Client promised referrals for work but now refuses, how to move on?

[JoyOnAMission]

Hello lovely people.
I'm a freelance virtual assistant and social media manager who has been working with a client under an agreement where she promised referrals in exchange for my work. I showed up fully, grew her social media page, managed her inbox, handled her admin and was reliable every single day.I even work sometimes during the weekend because i want to make her week as easy as i can.
She acknowledges I do good work, yet when it came time to honour our agreement the answer became no with no real explanation.A friend of hers reached out to me and asked me to give her some vas since she was told'my schedule is full' by my boss.
I'm not here to bash anyone, I'm simply ready to spread my wings and find clients who truly value what I bring to the table.
And if you've been in a similar situation, I'd love to hear how you handled it.Where do i even start,where do i even apply.
My heart broke yesterday since she knows i have open slots to get even more clients since i was only working for her for an hour each day.
Any help ,word of advice would mean the world.

Don't ever do this again. You work for money. Leave this client and move on.

Well lesson 1 is never do work in exchange for ‘referrals’ as that is very vague and unspecific and doesn’t pay bills. Do work in exchange for money.

Youre also undercutting your whole industry by working for free.

I really believed her since she is somewhat high profile and i knew i would really get to work and even grow in my career.I think i am still in denial and just shocked given all the sacrifice i have had to make to just get a chance.

Am I correct in assuming from your writing style that this is your first job? As pp, you should never work for “influencers” or the like for free. Make sure you have a contract with clear terms and conditions. You say you bring value to the table - what do you mean?

I have learnt my lesson in the hardest way possible😪

I'm assuming your agreement was never in a written contact?

Do you have a contract?

If you still have access to her SM I would undo as much of your work as possible.

None.I was not even thinking that i would even actually work for her for long she needed help with admin virtually then as time went on,she really liked my work and had more.I was truly not thinking through at all.But lesson learnt.

Yes,i get you perfectly.I have learnt from my mistake

Remember that people who climb to the top often do so by trampling on those below them. Their fame and high profile doesn’t make them a good or trustworthy person and, in fact, indicates the opposite of their trustworthiness especially if they got to the top rather quickly.

Are you in Scotland?

True,so true.Why did she have to be so horrible to me.I used to really get happy when i would see her present pitch decks i have made for her and just encourage her.I was genuinely happy to see her really grow.It just really breaks my heart,really breaks my heart.

Yes. Do you have written confirmation of the agreement? An email?

It would be sooo tempting to send her an invoice for work rendered but there could be all kinds of consequences to that if she's high profile.

It's also seems that she's actively working against you if she's been lying to other people?

What an absolute shit. I could imagine her being very vindictive if you kick up a fuss. Much as I would like to go on the war path I likely wouldn't do anything.

I would however use your work for her as an example in your portfolio. You should get something out of it!!

Essentially this person used you for her own gains, knowing from the start she was never going to refer you.

Unfortunately, as sad as it is, you can't take someone's word, because as you have discovered, it means bugger all.

Never work for free. Always have a client sign a contract, before you start working on their behalf/for them.

You're going to have to notch this up to experience and move on from It. Never do any work for this person again, they have proven themselves to be untrustworthy.

I have written my resignation email and scheduled it for Monday and now i am back to the drawing board to try get more clients.

Oh, OP. Always get a contract and never, ever work for free. Ever. It sucks, but people will take advantage. Only good thing is that you sound like you learned. Move on. Freelancing is a tough business.

Don’t ever get so invested in someone else’s brand that they can break your heart. This is business not friendship. They will forget your name within a few weeks so don’t imagine you’re doing anything but a job for them!

You don’t need to send her a resignation on Monday. She is not your boss… she never paid you! Or, if you didn’t have a contract you can just walk away.

You are so right and thank you for this perspective. I wish I had pushed for a contract,from the start, lesson learnt.And yes, using the work in my portfolio is exactly what I plan to do, at least I walk away with something tangible to show for my efforts. The page growth, the inbox management, all of it tells its own story and no one can take that away from me.

There is no need to resign. You are not an employee.

I thought this. Sounds like you need an overall mindset change a bit.

In simple terms I grew her social media, cleared her inbox, handled her admin and showed up reliably every single day. I basically freed her time as business owner time and mental energy so that she could basically focus on what she loved like talks and even just travelling.Lesson learned and onwards and upwards.

I would also do this.

And make sure everyone knows she’s dodgy (she is) and a bad payer

Should i just ghost and move? I think it is because i truly treated it like a job because i just loved and respected what i did.But i get you,i truly do.