They say “trust the process.”
But what do you do when the process is broke — and so are you?
You’ve got skills.
You’ve got drive.
You’ve even got the receipts… in screenshots, in drafts, in your mind.
And yet — nothing.
No callbacks. No contracts. No clear way in.
You’re applying like your life depends on it (because it kinda does).
Every job post, you’re there.
Every “we’re hiring!” — you’ve already sent your CV.
And still, you’re not hearing back.
Meanwhile, someone on LinkedIn just said they got over 2,000 applications in 48 hours.
Two. Thousand.
And this isn’t 2020 anymore — these aren’t panic pivots.
This is 2,000 qualified people.
People with polished CVs, stacked experience, shiny references.
People just like you — and yet, somehow, still ahead of you.
You’re not imagining it.
It’s hard out here.
It’s not just the economy. It’s the competition.
So how do you stand out?
When everyone’s “skilled,” “passionate,” “driven,”
— what actually gets you in the room?
Proof.
That’s what a portfolio gives you.
It stops you from saying “I can do the work, trust me.”
And starts showing: “Here’s what I’ve already done — even before you hired me.”
When I didn’t have a degree, didn’t have connections, didn’t have a job —
I had to build my own credibility.
From scratch.
That meant documenting everything.
Every win, every post, every project.
Even the unpaid ones — especially the unpaid ones.
Because I knew:
If I couldn’t afford to wait for someone to pick me,
I had to build something that made them notice me.
And it worked.
Not overnight. But powerfully.
Each new piece I added to my portfolio opened doors I couldn’t even knock on before.
So if you’ve been stuck at “please just give me a chance,”
This is how you stop begging.
And start getting paid.
How to Build a Portfolio When You’re Starting From Zero
(aka: how to prove you’re that girl, even if nobody’s hired you yet)
1. Start with what you’ve actually done — not what you wish you had
The Invisible Work Audit
You’ve been doing the work.
For your friends. Your cousin’s podcast. That unpaid internship that somehow needed 15 pitch decks. Yourself.
But because no one paid you for it (yet), you’ve convinced yourself it doesn’t count. Newsflash: it counts.
Your proof is probably hiding in plain sight:
→ voice notes with strategy breakdowns
→ WhatsApp chats with “omg this worked!” feedback
→ screenshots of work you never posted
→ stories you helped shape
→ side projects you forgot even existed
Start gathering. This is your proof of concept.
Throw it all in a notion database called “I did that.”
We’ll organize it in a minute — for now, collect the damn receipts.
The industry might try to shame “free work.” But we’re not here to wait for permission.
2. Document everything
Now that you’ve got your “I did that” folder, don’t stop there.
It’s not just about gathering the what — it’s about unpacking the so what.
Every voice note, screenshot, testimonial — they’re not just receipts. They’re ripple effects.
→ Did that one free strategy session help someone land a brand deal?
→ Did your IG carousel get shared by someone you admire?
→ Did your explainer thread get 10 DMs asking how you did it?
That’s the gold.
Because that’s what changes the game — not just “look what I did,” but “look what it did.”
Your reach. Your growth. Your impact.
That’s what makes people pay attention — and pay you.
3. Tell the story, not just the result
You’re not just uploading pretty pictures or links.
You’re giving context. You’re walking them through your thinking.
What was the challenge?
Why did you do it that way?
What happened after?
People don’t just hire output. They hire how you think. Show them.
4. Use the tools you already have
No, you don’t need a custom-coded website. You need clarity.
Start with:
Canva — use their portfolio templates (search “portfolio” in the homepage).
Beacons — drag and drop your work into one clean link.
WordPress — for more control and narrative-style storytelling.
Choose the one that feels easiest for you to update consistently. Done is better than fancy.
5. Make it yours
This isn’t school. You don’t need to look like everyone else to get picked.
Add personality. Make it scrollable. Drop in client praise, metrics, or even voice notes if that’s your thing.
Your portfolio should feel like a preview of what it’s like to work with you.
Not sterile. Not stiff. You.
Bonus: Listen. I need you to hear this with your whole chest.
“Trust me, I can do the work.”
Is not the way.
That line is expired and dusty.
It will have you broke and bitter while someone with half your talent gets booked out.
The truth is: the world doesn’t reward potential. It rewards proof.
And if you don’t show them?
They’ll scroll past you and hire the one who did — even if they’re half as good.
You’re not losing opportunities because you’re not good enough.
You’re losing them because they can’t see you.
They don’t know what you’ve built.
They don’t feel the weight of your work.
Because you haven’t laid it out in a way that makes them stop and say, “Wait… who is this??”
I say this with love, with fight, with my voice shaking because I’ve been you:
You need a portfolio that does the talking for you.
You need work that can walk into rooms you haven’t even entered yet and say,
“She’s ready. She’s done this. Hire her.”
You’re not asking for a shot anymore.
You’re presenting your value.
Loudly. Clearly. Unapologetically.
This is how we stop hoping. And start getting chosen.
Need some inspo? Check out my portfolio here, it desperately needs updating but it does the job.
What else is a portfolio good for? Visibility
Let’s face it proof is cute. But presence pays.
Once you’ve got your “I did that” folder, we’re not just slapping it on a dusty PDF.
We’re remixing it into platforms people actually scroll:
→ Instagram Highlights
Pin your process, client love, or even a “before & after” series. Turn lurkers into leads. So that anytime anyone visits your account your portfolio is right there.
→ Notion Portfolio
Clean. Clickable. And you can update it in your bonnet at midnight. Add testimonials, visuals, and what you offer now.
→ YouTube Mini-Case Studies
Low-budget, high-impact. Pull up Canva, narrate over slides, and boom: visual proof with personality.
→ Beacons Portfolio Zine
Turn your portfolio into a digital product — especially if you’re creative. Curate your work like a gallery. Sell it for $1. Or free. Or just use it as a flex.
You keep saying you just need someone to take a chance on you.
But what if you are the chance?
What if the only thing standing between where you are and where you want to be — is visibility?
Not luck. Not a referral.
Not someone finally “seeing your potential.”
Because now, you’re not just asking them to believe in you.
You’re giving them evidence.
And the truth is:
Once you have proof, you don’t chase opportunities.
You choose them.
Here's Where We're At This Week:
Goal: 10K
Current: 7,126
We grew by 100 people this week and we are now only 2.9K away from our 10K goal!
Newsletter
Goal: 10K
Current: 151
We actually lost three subscribers (which means right now we have a high churn rate) and I promised to be completely honest through this, so here is the honesty. It’s scary but we are working on lead magnets so we can continue bringing new friends to the community and we just updated our template store which you can check out here.
YouTubeTikok & InstagramI made my first fully AI video which I am releasing today on my linkedin and is step 1 into automating the video process so we can make video a consistant part of the creation roaster.
What’s In Our Toolbox
We built our store on Beacons, we built our community payment gateway on Beacons, and we are going to be running our first course and email marketing campaign on Beacons, so this is to say BEACONS is fully the one-stop shop for creators that keeps on giving, and you can get started on it completely for free.
Jobs You Might Have Missed
Omniscient Digital is hiring an Organic Growth Strategist Location: Remote, Worldwide. Apply Here.
Executive Assistant to join Mysha, a community supporting women through the transition to motherhood. More Info Here
For job reposts, gigs, funding, and more → LinkedIn is where it’s at.
Whatever you’re looking for, we’ll keep sharing.
Until Next Week.
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