Bonus: The 30-day international client plan

This plan turns the whole book into a daily schedule. It is designed to get your system running: positioning, portfolio, pricing, paperwork, payments and outreach.

It is not a promise of clients or income within 30 days. Some designers get a reply from their network in the first fortnight; for others the pipeline takes longer to produce results. What you can guarantee is that at the end of 30 days your business will be set up to win international work, and you'll have real data on which channels respond.

How to use the plan

• Time needed: about 1–2 hours on most days. Some setup days take longer. If you have client work, stretch the plan to 45 or 60 days and keep the order.
• Rest days are part of the plan. Use them to recover, or catch up if you fell behind.
• Tick off each day in the checklist at the end.
• Measure activity, not just outcomes: messages sent, replies, calls, proposals. You control these.
• Weekly reviews (Days 7, 14, 21, 28) are where you adjust.

HYPOTHETICAL illustration: adapting the plan

Invented scenario. Uche has two local client projects running and can only spare 45 minutes a day. He decides to stretch the plan to 60 days, doing each "day" over two calendar days. He keeps the weekly reviews every seven calendar days so he still measures progress regularly. The order matters more than the speed.

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Week 1: Foundations: who you serve and how you look

Day 1: Project audit (Chapter 1)

• List all significant projects from the last 2–3 years in the eight-column spreadsheet.
• Score each for enjoyment and pride.
• Output: a complete project audit.

Day 2: Choose your niche (Chapter 1)

• Score at least three candidate niches on evidence, access, budget, interest and competition.
• Choose one lead niche for the next 90 days.
• Output: your niche decision, with two sentences on why.

Day 3: One-liner and positioning statement (Chapter 1)

• Write five versions of your one-line offer and test them on two people.
• Write your positioning statement (under 100 words).
• Output: final one-liner and positioning statement.

Day 4: Update your profiles (Chapters 1 and 3)

• Update your LinkedIn headline, About section, banner and Featured section.
• Update your Behance/Dribbble bios and email signature (with working hours and time zones).
• Output: consistent profiles everywhere.

Day 5: Choose and outline case studies (Chapter 2)

• Choose 3–6 projects for your portfolio.
• Outline each one using the eight-part case-study structure.
• Send reference and portfolio permission requests to past clients.
• Output: case study outlines; permission requests sent.

Day 6: Write case study 1 (Chapter 2)

• Write your strongest case study in full.
• Ask someone outside design to read it and explain the client's problem back to you.
• Output: one finished case study.

Day 7: Rest and weekly review

• Look back at Days 1–6. What's done? What's behind?
• Note anything that surprised you about your project audit.

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Week 2: Systems: trust, pricing, paperwork and payments

Day 8: Case studies 2 and 3 (Chapter 2)

• Write two more case studies.
• Publish all three on your website and/or Behance.
• Output: three published case studies.

Day 9: Professional presence and video intro (Chapter 2)

• Set up a professional domain and email if you don't have them.
• Write and record your 60–90 second video intro, and add it to LinkedIn Featured and your website.
• Output: professional email in use; video published.

Day 10: Costs and floor rate (Chapter 4)

• List your monthly business costs, including power, data, software and payment costs. Convert to USD at a conservative rate [VERIFY the rate on the day].
• Set your personal pay target and estimate billable hours.
• Calculate your floor hourly rate and add a margin.
• Output: your floor rate, written down.

Day 11: Packages and rate cards (Chapter 4, Templates 3 and 4)

• Estimate hours for each package.
• Check comparable designers in your target market.
• Fill in your USD rate card (and NGN rate card if needed).
• Output: completed rate card(s).

Day 12: Contract and lawyer (Chapter 5, Template 2)

• Choose your options in each key clause.
• Contact a lawyer to review your master contract. List your questions about deposits, IP and governing law.
• Output: contract options chosen; review booked.

Day 13: Payment setup (Chapter 5)

• Check current fees on the official sites of two or three providers [VERIFY].
• Choose your main provider and start identity verification.
• Arrange a small test payment from someone abroad, if possible.
• Check your bank's current international card limits [VERIFY].
• Output: main provider chosen; verification started; test arranged.

Day 14: Rest and weekly review

• Is your portfolio something you'd be proud to send to a stranger?
• Is your payment setup moving? Note any blockers.

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Week 3: Outreach: start conversations

Day 15: Paperwork ready (Chapter 9)

• Fill in and brand your proposal, invoice and receipt templates.
• Set up your invoice numbering and records spreadsheet.
• Save your post-call summary, kickoff email and weekly update templates (Chapter 6).
• Output: paperwork ready to send.

Day 16: Lists and tracker (Chapter 3)

• Set up your outreach tracker.
• Build lists: 20 cold-email targets with triggers, 20 agencies, 10 diaspora contacts.
• Check the email rules for your target countries [VERIFY].
• Output: tracker with 50 names.

Day 17: LinkedIn launch (Chapter 3)

• Publish your first LinkedIn post (a case study breakdown).
• Send 10 personalised connection requests.
• Leave 10 thoughtful comments in your niche.
• Output: post live; 10 requests sent.

