Zach Swinehart

What would you do if your biggest client suddenly fired you—or your most reliable referral source dried up overnight? For many freelancers, the answer is panic, followed by a desperate scramble through old contacts or gig platforms. In this honest and tactical session, Zach shares a better way: how to build a self-sustaining, repeatable system for attracting high-value clients—one that can support a $200K/year business.
Drawing on 15 years of freelancing experience and his work with hundreds of freelancers in the Freelancing community, Zach explains how to take control of client acquisition and stop relying on luck, referrals, or platforms like Upwork. He also explores the mindset shift from being a commoditized developer to positioning yourself as a valuable business partner—an essential change in a world increasingly shaped by AI.
In this session, you’ll learn:
Why the old client-finding methods keep freelancers stuck in survival mode
How to build a predictable, scalable client generation engine
What makes the $200K/year mark a powerful benchmark for independence
How to escape the feast-or-famine cycle for good
The key differences between a commodity developer and a value-driven consultant
Why business thinking is now a non-negotiable skill for developers

Zach Swinehart

How To Build a $200k/yr Client Generation Machine