancing experience varied extensively. “We had people who have been full-time freelancers for a few years and we had others who were either doing it as a part-time gig or just getting into it. So it was important to talk about something they all could relate to.”

Of course, a networking event is nothing without actual networking. As part of the proceedings, every attendee was color-coded randomly to form groups. The idea was to encourage social interactions among strangers as opposed to sticking with your friends and colleagues. The prompt got such positive feedback that some of the attendees reportedly created their own WhatsApp group to keep in touch.

“Even some of the people that I reached out to when I first started freelancing made it to the event. So it was a full circle moment for me, seeing everything finally come together,” Zainab points out. She goes on to state that one of the best outcomes of creating this space is the network of resources that comes with it. “Whether you’re looking for a graphic designer, software developer, or even a social media manager, we’re all just an email or a text away now.”

Planning ahead

Despite the response, Zainab has no plans to turn the Freelancers Networking Event into a monthly occurrence. In fact, she hopes to host the meetup once every quarter with the next one happening in a few months. Zainab says she wants to ensure the upcoming event will be able to host even more people should there be similar levels of interest.

Further, Zainab hints that she may consider expanding the event beyond Colombo. “I’ve already had requests to put together something similar in other areas. Maybe it’s something to look into, though not anytime soon,” comments Zainab.

Of course, time will tell how the Freelancers Networking Event pans out in its next few iterations. But judging from both online and offline feedback so far, Zainab says she has high expectations. “This is a learning experience for me as much as it is for everyone else and I hope the Freelancers Networking Event continues to foster a productive space for every type of freelancer out there.”