Day 18: Cold email batch 1 (Chapter 3, Template 5)

• Write and send 10 personalised cold emails.
• Log them in the tracker.
• Output: 10 emails sent.

Day 19: Agency pitches (Chapter 3)

• Research and pitch 3–5 agencies.
• Upload one piece to Dribbble or Behance.
• Output: 3–5 agency pitches sent.

Day 20: Diaspora outreach (Chapter 3)

• Send personal messages to 10 diaspora contacts about what you now do.
• Join or engage with one diaspora business community.
• Output: 10 messages sent; one community joined.

Day 21: Rest and weekly review

• Count: messages sent, replies, calls booked.
• Which channel felt most natural? Which got any response?
• Write one change for next week.

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Week 4: Momentum: follow up, propose, refine

Day 22: Follow-ups and LinkedIn post 2

• Send first follow-ups to everyone contacted on Days 17–20 who hasn't replied.
• Publish your second LinkedIn post.
• Output: follow-ups sent; post live.

Day 23: Cold email batch 2

• Send 10 more cold emails, improved by what you've learned.
• Output: 10 more emails sent.

Day 24: Referrals and references

• Ask 3–5 past clients for referrals using the Chapter 7 script.
• Request testimonials from clients who've already agreed to be references (only with permission).
• Output: referral requests sent.

Day 25: Discovery and proposals

• Send discovery questionnaires to anyone who's shown interest.
• Prepare proposal drafts for upcoming calls.
• If you have no interested leads yet: that's normal at this stage. Use the day for 10 more outreach messages and to finish your test payment.
• Output: questionnaires sent, or extra outreach done.

Day 26: Calls and proposals

• Run any booked calls. Send post-call summaries the same day.
• Send proposals within 24–48 hours of each call.
• Output: summaries and proposals sent (if applicable).

Day 27: Second follow-ups and agency follow-ups

• Send second (final) follow-ups to non-responders from Days 17–20.
• Follow up with agencies.
• Output: follow-up round complete.

Day 28: LinkedIn post 3 and weekly review

• Publish your third LinkedIn post.
• Weekly review: count everything; compare channels.

Day 29: Thirty-day analysis

• Fill in the scorecard below.
• Decide which two channels to double down on, and which to pause.
• Review your Introduction exercise answers. What's changed?
• Output: a completed scorecard and channel decision.

Day 30: Plan the next 30 days

• Set weekly activity targets for your two best channels.
• Schedule recurring time for outreach, content and reviews.
• Set reminders: template review (6 months), price review (6 months), provider fee check (every few months).
• Output: a written plan for the next 30 days.

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The 30-day scorecard

Fill this in on Day 29. There are no "good" or "bad" numbers here. This is your baseline.

Channel	Contacts made	Replies	Calls	Proposals	Won
LinkedIn
Cold email
Agencies
Diaspora
Referrals
Dribbble/Behance (inbound)
Other
Total

Questions to ask yourself

1. Which channel produced the most replies per hour invested?
2. Which messages got responses? What did they have in common?
3. Where did conversations stall: at reply, call or proposal?
4. Is your portfolio getting positive reactions? What questions do prospects ask?
5. Is your payment setup tested and working?
6. What will you stop, start and continue?

Troubleshooting: if the plan stalls

"I'm behind schedule." That's fine. Keep the order and drop the dates. Skipping the foundations to rush to outreach usually makes outreach less effective.

"Nobody is replying." Check three things: (1) Is your message specific to each person, or does it read like a template? (2) Is your niche clear in your profile and portfolio? (3) Are you contacting people with a real trigger (a launch, a raise, an expansion)? Change one thing at a time and measure again.

"I'm getting replies but no calls." Make your ask smaller and easier: offer a short Loom with ideas instead of a call, or suggest two specific time slots in their time zone.

"I'm getting calls but no yes." Review your proposals. Do they reflect the client's own words? Are there three options? Is the scope clear? Ask a peer to review one.

"My payment verification is stuck." Contact the provider's support, and in the meantime set up your backup provider [VERIFY current requirements]. Don't accept client work until you have at least one tested route.

Setup checklist

By Day 30 you should be able to tick:

• Niche chosen; one-liner and positioning statement written
• All profiles consistent
• 3+ case studies published
• Professional email and video intro
• Floor rate calculated; rate card(s) completed
• Contract options chosen; lawyer review booked or done
• Payment provider chosen, verified and tested [VERIFY]
• Bank card limits checked [VERIFY]
• Proposal, invoice and receipt templates branded
• Tracker set up, with 50+ contacts
• 3 LinkedIn posts published
• 20+ cold emails, 3–5 agency pitches and 10 diaspora messages sent
• Follow-ups completed
• Referral requests sent
• 30-day scorecard completed
• Next 30-day plan written

A final word

Building an international client base from Nigeria is a long-term project, not a 30-day sprint. The designers who succeed are usually not the ones with a perfect launch. They're the ones who keep showing up: refining their positioning, adding case studies, sending thoughtful messages, following up and delivering well when the work comes.

You now have the system. Run it, measure it and improve it.

[AUTHOR SIGN-OFF PLACEHOLDER: Israel to add a short closing note in his own voice and his preferred contact or community link, if any.]